taught open-eye meditation, Steven received
Shaktipat from a picture of Bhagavan Nity-
ananda. He studied Hatha Yoga, philosophy
and kirtana with Swami Satchidananda at
500 West End Ave where he became one of
Satchidananda’s senior teachers. He was given
the spiritual name “Sridhar,” which means
“Possessor of Good Fortune.”
By the late 1960s Steven Sridhar Silberfein
- now known in the familiar as “Sri” – was a
successful businessman and real estate agent.
Cronies Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld
sought his advice on an art and music festival
they were producing upstate. Sri said to them,
“Ya got some of the greatest musical acts in
the world but what’s missing is the spiritual
component.” With their to-do lists already
in overwhelm, they answered, “Ok you deal
with that part.” As can be seen in the Warner
Brother’s documentary, on August 18, 1969,
Sri petitioned singer/songwriter Richie Havens
to introduce Swami Satchidananda. Still reeling
from his legendary set, Richie gave him a “get
lost kid” look. So Sri escorted Swami Satchi-
dananda and his entourage onto the Woodstock
stage to deliver an invocation. More than half
a million American youth were in attendance- the largest peaceful gathering in the West at
the time. Swami Satchidananda introduced the
power of mantra, inviting the crowd to recite
“Hari Om” and “Ramaramarama.” A moment
of silence followed. Not even a camera clicked.
While still on stage, Sri whispered to Swami
Satchidananda,
“Swamiji, wouldn’t it be great to bring this
many people together to chant the names of
God?”
Swami Satchidananda smiled knowingly
and said,
“Yes, it would be great if you could do that.”
In the following years, a glass jar in Rudi’s
studio accumulated enough funds to fly Swami
Muktananda over from India. To welcome
him, students hosted a retreat at Big Indian in
upstate New York. This gathering included
Swami Venkatesananda of the Divine Life
Society, the Brooklyn psychic Hilda Charlton,
and the just-back-from-India, newly-named
Ram Dass. At the conclusion of the weekend,
Swami Muktananda asked Sri and Ram Dass
to organize his tour of the US. Thus, the three
traveled together for most of 1973. At the
tour’s conclusion, The Center for Spiritual Stud-
ies (CSS) was formed. A nonprofit foundation
to make available the practices of yoga, kirtan,
and consciousness to a wider audience.
Located on the corner of Topanga Canyon
Boulevard and Fernwood Canyon Road, Sri
founded California’s first health food store,
“The Food Chakra.” Here, Silberfein was
reportedly the original importer of tea tree
oil into the US. He established Desert Essence
(the one you can buy in Trader Joe’s today).KRISTINA CLEMENSRICHARD NESDALE