Guru - Swami Vishnudevananda

My TTC
"Gee, is he the guru or just grumpy?" - A beautiful experience shared on the sivananda newsletter

The first time I saw Swami Vishnudevananda was in 1975, as I was getting off the boat for my Teachers Training Course. He was yelling at some guys. He seemed very agitated at their actions and was scolding them harshly. I was taken aback by his gruff demeanor and thought, “Gee, is he the guru or just grumpy?".

After setting up my tent I wrote him a letter saying that I did not like him, that he was mean and fat and did not even look like he did yoga and why was he yelling – was that cosmic love? I had come here to learn about love and all he was doing was yelling and screaming at people. I gave the letter to his assistant and thought I would surely be asked to leave, which was fine with me since he was just a grumpy old fat man anyway.

It was only after handing over the letter that I began to really notice the people he had been scolding and I realized that if I was in charge, I would throw those people right off the property. Then I saw that Swamiji was straightening out some very large egos, that soon these very same people would be crying at the altar and changing into some beautiful loving souls right before my eyes. I had just sent a long letter to this famous sage telling him a thing or two and now I could see that he was actually changing these people into really beautiful human beings. Later on the assistant came up and said she had read my note and I said, “He wants me to leave, doesn’t he?” and she said, “Oh no, he gets these letters all the time and sends his blessings.” How could he send his blessings to me – I said he was fat and mean and did not even look like he did yoga?

That night after the chanting in the Satsang, he looked around and began staring at me and he said, “I am just a disciple of my guru. I love my guru. He sent me to the West to teach everybody what he taught me and I will do my best.” He looked at me and said he loved me like my mother and what does your mother do when she sees you run across the street and not look both ways? She may run across the street and bop you on the bottom and tell you never ever to cross the street without looking both ways. He then said, “Sometimes I may not do this very good as I have a big ego and this is why I am into Yoga, too, to eliminate my ego and become one with the immortal Atman.”

He also said, “If I have done anything to upset you or disappoint you in any way this was not my intention, as I really do love you.” He got up from his bench and prostrated to all of us and said, “Please forgive me, I love you and I am sorry.” It was then that I realized what a beautiful soul he was and that this is why they called him the guru. He taught me so much in that day. I still love him and try to serve him as best as I can. Swami Vishnu was very honest and humble and gave all he had to teaching us how to be better people. The world is a better place since he came and established his TTC program for all of us.

The next day on the beach who comes up to me in a lotus handstand, walking from the main house to me on the beach? Swamiji. He walked up on his hands, smiled and waved (a one-hand handstand!), as if to say I am that fat mean guy who can’t do yoga and who doesn’t know anything about anything. As he walked by me on his hands he made all the girls smile and blush doing spins on his hands saying nice things to them enchanting them and making them happy. Then he went to the water and came up in a lotus fish posture meditating. You could feel it.

The water became calm, the wind stopped, and our brains stopped as we all watched him in the water, wondering if he was calming the ocean or if it was just coincidence. I think it was a yoga siddhi, a demonstration of mastery to show us we had come to the right place, class starts tomorrow, and don’t be late. Swamiji got out of the water, the ocean and wind began to move again and he bowed to us all as he went back to his house.

Sambasiva