by Priyanka Gotika, USA
My Maha Kumbh 2025 Experience at the Mohanji Village
On Wednesday, Jan 15th, one day after Makara Sankranthi, I pinged a dear friend on WhatsApp to learn how to get involved with the Mohanji Foundation, as Mohanji’s connection to Sai Baba is pulling me towards Mohanji.
For context, I was doing an intense Sai Satcharithra parayanam in December 2024, and the YouTube algorithm decided to pull in some of Mohanji’s videos where he talks about Sai Baba. At the same time, I had a mental debate about whether I needed a living spiritual master or if it was enough that I was connected to my Sai Baba.
Whether Mohanji will be my spiritual master or not, I thought contributing to the foundation closely connected to Shiridi Sai Baba would show me some direction. My friend connected me to Vidya Rajagopalan, a Mohanji Acharya, and we spent 30 – 40 minutes on the phone. She talked to me about ACT, the Empowered course, seva/volunteering, etc. All of these were foreign to me up until that point. I felt strange energy on that call and was getting pulled in with more intensity.
Towards the trailing end of that 30 – 40-minute call, I just blurted to Vidya that I am starting to get this feeling of spending Maha Shivaratri at Maha Kumbh this year. She said she wanted to do that same along with attending Mohanji’s birthday but wasn’t sure of her work situation and whether she could take time off.
She also talked about how she had an intense feeling about going to Kailash with Mohanji in 2016 and was so thankful to have pulled the trigger on it. I took that as a sign, too, but only the seed was planted that afternoon. By the end of January, the seed quickly took life, and I booked my tickets and accommodations at Mohanji village to spend 2 days at Prayagaraj.
Yes, in a first of its kind, my India trip lasted only 6 days, travel days included, and my luggage was just one backpack. Yes, I didn’t plan to visit family in those 6 days. I was laser-focused in a way. In those 6 days, my modes of transport included six flights to and fro, and I needed two taxis, one auto, one bike, and about an hour of walking on the day before Maha Shivaratri to reach Mohanji village. To describe how I feel about that trip – It is the same feeling you get when you eat a satiating meal after staying hungry for so long. That is how I felt.
Although I didn’t get to meet Mohanji in person, I felt his omniscient presence during my stay, and I would love to share a few of my experiences below.
Sai Baba Aaratis
In the 1.5 days I was at the village, five aaratis were conducted, and I attended all 5. The first one was right after I got to the village on the 25th. I took a shower and immediately attended the Dhoop aarati at 6 PM.
I have the habit of looking straight into Baba’s eyes and feeling a strong connection during the aaratis. As I started looking him in the eye, tears rolled out of my eyes. I can’t tell why I was sobbing, but it was intense and lightening in a way. I was surrendering the load I was carrying in my mind, and all I was feeling that evening was a deep sense of gratitude for making sure that I came to Prayagaraj to spend Maha Shivaratri there.
Being severely jetlagged, I went to bed that night and woke up by 4:00 AM on the day of Maha Shivaratri. I took a dip in the river Ganga at 5 AM and returned for Kakad aarati at 6 AM. During this aarati, I felt the exact opposite of the previous day. I was feeling contentment and happiness. I was smiling the whole while.
As I intently looked at Sai Baba’s eyes, I looked at Mohanji’s picture at the bottom of the altar, which I overlooked the night before. Mohanji’s look was so sharp that it was piercing through my soul. I kept alternating between Baba’s and Mohanji’s eyes, and a sudden download happened where I got the message from Baba…” I am Mohanji, Mohanji is Me!”.
I cannot describe the ecstasy I felt at that very moment. I found the answer to whether I need a living spiritual master. I found a renewed sense of reassurance. The high energy from that morning aarati has lasted for several days. I read many such stories in Sai Satcharithra, but it felt like I was living one right then.
Abhishekam water from Someshwar Mahadev Temple
Another incident was during the bhajan session on the night of Shivaratri. About an hour before this incident, I went to the Someshwar Mahadev Mandir, where the Shivalingam was said to have been placed there by the Moon God himself to pay his respects to the supreme Consciousness, Lord Shiva.
I prayed to the Shivalingam but didn’t do an abhishekam. I was too keen to return to the village on time to do the abhishekam to the Shivalingam at the Mohanji village at midnight (Lingodhbhavam time). After I returned and did abhishekam to my heart’s content, I joined the Bhajan group and started singing and dancing.
After a while, I was sitting and chanting/singing with my eyes closed, my mind wandering to the Someshwar temple. I started feeling dissatisfied that I hadn’t done an abhishekam there and contemplated returning.
As the thought arose, I felt someone walking by and opened my eyes. Someone with some water in a bowl said they had just returned from the temple, did an abhishekam there, and offered that water to me. What a miracle! I couldn’t help but smile and feel immense gratitude for the fantastic ways Baba/Mohanji works.
Airport Taxi Ride
I am indecisive. When I have options, I sway between them, often choosing the “safe” option after much overthinking of the outcomes that are entirely out of my control. Before leaving for this trip, my mentor at work pointed out this about me and suggested that I start trusting in my instincts, be self-assured, and take calculated risks without needing constant external validation.
This message echoed in my head when Aishwarya, the queen of transportation, suggested that I leave the village at 5 AM for my 3 PM flight (a safe option) while my heart was yearning to stay a bit longer, take another dip in Ganga and then leave later in the morning as my flight isn’t until 3 PM.
Upon enquiring about a cop at the Someshwar temple earlier, they said the traffic wouldn’t be bad the next day as long as it was before noon and the Chief Minister was arriving in the afternoon. I sat meditating at Baba temple and surrendered the outcome of the calculated risk I planned to take the following day. I told Baba I would take a dip, have breakfast, and revisit him before I left for the airport.
After that, I told Aishwarya about my decision and that I would find my way to the airport the following day. She suggested I see if there is room in the cabs to leave later in the morning as I didn’t have any bags. After a blissful night of Shivaratri, I took a dip and had a sumptuous breakfast, and it was time to find out if any cabs were going at that time. To my disappointment, all the cabs had left, or at least that is what I was told.
I decided to figure out my transportation and go to Baba temple one last time before I packed up and left. As I was walking over, I saw some people hurrying with suitcases. Upon asking, their cab was to go in 5 mins. I turned back to Baba, prayed to him, thanked him, and asked if I had space.
They were none other than Jyoti and Purushi from Dallas, whom I wanted to meet to understand more about the Peace City Project in Texas but didn’t get a chance to meet until then. What a fantastic miracle again, not only in my taxi ride, which Baba arranged, but also in the arrangement with the people in charge of the Big Baba statue and the visionary Peace City project.
Numerous Satsangs
Mohanji’s satsangs were a treat. I took away many nuggets from those two talks. In the session where people shared their experiences, I was mesmerized by Mina’s and Palak’s stories and associations. How lucky must they be in such proximity to Mohanji?
While there, I met many of Mohanji’s devotees, some of whom were also Baba’s devotees. Most of everyone I met shared some of their other experiences with Mohanji. How they first met, their devotion grew, and what they got out of it. Between the Satsang were sumptuous vegan meals from Jyoti (our version of Radha Krishna Mai) and her staff, delicious ginger teas, and Sai Baba aartis.
During one of the satsangs with someone I met at the cafe, the last aarati of my stay started, and we all rushed there. That reminded me of the chapter in Satcharithra where Hemadpant went to meet Shama where Shama shared the Leelas of Baba and talked about Mrs Radhabai Deshmukh’s story, and just as they were wrapping up, they heard the aarati bells ring. They rushed to see Baba and perform the aarati. The same scene played in front of me as if I were living it.
After returning to Austin, I searched for that story and was shocked at how aptly it applied to my situation. Reading the story increased my understanding of the oneness of Mohanji with Baba.
Later, when I reached the airport and talked with yet another Baba devotee who loves Mohanji and asked Mohanji to help her get out of the confusion of the mind between Sai Baba and Mohanji as two separate entities, Mohanji told her to repeat this in her mind – “Baba is Mohanji, Mohanji is me, and I am Baba!” What a synchronicity!
This was the exact message I got from Baba during the aarati earlier. I flew out with contentment—nothing but gratitude in my heart. My high energy still keeps going even though it’s been a week since I returned. The cherry on the cake was when I could hug Devi Ji and see Mohanji’s mother waving goodbye when she left. What a time to be alive!
As I mentioned in the beginning, I was content and thankful. I am grateful to have found my master, myself, and a large, extended Mohanji family of kind souls.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 3rd April 2025
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