Shri Sitaram Shenoy 

Meeting his Sadguru

In the village of Padbidri, located in South Karnataka, lived a young boy named Sitaram—my uncle. Sitaram resided with his great-grandfather, Anant Shenoy, his father, Cherdappa, and his mother, Bhavani. He had four brothers—Upendra, Vittal, Raghunath, and Ramkrishna—and one sister named Gulabi.

Though Sitaram Shenoy was healthy and hardworking, he was constantly restless. A deep spiritual yearning troubled him, driving him to seek out saints who visited Padbidri and its neighbouring villages. Each time he encountered a saint, he would ask if they were his Guru, but none offered him a positive answer, leaving him with a persistent sense of incompleteness.

One day, he heard that a young saint was visiting the nearby village of Mulki and staying there for several days. Many people sought the saint, finding relief from their worldly pains and sorrows, and many were even healed of various ailments.

My uncle, Sitaram, could not contain his curiosity. One day, he walked all the way from Padbidri to Mulki in search of the saint he had heard about. Upon making inquiries, he learned that a dark, slender youth known as ‘Kala Sadhu’ was staying at a local hall where many people had gathered to receive his darshan. Eagerly, Sitaram made his way to the crowded hall, where he saw a young boy, clad only in a loincloth, seated on a wooden chair at the far end of the room. People were falling at his feet, addressing him as Deva. The Kala Sadhu remained mostly silent, offering occasional words of guidance or advice when a devotee earnestly sought his divine intervention.

Sitaram, filled with anticipation, approached the youth and prostrated at his feet. The Kala Sadhu looked at him and asked, “Why have you come here?” Sitaram replied, “I am in search of my Guru.” To this, the Sadhu responded, “Now that you have found him, what do you intend to do?” Overcome with emotion, Sitaram fell at his feet, tears filling his eyes.

Thus, Sitaram met his Guru, Swami Nityananda, and would go on to become one of Baba’s foremost householder devotees at Vajreshwari. From this meeting began the journey of Guru Kripa Yoga, a path that has now touched five generations of the Shenoy family. Sitaram’s grandfather, Anant Shenoy, his father Cherdappa, his sons—Prabhakar, Ratnakar, and Shivaji—and grandsons, Ramchandra, Gopalkrishna (of Vajreshwari), and Kamlakar, were all blessed by Baba. Sitaram led the way, and his brothers—Vittal, Raghunath (my father), Ramkrishna, and Upendra—also joined this path of Guru Kripa Yoga.

Later, through marriages with children of other devotees, like Hosdurga Devrai Pai (Master) and Gulabi Amma (Anand Ashram, Managudda, Mangalore), the family grew larger, and Baba’s grace extended across many relatives, spanning several generations.