I actually got instruction from Guruji to share my satsang of how He has healed my soul and body miraculously. I had always been a god-fearing person but Guruji made me a god-loving person.
My daughter was born a decade ago, and I have suffered from stomach ulcers ever since. Over the years I developed urticaria (hives) and cervical spondylosis and even kept breaking my bones every six months or so. So began a long line of taking treatment from the best doctors of Delhi and Bombay.
In year 2011, I began suffering from a weird headache akin to a hangover. It went on from October to November, and none of the doctors I consulted could help. One doctor hospitalised me and said that I have swelling in the intestines and an enlarged appendix. He wanted to operate on me immediately and put me on drips and antibiotics. I fled from the hospital as soon as I could and put myself in the care of another doctor's hands. He diagnosed diverticulitis and gastritis and started me on a regimen of medicines and a drip at home. After a week, my headache was no better and I was weaker. I then approached a neurologist and he believed that it was all due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. He also prescribed medicines. It led to severe vomiting and had me going to another gastrologist in the same hospital. He put me through an endoscopy and a biopsy for stomach cancer.
In the recovery room after the biopsy, my sister-in-law Shreya gave me Guruji's photograph. I took it but felt that nothing could help me. I had not only gone through a battery of doctors, but also done all kinds of puja, Reiki, havan and what not. I was shattered.
I came back to my mom's house from the hospital as I could not walk because of the endoscopy while my headache persisted. I had lost all hope. I was only thirty-one at the time. In the evening, my kids looked at me and asked me whether I would live through this or not.
Shreya called up a devotee, Shivani, and she suggested that I should be taken to the Bade Mandir for langar prasad. We had nothing to lose, so mom took me to the Mandir. I had to take the help of my mother and the driver to walk in. I sat in the hall and had chai prasad. As I sipped the tea, a light passed through me. It felt weird. How was it possible? Shabads were playing, and the atmosphere was very peaceful. I did not believe at that time in Guruji and had not even bowed in front of Him. In fact, I wondered how an educated girl like me could believe that man could be god.
Soon we went for langar. When I saw that I had to eat food with three other people in the same plate, my resistance again came up. I told my mother that I could not eat, but she was insistent. I took the roti in my hand, put a little sabji (vegetable) on it and began eating without touching the plate. A devotee advised me to eat properly, especially, the mirchi chutney. My mom told them that I was just coming from the hospital and was not allowed such heavy food. After we finished our langar, I got up and came out. My mom tried to hold me but I was absolutely fine. I was completely free from that dirty headache that I had for the past two months and was super-energetic. I asked mom to drop me back to my house. At home, my husband was stunned to see me better.
After that single visit to the Mandir, I was absolutely fine and free from all diseases.
Devotees have different beliefs. Some say that it is faith in Guruji that cures them. But I had no faith, yet He gave me His sharan and love. Guruji has since then been blessing me and my family and has actually made my life so beautiful that I have no words to express my gratitude towards Him.
Cancer patches disappear
My husband began coming with me after Guruji's miraculous healing. A few months after coming to the Mandir, he had gone to our family dentist to get his teeth cleaned. She called me after his appointment rather urgently. My husband had developed some white patches in his mouth and she suspected cancer. She suggested that we should meet the head and neck oncologist at a Gurgaon hospital. In great disbelief, I went to the hospital with my husband.
Sitting in the oncology department, I could not imagine cancer afflicting my husband. He was only thirty-two then and the most important person in my life. I wondered what had brought on the disease. After all, I had just started enjoying a disease-free life after ten years. The doctor prescribed some dos and don'ts and ordered a biopsy to be done after a month.
I knew that Guruji was there with us. We kept going to the Mandir regularly that month for langar. My husband's biopsy was due on a Monday and we all went to the ashram a day earlier. Sitting at the hall, I could not help but cry and kept demanding that Guruji show me signs of His presence--perhaps His fragrance or an extra langar roti. But no such fulfilment was forthcoming. I came out depressed.
We had just gone a little ahead in the car when a devotee and close friend, Poonam--she was at the Mandir too that night--called me. She asked us if we would like to visit the Empire Estate house where Guruji used to stay. It was ten o'clock at night, and I didn't even ask my husband whether we should go or not. Poonam told me to wait for her car and to follow it. I couldn't believe what had happened. We reached Empire Estate and she showed us where Guruji used to stay. We had His
darshan again.
We came out and I asked her why she had called us. She told us that Guruji had instructed her to take us there. I thanked her and Guruji and became very positive.
The next day we again went to the mandir, had
samosa, laddoo and chai prasad and from there went straight to the Gurgaon hospital. Even my mom accompanied us. When we went inside for the biopsy, a surprise was in store for all of us: The doctor saw that my husband's mouth had no patches. We went straight to the ashram again from the hospital to thank Guruji. I don't know how to thank Guruji. He has just been protecting me and my whole family and millions of people. Thank you, Guruji. Love you, Guruji, and am always at your service.
Taking care of my work
After getting us back to health, Guruji took care of my work. I am a fashion designer with a studio of my own. However, I have never advertised my work. Some time ago, my staff began demanding higher salaries and suddenly went on a strike. I didn't get stressed as I knew Guruji was with me.
I kept myself busy by creating a business page on a social networking website with the help of my cousin, Yamya, who is also a devotee of Guruji. After the page was made I spoke to Shivani and she told me to begin making
kadha prashad for Guruji. I did that the following day, and the entirety of my staff was back. The page I had made in my idle time also proved helpful. I knew it was Guruji who wanted that I should get recognition.
I had a master tailor who had been working with me for the past ten years. During the strike, he told me that he wanted to started his own work. I was okay with that and bid him goodbye, telling him that he could come back whenever he wanted.
I hired a new master tailor. For two months, I kept working with my new master but he just couldn't get the work done to my satisfaction. At that time, I decided to have a satsang at home. Three days before the satsang, I was getting Guruji's
chola made when I decided to remove my new master as he was not up to the mark. I instructed my manager to tell him to leave. Two hours after I had fired him, my old master called. His venture had failed and he wanted to return. I was so happy and surprised. I knew it was Guruji's doing so that I could realize my master's worth and he mine.
Guruji takes care of all aspects of my work, not just my staff. A mother and daughter had come over recently to pick up their outfits and were very upset about delivery times. They thought I had promised them a morning delivery whereas I had actually set aside the evening for it. Because of the perceived gap in communication, they had driven a whole two hours in the morning to pick up the outfits, which were not ready. They began shouting badly. I didn't respond beyond walking out. It upset me, but I ignored their behaviour thinking it was part of work.
That day, which was my birthday, I was supposed to send Guruji's prasad from the satsang I had a day before to a friend. By divine design, the prasad was sent to my clients via their driver who had come in the evening to pick up the outfits. Both mother and daughter messaged me and apologized for their behaviour even as they thanked me for the prasad. The mother said that I had sent them prasad despite their misbehaviour and that had really embarrassed them. It just goes to show that Guruji protects His sangat from all negativity and makes the impossible possible.
My business is doing fantastically well and Guruji has also given me the
sewa of making His cholas. I have already made ten cholas for Him and hope I can be in His service forever.
Clearing away our misconceptions
Since childhood I had seen several folk rituals being observed at my home.
Nazar utarna (casting out the evil eye), for example, or one that had always been preferred in the family--using an idol of Ganeshji and an
ulta tawa (inverted griddle) to drive away rain. We had done it many times and it had worked magically.
Once we had Guruji's satsang at my sister-in-law's house that had been organised on their terrace. Everything was set, but then it started pouring like cats and dogs. We went back to our favourite routine of using Ganeshji's idol and putting down an ulta tawa, but we did not pray to Guruji. Soon it started raining more heavily. We had to shift Guruji's entire durbar inside the house. We were quite surprised that our
todka hadn't worked the first time. A devotee told us that Guruji always discouraged trying to bend the natural course of things for personal benefit. Why play with Mother Nature? The comments struck home.
Recently, we were celebrating our sons' birthday at our farm. We had arranged for a lot of games outside and I had even checked the weather forecast. But an hour into the party, thunder was in the air. My sister-in-law suggested we resort to our old methods, but I guessed that Guruji was testing me. Though desperate, I didn't do anything and just prayed to Guruji to do whatever was best. It began pouring, and the whole party was shifted inside.
The fun quotient, I felt, may have come down but I felt thrilled that I had passed the test. Guruji keeps testing us and it's up to us to see how much we surrender. In the end I went up to my son and his friends and wondered aloud if their party had got spoilt. I couldn't believe what those ten-year-olds told me: Rain only brings good luck, they said.
Guruji has His own way of teaching us things in life. Have faith in Guruji and keep yourself away from all such small contrivances designed by man. We harm ourselves and others too if they decide to follow our example. Jai Guruji!
Mamta Agarwal, a devotee
March 2015