I had been hearing since childhood that it was essential to have a Guru in life. And it always made me think: What would my Guru be like? How would I identify Him? I never got an answer till I came to Guruji's place.
It was my mentor Dr Dawar, under whom I was doing my doctorate and with whom I had worked, who took me to Guruji. He brought me and two of my close colleagues to Chotta Mandir in July 2007. My first visit was really pleasant. I enjoyed the
shabads being played in the background and relished the
chai prasad and
langar. I realized later that that it was Guruji, our saviour, who had summoned us to Him to bestow us with the happiness we so fervently desired.
I had been married for four years, tying the knot with Nidhi, a software professional, in the year 2003. We were, however, childless. A year after marriage, we had to go in for medical advice. In 2005, Nidhi was found to have endometriosis, and she was operated upon for it.
But that did not help. An ultrasound scan showed that the condition had returned. Our ordeal had begun. Doctors suspected various problems and subjected my wife to endless medical tests. Heavy medications were given, and she developed a five-mm stone in the gall bladder. We tried all kinds of alternative treatments including Ayurveda and Homeopathy but to no avail. Finally, two years after the operation, in 2007, doctors told us that the only alternative was to go for in vitro fertilization (IVF).
This was the year when I we had Guruji's
darshan. In fact, my wife and I visited Empire Estate in late November 2007 for the first time together. It was just before we were due to start the IVF cycle. No one knew of our problem. I came to Empire Estate praying for success, but the result at the end of the cycle, in December, was negative. It disheartened us.
My wife gets a better job
It was at this juncture that Guruji really entered our life. To lift us over the gloom, within days of the bad news I came to know that all the referee reports on my thesis had been obtained. My supervisor at IIT, Delhi, had approached my examiner, who had agreed to be available, though he had been given less than a week's notice, for my thesis defence on 2 January 2008. Thereafter, we started coming to have Guruji's
darshan at Chotta Mandir every Sunday.
The first indication of Guruji's blessings and the positive changes we were to witness came in March 2008. My wife was not very happy with her job due to the hostility of her boss, the poor work culture, and lack of incentives. But she was not looking for a new job, despite my repeated urging and despite her strong skill base, because of the problems we were facing in our personal life. Finally, she applied for a job towards the end of February 2008 and after an agonizing wait for 10 days, she got it. She changed over to a financial company on 15 April 2008. Though she was highly indecisive, circumstances manifested in such a manner and so rapidly that she went in for the plunge. The place Guruji had selected for her was to her liking. She had no hassles, there was an extremely relaxed environment and her pay was double.
As faith becomes strong, my wife conceives
As for our being issueless, Guruji directed us back to the homeopathic doctor. And He also gave my wife
prasad. Though we were unable to attend the
mahasamadhi divas organized at Dugri in May 2008, a devotee Shri Singla, brought back some of the
lassi prasad for my wife. The next ultrasound showed no sign of endometriosis or the gall stone. In fact, when we told the doctor about the gall stone, he repeatedly went through his prescriptions and told us that he had never given any medication for the stone. And still the stone had disappeared! However, as regards fertilization, we were still far from coming to a concrete result.
We checked with another doctor about a possible thyroid problem. But the problem that surfaced was osteomalacia (softening of the bones), which is associated with low calcium and high parathyroid levels. I got extremely disturbed, but Nidhi was stout in her faith in Guruji. He answered, sending us to a very good doctor. The problem was treated in three months with proper calcium supplements, followed by regular maintenance doses of calcium.
Thereafter, through various messages and His
darshan at His throne at Bade Mandir in November 2008, Guruji guided us towards specific remedies. Simultaneously, we went in for acupuncture. Nidhi conceived in February 2009. Guruji guided her through her pregnancy, and we were blessed with a son on 26 September 2009.
I cannot express my gratitude in words towards the gift Guruji has given us. He has always been giving us whatever is good for us.
At many times and places, Guruji has made his presence felt in dream
darshans, in the spontaneous fragrance that comes out of nowhere when we return from the mandir and many more instances. For example, it was with His grace that my brother-in-law was able to change his job--after trying for 15 years. Guruji guided him at each step.
Guruji has always been our saviour. May he always keep us in His fold, close to His lotus feet and shower His blessings on us and the entire
sangat.
Gaurav and Nidhi Singhal, devotees
June 2010