Even as we continued to experience Guruji's blessings and felt Him near us, we felt stuck in a confined schedule with no room for a getaway and were desperately in need of a break. We didn't know it but Guruji had already planned a dream trip for us.
Our family friends visited us in Chandigarh in January 2012 from Los Angeles; around April-May, we began thinking of visiting them back in the US. We applied for a US visa for our family and got an appointment date with great difficulty because of the ongoing summer vacations. On top of that my father's office schedule was very tight. With His grace, we were able to reach New Delhi on June 5 for our interview at the embassy the following day. And still with His grace, we were able to find a last-minute cab on the morning of the 6th, when the cab we had booked didn't show up.
We stepped into the cab and found that a
shabad was being played. I had heard it even as a child, as far back as 1997 in Chandigarh in His presence: "
Mere Satgura, main tujh bin awar na koi."(O my True Guru, without You I have no other.) We were immediately reassured that all was well. I was joyous, telling my brother "job done!" The next shabad that played was "
Sewa thodi mangan bahuta", telling us that our services to God were minimal but our expectations huge. "
Gur jaisa naahin koi dev" followed, reassuring us that the guru was the supreme spiritual authority.
Armed with His successive reassurances, we reached the US embassy. Visa approval was a hurdle. My elder brother, for one, had completed his studies, had a professional practice and was unmarried. Unmarried graduates are not very welcome when it comes to Visas. I too was studying in college. Before us, we could see the many dejected faces of those who had been rejected despite the genuineness of their claims and the weight of their files with supporting documentation. The rejection rate was as high as 70 per cent, adding to my brother's anxiety. But I knew there was "no need to fear, when Guruji was near".
When our turn came, a new counter opened up and we-my father, mother, brother and I-were asked to go there. The issuing officer asked very few details of my father and wanted to know just the basic details of what the rest of us were pursuing. He did not even ask for salary particulars, leave alone asking for documents to support any of our statements. We sensed Guruji was sitting there, because of the manner in which the queries were put. For example, the officer first asked my father who were his children and then my mother. When my father said they were the same, we all had a good laugh! We got our ten-year visa.
We began planning our trip, but despite my numerous attempts, it failed to come to fruition. We were also anxious for my grandparents who would be left behind alone in Chandigarh. I was so put off that I vowed not to join in the plans furthermore.
The following December, while my exams were going on, we managed to book our tickets for the 24th. This time we hadn't planned for it at all. The Chief Planner had already planned everything! We got our tickets at unbelievably good prices during the peak X-Mas season, that too on my dream aircraft-the A380.
On the night we had to leave for Delhi, we attended a satsang held at very short notice. Two days back I had been saying to Guruji that we would miss our
sangat in Chandigarh when we went abroad. He was listening to me! That day due to bad weather our flight was delayed and only 33 of the more than 400 passengers of two flights were able to board a re-routed flight from Delhi to China. We were among them, all thanks to Guruji.
The flight turned out to be more than memorable. When I was settling down on my seat, my brother spotted Guruji's wallpaper in one of our co-passenger's mobile phone. For the next four hours we were doing satsangs and didn't realize when we had reached China.
The plane was late on arrival at China so our connecting flight was missed. We were granted a one-day visa and hotel stay at no extra cost. We could now enjoy the city of Guangzhou on X-Mas for the whole day-all thanks to our benevolent Guruji. By the end of Christmas day, we had celebrated it thrice: aboard the A380 aircraft, at Guangzhou, and in Los Angeles.
The US trip was also marvellous. We attended satsang in Los Angeles on Lohri night and were talking to sangat in San Francisco regularly. While travelling in San Francisco, we took a detour to join our tour bus at a particular place and seemed to have lost our way. Time was ticking by and even the cops could not give us directions. My father began getting worried, when my mom prayed to Guruji for help.
In answer to her prayer, a lady came up to us and asked us what the matter was. She told us the way to reach our destination. Before we could thank her, she had vanished into thin air. We returned India on January 17. We faced no problems throughout our trip and, in fact, got more out of it than possible. My grandparents too faced no issues at home in Chandigarh. Who could have planned all this but Guruji.
I would repeat: "
Guruji nu mann ke manno, naa ki mang ke manno." (Trust Guruji first; don't wait for your wish to be granted and then place your faith in him.) Jai Guruji!
[Following section added December 2020]
As Covid-19 makes its play, Guruji's leela saves and uplifts me in job
I had just come to study in the US in 2015 when I had much need of Guruji's grace. I was doing my Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Southern California and badly hurt my knee playing soccer in a departmental tournament. I was taken to the emergency room, where it was found my knee had fractured. That meant complete bed rest for eight weeks.
I began taking all precautions for my recovery even as a family friend's family took great care of me, keeping me at their home during recovery, frequently shuttling me between school, doctor visits and their home.
Guruji showed yet again that His blessings are way beyond medical science. Two days after the incident, I was scheduled to visit the school's orthopaedic surgeon, who asked for an X-ray to check on the knee. When the doctor compared the reports from the day of the incident and the recent X-ray, the look on his face was priceless. He zoomed in and out of the scanned image on a monitor and called the technicians to confirm if the X-ray was mine and of the injured area. Incredibly, the new X-ray showed no sign of the fracture. I knew who had done this—our Guruji!
After I had finished my studies and while still on a student F-1 visa, I had begun working in a company that formulates skincare products. I was hoping that I would get the H-1B lottery to stay on in the US this year when Covid-19 hit our company. As stay-at-home orders were issued for the state of California on March 19, all non-essential businesses had to shut down, including our company.
That very day, I saw an article stating that the Federal Drug Authority (FDA) was now allowing temporary compounding of hand sanitizers, lowering the over-the-counter manufacturing restrictions. This allowed companies such as ours to benefit since we had the expertise and resources to manufacture sanitizers, but not the license to counter the shortage of the product in the market. I sent that article to my manager, wrapped up for the day and prepped for a foreseeable period of no-onsite work.
Imagine my shock then when the plant head called me and told me that this was it for me. After all, a week earlier, I had been praised for my hard work and for going above and beyond for the company. With Guruji's grace I kept my calm, came back to my lab, finished the remaining chores, and sent an email to the CEO and owners requesting them to keep me in the company. I explained that a layoff at this stage would not only leave me jobless, but also jeopardize my chances to stay in the US, as my H-1B application would be denied while my F-1 visa duration expired.
I returned home sadly. However, I reasoned that since Guruji had sent me to the US, I needed to just believe in Him and He would find a way out. I did not question Guruji Maharaj or curse my luck. Forty minutes later, I reached home—jobless. I checked my email and found that the CEO had sent back a spontaneous reply ten minutes after my email. He reassured me that the company was ready to back me and spend an exorbitant tuition fee for admission to a school to help me study and continue to be a part of the company.
Victory to Guruji! I thanked Him for blessing me so much. I had trusted Him completely even when it looked dark everywhere.
In fact, the CEO wrote an appreciation email for me to the entire company, highlighting how my email had brought the vital FDA notification to their attention. Everyone had missed it. I know this could have been anyone, but our Guru not only protects His disciples, but also ensures that His sangat's head is always held high. Over the entire weekend, I kept receiving congratulatory emails thanking me for my contributions. When I returned a month later, a personal office had been set aside for me. Such is Guruji Maharaj's grace!
Our owner's benevolence has continued as well, with our company humanitarianly donating hand sanitizers to various hospitals across LA County.
Soon, I got my H-1B visa and subsequent approval, so I can stay in the US for three years or till I have this job. But why should I worry about this? Guruji Maharaj has already planned out our lives. Our job is just to do our work, believe in Him and enjoy the bliss we are blessed with!
Sukraat Chopra, a devotee
December 2020