This interview centered around Sadhvi's new book, Hollywood to the Himalayas: A Journey of Healing and Transformation.

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Ph.D. is a renowned spiritual leader, author, and motivational speaker based in Rishikesh, India. Originally from Los Angeles and a graduate of Stanford University, Sadhviji has been ordained into the sacred order of Sanyas by her guru HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji and has been living at Parmarth Niketan Ashram for the past twenty-five years. She is the Secretary-General of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, an international interfaith organization dedicated to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; president of Divine Shakti Foundation, a foundation that runs free schools, vocational training programs, and empowerment programs; and director of the world-famous International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh—which has been covered in Time, CNN, the New York Times and other prestigious publications and has been addressed by both the Prime Minister and Vice President of India. She serves on the United Nations Advisory Council on Religion and on the steering committees of the International Partnership for Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) and the Moral Imperative to End Extreme Poverty, a campaign by the United Nations and World Bank. She was also the Managing Editor for the monumental project of the 11-volume Encyclopedia of Hinduism. She oversees a variety of humanitarian projects, teaches meditation, lectures, writes, counsels individuals and families, and serves as a unique female voice of spiritual leadership throughout India and the world.

Websites:

Sadhviji.org (personal site)

Sadhviji's TED talk

@SadhviBhagawatiSaraswati (Sadhviji's Facebook page with announcements of events, videos, etc.)

@ParmarthNiketan (Parmarth's Facebook page where they stream Sadhviji's satsangs live daily when she is in town.)

Youtube channel with all of the videos of Sadhviji's lectures (and also a lot of other good stuff...)

Twitter: @SadhviBhagawati

Book: Vegetarianism: For Our Bodies, Our Minds, Our Souls & Our Planet

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview.

First BatGap interview with Sadhvi.

Interview recorded July 25, 2021.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump interview

00:03:30 - Honesty and Humaneness in Spiritual Awakening

00:07:49 - Bridging the Gap: Hollywood to the Himalayas

00:11:38 - The Shift in Perception

00:15:15 - A Sudden Knowing in Rishikesh

00:19:19 - A Profound Spiritual Experience on the Banks of Ganga

00:23:52 - Swarg Ashram: The Heavenly Abode

00:27:41 - The Beauty of Being Non-Verbal

00:31:29 - Living in the Deepest Level of Awareness

00:34:52 - Shame and Authenticity

00:38:01 - The Humility of an Enlightened Master

00:41:14 - The Qualities of the Guru

00:44:41 - The Light of the Guru

00:48:02 - The Garden and its Animals

00:51:03 - The Story of the Sleeves and the Cat

00:54:17 - Emptying the Cup and Finding the Guru

00:57:46 - Overcoming Unconscious Patterns with Mindfulness

01:01:24 - Being Present in Daily Life

01:04:39 - Productivity in Moments of Freedom

01:07:10 - The Experience of Grace without Spiritual Practice

01:10:43 - A Transformational Experience

01:14:11 - Renunciation and Transformation

01:17:36 - The Biological Urge for a Baby

01:21:01 - The Journey of Forgiveness

01:24:25 - The Power of Forgiveness

01:27:47 - The Stain on Our Hearts

01:30:53 - Letting Go with Forgiveness

01:34:05 - Understanding Dis-ease and Harm towards Others

01:37:10 - The Transformation and Healing Journey

01:40:39 - Sharing and Appreciation

01:43:26 - The Spiritual Path