It was my daughter who was the first to form a bond with revered Guruji through her friend in Mumbai. This was around June of 2022. Little did I know that I myself would become His ardent devotee. For I used to see Guruji's picture on mobile display screens and on the rear of cars and wonder how anyone could follow and liken a human being to God. Soon after my husband and I visited Guruji's Bade Mandir. But it was on my second visit around December that year or during January of 2023 that I felt a connection. I rationalized it: I used to chant "Om Namah Shivay" as a child and that manifested in my forming a connection with Guruji.
Guruji's advent in our lives was fortuitously timed. A month after my second Bade Mandir
darshan, I went to Jammu to visit my parents. The entire family went out for dinner one evening; the following day my father was ill. To everyone's surprise, he had to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator. I asked Guruji–only mentally–to make my father well. The following morning his parameters were normalizing and within days he was on his way to recovery. He now leads a normal life thanks to Guruji's divine intervention.
That year, I too had to see off serious disease: A polyp was found in my uterus. It was removed, but I needed another surgery, since the biopsy reports were not very good and doctors reckoned an MRI could show up to a 30 per cent chance of finding cancerous lymph nodes. There was a 10-day interval between the biopsy and the MRI and, taking my cue from a
satsang, I kept listening to two potent
shabads, "
Thir ghar baiso har jan pyare" and "
Taati wao na lag gayi" constantly. They gave me a lot of strength. A day before the MRI, my daughter had Guruji's darshan in a dream. I hadn't revealed anything to her, but when she recounted her vision to me, I knew that Guruji had already cured me.
So it turned out. My MRI came clear, my surgery was quick and uneventful, and my recovery was fast and smooth.
Satsang superlatives
We planned to hold Guruji's satsang on Janmashtami day, which fell on the 7
th of September 2023. A week before the satsang, I formed a WhatsApp group that had my in-laws and my husband. I was looking for a display picture for it when I came upon a beautiful
swaroop: Guruji with such a big smile on His face that one can't help but smile back. Two days later, we were walking back from having darshan at Bade Mandir and turned towards the kiosk where they give out His sacred swaroops. It was 7pm and the kiosk had closed. I asked a
sewadaar for a big swaroop of Guruji. He pointed towards another who was just passing by. This sewadar's car was parked right where we were standing and he had many big swaroops. He took them out and asked me to pick one. I saw before me the same swaroop that I had put up as the display picture for our WhatsApp group. I realized that it was our divine Guruji who was leading the way, marking the path for us with His footsteps. Since this was the first satsang we were hosting, I wasn't confident. However, everything fell in place.
After the satsang, I had to place the swaroop, and the right place was the altar at the
pooja room. That meant the Mandir had to be rearranged and a divine chair bought for Him. I made a trip to a furniture market with my husband, but failed to find anything befitting our Guruji. On our way back home, I got a call from my daughter. While I was on the phone with her, I saw a beautiful, tall, royal-looking chair in a showroom on the main road. I gestured to my driver to stop. We went in and saw similar chairs. Something felt amiss in all, till I told the shop owner that I was looking for something for Guruji. He was elated! And immediately took us to the first floor of the shop. As we climbed the stairs, my eyes fell on a single chair kept on the first landing of the staircase. One look and I could feel Guruji's presence on that chair.
I cannot even begin to explain how blessed I feel to have Guruji in our home. When I light the
jyot, I see an Om in the metal container housing the light nearly every day, as though Guruji is showing me that He is always around us.
I indeed feel Guruji's presence and guidance daily. One incident happened on the morning of 16
th February this year.
I'm part of a
langar sewa group. Every week we take cooked food for labourers, but can also donate money that goes into procuring items such as disposable plates. I had a busy day ahead of me so thought of transferring the money online to the sewa incharge. I talked to my husband, who discouraged it. I nevertheless opened my mobile app and the moment I tried to do the transfer, the name of the incharge, saved among other payees, was not there. Her name had been there seconds before–but now hers was the only name not visible. I could have added her name again, but I knew this was Guruji's way of telling me what to do.
One daughter survives a fall; another, an atheist, finds faith
My daughter went to the UK towards the end of 2023 and had to apply for her work visa. She stayed there with my younger daughter. A fortnight into the trip and one morning, when she was nauseous and feverish, she blacked out in the washroom and fell down. Luckily, she had not locked her washroom door. She fell so hard that my younger daughter woke up. My elder daughter was on the floor, with blood around her face. She had broken her tooth, had a nasty gnash on the lower lip and injured her chin. She called me up, howling. I kept my composure because I knew in my heart that Guruji would take care of her. My younger daughter called for the ambulance, and my daughter was treated speedily.
I knew I should have been really worried, but to my surprise I was just fine. My faith was not misplaced. Despite falling so hard, my daughter felt no pain. She was not put on any painkillers or antibiotics. Her face showed no scarring. A few days' rest and she was back on her feet. Our Guruji was with her throughout. My elder daughter has strong faith in Him and even had darshan of Him at that time. As a mother, it's very reassuring to know that my child's faith is so strong and that she's always protected.
On the other hand, my younger daughter does not believe in any religion or any religious entity. She's an ardent student who focuses on her work. Yet the last few months had been quite challenging for her and despite her best efforts, her attempts in getting a job didn't succeed and her housing woes didn't end. When I spoke to her one day, she told me that she was wearing a bracelet of Guruji's, which had reached her through a friend's friend. This was unbelievable. As a non-believer for her to embrace Guruji so suddenly is unimaginable. I'm so grateful to Him always. His magnanimity, His charisma can draw anyone to Him. I thank Him eternally for all that He does.
Blessings for my father-in-law; Hanuman Chalisa for my husband
My father-in-law had been undergoing various health investigations since the last few days because of a suspicious health diagnosis. Since we have complete faith in Guruji Maharaj, we weren't dismayed. Sure enough, Papa's final test results were good. His sister, meanwhile, got in touch with an astrologer (
jyotishi), who predicted that all would be well and that my father-in-law should focus more on doing Shiv
smaran (remembrance of Lord Shiva) and also suggested some remedies or
upayas. I told Papa to do Shiv smaran and forget about the rest. My husband also wanted to show his horoscope to the jyotishi. No one else in the room heard him as he said this, but I saw his expression and could sense a desperate plea. I remembered that Guruji would always discourage His sangat from going to pandits and jyotishis. That very night, I had darshan of Guruji in an early-morning dream. I asked Him about my husband and Guruji told me to ask him to do the
Hanuman Chalisa (forty verses in praise of Hanuman).
So benign is my God, my Guru, who pervades my entire being. He is our jyotishi and everything else. Ever since the dream darshan my heart has been so full of love and gratitude for my Guruji that it's hard to put it in words.
I have left everything to Guruji. He guides me every step of the way and I am eternally grateful for His presence. Guruji knows this Guru–disciple connection goes back a long time. A dream vision I had is a pointer to this spiritual testament. One night I dreamt of actor Shatrughan Sinha's face as a youth. The following morning I found myself humming a tune which I hadn't heard in the longest time. When I ran an internet search, I found that the tune belonged to a song from the film "
Shirdi Ke Sai Baba"; the song–
Sai nath tere hazaron haath–had been picturized on Shatrughan Sinha. I knew instantly that this Guru connection descended from lifetimes.
I can go on thanking Guruji but it would never be enough. How does one thank such an entity? There are challenges and difficulties in life, but I don't get anxious anymore because I just know He is there. There are so many other instances where Guruji has literally held my hand to guide me to do or not to do certain things. His majestic aura is all around and one can feel it so strongly if one has faith.
I bow my head in reverence to this divine power. May Guruji bless everyone. Thank you for everything, my Guruji. May He bless each one. Jai Guruji!
Vandana Khanna, a devotee
June 2024