Turkey, ACT Foundation disaster relief Feb 2023 – Part 1

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Linda Abrol, Netherlands

I am not strong, not so fit and not so courageous

Suddenly I found myself in Adana, Turkey, a two-hour drive from the epicentre of the recent earthquakes, where with a small team and the Serbian ACT Compassion van, we bought necessities in the morning and brought them the same day to families that we picked very selectively in the afflicted areas. They were in dire need of food, toiletries, blankets, stoves, thermal underwear, warm sweaters, socks, etc.

How did I end up here? What happened? Something moved me to sign up for disaster relief during the earthquake in Turkey. Why? I am not brave. I shiver just from the word earthquake, and the slight shaking in Limburg many years ago upset me for a year. During that year, I was disproportionately shocked when I heard a sudden sound, as if the base of my physical safety was gone. 

I’m not strong either due to osteoarthritis and a broken shoulder tendon. So, apart from the light stuff, I can’t help lift and hand out the supplies. I told Selma that the only thing I could offer was to be available and willing. Selma suggested that I do the filming. That would be nice for her because she had her hands full herself. And the footage was desperately needed to raise funds. 

During the layover in Izmir, I met a friendly blonde woman, Sibel. She lived in Adana and had just taken her infant son by plane to a safer city. When I asked her how safe it was in Adana, she told me that the shocks were intense there, too. The buildings collapsed, and 500 people died. Among them was her friend. I started to console her, and she shrugged timidly. I asked how she felt now in Adana. She told me that she and her family no longer feel safe and want to move. I completely understood. I hid the shock I got at that moment. So far, I was under the assumption that our hotel was situated in a safe area. It wasn’t! I jumpstarted my two-step remedy against all fear: step 1, breath in and breath out. Step 2, Repeat step 1!

The first working day

After yesterday’s exhausting trip and my arrival at the Yellow Mansion Hotel in Adana, our ACT 4 Turkey crisis team of four people was complete: Mircea from Serbia, Selma from the UK, Melanie from Canada and me from the Netherlands.

Micea drove the ACT Foundation van with Melanie as a co-driver, and I drove my rental car of the “no idea” brand. I didn’t even bother to look at what brand it was. It wasn’t long before I started calling Selma ‘boss’. She had already gained a lot of experience in Ukraine and knew the ins and outs of the actions to be taken. Be it buying food boxes, finding heaters, toiletries and thermal clothing or finding families in need, etc. Her telephone was her office.

The first thing she did in a new country was find contacts and make friends. She always succeeded. Mustafa and Juzuf, two cousins from Arsuz, were so helpful to drive with us that day and not only acted as interpreters but directed us to the homes and tents of families who needed our help the most, as well. Mircea was great at efficiently loading and unloading the van, and Melanie supported him. Apart from compassionately listening to the victims, hugging them and connecting, I supported Selma as her driver and cameraman, made sure she ate and took care of filming, photography and writing.

Selma edited the material till the early morning hours, hardly sleeping. She posted her powerful and beautiful videos daily, and I shared them immediately with my friends and followers on Social Media. By sending her compositions and my stories to Dutch Social Media, I could contribute a bit to the fundraising. Wherever I could be useful made me extremely happy.

Shiva’s blessings on Mahashivaratri

During Mahashivaratri, I thought: for me, Mohanji is Shiva. For me, this is another Kailash Yatra. When we went for dinner at Mustafa and Juzuf’s family home after a long day of work – their house still standing but every wall showing cracks – Michea parked the van in front of the house. Unconsciously watching his manoeuvre, I noticed an egg-shaped plaster dome just behind the van. It resembled an enormous Shivalingam. In front of it was Mohanji’s face, pictured on the back of the van. Behind it, a snowy mountain landscape basking in the final evening light.

At this point, I was one hundred per cent sure that this was another Kailash Yatra. On Mahashivaratri eve! A greater blessing didn’t seem possible. Mohanji was with us. That much was clear. We enjoyed the hospitality of this dear family, and I marvelled at how cheerful, open and welcoming people can still be when the world around them has literally collapsed. 

The second working day: an enervating day 

In the middle of the night, I started doubting. Mohanji, is it smart if I join you today? It will be such a long day. I am not so fit. I am still recovering from my illness in India which was only a little more than two weeks ago. It might not be effective for the team. I want to add value. I certainly don’t want to be a nuisance. Mohanji, what do you want me to do? Fortunately, my inner Mohanji replied quickly. He said, ‘Linda, I am simply protecting you all the time.’

He doesn’t want me to do anything! I have to make my own choices. We don’t do anything for him. He is complete in himself. He is simply giving us opportunities to develop ourselves. Wherever I choose to do work from my heart, he will protect me. The emphasis here was on the words’ all the time. It made me really feel protected. He knew we were not safe, but he made sure we escaped all serious trouble. I will tell you about that later. For now, I knew I could simply start off with the team and surrender to the protection of Mohanji.

In the car, on the way to our destination, Mustafa, the Turkish volunteer of our team, tells us that last night after we had dinner with his family, another slight earthquake woke him up in the night. It was only 3 on the Richter scale. And nothing serious compared to the earthquake two days back in his town, where so many houses collapsed. So he literally did not lie awake for long. We were happy, we were not there.

Deep loss, fear and pain

We were on our way to Antakya. The area hardest hit. Before we went into the city, we visited some families just outside the city centre. What brought me to tears was a father with an adorable six-year-old daughter. She was radiantly cuddling with the new doll she had received from us. She looked at me with her big, innocent eyes. From her father’s gestures, I gathered that they were upstairs when their house collapsed. 

He told me in a few simple words, with deep sadness in his eyes, that her eight-year-old sister had not made it out alive from under the rubble. I expressed my condolences for his great loss. I couldn’t stop tears from rolling down my eyes. We saw some cows in a barn. The owner told Selma that the first thing he did after the earthquake was run to check if his cows were ok. He had found two cows dead under a collapsed wall. The rest of the cows were safe. That also made quite an impression because animals are such innocent and helpless creatures.

A woman showed me that her hand was wounded by falling rubble. I softly took her hand and felt like kissing her wounds as we do with our children. Another woman took us upstairs to her house to show how much of the house was destroyed. I felt shaky, walking up the stairs. Seeing the broken walls, the enormous mess of glass and tomato paste amidst pieces of furniture and damaged walls was surreal, and seeing the devastation in the woman’s eyes made me feel like hugging her, which I did. There was literally nothing which was undamaged. Windows were not needed to see the blue sky outside. One could simply look through the holes and cracks in the wall.

Dozens of people and children were made happy this day with the stoves, drink bottles and toys, blankets, ground insulation material for tents, gloves, socks, leggings, sweaters and the food that we gave them. My ‘job’ of showing compassion, filming, photographing and driving was very fulfilling. I comforted, hugged, filmed, listened or read sign language. 

The dangers along the way didn’t lie either. In the afternoon, in the mountains, our fully loaded car slid backwards down a gravel slope instead of going up. And we almost reversed into a ditch before I managed to change course. The bus got stuck on the same slope and also had to slide back down and find a new route. Moments later, I drove behind the bus and saw it narrowly avoid another deep ditch on the street narrowed by debris. 

A horror city

After dark, we drove through the city centre of Antakya, now a ghost town. Not even a ghost town. This was much worse. This was a city of horror, a city of dust and debris. No building was safe, and nearly all of them were not standing upright. Knowing that hundreds of people were still buried under the rubble was like watching a bad movie. Knowing that the official search had ceased was like a nightmare. The focus was only on clearing the debris. Imagine someone is still alive and waiting to be saved, we thought. Horror scenarios passed through our minds. We saw furniture being removed from tall buildings with huge cranes.

Ambulances, police and firefighters with or without sirens were a normal sight on the roads. Tents were everywhere. The military was in action. Semi-trailers with tiny houses (a kind of container with doors and windows) were now being purchased and used by some instead of tents. Our Mustafa, the Turkish young man who was helping us with his cousin to locate the right families to take our goods to, told us in the car after our long day’s work that he had an App-group with his friends and many of his friends, his nieces included, lived in the worst affected area.

Every so often after the earthquakes, they started getting messages from friends on the same App-group who were under the rubble but still alive. So was his niece. She survived for three days but was not rescued. Neither did most of his friends except one, a boy who was freed from his apartment by his own father. His father counted the floors, and on the right floor, he smashed the wall and freed his son. 

We heard first-hand stories, and that made an impact. We cannot distance ourselves anymore, like with the news on the television, that we shift off from once the food is on the table. After lots of hugs and expressions of thanks by us for the full efforts of the boys, we drove the two-hour trek back to Adana at midnight. How did I keep that up when I can’t drive to Amsterdam in the dark yet? That must have been fuelled by a secret power. I had an inkling which one….

We arrived late but safely back at the hotel but not without the help of providence, that is for sure. Even after seeing so much of the most severe misery, the sense of belonging, love, cooperation and friendship was what lingered.

Donations are welcome via the link below:

https://mifoundation5.payrexx.com/en/pay?tid=97eba27d

(Please select the “Disaster Relief” option)

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 16th March 2023

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

Offering love in Ukraine

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Cathy Johnston, UK

Deliberately flying towards a war zone would appear, on the face of it, to be a completely insane, grown-up choice to make. For some people, yes, but not, however, for the people connected to the ACT Foundation.

Driven by a supreme desire to serve others, these selfless people shine as a beacon of bright light into the darkest of human corners, setting examples for us all to follow. Totally unafraid and stridently stepping forward over the borders into the terrified and desolate arms of those Mothers and children who’ve fled from the bombs and rubble.

More than 7 million displaced Ukrainian people, to date, are living in makeshift homes as far away from the noise of shelling as possible throughout Ukraine. Mostly these people are women and children who’ve also had the added, unimaginable heartbreak of having to bid farewell to their menfolk (and sons of fighting age), never knowing for certain if they’ll ever meet again, leaving them to face destruction and possible death.

Impossible to empathise with this group of people; the only thing left to do is to bring a glimmer of light into their sorrowful lives in the way of genuine, heartfelt kindness and compassion. Helping to make their children smile again and, by default themselves.

The ACT team arrived in Ukraine with truckloads of food, clothing, medical equipment, toys etc. and a plethora of psychological tools to help these once normal, everyday citizens – just like you and me – cope just a little bit better: simple, relaxing, traditional yoga, walking meditations and conscious dancing that all go towards taking one’s mind away from its imminent worries and off into a calmer more peaceful place.

The displaced children are focal to the ACT team’s efforts as they attempt to reignite some sparks of fun in the shape of new toys, face painting, craft making and playground games. Witnessing the unnatural strain and mistrust etched into their young and once innocent faces is something awful to recall.

Six of the ACT4Ukraine group are aged between 11-22, with four adults in tow, one of them me! I was completely blown away by the unexpected joy I felt, witnessing, day in, day out, heart-melting small acts of spontaneous love and kindness from the younger team towards all of the displaced, no matter the age or disability. Their innate and unsullied ability to connect with other children despite the obvious language barriers was a miracle to behold. Once again, smiling became effortless for the displaced children as their trust was reassured in the most authentic ways.

These young people were testament to the natural goodness and love inside us all. A love that’s sadly eventually plastered over as we navigate the rocky pathways of life. The difference their unabashed, compassionate embraces brought to the faces of the less fortunate we encountered as we travelled through Ukraine will be etched onto my memory box for all time.

Coming away from this experience, some find it strange that my feelings aren’t sorrowful (as one might imagine). But on the contrary, I feel a renewed sense of hope, having had the privilege to be part of this selfless team, with the younger gang leading the way, demonstrating a purity of heart that’s a welcome reminder to us all.

Back in the UK …

Having previously received a £250 donation towards the July ’22 truck of Ukrainian aid from our local golf club in Ormskirk, Julie and I were delighted to be asked to their women’s golf presentation event on 16th August. The General Manager, Lee, would present us with a huge cardboard cheque to help garner some publicity for our cause.

The afternoon was well attended, with a festival-like atmosphere; lots of families with younger children came along to support their lady golfers’, and of course, there was plenty of free food – and a free bar!

Julie and I were excited to be representing ACT4Ukraine (T-shirts duly donned and keenly aware of the implications, responsibilities and privilege attached to such a uniform), and saw this as an ideal opportunity to mingle, help spread awareness of the ACT foundation, and perhaps, find some spare moments to highlight the upcoming Acharya event we’d booked for early September at the same venue.

Following the formalities of the awards presentation, Lee informed the assembled crowd as to how the club had supported Act4Ukraine and that Julie and I would be visible in the crowd, wearing the Act T-Shirts should anyone wish to approach us.

Slowly, a trickle of people began to drift towards us, their interest now piqued, as Julie and I continued to engage. One particularly friendly young man (I’d spoken at length to earlier), watching from the side lines as donations of money changed hands, began to ask probing questions about the set-up of the organisation. And just who this ‘Mohanji’ guy was – as was illustrated by Mohanji’s signature on the back of our shirts.

My hackles began to slowly rise, perceiving an overt tone of cynicism as I attempted to quell the growing defensive senses rising within me. Like a lioness with her cubs, inwardly preparing my armour for this unexpected attack, yet, also keenly aware of the alcohol tainting the breath from this once very amiable chap.

Confusion began to cloud my judgement as I wrestled with the instincts of reaction versus the wisdom of responding, as the bubbling emotions, begging for the freedom to defend my best friend and hero, came frothing towards the top. My feelings, lost in their footings, stumbled to navigate this mean, yet ultimately, unconscious and intoxicated assault.

Irrational and as petty as this alcohol-infused onslaught was, in reality, this was the moment my ego decided to march in, shoving down the door of resistance in the face of this perceived slight: masking his so-called concern for the sake of my naiveté, brought forth my tightly held, snappy retort, to put right his ridiculous wrong, but inside, I was crumbling, knowing for sure, I was letting the side down.

(How foolish I felt: own-goal scoring, wearing the sacred team kit, under the divine gaze of Mohanji, in the face of such ignorance. I’d bitten the bait!) Eventually, managing to gather my senses and divert the focus of this attention, the heat, most thankfully, began to abate.

Not, however, the simmering, inner feelings of disappointment; having failed to respond with more conscious composure, with less defensiveness and with more grace, of reacting with confused emotions, peppered with anger, and of momentarily losing my hard-won and well-practised ‘Mohanji cool’ whilst wearing the team kit.

Finally, seizing an opportunity to extricate myself from this sticky situation, I swiftly found fresh ground with another group, eager and willing, with money in hand, wanting to share in this common cause and felt far better armed for any further probing curiosity.

Yet inwardly though, still smarting from the last unpleasant encounter, suddenly, I became aware of tapping on my forearm and, looking down, saw a shy little girl, holding up a tiny black serviette for me to take hold.

Upon closer inspection, Bella had painstakingly chalked/scrubbed the shape of a heart (copy of our ACT4Ukraine logo) with her wonky, child-like writing of the word ‘Ukraine’ written above.

This spontaneous display of innocent love shoved the dark clouds of the previous encounter into their rightful place (out into the ether) and stood loud and proud, as yet further proof of what truly lies within.

Time after time (during my relatively short public journey, volunteering for the ACT Foundation) I am privy to witness such simple, heart-felt episodes recurring, again and again, hammering home the real meaning of our time on this earth, and that are usually delivered by the most gentle, unassuming and innocent of hands.

Volunteering for ACT has been immensely rewarding, enriching my life in so many ways and helping to cement some life-long friendships with memories to treasure.

Thank you, Mohanji, for the ACT Foundation. Thank you for supplying the balm to soothe my furrowed brow. With love from my heart to your heart, my dear, dear beloved Mohanji, for all of eternity.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 25th August 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

My surrendered destiny

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Dr Harpreet Wasir, India

6th April 2014, 9.05 pm, New Delhi, India 

This time and day changed everything. Mohanji came to me as my time had come. What was conceived with just a look and the Shaktipat matured into faith and surrender with complete conviction and consistency!

From then on, nothing mattered in my life as the plugging was done from my side. He had taken over my steering wheel. All I had to do was complete my karma as a doctor and my dharma as a family and social individual with complete focus on only one thing – Mohanji! He knows the best for me. I leave the rest to his will with complete ACCEPTANCE of all results and outcomes. 

The path was never a smooth one. I still go through the most challenging situations in my life, which often not only test but also get me on my knees. However, it gives me the divine strength and direction in thoughts and actions to deal with them.

What changed then?

It was the mere presence of my Guru, guide, teacher, and companion who had taken the responsibility to mould me with my complete acceptance by surrendering to him as my Master.

Days, months and years passed by. The past taught me to deal with the present and to walk into the future with complete faith. I was never alone ever. The external seemed to diminish with a new internal birth – deep within. External sounds though heard loud and clear, started getting me more into inner silence.

The situations around started changing into stillness; the birth of a state of silence, thoughtlessness and cessation of breath seemed possible. The depth of connection between the giver and the receiver was maturing as more complex situations, often multiple at one go gave pain but never any suffering as if he had covered this body and soul of mine with this impenetrable armour, his SHIVAKAVACHAM.

With this, he started teaching me the process of awareness by first making me slowly understand his actions and later accept all events and eventualities without taking responsibility for anything. Life seemed manageable to live with peace and love.

Expectations started to bury themselves over time, and freedom began to grow as another shoot from this tree called LIFE.

Nothing outside ever changed, nor will change. The change was happening inside. The inner genetics was changing to craft a carrier for his Master. 

The difference was that now my work was least about myself, but for all those patients he got me to and those he sent me to. People, not only as patients but from all walks of life, took so much of the MASTER who dwelt in me as he stationed himself in me, driving me to one and all who needed care with love – only with my Guru’s grace.

I submitted my driving handle of whatever life was destined for me in his hands with total faith and surrender, with all my patients, as my Guru knows what’s best and when it’s the best.

Between the two extreme ends of birth and death, I was totally bound by experiences to understand with the full awareness that this is my human birth to unload as much as possible with his grace which was now a real possibility. His seeds of EMPOWERMENT started maturing to understand the insignificance of position, possessions and relationships.

A new life of giving, serving and loving blossomed into a tree. Many began perching on it to receive what my Guru gave to all who came to him, using me as his instrument. The tree’s root was my availability for my Guru to work on me at all times with complete surrender.

He always managed the show, but he taught me the awareness of witnessing the show sometimes as an actor myself and many times as a spectator. I cease to exist. What exists is only him. In return, he teaches total freedom, unbound by anything. I understand it as the final breath to complete an already lived/ liberated living.

My liberation began the day my Guru accepted me and my emptiness to stand in front of him and hear him say within my soul, “I’m ready, are you ready?” That one glance told me I was home with my Father and one with him.

The learning and the journey continue, but now there are two people walking with one set of impressions of footprints on the ground as he is carrying me along always.

My profession as a heart surgeon changed its meaning totally ever since the journey started. From mine to his, results to acceptance – it gave a new dimension as a doctor in a bigger and different way. It was now his healing, his hands, his directions and his results. My belief became much stronger; all he sends to me are meant for me, and he is the doer.

Thus with this awareness, the concept of hours or days, morning or night, food or no food, events, functions, and holidays disappeared. What was left was total acceptance of everything that came to me at all times.

My Guru stands by me, holding my thoughts and actions through my mind and hands, and does it all for everyone he sends to me. Each patient and every individual gets my Guru in every possible way, through his will.

Birds, animals and all living beings also get as much. Even non-living objects which have taken any instrumental form receive the grace of my Guru as I see and feel the live atoms they are composed of. What a life of oneness with my Guru! I feel this when I sit in some corner with silence being my only partner in the quietness amidst this life full of noises and chaos.

I know well that the next moment I have to drive into the same madness of life, and it’s totally different now. The inner silence and fullness of no demands nor expectations and only giving much more each time prevails over all physical imbalances of life. The state of looking at how, where, and whom to give myself through my Guru’s guidance is all I live by in this existence.

This ongoing journey continues to be a physical and mental guide towards completion, the final destination known only to him. Life is now a process of unburdening, unloading and unfolding, thus living the purest form of love and happiness, which comes through only by giving back everything possible to all those seeking.

The driver will always be the Guru as he is our unquestionable GPS system. All that is required is to hand over the steering wheel of our lives into his hands and keep doing our dharma and complete karma to the fullest.

In the end, it will never be about them and me. It was and is only about him and me. I bow down to MOHANJI, the FORMLESS and UNCONDITIONAL energy which has come into my life as my GURU AND GUIDE to serve with the motto of patients first, rest all second.

May I live my Guru’s teachings always!

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 14th July 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

On a rocky road to Nepal

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team

by Ulla Bernholdt, Denmark

It seems like a wonder that I embarked on a trip to India to meet Mohanji in Shirdi at the end of December 2021. What a huge blessing of a lifetime it was to celebrate Datta Jayanti with him at the feet of Sai Baba and the Dattatreya tradition! Not only that, but I was also graced soon to go to Nepal to introduce Mohanji and his teachings.

Mohanji, Ulla, Rabi and his mother

Let me first tell you about the rather miraculous background for the travel.

In June 2021, I received an e-mail from a person named Rabi who inquired if any Mohanji activities were going on in Denmark. He told me that he had experienced a vision while meditating in which two unknown persons appeared. The first man was an elderly, poor-looking man who pointed his finger at a younger man with long hair and a beard. The younger man spoke, but the words were not audible.

When I read this, pictures of Sai Baba and Mohanji immediately came to my mind.

Rabi continued that when he opened Instagram the following day, the first photo he saw was that of Shirdi Sai Baba. He now recognised the man from his vision and came to know his name. Curious, he searched YouTube for material upon Baba and found Mohanji’s videos about him. He recognised Mohanji as the other person, and now he had found both.

We arranged to meet the next day, and I was excited, especially because when I’d read his LinkedIn profile, I’d realised that his real name was Gurudatta! Rabi was just a name he had chosen for the sake of convenience. This must be some guidance from the Tradition, I thought. What will happen next?

Gurudatta told me he was from Nepal, and he wanted to visit his home country the following autumn to do seva. I asked if I could join him. We teamed up and started doing ACT4Hunger annadan from Denmark remotely through our volunteers in Nepal.

Our plan to go to Nepal was postponed a couple of times, but when we suddenly got the news that Mohanji’s Dattatreya Jayanti retreat in Shirdi was happening within three weeks, we purchased tickets.

At the retreat, I met up with Gurudatta and his mother. Before leaving Shirdi, we took Mohanji’s blessings plus his instructions and advice regarding visiting Nepal, doing annadan and T-shirt donations for protection and visibility in the country.

We had flight tickets from Delhi to Kathmandu, but unexpectedly, we were both denied access to the aeroplane due to positive Corona tests! Usually, at home, I would go for a second test to confirm, but now we had to make our minds up quickly because my Indian visa was about to expire.

We agreed to go by bus to Nepal in the afternoon and quarantine if needed in Nepal. It was a ride of nearly 900 km to the Nepali border in Sonauli.

Arriving at the border, we found out that I needed to travel another 100 km to do my new PCR-test in Gorakhpur, the place of the grand Gorakhnath mandir.

After taking the blessings of Gorakhnath, who is the incarnation of Shiva himself and is the patron deity of Nepal and the one who decides who can enter the country, I received a negative covid test, and I was ready to cross the border.

Back at the Indian immigration office, they told me to come again the next morning. The same officers said they could not allow me to exit early the next day because my Indian visa had expired the previous day. And here, the calamities started.

Gurudatta was able to leave. Being a Nepali citizen, he stayed with his relatives just across the border. We stayed in touch online.

I had to stay back and go to many different offices far from the town, but with no outcome. We made a lot of phone calls to the different authorities in India, Nepal, and even Denmark, but nobody could help me get an exit permit. In the process, I had to go through an online application, and there was no time limit set to it.

I now stayed at one of the only available hotels at the border, waiting to leave India. What are the normal living conditions for many people in Asia became a severe challenge for a western conditioned mind.

It was a cold hotel with muggy walls and no hot water if there was water at all. There was no electricity during the daytime—no places to eat except a sweetshop that served snacks only. Very poor internet connectivity made telephone calls a challenge. On top of it all, I also found that people would ignore me when I asked them about something or that people would make fun of me when I walked the street, being the only foreigner in town. Communication was not easy either, as practically no one spoke English in that area.

I must admit I had previously carried a romantic fantasy that if I had to isolate, I would only be happy to deepen my practice, meditate and chant. But this situation was so unexpected that I could not find peace of mind to practice seriously.

I remember Mohanji saying that he creates situations and circumstances for people to test them. Or rather, the Tradition tests you.

And I was tested!

My SIM card expired, and the internet was not working.

It seemed like there would be a new issue on top of the other each day. I thought to myself, is this a bad joke? But it was real, and I started to feel the heat and pressure within as the situation escalated.

One week passed, but I still did not receive permission to leave. I observed my mind becoming more unstable as my expectations of going to Nepal were not met.

We had announced our arrival in Nepal beforehand, and people were waiting to meet us and participate in Mohanji events. I could even peek over the border, but I could not go.

My mind questioned if I would be able to go at all? Maybe I was not eligible to go? I felt desperation creeping in.

I would pray to Mohanji and Gorakhnath to hold my hand throughout this experience. Not at one point in time did Mohanji leave me. I asked Mohanji to please help me to be able to go and serve in Nepal.

This seemed like a big-time test. Did I have enough determination and clarity of purpose needed to go to Nepal?
Would I give up? Would I quit? Would I turn back?
NO!

I felt I had no choice but to stay put despite all the obstacles. Going to Nepal was what I really wanted. Keeping in mind that all situations and experiences, good or bad, will pass, and having come this far, I waited rather impatiently for the obstacles to dissolve by the grace of Mohanji and time.

Now that I was in exile, deprived of comfort, I had to face all my addictions, dependencies, and patterns of insecurity. There was nothing to do but feel it.

I cherish this experience today because there is so much relevance and authenticity in observing your mind when under pressure. A mind full of constant craving, never satisfied and filled with endless desires.

Sitting in my room, the mind itself felt like a prison, and I felt I was here on a life sentence. This is a simple truth that we would normally avoid facing.

It was not that I missed the comforts a lot. What I longed for was a peaceful mind. I longed to be in Mohanji’s state of freedom, need nothing, go beyond the mind, and not be dependent on the outside world.

While connecting consciously to Mohanji, there were moments of causeless happiness in the middle of this agony. Mohanji is like the calm centre in the eye of a hurricane. He carried me all the way through like a silent companion.

As the days passed, my state of mind slowly started changing, and a transformation happened.

From feeling totally helpless, I wondered what else I could do when I could not change my situation. I longed to do something purposeful, so I started feeding the many stray dogs living outside of the hotel. I felt how it cleansed me and brought me new positivity and stability. Next, I tried to plan for a bigger annadan for people in the town. I had noticed that many of them looked very poor, pushing heavily loaded bicycle rickshaws all day.

I looked for people who could help me cook food, but suddenly, my application for the exit permit went through, and that was the end of 14 days of staying in an unknown place.

As if a dark spell had lifted, the people at the immigration office suddenly started to act friendly and humane. It was like being in a play that had all the ingredients of a drama, even a happy ending. One police officer listened to my story and kindly offered to take me in a rickshaw to the next town to sort out the complicated online payment for the exit permit, which I could not do with a foreign card, and help me prepare to leave the next morning. He said he saw his daughter in me and that it was his moral responsibility to help me. I had no other option than to trust him and Mohanji that his intention was pure. The policeman was indeed very helpful, and trusting him helped me get out of my situation.

Overall, it has been a fantastic experience. We often forget to be grateful for what we have and remember that things we take for granted can leave us in a split second.

Only the hand of Mohanji helped me get through these challenges. He inspired me and encouraged me to keep walking, not to give up, and keep the focus on my purpose. Through his own example, he reminded me that we can always do something for others even when we cannot do much for ourselves.

I thank him for the experience that made me once again realise the raw power we have inside to rise above the situation and our need for grace from the Master and God, without whom we are absolutely nothing.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 24th March 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

ACT 4 UKRAINE

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

Shyama Jeyaseelan, UK

Through the ACT platform, we have a great opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters in Ukraine at this time of need. With more guidance and inspiration from Mohanji during his recent visit to the UK, Mohanji ACT Foundation President Jay and Mohanji Foundation, UK President Vijay are leaving on a journey to the borders of Moldova, carrying food, clothes and medical items. Driving in the ACT/MF van (and supported by TEECH, a UK based charity that supports us in various ways), they will be taking the ferry to the Netherlands and driving through Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Romania to reach the northern borders of Moldova to help those displaced from Ukraine.

The Balkans ACT team and other volunteers from the UK will join Jay and Vijay in Romania a few days later. A lot of planning and preparation is taking place, and it is wonderful to see how grace works in facilitating activities for smooth travel, and I share some incidents below.

Yesterday, Jay and I took the van to Skanda Vale to collect food hampers for school children. During the previous two trips, we had collected 2 tonnes of food from Skanda Vale for those displaced from Ukraine. Their kind and generous support have enabled Mohanji ACT Foundation to feed thousands of people over the last decade, and we are so grateful for their loving support.

As we got in the van early in the morning, my eyes fell on the cards Mohanji had placed in the van a few days ago. The most beautiful light emanated from his hand on one of the cards, giving us tangible evidence of his presence, protection, and blessings for all activities we carry out using Mohanji’s platforms. I was reminded of what he had told us one morning, “When we serve using Mohanji platforms, which are based on purity, the merits that we and our lineage receive is manifold.” It was also a wonderful reassurance that his energy and protection are with the van and the drivers as they serve the world, whether it is a short drive down the road or a long trip across many countries.

While I was driving, Jay spoke with Priti to organise the ACT4UKRAINE sweatshirts to be printed. Since we only had two working days to get them done, the printing company we recently used quoted us a very high price. Our hearts sank at the cost involved, and we decided to try another place outside of London. This lady not only agreed to do the sweatshirts for half the price, she actually came home the following day to show us samples of her work and also offered some free t-shirts printed with the same design! How amazing! Mohanji brought the right person to us at the right time, someone with the same mindset of helping others, with whom we will work together for our future printing needs.

Hanumatananda was doing the ACT4UKRAINE design, and he had sent the initial design to Jay. When shared with Mohanji, he asked for the silhouette to be added. While driving in the van, Jay was messaging Hanumatananda to request if it was possible to make the necessary changes, hoping he would see the message before reaching Skanda Vale, where wifi is not always available. As always, it was a rapid response and the design options were sent within the hour, shared with Mohanji and the correct one sent to the printer despite all of us communicating from such different time zones!

After spending some blessed time with the Skanda Vale community (with blue skies and sunshine, nature and animals) and collecting the food hampers, we returned the same day, reaching home at nearly 1 am. Before going to bed, I went into the prayer room to say goodnight and offer my gratitude to Mohanji for the beautiful day. I was very tired and wasn’t really paying much attention to the other pictures or figures at the altar, but somehow my eyes fell on a small picture of Baba encased in glass.

I noticed a beautiful light in the area of his heart, a pink heart in front of the glass and small golden wings near the heart. It was so very beautiful and unmistakable even to my eyes which don’t normally ‘see’ subtle things even after a circle is drawn and an arrow points to it. I remembered reading some time ago that Baba’s aura is huge and a beautiful pink colour, which was shown to me in the pink heart.

Both these tangible experiences on this wonderful day were really magical. The day started, continued and culminated with love and light. Immense gratitude to Mohanji and Guru Mandala (Guru Subramanium, Sathya Sai Baba and all the Masters); they bless us to add value to the world through their teachings, example, inspiration, guidance, energy and protection.

And our heartfelt love and gratitude to all who have supported the ACT4UKRAINE initiative.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 21st March 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

Just keep moving

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials
just keep moving

Anonymous Testimonial. Translated by: Maja Otovic 

How I rose above the suicidal thoughts with Mohanji’s help…

Since 2015, I have been feeling tired of this life. I was only 23 years old. University, family, and private life all seemed all right, but nothing was ok upon a deeper look. All of these aspects of my life were filled with hardships, struggles, problems and existential uncertainty, creating anxiety in me. 

For that reason, I did not feel like living. Just thinking about the future, I could not imagine myself as someone who was graduating from university, finding a job, a partner, having kids, working until retirement and then dying. It all seemed to be forced and unnecessary.   

Who gave me this life? Who has forced me to live in this world full of suffering, selfishness and danger? Who conditions me to leave this world through some natural or destined death? Out of that feeling of impotence, the best solution seemed to be to take things into my hands and take my life away.

That’s how it was in my head, and to make things harder, each time I’d think about it, my heart would hurt, and I’d start crying. I wanted to crawl out of my skin, hide in solitude and wait for those thoughts to pass by. I knew that was not the way and that thinking this way was unhealthy, that the people who love me would suffer.

By the way, from 2015 up to 2018, this was on my mind almost daily. As if two people were living inside me: one that does not feel like living, and the other one suffering from such thoughts. Since 2018 it has been happening less and less, and up to this day, I watch my thoughts closely so that I don’t fall into the same trap. 

How has Mohanji helped me free myself from those disturbing thoughts?

I heard about him at that same period; that is in the year 2015. I investigated about him trying to draw certain conclusions, as there was a peculiar curiosity in me to meet this man. I understood from my investigation that he is an authentic person and a humanitarian with a firm belief that the world can be a better place and that he is working on it. 

It was in May 2016 that I first saw him. As he entered the room where some 50 people were waiting for the satsang to begin, I started crying all of a sudden. As the tears were rolling by themselves, in my head, a thought appeared: ‘The world is saved.’ Mohanji is someone who has made a decision, proven through each word and action of his, that he will serve the world, that he will shed light, peace and love on everyone who comes to him. And to this day, he sticks to his decision. 

A4H - Mohanji Foundation

After that first encounter, I had an opportunity to attend various satsangs and personally talk to Mohanji. He gave me good advice that was applicable to all situations, offered a solution to my difficult state, and in the end, warned me about something that indeed came true. 

I realized that the suicidal thoughts often ensued from the expectations of others, my expectations from myself, problems, existential fears, etc. I wanted to run away from it all. But, through understanding and accepting its root cause, I stopped feeling sad and instead focused on the true values. I’d ask myself: “Does that really matter?” The reasons for not living became irrelevant, secondary, imposed and ‘in my head,’ while the reality was different.

The purpose of serving the world has helped me, pushed me forward, and given me the strength to do even more than I thought I could. There is so much to do here, and I’ll give my best to make the lives of future generations better and happier. 

As of our first conversation and up to this day, my life has been filled with purpose thanks to Mohanji, who is my friend, support, and guardian angel. In my free time, I volunteer in ACT Foundation, a humanitarian organization that Mohanji founded. It provides basic resources for all people and beings of the earth. ACT gives support, solace, hope and spreads love. Many of those close to Mohanji are not only my friends (and how much that means when you need a friend) but are available to the entire world (through Acharya programs, online chat on mohanji.org and other platforms founded and supported by him).

May be an image of 2 people, sky and text that says "We can carry nothing from here when we die except the residue of the goodness of our hearts. The residual goodness travels with us beyond our death. Be good. Do good. Love all. Serve all. Mohanji RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY"

Nowadays, there seem to be difficulties, problems and struggles in my life, but it is not all that bad, and my heart is joyful. I have faith in dear God, and I’m grateful to him for giving me a life full of challenges and filling it with even more help and support. 

A piece of advice for those who feel suicidal: for determining the cause and finding the way to rise above such thoughts, you can look for help from a psychotherapist or a spiritual master/priest. It goes deep, and one needs to dig deep within oneself and light up those dark corners. That’s why it’s important to have stable support and guidance.

And in the end, I share with you some of Mohanji’s quotes that were most important to me and that have been my refuge:

“Never give up on life.“

“Just keep moving.”

“You are love.”

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 20th January 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

From earthly home to eternal home

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Ruchika Gandhi, India

As Mumma (mother) is breathing her last in the ICU right now, I could watch her withdrawing gradually from everything. 

A few days ago, she surprised me by giving me a tight hug when I went to see her in the morning. I went without any expectation of seeing Mumma in any changed health condition, as she has been drowsy the last few days and mostly silent. I was surprised and delighted to receive a lovely warm hug straight from her heart and a beautiful smile on her face that day. She was holding me for quite some time. I felt it was deep, a hug of deep gratitude. 

She wanted to express gratitude and love for everything that we have enjoyed together in this lifetime. I did not know that it was going to be the last hug, but it was truly unique and deep. I sang ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’ for her, and we danced together. She was happy and felt the song within and started to move her lips gently. It was a moment of immense joy. I offer this moment at Mohanji’s lotus feet for enabling me to experience this special moment. 

She is unconscious at the moment; the soul is preparing to exit. Doctors are trying their best to give her all possible support to help her move forward from this condition; our gratitude to each of them for doing their best. 

After seeing my mother for the last few days, I have been visiting the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre in Delhi to feed animals. I feel a deep sense of gratitude and love for each being there for receiving the food seva with so much love in the name of my mother and beloved Masters. Every seva is a means of expansion and lightness. 

Our beloved Mohanji’s visit to Delhi happened during this time, and it was truly an amazing blessing. This was not a coincidence; I felt he heard us wanting to have his darshan at this time. And finally, we met Mohanji two days ago. There was nothing much to speak. I only felt his presence and exchanged love. Love and silent tears flowed from within for everything that I had experienced in the last few months. 

Mohanji - The Doorway to Heaven (10 minute meditation) - YouTube

Mohanji’s grace is beyond words, beyond our imagination. Verbally, he only reiterated a previous message, “Hope you are serving all beings in your mother’s name.” I nodded with a smile and gratitude. A beautiful reminder at that moment about the sacredness of serving all beings and how it assists our dear ones – still living in the body and the ones already returned to their eternal home. Mohanji mentioned that serving all beings would bring alignment in all the elements and support Mumma’s onward journey.

When my dad passed away in 2017, Mohanji and my sisters were in Kailash, and my dad’s sudden transit was blessed, yet it was a strange departure. The events happening now are also not a coincidence as my mother is being prepared to move ahead for the beautiful journey to rest and dissolve at Mohanji’s lotus feet; a home where we all aspire to go, our real destination. She will be settled there soon. 

Mohanji’s physical presence in Delhi is a blessing as he knew the final moments had come for her departure, and his children would need him. Mohanji is always with us energetically, giving us all the strength, calmness, composure, awareness and acceptance to face the TRUTH.

I am in a moment of stability, calmness, peace, gratitude and joy within that the home full of bright light (brighter than a million suns, as Mohanji says) is ready to welcome my dear mother. A soul, who has lived selflessly, gracefully, served all her daughters and the entire family with love, affection, and so much care. 

Now, she is being called back to the eternal home, where there’s only light; no boundaries, no bondages, no emotions, only freedom of absolute PEACE and BLISS. I bow to my beloved Mohanji and Shirdi Baba for being with her and all of us throughout this journey called LIFE. 

The beauty of this life is to see that in the end, it’s all about love, only love. My gratitude to Mohanji, Baba, my beautiful sisters, wonderful Mohanji and Ammucare families, amazing doctors, nursing staff, and the extended family of relatives and friends for sending their prayers, blessings and healings.

I am pausing here in awe, wonder and gratitude.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 3rd December 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

An Eye Opening Mai-Tri Session

Posted on by mohansuniverse

By Preeti Duggal

The world is reeling under the COVID pandemic. Millions are affected and many are dying. There is a huge scarcity of medicines, hospital beds, oxygen, and so on. There is chaos everywhere. The second wave has been like an explosion in India. 3 hundred thousand people are getting infected daily. The Maitri practitioners are also inundated with healing requests. Yesterday, I received a healing from a person from Delhi. A very well known figure in his profession who also works for our foundation. He had tested COVID positive and was worried about his wife and three children. He requested healing for his family. I immediately agreed.

To understand the degree of infection, we usually scan the aura of the person during the mai-tri session and look for patches that penetrate it. But what unfolded was truly an eye opener and amazing. In this session, I could see a white layer like a protection shield around the family that was saving them from the COVID effects. It looked strange because I had never seen it before. I prayed to Mohanji for clarity. I saw various animals (cows, dogs, cats, pigs, goats, and so on, encircling them and and giving them protection. These animals were absorbing all the effects of covid virus to keep the family safe. On further enquiry, it was disclosed that this family has an animal shelter on the outskirts of Delhi where they take care of abandoned, old and sick animals as their own family. Some are rescued from butchers. Some are disabled and diseased. All are well taken care of as family members. In fact, the wife knows each of them by name and the animals respond in kind to her loving attention.

It was revealed that these innocent and beautiful beings came forward to protect the family in return to what the family had done for them. This was overwhelming and I had tears rolling down my eyes. It was an eye opener. The infection level for this gentleman was very high but he has no symptoms except for low grade fever for thirty minutes three days ago. None of the other family members had any symptoms. Someone may ask why would they get infected in the first place if they were protected? Mohanji showed me that this person had fear of the pandemic which weakened his protection shield allowing the virus to enter the body easily. Now I realise why Mohanji stresses on connection to Mother Earth and its beings, and doing annadaan (food donation) for the hungry and needy.

Our misplaced ego of superiority has completely detached us from Mother Nature and our fellow beings. We torture and butcher animals for the paltry pleasure of a few mins. These innocent ones cannot even complain about the heinous torture that they have been suffering at the hands of humans for years. Animals, forests, oceans, mountains – none have been spared by humans. It’s time to wake up and look into the mirror. Nature has turned the tables on us. The fear and pain we gave and still continue to give, to the beings is coming back to us as COVID. The isolation, pain, suffering felt by these he[pless beings for years is now being felt by us for the first time. We are forcibly confined to our homes just as we confined poor helpless beings in zoos for our entertainment. The virus is almost like nature’s vengeance that has shaken the entire human world. Have you wondered why none of the other beings are affected?

Mohanji has said that we have to start walking backwards. Connect with nature and start to respect other fellow beings. Think of becoming vegan or at least vegetarian so that we eat with awareness and ensure that our food is not the cause for another being’s pain or suffering. Imagine babies being snatched away from their mothers and kept hungry so we can consume that milk and milk products. I feel that if we lose this chance, we will be left with nothing for ourselves and the coming generations.

I thank Mohanji from the bottom of my heart for this beautiful experience.

On this apt occasion of Earth day. let’s pledge to do at least one good thing for Mother Nature and its beings everyday.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 22nd April 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

 

Miracle at Kumbh Mela 2021

Posted on by Mohanji Testimonials

By Soma Seal, Ammucare President, India

Annadaan – feeding hungry stomachs is beyond any boundaries of species, caste and creed. When one feeds hungry beings, purification happens. This is why Annadaan is considered as Mahadaan – a donation of the highest stature. Especially when done on certain auspicious occasions, Annadaan brings immense fulfilment.

In my role as President of Ammucare, I have been fortunate to be in the middle of continuous Annadaan for a long time. Especially since the onset of the Covid pandemic, I have witnessed and observed several miracles. I would like to share one such amazing incident that happened yesterday (19/4/2021) in Haridwar, the venue for this year’s Kumbh Mela festival. 

With Mohanji’s guidance, Ammucare has organised daily feeding for the Sadhus (wandering saints) at the Kumbh Mela as this is a divine opportunity to serve. Especially with the challenges due to the Covid situation, doing this seva consistently has been a challenge; several hurdles have come up. However, our determination to continue this seva (service) has been strong since Mohanji explained the purpose of this seva in clear terms. The Kumbh Mela is a special occasion when several elevated saints, otherwise deep in their sadhana in the Himalayas and elsewhere, come down to mingle with the common folk and shower their blessings.

Mohanji also guided us on the right attitude to conduct this seva – “Serve everyone like you are serving a Royal or God. The food should be of the highest quality. The attitude should be of complete reverence and respect. You never know who could be receiving your food – it could be Sai Baba, Mahavatar Babaji or any other deity. Don’t be deceived by outward appearances. Thank everyone you are serving from the bottom of your heart.” 

Thanks to the dedication of our local volunteers and our generous donors, we have been serving food to people for almost ten days now. I must especially call out the contributions of Savitri Chitrapu, our Ammucare coordinator, and Mr Vasudev Sharma (Sharmaji), the Ammucare coordinator on the ground in Haridwar, in enabling this noble seva. Whenever we have not been able to serve, we have arranged for food packets to be made and distributed to people at various locations in Haridwar. Within a week, our team had managed to serve over 1000 meals. 

Once we started our Annadaan at Kumbh, Mohanji advised us to serve the Sadhus at Har Ki Pauri, the most auspicious bathing Ghat in Haridwar. He guided us that saints of the highest stature would tend to congregate there, and we should not miss the opportunity to serve them. However, as we started working on this, the government imposed a weekend lockdown, and our activities were delayed. 

Yesterday (on 19th April 2021), it became possible for us to arrange for this Annadaan at Har Ki Pauri. Sharmaji and a few other volunteers prepared around 100 food packets and took an auto-rickshaw (three-wheeler) to deliver this to the Sadhus at Har Ki Pauri. Sharmaji narrates his experience below. 

“It was about 6 pm and getting dark. Shortly before we were about to reach the Ghat, on a quiet and dark road, we spotted a Naga Sadhu by the roadside, next to a forest area; he was calling out to us ‘Hey, where are you taking the food; bring it to us. This food is for us.’ Not taking him seriously, we turned a deaf ear and continued on our journey. However, a few moments later, our auto-rickshaw stopped, and even when we tried to push it, it would not start again. We noticed that the Naga Sadhu had come close to our auto-rickshaw and was repeating what he said earlier, “Your auto will not move forward. Food which has been sent for us cannot go to Har Ki Pauri!”

By now, we realised that this call was not to be ignored. There was something electrifying about that person. So we parked the auto-rickshaw by the side of the road, took the food packets out and followed the Naga Sadhu into the forest. As we walked deeper into the jungle, it became darker, and suddenly, the few street lights went off too. Soon we saw a group of 11 Naga Sadhus gathered there! They were waiting for the feast! They were chanting and singing songs on Lord Shiva and Lord Dattatreya. 

We were totally mesmerised to witness this divine atmosphere. After offering prayers, we quickly served the food packets to all the Naga Sadhus there. We took care to offer the food with respect, and the sadhus blessed us as they accepted the food. Some of them even had second servings! While serving the food, I just mentioned to them that this Annadaan was happening with the guidance and advice of Guru Mohanji. 

One of the Sadhus said, “He is an Avadhoota. You will never understand him. He is beyond your comprehension and understanding. You do not know his grandeur. We know your Guru is far away, but wherever you look, you will see him. He is everywhere. Yes, he will come to Haridwar next year. Good that the food has reached us.” 

I had goosebumps after I heard the Sadhus speak such high praise about Mohanji! The Sadhu then asked, ‘Where is the dakshina?’ We immediately offered dakshina (respectful offering of money) to all the Sadhus. Then one of the Sadhus said, “Child, you give us dakshina today but remember it would reach someone by tomorrow. Hmm, the food was meant for us.” 

After feeding the Sadhus, we walked back to our auto-rickshaw on the road. It was very dark by now, but we were in a different world altogether, still trying to assimilate this miraculous and divine experience. The experience was not yet over, though! As soon as we started the auto-rickshaw, it started immediately, without any further push or effort. The same auto had refused to move sometime back when we were in a hurry to reach Har ki Pauri! Just as it had stopped automatically, it started automatically too!

With absolute awe and contentment, we returned home safely with just one expression – Thank you, Mohanji, for giving us this opportunity.”

When Sharmaji narrated this incident to Savitri and me, I had goosebumps too. This place is not unknown to Sharmaji or the others, but no one had spotted these Naga Sadhus there before! In fact, Sharmaji and the team went to the same location today (20/4/21) to serve the Naga Sadhus again, but there was no trace of anyone there, just a few dogs in the vicinity. 

I could only then think back to several other occasions where grace has made the toughest of sevas possible – be it Annadaan or disaster relief or clothing drives or so many other activities of Ammucare. It also served to remind me of a couple of important lessons:

  1. Like many others, I may not recognise or fathom Mohanji’s stature. However, statements about his stature and grandeur from a Naga Sadhu are a timely reminder that there is much that my eyes can’t see or my mind can’t process. After all, this saint has never met us before, and neither are we likely to see him again. He is a renunciate with no interest in the material world. So what motive could he have in describing Mohanji? Perhaps it was just to open our eyes to higher dimensions and piece together facets of Mohanji’s grand plan to raise the entire Earth’s vibrations.
  2. It gave me greater clarity as to why Mohanji gives certain directions. Time and again, I have seen that his directives often seem extremely challenging at the outset. But when we take the right steps with full faith, doors open, and the road ahead becomes clearer. After all, if I had not persevered with the effort to serve at Har Ki Pauri, this entire experience might have been lost to us. This additional clarity not only helps us serve better but, more importantly, helps us receive much more grace and blessings. Before I conclude, I would like to pose a few questions for your contemplation:
  • Why was the Naga sadhu waiting by the road, just when our vehicle was to pass by?
  • Why did he stop just our vehicle? How did he know us?
  • How did the Sadhu know that food was being taken in the auto (when it was not visible from outside, and certainly not from a distance)?
  • How did he say, “This food is not meant to go to Har Ki Pauri”, when we had not told him our plans
  • Why did the auto not move at that moment but moved easily later in the evening from that same spot?
  • How did the Sadhus recognise Mohanji? Or that he is far away? (Our coordinators had not told them that Mohanji was currently in Europe)
  • What made them describe Mohanji as an Avadhoota? Was it sheer chance that they were singing songs on Lord Dattatreya, the Tradition that Mohanji represents?
  • What did he mean by saying the dakshina would reach someone by tomorrow?
  • Who were these Masters? Where did they come from? 
  • Why was nobody there today? Did they go somewhere else? Or did they vanish?

I have been thinking about this since yesterday. I came to the conclusion that these Sadhus were divine for sure, however unbelievable it might seem to my thinking mind. We have heard and seen that all the great Masters come for Kumbh ever since it began. I have experienced this in earlier Kumbh Melas (Nashik in 2015 and Prayagraj in 2019), and this experience was another confirmation of that experience. It was also a reminder that Mohanji is at the Kumbh Mela through us, and he is doing his work. 

Do contemplate a little, and you will understand what we witnessed, and you will experience it too. 

My deepest gratitude to Mohanji, for giving us this eye-opening experience. 

PS: If anyone would like to contribute to the Annadaan at Kumbh Mela, you can do so at bit.ly/ammucare or contribute via Paytm https://paytm.com/helpinghand/ammucare-charitable-trust. For any other questions, please write to us at donations @ammucare.org.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 20th April 2021

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

Transformations through selfless service

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team
transformations

The Testimonials Team is happy to publish a series of beautiful experiences by our volunteers. Selfless service brought forth wonderful experiences that helped them recognise and accept the various transformations happening within them. We share here two profound experiences by Sankaranarayanan Meetna and Chitra Aylam.

Transformations after meeting Mohanji

by Sankaranarayanan Meetna

Like any other ordinary man and totally new to the spiritual world, when I met Mohanji, my overwhelming feelings were mostly in the form of anxiety and doubts. I often asked myself about my preparedness and my eligibility for any possible entry to this new wonderful world. But very interestingly, each time a new question or doubt awakened within me, I happened to get an answer either through a speech or a blog/FB post of Mohanji. 

Sometimes I felt that through these valuable hints, Mohanji was directly addressing my doubts and questions!! 

It has been six years since my first meeting with Mohanji. I don’t know about the spiritual part, but yes, there is an emotional transformation within me. Earlier I was very serious about all happenings in my life, like thoughts, patterns, persons, acquired properties etc. Quite often, I used to fall prey to my anger and cry for self and others’ perfection. Honestly, I can say that after I started learning through Mohanji’s teachings – blogs, speeches and satsang etc., slowly but steadily, he made me understand the need and importance of ‘Self Awareness’ in all walks of life. 

Mai-Tri Method

Among the numerous things I received from Mohanji, an important technique was the Mai-Tri method. I had been suffering from a headache for quite a long time. One day the problem got very acute, and I decided to get a Mai-Tri done. With Mohanji’s grace and the effect of Mai-Tri, I got complete relief from my headache.  

On another occasion, I had participated in the online Group Mai-Tri Method session conducted by Preeti Duggalji during the peak days of the Covid 19 pandemic in July 2020. During that session, I experienced a bright light energy fly away from my Swadhishtana Chakra level. Though I was not sure about the effects of this, overall, I felt so pleasant after that. I hope a sort of inner cleansing must have taken place because of this Mai-Tri. I express my gratitude to Mohanji and Preetiji for this beautiful experience.

Participation in Seva Activities

With Mohanji’s blessings, I could participate in a few seva activities also. The first seva activity I participated in was at Kurnool during the Ugadi Seva in 2017 – an annual offering of seva activity for the Shiva bhaktas going to visit Sri Sailam Shiva Temple. It was an eight-day-night service camp, including oil massaging of Shiva bhaktas’ feet, serving food/drinking water, medical treatment, resting place for the bhaktas etc. Masters – Nadananda Guruji and Mohanji were enormously pouring their blessings on the Shiva bhaktas and gave the energy to the seva volunteers who were involved in seva activities throughout day and night. The vibrations from Shiva Mantra chanting by both, Shiva bhaktas and the seva volunteers bound them together as one entity, as both surrendered fully at the feet of Lord Shiva. Thus the seva would become above all doership and ownership barriers. It transforms from mere performing karma to a divine state of oneness. Everything felt fully dissolved in Shiva Tattwa. 

With Mohanji’s blessings in 2019, I could participate in the ‘Sabarimala Ayyappa bhakta pada seva camp also. This service was specially meant for those Ayyappa bhaktas going to the Sabarimala pilgrimage by walking more than 60 km through dense forest. Here our seva activity was oil massage of Ayyappa bhakta’s feet.

Conscious Walking and Consciousness Kriya

Before applying for Consciousness Kriya training, I used to practise Conscious Walking alone. I would start the walk around our apartment premises early at 5.30 am. The walking path was almost three fourth of a kilometre around the apartment block. I used to walk about eight rounds, enjoying the nature and strengthening my connection within. 

And after a wait of almost six years, I was blessed to enrol into the Consciousness Kriya practice. I had applied online for the CK training programme. On 12th December 2020, I underwent the CK training programme online and have been practicing consistently since then.

To conclude, all these techniques and practices helped me immensely. Slowly this ‘self-awareness’ started to give different colours to my habits and my overall outlook towards the world. I am so impressed with Mohanji’s teachings of “how to get relief from anger and disappointment”. He explains that we need to accept everything and everybody the way they are, not change them according to our requirements. This also enabled me to get rid of my unnecessary worries and fears!

I am unable to claim any specific spiritual transformation within me during this period. However, I am sure of one fact without a doubt that I am a bundle of so many karmic residues which are difficult to break or dissolve. I do not have any detail of the same. Only one thing I know is I badly need the help of the Master. Since the Master can understand everything within in no time, only the Master can help me out in this matter. I hope he has already started some work on me by hammering, hitting, pulling and pushing over and over again, as the rigidity is so strong in order to mould me to a different shape.  

I hope many more experiments and testing periods are on the way. 

Without wasting any more time or doubting his power and disrespecting the Grace of the Master, I humbly surrender fully at the feet of my Master Mohanji.

I’m truly blessed for having so many experiences during my journey as a seeker. My humble and ultimate prayer to Mohanji is to guide me towards the path of Eternal Liberation kindly. I express my humble gratitude and pranaam to Mohanji and prostrating at his feet.

Awareness through Service

by Chitra Aylam

Kerala was hit by floods in 2018, six months after I first met Mohanji. I had known only very few followers of Mohanji by then. When I saw people in panic, I quickly called my immediate family members and discussed what to do on our part. Seeing my fellow beings in such a plight and keeping quiet was not possible for me. At the same time, I sent an email to the volunteer team by searching on the website for activities initiated to assist the people in Kerala but didn’t get any reply. So, after two days, I messaged Sri Devadas, who promised to let me know. Within one or two weeks, I started buying, sorting, packing, distributing, attending to many calls through WhatsApp, messenger etc., which was almost a 20-hour work. 

But, when I saw people didn’t even have enough clothing and were waiting for some organizations to bring them food and water, I understood that Mohanji initiated every work I was doing for a good purpose. Each time I stepped out of the house to buy for the service, I would find many others offering the same stuff without being asked, guided by the Masters to reach out to the right persons. I understood that in the absence of ego, the Guru works through us; the only thing that matters is faith in the Master.

Now, during this pandemic, Kerala is more strict compared to other states, and it is difficult to hand over stuff to patients, inmates of any orphanages or the deprived directly. But, recently, when I went to the palliative care (hospice), two hours away from my house, I found that someone whom I have not met yet but connected with the hospice (where so many inmates are waiting for their last call) had arranged with the Director for my visit to those patients. I could see the leela of Mohanji here too. Significant learning is – Mohanji does all the work, and I am just an instrument for him to work through.

Daily at home, birds come for food and water because all the hotels nearby are closed during this period. For me, every sharing gave me an insight into where I stand now and allows me to be grateful for whatever I have with me. Sharing is caring. When I see the beautiful smile on the receiver’s face, a pleasant feeling of contentment fills my heart. I get benefitted when I feed my fellow beings, whether human, animals, plants, birds or fishes. So many people have lost their jobs or salary has been cut. So, only through kind words we can change the depressed states of many. 

I bow down in gratitude to dear Mohanji and Ammucare Charitable Trust for raising my awareness level regarding ‘Daan’ (giving). 

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 8th April 2021

Discalimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team