Yogi Shyamasundara

Yogi Shyamasundara is an ordained yogi and lover of God whose life is dedicated to awakening humanity to the direct experience of God.  He founded Narayana Marga™ in 2008, as an advaitic holy yogic mission of God and Self-Realization.

Formally ordained by Amma Sri Karunamayi to authentically uphold and disseminate the holy yogic tradition, Yogi Shyamasundara was given the spiritual authority to initiate sincere seekers of God and Self-Realization into holy mantra, as disciples of his mission.  

In August 2018, Yogi Shyamasundara founded Sri Krishna Shaligrama Temple, a holy temple of God, and the first Sri Shaligrama temple in the United States.  Housing hundreds of rare holy Shaligramas, this precious temple embodies Yogi Shyamasundara's love for God, the world, and all beings.

Yogi Shyamasundara is an American-born yogi who, from a very young age, exhibited a profound connection with God and a deep compassion for all beings.  Since his earliest childhood, divine occurrences have been experienced and reported in his presence. 

His mother, for example, recounts a holy incident that occurred when Yogi Shyamasundara was just a few months old.  One evening, she stepped out to the corner store while Yogi Shyamasundara was sleeping.  When she returned 10  minutes later, she noticed the light in the bedroom was on, which she had turned off before she left.  As she got closer, she realized it wasn't a house light but a fire-like glow inside the house.  At that moment, she dropped the bag of groceries, screamed for help as she thought the house was on fire, and ran into the house to rescue Yogi Shyamasundara.  However, when she entered the bedroom, there was no fire; instead, a golden light permeated the room, which immediately entered Yogi Shyamasundara's body, and the room became pitch black again.  She stood there in awe, as neighbors ran to help when they heard her screaming "Fire!", but she had no way to explain what she had experienced.

Both parents also tell us that when Yogi Shyamasundara was just 3 years old, he'd sit in front of a large picture of Saint Jude in his bedroom and would talk, laugh, and play for hours in front of it.  One day, curious to find out what he was doing that kept him so entertained, his parents peeked through the door and found that whenever he pushed his toy car towards the picture of Saint Jude, the car would stop, turn around on its own and return to him.  Surprised and intrigued to find how this was happening, they entered the bedroom to identify the cause.  They say Yogi Shyamasundara immediately scolded them and said,  "You made Tata go away!"  When his parents inquired what he meant by this, he pointed to the picture of St. Jude and explained that 'Tata' (his word for God) comes out to play with him.  Determined to find a rational explanation, they did everything they could to replicate what his car was doing, but to no avail.  They witnessed this divine phenomenon many times for a year. 

Just as unusual are the stories his mother relates about Yogi Shyamasundara's birth.  For example, Yogi Shyamasundara's parents say that they heard him laugh a few times while he was still in his mother's womb.  At first, his father didn't believe his wife.  But on one occasion, while getting ready for bed, Yogi Shyamasundara laughed loudly inside her womb and it startled his father.  His wife said, "See!  I tell you your son is laughing inside me."  Concerned for their child's well-being, they went to see their doctor, but he had no idea how Yogi Shyamasundara could laugh in the womb, as this was not medically possible. 

Furthermore, Yogi Shyamasundara grew in the womb in such an unusual position that his mother never showed a belly.  She laughs when she recollects that even on Yogi Shyamasundara's birthday, she was wearing tight bell-bottoms and a shirt her father had given her when she was only 16 years old (she was 24 then).  When she arrived at the hospital, the staff didn't believe she was in labor, because she showed no belly.  Friends would often comment, "You can't be pregnant. What are you having  a mouse?!"   Even more unusual is the story she tells of only having two contractions.  The first one signaled to her that she was going into labor, and the second one was from pushing the baby out.  She said her labor was so easy that she wondered why women made such a big deal about having children (a pain she said she would clearly understand on having her 2nd and 3rd children, as she almost died giving birth to her 2nd son, and her 3rd child was born 3 months premature).  She relates that 45 minutes after giving birth to Yogi Shyamasundara, she was showered, dressed, and ready to go.  When Yogi Shyamasundara's father arrived at the hospital from work, he was shocked that his wife had already given birth and was ready to go home.  Next to her was a healthy 7.5lbs baby boy.  

Yogi Shyamasundara's parents also share that their son was an unusually peaceful baby, who didn't cry and didn't wake them at night.  Instead, his father explains that whenever Yogi Shyamasundara needed something, he would give out a very soft whimper.  His father describes it as a newborn puppy.  So softly that his parents had to keep his crib right next to their bed, as they were concerned they wouldn't hear him when he needed something.

By age 3, Yogi Shyamasundara longed intensely to be in service to God.  A desire that his parents were shocked to hear and found very rare in a child that age.  But Yogi Shyamasundara had a deep yearning to connect with God and felt very much at home in all places of worship.  Frustrated that his parents wouldn't go to church as often as he wished, he would regularly sneak out of his home to attend church services by himself as a child of 10, and would constantly go straight to church as soon as he got out of school.  Since the church was too far for a little boy to walk all by himself, so as not to worry his parents, he pretended to go to the park right next to their home, while in reality undertaking that journey to his church instead.  Yogi Shyamasundara relates that he was deeply moved and inspired by the lives of saints, as he had a deep aspiration to become a saint himself.  So he spent countless hours as a young boy researching how the saints had attained God, then committed deeply to living in such holy ways. And though Yogi Shyamasundara was raised Catholic, he believed from a young age that all religions expressed different aspects of God and that by studying all religions, we could better understand God. 

His parents also tell us that Yogi Shyamasundara had a profound wisdom beyond his age, an intense interest in spiritual matters, and a deep compassion for people and animals. From a very young age, adults around him had a propensity and desire to relay their problems to him.  As they spoke about their sufferings, he would sit and listen to their problems compassionately for hours and somehow always had an answer to their problems.  His deep compassion extended to animals as well, as he continuously rescued abandoned and injured animals from the street.  Since food was often scarce, he would often forgo eating to feed these rescued animals instead of himself, without his mother knowing.  When Yogi Shyamasundara was four years old, he was taken to a bullfight.  Angry to see how the bull was mistreated, he quickly ran down the bleachers, collected seat cushions from the stands, and, while the crowds cheered, he instead booed the bullfighter and threw cushions at him, yelling,  "Assassin! Assassin!"  Shocked by this response, his parents had no choice but to swiftly leave the arena. 

Healing miracles were also reported by his parents.  For example, his mother tells of an incident where she had an accident at work.  She relays how, after mopping the floor at the restaurant where she worked as a waitress, as she was just about to close the restaurant, she slipped and twisted her foot.  In excruciating pain, she limped home, and by the time she arrived, her foot was immensely swollen and had turned black.  Fear and anxiety took hold of her as she became immensely concerned that she would not be able to work in her condition.  Having to work two jobs to support her children, this was not a luxury she could afford.  So she sat on the bed with her leg stretched out, praying to God for His help.  Immediately, little Yogi Shyamasundara entered the room and pointed to her foot, saying, "Booboo Mami! Booboo."  His mom relayed to him that indeed this was a Booboo (injury).  She said Yogi Shyamasundara looked at her with deep compassion, shaking his head at her injury, looking very disappointed.  He then walked across the room, ran as fast as he could, and then suddenly jumped and landed sitting down on her injured foot.  His mother says she screamed as she was shocked by this incident and thought to herself, "My son has really done it.  My foot must be broken!"  Immediately, Yogi Shyamasundara jumped off her foot, and to her surprise, her foot was instantly healed. The swelling and the black bruising had completely disappeared!  Little Yogi Shyamasundara then looked at his mother, pointed at her foot, and sweetly said, "Ba!" (his word for 'oh wow').  Then he kissed her and ran out of the room.  His mother sat there, stunned that her foot was completely healed in that instance. 

In another incident, Yogi Shyamasundara's mother had just lost her father and was feeling deeply depressed by her loss. She recalls sitting there crying, when little Yogi Shyamasundara came up to her.  He stood there for a few moments looking at his mother, then she said, "He walked up to me and placed his little hands on the top of my head as I was hunched over crying.  I suddenly felt like someone had vacuumed all the pain and suffering in my heart.  It was instantly gone.  Not a trace of it remained.  The pain in my heart over the loss of my father never came back.  Once again, I sat there in awe, wondering how this had happened.  How can my little boy do this?  There was something so special about him, but I couldn't comprehend it." 

By 8 years old, Yogi Shyamasundara had learned to control the temperature of his body using his mind. He tells us he would put his head on his desk at school and would meditate on fire. He would hold on to the feeling of fire until he got a headache.  When the headache attained a certain intensity, he knew it was time to go to the nurse.  Time and again, the nurse would find that he had a fever and would send him home.  Then, when he got home, he would meditate on cold, and the fever would dissipate. He accomplished this feat over and over, but stopped when his parents insisted on his taking medicine in the form of shots.

At the age of 10, Yogi Shyamasundara entered a contest to win a gigantic Christmas stocking full of toys at his neighborhood store.  He told his mother that he would win that stocking so that he could take these toys to homeless children across the border in Mexico. True to his word, he won and personally delivered the toys to children living on the streets on Christmas Day.   Even though Yogi Shyamasundara's family was very poor and his parents encouraged him to keep them, he refused to keep the toys and happily gave them away to these children. 

From a very young age of 5, Yogi Shyamasundara's parents would often find him meditating in dark, closed places, his favorite being the house closets.  His mother tells how confused she was by what she perceived to be a very strange habit of her son, and would often ask him, "Why are you sitting there alone in the dark with your eyes closed?"  But Yogi Shyamasundara would just smile back at her.  This happened so often that she would get upset at times because Yogi Shyamasundara would disappear for long periods of time, causing her worry when she couldn't find her son.  By age 10, Yogi Shyamasundara had a dedicated meditation practice that he adopted on his own, without formal instruction.   A practice he continued religiously for the rest of his life.  About this time, Yogi Shyamasundara began training in martial arts with an 8th-degree black belt master.  This master introduced Yogi Shyamasundara to disciplined practices of body, mind, and soul, which he deeply fell in love with.

Between the ages of 11 and 18, Yogi Shyamasundara was deeply spiritual, meditated constantly, was deeply in love with God, and had regular visions and dreams of saints and holy sages. At about 15 years old, Yogi Shyamasundara was taken to see a well-known clairvoyant, who had a true gift to see the past lives of others and predict their future.  This clairvoyant gave a reading to each member of his family.  Yogi Shyamasundara was the last to go.  As he sat in front of her, the clairvoyant immediately looked away as if she had been blinded by the sun, and exclaimed, "I can't see anything!  Your son's light is too bright.  I can't see anything at all.  He is a very special boy.  Very spiritual!  I have never seen anything like this before!"  She sat there staring at him in awe.

By age 17, Yogi Shyamasundara found he could expound deep spiritual dharma to others in very simple ways.  He taught peers to meditate and influenced them academically and spiritually.  He was known for his softness, who always had a compassionate heart for the suffering of his peers.  It is not surprising that he was voted most likely to succeed, most likely to be wealthy, and most likely to become a priest.  It was during this time that Yogi Shyamasundara convinced his English teacher, Mr. Santaella, a great man with several PhDs and Master's degrees, who only needed a couple of hours of sleep a night due to his advanced meditation practices, to personally teach him deeper meditation practices.  This teacher became a great source of spiritual wisdom, inspiration, and esoteric practices. 

Aside from his spiritual inclinations,  Yogi Shyamasundara also excelled academically and was always at the top of his class.  He graduated as salutatorian, missing valedictorian by only a tenth of a point, and also excelled as a musician, playing violin and trumpet.  He was recruited and enrolled at USC in 1994, where he sought to become a doctor.

Yet despite his achievements, Yogi Shyamasundara didn't feel that they provided him with a true sense of fulfillment, and he became deeply dissatisfied with academic and worldly life.  To further exacerbate this condition, his grandfather's death caused him to question the purpose of life altogether, and he entered a profound existential crisis.  This led him down a dark journey of immense depression, disconnection from the world, and drug use.  

He tells us, "I was feeling so confused.  Wondering why we are here?  What is the purpose of life?  What is the point of all this?  We are born, we learn things, we go to school, learn more, go to college, learn more, and get a degree.  Then we embark on a career to make money, find someone to spend the rest of our life with, have a family,  raise the family, and when it is all over, retire and then die.  Death took everything away.  Nothing made sense to me anymore and I wanted to run far away, but there was nowhere to go.  It all seemed so futile and meaningless.  No matter what we did, no matter what we accomplished, we didn't take anything with us.  Day after day, night after night, I followed every single possible path, and it all ended in the same way.  Death took it all.  I didn't see the point of working so hard for a world that we leave behind when we die.  I even contemplated suicide, but I couldn't put my family and friends through that pain.  My heart was burning for something deeper. Something death could not touch.  

Then there was one meaningful day that changed my life forever.  As I was going up the escalator and out of the subway, I looked at the people coming down the escalator on the other side.  Most were dressed in business attire and looked very prosperous, but their faces were so serious, and their eyes were distant and sad.  They looked tired and beaten.  Lifeless inside, like an assembly of robots.  I looked for a smile, for a sign of happiness, but I couldn't find it.  All I could see were beaten souls, doing what they had to do to make a living, to get through life.  They were surviving just fine, but they were not living.  I felt so sad for them and had a profound realization that I did not want to end up like that.  It became very clear to me that everything I was told was a lie, an illusion.  That happiness did not come from success, money, degrees, relationships, or anything from this world.  That if I truly wanted to be happy, I had to look somewhere else.  

So after 3 years of college, I left school, no longer interested in the prescribed and traditional journey.  In 1998, I embarked on an intense spiritual journey to discover all that I could about the meaning of life.  I prayed to God every day to help me understand and often cried myself to sleep at the foot of my altar for not having the answer, nor being able to experience God directly as the saints did.  It was in that intense yearning for God and Truth, in that feeling of helplessness, that my spiritual path started to flower in mysterious ways.  Through Divine Grace, path after path began to appear and mystical states opened within me as I devoted my life to serving and studying with holy masters of various traditions." 

The journey led Yogi Shyamasundara to monasteries in India, Germany, England, and the USA, where he received holy blessings, initiations, & teachings from enlightened masters. Through their kindness, he experienced the state of holy consciousness.

Yogi Shyamasundara tells us, "The holy processes and blessings of my kind Gurus opened doors of consciousness I could have never imagined, and led me to sublime spiritual states that are utterly blissful.  I began to experience unconditional love for the first time,  happiness without a reason, peace even in the midst of chaos, and mystic states that no words can describe.  Life began to have meaning again.  I felt alive and was excited to discover more about myself and my relationship with God each day.  I started to heal from my past, and every experience led to a deeper connection with God,  life, and all living beings  Then it finally happened... I got to experience  God directly!  God revealed Himself to me."

Yogi Shyamasundara received the first darshan (direct vision) of Lord Krishna in 1998, when Sri Krishna's face appeared to him in the sky as he waited for the bus after work.  Yogi Shyamasundara explains that Sri Krishna said nothing to him, but smiled so sweetly.  He relates that he immediately jumped up from his seat and swiftly walked like a madman through the streets of downtown Los Angeles wanting to reach Krishna, but it was like chasing a rainbow.  Lord Krishna then disappeared.  However,  this beautiful vision deeply established a permanent relationship between him and Lord Krishna.  From that day forward, Sri Krishna's presence would become a constant appearance in Yogi Shyamasundara's life.  

Later, Yogi Shyamasundara received the darshan of Shiva-Shakti, Christ, Divine Mother, Buddha, Kali, Durga, Saraswati, Vajrayoginni, Guadalupe, Vajrasattva,  Isis, Medicine Buddha, Vishnu, but above all Lord Krishna, whose number of darshans he quickly lost count. 

In 2005, Yogi Shyamasundara enrolled in intensive clinical past-life regression training in the Dr. Morris Netherton technique.  As part of the training, each student must experience a past-life regression session under the supervision of the instructor.  The day Yogi Shyamasundara underwent his past life regression, a supervising representative for the Netherton Institute was there to visit and supervise. 

Yogi Shyamasundara's regression memories began in his mother's womb, and he spoke of the "Light" he was experiencing.  At first, the regressionist and the supervisors thought that perhaps he was remembering the flashlight of a doctor inspecting his mother's uterus during pregnancy, but Yogi Shyamasundara commented that it was God's Light.  Despite several attempts in the process to see if something else was there, all led to the same conclusion: that he was enveloped in the Light of God and was very blissful. An interesting account, considering his mother's story of Yogi Shyamasundara laughing in her womb during her pregnancy.  As Yogi Shyamasundara was clinically regressed further, instead of jumping to a previous lifetime like his peers, he began to tell his extraordinary story of his coming to this Earth.  He recalled the world of holy beings he came from, Vaikuntha, of which all had golden holy light bodies.   He was one of five Buddha-like representatives in that world responsible for the care of living beings in this world.  There was great concern for the suffering of Earth's beings, and a profound discussion arose among them as to what could be done to alleviate their suffering.  Yogi Shyamasundara began to cry intensely during his regression at the plight of the world and the suffering of humanity. He remembered seeing a thin veil of darkness around human beings,  who at the same time were surrounded by an infinite ocean of God's Light.   Because of this veil, the people of this world couldn't experience God.   As such, they suffer in darkness, they forget their holiness, and believe themselves to be separate from God.  In his divine form, Yogi Shyamasundara knew how to remove this veil of darkness, of delusion, and as such volunteered to come to this world for the sake of humanity.  He told with extraordinary detail what his divine world of Vaikuntha was like,  and even what they wore,  including tall golden crowns like Lord Vishnu. When he returned from his regression, his face drenched with tears of compassion, he opened his eyes to a room of shocked faces filled with tender love, from the students and supervisors who were witnesses to this sacred regression and marvelous story of holiness and compassion...a first-hand account of a divine incarnation. 

In the few years that followed, Yogi Shyamasundara had many unusual circumstances happen to him.  For example, in a spiritual training, while laying his hands on a woman to bless her, the lady jumped off the table and pulled him out of the hall.  She broke down crying in front of him and asked, "Do you know who you are?!  Do you remember?"  She said,  "When you put your hands on me, thousands of Buddhas appeared and offered their blessings through you!  It was incredible!  Do you know who you are?"   Then she knelt on the floor in front of him and said, "Thank you for coming here.  Thank you for coming to help all humanity.  We are so  fortunate to have you here with us!"  Yogi Shyamasundara, surprised by this devotional affection, asked her to please stand up as she kept weeping intensely with gratitude at his feet. He later found out that this lady was a well-known clairvoyant who was very sought after for her gift. 

Soon after that, the Buddhist master,  Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong, Spiritual Director of the Kadampa tradition, privately approached Yogi Shyamasundara one day and said to him, "You know, Shyamasundara,  sometimes a Boddhisattva is born, but due to his karma, he doesn't remember that he's a great Boddhisattva.  Soon, when that karma is cleared, he will remember."  Then she smiled and walked away.  Yogi Shyamasundara stood there, surprised, contemplating why she had said that.  

Then on July 4, 2006,  after he had just offered initiations as a gift to his disciples for his birthday, Yogi Shyamasundara chanted and meditated intensely on his beloved Lord Krishna.  Suddenly, Sri Krishna appeared to Yogi Shyamasundara in his glory and revealed to him how to transmit the blessings of any form of God to bless humanity.  Lord Krishna then dissolved into Light, entered into Yogi Shyamasundara's crown, and dissolved into him. Immediately, Yogi Shyamasundara saw a multitude of God's holy forms appear before him, including various forms of Divine Mother, Christ,  Buddha, Ganesha, Shiva, Medicine Buddha, and many divine emanations, who one by one dissolved into Light and entered into Yogi Shyamasundara's body.   He describes this sacred experience as intense, blissful downloads of holy Shakti.  Due to Yogi Shyamasundara's deep love for Sri Krishna, intense spiritual austerities, and sincere service to humanity, Yogi Shyamasundara was given the holy gift to bless others with God's holy light, holy power, and holy presence.  It is a holy experience of God's grace, an initiation from Sri Krishna Himself.   He calls this holy blessing, this holy gift of God, "The Benediction".

From that day forward, Yogi Shyamasundara was given the profound gift to bless humanity through any divine manifestation of God that he requests to bless through him.  Thus, no matter what spiritual tradition the disciple comes from, God offers blessings through Yogi Shyamasundara according to the personal aspect of God most meaningful to that soul. Soon after, many souls who were blessed by this holy gift of Lord Krishna began to report profound miracles, including God appearing and speaking with them. 

A month later, Yogi Shyamasundara received the darshan of Sri Krishna as his Supreme Self.  A direct experience that lasted non-stop for months, not just in meditation but in his day-to-day affairs, all day long without interruption.  He describes, "It was God's Light of Supreme Consciousness of unimaginable love that went on inside me and permanently changed the way I would approach spirituality.  God's bliss was so profound that I found myself in such high states of consciousness that I would lose myself and fall and roll on the ground in ecstatic bliss many times for very long periods of time, even at places like stores and at work.  I couldn't control the immensity of spontaneous bliss and divine love flowing through me.  It wasn't long before I started to fall into deep states of emptiness and bliss.  I often say the greatest darshan I received from Sri Krishna was not in form, but as eternal Consciousness.  Even when my Atman revealed Himself in my inner space, I still felt separated from Him.  But in God's eternal presence, in His holy Consciousness and Being, I am everything, and yet nothing at all.  There is no me, no other, no doing, everything is only God.  It is truly sublime and ecstatic!" 

In August 2006, while undergoing sacred processes in India,  Yogi Shyamasundara experienced directly God's holy Consciousness and awoke to profound spiritual realizations.  God then spoke to him and said, "You are the greatest story ever told!  Nothing more and nothing less.  This story is my gift to you."

These experiences profoundly shifted the way Yogi Shyamasundara would see the world again.  It was a divine awakening to the Truth he had been seeking.   He says, "It was a profound awakening where I instantly understood that life cannot be understood. It can only be experienced. In that experience lies the end to all your life questions and the bliss of your Supreme Self.  Everything in life is in perfect order.  Happiness comes when we allow ourselves to surrender to the present moment for what it is and not for what we want it to be instead.  Suffering is simple to understand.  It is the resistance to life as it is.  This resistance creates a gap between what we want in life and what God is giving us instead.  Drop this gap and your suffering is gone!  Suffering can be healed by having gratitude for what we have right now.  For what we have right now, whether we realize it or not, is God Himself.  Life is God.  When we lovingly accept our lives, great peace and happiness naturally arise.  Things come and go, but we remain peaceful and blissful.  Our faith becomes stronger and we move with a fluidity that is truly sublime.  So accept everything dear souls of God, resist nothing, including yourselves and others.  This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to change our lives for the better.  Please do.  Just realize we're not the director.  We are the actors.  We can suggest many ideas for our role in this play of life, but ultimately, it is God,  the director, who will decide whether or not to change His story.  So please trust the life God is giving you, for you are never alone.  God is always within you, playing with his life story.  God is emanating as life, as you, as everyone!  There is only God.  Only God exists." 

Deeply moved to end the suffering of humanity, Yogi Shyamasundara had also dedicated himself to learning everything he could on how to heal others at the encouragement of the holy master, Sri Amritanandamayi.  This holy master blessed Yogi Shyamasundara to become a divine healer for humanity.  Inspired to become a master healer, he studied with world-renowned healers for over 10 years.  At his first healer initiation, the teacher approached Yogi Shyamasundara and asked if he knew a lady named Amma.  Surprised by that question, he responded that Amma was his Guru.  She proceeded to say that this lady, dressed all in white, appeared to her during the initiation, said she was Amma, and told her that she would initiate Yogi Shyamasundara herself.  Touched by this auspicious incident, he was moved to tears. 

In April 2007, Yogi Shyamasundara resigned from his job at Self-Realization Fellowship to recover from a serious spinal injury. It was at this time that the holy master Sri Karunamayi told Yogi Shyamasundara, "My son, do you know that you're a sage?  You must know that you're a sage son!  A great sage!  You have been a sage in previous lifetimes and have led many souls to God and Self-Realization. You're a sage son... a great sage!  You must know this son."  Yogi Shyamasundara, touched by her holy words, responded, "Mother, all I want is to help humanity attain God and enlightenment."  Sri Karunamayi smiled and responded, "Yes son.  You will." 

In January 2008, Yogi Shyamasundara founded Narayana Marga™ as his holy yogic mission, so that souls from all faiths could come together to experience deep states of holy consciousness and the direct experience of God.  A holy mission that upheld the sacred yogic science of God and Self-Realization, a place to receive holy blessings and the wisdom he had received from his enlightened Gurus, through his rigorous yogic austerities,  and directly from God through his direct experiences of Truth and holy consciousness. 

Though the severe pain of his spinal injury made this a most challenging feat, Yogi Shyamasundara pushed forward relentlessly to establish this center for the sake of all beings.  And despite the many reports from doctors, neurosurgeons, and chiropractors stating that Yogi Shyamasundara would remain permanently disabled, who insisted he undergo surgery, Yogi Shyamasundara worked relentlessly to heal his back through the holy processes he had learned.  In this way, his back miraculously healed without surgery.  

Yogi Shyamasundara says this about healing his spinal injury: 

"This injury was the most painful experience of my life.  And to be honest, I didn't do well at first.  The pain was excruciating.  I couldn't dress myself.  I couldn't even go to the restroom by myself.  I couldn't lift anything, could barely sit for a few minutes at a time without screaming in pain, and couldn't drive.  I couldn't sleep because the pain woke me up all night long.  To make matters worse, my employers at Self-Realization Fellowship were unkind, judgmental, and forced me to return to work despite the immense pain. Consequently, I decided to leave my employment to recover from this injury.  So I was jobless, physically handicapped with relentless pain, and emotionally distressed by this turn of events, as doctor after doctor kept telling me that I needed surgery and that even then, I might not get better but worse.  I kept hearing words like "permanently disabled", "might lose your ability to walk", and was given a permanent and stationary disabled status by doctors.  Then I reflected on all that had been revealed to me in my spiritual journey, and I became determined to prove that these holy spiritual sciences really do work.  I wanted to prove through my own life and body the validity of the sacred science of the holy sages.  I was committed to healing my body and becoming an example of what God can do for us.  So little by little, my back got better.  And before long, I had accomplished what I was told was impossible.  Without any surgery or medical therapy,  God healed my back, and I returned to a normal life.  That is the beauty of life.  We can use our suffering and turn it into a source of power. We can use our past hurts and turn them into a source of compassion, love, healing, and forgiveness.  Our past only disempowers us if we give it the power to do so.  So choose wisely, dear souls. You are more powerful than the residue of your past experiences or any disease in the body, despite what anyone says.  All we need is to reconnect with God through our holiness.  Allow God to flow through you!  When we abide in such holy spiritual states, God's miracles are certainly possible.  I am humbled to show you the holy way of the holy sages."

Around 2009, the holy master, Master Sha, was offering karma purification services.  However, in order to receive this divine service, one had to apply and receive permission from God.  If one did not receive God's permission, Master Sha could not offer the karmic purification to that soul.  Yogi Shyamasundara applied to be considered, but received an unusual message from the institute.  So he called to inquire about his application.  Master Sha's assistant explained they had received his application, but Master Sha said Yogi Shyamasundara's karma was too small and didn't need that service; that Yogi Shyamasundara was a 'karma-free soul'.   

A few years later, Sri Karunamayi told Yogi Shyamasundara, "Son, you don't need a Guru in a human body anymore.  God is now your Guru.  This is your last lifetime, son.  You will not be returning to this world."  Yogi Shyamasundara immediately responded with deep concern and compassion, "Thank you Mother.  But it is not enough for me to be enlightened alone when so many souls are suffering in this world; I want to liberate all beings too.  I want all souls to be enlightened."  Sri Karunamayi then gently smiled, and they shared a long moment of silence.  Yogi Shyamasundara suddenly understood and accepted that his work in this world was now done after many lifetimes of serving humanity, and it was finally time to merge in the ocean of God, his one longing desire, which he had delayed for many lifetimes for the sake of humanity. 

On March 31, 2018, on a rare and holy confluence, where a full moon, a blue moon, and Hanuman Jayanti all fell on the same day, Her Holiness Amma Sri Karunamayi, Yogi Shyamasundara's last Guru, formally ordained Yogi Shyamasundara as an authentic Yogi, as per the ancient Vedic yogic tradition, to authentically uphold and disseminate the holy yogic tradition, and to give Yogi Shyamasundara the spiritual authority to initiate sincere seekers of God and Self-Realization into holy mantra, as disciples of his Narayana Marga™ mission.  

She also requested to meet with him privately as she wanted to see his Sri Shaligramas.  During this private meeting, Yogi Shyamasundara further discussed his holy mission with Amma.  

When a disciple is initiated, the Guru graciously offers millions of mantras' worth of his virtue to his disciple, but in return takes an immensity of negative karma from the disciple that purifies the disciple's demerits of this and previous lifetimes.  It is truly the greatest act of compassion.  So knowing Yogi Shyamasundara's great compassionate heart, Amma advised him, "Son, don't initiate just anyone son. You must test your disciples to be sure they're qualified to receive your initiation. Remember that when you initiate them, millions of mantras you have chanted will pour from you to them.  So they must be worthy to receive this initiation."

They conversed for a couple of hours about many things.  During this meeting, Yogi Shyamasundara presented Amma with the darshan of his hundreds of holy Shaligramas.  Amma was in awe.  She expressed that she had never seen a Shaligrama collection as incredible as Yogi Shyamasundara's and was shocked that he had many extremely rare Shaligramas she had only read about in scriptures but had never seen in person.  Amma herself had just inaugurated and consecrated her own Shaligrama temple in Bangalore, India, which houses over 25,000 Shaligramas.  Amma's Sri Srinivas Saligrama Devasthana temple was established in 2017.   So her words speak volumes about Yogi Shyamasundara, his temple, and his holy mission.  Amma exclaimed, "Vishnu loves you so much son.  This is incredible!  You no longer need to run after God anymore, because God now runs after you, son!"  

Yogi Shyamasundara then communicated his plan to establish, for the benefit of the world, the first exclusive Sri Shaligrama temple outside of India here in the United States.  Sri Karunamayi responded, "Yes son! You will build this Saligrama temple! It will be very special.  It will be even more beautiful than Amma's temple because in Amma's temple the Saligramas are buried underground, but in your temple they will be displayed for everyone to see and receive darshan."  

True to his word, in August 2018, Yogi Shyamasundara founded Sri Krishna Shaligrama Temple, a holy temple of God, and the first Sri Shaligrama temple in the United States. Housing hundreds of extremely rare holy Sri Shaligramas, this precious temple is an embodiment of Yogi Shyamasundara's love for God, the world, and all beings. 

Yogi Shyamasundara's message  for the world is:

"True everlasting fulfillment only happens when we return to our original holiness that is union with God, when the chatter of the mind ceases to control our lives and we return to the bliss of Holy Consciousness.  We are more magnificent than we were ever told.  We possess a power of love and divinity that is truly beyond the mind's comprehension. Once we merge with this blissful cosmic ocean of God, our true Self, we will never need anything again.  In this wholeness, there is abundant power, unconditional love, child-like joy, health, prosperity, bliss, and peace for ourselves and to share with others.   This is our true holy essence that allows us to enjoy our Earthly journey in sacred celebration of life each day, free from attachments, desires, and expectations that are unnecessary for one who is truly whole with themselves.  I found the meaning of life through the direct experience of God within me.  You can experience this too, if you only turn to God with love and sincerely practice what this meaningful yogic tradition offers, as many have done for thousands of years before me.  Eternal ones, you are everything you have been searching for.  God is manifesting as you, as everyone, as everything visible and invisible.  That is why the holy mystic yogis declare, Hari Om Tat Sat, "God is the Supreme Reality, the only Truth", "Everything is only God", for God is the all-pervading reality of non-duality and oneness.  Never stop until you're ever established in this Truth of Him, not as mere philosophy, but as a continuous conscious experience and expression of holiness in your day-to-day life.  My sincere wish is that each and every being may experience this Truth, and as such, I have humbly dedicated my life solely to serving God and humanity.  Through this holy yogic path of God and Self-Realization, the ancient secret of the holy Rishis (sages), you will find God residing as your Divine Self, the ever-existing One. 

Enlightenment is our original nature, the holiness that we are,  but have yet to experience directly.  In this holiness, we are awakened to the supreme bliss of God, in the fulfillment of everlasting divinity. This liberation from all mistaken appearances, from the illusion of the person that we think we are, to the blissful consciousness of God that is our true nature, is Self-Realization.   There is nothing more meaningful, more beautiful, more sublime than to experience God within you...everywhere.  If there is nothing else you take from me, remember this... There is only God, only God exists; this is the Supreme Truth.  God is our Supreme  Friend, the Supreme Lover, the Original Blissful Source you've been longing for since time immemorial.  Do everything you can to find God.  You don't need to attain God; you only need to discover that God's already there in you.

May all beings be free from sufferings, may all beings experience everlasting bliss, and may all beings abide in the holy consciousness within, the Divine Self that is union in God.  I love you so much sweet souls of God.  Jai Sri Krishna.  Hari Om Tat Sat."

The Spiritual Name

Yogi Shyamasundara's story on how he received his spiritual name from Amma:  

"My spiritual name was bestowed by Her Holiness Mata Sri Amritanandamayi, the revered holy hugging saint from India, recipient of the United Nations' Gandhi-King Peace Award.  

In 2002, waiting to see if Amma, as my spiritual Guru at the time, would initiate me with a spiritual name, I  prayed to Lord Krishna with all of my heart, "Oh my sweet Krishna, if I receive a spiritual name today, please let it be you who bestows this name.  If it doesn't come from you,  I don't want a spiritual name at all.  Please prove to me that you are indeed present in my Guru, Amma." 

Then I meditated on Sri Krishna intensely as I inwardly chanted "Krishna" with all of my heart. I had been lovingly warned by other senior disciples not to be attached to receiving a spiritual name, since they had to ask many times before they received one, and some still after many years were still waiting.  Attached to no outcome, but surrendering myself to the will of my Lord, I sat there meditating, deeply absorbed in my sweet Sri Krishna for a while. Suddenly, Amma called me to her and with a most profound cosmic gaze in her eyes, she initiated me with the spiritual name of "Shyamasundara".  Not knowing Sanskrit at the time, I looked at Amma's swami, who was standing next to her, and asked what the name meant.  As he responded, "Your name is one of the names of Lord Krishna, it means 'Beautiful Krishna, who is bluish like rain colored clouds'", Amma immediately interrupted Swamiji and said something to him. Swamiji then said to me, "Amma says that your name means, 'He who is as beautiful as Lord Krishna.'" 

As you can imagine, I immediately burst into uncontrollable tears of love, joy, and humility. My sweet Sri Krishna had heard my prayer! I suddenly realized that the holy gaze on Amma's face, the wondrous eyes of Eternity staring back at me, was a personal darshan of Lord Sri Krishna that Amma was gifting me, so that I could gaze into the face of my sweet Krishna as my spiritual name was bestowed upon me.  Thus fulfilling my humble desire that Lord Sri Krishna Himself be the one to give me a spiritual name. 

With a mischievous smile on her face, Amma then shrugged her shoulders and  lifted her hands as if saying, "Was that what you wanted?" I laughed as the immensity of what I had just experienced settled into my being, all the while Amma continued to stare at me mischievously.  Amma's demeanor then melted into the sweetness of Divine Mother again as she continued hugging the line of people waiting for her, like nothing had happened. 

As I walked back in tears to my sitting spot, deeply moved by this holy experience and humbled by the spiritual name I was given, devotees stopped me along the way to ask, "What was that all about?!" They had witnessed God's leela, but I had no words to describe the experience.

Profoundly touched by that holy experience, from that day forward I changed my birth name, and humbly adopted the spiritual name given by my Lord Sri Krishna through my holy Guru."

In 2018, Her Holiness Amma Sri Karunamayi formally ordained Shyamasundara as an authentic Yogi, as per the holy Vedic yogic tradition.  After bestowing this holy ordination and title, Shyamasundara became Yogi Shyamasundara.