The Saint of Kharsali

While working as a teacher at a Vivekananda school in south India, a child went missing. Bhakti Priya decided to pray to God and if her prayers were answered, and the child returned, she would spend the rest of her life in devotion to the Absolute.
Some time later the child did return and so Bhakti Priya set off for the Himalayas where I found her some 9 years into a 12 year penance. At the age of 52, she had the glimmer of a child like curiosity in her eyes and a look of deep satisfaction in her face. Wearing the ochre colored robes which in India signifies ones choice of renunciation, and now known as Mataji (Great Mother) her wild locks of free flowing hair danced in the Himalayan winds.
Raised in the modern town of Bangalore and further educated in America, now sitting in her modest wooden room with a small fire burning, it was hard to imagine what should propel a person to so drastically change their life.
As the sun set on the quiet town of Kharsali, I ate a modest meal of potatoes prepared by Mataji, as she explained how she never accepts money from anyone because the blessings which manifest from God are abundant. One time while living under a rock at Gangotri she ran out of milk powder and sugar with which to make her chai. After considering what to do to remedy the situation and finally forgetting about it, some troops from the Indian army rolled through. When their camp was left days later, they gave their leftover milk powder to Bhakti Priya. This was just one of the examples she shared of the greatness of God. "The mind is powerful, it can create everything." Mataji assured me. I asked myself if I could be capable of such a life, which at times seems so lonely. But while Mataji's path to God is renunciation she also made clear, "Whatsoever you do in this life, just don't get attached."
All day children and adults visited her, touching her feet and bringing their hands to their heart in deep reverence. This is a country which not only respects but supports those who give their life to devotion of God. However India is changing rapidly and everywhere signs of this modernization are evident. In response to this rapid decay Bhakti Priya warns, "Humanity is coming to the end of a material age. We must change or perish."
And with a little giggle, she shifted the logs in the fire. The glowing embers illuminating her face.