I consider myself extremely fortunate and honoured to have met Guruji around the year 2000. Since then He has, in every way, blessed and kept my entire family under His guiding benevolence. My husband Deepak initially met Guruji when he had gone with his brother Arun on a day not appointed for the
sangat.
Arun had a pressing problem, as the daughter of one of his domestic staff had met with a serious accident in the village, and doctors had said she had no option but to get her leg amputated. Guruji was at home, and they were fortunate to have His
darshan. By His grace her foot was saved. While they were there, Guruji asked my husband to bring me to see Him. I was at first disinclined for though I am a religious-minded person, I did not believe in 'mortal Gods'. Later, reflecting on how greatly He had helped my sister-in-law Anita with her disabilitating Parkinson's problem, I felt it would be disrespectful for me to not go.
The instant Guruji saw me, He said, "
Kailash Khanna di kudi" (Kailash Khanna's daughter), and I was quite shocked for there was no way He could have known my late father's name. He gave me a photograph of His and asked me to keep coming to the
sangat.
I placed His photo on my
puja table at night and was surprised to see the next morning that it had fallen. Also, the
sindoor, which I kept in a small round container, had dropped onto the table in a neat round heap, though the sindoor container was still upright. No one could have entered the
puja room at night, and I was confused. With the benefit of hindsight, I now know that that was Guruji's way of telling me He had come to my home that night.
How I got my knitting needles
I particularly remember an incident when Guruji saved us from a great deal of anguish. Our younger son Vinayak was to get married. On the morning of the
sangeet, arrangements had been made and families had arrived from different parts of the country and abroad. Suddenly, I heard my husband's fearful voice. He was asking me to come immediately as his ailing mother had collapsed. However, I ran first to Guruji's photograph and prayed to Him to keep her safe. Then I entered my mother-in-law's room. Miraculously, she turned and sat up, and her recovery was so complete that she was able to participate in the wedding celebrations that she had been looking forward to.
Another time that Guruji blessed our family - for which we are eternally grateful - was when He facilitated the birth of our twin grandsons.
My elder son Rajnath and his wife Moira had been married for five years. We were anxious to be grandparents, but they were taking their time. Since both worked in the US, where there is no family support, and had little spare time, I hoped they would not put off having children altogether. So one day we asked Guruji if and when they would have children. He looked at their photographs for a long time and then told me to bring them for His blessings.
Fortunately, this happened soon as they were coming for Vinayak's wedding. As part of the wedding ceremonies, we had a small
havan at home. Moira told me she would not be able to participate as she was having her periods. After the wedding, they returned to the US and barely had a few days passed when all excited she rang up and told me to take out my knitting needles: I was going to be a grandmother!
I was pleasantly shocked, as just 10 days earlier I had known it was not possible. I came to thank Guruji profusely for this miracle, and He told me that He had blessed her with twins. After her ultrasound, Moira was able to confirm this news to me as well.
Blessing my husband
Another time, my husband Deepak had an injury to his foot and it became infected. It had got to the point of turning gangrenous and Deepak had to be hospitalized. With treatment it got better and he came home with a large dressing around his ankle. The next morning he noticed that the bed sheets and blankets were covered with fresh blood and wondered where it had come from. Yet, the dressing was completely clean and dry. The doctor also examined him to see if there could have been bleeding from elsewhere and was quite intrigued. No one could explain what had happened. But we knew that it was Guruji who had eliminated whatever infected blood there was that remained in my husband's foot.
Guruji has even given my husband a new lease of life with a new heart. Two of Deepak's arteries had over 90% blockage. Guruji had foreseen this and had asked me to come for
darshan on a particular day. I happened to be pre-occupied that evening and decided to go the next day instead. However, before I could meet Guruji, Deepak was rushed to Escorts hospital with severe pain and underwent emergency surgery. He had angioplasty and had three stents put inside his arteries. As my son, daughter-in-law and I waited in the hospital lobby, we could smell Guruji's rose-like fragrance. As Deepak came out of surgery he too smelt Guruji's fragrance. But though I was beside him, I did not. Perhaps Guruji was reprimanding me for not coming to the
sangat on the appointed day. If I had, Deepak would have been saved from this trauma. I thanked Guruji with all my heart and promised Him that I would never make this mistake again.
These are just some of the instances where Guruji has touched our lives, yet there have been other innumerable ones. I pray to Him daily to guide and bless our family and to keep us from harm. I am completely indebted to Him and am confident that He hears my prayers. I have on occasions asked Him that He does so much for so many people; what does He expect in return? He smiles and says, "
Their complete devotion."
Jyotsana Shourie, Devotee
July 2007