Dear Swamiji,

How I miss you
Since you've gone away
I know you are in a better place.

How can I begin to describe
How much you have meant to me

Your calm voice
Your touch

You have been my father
You have been my mentor
You have been my friend

I am a grateful recipient
Of your unconditional love

You have been my spiritual guide.

You have taught me relaxation
You have taught me meditation
You have initiated me into the Tradition
You have taught me Yoga Nidra.

Thought your 83 year old body
Was wracked by illness
You never suffered
And you always had an easy smile on your face

My last lesson, which is how to alleviate my suffering
Was never completed
And now you are not there
To teach me.
Not in corporeal form, anyway

You spoke of Will and it's a Koan
I have not found a resolution to

You have forgiven all my many flaws
You have forgiven all my mistakes
I have have been filled with plenty of both
You never rejected me
Nor did you abandon me

I came across your teaching
At age 19
And then studied with you directly
For 20 glorious years.
And for 33 years I have benefitted
From your sacred words.

Somewhere a lotus flower
Grows in the mother Ganges.
It is blooming for you
And bears silent witness
To the legacy of your life

Death has not set us apart
You will live in my heart forever
Truly, you will be the jewel in the Lotus
And i will continue the work.

I will continue to study your teachings
And I will live the way you have lived
To the best of my ability.

Dear Swamiji, I love you and I miss you

~Arianna Darshani