ONE OF India’s leading spiritual leaders describes her journey to enlightenment in her soon to be published memoir, Hollywood to the Himalayas.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, north India, tells the story of how she turned her life around, from a traumatic time as a child and young adult in California to finding “a way home to herself” in India.
A graduate of Stanford University, Sadhvi Bhagawati was a high achiever in academics, but struggled with an eating disorder and was in therapy for bulimia and trauma she suffered as a child.
The cover of Hollywood to the Himalayas (Credit Parmarth Niketan)
In the late 1990s, when she was doing her PhD in psychology, Sadhvi Bhagawati arrived at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, with her husband. It was here that she had an “unexpected, powerful, spiritually transformative experience standing on the banks of the sacred Ganga river which brought her to her knees in tears”.
Sadhvi Bhagawati describes in her memoir how the head of the ashram, His Holiness (HH) Pujya Chidanand Saraswatiji (HH Pujya Muniji), led her to let go of her past pain and traumatic experiences.
His advice was, “Go to Ganga and give her your pain. Take her water in your hands and give it all to her. Just give it to the river. If you give it, she will take it.”
Sadhvi Bhagawati agreed to follow his instructions and recalled how, as she stood in the water that day, “offering her pain and anger to the rushing waters of the sacred river and finding deep forgiveness within herself, she was transformed, imbued with the unshakable belief she was destined to walk a new path in life, one of connection to god”.
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and others (Credit Parmarth Niketan)
It was the first step in her journey that led to Sadhvi Bhagawati being ordained in 2000 into the monastic tradition of sanyas (monastic renunciation) by HH Pujya Muniji.
Today, Sadhvi Bhagawati gives daily spiritual discourses and satsang, teaches meditation and supervises charitable and humanitarian projects – all from her home at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram.
She is also a renowned speaker who addresses large international forums on topics such as yoga, conscious business, science and spirituality, sustainable development and the importance of educating children.
Advance praise for the book has come from prominent personalities such as Deepak Chopra and Jane Goodall.
"Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati is a great teacher of spirituality and consciousness. Her inspiring wisdom illuminates the path to healing, happiness, and inner peace," said Chopra.
Conservation expert Goodall said, "Her journey is river of love, compelling in its authenticity and unflinching honesty...a must for anyone who is interested in exploring different paths."
Hollywood to the Himalayas is due to be published on August 3. To order a copy, visit here.
Forsyth was awarded a CBE for services to literature in 1997Getty Images
