Guruji protects not only His followers but all mankind. This was borne out when I had a death-defying experience on a return flight from Mumbai to Dubai, the city where I live with my husband and children. It is in Dubai that I first became a part of Guruji's
sangat after attending His
satsang. I went to the faith gathering out of curiosity rather than allegiance, but it gave me solace and quietude. At that time, owing to my husband's health problems and our financial woes I was looking for divine intervention.
That came my way quite generously when I needed to go to Mumbai to attend the prayer meet for my brother, being held a year after his death, on April 23
rd, which was also the first day of Eid celebrations that opened the holiday season. Planes were full; the available seats were exorbitantly priced and on flights that took off at inconvenient times from Dubai. I wanted to attend the prayer meet so I logged into a travel portal. As I was trying to fill in the details, the page refreshed on its own and the screen showed an ad for a different portal offering tickets to Mumbai at rates nearly 30% less than earlier. I suspected it was a marketing gimmick and was sure that the rates would cease to be affordable after I had input my itinerary. Yet, the next step smoothly took me to the check-out page. Still suspecting a catch, I gave payment details and was surprised to immediately receive the e-ticket in my mail–at the discounted cost. It was nothing less than a miracle as the flight dates and timings suited me. I could only respond with a 'Jai Guruji', as I realized it was His intervention.
On an earlier trip, I had stayed at a Mumbai hotel which was conveniently located, comfortable and, most importantly, safe since I had travelled alone. When I checked prices for the same hotel now, the rate was exorbitant. I was about to go ahead with the booking, when I received a call from my nephew. I spoke to him about my upcoming Mumbai trip and the high price of the hotel. He told me of a friend who stayed near the hotel and promised he would ask him to see if the rent could be discounted. Within a few minutes my nephew called back and asked for my check-in and check-out dates. Worried I would miss out on the room and still skeptical, I gave him those. To my utter disbelief, I had a proforma invoice from the hotel in my email minutes later. Thanks to Guruji's grace, the invoice was for 30% less than the rate I was going to book at.
In Mumbai, I received Guruji's assistance throughout. Unknown people stepped in to assist me out of the blue, be it taxi drivers or hotel staff. Whenever I had a doubt, things fell into place and problems disappeared.
Back to my return flight. The flight was full, with around 180 people of all ages from infants to seniors and from different faiths. My seatmate was an elderly lady. Everything was normal till there were 10 minutes to land at the Dubai airport. The aircraft suddenly pitched to the right. Seconds later, the aircraft titled acutely to the left. There was pandemonium and screams from the passengers. I have been on international flights all over the world and have experienced severe weather turbulences, but this movement of the aircraft so close to the ground was no ordinary turbulence. The plane was going to crash!
I yelled out "Jai Guruji", and I heard my seatmate shout out "Isshu", a call-out to Jesus Christ. The aircraft righted itself and landed!
Believe me, sangatji, at that perilous moment, when I stared death in the face, my only thought was of Guruji. I thought neither of my well-being or death nor of my children or spouse. I could see fire engines and support staff rush in when the plane was on land. I'm not aware of what my co-passengers concluded, but I believe Guruji took over command of the aircraft and safely landed it. Even today my heart palpitates when I hear of those moments.
As an ardent devotee of Guruji Maharaj, I believe He protects not only His followers but all mankind. I can only thank Guruji, our protector, the destroyer of our sorrows, countlessly.
Baneeta Malhotra, a devotee
May 2023