« Thanks to their ancient culture, Indians instinctively know how to recognise those who have devoted their lives to spirituality. They spontaneously go up to them and ask for their blessing. How often I was stopped, not only in hotels, but on the streets, in buses, by men and women asking me to bless them, something that had never happened to me in Europe. They would even get down on their knees in front of me. I was most uncomfortable with this, and to begin with I would try to lift them up.

When I was an adolescent, before I met Master Peter Deunov but was looking for my path in life, I read books that spoke of wise men and mighty beings who lived in India, particularly in the Himalayas, and I had got into the habit of linking in thought to them. When I finally travelled to India, I had no idea what I was going to encounter. I no longer needed to find my direction as I had found that a long time ago, but I needed to test myself.  Yes, I had a certain idea about myself and my work, and I needed to find confirmation of it. So for a year I visited many ashrams, I was received in sanctuaries that were forbidden to strangers, and I went to great Masters, some well known, others not. Among these great Masters I was privileged to meet was Neem Karoli Maharaj Babaji.

Neem caroli baba

Before I left France, I of course knew about Babaji, who Yogananda Parahamsa mentions in his Autobiography of a Yogi. I did not know if I would be able to meet him, because he moves from one place to another all the time, and there is never any forewarning of where he is going to stay.  For years people have looked for him, but with no luck; he is also very difficult to find as he often disguises himself, sometimes as a beggar in a crowd or as a traveller. It would be hard to recognize him as a yogi if you were to meet him quite by chance on the road. I really wanted to meet Babaji.

So, when I was in Almora, I sent him a message through my thoughts, and he replied by coming himself to meet me on 17 June. He sent one of his disciples to bring me to his home. But I had not gone to India to be invited and entertained everywhere. What I had appreciated above all with Babaji was to feel that here was a being in whom love dwelled. This was such a different experience from the many other Masters and yogis I met, most of whom were basically working on gaining power.
They ruled over their disciples as if they were gods dealing with slaves; they did not even look at those who approached them and fell at their feet. It is the custom in India to prostrate yourself before your Master, but even so…

In Calcutta I visited the ashram of Ananda Mayi Ma. She was a truly remarkable woman and one could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in her. She welcomed me with such love, and what a look we exchanged! »…

ANanda Mai

To be continued…
Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov –
A living Book, Autobiographical Reflections 1
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