In the Embrace of Sree Guru Parampara
Hari Aum!
Hari Aum!
When Maa Purnananda ji gave me the name ‘Sumeru’ at SISS, (earlier Manav) my first reaction was curiosity. I actually went and looked it up after. Sumeru is the great cosmic mountain, the steady, unmovable Cosmic Centre around which everything else revolves. Steady, grounded, auspicious. I read that and thought, well, that is certainly not how I would describe myself on most days.
This brought me back to what Maa had said, that a name is either a reflection of what you already are, or a compass for where you need to go. I sat with that for a while. Because if it is a reflection, I have clearly missed something about myself. And if it is a compass, then there is a lot of walking left to do. Either way, it made me smile a little. There is something both humbling and strangely encouraging about being named after something so vast and so still.
What stayed with me most was just the feeling of that moment, being in that space, receiving something so unexpected, not quite knowing what to do with it. I don't think I need to figure it all out right away. For now, it feels like something to grow into slowly. I am deeply grateful to Maa Purnanandaji for this gift, and to Sree Guru Parampara, whose grace makes even a moment like this possible.
That alone feels like a blessing enough!
My Pranaam at the Holy Feet and Pranaam to Manish uncle.
Sumeru
(Age 22 yrs)
Hari Aum!
There are some experiences you carry quietly within you, not because they're hard to explain, but because words somehow feel too small for them. Receiving Naam Deeksha at SISS earlier this month was one of those.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect going in. And what I felt wasn't some big, overwhelming shift — it was almost the opposite. Just a sense of stillness. A stillness I wasn't used to. I felt more connected to the Ashram and Gurumaa than ever before, and to being there in that moment. It was nothing that instantly changed everything. More of a calm settled over me over the next few days.
Having my family there made it feel much less solitary. There was something nice about sharing that silence with them rather than just carrying it alone, which made it that much more special. It felt like the beginning of something — not a change exactly, but a much-needed direction.
I truly cherish the experience at SISS and and the road am waiting to traverse.
My Gratitude and Pranaam to Guru Maa and to Manish uncle.
Mihir
(Age 18 yrs)