It was April 2020. A strict lockdown had been enforced and there was widespread panic over the Coronavirus situation. I was returning home on my two-wheeler. The streets were eerily silent and I was apprehensive that I would get caught. I saw a tall, hefty man requesting a lift and stopped the scooter. Seated on the pillion, the stranger began talking, telling me how he had lost his job and the many problems he faced at home. He asked me if I could suggest a lawyer, pundit or a saint who could help him out. I was about to mention a pundit I knew and then I remembered Guruji. I had become a devotee not long ago in February 2020, and I mentioned Guruji. It must have been my good luck.
The stranger enquired if I was referring to the Guru from Chhatarpur, which surprised me. He then began talking about Guruji. He was asking questions and then answering them himself—I was not able to understand what was happening, but I was happy I had taken Guruji's name. We soon reached a turning where we needed to part ways. I stopped the Scooty and asked the stranger to get down. A moment later as I turned back to look at him, I couldn't see anyone on the road. It was just as empty as before.
This disappearance prompted many questions in my mind. Upon reaching home, I narrated the entire experience to my paternal uncle. He told me that the stranger was none other than Guruji who had come to test me. I was very happy that when the stranger had asked for a person who could bail him out, I had taken Guruji's name. I regret though that I was not able to recognize Him in that form. He has blessed me.
Aryan Sood, a devotee
September 2021