Six months after I had graduated from a reputable university, I was confident that I would easily get a job in my hometown. However, I was rejected time and again and my morale dropped to an all-time low. At that time, my grandmother and a friend encouraged me to come for Guruji's
satsang, held every Monday, in a devotee's home. I was reluctant to pray to Gurus and pundits. Wasn't it enough that I prayed to Vaishno Mata, Krishna-ji, Vishnu-ji, Shiv-ji, Ganesh-ji, Ram-ji, Hanuman-ji and the many other gods and goddesses worshipped in my household temple? Nevertheless, I was jobless and bored many an evening, so I agreed to go with my grandmother.
At the
satsang, I heard beautiful
shabads and could smell roses. I bowed to Guruji and sat down and was served
chai prasad in a few minutes. The feeling of being at Guruji's lotus feet was a surreal experience. I found myself getting intensely emotional with every line that I heard in the
shabads.
When I was a child, I used to love going to Gurudwaras because I loved hearing the (Punjabi)
shabads. My mother was a devotee of Vaishno Mata, but for some reason I was not able to connect while I listened to devotional songs and when we visited temples. I used to envy Sikhs and used to wish secretly that I be born in my next life as a Sikh. I could then go to Gurudwaras and listen to
shabads, as I felt true peace there. These thoughts came back while I was sitting at the
satsang. I felt heartfelt gratitude towards Guruji for not letting me wait for a lifetime to listen to
shabads. I bowed my head to God.
Ever since that day, I have reaped the benefits of Guruji's blessings. I remember being frustrated about not getting a job. I had sent out my resume everywhere and could do no more than wait for an interview. It was a Monday morning. I recalled what a
sangat aunty had pointed out. That devotees were not to ask Guruji for anything - but that if we don't ask Him, whom else could we turn to. "He is our parent, and we are His children," she had said. "Children can ask only their parents for things."
Within minutes of me recollecting this devotional axiom, the phone rang. A reputable company had called me for an interview in a couple of hours. In my excitement I didn't realize that I was thinking of Guruji when the phone call came. I rushed for my interview, which went very well, the company promising to get back to me within a couple of days. Relaxed, I enjoyed the next few days. However, when I hadn't heard from them in almost a week, I began to lose hope. Once again, I thought of Guruji. I said: "Guruji, just let me know if it's a Yes or No. If it's a No, then I can resume my job search. I hate waiting and not knowing." In an hour's time, I received a call and was told that I had been selected. I was very excited and knew Guruji had fashioned a miracle for me. I thanked Him immensely. Within such a short time, Guruji had solved one of my problems. Needless to say, the bond with Guruji was growing stronger.
Langar is Amrit
It was the time of Navratras. In addition to the regular
langar, there was special
langar for those who were fasting, made of '
singhade ka atta', or water chestnut flour, which I am allergic to.
Anyway, as I got my plate of
langar that Monday, I was certain some
prasad would have been prepared with water chestnut flour. I looked up at Guruji's picture and prayed to Him: "Guruji, I'm probably going to have a very bad reaction if I eat this, but I'm going to run home immediately after I gobble this
langar. Please just make sure I reach home without too much drama or problems." I began eating the
langar and nothing happened to me. I left the
halwa prasad for the end, as I was sure this was made with
singhada. I gobbled it as quickly as I could and ran to wash my hands and take Guruji's leave before a reaction occurred.
Strangely though, I felt perfectly fine. Maybe the
langar did not have any
singhada in it. When I got to the car, my mum asked me if I was ok. I told her I was fine. She asked if I ate the
halwa prasad. I told her I did and that it was very tasty. She told me that the
halwa prasad was indeed made of
singhada and she was surprised that I wasn't having a reaction.
I couldn't believe I had devoured a palm-full of
halwa made of
singhada without any adverse reaction. Earlier, if I had even a bite of anything made with
singhada I would be in great discomfort for hours. But the
langar we get at Guruji's is not food. It is
amrit and it truly has miraculous powers. Jai Guruji!
He gave me love
Around this time, I had fallen in love. It was time to tell my parents since they had begun looking out for a groom. I was petrified, as I felt they would not approve of the boy. However, my love was strong and my faith in Guruji was unbreakable. I cried many nights as I didn't know how to tackle this problem. One day before I fell asleep, I was doing
mantra jaap and I asked Guruji to show me a sign if my parents would be happy or not with the person I chose for myself.
When I fell asleep, I had a dream. I was sitting in a car with my mother and had just broken the news to her about the boy I loved. She was very happy and told me I had made a great choice. She hugged and kissed me and I felt relieved. When I woke up, I was determined to tell my parents. There was no way I was going to step back after I got such an auspicious sign from Guruji.
I talked to my mother, who was initially concerned about what my father would think. I told her that Guruji was on my side and I would tell father when I got the courage to do so. A month later, I told my father-and he was happy to hear what I had to say. Ever since then, my mother, father and family are aware of our relationship. I live with ease in my house and retain the love of my parents, who get along very well with the boy. I thank Guruji day and night for easing out each and every step of my life with His blessings.
Blessings without delay
Every day, in some way, Guruji is blessing me. I can feel Him smoothing out the creases of my everyday life. Every now and then, at the mere thought of Guruji, a small miracle occurs in my life. I feel as though He has a personal secretary to watch over my life-the smallest of my problems and queries get solved and answered so instantaneously.
Recently, I went to Bade Mandir for His
darshan. My cousin and I arrived around 5pm, so we were aware that the temple would be closed. We perambulated the Mandir twice, but I didn't feel like leaving at all. It was New Year's, so plenty of
sewa was going on in the Mandir. A few devotees were wiping the floor, and I thought to myself: "I would love to do some
sewa." From the corner of my eye, I saw an aunty step out of the kitchen at Bade Mandir. She looked at my cousin and me and called us inside the kitchen. Ecstatically, I entered the kitchen. She asked if we had some free time and would like to do kitchen
sewa. I couldn't believe how quickly Guruji listens to His
sangat.
A couple of days later, it was the first of January and I was at the Bade Mandir again. Due to some transportation issues, my cousin and I couldn't stay for
langar. We thought to ourselves that we will have
chai prasad and leave. The time came to leave and we had still not received
chai prasad. Very upset, I took Guruji's leave and started heading out. I saw a
sewadaar with a full plate of
chai prasad, so I went up to him and asked if my cousin and I could have some. He said only devotees sitting in the hall would get
prasad and I should sit there. I didn't want to explain to him that I had to leave, so disappointed, I made my way towards the exit. My heart felt broken and I wondered what sin had I done to miss out on
chai prasad at the Mandir. With this thought in my mind and while apologizing to Guruji, I stepped out-and saw the
sewadaar walking towards me with two glasses of
chai prasad. He came up to me and told me that my cousin and I could have the
prasad. My eyes became watery even as I began smiling: Guruji listens to the smallest of my heart's desires.
Connected forever
The bond that I have with Guruji is inexplicable. He is my father and I am His daughter and I sense that our bond has been present for lifetimes. I finally feel like I have come home to Guruji. He is everything to me, and I cannot wait to become one with Him.
A devotee
April 2012