Several years before I met my beloved Guru Ammachi, my other beloved Guru Neem Karoli Baba-ji had already jumped into my heart and life… so a magical thing happens when I go down to see Amma at her ashram in California: I just “happen” to meet other Amma devotees who are also connected with Neem Karoli Baba! On my most recent trip to see Amma, I was still reading Krishna Das’ book, Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold, and when people saw that book in front of me in the snack shop, they started up conversations about Neem Karoli Baba. One woman told me about this temple she visited in India, in which they had life-size posters of Neem Karoli Baba! After she told me about that peak experience, I shared a story that I’ve heard several times… in the story, an Amma devotee took his friend to see Amma: the friend had been a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, who was known for wildly throwing fruit in all directions at his devotees… the two men sat near Amma for a while, and then the Amma devotee turned and asked his friend, “Well, what do you think of Amma?” The friend said, “Well, she’s okay, but she’s not like my Baba.” Right at that exact second, Amma picked up a banana and threw it at the guy! Needless-to-say, he became an Amma devotee!

So then… right after I told that story, I went back over to the Hall and sat near Amma, watching her give darshan (hugs and blessings) to people… and after a short time, Amma suddenly started throwing handfuls of chocolate kisses over her shoulders at the Indian musicians who were playing music and singing bhajans (devotional songs) on the stage behind her! She must have really liked the music because she was throwing those kisses hard, in all directions! I thought about how I had just told that story of Amma throwing the banana at the Neem Karoli Baba devotee, and I marveled at how splendidly connected in synchronicity everything really is.

All the time everything is connected in harmonious synchronicity, but we so often miss seeing it because we are caught up in our thoughts and life situations. I felt so much Gratitude for that moment of seeing the interconnectedness of it all. Amma doesn’t miss anything, because she is beyond thinking… and Neem Karoli Baba was the same – he lived beyond thoughts… I aspire to also get there – to that place beyond the thinking mind…

May all beings know Peace.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja Smiling Big in Amma’s Field taken by Kate Milliken.