Episode 10: Dr. Sruti Mohapatra

In this episode, Marydale Ma speaks with Dr. Sruti Mohapatra about the grace that quietly shapes a life — from the spiritual richness of her childhood, through the life-changing turning point of a spinal cord injury, to her initiation into Kriya Yoga and the miraculous ways Guruji showed up in her most difficult moments. Sruti Ma reflects on surrender, humility, and the simple but transforming principle of giving back — and what it means to discover that we are never, in any moment, truly alone.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra is a nationally and internationally acclaimed disability rights and inclusion expert — an author, scholar, and grassroots changemaker whose work has transformed lives at the community level. Once a dynamic young woman with a bright future—an outstanding student, a gold medallist, a state-level basketball player, and a national debating champion—she had just qualified for the Indian Civil Services and was engaged to be married. But at the age of 23, a tragic road accident forever changed the course of her life. Left wheelchair-bound, she found herself battling not just physical limitations but also social exclusion, bureaucratic apathy, and the insensitivity of those around her. But rather than succumb to despair, she confronted her trauma with remarkable bravery. What followed was not withdrawal, but a lifelong commitment to converting personal adversity into collective empowerment.

As the founder of Swabhiman, a pioneering nonprofit, she has spent over three decades working to make inclusion real and reachable — shaping India’s disability rights framework, influencing policy across the country, and enabling thousands of children with disabilities to access education, dignity, and opportunity. A five-time TEDx speaker and recipient of over 79 national and international awards, including the Nari Shakti Purashkar from the President of India, she continues to travel, write, and speak globally. Her motto: To enjoy life, give joy to others.

Marydale Ma: Om and Pranam, dear friends, and welcome to you. I’m so grateful you’ve chosen to join us today for another sacred moment of connection, reflection, and inspiration.

Before we begin, I invite you to gently allow your heart to settle into this moment. Perhaps close your eyes and begin to gently focus on your breath. Feel the quiet rhythm of your own breath — with each inhale and exhale, calming down, slowing down.

Father, Divine Mother, and our Divine Loving Masters — Paramahansa Hariharananda, Paramahansa Prajnanananda, and our Paramguru Paramahansa Yogananda — we bow in gratitude for this gathering, for the gift of listening, and for the wisdom that flows through every sincere heart.

May what is shared here uplift, awaken, and remind us of the joy and purpose that live within each and every one of us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this privilege, Father, Mother, God. Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti. Amen.

Oh, today I’m deeply honored to welcome a woman whose life is a living testament to courage, compassion, and sacred service. Dr. Sruti Mohapatra — a bridge between personal healing and collective empowerment.

Oh, Sruti Ma, it’s just such a privilege to be with you. Welcome, welcome, welcome. And on this — thank you. And on this beautiful day, let me say you do look just beautiful, truly like a goddess. Sruti Ma, the world knows your work and your leadership.

Can we just take a moment to go back to the little girl growing up within a family and culture? And could you share maybe a little glimpse of what your spiritual upbringing was like as a child — and who or what shaped your early sense of faith, purpose, and compassion?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Pranam Ma, thank you so much. I’m humbled that you chose me to be here and talk and share — yeah, share my journey and motivate people who are hearing this. So thank you, Ma. Thank you for this opportunity.

Now, going back to my childhood — Indian families in general, we have certain rituals which we follow regularly. And these include: when we wake up from the bed, we remember the divine and we thank him. When we end the day, we again remember them and we express our gratitude. Then in the morning, after a bath, we always go, bow, and tell them, please guide our path, and please help us to be better human beings.

Again in the evening, just after sunset — just before, you know, that little time — we do evening aartis. We do vesper aarti, we do puja, we pray, and we always ask for the blessings of God, Guru, Masters, and all our elders in the family.

In my family, my greatest inspiration — or my greatest supporters, the people who inspired me in this spiritual journey — were both my grandmothers.

Both my grandfathers also did it, but in their own different way. My maternal grandfather, whom we call Aja — mother’s father — he was deep into rituals. And so he would, during his evening puja and during his morning puja — we were scared as little kids. We could not make any sound, he said. Whenever there is a prayer or whenever there is a ritual going on where you are invoking the divine, everyone in the family has to respect. It’s not that one person is praying. That prayer, that ritual, is being done for the entire family. Same went with the evening prayers.

My father’s father — we call our fathers Bapa, we used to call him Bawa, my father. So his father, we call him Jai Jai Baba. He was different. His prayer was not so extended. But he had certain rituals which he followed. And he was an expert in Sanskrit — so he read and chanted beautifully in Sanskrit.

But both my grandmothers — they were amazing people. They spent so much time. I’ve seen my father’s mother, Jai Jai Ma. She would talk to Krishna. She loved Krishna. And she would cry: O Krishna, why don’t you listen to me? Day and night she would talk to Krishna. She would go on cuddling him, she would go on talking to him. It’s a very different kind of puja that my father’s mother did. So loving. I mean — so attached to her God, to Krishna. In everything — whether she would be cooking food, she would be serving food, she would be taking care of my grandfather’s needs, would be taking care of the kids — she would always be singing hymns, prayer, chanting. And when she fed us, it was as if it was a long, protracted prayer — so much love she fed us. It was as if that was one of her major rituals in her prayers. And my mother’s mother — she was also like that.

So, and my father — what he did — I wouldn’t say imposed, but he would say: play as much as you want in the afternoon. But when the sun sets, I want all of you home. Wash your feet, your face, and then sit in front of the home altar, sit there, do a little vesper ritual, aarti — which we call evening aarti — pray, and then sit quietly for some time. That prayer and that aarti and that sitting quietly will help you in your studies. So after prayers, we did our evening studies, and then we had dinner and went to sleep.

Marydale Ma: What a rich, rich upbringing, and an auspicious incarnation for you, my dear, to have been born into such a highly spiritual and wise family. Bravo. Bravo.

In most of the families you will find — if you go to the rural areas, especially, because in the cities people have become very busy — but if you go to the rural areas, you will find these rituals being followed in every family.

Well, Sruti, when you look back at the young woman that you were before life changed so suddenly — and the woman you are today — what feels like the greatest awakening of your soul along this journey, having had such a rich upbringing and obviously many tools to support you spiritually? Can you kind of share that with us?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes. I had a very simple principle in my life. My mother and my father, they always kept on telling us: there are some rules that you must follow. Like, you must respect your elders. You must respect your teachers. You must love and take care of the people younger to you. And if you are sincere and honest in whatever you do, you will be successful. That was something my father imprinted on us. So for me, it was a very simple understanding.

We have five brothers and sisters. My brother is brilliant. My sister is brilliant — she’s a Hindustani classical singer. My other sister is also brilliant — she’s a fine artist from one of the best institutions, now doing great in her job. My youngest sister is also very sweet and brilliant.

So what I saw from my childhood is: when you’re sincere, when you respect your teachers, when you follow what they ask you to do — success is yours. So I followed it. And I was successful in everything that I did. Honestly, I must tell you, I actually did not know what failure was. That came only after the major incident in my life, which changed the direction of my living forever.

So I followed this principle. I would come home, go through whatever had been taught in the class, do all my home assignments — and then there was another simple thing my father had. He said: for the next class, always be a little prepared. You may not understand everything — just browse through and then go to the class. And that also helped.

So my teachers loved me, my parents loved me, my siblings loved me because I always took care of them. My mother was a working woman — she was a doctor, very busy. My father, an anthropologist, often had to tour in tribal areas. So it fell upon me many a times to take care of my siblings. And I did it with joy.

But what I got from Guruji — I got from Guruji the understanding that failure is something very interesting. It builds your character. It makes you stronger. But the most important thing is to accept it with grace. Believe that the supreme power — God, the divine being, he or she — they know. They know what is best for you. So whenever something happens which you think, oh, I failed, oh, this is not the right thing — always try to understand that this is the right thing. But because of the lack of our spiritual understanding, we are unable to comprehend it.

And I must tell you, Ma, I experienced so much peace because of that. My desire to be more spiritually inclined started because of that. Because that acceptance, Ma — that whatever has happened is by the will of the Divine, whatever is happening is by the will of the Divine, whatever will happen is by the will of the Divine — so I needn’t be very perturbed, anxious, angry, annoyed. And that change came when I met Guruji.

Marydale Ma: Jai Guru! Jai, Jai, Jai.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Jai Guruji!

Marydale Ma: Wonderful. Well, it just so feels as though your life carries a deep thread of courage woven in every chapter, Sruti Ma. And you’ve become a true bridge — a living bridge — between your personal healing and your collective empowerment, not only for yourself, but for others. It’s just a beautiful thing.

And the combination of your upbringing and then moving straight into Guruji’s arms is amazing. So you have roots and wings, which is just a beautiful thing.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Thank you.

Marydale Ma: You just radiate such bliss.

Now, Sruti, in those early moments when the path ahead felt uncertain to you — where did you first find the inner strength to choose purpose over despair? I know you’ve given us an overview, but was there something in your own moments when you felt grace quietly step in and carry you forward — even before you met Guruji?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes. Yes, I did. Oh — I was very shocked. I was shattered. What I could not comprehend, what I could not understand, is why society, government, extended family members were treating me the way they were.

I don’t remember occasions when we talked about health or incapacities or incapabilities. Discussion was always about: okay, this much you have achieved — how can we achieve that extra mile, how can we do this.

But after the accident — except my parents and then my professor and my siblings — nobody talked about that. The first shock came: I had qualified for the top most elite service of India. The first shock came when they rejected me. They sent a letter because my father was communicating with them, and he was telling them: she has undergone a major, major accident. She needs time for rehabilitation. She will jump back to life. I know my daughter. Please extend the joining date. Please extend the training dates. To his appeals and his communication, what we received was a letter — just two or three lines. Here is a new offer, with a reduced rank and a reduced salary. Clearly the letter stated that I was no more acceptable. I was different and I was to be isolated. And this was a huge shock.

The second shock came when, you know, how it is in our society — you always look at a woman as perfect, beautiful, hands, legs. Anything that’s a little different is unacceptable. So my marriage broke down two weeks before the wedding date. So this was a second major shock.

Third major shock was the inability to take care of my very personal things — you know, changing my clothes, taking care of my periods. I was dependent on others for all these little, little things. There was no privacy in my life.

So I just could not understand what was happening to me. And the fourth was friends and relatives only talking about: move your leg, move your hand. Why can’t you sit properly? Why are you moving so much? — without trying to understand that in spinal cord injury, where you’re paralyzed from your neck below, your body has no functions, no sensation, no functions. Your muscles are paralyzed. So your body is wobbly. I was given so many gyans. Everybody was giving me a gyan. Move your leg. Try this. Oh, your father has pampered you. Oh, your mother is pampering — that’s why you’re not trying to walk. That insensitivity.

And along with it, when I tried to go out — because my father said, let us not change our routine. Every week we went out for a film. We went out for eating out. We tried to do that. And what an embarrassment we suffered as a family. In the restaurant where we were eating — because I get a lot of muscle spasms and my fingers are bent, you know, in C6 quadriplegia your neurons — so I had tremors. My plate fell down. Everybody in the restaurant was so insensitive. They were staring, smirking.

And I told my father, let’s go. I can’t sit and eat.

And then for my medical tests, when I was required to go to Delhi — so when we got inside the train compartment, I’m told that you have to sit at the top berth. I said, how can I? He said, that’s not my business. Nobody helped. The entire night, I and my mother spent near the railway toilet. The little space there, she spread out a sheet. And so these kinds of things bothered me a lot.

And apart from feeling bad about myself, bad about my family, there was a second line of thought also running in my mind — which was, right when I was, I think, in class four or five, my father always used to say — both my parents, my mom: listen, try to be an asset to your family. Don’t be lazy. Your mother is a working woman. How much work she is doing. Try to do small chores. Your youngest sibling, she can barely take care of this — do this. And he made a weekly timetable for us. That timetable always had a column: help mommy.

So those things — while I was facing all this trauma, it was also going inside my mind: how, in this condition, when everybody is rejecting me, do I become an asset to my family?

I think that positive thinking was a result of all the positive reinforcements I had received, all the spiritual reinforcements I had received. But the massive change came because — every step — you see, we were suffering a lot. I was transferred to a hospital in another state, in Tamil Nadu, near Chennai. So I was undergoing treatment there, and there was no cell phone. On the land phone, a call came that my father had collapsed. He always wanted to be my cheerleader. He never said anything in front of me, could not take the pain, and he collapsed.

So my mother had to leave me there and rush back. And at that point, I was completely paralyzed, which means I could not sit. I had not been trained to sit up, hold my brush, comb my hair, or transfer from the bed to the wheelchair. I had not learned all these things. So I was lying straight on my back, completely — and my back was burnt very badly, so they wanted to keep it open.

In this condition, I see my mother — she’s crying. I said, Ma, you go. I will manage. And then I see her praying in front — doing a little aarti and praying to her Guruji: please take care of her. I have to go. She told me: look, you are not critical. Your rehabilitation will start. But for your dad, it’s life and death — touch and go, that’s what the doctors are saying. And I’m not just his wife, I’m also a doctor. I want to be there. And have faith. These are the two words she said: have faith.

So Ma, at five in the morning, my doctor drops by — Dr. Suranjan Bhattacharji. I must mention him with deep respect, deep love. And Ma, before I forget, I must tell you: Guru doesn’t start working on your life when you meet them physically. Guru starts directing your path long, long before you even physically meet him.

So what happened — at five in the morning, my doctor walks in and he says: I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry. My students will take care of you. Don’t worry. You go to your husband. And he handed over a bundle of notes to her: take this cash. Go. So at 5 a.m., her auto rickshaw arrives. And she hugs me, cries, and goes out — because that was also my birthday.

And then I hear shouts in the corridor. And I’m wondering, did someone die? Because at that hour we often hear people crying and there is a death and all that. And then my mother’s voice: hey, look, look who is here!

You know, my sister — my third sister, who was then studying in West Bengal, in Shantiniketan in Kolkata — we did not have cell phones. So she just, when she had a couple of days holidays, booked a ticket and sat in the train to give me and my mother some company.

So you see — that night, my mother is leaving. My sister from Shantiniketan arrives. I was not alone anymore. That is grace, Ma. And these things have happened so many times, that you know your Guru is taking care of you.

Marydale Ma: Yes. Yes. It’s just so powerful. Thank you for sharing that story with us. It’s not a story — it is a glimpse of the path that you have so resiliently managed. And it’s just — it’s awe inspiring.

Now, in the quiet moments of your daily life, Sruti, what practices or inner reflections help you — not only to stay inspired yourself, but also to stay grounded when the outer work feels so demanding? Is there something particular?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes. I often felt — you see — my family was privileged. They were taking care of me, and I had no issues. I could do anything. But then I thought: educated, parents well placed, taking care of my needs, family standing behind me, money is not an issue — despite that, I’m facing so many challenges. So what about the hundreds of people out there? And many of them speech and hearing impaired — they cannot even speak about their turmoil. Who’s taking care of them?

Not everybody can buy a ticket and get into a flight. Because after three bad experiences on the train, we just decided we are not traveling by train anymore in this condition. The flights were short duration — so instead of 36 hours to Delhi, I could reach in two hours. But what about the hundreds of people who were — because every day I was seeing in the hospital people becoming disabled, people becoming spinal cord injured, reaching the hospital for treatment, immediate care, and long-term rehabilitation. And mostly people were from very humble backgrounds.

So I just started thinking: what do I do? My entry into the disability sector — to set things right — was more about getting laws for India. There were no laws to protect my rights. That’s why the government could so easily demote me and not let me join my job.

So my initial work in disability was about getting laws for India. And I’m very — that’s what I was doing. I was very proud. I used to feel very proud. I would say: Father, this is done. Mom, this is done. Friends, this is done. And the newspapers were writing a lot about me. And then everybody was like: wow, Sruti, she’s so courageous, she’s doing this. There was something — that sense of pride and ego: I have done it.

But then — without saying so directly — slowly, slowly, slowly, I became aware that I’m not doing anything. Things are getting done by the grace of the Guru. I’m just a tool, a medium he is using. With that realization came a big change in my life. More humility.

Another thing — I’m still working on it — is Guruji tells me not to get angry. He says: everyone is acting as per what the divine is making them do. Some are not realized, some don’t have — what do you call — the awareness. So don’t get angry with anyone. Because once you’re angry, you’re unable to control the words you use, your actions. And later on, it doesn’t matter how much you lament — once that bullet has left the gun, it’s not coming back. So try your best to avoid that.

So in my quiet moments, I slowly started thinking: oh, how did this happen? This officer was always rejecting, not listening to our demands. Then how did he all of a sudden agree?

So these were things I never used to think about. I started thinking: oh, I am nobody. I am nobody. I’m just a tool. When I sit in the evening, these are things I think about. And I also tell myself: oh, you have been angry. You have to cut it down. You have to cut it down. That temperament still has a long way to go.

I sit and think. I thank. I’m grateful. Grateful that I have such a wonderful guru. I have such wonderful parents, grandparents. So whatever I’m doing today, whatever I’m achieving, whatever I am — it’s just grace, blessings. Nothing is my own doing, nothing to feel proud of, nothing to boast about.

Marydale Ma: Wonderful. And that brings me directly to: how did you meet Guruji? How did Kriya first find its way into your life? And what was that meeting of heart and path like for you? And when did you get initiated? Tell us everything.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes. I had so many — I’ll tell you. There are monks in my family. My mother’s — what do you call it — my grandmother’s sister is married in a family where there is a monk. My father’s side, there is a monk.

And I’ll come to that later on. So we were not very new to the concept of gurus coming. My mother’s Guruji — my mom’s Guruji — so we were quite used to gurus coming to our house. And my mother’s Guruji was so warm and lenient. He would stay in our house, and the day he went to meet other devotees, he would tell my mother: hey, Annapurna, give a little aarti and give a little dhoop to your husband and the kids.

We love non-vegetarian food. Fish was like our favorite food and everything. So he would tell that to my mother: hey, give them.

And then my uncle who was a monk — my mother’s mother’s brother — he started an ashram in Bhubaneswar. It was a yoga vedanta ashram. And in his ashram, two or three times a year, he would do big feasts — a lot of yajna, puja — and he would invite a lot of monks and sadhaks to come and have prasad. And he would invite some members of the family too who lived in nearby places. So that is where I remember fleeting glances of Guruji, in white — a shaven head, dressed in white. But I did not meet him or interact with him.

And then my mother’s own uncle — that is her mother’s, my grandmother’s brother — he was a radiology professor in Qatar. And he was a disciple of Gurudev, and of Guruji also. So he would always tell me: go, go and meet Guruji. Go — Gurudev, his name is Paramahansa Prajnanananda. You must go and meet him. He’s so knowledgeable, he’s so academically rich, he’s so spiritually high. Go and meet him.

So I would hear it, Ma. But I never gave it so much importance. Okay, we’ll go, we’ll go.

And one day — after the accident — we had gone for a compensation claim to the court in Puri, and we were returning to Bhubaneswar. The police told us: don’t go this way, there’s a strike going on, go the other way. So they told us to take the Marine Drive road, the Konark road, where our ashram is — Hariharananda Gurukulam. So when we were passing it, we saw a flutter of orange, where it was written: first brahmachari training course. So we went a little ahead and I said: Ma, let’s go inside and meet him. Your uncle keeps on talking about him.

So mother and daughter we went inside. There was a huge rush — this was the first brahmachari training. People were running here and there. Very hesitantly we were standing there, asking someone. And Ma — no one had told me to call him Guruji. I did not know if it was Guruji, or Gurudev, or Baba — no one. I just told someone: can I meet Guruji? They said: who is Guruji? I said: the master here? Oh, you’re talking about Baba? Yes. Then they said: no, today he cannot meet. He is very busy. There’s an initiation going on, there’s an inauguration program. The king is coming. Gajpati Maharaj is coming. The great Shankaracharya is coming. Sorry.

Then my mom said: let’s go. I said: no, Ma, let’s wait. And we were just — mother is looking at the daughter, daughter is looking at the mother. Then, you know, the flutter of orange walks past by. And turns around. And then comes close to me and tells me — Sruti — I mean, as if we knew each other since many lives.

And I’m telling Guruji — my first line to him: Guruji, will you initiate me? And he looks at me and says — his people around him are saying, no, no, initiation is over — and you know his look, he turns at them and gives a stern look. And then he looks at me and says: of course, I will initiate you tomorrow. Can you come at this time?

So we just — mother and daughter are looking — and just, we came home. Then with our relatives, we went the next day. The Adi Kutir, Ma — that’s Gurudev’s room, where Gurudev used to stay. It’s a hut. So Guruji gave me initiation in that room, one-to-one, personally.

So it was so beautiful. I said: I can’t do this. In first Kriya, I can’t do this, I can’t do that. He said: you don’t have to do anything. Just have some good thoughts in your mind.

That is so beautiful. And when he gave me initiation, something happened, Ma. I don’t know what happened, but something happened. I was just looking into those eyes and I was just — I don’t know what was happening to me.

And then my life took a major turn — towards inner peace, calm, tranquility. Not getting agitated over anything that was happening in the disability sector or my personal life. It was a huge change. And that was the year 2002, and it was the 5th of September. In India, we celebrate the 5th of September as Teacher’s Day.

Marydale Ma: No mistakes. Just beautiful.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes, Ma, it was. That’s what I’m telling you, Ma. The Guru is there. He is drawing you towards him. You are so lost in the worldly clamor that you’re ignoring. So what other way did he have but create a strike, change my driving route — and there I was, in the ashram.

Marydale Ma: Oh my gosh, that is just a magnificent story. What a blessing. What a blessing. And then once you began Kriya practice, how did it start to shape and change your personal challenges and your work?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: So this is what I’m telling you. The major change that has happened is — earlier it was just a five-minute evening prayer. That’s all. Do the aarti, do some chantings, and then it’s over. But now there’s a lot of addition to it. Sitting quietly. I would still say I don’t know what meditation is, but I do get a lot of peace when you cross your legs, switch off the light, you’re sitting — something happens. The entire day’s stress, it just flies out. So you are ready to have a good sleep. And once you have a good sleep, you are ready for the next day.

And I also learned a lot of chantings, the structured way of saying the chants, reading the Bhagavad Gita. Both my paternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather — he loved the Bhagavad Gita, he would always speak in Sanskrit — but as much as they could, none of us really went there, you know.

Reading or chanting or trying to understand — but you know, when the Guru tells you something, I have found that when I try to learn some chants, they take me a lot of time. But when Guruji says — suppose we are in a classroom and Guruji is giving a discourse, and he says this, this, this — do it or read it, Ma — I find it is so easy to remember, so easy to memorize, so easy to understand. So I think the Guru’s words — they are like power pills. They just enhance your understanding, enhance your memory. They enhance everything.

They always make you a better person than you were yesterday. But one has to follow what they say. And I fail, Ma. I won’t say I’ve learned everything. I fail every day. Then at the end of the day, I say: Baba, I failed. Let me try it tomorrow. I fail every day. That’s what I’m telling you.

Marydale Ma: That is pure humbleness and an example of such grace that’s in your life. While you were speaking, I was reminded of Hariharananda — always trying to let everyone know that Kriya is so easy. It’s easy. Don’t make it complicated. And it sounds like that’s what Guruji shared with you: of course you can do this. Just relax.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Relax.

Marydale Ma: It’s just a beautiful story. It truly is.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: I was saying also — I’ve heard Guruji often: don’t run after the light, the vibrations. First you calm yourself and focus, you know, learning experience — everything will come.

Marydale Ma: Absolutely. Yeah, there’s no rush. All we have is today. All we have is this moment. And we do what we can do and then surrender.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Yes, yes, Ma. And in the last ten years, Ma, everything — every moment — I’m experiencing his grace. Every moment.

Yes. I was in Norway for the education Congress, and I had taken with me examples of my work experience, and I was very excited to be there and make a presentation before the world. But you know, Norway is very cold. And at that point, it was six months of daytime — there was no night. I was not so used to all these things.

And suddenly, Ma, I became very homesick. And I was crying. And the other thing, Ma — I’ll be very honest and tell you — we are so used to small privileges. When you enter a hotel, there are people to carry your things to your room, to make you comfortable. But in Norway, when I asked at the reception, they said: no, you have to do it yourself. It’s self-service. You have to take your things to your room. We can help you because you are in a wheelchair, but not all the time and every day.

So all these little, little things — they were just disorienting. And there were very few people. India, we have a surplus of human beings. They’re buzzing all around us. In Norway, I found there were so few people. The hotel felt desolate. And I was wondering: we were so many of us in the meeting this morning. Why are we so few in the hotel? So those things all together — I was homesick. I was crying. I wanted to go back. I wanted to run, actually. I said: oh please God, do something. I just want to reach home. I want to reach my mom.

And then — you know, I told you there were no cell phones, this was 2003 or 2004 — the reception calls through to the dining hall where we are eating: there’s a call for you, please come. And I was wondering — nobody knows where I am, which hotel. Why would they know? They all knew I was in Norway for a meeting and I’d come back. There was no — I was sponsored by USAID, so there was no paper trail. I had given everything in Delhi, which I shared with my family: this is the hotel, this is the number. Who was calling me from that side?

Sruti?

Yes, this is Sruti.

Sruti, this is Prajnanananda.

What — how? How do you know where I am? How come you’re calling me? Where did you get this number?

Ten to fifteen questions. He laughed. I’m in Austria, in Vienna. And I’m so delighted that you have come to Europe. Sruti, you have brought something very unique — you are going to speak something very unique, from a very different country. Feel comfortable. Be happy.

I did not need anything else. I just wanted to hear something soothing — someone I was familiar with. And he just sorted out everything. I had a lovely sleep. The next day I was smiling. I was not jittery anymore. We had a good conference and I came back. This is one.

Another — I had so many complications because of the spinal cord injury. I was bleeding — vaginal bleeding was so much. After some time, the urethral bleeding also started. And doctors were almost helpless. They didn’t know. Finally, the doctor just put his things down and called my mother. He said: Madam, I can’t help you. You’re a doctor. You can see — in this, I don’t know. Just give her some sedative. Let’s see what happens.

My mother said: what are you telling me? You’re telling me to put my daughter to sleep for the last time? She’s bleeding, it’s not stopping.

And then they all — because my mother is a doctor, she has her own hospital — so she placed me on her bed. On my head, there was her Guruji, then my Guruji. And everybody was there. My grandmother was also there. And they’re all crying and praying. And the nursing home staff, the nurses — they’re also crying.

Around two in the night, Ma, there’s a call again. My mother says: hello. Annapurna, Ma. This is Prajnanananda.

And you know, it was a mother’s anxiety — she was blasting him, left and right: you said you will take care of my daughter, my daughter is dying, doctors have given up. And what is that? She was not even listening to Guruji. After some time, Guruji said: Annapurna Ma, nothing is going to happen to Sruti. She’ll be absolutely fine tomorrow morning. Then he said to give the phone near my ears — it was a land phone, as I’m telling you.

I don’t remember anything. But what I know is, when I got up the next morning, Ma, it was just like any other day — fresh and fine.

And yes, Ma, there are many incidents like this, but these two I thought I must share with you.

Marydale Ma: Miraculous. Thank you so much. I am blown away by that, as I know my listeners are as well. It’s just so amazing. The Masters always say: I’m watching you. And these two examples — the x-ray vision of the master.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Oh. Yes, I’m watching you. Be careful.

Marydale Ma: Be careful. Yes. And on the other hand, just embrace that — know it and lean into it. It’s amazing. We forget that sometimes, but they never forget us. Ever, ever, ever.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: One thing I have learned is: we don’t need to search for him or to cling on to him physically. He is way, way beyond the physical body. If we just bow down gracefully and accept that he is not a body, he can reach you anywhere and everywhere. What faith — that will work wonders in our lives.

Marydale Ma: It’s just wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful. Listening to you, it has to inspire everyone. I’m just so touched by that. And thank you for being so willing and transparent to share these precious gems of your life. They’re just wonderful.

And your personal journey truly has become a bridge to others, Sruti. You often speak about transforming adversity into service. What does that transformation look like for you in the quiet, unseen moments when no one is watching you? And how did that inspire you to start your amazing organization, Swabhiman?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Ma, there’s one story — I don’t know if you have read it — the story of the two friends and the starfish. So these are two friends. You know that one?

Marydale Ma: I do.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Very briefly — two friends are walking on the beach and they see starfish washed to the shore. So one of them starts picking up the starfish and throwing them back into the water. After observing for a couple of minutes, the other friend said: what are you doing? Hundreds and thousands are dying here on the shore. How many have you been able to save till now?

To this, the other one said: I don’t know about the rest of the hundreds. But I do know the ten, the fifteen, the twelve whom I threw back into the ocean — they are living.

That is something which has stayed with me. And the other is my father’s father. He was so kind. In the village, if there was a marriage, a thread ceremony, anybody wanting to go to school — he would give everything, carry things from the house or give them money so that they could do their thing. He would help anyone. For him there was no bar — caste, class, disability, religion — nothing was a bar. A person in need is there. I am privileged and have enough to take care of my family and them. So I will give them. And these were the same things I saw in my father and my mother.

My mother would take care of people from very poor areas and not charge them a single paisa. I’d seen my father doing that. He was an anthropologist. He would go to tribal areas and he would often return with one or two boys, get them admitted in school and colleges, and help them with their jobs.

These are things, Ma, which I had seen, which I had grown up with.

So I sat and thought: okay, we are working for the laws now. Ma, it’s not that it happened in a day or a week. Okay, we changed the law. The best law came to us in 2016. We got the first law, then 2003, 2009, finally 2016. And India — earlier we used to look up to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equality Act of the UK. But now the world looks up to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in India. So we did some good changes.

But then I found laws and policies — these are good, you need a positive ecosystem, but they’re not enough. How can you change a person’s attitude towards disability if he or she doesn’t understand, has no sensitivity, will not relate to the pain and suffering of others?

So my next course was: empower people with disabilities with education, employment, and accessibility — and create awareness among civil society, and more importantly, government offices. That you’re not doing them any favor. The law grants it. The government has sanctioned a budget. All that you’re doing is disbursing. So don’t make them feel bad. Don’t make them run to you several times.

So, Ma, with this, I thought: I cannot change a lot of things at the same time or help a lot of people at the same time. But let me start changing. So my work started with education. How do we go to the school? How do we talk to teachers? And how do we identify parents?

If a child — now all children with disabilities are different. Somebody has visual impairment, somebody has hearing impairment, somebody is mobility impaired, some have cognitive challenges, intellectual challenges. But what was happening in India at that time — it was: make one coat and say, I have done it for the disabled. No, that doesn’t help. The coat has to be of different colors, different fabric, different sizes. So that’s what we started doing — one child at a time. And before we knew it, more than 300 students had returned back to school. More than 100 students who had dropped out went for skill development and got into jobs.

So what I was doing was not just the policies and the laws. I was changing the life of one person at a time. And if that child required a therapist, if that child required a teacher who had to deal differently, I was orienting and training the teacher. So one-to-one approach.

Those things helped us — not: I will do it for a thousand students and I will solve the problem. No — I’ll do it for only one child. So our kids are doing very well now, Ma. And with these positive examples happening right in front of the teachers, their attitude is also changing. The age-old belief that, no, they can’t — that is now changing. Yes, they can do.

I will tell you one example. We walked into a class and the teacher was so angry with one of the students. I said: what is the matter? Oh ma’am, I have tried every method. She’s not writing even one line. She’s not replying to my questions.

I was just going there and trying to interact and telling stories — because I was on an inspection that day. Then suddenly I asked: can you sing? Do you like to sing? She said yes.

So the question the teacher was asking her was: can you tell me the names of ten kings who had done great things for environmental protection?

Ma, can you believe it — she started singing. And she recited the entire lesson, including answering that question, while singing.

So somewhere it’s our mistake — we are unable to find the best tool by which we can assess the learning of the child. And it has to be individual specific. So that’s how I have worked. The laws and policies, you do it for the entire country, the entire state. But to change attitude, you have to go to one teacher at a time, one student at a time, one parent at a time. Yes, it’s slow. But you go on building cadres of volunteers. You go on building cadres of inclusive education teachers. They will do. They will take it forward.

Marydale Ma: I think that what you just said applies to every human being on the planet, Sruti — whether they have disabilities or not. Every single human is an individual and deserves time, attention, and dignity. And I think just listening to you in the last little while, I believe your middle name should be dignity.

So you’re offering that on such a wide spectrum. It’s just a very beautiful, precious thing — and has taken a lot of tenacity.

Sruti Ma, have you had — and I’m sure the answer is yes — an opportunity to mentor young leaders, especially those who are living with disabilities? When you are mentoring, what inner quality do you hope they awaken within themselves, before they ever even try to step into the idea that they can change the world?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Two things are needed: compassion, and hearing people what they are saying. One cannot be in a hurry to jump and say: okay, you are not able to read, let me do this, this, this for you. You have to have patience and listen to the child. Listen to the father. Listen to the mother. Listen to the siblings. Listen to the teacher. So listening is important, and empathy is essential, and compassion.

So I make it a point — I tell all my volunteers, they have interactions with Guruji in all our programs. When Guruji comes, my volunteers interact with him. 

Marydale Ma: What a blessing. So what would be the smallest, bravest first step for someone who wanted to become an agent of change?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Ma, the first thing is to come to peace with your body, your mind, and your thoughts. You see, until I did — I always thought the wheelchair was a burden. If I sit on the wheelchair, I’ll never walk. So I didn’t want to get off the stretcher.

Finally, my doctor said: Sruti, how long do you think we can carry you on a stretcher? We need something small and compact.

And it took a long time. It took my father and my mother — by that time, my father had healed a little. So my father and my mother came all the way from Bhubaneswar. My sister came. They all sat with me. They didn’t tell me: accept the wheelchair, go and sit. They just told me how nice it would be to go to the garden. Just think — you love gardening. Two people carrying you on your stretcher — neither can you sit with your roses, nor can you touch the leaves. And: you are an outdoors person. How is our little car? Do you think in our little car we can fit the stretcher?

Yes, we can fold the wheelchair and put it inside.

And my sister: don’t you want to wear something nice, something fashionable? Look what you’re wearing, lying down on a stretcher. How you look. You’re looking at the world from a very different view, a very different angle.

So all those little, little things — I started thinking: oh, that’s true. The wheelchair actually allows me to go places. Whether you want to go to the toilet, sit on the commode — it’s so difficult with a stretcher.

Because, Ma, I had to be trained. I had to be trained physically. I had to be trained how to hold the spoon and the fork. It took me almost fifteen days before the first mouthful of food could travel from my plate to my mouth. How to wear my clothes, how to…

Then one good thing — my sister had gotten married and moved to the US with her husband. So she sent me beautiful magazines to read, lots of new things happening. And she sent me a lot of things that assisted in my living independently. So that’s how things happen.

And so I would like to tell everybody: first, be comfortable with yourself. Your height, your color, the way you sit, the way you comb your hair. Be comfortable with that. Doesn’t matter who says what. That’s number one.

Number two: you must believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in what you’re trying to do, or what you’re doing presently — if you don’t believe in that, how do you think you will be able to convince others and tell them about the first step to take?

Number three: always dream bigger. I have heard Guruji saying this, writing in his books, speaking to us during his informal discussions and formal talks.

And it is always there: walk the talk. Whatever you are asking people to do, you must do it yourself first. You don’t get up at 5 in the morning and tell everyone: hey, get up at 4 in the morning. There is no truth in the statement you are making. So why will they wake up?

Number two — and he always says these are some important things, Ma, which I carry with me everywhere — giving back. From the very day that we are conceived, since then, all that we are doing is taking, taking. First the mother — who gives us oxygen, takes out our carbon dioxide, gives us blood, our nutrients. For seven to nine months, she’s protecting us. Then you are just born.

There’s your father. There is your grandfather. There’s your grandmother. In India, we have huge families — joint families. Even nuclear families have a lot of people who come and stand by you when you need help. You need an extra pair of hands and there is always someone to lend them. Holding on — hold on to their hand, be protected when you’re so vulnerable, you’re a little child. Keep you safe.

And I’m not talking about general specific situations — a lot of things happening in the world. But these things, in your early years, you do with your family. Then you go to schools, colleges, universities. In India, Ma, even now, education is — I think in the US also — highly subsidized. Except the private universities, it’s almost free in many public schools. Same here in India: the government schools, it’s all free. So the government is spending huge amounts, paying the teachers, building infrastructure, getting you the books. So again, you are taking, taking, taking.

And then comes water. Until the last ten or twelve years, water was free. And of course air — without which you cannot survive even for a few minutes. That’s free. So your parents gave you, your mother gave you, nature is giving you, your school and teachers are giving you. What are you doing? Just taking.

Have you ever thought about giving back? He says it is everybody’s responsibility to give back to society. And he underlines again: giving back is not always about money, about financials. Giving back is about your shoulder — somebody wants to cry, and you let them cry. Soothe them. Nobody has time these days.

Elderly people, your elderly grandparents — sit with them. In your free time, talk to them. The maids, the gardeners, everyone who is working in and around you — teach their children in your holidays, in your free time. This is giving back.

Keep the environment clean. Keep the rivers clean. Keep the roads clean. Keep the neighborhood clean. All these are giving back.

So it is everybody’s responsibility to give back. And Ma, I carry this very strongly with me. Because I am invited to a lot of talks all across India and also the TED Talks, TEDx. So what I do is — this is what I either start with or end with. I say to young people: to sustain planet Earth, it is important that we give back.

So these are a few things which very gently — without imposing — Guruji says. And so I am carrying these messages with me very strongly.

Respect your elders. He says you must — because in colleges and universities these days, what is happening is people are becoming very disrespectful of their teachers.

So he said — grace. It is invisible. Grace is invisible. Then he says: do you remember in your school and college days, suddenly you know that you have — oh, you should get eight out of ten. You get nine. How is that happening? That’s grace. Because within his heart, the teacher knows that you’re a good student. You have made a good effort. You’re sincere, you are well-mannered, you are respectful. And that half point flows from his heart straight to your answer notebook.

So grace is not something — kripa, or grace — it’s not something that the guru or the teacher will come and put on your head and tap you on your back and tell you. We don’t know what they’re doing with their taps.

But then he says: kripa. It is two words — kru and pa. Kru is to do. Pa is to get. So when you do something good, you will always get back something good.

So these are his strong teachings which I’m following — trying to follow.

Marydale Ma: Beautiful.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Trying to follow.

Marydale Ma: No, you are following it, Sruti Ma. And I dare say that life is perfect in every way. And when the unseen hand of God and Guru are active in your life, grace does take place.

And I see that from your incredible path. Had you not had that catastrophic accident, you would not have unfolded in the way that you have, and become a catalyst for those who are in desperate need of dignity and grace. You have become a dynamic leader, which we are all so very grateful for.

And Sruti Ma, what is your deepest prayer or hope for the world you are helping to shape — for our children, our communities, and the soul of humanity itself?

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: From the very tangible point, I think what all of us have to do is now save the planet. You see, when the last river dries up and the last tree is dead — what will we eat? How will we survive without air, water, and food?

So I think it is everybody’s responsibility — not the teacher, not the curriculum developer, not the government officials — to save the environment. It is everybody’s responsibility. And we have gotten a beautiful planet, a beautiful environment from our grandparents and parents. It is now our responsibility to ensure that our children, the next generations, receive some of the clean and good environment.

So that’s number one. I tell everybody that.

But I also tell them — I do this because it’s my personal thing. I say: always smile. Keep up a smiling personality. How few problems are gone with just a smile.

Yes, problems will be there in everybody’s life and every day. The more we live — Guruji says — the longer you are living, it means there are more challenges that are coming your way. More challenges, more challenges. But if you can smile at your challenges, that’s going to help you a lot.

So this is for our children. They must — because, Ma, what pains me very deeply is when I see students taking their own lives. For what? Percentage? Three or four marks? Loss of a scholarship? These are not reasons. Life is so much bigger. Life is so much — it’s immense. These are very, very small things.

And this reminds me to also share with you — which again I share with all the students: there are so many beautiful things. He says we must understand the difference between life and livelihood.

We are so focused on our careers that life passes us by. Life is about the moment and the people with whom we start our journey on planet Earth and end it. Livelihood — your career — is a very, very small component. But we don’t understand that.

We are so focused these days on our careers that dinners are with colleagues and superiors. Going out is with colleagues and superiors, office mates. So everything is now, if you see, revolving around our careers.

That perspective, Ma, we need to change. We need to understand: my father, my mother, my grandmother, my teacher in elementary school — these are the people who make my life. These are the people who are creating my character, influencing my thoughts. So whatever I am today, it’s an accumulation of their wisdom, their thoughts, their education, the way they live.

He would often ask: how many times have you visited? How many times are you missing? Because these days you find students rushing out, not attending social functions because there is an exam, a tutorial. Those things now need to take a back seat. How will students learn to balance life and livelihood? Livelihood is important. Career is important. But balancing that — and I think Kriya Yoga is the perfect way of doing it. You balance your life.

Marydale Ma: Beautiful. It is. Truly is.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: When we started, you told all your listeners: we must take a deep breath, we must inhale and exhale and feel it. So these are things we need to teach our children — along with one, two, three, A, B, C, D — we need to teach children: don’t pluck a leaf. Breathe before you do anything. Watch your breath. Feel your breath moving. So these are things, if we start early, then we will get a different generation.

Very sensitive to the environment, trying to take care of it, respectful to their teachers, old people, people who are suffering, compassionate about things.

This is also something he says — the world has a lot of good people: good engineers, good doctors, good writers, good technicians, good intelligence, good technology, good everything — dancers, musicians. The world is now teeming with talent. But what the world needs now is good human beings. And that is what we should strive for. I have been hearing him saying this at all the youth seminars and youth meetings he attends.

Marydale Ma: Beautiful. Well, Sruti Ma, that is absolutely true. And the depth of your understanding, your wisdom, your love, your compassion is obvious.

And we thank you so much for your willingness — for sharing not only your story with us today, but your heart, your courage, and your unwavering devotion to humanity.

Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: Thank you.

Marydale Ma: Your life reminds us that joy is not something we wait for. It’s something we become — when we choose to love, when we choose to serve, and to stand in our truth.

Now, as we close, I’d like to leave you with a reflection from our beloved Guruji, Paramahansa Prajnanananda, who reminds us so simply and so beautifully: when the heart awakens in love, service becomes spontaneous. And through that service, the soul discovers its true joy. And you are a joy, my dear. A true joy.

Your life is a living expression of this truth, showing us that when we choose love over fear and dignity over despair, joy naturally flows into the world — through our hands, our words, and just our presence. With that beautiful smile of yours.

And to our dear listeners around the world — we are so grateful for you taking the time to be with us today. May this wisdom guide you gently back to your own heart, where love becomes action and action becomes prayer. May this conversation remind you that your life, exactly as it is, holds the power to awaken, unite, and to inspire.

And with that, my dears, we hope to see you soon. Until we meet again — walk in grace, live in joy, and remember the quiet power of your own beautiful soul.

Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti. Amen.