Sarvam

Sarvam was born Pieter Cornelius Loopuyt in 1955 in Leerdam, Netherlands. He became a sannyasin at the end of 1980. He passed away suddenly; he had the flu for a couple of days, and then a massive heart attack brought his life in rural Spain to a standstill.

Deva Nivedita writes:

For twenty years Sarvam had been living in the south of Spain with his wife Maaike, a life he always had in mind; in the countryside, in his own house, with a loving partner at his side, with his dogs and the possibility of work.

Sarvam loved to work; he loved to create, get up early in the morning, have a good breakfast and get going. He made wonderful cabinets, tables, bathrooms, kitchens. You name it, he made it for you – the carpenter of heaven – with love and dedication, in his own time, in his own style. Work was his meditation. Lately he made very beautiful lamps, artworks made of materials from the land surrounding him. They mirrored the love he felt for this place.

I met Sarvam for the first time in 1977 and there was an instant connection between us. I loved his innocence and purity. He was not a great talker, but if he had his mind set on a project he went for it. We became friends and then went our own way to get going with (in) the world; me exploring my inner world in Poona, Sarvam exploring South America.

About four years later we met again on a sunny day in the streets of Berkeley, California. I was waiting for a bus and there passes this car with some orange-clad folks inside. Car stops, reverses and Sarvam beams at me with a big smile.

Surprise!

A very big surprise it was to meet him there, one because I did not know where he had been hanging out and a big surprise to see him as a sannyasin, which was no surprise at all – I knew it all along somehow. Apparently he had become a sannyasin at the end of 1980 after travelling to India and visiting friends in Poona.

We stayed connected while in the Berkeley community but once I left the States our contact was on hold. To make a long story a little shorter, I will jump to the time that we became lovers, a couple of years later, thousands of miles away, in Berlin, Germany. He came to visit his former lover Udgita in the commune but ended up with me instead. How amazing to fall in love with a friend! How relaxing and exciting at the same time.

But huge Berlin became too small for us and we went to live in Italy. Sun, wine and the beautiful countryside became part of our life. We visited sannyas centers and started working as rebuilders in different locations in that wonderful country. A gnawing feeling of not being in the right place, geographically and in the relationship, brought an end to our stay in Italy and we moved to the Netherlands.

And there, after being lovers for almost thirteen years, making wonderful friends, working, playing, travelling to Portugal, Mexico and through the grand desert in Africa, allowing dogs in our life and our beds, we moved out of our relationship back to being just friendship.

And “just friendship’ was the diamond in the crown.

Sarvam went for his own dream and so did I. We finally enjoyed and respected each other for what we were worth. But both shared the same essential fragrance from Osho of freedom and independence.

Sarvam met Maaike and this new love gave wings to his dream of having a place in another country. The Netherlands became increasingly stressful for him. Spain wasn’t just around the corner but definitely the place to be for them.

I had the chance to visit them in 2004 and shared and enjoyed their life for a while. It was a wonderful experience and we stayed in touch ever since. We will stay in touch.

love, where the stars are gone
you will go
where the moon has gone
you will go
where the sun is shining
you will shine

Dharmen Sengers writes:

Our friend Sarvam will be missed by many. He was always an independent man. He always followed his own heart and insight. He loved being in Pune. He often came out of discourse with the remark, “sometimes Osho talks a lot nonsense”, made us all laugh. In the communes he was put in charge of building and construction because he was a great craftsman but he also dropped it because he didn’t like structure; he took days off or even weeks when he wanted to. Yes, I will miss him. He was a great guy for a party and with him you ended up in the strangest of places.

Anand Natyam writes:

I’ve known Sarvam since we were teenagers and he has been in and out of my life ever since. So many memories, so many adventures. Hippie days in Amsterdam, India meeting Osho, taking sannyas and the Ranch.

Everyone you come close to somehow becomes a part of you and adds something to your life. With Sarvam it would be his ‘no bullshit’ approach to life, his humour and common sense.

So grateful, Sarvam, that you entered my life and added so much to it. Bon voyage, my friend on your next adventure!

Tributes

You can leave a message / tribute / anecdote using our contact form (please add ‘Sarvam’ in the subject field)…

When I heard that Sarvam had left us it was quite a shock for me. To me he had an elf-like quality and was full of laughter. He made me smile. I haven’t seen him for awhile but remember the times in Holland. It’s so touching what is written by Nivedita, Dharmen and Natyam. I am grateful for the moments and wish you a safe journey, Sarvam. See you down the road…love,
Premyoga

I met Sarvam, then called Pieter, in Nijmegen, when I was 15. I met a sweet, nice, friendly and cheerful young man. I always cherished his memory, and just this year I was going to see him again after four decades, together with my beloved, Swami Toin. I will always remember him dearly.
Ma Prem Shobhan

My thoughts go out to Maaike and to his sister and family whom I got to know by working with Sarvam on a job renovating her house, in the early 90’s. It was so inspiring and fun to work with him that you where actually looking forward to go to work, because he was going to be around! A thank you to his sannyasin friends for sharing this news of his passing in such a beautiful way.
Agyan