I was a bit nervous when I first saw Paramananda. I've never met a Swami before. What does one say to a holy man? If I offended him, would I be reincarnated as a used-car salesman?

I don't know if he's a demigod, but he's defiantly a sweet guy with a very gentile demeanor. My karma was safe.

This is Sunil, Paramananda's translator. He did a fantastic job.

I wonder if they needed to place a want-ad in the paper to find him? Wanted: Translator for a holy man. Must be willing to travel and explain to white-people how to pronounce "Paramananda"

This is Valorie: a devotee of Paramananda and the organizer of this event. The lunch and talk was held at her house in Woodfin.

Valorie supervised everything from the itinerary to the parking. If it wasn't for her hard work, none of this would have happened.

The guy holding the plate is Gary. He cooked an excellent meal. I don't know what it was called, but the he's is a wonderful cook.

My only regret about lunch was that I didn't get to take any leftovers home.

Paramananda didn't say much during lunch other than to occasionally ask his translator what the ingredients of the meal were. (Paramananda is a vegan.)

He had one serving and then shared his desert-cookie with the man on his right.

After lunch Paramananda gave a talk on spiritual practice to assembled guests who were waiting for him in the living room. (In total, there were about 20 people.)

Paramananda talked for about 45 minutes and then answered questions.

It is tradition for Swamis to bless fruit and distribute them to students. (There is a Hindu word for this tradition, but I forgot it.)

I got a banana, but I misplaced the darn thing so I can't tell you if it tasted better than a non-blessed fruit. Perhaps the banana became transcendent and moved to a higher plane?

A shot of Paramananda as he passed by.

The man certainly does have a good vibe about him.