Nayaswami Devi, Author at Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi

Sitting near a flowing river can bring a great sense of expansion and peace. Recently we were in Minneapolis visiting family members whose home is on the banks of the Mississippi River, not far from its headwaters. The river here is beautiful, its water pure, with magnificent bald eagles and blue herons nesting along its shore. As we sat by ... Read More

By the time you read this, dear friend, we will already be well into the Centennial Celebration week at Ananda Village, which will be attended by over seven hundred people from around the world. I’m writing to you the week before this powerful event begins, because I may not have time once things get started. The week preceding the event ... Read More

The guru’s love for his disciples is far more than just a sweet sentiment. It is rooted in a deep understanding of how to find soul freedom. Sometimes this love is expressed in kindly support, sometimes in impersonal guidance, and sometimes it pushes the disciple to the breaking point. I’d like to share with you a few stories of how ... Read More

Paramhansa Yogananda said that a yogi should be able to stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds. In celebrating the centennial of Swami Kriyananda’s birth, I want to share a few episodes from his life that illustrate exactly this quality. During Ananda’s early years, Swamiji’s classes were Ananda’s primary source of income, funding the purchase of property and the ... Read More

Swamiji always saw the best in everyone. No matter how misguided a person was, Kriyananda never judged—he saw only their highest potential. He rarely gave direct advice unasked for, but often offered subtle guidance whose value revealed itself over time. I’d like to share three stories in which Swamiji gave me simple advice that changed the course of my life. ... Read More

In this year of Swami Kriyananda’s centennial, we continue to share stories from our experiences with him—in part to help you know him better, but also for the joy of recalling these incidents, as Yogananda wrote, in “the easy resurrection of memory.” The first story takes place during a period when Swamiji had been in residence at Ananda Assisi for ... Read More

Throughout 2026, Ananda will be celebrating the Centennial (hundredth anniversary) of Swami Kriyananda’s birth. Major events honoring his life will be held at Ananda Village in June, Ananda Assisi in August, and in India in September. Besides those attending these celebrations in person, everyone will be able to watch via live streaming. In the months ahead, Jyotish and I will ... Read More

Swami Kriyananda had a wonderful way of preparing people for their life’s calling. Jyotish and I had personal experience of this in many ways, but one story stands out in my mind. In the mid-1980s, when Swamiji was in residence at Ananda Village, he was scheduled to lead the Sunday service each week at 11 a.m. We began regularly receiving ... Read More

Have you ever had a series of seemingly random events that, taken together, carried unexpected significance? Recently I had just such an experience. To tell the story, I have to take you back thirty-three years to the time of my mother’s passing. She was a kind, loving, and purehearted person who in many ways was a role model for me. ... Read More

“Give me a light to light my way. Truth is the light so wise men say.” These are the lyrics to one of Swami Kriyananda’s songs, “Give Me Light.” Seemingly simple, they contain deep wisdom: Truth is the light that shows us the way forward. More than ever, we need the guidance of truth to navigate today’s world and to ... Read More

“To be, or not to be—that is the question.” These words, spoken by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, are perhaps the most widely recognized sentence in all of English literature. In this soliloquy, Hamlet wrestles with the existential question of whether or not to continue living, or to enter “the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler ... Read More

The line to the gate extended far into the distance. As each one waited in line with ticket in hand, one could observe various states of mind. Some were excited and eager to get to their destination to see what would happen. Others, perhaps recalling painful memories from the past, were hesitant and unsure about taking the trip. And still ... Read More

Each January, Ananda Ministers gather for a retreat to draw inspiration for the year ahead. During the gathering, we choose a guiding theme; for 2026 it is “Be a Channel for the Light.” It feels especially timely now, in light of global events, as well as prophecies and predictions about what lies ahead. A number of psychics, like Edgar Cayce, ... Read More

It was the evening of January 5th—Yoganandaji’s birthday. We were driving home after a beautiful celebration in which many devotees had renewed their discipleship vows. Afterwards, a number of people said that they’d felt Master’s presence and blessings filling the temple. From time to time after an evening program, Jyotish and I have had the joy of momentarily spotting a ... Read More

I’m going out on a limb here, sharing something quite personal: a letter I wrote to Master. Ordinarily, it’s best to keep such communications private, between oneself and one’s guru. Yet I wanted to offer you an example of something you could—and perhaps should—do for yourself. Take some time at the end of the year for a spiritual review. Reflect ... Read More

The message that Yogananda brought to the world was one of unity: the unity of all religions; the unity of science and religion; the unity of East and West; and the unity of all people: “world brotherhood.” His message is especially relevant today, as we see divisiveness—the spirit of “us against them”—dominating global politics and economics. Yet the light of ... Read More

First, I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Of all the things for which we can be grateful, the most important is having a true guru who can lead us to God. Once we’ve reached the safe harbor of His presence, everything that happens in life—both the joyful moments and the difficult challenges—can be seen as part of a ... Read More

One of the most beautiful and poignant moments of my life took place a few years ago during a conversation with a young woman who lives at Ananda Village. She has a loving, selfless nature, and as a teenager, had to bear the sorrow of losing her mother to cancer. We were traveling together in India with a small group. ... Read More

“Out of time.” What an interesting expression, rich with so many meanings! As you may know, Jyotish and I have just returned from three months of sharing Yogananda’s teachings in different countries around the world. During our journey, we traveled through many time zones, constantly adjusting our internal clocks to the local time wherever we were. Now that we’re back ... Read More

In late July we left Ananda Village on a joyful journey to share our Guru’s teachings. Swami Kriyananda founded Ananda in 1969, and over the years it has flowered into a sacred place of pilgrimage, where visitors come from far and near. For Jyotish and me, it has been our home for all of our adult life—a place where we ... Read More