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In these times when the world speaks louder than it listens, when silence is often drowned by the noise of achievement, my journey to the United States is not a tour — it is a prayer in motion. It is an offering to awaken the inner presence within every sincere seeker who longs to return home — home to Inner Presence, Stillness, Awareness, and the Natural Rhythm of Being.

Across the planet today, human beings are surrounded by comfort yet starved of contentment. We are flooded with information, but deprived of intimacy. We connect instantly through screens, but struggle to connect heart to heart. I see this not as a Western or Eastern concern, but as a collective human condition. And I feel called to help heal this disconnection — to bring together the spiritual depth of Bharat with the pioneering spirit of
America. For I truly believe, a new humanity will rise when the spiritual essence of India meets the dynamism of the West.

From doing to being

In my years of silent sadhana in the Himalayas, I realised that life and spirituality are not separate. They are one — a beautiful and simple phenomenon. Every human being is already divine, already complete, but asleep to this truth. When I look at the world today, I see a deep thirst — a longing that no amount of outer progress can quench. The outer world has achieved much, yet the inner world remains forgotten — waiting to be remembered. We have learnt to do endlessly, but forgotten how to be.

True transformation begins when we shift from the turbulence of doing to the stillness of being. Being is not laziness; it is alert awareness — the space where clarity, healing, and true connection with the Self, Community, Nature and the Divine arise effortlessly.

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Awakening the dormant presence

When awareness awakens, life changes not because circumstances change, but because our way of seeing does. We begin to notice the subtle — the rhythm of our breath, the movement of our thoughts, the pulse of emotions, and the sacredness of nature. Awareness expands from our little self to all beings, to the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and space, and beyond.

In this expansion, the narrow sense of “I” begins to dissolve. Our home grows — from a family to a community, from a nation to the entire cosmos. This is the journey from limitation to limitlessness, from the fragmented self to the wholeness of being. And this, I believe, is the inner revolution that humanity now needs — not of systems or ideologies, but of consciousness itself.

The path of the heart

The essence of this awakening lies in the heart. The Divine — Ishwara — resides here, quietly waiting to be remembered. For centuries, humanity has been mind-dominated. It is now time to integrate the heart with the head, so that wisdom and love may walk together.

When the heart awakens, we naturally begin to live in alignment — our thoughts, words, and actions start reflecting harmony. Life begins to manifest the Divine through us. This is the meaning of living consciously — allowing the awakened presence to express through every thought, word, and action.

Freedom from fear, life through love 

One of the greatest forms of slavery in our age is inner slavery — the chains of fear, comparison, and constant striving. We hate slavery, but we are already becoming slaves — to our habits, to our desires, to the unexamined triggers of our mind.

I often say, real freedom begins when we move from fear to love, from taking to giving. Life evolves through the act of giving — unconditionally, joyfully. Every relationship, every action can be transformed when we shift from a transactional mindset to a transformational one.

Operate from love and trust, not fear and lack. The universe is not withholding from you — it is waiting for you to open, to receive. If every other form of life is provided for, why would the Creator forget you?

The role of the Guru

Many people ask me — what does a Guru really do? And I say, a Guru gives you nothing new. Guru simply brings light into your inner corners — where darkness and forgetfulness have settled.

A true Guru does not create dependence; the Guru awakens your intelligence. I do not wish for followers. I wish for awakened beings — independent, self-aware, and living in coherence.

Spirituality is not about belonging to a sect or a belief system. It is about remembering the wisdom that is already within you. The Guru only reminds you of what you truly are — eternal, luminous, joyful and free.

Conscious leadership and collective awakening

Leadership, to me, is not power; it is seva. The purpose of leading is not to control, but to serve. Whether one leads a business, an institution, or a small family, leadership becomes sacred when it flows from awareness.

This is why I envision nurturing conscious leaders — individuals who lead from stillness, who can balance intellect with empathy, ambition with inspiration, and power with purpose. When such leaders awaken, entire ecosystems transform.

Yet this path is not reserved for formal leaders. Each of us carries an impact field — within our family, our workplace, our community. Every thought, word, and action ripples outward.

Therefore, awakening is not just a leadership pursuit; it is a collective responsibility.

Creating spaces for inner evolution

To nurture this transformation, I dream of creating spaces where seekers can pause, reflect, and realign — centres of learning, meditation, and self-discovery. Spaces where the five dimensions of life — physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual — are cared for with equal devotion.

These spaces are not institutions; they are sanctuaries for inner evolution — where knowledge (gyan), meditation (dhyan), devotion (bhakti), and practice (sadhana) merge to awaken the inner presence in every being.

A call to remember

My journey to the United States is a humble offering toward this vision — to awaken those who are ready, to meet those whose hearts are thirsty, and to plant the seed of a new consciousness.

I come not with promises, but with a remembrance — that peace is not something to be achieved outside, but something to be found within. Connection does not begin on a screen, but in sacred silence. And the essence of yoga, of dharma, of life itself, is ease — the ease of being who you already are.

So I invite you to reflect —

Are you present?

Are you at ease?

Are you connected — to yourself, to others, to the Divine pulse of life?

In that asking itself, the journey begins.

When our inner presence awakens, our life’s rhythm starts to align with the cosmic rhythm — from this alignment, a new consciousness, a new humanity begins to rise. — Gurudev Sri Anish

(Gurudev Sri Anish is a spiritual teacher, humanitarian, leadership mentor, Author and public speaker. He left the corporate life of an entrepreneur behind and embarked upon a spiritual journey, going around the world and trying to create an awakened Humanity.)

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)