Welcome to the Heart of the Lotus Blog

The purpose of this website is to celebrate and remember the life of Swami Kripalu, one of India's most beloved saints. Swami Kripalu visited the United States from 1977-1981. Those of us who lived with him at the Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania have many memories of him.

Recently I gathered the stories he told us during those four years into a book called, "From the Heart of the Lotus, the teaching stories of Swami Kripalu."

Each month I'll put one of his stories on this website, along with quotes from his teachings, and information about his life. Please feel free to contact me with questions or memories that you may have regarding the life of this great saint.

About Swami Kripalu

Swami Kripalu was one of India's greatest masters of Kundalini Yoga. Not only did he survive the awakening of Kundalini, but he dedicated his life to Kundalini sadhana, 10 hours a day for 30 years, achieving sublime spiritual heights. His life ended on December 29th, 1981, at the age of 68, a few months short of his goal...the Divine Body...which was beginning to manifest at the time of his passing.

He was born in 1913 to a devout, loving family in the western state of Gujarat, India. When he was 7, his father died, and the family became destitute, eventually losing their home. Swami Kripalu, though a brilliant student, dropped out of school in the 7th grade to work and support his family, eventually moving to Bombay in an attempt to find work.

When he was 19, he was saved from suicide by a powerful Mahatma who became his Guru. For the next 15 months, Swami Kripalu lived with his Guru and received his early spiritual training. Eight years later, and now separated from his Guru, he took swami vows and quickly became popular and well-loved as he traveled on foot from village to village.

At the age of 38, his Guru appeared again, this time in His divine form and told Swami Kripalu it was time to begin intensive yoga sadhana. Shortly thereafter, his prana awakened and spontaneous yoga kriyas, postures and pranayamas began to manifest. For the rest of his life, he maintained a rigorous practice of kundalini yoga.

In 1977, he visited America and stayed at the Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania, where he finished the last four years of his sadhana. It was during this time of his life that many of us spent time with him and were touched and transformed by his loving presence.

His full story is told in two beautiful books: Pilgrim of Love, by Atma Jo-Ann Levitt, and Infinite Grace, the story of my spiritual lineage, by Swami Rajarshi Muni.

I will continue to add bits and pieces of Swami Kripalu's remarkable life to this website.


Sunday, May 4, 2008

The Straw on the River Ganges

Man, who lives in darkness, thinks: ''Look at me! Look at all the things I'm doing!" Yet God is so great that he hides behind his creation. We should give thanks to Him and remember Him from whom we draw our strength.


The Straw on the River Ganges

One day the river Ganges was flowing beautifully out of the high Himalayas. The sun was bright on the pure, clean water. There was a sudden gust of wind and the wind picked up a straw and dropped it on the current of the river.

"Look at me!" The straw said. "This river is so beautiful! I'm passing flowers and woods and I can see all the mountains, and overhead the sky is blue!"

The river kept flowing and passed one holy place after another.

"Look at me!" The straw said. "I'm passing all the holy places of India!"

They came to a place where a lady was gathering water by the side of the river. She had a bucket and she dipped her bucket into the river and the straw went into her bucket.

"Look at me!" The straw said. "This lady will carry me throughout the town. I've found the holy place meant for me."

"Goodbye, straw," the river Ganges said. "I'm going to keep going, but you stay here if you want. I've taken you to all the holy places and I'm pleased that you found a place that you like. But first, though, don't you think you should thank me?"

"Thank you?" The straw said. "For what?"

"For carrying you," the river said. "You floated in my current and I brought you here."

"No!" The straw said. "Didn't you see me swimming? I wasn't floating; I was swimming."

"Little straw," the river laughed. "You were floating, not swimming. You did nothing on your own. You didn't have the strength to swim on your own in my water and if you had, you would have swam all over the place and not arrived at this holy spot. Go now, if you want to, live here and be happy, but give thanks to God."

And the river left.



Story told on May 1, 1974.
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