June 28 is a very special date in my life. It was on that date in 2014 that my friend invited me for Guruji's
satsang. The first
shabad of that evening was "
Lakh khushiyan pathshaiyan satguru nadar kare." Tears rolled down my eyes as I had last heard this shabad when I had visited my grandma in Punjab a long time ago. As I settled down, I began wondering when Guruji would arrive. A devotee showed me Guruji's
swaroop on the wall and on His
aasan. I was mesmerized and incredulous; Guruji looked so different from the religious stereotype.
I observed that Guruji's
charan swaroop had no lines, and this made me recall a folk precept: People with no lines on soles can walk on air and create miracles. A devotee said the same when I asked her about it: That Guruji is a
mahapurush who can walk on air and perform miracles; that with Guruji all you need is faith and that He gives unconditional love. Guruji's charisma was otherworldly, and I was at the satsang till 2 in the afternoon.
I came to the satsang two months after my doctors had handed me a diagnosis of a rare disorder that turned my life upside down. My career went on hold even as my daughter, two days shy of her 18
th birthday, prepared to leave for college. I was facing a bleak future, so I just told Guruji that my life is in His hands. From then on each moment and each day became a satsang.
On the day of her birthday, I was invited for another satsang and I asked my daughter to come with me. She nodded and came along not knowing what to expect. I sat in the
durbar mesmerized by Guruji's swaroop, but with a sinking heart. I knew not what the future held, but asked for Guruji's mercy and help so that I could be strong for my daughter.
As we were about to leave, it was announced that birthdays for the month of August were being celebrated, and all who had birthdays had to cut the cake. My daughter went up to the durbar in awe, wondering how this could have happened.
A mesmerizing trip to India
Five years later, Guruji's blessings had kept me healthy enough to contemplate travelling to India—after 30 years. My cousin had arranged her son's wedding in Chandigarh and I was determined to go and visit Bade Mandir, which I had
darshans of in my dreams. Though my family objected because of my medical condition, I insisted. I had faith that Guruji would take care of me.
Though I had many issues getting an Indian visa, I landed in New Delhi on April 14. I arranged for a driver and went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. There I wanted to visit Guruji's Mandir. We did not know the way and got lost, but I did not give up. We stopped at a shop and suddenly a white car came in front of us with a 'Guruji's Blessings' sticker on it. It stopped and I jumped out of the car and asked the lady devotee inside it if she knew the directions to the Mandir. She was going there! I had darshan of Guruji even though the Mandir was closed and had
chai prasad with Bhatia aunty.
The following day was a Monday, and we departed for Bade Mandir. My cousins and the bridal party were leaving for Chandigarh and they asked me to visit Guruji on the return trip, but I decided otherwise. Again I got lost on the way. All I could tell the driver was to follow any car with 'Guruji's Blessings' on it. Sure enough we reached the Mandir. I had the most beautiful divine experience, one that I could never imagine. I was given three cups of
jal prasad; it was like
amrit. I also had
samosa prasad. I have had darshans of Bade Mandir in my dream and now the experience was real. My seven days in India were heavenly—all thanks to Guruji!
Devotees drink in amrit varsha
This year in March 7, the lucky number of Guruji's birth date, there were many social media posts of amrit issuing from His charan swaroop at a sangat's home in Las Vegas. I was tied up with family at home, yet made
kadha prasad and wondered if I would be able to go and see this divine phenomenon.
On Sunday night a lady devotee called me to say that we could plan a trip the day after. I packed my car and headed to her home on Monday at noon, when I got her message saying she couldn't come because of a crisis at work. I had a crisis myself: To go or not.
As I dawdled, a streetcar with a license plate 'God Bless' came in front of me. A surge of energy filled me and I chose to drive solo to Las Vegas. I reached Las Vegas by 4.50 pm and called the host who was expecting the other lady devotee. She informed me that the durbar was no longer set up, but they were doing a satsang at 5 pm and invited me over. Satsang was taking place at her home-temple upstairs, where I told her of my ardent wish to have darshan of Guruji's charan. Sadly, the honeyed charans were now gone, she told me, but she had requested another aunty to bring in a swaroop of His Lotus Feet.
I had taken a pink box with Guruji's charan for her as well as a tea light. As soon as the charan were placed in her durbar, there was amrit varsha in all of the swaroops, on Shivji's cholas, and we even saw footprints on the floor blanket. The entire temple room was filled with the smell of sandalwood. I cried with excitement at Guruji's presence and all the love that surrounded me. Soon the entire sangat drank amrit from Guruji's darshans.
The sangat placed small swaroops from their wallets on the altar, and these too had amrit varsha. Such are the miracles of Guruji!
The following morning, I took my leave and started driving back to Orange County. There was a heavy downpour and visibility was zero. I had to drive through the mountains in heavy fog. I kept praying to Guruji to stay with me even as I continuously did
mantra jaap and played shabads. Guruji brought me home safely.
Sheltering with Guruji
More than a week later, the coronavirus brought new challenges, especially, of keeping my elderly and restless dad at home. All we could do was watch TV and count our blessings. That night, I had a dream. My dad and I are watching TV and all channels are showing Guruji's durbar with beautiful darshans of Guruji in different cholas. Each screen displays a single message: 'Zoom kar dekho!' I did not understand the message until March 19, when California went on lockdown and all my meetings took place on Zoom. I wished Guruji's satsangs were also held on Zoom. A week later, that was the case, and we could attend all the satsangs being held globally.
The lockdown also put paid to our plans to celebrate our anniversary on June 28
th. There were no satsangs set for that date. I couldn't sleep through the night, so got up at 4 in the morning to open up a social media topic page on Guruji. I saw a live satsang being streamed and spent four hours listening to beautiful satsangs, with shabads strummed on the guitar. What more could I ask for than a blissful morning with our loving Guruji! In the middle of the afternoon I addressed myself to Guruji. We needed to go out and celebrate, but there were restrictions everywhere. Folks made a plan to go to the beach while maintaining social distance. I drove to the crowded beach, praying to Guruji that I find a spot away from the crowds. Soon I came upon a place with good parking space and a perfect view of the beach. It was cloudy, but the sun came out for a few minutes and shone upon us. It was a beautiful day to share with Guruji, who always creates the best for us.
Every moment is a satsang with Guruji. I have had many satsang dreams and unreal experiences with Guruji that I cannot explain in words.
Have faith in Guruji and He makes it happen without a doubt. My gratitude for everything that He has bestowed on me in spite of all the odds. Only Guruji can change the course of our destiny.
Ena Gupta, a devotee
December 2020