The arrival of a guru in one’s life can be like a whirlwind, a tornado or an earthquake and so it was with our meeting with Paramahamsaji way back in 1981. We had been feeling the need for a guru and had been anxiously waiting to meet one for quite a few years. Then suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Swami Anandananda phoned from Turin and said that Swami Satyananda would soon be in Rome for a few days. This was the first indication of what was to be such a sudden, thunderbolt change in our lives, because neither of us had the means to get to Rome at that moment. But “So what!” we said and off we went, though it did not seem at all the sensible thing to do. However, the wisdom of it had its roots in something inner and more intuitive and the pull to go and meet a swami, a true guru, a paramahamsa of such spiritual heights was like an irresistible magnet for us. From then on, many things which seemed impossible became possible.
The meeting with Swami Satyananda turned our lives inside out, the initiations he gave, the precise instructions he imparted and just meeting him and looking into his bright, lively eyes, gave a new spark of energy, a new meaning to every action, a new approach on how to relate to the journey of life, to its evolution and purpose. And it was love at first sight!