Many times true aspirants have an immediate sense of relief when they meet their teacher, or guru; it is a homecoming you had forgotten you were waiting for. When Swami Vishnu was initiated by his Master, Swami Sivananda, it was as if a light turned on, flooding him with spiritual knowledge he had forgotten through the passage of time. He could finally see his true Self, remembering that he was a yogi.
Swami Sitaramananda, the director at the Sivananda Ashram in Grass Valley, wrote about this kind of experience in her poem entitlted “Initiation” which you can find in her book “Darshan; A Vision of God”.
I went through the ages
and met my soul.
I encountered myself again
a familiar feeling, deep down inside.
My master’s touch
brought me back through the ages
and made me meet myself again
and him, somewhere deep down inside.
I traveled through the ages
in a split second
and got back to this light place
deep down inside.
The dramas, the sufferings
suddenly are understood
as consequences of being lost
somewhere out there outside.
I found myself, an old, old friend,
and cried, cried, tears of relief,
tears of pity, for all this time lost
somewhere out there outside.
My Master’s touch
brought me back through the ages
and made me meet myself again
deep down inside.
Swami Sitaramananda’s poetry books, as well as many other books, can be found in our Boutique here at the SF Center.
