All of us are pilgrims on the same journey; the difference is in the routes we take to reach our ultimate destination. Being one amongst those pilgrims I tried various routes, followed a few...left many and still wasn't sure of any of them. Happiness came and went past me, success was something I hoped for, love was something I was greedy about, and my health-that was the major issue of my life. It had taken its toll on me and hope left me all alone as if it had promised never to come back in my life! In short, life didn't mean the living for me. I was trying to settle with my fate like a hapless victim affected by a major tragedy.
I am a patient of a rare disease-muscular dystrophy, which has no cure so far. I try to escape my illness by forgetting about it in order to get along well with my life, daily chores, my duties, my relationships, and many other things that matter to me. However, at the end of the day, the disease is an unavoidable fact. Either there's something I am not able to do or l feel too low and depressed for not being able to perform tasks that others can. My illness seemed to win over me at the end of the day. My wife and my two daughters have always been very supportive, loving and caring, but their worry never leaves me. More than me, they are a responsible bunch and never let me feel handicapped.
Still, my inner self was not satisfied. I had complaints for some reason I had no clue about. My life did not seem fun-filled and blessed. Even though I had a family and friends, but as an individual I still thought of myself as a pilgrim looking for a steady path to walk on which would lead me to my destination, which would remind me and give me pleasure about who I was and what I was supposed to do. I was definitely looking for my guiding light.
Then, one afternoon a doctor known to me, Dr. Jethra, gave me a call and asked me to meet Guruji once. That one meeting gave birth to endless meetings. And suddenly my entire life changed when I met my beacon of light - GURUJI.
It was as if someone had cast a magic spell. I felt like a little boy who had found his genie. I met Guruji in September 2006 and from that moment on everything changed for good. It did take me a lot of time to digest the fact that there could actually be a guru who could make my life so very pleasant and simple. I remember that the minute He looked at me, He knew that I was ill. He never wanted to know anything from me since He already knew more than even I knew about my own self.
The copper tumbler He blessed is my priced possession and the best gift I could ever receive. He gave me hope, a new life, a reason to live on and forget about worries. The storm of my life calmed; now, everything is so settled and on track. There is just one power behind it: My Guruji who will stay with me forever. And His fragrance, which still reminds me that no matter what He will be there for me.
Ajay Chaudhary, a devotee
July 2011