A MODERN DAY MYSTIC

A living master who is so ordinary in her extraordinariness!
She is a challenge to the intellect, a pleasing sight to the eyes,
humorous, and a lively new age Buddha.
She is the embodiment of love and knowledge.

Mesmerizing persona, piercing eyes, a crystal clear mind, the wisdom of the ages and a beautiful demeanour - such is the personality of Anandmurti Gurumaa. Defying definition, pragmatic, realistic, of liberal views, she is open-minded like the sky and intense like space. Gurumaa had a wonderful childhood - when other children were learning nursery rhymes, she was listening to the philosophy of Vedanta. While other children dreamt of dolls and cars, she was learning the art of awakening from dreams. A bubbly spirited teenager, she was not seen with girls of her age but with yogis and gurus. Meditating and lovingly serving spiritual masters, she had her awakening at the tender age of sixteen. Soon life groomed her to be a master and a guide to other seekers. As fish to water, so did poetry come naturally to her.

She is a sufi when she speaks on Sufism;
a rishi when she speaks on the upanishads and the Geeta; a Shankrachraya; a Buddha; a Zen Master; a poetess; a singer.
Gurumaa is all of these and yet, she is none of these!

Gurumaa has written hundreds of poems. She has also set them to music and sung them in her mellifluous voice. People sometimes wonder how an apparently simple girl has achieved such heights in such a small span of time. In thinking so, are they not merely looking at the physical and missing the important point that spirit is ageless and the mind carries all its achievements from one life to the next? Gurumaa’s early speeches carried such fervour that she was branded a rebel. While the young ones loved her for her modern thoughts, the elders felt challenged.

She has simplified meditation for the masses and made it of such ease that no one ever felt that this path was for a chosen few only.

People who witnessed her eccentric behaviour; her fervour; her fiery spirit; her zealous soul; her divine dance - soon realized that she was much more than what she appeared to be. An incident from her school days is worth mentioning. Gurumaa was in the sixth grade and a christian priest who was taking a moral science class asked the students if they had any questions. None of the students had any query but Gurumaa had so many! The priest was soon embarrassed as he found it difficult to answer the questions of this little girl. He dismissed the class and rebuked her saying that she was insulting him with her unending stream of questions. In his heart however, he had a different plan. Her father was summoned and presented with a proposal. He was asked to give this bright young girl to the church, for in her they could see a great evangelist. Her father naturally declined.
Gurumaa had a sober but happy childhood and a fiery youth. She was always seen meditating or sitting in silence. Soon the fragrance of her spirituality spread and people from all over started coming to her seeking knowledge and guidance. Busy meeting people and traveling to nearby cities, she was never restricted by her gender. Surprisingly, even her parents never restricted her or forced her to do anything she didn’t like to - which is pretty unusual for Indian parents.
Her satsangs were getting crowded and her popularity was soaring in the small city of Amritsar. One day she went into silence and after seven months of deep silence, she left her home and hometown for good. She started wandering and traveled mostly in North India, finally settling in Rishikesh - a holy city on the banks of the Ganges. Then her traveling started again, but this time to address conferences, meet people and to give them guidance. Later she started her meditation retreats which gave her a working ground. Thousands of people would come to unlearn the worldly ways; to rise above dogmas and doctrines of religion. She simplified meditation for the masses and made it of such ease that no one ever felt that this path was for a chosen few only.

Gurumaa says she does not belong to any one tradition, religion, path or label. She considers herself a citizen of world and is not limited by narrow considerations. She is a free-spirited, transendentalist and is carving out a path-less path for seekers. She says that no guru can grant you enlightenment; no master can awaken your kundalini; one has to toil hard oneself - but without making the effort seem a strain. Seek, but with patience; meditate, but without any goal; sharpen your awareness so that you rise above the ‘me-mine-I’ syndrome of identification with the self.
Today Gurumaa resides in a beautiful ashram in Gannaur, Harayana, India. Ever welcoming to seekers; ever inviting to all; a hard task master who will not appease your ego, Gurumaa says, “People do not need a living guru; they need a look-alike guru, a toy. As one has to surrender totally to the guru, people, who love their selves so much, find it difficult to do so. Therefore most prefer to stay away!”
Gurumaa has spoken on almost every subject: psychology, religion, family, society, mysticism. Her talks are interspersed with beautiful music and her soul stirring singing. She is a sufi when she speaks on Sufism; a rishi when she speaks on the upanishads and the Geeta; a Shankrachraya; a Buddha; a Zen Master; a poetess; a singer. Gurumaa is all of these and yet, she is none of these!
Anandmurti Gurumaa is a living master who is so ordinary in her extraordinariness! She is a challenge to the intellect, a pleasing sight to the eyes, humorous, and a lively new age Buddha. She is the embodiment of love and knowledge.

No guru can grant you enlightenment; no master can awaken your kundalini; one has to toil hard oneself - but without making the effort seem a strain. Seek, but with patience; meditate, but without any goal; sharpen your awareness so that you rise above the ‘me-mine-I’ syndrome of identification
with the self.