It is easy to think that for a successful corporate professional with over 16 years of experience, a good education (an MBA from a premier business school in India and graduation in electronics engineering) and doing well with God's grace, life would be a bed of roses. Not true, for inspite of my pedigree, I lost my job due to the business slowdown and couldn't find another for the next eight months. To add insult to injury, my employer decided to hold back a huge part of my yearly bonus. In November 2010, I was informed that my role had become redundant and was given three months' notice. I began contacting acquaintances and head hunters. Soon I was attending interviews, but to my disappointment, these would always fail-it happened with at least four companies over three months-at the last stage.
I was now anxious. My notice period ended in February, 2011 and I did not have an offer in hand. I was the sole earning member of the family and caught between finding a job and contemplating taking legal action against my employer. My professional life was headed for disaster.
Then, a wonderful event occurred in my life: I got associated with the Almighty-Guruji-in December 2010. His entry into my life couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. My family and I regretted that we had never got to know of Guruji though we had lived in Delhi for 30 years. Instead, He had come to us when I was going through a crisis in Bangalore.
We were initially filled with disbelief, doubt, and curiosity which gradually changed to hope, faith, belief and love. I began attending the
satsangs every weekend and each visit would give me the courage and confidence to face the upcoming week. Among the many
shabads which I listened to in the mandir, one lifted my spirits the most: "
Ibadat kar, Ibadat karan de naal gal bandi hai; Kise di aaj bandi hai, kise di kal bandi hai." (Pray, Prayer leads to fulfillment/Prayers are granted-either now or later).Over time, I was convinced that I had arrived at the right place and should just pray for matters to get sorted out without including riders on their manner and the time. But deep down, I was unsure if Guruji would shower His blessings on me.
With His grace, we also organized Guruji's satsang at our residence. However, my testing time continued. Even after going through multiple interview rounds, things would fizzle out at the last moment. For instance I would even be asked to provide references for background verification, but no concrete result would emerge. I now think it was Guruji's way of ensuring that I did not lose hope and emerged stronger.
As yet, my former company had not changed its stance on the bonus issue; my discussions with senior management, including the CEO and the India HR head, had failed. Though two senior managers including my former boss supported me, they could not do much since the senior-most individual in management was not in my favor. Still serious about taking legal recourse, I wrote a comprehensive email to our Group HR head and the Group COO based in Paris on May 11, 2011. I explained my case and elaborated on my work and achievement. Fortunately, the Group COO had reviewed my work earlier, in connection with a critical project I had managed.
The following night something strange happened. We were about to retire for the day when my mother called out to me from her room, saying she was smelling an 'exotic' fragrance in her room. I went to her room and couldn't believe it. I smelt the same fragrance. I called out to my wife and woke up my son and my cousin. We all felt the fragrance, something we had been craving for after hearing satsangs over the past few months. We soaked in the moment, inhaling the fragrance till it lasted. It was almost 11:45 at night, and we thanked Guruji for displaying His presence to us.
The very next evening, I got a call from my ex-boss that the India CEO and HR head had finally agreed to pay me the amount they had held back as bonus. He said that this was the result of the email I had written to the group's senior management. I was not at all surprised and knew whose hand was behind this miracle. Guruji had given us proof of His presence the previous night and confirmed to us that He was there, taking care of us. I finally received the bonus cheque on June 3, 2011.
By now I had entered my fourth month of unemployment. Around this time another happy event occurred. Since mid-May 2011, I had been in touch with one of my college senior who was the head of a reputed off-shoring consultancy firm in India. His firm was providing consultancy to a big client who wanted to set up a shared service center in Mumbai. My college senior wanted someone who had experience in that field to help his client. Since I had the experience, he approached me to lead this project. He made it clear that it was for a short term (for five to six months) and would likely not be extended. He also offered to help me find a permanent job through his network. For the assignment, he offered me an engagement fee that was too good to be true. The five-month amount he offered was equivalent to my ten months' salary! I had heard Guruji's dictum during the satsangs: "Nothing by coincidence, everything by choice." So, I accepted the offer as Guruji's plan for me. The meanings the satsangs had delivered were unfolding in front of me in the form of my recent pleasant experiences.
During the third month of this assignment, I got offers from two big firms. I accepted one. This new role will take me back to Gurgaon (closer to Guruji's Bade Mandir), which I believe is again a part of Guruji's blessings.
Guruji has shown me time and again that He is there to take care of everything for me. That is true for every devotee. We have to ensure that we do not lose faith in Him and surrender ourselves completely to Him. Only He knows the right time for things to happen, before which we all have to go through the testing phase, the duration of which is dependent on our
karmas.
Jagmohan Babra, a devotee
May 2013