Born into a family rooted in spiritual and royal heritage, Guru Poonamji traces her maternal lineage to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, while her paternal roots are linked to the royal lineage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Growing up in an army environment and studying in convent schools, she moved between diverse worlds before embracing her spiritual calling.
The founder of Divine Bliss International, based in Clearwater, Florida, USA, Guru Poonamji believes that spirituality is not about teaching from books but helping people understand life’s realities and discover deeper truths for themselves. The organization’s core teaching, “Open the Light Within,” encourages individuals to awaken their inner light and experience divine bliss. Rooted in India’s ancient culture, her philosophy seeks to build a spiritual community rather than a religious group.
In this conversation with Parveen Chopra, founding editor of A Lotus in the Mud, Guru Poonamji, who traces her spiritual lineage to Neem Karoli Baba (subject of a recent Hindi movie ‘Hanuman Ansh’) reflects on her spiritual journey, the philosophy of Divine Bliss International, and her vision for the future.
What is your core teaching?
The core teaching of Divine Bliss International is ‘Open the Light Within’—awakening the divine bliss and inner light within each individual. My philosophy is based on the ancient culture of India. As a nonprofit, we are the New Age Hinduism people. Hinduism is a way of living, not a religion. Our philosophy embraces a modern, evolving approach to spirituality. It draws wisdom from renowned gurus and teachers worldwide while avoiding religious boundaries and rigid rituals.
Our movement encourages people to understand and practice these timeless principles in today’s environment, ultimately discovering the scientific and energetic oneness within the body. By raising our inner energetic frequencies, we can experience greater awareness, spiritual growth, and a higher state of living.
Yogesh Arora, who arranged this interview, has been leading online candlelight meditation sessions. Also, you hold full moon meditation events. What is the significance of these two initiatives?
Guru Poonamji: The candlelight sessions are part of my effort to help people learn from the 24 gurus found in Divine Mother Nature. I have explained how earth, water, wind, and fire can be our gurus and changing our attitude towards these natural energies can help us achieve balance. Through my regular Wednesday sessions, ‘Learning Through Stories’, I share stories such as that of Narad Muni to highlight the importance of humility, appreciation, graciousness, and gratitude towards the energies of Mother Earth and the Cosmic Mother. Every Saturday, I hold classes where people can ask questions and receive guidance on challenges they face.
The full moon ceremony I have continued for many years at our ashram. Individuals sponsor candles for themselves, and I uplift their energies before lighting the candles in honor of the Moon Goddess. While acknowledging her influence on the mind, we remain humble and committed to learning from her. People worldwide can participate by lighting candles at home and connecting with its energies.
The full moon offers a powerful opportunity to explore the deeper layers of the mind, release unwanted thoughts and clear samskaras, allowing us to flow like a crystal-clear river, united with cosmic energies of love and light.
Recently, I conducted daily online fire ceremonies, helping people understand Divine Mother Fire beyond its everyday uses—as a sacred energy that can help burn away mental debris and release samskaras. I do not teach from books; I help people understand the realities of life and discover these truths for themselves.
People generally believe that once we follow a guru, he or she will take care of everything for us. Is that true?
Guru Poonamji: Not true. A guru is the light that illuminates your path, but you must nurture and respect that light.
Our human body is an instrument of vibrational frequencies. Over lifetimes, these frequencies can become suppressed or misaligned. A guru helps realign them, uplifting our energies and clearing negativity. This is not simply about acquiring knowledge or reciting the scriptures; it is about understanding their deeper meaning and how they resonate within us.
Being in a guru’s presence can bring clarity and renewed energy, much like a wilted plant reviving when watered. However, we must then learn how to progress, improve ourselves, and remain in the light. A guru helps us distinguish right from wrong and recognize what needs correction—something we may not discern through books alone.
This misalignment of frequencies is the cause of disease in the body.
Meeting a true guru can bring profound changes. However, there is a distinction between ascending gurus and descending gurus. The world is full of ascending gurus.
What do you mean by ascending and descending gurus?
Guru Poonamji: Ascending gurus are like schoolteachers. They interpret scriptures and spiritual texts according to their understanding and vibrational frequencies.
Descending gurus, however, draw on eternal cosmic knowledge, using nature and everyday experiences to help people overcome their challenges. Their way of transferring knowledge is different, often working through energies rather than words.
I belong to the lineage of Neem Karoli Baba. My physical guru was Baba Sevananda Ji Maharaj, a disciple of Bhavanand Karoli. People would come to him with their problems, yet he often remained silent. Simply sitting in his presence could quieten the mind and dissolve confusion, as he gently realigned their vibrational frequencies.
I once pointed to him that people kept coming with mundane demands for money, progress, and family concerns, rather than seeking truth. He replied, “You are here to dispel the darkness. I’m here to give them relief.”
So, a guru can bring you peace, clarity, and relief, but lasting progress requires personal effort.
Neem Karoli Baba is highly revered even in America. Baba Ram Dass and others have spoken of experiencing spiritual awakening in his presence. Yet, his most widely known teaching is “Love all, serve all, feed all.” What does this mean?
Guru Poonamji: That is exactly our motto. “Love all” means recognizing the goodness in everyone, regardless of their actions. In this sense, love means seeing the good in people. Just as the moon has both bright and dark phases, every human being has positive and negative sides. Emotions drive human beings and can sometimes make them overly reactive, angry, or unsettled. “Love all” means looking beyond all that and recognizing the soul’s goodness. At the soul level, we are all one, and every encounter has a karmic purpose. True love is the union of souls, not a relationship based on wealth, status, or what someone can offer us. The ego asks, “What can I get from you?” Saints teach us to ask, “What can I give you?”
Most people do not understand their soul’s calling. Awakening to it can transform life, bringing love, peace, contentment, and fulfillment. When we remain caught up in physical desires and material needs, life becomes constricted.
“Feed all” means more than providing food. People also hunger for answers, understanding, and relief from their struggles and endless questions. It means sharing your love, knowledge, and understanding of the soul so others can learn from your example and rise above the constant desire for more. Rather than remaining trapped in “I want, I want,” we must shift towards “I want to give.” That is “serve all”.
Tell us about your upbringing, and early years?
Guru Poonamji: I come from an illustrious lineage on both sides of my family. My mother’s family traces its roots to Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the second Sikh Guru, while my father’s family descends from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s royal lineage. My Guru once told Yogesh Arora, who was researching my ancestry, that I was born with Guru Nanak’s blessings. I consider myself a born Sikh, and my spiritual journey started in childhood.
I lost my grandparents when I was very young. As a child, I would sit under a tree and ask for my grandparents to appear. Guru Nanak came to me and said, “I am your grandfather.” Though I did not know who he was at the time, I could describe and sketch him. I continued to regard him as my grandfather.
My father joined the Indian Army around the country’s independence and eventually retired as a colonel. I grew up in army cantonments, studying in convent schools. My mother came from a deeply religious family and was a strict vegetarian.
Some early experiences shaped my spiritual outlook. When I resisted going to school, Jesus became my friend. Later, when our family stayed in a house in Delhi opposite a Hanuman temple, I spent my afternoons there. I believed Lord Hanuman spoke to me and even told me where sweets were hidden. The priest, intrigued by this, began relating to me stories of Hanuman and other Hindu deities.
Through these experiences, I naturally encountered different spiritual traditions. Ultimately, I believe lineage matters less than how we use our heritage to grow in our present life.
Was there a defining moment when you realized that you were ready to teach?
Guru Punamji: I was blessed to spend over 20 years with my Guru, Baba Sevananda Ji Maharaj. He had long encouraged me to heal people, but the defining moment came when he told me, “Poonam, it is time to paint people now.” Having an art gallery at the time, I thought he meant painting portraits. But he explained that my journey as an artist was over and that I must now “paint human beings”—meaning, begin healing them.
Through meditative journeys with Babaji, I gained clarity about my ability to help people. I transitioned from being an artist to a healer and past-life regression therapist, travelling extensively and helping people address emotional and physical challenges. At his ashram in Jonapur, New Delhi, I worked alongside doctors at the free clinic, identifying people’s problems and guiding their treatment. Babaji even had a hospital built for me to run.
Later, Babaji told me that I had done enough healing and that it was time to guide people through advice. He arranged a ceremony with 21 priests to mark this new phase of my spiritual journey.
He also performed a ceremony that, unbeknownst to me, transferred his spiritual charge to me.
How did you decide to base yourself in America?
Guru Poonamji: After my father passed away, I took my mother to Australia, where we stayed for 10–12 years. Under Babaji’s guidance, she became deeply spiritual while I travelled to India every three months to meet him. Later, I spent nine years in Singapore before following Babaji’s final instructions to move to America. I first visited the country in 2010 and have been based in Florida for the past 10–12 years. I am still searching for land to build the spiritual center he envisioned.
Living across countries broadened my understanding of different faiths, including Judaism and Christianity, besides Hinduism and Sikhism. Studying the Torah, Bible, Bhagavad Gita, and Guru Granth Sahib confirmed my belief that all these traditions share a common purpose: bringing light to humanity.
What is your plan for the future of your movement?
Guru Poonamji: My plan is to build a large spiritual center in America that brings together the teachings of all religions. It would include a school nurturing children’s spiritual and personal growth, a retirement community where elders can share their wisdom, and a university of love and light. I also envision spaces for spiritual learning, organic farming, and retreats where people can experience healthy, sustainable living. The center would honor the Cosmic Mother and offer a model of holistic living, helping people reconnect with nature, nourish their bodies, and grow spiritually, while taking these learnings back to their communities.
I haven’t found the land yet for this center. Your Lotus readers are welcome to approach us if they have such a piece of land.
Contact: https: divineblissinternational.org/ Phone (Yogesh Arora): +91 96503 55579
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