STORY OF THE MONTH
(Aug 2025)


How I Found My Guru!

(As Narrated by A Senior Monastic of YSS India)

"Every Guru-Purnima day, I remember the sacred moment when I first met my Guru, a moment that changed my life forever.

Before meeting Gurudev, I had everything that should make me happy, but I was not happy. Something was missing. And I didn't know what it was.

I resolved to find it out.

One quiet evening after work, I sat alone in my office, seeking an answer. Honestly, at that time, I didn't know anything about meditation, guru or God. But I just sat in my office, asking myself,
“What do I need to make myself happy?”

After a long silence, a gentle inner voice whispered,
“Only God can give you the happiness you seek.”

I asked the voice,
“Who is God?”

The reply came,
“Only a guru can show you.”

I asked,
“Who is my guru?”

Then only silence.

After waiting for some time, as it was getting late, I returned home.

Then I searched for my guru. In my search for my guru, I read many books by saints, about saints, and visited many gurus of other organizations. But I did not find the guru that was destined for me.

Then one evening, in great yearning, I visited a Divine Mother temple near my home. I prayed,
“Mother, you know who is my guru. Send him to me. I cannot wait.”

The next day, a friend, without my asking, gave me the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi.” I had never heard about this book before nor about the author.

As I began to read it, something extraordinary happened. Guruji was speaking directly to my soul, and my soul instantly recognized him as my guru. Every sentence in the book felt written just for me. The experience was transformative. I was transported to another world.

My heart overflowed with tears of recognition and love. All my inner questions of this life and the past were answered. A deep yearning for God took root in me.

That was the turning point in my life.” 

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Notes:

"The Autobiography of a Yogi", by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yoganandaji is a seminal book in the annals of theology. Published in 1946, the book has been voted amongst the 100 Most Influential books of the last century.