In a world that glorifies achievement over awareness, the story of Sarada Chiruvolu offers a quiet yet luminous reminder: the real journey is not outward, but inward. In a special session hosted by A Lotus in the Mud for eager listeners in Edison, New Jersey, last month and a webinar for Lotus readers, Founding Editor Parveen Chopra introduced Sarada, who lives in Princeton, NJ. A seeker, meditation practitioner, and author of Home at Last: A Journey Toward Higher Consciousness, her life charts a deeply personal map from striving to surrender.
The Journey from the Ordinary to the Infinite
Sarada’s awakening did not arrive in a flash of divine light. “It’s not something that happens all of a sudden,” she said, smiling gently. “And it’s certainly not about being on cloud nine.” Her realization was the culmination of years of inner work, of long hours of meditation, humility before the unknown, and the courage to walk through her own unknowing.
“It has nothing to do with gender, religion, or where you live,” she explained. “You don’t need to leave your family or go to the Himalayas. Be where you are, take care of your responsibilities, and let your spiritual evolution unfold naturally.”
For her, spirituality was never about withdrawal but about reclaiming one’s connection with the Divine while remaining deeply anchored in worldly life. “God will not like it if you hurt your family and leave them to pursue enlightenment,” she said simply. “Fulfill your duties. Function properly. That is the true foundation of spiritual life.”
Three Stages of Awakening
From her own experience, Sarada spoke of three distinct yet interconnected stages of awakening:
- Awakening: The stirring of Kundalini, the dormant spiritual energy, marks the first step. “Your body isn’t used to that much energy,” she said. “It takes time for the soul to align with divine consciousness.”
- Self-Realization: The second stage is the dissolution of the ego, the shedding of false identity. “Ego has to be disposed of,” she said, “so that your true nature, or the self, can take charge of your life.”
- Enlightenment: The final state is the union with supreme consciousness. It is the perfect unification of the individual and the infinite, a return to the still point of nothingness from which everything arises.
“Unless you pass through all three stages,” she said quietly, “you cannot call yourself enlightened.”
Meditation: The Pathway Home
For Sarada, meditation was not a technique but a sacred return. “Meditation is the most direct and fastest route to self-realization,” she said. Having meditated for more than 25 years, she described it as a gradual purification that opens the inner channels until the sahasrara chakra—the crown center—blossoms into complete awareness.
But she also stressed the importance of good health. “A sick body cannot be enlightened,” she said matter-of-factly. “Take care of your health, eat well, and move your body. The system is divinely designed to transcend. But you must maintain it properly.”
Her path began not with meditation but with Reiki healing. “I believed Reiki could help people in distress,” she recalled. “Over time, it led me deeper into meditation until one day I slipped into such a depth that I lost all sense of my body. I merged into the universal consciousness. I realized — we are nothing but energy.”
That moment — the perfect unification — was when she knew: “I am home at last.”
After the Awakening: The Integration
Yet, she warned, enlightenment is not an escape from life. “You come back,” she said softly. “And it’s not easy. You don’t feel like doing mundane things. Even before my awakening, I had left my job because my only drive was to meditate. But life continues — you must integrate the change.”
The post-awakening period, she explained, is a process of living the realization, not merely knowing it. “You lose interest in worldly pursuits and attachments, but you still have duties. You must live without dependence — attached and detached at the same time.”
This balance, she said, transforms grief into understanding. “Even if someone close to you passes away, you don’t suffer in the same way. You see life as a flow. Each person has their own path.”
Living Enlightenment in Family Life
When a participant asked how she balanced spirituality with family responsibilities, Sarada acknowledged the quiet difficulty of walking this path among loved ones.
“That’s the biggest challenge,” she admitted. “Your family may not be where you are. Don’t try to convince them or call yourself enlightened — they won’t understand. Instead, live it. Let them see the peace within you.”
Her own family, she said, came to understand over time. “My husband had his own path. My two daughters know I meditate, they’ve read my book, but they don’t know everything it means. Unless you go through it, you can’t understand.”
Her advice was simple yet profound: adjust, be patient, and quietly embody your realization. “Over time,” she said, “your family will feel your peace.”
Finding Peace in a Restless World
In a world that runs on anxiety, some attendees asked her how peace can be sustained amid work, relationships, and material pressures.
“Meditation helps tremendously,” Sarada said. “It allows you to stay steady through life’s ups and downs. Even now, I face challenges, but meditation gives me silence. It’s not you doing the work — meditation itself carries you. Eventually, thoughts subside, and peace becomes your natural state.”
Peace, she reminded everyone, is not the absence of difficulty but the presence of alignment with the higher self.
The Divine Timing of Awakening
When asked what ignites the desire for awakening — the mumukshutvam — Sarada grew contemplative. “That longing is not created by us,” she said. “It is given by the Divine. You can’t manufacture it. When the time is right, the Divine places that thirst in your heart, and everything unfolds from there.”
Sharada Chiruvolu’s story — from the structured corridors of the pharmaceutical industry to the stillness of inner realization — is a testament to what happens when the human spirit turns inward with sincerity and grace. Her words remind us that enlightenment is not the end of living, but the beginning of a new way to live — rooted in silence, guided by love, and open to the infinite.
In her presence, one feels what her book so beautifully conveys: When the seeker is ready, the path appears. And when all seeking dissolves, you are home at last.
About Sarada Chiruvolu
Sarada Chiruvolu left a career in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a spiritual calling. She embarked on a unique journey that has led her to the realization of Self, or Enlightenment, through years of deep meditation. She continues to lead a normal family life, dedicating her time to various philanthropic pursuits or social service where she can make a difference. She lives in Princeton, NJ.
You can read an extract from Sarada’s book here: https://alotusinthemud.com/sarada-chiruvolo-enlightenment/
A Kindle copy of Sarada’s book is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Last-Journey-Toward-Consciousness-ebook/dp/B09YBWDYLM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0
Only a few hard copies of her book are left; to order, contact lotus4usa@gmail.com
Lotus thanks the Abhishek Mishra family for hosting the event.
