Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati

OMTIMES: Was it difficult to make the transition from living a “normal” life in the U.S. to becoming a renunciate and leading a service-driven life?

Sadhvi Bhagawati Sarasvati: Being in India felt like I had come home. It was the physiological experience of slipping into a hot bath at the end of the day, but not just a hot bath for the body – for my entire being.

The service was something that came slowly. In the beginning, I was just intoxicated with bliss. I barely slept, was burning hot constantly, and had tears streaming from my eyes. The service began when I realized all of the amazing projects that Pujya Swamiji was running. I had gotten into my psychology PhD program because I wanted to help people, particularly children. What I found with Pujya Swamiji was that every minute he lived and everything he touched was making the world a better place. So, to be offered an opportunity to be part of that was an incredible gift.

OMTIMES: How did your family and friends react? Were they supportive?

Sadhvi Bhagawati Sarasvati: In the beginning, of course, everyone thought I’d lost my marbles. I was supposed to call my parents once a week. Week one, I was talking about Delhi and sightseeing and the Red Fort. Then, week two, I was gushing, probably incoherently, about God and Ganga and Guru. It wasn’t until I came back a few months later that they could see I was still perfectly sane, even much saner, I was still able to get straight A’s in school, I was still highly functional, my eyes weren’t glazed over catatonically, and yet something fundamental had shifted in me. They were able to see, even from the beginning, that there was a new light, a peace, an understanding, which had not been there before. They were able to see that I had found something, or rather that I’d been given something, of incredible value.