In My Father's House Of Grace

My parents were staunch devotees of Lord Shiva, and I was brought up in an actively religious family, where the daily puja was an integral part of the family tradition. As a family, we used to gather together to light a diya and sing aarti every evening. I moved to the US in 2012, and continued following these articles of faith. I only knew about Guruji Maharaj at that point.

Two years later I graduated from the US in 2014 and, in the fall, secured my first job offer. I moved to Boston, an unfamiliar city to me.

A bus to faith; a dream of light that took anxieties away

My commute to the office involved changing two buses. I was returning from office on the second day of work when an incident deeply connected me with Guruji Maharaj. It was raining heavily that evening when I left work around 6.30 pm. I got on the first bus, which dropped me at the boarding spot for the second. It began pouring and the few people waiting for the bus dwindled away. Some took a cab; others walked to another bus stop. It was 7 pm and pitch dark; no one could be seen. My cell phone battery had drained out, and I was panicking.

I began praying for help and subconsciously remembered Guruji Maharaj. Ten minutes past my prayers, a woman could be seen approaching the stand. She was dressed in a cream-white dress. She stood near me and inquired about the delayed bus. I told her I had been waiting for forty-five minutes. She took out her cell phone, checked something on it, and suggested walking to a nearby bus stop, where the bus would arrive shortly. She was headed towards the same part of the city as me. She looked trustworthy and I decided to walk with her. Soon the bus arrived. It was crowded and we ended up standing next to each another. She did not get off at my stop as she had to go further down. I thanked her and she said something like, Take care, don't worry. I looked at her again and her smile was as bright as the sun!

I reached home safely and called my father, narrating the incident over the phone. He immediately said that Guruji Maharaj had come to my rescue, adding that when Mahapurush come it rains very heavily.

The realization that Guruji had rescued me brought me closer to Him. Then yet another incident in Boston showed how much He cared for me.

I was staying alone at Boston and fell prey to anxieties. I would dread going back to the apartment in the evening and would search for excuses to stay at office. Often I'd be the last person to leave. I began working on Saturdays so that I did not have to spend time at home by myself. When I would reach home in the evening I would sometimes cry and my heart would beat very fast. I did not know why. I had great difficulty sleeping.

My anxiety began to express itself as a disorder with compulsive tendencies. For example, I would get extremely uneasy if any co-worker, friend or family member took a long time to return my calls. I could not bear any change and wanted to stick to my routine every single day. I could not even turn off the lights of my room at night. I began thinking of getting medical advice.

Guruji pulled me out. I used to do my daily morning puja in front of Guruji's swaroop, placed on a table next to my bed. That photograph turned into my saviour.

One night, in November 2017, I had a prophetic dream vision. I saw that a few men dressed in black from head to toe had broken into my apartment and were trying to enter my bedroom. There was no one to help me. I cried for help and remembered Guruji Maharaj even as I turned my face towards Guruji's swaroop placed on the table. Guruji came outside the swaroop; He was sitting in the exact same seat as in the swaroop. He turned His face to look at me with a beautiful heavenly smile. As soon as He smiled, the black men ran away from my apartment and the dark dream-night turned into a sunny day with bright light flooding my room. Guruji Maharaj made me understand that the men dressed in black were my anxieties, and He made them go away in the coming months.

This dream was a turning point for me. I started attending more and more satsangs and started feeling better and more importantly happier than I had ever been. It's not that I never get anxious anymore, but Guruji has taught me how to peacefully deal with such situations by holding on to His Divine Hand. Once we hold His hand, He leads the way into the most beautiful path ever!

This dream is vivid in my memory. When I think about the moment when Guruji looked and smiled at me, I still get goosebumps.

At Edison Ashram, sweets and more

Guruji Maharaj takes care of us just like our parents and His love for us is boundless. He is aware of our tiniest needs—as this incident will show.

On April 14^th 2018, I was on a work trip to Pennsylvania by road from Boston. A devotee was with me. We had a hectic schedule and did not break journey to rest and eat. During the ride, I mentioned to my co-passenger that I had forgotten my hair comb at home in Boston and could not even brush my hair. As we were exiting Pennsylvania and entering New Jersey, we thought of having darshan of Guruji's ashram in New Jersey, which is located in the township of Edison (around a quarter of an hour's drive from New York) inside a mall. No satsangs were set for that day, still we decided to stop by at the ashram, and picked up some Indian sweetmeats as an offering.

It was late afternoon when we reached the ashram. The temple and its surroundings were quiet and we did not come across any devotees. At the entrance to the main durbar, a chair was placed right next to the shoe stand. A black comb, the same design and colour of mine, was placed on the chair, but I did not feel right about picking up the comb without permission. We entered the temple and sat in front of Guruji's swaroop, trying to imbibe its serene vibes. It was magical.

Every pore in my body was thanking Guruji for calling me to the ashram. I jokingly said to Guruji: "We have travelled a lot today and I thought we would get at least chai prasad at your ashram. But there is no satsang scheduled." The thought passed away and soon it was time to take aagya from Guruji Maharaj, praying that He call us back again soon.

I needed to use the washroom and walked to one at the mall. I ran into a sewadar, who was also the temple caretaker. He recognized me and asked me if I had langar prasad. Since I hadn't, he asked me to return to the ashram. My friend and I went back in and were happily tucking into langar, which comprised of my favourite dishes, kadhi and hara saag. The Mandir did not have chai prasad, but I did not feel I had missed out on it.

Guruji wasn't done yet though. I was thanking Guruji Maharaj with all the fervour of my heart when another sewadar came in with chai and sweet prasad. I was too amazed to acknowledge anything and happily accepted the chai prasad. Sewadar uncle brought six katoris of sweets for just the two of us. I looked at him surprised, but he asked us to pick three each. I was in bliss.

We took aagya from Maharaj the second time and left the temple for Boston. I had tears in my eyes. I felt as if I had visited my parent's house. While leaving, I asked the caretaker devotee about the comb placed outside on the chair. He had no idea at all. I smiled and told him that I was taking the comb!

Lakh Khushiyan Patshahiyan

Guruji's love for us is fixed as well as assured; it is miraculous to experience it. He is aware of every thought that arises in His devotees' minds. He lovingly grants us everything that is beneficial. An experience of mine at a Connecticut satsang bears this out.

Travelling to Connecticut, three hours distant from Boston, along with a few devotees I mentally and constantly requested Guruji Maharaj to play one of my favourite shabads, 'Lakh Khushiyan Patshahiyan'. During the satsang I waited to hear it and was disappointed when it was not part of the playlist. As satsangs began to be recounted, a lady devotee, who was a Sai devotee, thanked Guruji for playing a Sai bhajan during the satsang. I again, jokingly, questioned Guruji in my mind about my wish. Had He forgotten me?

One devotee stood up and he said he would like to sing a few lines from a shabad for Maharaj. I was electrified, as I thought maybe now he would sing the shabad I had requested Guruji for. But he sang another one. He was about to sit down—but then added that he would want to sing two lines from one more shabad. He began hymning 'Lakh Khushiyan Patshahiyan'... I was beyond joy. Goosebumps sprang all over my body. I adore you, Guruji!

Guruji directs the affairs of all His devotees. We can never know of His glorious virtues. In September 2018, I was travelling out of state to Baltimore for work. My flight from Boston, supposed to depart at 9.40 pm on a Friday, was delayed—to 10.35 pm and then to 11.15 pm. I was tense, as I had to travel on from Baltimore to another city, which was a two-hour drive from the airport and rainstorms were expected.

I was upset, but told myself that every disappointment is a blessing in disguise and tried to stay calm while I prayed to Guruji to help me figure out my travel situation. I took a cab towards the airport, constantly reciting Guruji Maharaj's mantra jaap. I reached the airport around 7.50 pm and cleared the security checkpoint in less than half an hour, very quick for a weekend. I thanked Guruji Maharaj. But the flight was further delayed to 11.50 pm. I was in a spot.

I reached my departure gate and saw that another flight, previously scheduled for quarter past 8, was set to depart. I was in a long queue building up towards the customer service desk. A gentleman approached me and asked me if I had been on the initial 9.40 pm flight. I assented and he pointed me towards a service desk, saying he had been put on the flight that was about to leave and I must go talk to them. That flight had almost boarded. I told the customer service representative about my plight, she checked seat availability and just one was up for grabs. I boarded the flight, as its very last passenger.

As I sat down on my seat, I recalled that the representative who had helped me was wearing large red earrings in the shape of roses. I knew then that Guruji was behind it all. I safely arrived at my destination. The threatening rain-front had passed, and I had no problem driving.

Guruji visits my workplace and plans my promotion

I had heard that Guruji visited the workplaces of his devotees and had wondered whether Guruji would visit my office or not.

Two months after my Baltimore trip, when I was facing bureaucratic difficulties at work, I got my answer and His blessings. I had arrived at the office as usual around 8.20 in the morning. There was no one else. From my cabin, I could see the main door of the office along with the waiting area in the lobby, where a couple of couches were placed.

Since I had about twenty minutes left before the morning meeting began, I started playing Japji Sahib Path on my phone. The office atmosphere was still and quiet. It was so peaceful that my eyes slowly shut down even as I tried to keep myself awake. Guruji Maharaj gave me a vision in which I saw Him, beautifully clad in a yellow chola, walking inside my office through the front door! He came in and sat down on the couch nearest to my desk, with one leg over the other, akin to the manner in which He sits in the swaroop. The vision lasted less than a minute and faded away. Guruji's heavenly fragrance also come to me for a few seconds.

Through the day I kept up an inner debate about whether Guruji Maharaj had visited my office or not. I did not share this experience. I kept asking Guruji the same question, too. That night Guruji Maharaj responded. In my dreams, I saw a satsang happening at my workplace at the same place where I had seen Him in my vision. I saw that the entire office was decked with flowers and balloons as if for a big celebration. Many devotees were eating langar prasad and there was Guruji, presiding in a very big swaroop in His yellow chola. I was reassured about His presence in my office. After a few days, the work-related issues that I was facing petered out, thanks to His blessings.

By year 2019, I had happily completed five years working for the same company. I enjoyed my job and strived for professional advancement. Intriguingly, between February 2018 and June 2019, my first-level manager changed three times. After working with each one of them for a few weeks, I was able to discern that they did not have the managerial skills required for such a dynamic environment. Our team's efficiency was affected and I was very frustrated.

My promotion had been in the works since year 2018, but for some or the other reason, it kept getting postponed. I used to work my fingers to the bone, but my managers conveniently took credit. The stress started to affect my personal life and increased my anxiety. In the back of my mind, I knew Guruji was watching over me and would bless my professional life in His time.

Events proved that anything is possible when you place your faith in Him. In May of 2019, on the 13^th, it rained heavily overnight. The next day I entered my office to find water falling right through the ceiling and the floor flooded. The water was falling right over my desk and nowhere else! My workstation was drenched. We had to shut down the office for the next three days.

Since my workstation was damaged, I placed an order for a new workstation on our company's IT website. I received an email as confirmation; the new workstation was to come in the next two weeks. My manager asked me to resume work from her workstation in her cabin. I had always imagined myself in that cabin and happily did so. Soon after, my manager left for a two-week vacation. Many people who saw me sitting in the manager's cabin started to congratulate me, assuming I had been promoted. At first, I corrected them, but when many greetings came my way, I stopped intervening.

In the first week of July 2019, my second-level manager visited my office. He, too, noticed that I was working from the manager's cabin. He came up to me and suggested talking about working from that office permanently. I had been waiting for this opportunity and was quite happy to discuss the matter. My current manager had unexpectedly resigned and would not report back to work, he told me. We had a great discussion. The manager reminded me to check up on the order for the new workstation. I called the IT team and was astonished to find out that they had no such record. I sent them the email confirmation I had and they were startled. They put it down to a technical glitch, but I knew that getting me to that cabin was an integral part of Guruji's master plan.

Two days later, I was formally informed about my promotion. My start date was the 8^th of July 2019—Guruji had given me an immense blessing during the week of His birthday. I attended the satsang organized for the birthday and was tasked with doing the decorations. That was when I could connect the dots, and I shared this satsang with my fellow devotees. I realized too that the heavy rain on the night of 13^th May was symbolic of the divine amrit varsha that literally paved the path for my promotion.

Only Guruji decides when and how we can receive His divine blessings. Once He takes us under His wings, He plans the course of our entire lives. The only way to receive Maharaj's blessings is by totally surrendering to His Divinity. Anantam Shukrana, Guruji Maharaj. I love you!

Guruji's divine protection

In September 2019, my younger brother visited the US and we went on a trip to the West Coast. I humbly requested Guruji Maharaj to join us. That prayer was going to be vital to our survival.

We drove up to Zion National Park in Utah, and decided to go on a popular hike known as Angels Landing. The trail had stunning views, but it was very hot and humid and for me, who doesn't do too well with this kind of weather, exhausting. My friends and my brother were ahead of me and I was dragging myself slowly behind them. After hiking for about an hour, the heat had taken a toll on my body. I was severely thirsty, but we had left our water bottles in the car. I was about to faint and asked Guruji for help. I said to Him: "Guruji, I need water, otherwise I don't think I can make it back to the car parking."

About ten minutes later, we ran into a devotee couple who were also hiking. They both had a pleasant smile. We exchanged greetings and then the lady asked me how the hike was going on. I told her I wished there was a tap around. She laughed and to my astonishment took out a bottle of fresh water from her bag. I was a little hesitant, but she pointed out it was fresh water in a clean, unused bottle. I took the water bottle, drank a little and it tasted heavenly. I thanked profusely and was about to return the bottle to her when she asked me to keep it and return it on my way back to the information desk. I willingly accepted her offer. This water bottle helped me complete the trail. How often Guruji Maharaj sends His angels to help his devotees!

Guruji's protection continued during the trip. We were driving through Death Valley National Park in Nevada. Death Valley is beautiful but dangerous. It seemed to me like a ghost town, an unfathomable place. I felt we were very brave to pass through this valley. There was a point where we could not see any cars even as the evening continued to get dark. I was remembering Guruji all the time and requesting Him to be with us.

As we motored to the end of the trip, we were able to see some city lights and the scene was getting back to normal. However, one of my friends was driving the car at some speed. I was constantly telling him to be careful. Suddenly, a police car came behind us and asked us to pull over. We were sure we would be charged for speeding. But the policeman drove the car closer to ours, rolled down the car window and said, "Please slow down and be careful. I just got a call and have to run." He turned the car and drove towards the opposite direction. We all thanked Guruji for saving us.

I have no idea what could have happened if we had continued our journey at a fast speed. Guruji Maharaj stopped our car and let that bleak moment pass. It was next to impossible for the police officer to stop the car and not charge us for over-speeding. But there is nothing impossible in the divine durbar of our Guruji Maharaj.

'You are never alone'

In November 2019, I went to Toronto for an exploratory visit as I was thinking of moving to Canada permanently from the States and of getting a job in the banking sector. Guruji Maharaj planned every bit of my journey and turned it into an extraordinary experience. I was truly blessed to stay with a family of devotees during my visit. The sangat took pains to see that I had no trouble.

I wanted to attend at least one of the many satsangs that took place in Toronto. Guruji blessed me so much that I attended four. Each time, I had someone giving me a ride to and fro to the destinations. I got in touch with many devotees and heard their remarkable satsangs. One of the satsangs stood out because as soon as I entered I could hear my favourite shabad playing. It felt like Guruji was watching me come in and smiling wholeheartedly. Guruji does so many things to cement our faith and is with us all the time, silently loving us.

I was looking for indications from Guruji Maharaj about my decision to move to Canada. I got several. The most remarkable occurred early in the morning as I took an Uber to attend a 6 am satsang. The driver got talking and I learnt that he worked with a pharmacy firm. He spoke to me with such warmth that I confided I planned to move to Toronto, but was anxious about finding a job. He mentioned that his wife worked for a well-reputed bank in Canada and that he would be happy to introduce me to her. I was stunned. Only Guruji could have planned our paths to cross that morning. Words cannot express how much I felt Guruji's presence with me throughout my stay in Canada.

However, there are times when our faith is tested and we begin to wonder if Guruji is listening to our prayers.

Towards the end of 2019, a co-worker was causing me much distress. I used to work in a public environment where I interacted with a lot of customers. On December 11^th, I was sitting in my office and, in an infrequent moment of seclusion, staring at Maharaj's swaroop on my desk while telepathically asking him, "Are you even listening to me? Are you around?" Then, my mind got preoccupied with office-related stuff.

On the same day, an old man walked inside my office, looking vexed. I had never seen him before. He sat down beside my desk and asked me a few questions related to the company's products. I provided him with information. He relaxed and smiled and got up. He had almost left my office when he turned around and asked me if I used social media personally. When I said yes, he handed me a slip of paper on which a couple of sentences were written in multiple colours. Please read this message and spread it, he said, as he walked out. I decided to read it sometime later. After a few minutes, I went back into my office and looked at it. It said: "Jesus is what's up. You are never alone. Lord, please help me to see you in my heart today. You know my name. We are the children of God."

I got goosebumps while reading it. Had not Guruji answered my prayer and told me unequivocally that He was with me. Guruji has His own ways of sending His answers to us. I was ecstatic to have received His answer so quickly through an unknown customer. Guruji Maharaj is ang-sang with His devotees and always listens to us. As Guruji used to say, there are never any coincidences; everything is planned.

Guruji's gaddi arrives at home

With Guruji's blessings, I moved into a new apartment in December 2019. I had selected this apartment because it had a room I could dedicate to Guruji Maharaj. I had looked at many apartments, but this one had caught my eye as it was filled with sunlight. Interestingly, it was the very first apartment I had seen. I had always imagined this room with a beautiful comfortable chair for Guruji. Once I settled in, I started searching for such a chair online. I couldn't find one and finally fell to pleading with Guruji Maharaj to select a chair for Himself.

I had to travel to India within the following ten days and wanted to bring His sinhasan before the trip so that I could invite Guruji to come and bless the apartment. Finally, Guruji Maharaj helped me decide on a chair which I liked instantly. But the delivery was set for two days after my travel date. I told Guruji that I was ordering this chair for Him—could it please arrive before my trip? I ordered the chair and then prayed to Guruji each day for an early delivery.

Four days later, around noontime, I was taking a nap at home when someone tapped me on the shoulder, asking me to wake up and check the door. I felt there was another person in the room. For a few seconds I froze, thinking someone had broken in. The doorbell buzzed, but there was no one at the door. I looked through the balcony and saw a delivery truck leaving. I realized the chair must have arrived. I ran to the mailroom on the first floor of the building and the chair was there. I had tears in my eyes looking at the box. The online status still showed the chair would be delivered four days later.

The chair is beautifully placed in Guruji Maharaj's room, and He comes to sit there. Such is our Guruji's way of listening to us and making us feel special. I am eternally grateful to Him for accepting me as a student in His classroom. Guruji Maharaj, please always keep me near Your Lotus feet. Guruji Maharaj made me feel so special. Thank you, Guruji, for coming into my apartment and accepting my invitation. Thank you for always showering Your love and care upon us.

How Guruji blessed my wedding

My wedding was on the cards, and I fondly wished that the wedding date should be a derivative of seven, the divine number associated with Guruji. By Guruji's will, my wedding was set for the 25^th of February. Two plus five equals seven, which equals me being very happy. Guruji's timing was (and is) immaculate. Had it been any other month after February, the lockdown would have hindered our plans.

Guruji showed us His presence at every step of the preparations. The shops we went to in New Delhi were of Guruji's devotees and we would spot Guruji's swaroop in them as soon as we entered. From shop owners to mehendi and make-up artists, everyone was connected with our Guruji.

Two weeks before the wedding, I went shopping with my mother to select my jewellery. On earlier trips, we had not met with success. I was worried as the day of the marriage was approaching and asked Guruji for His guidance. After looking at many jewellery sets, my mother liked one. I wore it to see how it looked, but still wasn't sure. I mentally conversed with Guruji Maharaj to tell me if that jewellery set was fine even as we decided to stick with this set. The shopkeeper prepared the purchase bill and, to my amazement, the bill showed the jewellery set had a catalogue number of 777! Tears came to my eyes and I thanked Guruji for making me feel His divine presence and for selecting that particular jewellery set for me.

On the day of the wedding, a beautiful peacock was spotted at the time the baraat was leaving for the wedding destination. Again it was an indication of Guruji's presence. With Guruji's blessings, all of our wedding functions went smoothly. After the wedding, the entire family went to Dugri for His darshans.

We had booked our flight tickets back to Boston for the 8^th of March even as Covid-19 was getting on the news. We prayed to Maharaj to bless our journey to Boston. On the 4^th of March, my father called me and expressed his concern, advising that we reschedule our flight. We checked online and found that the same flight that we were supposed to take on the 8^th was available on the 6^th of March, early morning, at almost the same price. Only three seats remained. We instantly booked the flight and began preparing to leave. We knew deep inside that Guruji was guiding us and we would be able to fathom it out later.

Ours was a connecting flight with a stopover in Doha. The second flight we took from Doha had a vacant seat next to ours for, of course, our beloved Guruji Maharaj. We reached our destination with no problem. On the 7th of March, we got to know why our trip had been preponed: The airline had cancelled the flight for the 8th.

At times, we fail to understand the different ways of Guruji, but He never lets us down and always enlightens us in ways we cannot even imagine. Thank you, Guruji, for Your love, Your care, and Your guidance. Thank you, Guruji for guiding us and for allowing us to change our flights, otherwise we could not have imagined our plight.

Jal prasad saves me from severe hives

Time and again, Guruji has demonstrated to me the supremely beneficial power of His jal prasad. He did so the day after we held a satsang to mark the holy day of His Mahasamadhi.

It was thus 3 in the evening on June 1, when I was busy washing dishes in the kitchen, that I began to feel itchy. I thought a mosquito had bit me. I scratched my stomach, hands and my lower back. The itching became severe and slowly spread throughout. It was hives. Since we had held a satsang in the apartment, I knew Guruji Maharaj had blessed me and would take care of this problem.

I called a doctor who advised me to take an anti-allergic medication, which my husband bought. Within two hours, the rashes began to fade only to reappear on different parts of my body. The itching was so severe that I wanted to scratch myself with full force. At night I was unable to sleep because of the severe itching. I decided to sit in front of Guruji Maharaj's gaddi around 3.45 in the morning. I prayed to Him and did the mantra jaap, asking Him to bless me. There were flowers placed in a vase next to Guruji's swaroop and a petal fell on the floor—an indication that He was listening to me. After more than an hour, I went back to my bedroom and tried to sleep. The next day, I was still in acute discomfort. I again called the doctor, who advised me to take a different medication. I then prayed to Guruji to save me from a hospital visit.

When the night arrived, the itching increased. I started applying ice packs on my hands and back. Absolutely nothing helped—though I knew Guruji Maharaj was watching me and I was only experiencing ten percent of what was supposed to happen. (Guruji always said that he takes ninety percent of our suffering upon Himself.)

That night again, I sat in front of Guruji Maharaj's gaddi and I cried because of the discomfort the rashes were causing me. I was unable to look at myself, with the red rash marking my entire my body, especially my hands. Suddenly, I felt that Guruji Maharaj was telling me to apply jal prasad on the rashes. I poured the jal prasad in a bowl and started applying the same on the rashes on my hands and feet with a cotton ball. The prasad felt like ice-cold water, and I shivered as I applied it. The rashes began to lose their sting within thirty minutes. I could not thank Guruji Maharaj enough for blessing me. When nothing else worked, only His jal prasad could cure me.

At 5 in the morning, I went to my bedroom, where I slept like a baby, waking up six hours later. I immediately went in front of the mirror and there was not a single rash on my body. It was an extremely harrowing experience, and even thinking about it today causes me distress. My entire soul is so grateful to Guruji Maharaj for His meher.

A turtle becomes my means for a lesson

I have never been comfortable around animals. After getting married, I discovered that my husband kept a small water turtle as a pet. I instantly loathed this slow-moving creature, smaller than the palm of my hand. I argued with my husband about keeping him in the apartment.

As the turtle became part of our home, I began to spend more time in its vicinity. A change of heart unconsciously began to take place The turtle's tank was placed in Guruji Maharaj's room where shabad gurbani and satsangs are played throughout the day. We noticed that the turtle switched to an active daytime routine. He was excited to see me. I had no idea that a creature as small as the turtle possessed this huge capacity to bestow love upon us.

Slowly Guruji Maharaj made me realize that for this turtle, we were his whole world. This thought provoked a stream of immense love in my heart for him. We would often notice him sitting absolutely still and looking at Guruji's swaroop. Guruji blessed him. Sometimes, we saw him standing vertically against the wall of the water tank and directly facing Guruji Maharaj's swaroop.

My husband had to travel to India for a month. He made arrangements with a friend to take care of the turtle. Unfortunately, his friend backed out one day before his flight to India. He had no option but to leave the turtle in the apartment. He strategically placed enough food in the tank and left his well-being in the hands of Guruji Maharaj. Guruji took such good care that my husband found him hale and hearty upon return. The water of his tank remained clean and did not dry up—an unusual event.

One night in June 2020, I had a vision. In this dream, I saw the multiple births, deaths, and rebirths of the turtle. The following morning Guruji helped me in accurately interpreting this dream. He reminded me of a sakhi from Sri Guru Granth Sahibji about life, birth and death which I had heard a while ago. I understood that Guruji blessed the turtle's wheel of birth-death-rebirth by annulling the effect of his past karmas or actions. More than likely He would bless the little one with spiritual liberation. This incident also reminded me of Guru Nanakji's words, Jammanu marna hukamu pachhanu: That the birth and death are governed by His will alone.

I now understand that I was mistaken not to like the little turtle in the beginning. I adore the turtle like never before now and cannot imagine my day without him. May Guruji Maharaj bless him even more. All beings and creatures are the divine creation of the Almighty Lord, our Guruji Maharaj.

That very month, I had another revelatory lesson. In June of 2020, I began to intuit that Guruji Maharaj wanted me to light a diya in front of His swaroop. In a matter of a week, I had heard many satsangs where devotees mentioned lighting a jyot before His swaroop. I decided to light a diya in front of His swaroop every evening.

On the evening of June 17^th, 2020, I was in the apartment by myself as my husband had stepped outside for a walk. I decided to light a diya in front of Guruji Maharaj. There are two small tables on either side of Guruji's gaddi; both have His framed swaroops. Before one of these, I lighted a diya, sat down and played shabads. It was around 7.45 in the evening and as I was getting up to prepare dinner, I noticed that there was a rectangular patch of light on the wall just above Guruji's swaroop (in front of which I had lighted the diya). It caught my eye because there was not much sunlight outside at that time.

It seemed like someone had switched on a projector and turned the wall into a small screen. Words are not enough to explain the images that manifested in front of my eyes. I saw various images of Aum, Trishul, and Guruji's face. I was mesmerized and just could not believe what I was watching. I was crying and sweating profusely due to the force of energy flowing in the room. Anantam Shukrana to Guruji Maharaj for giving me such a beautiful and heavenly darshan. Words are certainly not sufficient to explain this experience that Maharaj blessed me with. But the darshan will forever remain vivid in my memory.

Thank you, Guruji, for always giving me more than what I deserve. Thank you for your unconditional love and for keeping us in Your divine sharan. I love you!

Sneh Jit, a devotee

July 2020