This evening the group from our guest house is sitting around the dinner table with Swamiji on the wide veranda of the “big house.” The heat of the day is dissipating.

India’s ancient teachings once again float on the evening air as our Guru asks each one of us in turn “What did you hear?” from the afternoon satsang.

Story after story unfolds for each of us as we connect the cosmic forces she has been describing (in her teachings on Vishnu) with the present time and events in our lives. We’ve just heard an intricate story of Vishnu’s incarnation as Narasimha, a man-lion, in order to kill a devotee, helping him fulfill the terms of a curse.

Each of us has picked out a different theme and Swamiji draws out the details revealing more layers and nuances to the story. She meets each of us where we are at — as Devaraja says, “There are no wrong answers”.  It’s a joy to see how we are each individualized forms of Shiva reflecting back a specific facet of the teachings, and in turn the Guru is reflecting back personalized responses. The blaze of Consciousness grows brighter and brighter around the table, blazing into the still India evening.

How fortunate am I to be here in this place and this time at the feet of my Guru….