Selflessness expressed by serving others. There were hundreds of people who had their lives uplifted and changed by talking with her. She spent a lot of time talking with visitors, and never considered it as anything special. But they did! Her husband, Bharat, said that they had gotten over a thousand notes of appreciation after her passing. She was extremely humble in the true sense of the word: not thinking about herself. Because of that, she was able to allow the space for people to feel safe and open up the deeper parts of themselves.
A lesson from Anandi: Dissolve your ego through humbly serving others.

Persistence. When Anandi took up a task, you knew that she would see it through to the end no matter what it took. As an example, she created the wonderful eight-book series, Wisdom of Yogananda, compilations of Master’s teachings on various topics. Just think of the countless hours it must have taken to study, extract, and categorize those wonderful quotes.
A lesson from Anandi: Stick with the job until it is done. And, your main job is yourself.

Joy and good humor. The name, Anandi, that Swami Kriyananda gave her means “joy.” And there was a stream of joy and good humor that flowed beneath the surface, always ready to well up in a laugh, a quick, amused comment, or a smile. Of all the things of value that Anandi shared with me, I think that her joy was the most important. It is the very essence of who she was, who we all are.
A lesson from Anandi: Live joyfully.

These are just a few of the many eternal qualities of God that Anandi manifested. And, while her body and personality may be gone, the examples from her life are forever woven into the fabric of Ananda. Soon we will have a memorial service where friends from around the world can share more stories. It is sure to be filled with God’s light and joy. That is to say, it will be filled with Anandi.

In joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish