In 1958 I made a journey to all the important places of pilgrimage in India and as I had heard so much about the beauty and wonders of the Himalayas, I decided to go there and see them for myself. I met many swamis and yogis there and spent several months in the Himalayan caves, not with the intention of carrying out a specific sadhana (because all my desires had already been fulfilled by Mahaprabhuji) but because I wanted to study the yogis who lived there and observe their spiritual lives.

Afterwards I went to Rishikesh, the famous centre of pilgrimage at the foot of the Himalayas and I also lived there for some time with the yogis. I noticed that most tried to live a spiritual life but, as they lacked the guidance of a true Master, their practices weren't really successful.

To live in the Himalayas is not enough. Mahaprabhuji used to observe that there were also many other beings who lived in those mountains.

"Will they also be liberated? Just by staying there and practising asceticism doesn't mean they're treading the path to Realization. Liberation is only achieved through self knowledge and this is gained only by the grace of a true Master."

I also visited Devaprayag, Rudraprayag, Kedarnath, Badrinath and other well-known places of pilgrimage in the Himalayas before returning to Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat.

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Overview: My life with Sri Mahaprabhuji