Merging With Maharishikaa

Rajesh Khanna experienced unprecedented freedom and joy as he surrendered his ego at the feet of his beloved guru Maharishikaa Preeti Maiyaa

- Rajesh Khanna

Blessed indeed are they who find themselves at the feet of their guru, and so am I, having embarked on the epic journey of realising the self, dragged by Maharishikaa Preeti Maiyaa, with my ego in tow.

I knew Maharishikaa Preeti Maiyaa since our school days, and since we were family friends, I often visited her house. It’s not easy to accept someone whom you have once attended school with, as your guru.

I had not been in touch with Maiyaa for a long time till the day I received an invitation to the first Presence day in Mumbai, over a decade ago. In a gathering of about 60 or 70 seekers, various far-ranging questions were raised, and I was amazed to see Maiyaa giving precise answers to all of them, be it relationships, money, sex, or existential queries about the purpose of life, and the after-life.

Life-altering gaze 

After the session, each of us had the opportunity to take Maiyaa’s darshan, which involved sitting in front of Maiyaa and gazing into her eyes. This was one of the most powerful experiences that I’d ever had. As I knelt before her and looked into her eyes, it seemed like an eternity before she broke the gaze. I’ve had many opportunities to take Maiyaa’s darshan in the past decade, but that experience is particularly etched in my mind. I believe I underwent a change at that time as I never missed a single Presence meeting for a very long time, till the time I took an introspective break (as Maiyaa puts it).