I realize now that an entire book could be written about my first encounter with Yogi Ramsuratkumar.

I first heard about Yogi Ramsuratkumar from a Sai Baba group leader who said there was an enlightened being who lived in Tiruvannamalai and was a chain smoker. I thought nothing about Yogi Ramsuratkumar, from hearing this short story.

A few years later, I was told by a famous seer in New York City that I had two spiritual teachers, this lifetime. Yogi Ramsuratkumar and Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I told the seer I had already met Sai Baba but had never met Yogi Ramsuratkumar and knew very little about him. The seer told me if I went and saw Ramsuratkumar my entire life would be transformed. One of Yogi's devotees Will Zachalowski told me a little about Yogi.

A few months later I was visiting an ashram in India. I received a fax telling me Will Zackalowski was visiting Yogi Ramsuratkumar and staying at Ramana Ashram. The next day I was on the bus to Tiruvannamalai to meet Yogi Ramsuratkumar with Yogi Will. The bus to Tiruvannamalai was late and when I arrived at Ramana Ashram it was dark. I went into Ramana Ashram and asked Dr.M. If Will Zackalowski was there. Dr. M. informed me that Will would not be coming for several months. Then I asked Dr. M. if I could stay at the Ashram and he informed me that the ashram was fulI and if I had wanted to stay there I should have faxed my request several months ago. Desperate for a room a rickshaw driver showed me a 75 rupee night guest house which was very dilapidated.

The next day I went to morning darshan with Yogi and put in a request for an interview. I had been told by a Satsang leader that if I wanted an interview with Yogi I should write a letter to Yogi stating that I was a friend of Yogi Will. I must have confused the staff because after I wrote the letter they wanted to know where Yogi Will was.

When I first came to Darshan, the staff told me that Yogi would give car darshan, so I should line up and sing the Yogi Ramsuratkumar song. I had never heard of car darshan and thought the whole thing was ridiculous. When Yogi's car drove in I felt waves of energy flowing from his hands. I was also overtaken with his dress with his colorful turban and wrapping himself in many clothes.

Then we lined up to go into the temple and prostrate to the Yogi. This seemed very strange to me as we walked up to a statue of Yogi Ramsuratkumar walked around the statue three times and then prostrated to the real life Yogi Ramsuratkumar who was seated in a chair 30 or 40 feet away from the statue. The Yogi was chain smoking cigarettes and seemed to look at each person and then take a puff of the cigarette. One unusual thing was that the Yogi inhaled the smoke but no smoke came out the Yogi's mouth. The Yogi also smoked the cigarette in a highly unusual fashion.

Somehow seeing the Yogi must have had a great effect on me, which I was not aware of. I was able to sit in deep meditation while bhajan singing was going on around me. During the afternoon darshan I received a tap on the shoulder that Yogi wanted to see me and give me an interview. I had no preparation for the interview and was told by the staff member under no circumstances to touch the Yogi's feet. Yogi was sitting outside the big temple and I was seated next to the Yogi. When I sat down next to Yogi I could see the Yogi had his eyes raised up and they seemed to be dancing around the top of his eyes. White Light was pouring out of the Yogi's eyes and he seemed to be very busy doing something. I figured the Yogi was very busy working, so I just sat and watched him do his divine work. After a few minutes the Yogi stopped his "work' and asked me where I was born and then went hastily back to work. At this point I was hoping that the Yogi was working on me. After a few more minutes of "working" the Yogi asked my profession. Then the Yogi went to work for a few more minutes. I silently watched in amazement. I had never seen a human being or God man in such a state. Then the Yogi stopped his work. Then the Yogi looked at me in a very casual manner. Suddenly everything became covered in a milky white light and started pulsing as if it were vibrantly alive. Suddenly the entire reality as I knew it disappeared into white light. I knew I wasn't hallucinating because my eyes were open. After some time the world returned. The Yogi showed absolutely no emotion or made any expression or comment of any kind.

Then the Yogi grabbed my thumb and we meditated together for a few minutes. I had my eyes closed. The entire time I had my eyes closed I saw the color orange. After meditation, the Yogi placed an apple in my hands and told me, I could go. As I was walking away the Yogi smiled at me, lifted both the hands above his head and shouted "My Father Blesses You". I was deeply touched in my heart but I didn't know it. Then the Yogi looked away and I could see and feel that he totally forgot about me. I was terribly hurt since the Yogi had been so intimate with me a few minutes before.

After Dharshan was over I walked back to my hotel half in a state of bliss and half hurt that the Yogi could have forgotten about me so quickly. I didn't realize how much bliss and grace the Yogi had given me.

Every day I bought Yogi some milk biscuits. The next evening when I went to leave the ashram one of the security guards told me that Yogi had a message for me. Yogi was very happy I was bringing him the biscuits but please buy Yogi another brand of biscuits which he could digest easier. I was so happy that Yogi noticed that I was bringing him biscuits. It made me feel so important that Yogi noticed my biscuits and then all the pain in my heart left.

When I went back to the United States of America I felt totally transformed and just wanted to meditate and be alone. Life was to have other plans. But a first encounter with Yogi Ramsuratkumar was one of the priceless treasures of life which are never forgotten. It is a cherished memory and I feel very blessed that the Yogi revealed himself to me.