I am Russian, and in 1992 after two or three months in Sahaja Yoga I visited Germany. I called some German yogis, attended the Sahaja programme and moved to their place. A new life started. I was taken to the ashram and soon attended a puja, and after a month it was suggested that I should go to a puja at Cabella. I was given a lift in a car of a couple, pretending to be their child. It was risky! I had only a German visa and we had to cross the Swiss, Austrian and Italian borders. Every time we approached a border we gave a bandhan, enjoyed tremendous vibrations, were not checked even once and reached Cabella.
Palazzo Doria was very different from what we see these days. There were no doors at all, only Mother`s rooms had doors. The day after arriving I woke up at 5 am, had a meditation at the river and went to the castle. I entered a big entrance hall and had another meditation in front of the altar among the sleeping workers, then decided to look around the house. I had no thought of the privacy of Shri Mataji. I felt just like a child who had come back home. I had no idea of the rooms in the house, went up to the third flour and found myself in a big and beautiful room.
Suddenly I felt an irresistible desire to go into meditation. I stopped at the only door of the room and ‘flew away’. After that I had no more curiosity or desire to wander around, and went back to the camp. Later I found out it was only the door that separated me from Mother’s room.
The next day I was in Palazzo Doria with a group of German yogis to bow to Mother and give Her flowers. Shri Mataji met us in Her bedroom and everyone had a chance to bow to Her Feet. Sometimes Mother asked or said something. When it was my turn to go to Her Feet, I innocently kissed them – it happened spontaneously. Mother laughed and said I looked Russian, then asked the leader of the group about me, what I was studying, and suggested I should stay to work in the castle.
I didn’t understand what was going on. I certainly knew Who Shri Mataji was, what kind of blessing I had received, but there was no deep understanding. I even had doubts whether I should stay or not because of the visa – I had only two days left for Germany, and no other countries. After some time I surrendered and stayed.
Before Guru Puja I had a chance to present a little watercolour painted by myself, of my dream of Mother walking through a beautiful garden surrounded by glowing vibrations. Shri Mataji looked at it for some time, and now I realise She was cleaning me, and She said that I was my own guru now.
Konstantin Sterkhov