The premises of the ashram at Eptanisou Street, Kypseli, outside of Athens, expanded to include the second flat on that floor, which had a beautiful veranda that we decorated with flowers and plants. When you were inside, you completely forgot about the traffic and pollution outside. When you were outside, approaching the centre, you could feel the vibrations change from a block away. Such a powerful spiritual effort was being made here in a quiet humble way.
It was here that Swami Satyananda came in May 1980 to give lectures, satsangs and diksha. I recall an incident very clearly on one of the days that Swami Satyananda spent in this ashram. We were all very busy before his arrival with cleaning, painting and ensuring everything was fresh. We emptied all the cupboards, cleaning from the kitchen to the bathroom. We were preparing the whole ashram for him. Swami Sivamurti had just trained the first kitchen-in-charge on how to make sabji, rice and dal. So, the recently appointed in-charge made the first meal for maybe five or six people.
We sat down to eat and as the meal was served, I immediately tasted the dal. I was quite new and not aware that you usually wait for Swami Satyananda to start first. The dal I had tasted was so salty that I got a shock. It was like the saltiest sea water. I thought, ‘Oh no, we are not going to serve this to our guru. This is too salty!’ Just as I was about to say something about the dal, Swami Satyananda immediately picked up his dal, drank it and said, “Oh, it’s so sweet,” with a delighted expression.
The cook felt so good about being praised! What a lesson for me, seeing how Swami Satyananda turned a difficult situation into a positive one. He spared the cook’s feelings and he taught us all a lesson.