The Power of Shaktipat
Shaktipat refers in Hinduism to the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another or directly from the deity.
The country of India is a dichotomous enigma. A stark confluence of the most exquisite beauty and the darkest displays man has to offer. While the Europeans were building damp, drafty, cumbersome castles, the eastern Indians were building elegant, sleek marble palaces. Artisans were cutting stones to look like lace and engineering a system of air cooling unheard of in the rest of the world. Sitting beside these sophisticated feats are the most deplorable slums imaginable and a social system that locks people into low caste poverty for eternal generations. Yet, there exist, deeply embedded in India a spiritual culture that is profound, powerful and even magical.
In November of 1999, I embarked on a journey to India in which I experienced both an inexplicable state of emotional distress while simultaneously being shown a window into the magic of the Hindu yogis.
The trip began with Sally Perry (now Swami Sacchidananda) inviting my friend Jan Miller and I to meet her in Delhi for a month long stay and introduction to her teacher, Yug Purush Swami Paramanandji, an enlightened Guru, master of the Upanishads and master of the Rig Veda, the biblical equivalent of Hindu scripture. Sally had studied with swami for years and spent long periods of time living in India for that purpose. Because of her connection with him she managed to arrange a private audience with Swami, for Jan and me; a rare privilege for the two of us.
To our complete surprise, we arrived in Delhi on Diwali, the festival of light which is considered the Hindu version of Christmas. This explained the packed airplane and celebratory atmosphere we traveled in for 26 hours. Our Diwali holiday arrival would prove to be very auspicious as the trip went on.
Our first meeting with Swami was at his ashram in Delhi (one of many all over India) to which he was arriving after a long absence. The joy from his followers was contagious, and the spectacle of flowers presented and rose petals falling in his path was a demonstration of their love for him. The ashram was not a western style hermitage but instead designed to take care of the Sadhus. Sadhus are Hindu holy people who dress in ocher, orange robes and have given up all worldly possessions. Sadhus are often of the Brahman caste, (the highest caste) educated and some even give up successful careers to travel the country and be of service to others while begging for their food and shelter. Swami’s ashram provided a respite for these Hindu saints allowing them time to rest and recharge before they resume their travels.
Meeting the devotees of Swami and the Sadhus was a novel experience. Neither Jan nor I went to India to devote ourselves to a guru, but instead to have a cultural experience with spiritual insight. We had no intention of living in a mouse and probably rat filled ashram for months at a time as Sally had done. These followers were deeply sincere and committed and found it strange that we would come to India to meet a guru we knew little about and had no intention of becoming devoted to, simply at the invitation of a friend.
After a week filled with temple tours, sightseeing in Delhi and a trip to the Taj Mahal, we were finally told our private session with Swami had been arranged.
The private audience was much anticipated, and we had no idea what to expect. As we entered the room, Swami sat on a raised platform, and we were placed on the floor in front of him. In the Guru relationship, we learned, his head is always higher than the people he is addressing. Jan and I sat at his feet, in biblical fashion, as he began to address us asking if we had questions. Jan immediately responded by posing several probing questions that prompted in-depth responses through an interpreter. She and swami had an active, animated conversation filled with deep Hindu philosophy.
In the presence of this pure, enlightened soul, I became uncharacteristically quiet. I seemed unable to think, to formulate a question or even engage eye contact. I felt frozen in the Indian heat, ignored, invalid and unimportant – all the greatest fears of my life.
In the aftermath of the meeting, I walked around for a short period of time in a stupor. When I began to process the audience, my first statement was “he never even looked at me”. This complete exaggeration was my in-moment perception. Sally assured me that he was taking me into the higher realms and there was no need for attention or conversation. This information, at a conscious level, did little to comfort me. I had an emotional outburst that surprised even me. I began to cry and could not stop, all the feelings of rejection, abandonment, being an outcaste and not enough I had ever experienced seemed to pour out of me. No matter how Sally and Jan tried to comfort me the pain streamed out in an unstoppable flow.
When we returned to our accommodation I was in an emotionally distraught state and could think of nothing but to go to bed. Sleeping was not a normal response for me to stress or depression, but at this time it was all I wanted. I fell into a deep sleep and began to have visions. Visions of light, bright white light and stunning color, of becoming one with the light and the color; of dissolving into it. I was flowing freely through a vibrational field that was beautiful.
I slept for almost 24 hours. Every time I was aroused, I fell back into this unusual dream state. The grand finale was a profound vision that was life altering. In this experience I found myself far out in the galaxy looking at the earth. I had no sense of physical body; I was only pure consciousness. As I looked with awe at the beautiful planet, I saw what I believed to be a ring of fire surrounding the earth. This sight piqued my interest, and as I focused on the ring of fire, I began to automatically move closer to the perceived fire. When I finally got close enough to see clearly, I realized it was not a ring of fire at all, but a ring of Sadhus standing side by side holding hands with one another, dressed in their ocher, orange robes. I was thunderstruck by what I instantly understood. The power of their pure hearts, simplicity, sacrifice, meditation and prayer had produced a powerful protective field for our world. I realized in that moment that beyond the Sadhus, the saints of this world with and without robes, inside and outside religious and philosophical constructs, provide a great and powerful light around this planet.
I believe this epiphany for me was a true experience of shaktipat. Swami transferred to me a very high vibration of energy and light. In the city of Delhi, which means gateway or threshold, during a festival of light, my eyes were opened to what should be obvious to all of us – In our own way we are each a purveyor of shaktipat. The spiritual master or saint transfers pure light energy like a tsunami. However, every day as we walk around the world we are sharing the energy of peace, joy and love or conversely, we share anger, judgement or jealousy. Swami showed me that we are all pure energy and the context of what we project into the world either enhances or destroys life. Love, in its many forms, is the true power that shields and uplifts our world. No one religion, philosophy, political party or social group owns the truth and the more polarized and self-righteous we are, the less we see. With broader vision and acceptance, we can meet and unify at the nucleus of loving kindness – for that is the true power that saves our world, and this power resides in the heart.
The Buddhist proclaim — “Hate doesn’t cure hate, only love cures hate.”
Thich Nhat Hanh — “Be the peace you wish to see.”
St. James Bible — 1 Corinthians 13:13 — Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
John Di Martini — That which you condemn, you attract, create or become.
Epilogue
About 5 years after meeting Swami, he came to America, I attended a silent retreat with him at Sally’s home in Virginia. He went around the room inquiring about why each person had come. Swami then, through an interpreter, gave each person a lengthy prosaic as it applied to their needs. When he came at last to me, I said, “I talk, talk, talk all the time and I am so grateful to be here with you and to be quiet.” Swami looked at me very intently for what seemed like a very long time. Then, he spoke to the interpreter and gave him one short sentence.
The interpreter turned to me and said, “Swami said some people talk because it is their gift”
This time, I was filled with gratitude.
Category : Insights Posted on June 2, 2025