The Awakening!

Great teachers awaken genuine seekers in different ways. I was privileged to be awakened by Swami Rama in a deep and profound form of initiation called vedha diksha already as an infant in Mumbai in the late sixties. I do not know how aware infants are at the age of 3 years, but thereafter I knew the profound meaning of Guru, as it is explained in our tradition. I was also aware that the nature of Atman is Life itself. At the age of 4 years I was flooded with waves of love and joy whenever I sat down cross legged on my bed to pray with my eyes closed. At 6 years of age I refused to worship the idols that my mother propitiated in her little temple at home because my shocked mother was unable explain who created the gods in heaven. At the age of 7 years, the questions “Who am I?” “What is my purpose?” and “Why am I here?” rose spontaneously destroying the veil of ignorance, leading me to seek the permanent and immutable. After many powerful mystical experiences, I became fully aware of my true nature, remaining awake in deep sleep, a conscious state (not the technique) known as Yoga Nidra at the age of thirteen. Though only a glimpse, the direct experience of Pure Consciousness became the shining Light I would continue to seek in all of Life.

I attained Savitarka Samadhi in the period from August-December 1992 at the age of twenty-six years. While fleeting samadhi experiences may be lost in the tumult of life, these daily doses of Truth over the 4 month period enabled me to experience reality like I had never seen before. It was indescribably beautiful, yet awe inspiring. Samadhi is an earth shaking experience which once and for all makes you aware that you are Pure Consciousness and not merely your body or mind. During this period I also experienced the divine bliss of Nirvitarka Samadhi in which I was inseparably connected with the Whole as One Universal Being. Sadly after four months of bliss I was unable to return to that fountain of bliss and beauty. The force of ancient samskaras (impressions of the mind) had come forward once again.

From this point onward it was clear: I had received a precious gift but chance mystical experiences no longer satisfied me. I had to find a systematic way to return to THAT source of joy at all costs. I wanted nothing short of mastery. Mastery meant to attain the Self with self-effort until it becomes effortless. I spent the next nine years until 2001 establishing myself as an adept using the system of Yoga, Advaita and Samaya Srividya in the lineage of Swami Rama. Over the years I gained mastery in the different levels of Samadhi. While I already started teaching in 1992, I have been teaching the inner worship of Srividya exclusively in the lineage of Swami Rama since 1998.

Finally in 2021-22 Bindu Bhedana “happened” to me. The bindu is the mystical blue pearl. Piercing the bindu is one of the highest attainments in our tradition. I say it happened because it was utterly unexpected though much longed for. The energies released were simultaneously destructive and healing. Decades of preparation and insights served me well in this transformative time. The process of integrating these massive energies has finally been completed in the year 2024.

I am grateful for all the abundance that I have received and should I be eventually graced to rest in the Self, I would consider it a privilege. In the meanwhile I continue to serve this tradition.

More about Radhikaji

Radhika Shah Grouven is the author of The Yoga Sutras Illuminated–Unraveling the mysteries of life, death and liberation, and Mastering Pranayama, a modern classic on breathing exercises and energy practices that has become a definitive guide for students of yoga and pranayama. Currently, she is working on a series of illustrated books unraveling the mysteries of life, death and liberation and other writings of a more general nature.

Radhika received a profound initiation called Vedha Diksha, in her infancy from her Satguru Swami Rama, awakening her to her true nature. This early initiation set the foundation of a childhood and youth filled with spontaneous mystical experiences, culminating in different levels of Samadhi at the age of 26 during a transformative four-month period in 1992.

Her unwavering desire for self-mastery led her to leave a successful career as a professional scriptwriter and journalist to dedicate herself fully to Self Realization. With almost 32 years of intense practice as a “full-timer,” she accumulated over 35,000 hours of systematic meditation as taught by Swami Rama. This journey reached its zenith in 2021 with the attainment of Bindu Bhedana, the piercing of the mysterious blue pearl, making her one of the few living masters of Samaya Srividya. She is also one of the few adepts who is accessible to modern aspirants of self-knowledge.

Among her teachers, Radhika counts her parents, to whom she feels deeply grateful for the early years of training. While she learned the principles of Ayurveda from her mother, her father inspired her in her formative years to pray internally. Her maternal uncle introduced her to asanas, which she practiced with him from 1986 to 1992. Radhika served on the faculty of the world’s oldest institute for the formal training of yoga, The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, from 1992 until 1997, leading therapeutic programs under the guidance of householder yogi Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra.

In 1997, Radhika deepened her understanding of the spiritual journey by learning the basics of Atma Vichara in Rishikesh from Swami Jnaneshvara. This practice is the cornerstone of the systematic meditation as taught by Swami Rama. Acquiring proficiency in this practice over years allowed Radhika to get a comprehensive knowledge of the nature of mind and the inner journey. Though she started teaching in 1992 at the insistence of her mentors, she has been teaching Yoga, Advaita and Samaya Srividya Tantra exclusively in the lineage of Swami Rama since 1998.

As the founder and primary mentor of the Self Realization Program (SRP) established in 2006, Radhikaji—as the members of SRP call her—provides counsel to those seeking the higher teachings leading to self-knowledge. This program emphasizes direct experience through systematic meditation rather than academic study. As custodian of an unbroken lineage that goes back over six millennia, she is guided by her dharma to preserve the purity and sanctity of this tradition.

Members of the Self Realization Program, who have made a firm commitment to the lineage, are invited by Radhikaji to deepen their practice in close association with her during Personal Intensive Retreats at The Hermitage in Germany. Occasionally she leads group retreats and online meetings for the general public with an interest in self-knowledge. Radhika enjoys interpreting the profound teachings of Samaya Srividya for a wider readership and continues to write on self-knowledge and Self Realization when she retires to the solitude of The Hermitage at the shores of Lake Rur.

Born and raised in South Mumbai, Radhika studied economics and mathematics. She speaks English, Hindi, Gujarati, German, and Marathi and has a basic knowledge of Sanskrit. In 1998, she married a German student of Swami Rama in a traditional Vedic ceremony at the ashram of Swami Rama on the banks of the river Ganga. Together, they have a daughter and continue their shared spiritual adventure within this ancient tradition.

Besides outdoor activities like trekking, biking and stargazing in the German Eifel mountain range, Radhika also enjoys water sports such as standup paddleboarding and open-water swimming.