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.
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.
Surya Sujan, a dear friend and follower of Mohanji shares her recent experience with Mohanji during the Nila Aarati that took place in Kerala in January 2023.
For participating in the Nila Aarti, Sreeja, her son and I travelled from Kannur by the 5 am train. Sreeja and her son were there to get the Shaktipat and meet Mohanji. We reached the Nila Aarti venue by eight o’clock. Devadas, his family, and I helped set the stage at the venue. Mohanji also reached the hotel, which was near the venue where the event was going on. Soon the guests and those who had registered for this event started arriving.
By 9 am – 9: 35am, I went to the hotel with Vipin Kudiyath because I wanted to meet Mohanji. I wanted to welcome him. I was planning to surprise Mohanji, as Mohanji didn’t know I was coming to Palakkad for the Nila Aarti and this was the third time I was going to see Mohanji, so I didn’t tell him I would be coming. When I knocked on the door and went in, Mohanji was sitting alone. We had a great hug with lots of love from Mohanji. I was so happy. I felt the love as if it came from my mother, my Guruji, or my friend.
We then went to the Nila Aarti event. The Nila Aarti is celebrated on the banks of the Nila River located at Cheruthurti, Paangavu Shiva Kshetra, Trichur, Kerala. From that time onwards, I was with Mohanji. I managed the entire program as Mohanji instructed me to take the lead. We were seated in the first row. After the ‘Ashtapathy’ rendition, Mohanji was seated in a grand chair on the stage and the satsang began.
Initially, I was sitting with Mohanji, and I felt uncomfortable sitting in the same level as the Guru. I slowly tried to sit at the second-level seating position. But Mohanji indicated for me to remain seated next to him. The Nila Aarti was powerful to witness in the presence of Mohanji.
We had our lunch together at Mohanji’s insistence and were the first to have lunch. Then he told me that he had a meeting with Moksha Trust and I (Surya) should go to the room and wait for him there. I said I’d be waiting for him at the banks of Nila because I wanted to arrange the lamps – to pour oil on the wicks. I went straight from there with Sreeja. It was a huge surprise for me that Sreeja, with her four young, vibrant team from Ernakulum had come to volunteer.
Chitra, myself, Sreeja and her teams arranged the earthen lamps on the banks of Nila by 6 pm. Around 6.15 pm, Mohanji arrived and we welcomed Mohanji. A good concert of music and dance highlighting the importance of river Nila, followed by a Kathakali recital on Ashtapathi padam was organised. Mohanji then gave a brief speech that was direct, and precise regarding the importance of a river, the importance of a river to a human being and how it affects our lives etc. It was a powerful and succinct speech by Mohanji.
I had booked my return ticket along with Mohanji, but my booking was in another coach. Mohanji called me over the mike and said it was very late. Devadas came to say that Mohanji was calling me for dinner. I sat next to Mohanji for dinner as well. I feel so blessed and touched that Mohanji assigned various tasks that needed to be done and he wanted me next to him. I don’t know what connection I have with him that he gives me so much love and importance in front of everyone. After we had dinner, there was cake cutting. I washed Mohanji’s plates and we left together for the hotel where Mohanji and I had an important talk regarding some other things. After the HSTY yoga trainer left, I told Mohanji to rest or take a short nap. I set the alarm and took care of the other needed arrangements.
While Mohanji was resting, I read the small Gita book he had gifted me. I had just finished the preface and the first chapter when Mohanji woke up. It was 10 pm. Mohanji said, “Let us go. The train is at 11pm.” Soon Vipin, Mohanji and I came to the railway station, got into the train, and settled in our berths. My stop was Kannur, and the train would stop there at 2:00 am. Mohanji said it was an odd time to get off the train and that I should join him and go to Udupi. But I had not told my family about this and my car was parked at the Kannur railway station from the previous morning five am. So I said, “Mohanji, I’ll meet you at Palakkad on January 31.”
At two o’clock, I got down from the train after prostrating at his Lotus feet and quickly got into my car. While I was starting the car, somebody came and asked me to slide the window down. He said, “Your left wheel has a puncture.” I was shocked! He said, “Actually I was waiting for you, chechi. Your car was punctured early in the morning itself. We didn’t have your number. How can you go at this time? So I got a number from some other guy who can change the tyre with a spare tyre. I said, “I can’t sit here. Nobody’s here.” He said, “No. Don’t worry. You sit in this tent, and in the meantime, we’ll call the car mechanic and get your car fixed.”
There was no policeman around. Nothing was there on that quiet night besides a shed in the parking area. As I sat in the tent, after about 10 to 15 min, the mechanic came to fix the car. It was just the parking attendant, the repair guy and me in the parking lot. And this was because I had told the parking attendant man who was on night duty the day I boarded the train that I would arrive at 2 am early the next day, and the kind man was waiting for me after finishing his morning duty. He waited for me in the parking lot, not only to inform me that my car tyre had a puncture but also had rallied someone to repair my car. He said, “If you can repair it now, it will be fine. Otherwise tomorrow in the hot sun and this heavy traffic you can’t do all these things here. So I waited for you!” In 10-15 minutes, the repairman changed the car stepney.
Early that morning, we travelled to Shornur and were in the AC coach of a train, the 15th coach from the engine. Two elderly ladies aged 79 or 80, somehow got into the AC coach with three big bags as they could not locate their coaches. The elderly ladies sat down and desperately tried to figure out their seats, not knowing they were not in their allotted coaches. When I saw their tickets, I mentioned that their coach was closest to the engine, 14 coaches away from the current one. It was difficult for them to make their way to their coach with their pieces of luggage on a moving train.
As the elderly women reminded me of my mother, I carried their bags to their coach, helped them to their seats, and then returned to my seat. Everyone watched me walk up and down to help these elderly women including the Governor of Goa, Sridharan Pillai. I came back half an hour or 20 minutes later, fully drenched in sweat, but I helped them.
One of the elderly ladies told me, “You are like God to me! Jesus himself has brought you to help us.” I said, “You deserve this help. It could be Jesus or Allah or any God! But you deserve this help because you are like my mother,” and returned to my seat. What you sow, so you reap! That’s probably why the guy in the parking lot waited for me till 2 am and also arranged a mechanic to change the car tyre.
I wonder who is orchestrating all this behind the lines. In Mohanji’s talk, he said, to accept our karma, accept ourselves and be a role-model to the society and our children. The parents should be role-model to children as children imbibe or follow the actions of the parents. This was a wonderful opportunity to serve two elderly people considering them as my parents.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 16th February 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.
In the final part of this testimonial, Linda shares some of her beautiful experiences with Mohanji in India after the Empowered programme.
The moment I got home from Serbia at the end of October 2022, my existing problems worsened. It was as if the Kailash challenge had come home with me. And not unsolicited or unwanted. It was welcome but also extremely painful.
Energy prices were skyrocketing, and our popular vegetarian Indian restaurant, where energy is used in abundance for the tandoor oven, the big gas stove, and all the refrigerators and freezers, the dishwashers, the grease filtering system and lighting, was quickly heading toward bankruptcy.
My husband’s depression worsened together with our marital problems. And that to an unbearable point where my husband and I began to discuss divorce seriously. Since I didn’t have a job, ageing and osteoarthritis made the chance of finding a job difficult – living on my own seemed virtually impossible. Not wanting to depend on others, I faced the worst-case scenario of becoming homeless.
I simply witnessed the possibility and was amazed at how balanced and empowered I felt beneath the emotions and mind games. I kept my back straight and continued to practice my focus on alignment by concentrating on Guru Consciousness, self-acceptance, Kriya, inner silence and, in extreme situations, Pause Technique.
The same issue I faced during the days of the Empowered retreat in Serbia surfaced again and again – misunderstanding – but with more intensity. To the extent that I thought that no one really understood my pure intentions. Many loved ones seemed to look at me through a veil of their convictions, colours, ideas, and opinions and judged me for almost every decision I made with a pure heart.
My decisions seemed totally egoistic in the eyes of nearly all my dear ones, and their judgment seemed final. I felt extreme loneliness. Kailash and Empowered 5 energies seemed to intensify my challenges. Shiva takes everything and leaves you empty, but only with your permission. It is like buying a ticket for a rollercoaster ride and yet being surprised by its ferocity.
Fortunately, I didn’t resist even the deepest feeling of desperation and fear of the unknown and stayed considerably stable. Both Kailash and Empowered didn’t only trigger the trials. They gave the ‘medicines’ as well in the form of a deep underlying peace, acceptance and a feeling of absolute safety, no matter what happened.
In the midst of all personal trouble and trauma, I bought my ticket for India to attend Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday celebration, which was being conducted yearly on the 23rd of November 2022 in Sri Soma Sai Skanda Ashram in Nidugatha, Maddur taluk, near Bangalore. This was the first time the celebrations were held without the presence of Swami Gopal Baba, who took samadhi in 2020.
After his samadhi, covid prevented any celebration in the ashram. While still in the body, he had asked all of us devotees to keep attending the celebrations even after his samadhi. I couldn’t disappoint my Guru, and although our financial situation seemed to be under immense pressure, I completely trusted that the universe (the Tradition) would take care.
But the deciding factor to go was the chance that Mohanji would attend the celebrations. A few months ago, I woke up with a strong feeling: how wonderful would it be to celebrate our beloved Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday in Swami Gopal Baba’s ashram in Mohanji’s divine presence?
Experience has taught me that those ‘satwic desires’ tended to come true. I called my friend Sita and told her of my vision. She said that her husband Nico had a dream in which he saw Mohanji in ‘Kalyanpur’s room’. Kalyanpur was a businessman who donated the money for many constructions in the ashram. He had an apartment in the ashram where he would stay when construction work was going on. This sounded wonderful to me. We decided that B. was the best person to invite Mohanji to the ashram personally, and Sita asked him if he was prepared to do that. He loved the idea and said he would consider it.
We took that as a ‘yes’ and assumed that Mohanji was officially invited. Every time I thought of my coming journey to the ashram, I felt the joy of Mohanji being there. Both Sita and I sent an unofficial WhatsApp message to Chris Greenwood, Mohanji’s EA, and I mentioned in a message to Preeti Duggal – still assuming that Mohanji was already invited – our sincere prayer that he would be willing to be present at the coming celebrations in Sri Soma Sai Skanda Ashram.
Mohanji was in Delhi and appeared to have extended his stay there beyond the expected arrival time in the Sri Soma Sai Skanda Ashram. He was North, and we were South. Somehow, I knew he would change his mind. There was no fear, doubt, or desire, simply a happy anticipation. And a prayer that all Swami’s disciples would feel Gopal Baba’s love through him.
Always when a great Master takes samadhi, and there is no appointed successor, a situation arises where there may be confusion about future plans, convictions, positions and opinions, mixed with intense feelings of mourning about the Master. As far as I could see, despite this turbulent time, Swami’s boys and sevadals did an amazing job of upholding the Guru’s will and maintaining the ashram according to his liking. They never missed performing a ritual that Swami Gopal Baba would have done, even if no attendee or visitor showed up.
A few days before the birthday celebrations, my travel companion, Yvonne, and I visited Mohanji’s ashram in Bangalore to join in the noon aarathi and to embrace Amma and Acchan, Mohanji’s parents. Rajesh Kamath was home and told us that Mohanji had changed his plan and cut his visit to Delhi short to come to the ashram in Nidugatha. I was over the moon with joy, as you can imagine.
On the 23rd of November, I heard Mohanji’s voice inside me: ‘… therefore, I was sent (from Delhi) to the South to look after my children.’ I experienced it as a confirmation of my prayer that Gopal Baba would bring clarity and happiness in the form of Mohanji. Swami Sri Gopal Baba was the embodiment of the divine Mother and – although occupying a male body – would call us her children. Now it was absolutely clear to me that she had come on this auspicious day to look after her children in my beloved Mohanji’s form.
When Mohanji actually arrived, and I got the chance to express a few words of gratitude, he simply said: ‘I had to come!’ What a blessing it was, and what a confirmation! Mohanji was received by Swami’s disciples with all regards, was invited to the sanctum sanctorum of the main (Kamakshi) temple, had lunch in Kalyanpur’s apartment, just like Nico’s dream had already predicted a year earlier, visited Swami’s house, walked hand in hand with the main trustee of the ashram, inaugurated the newly built dispensary and made each and every disciple happy by his unconditional love.
After the celebrations, the real mystery evolved. Who had officially invited Mohanji? It appeared that our assumption B. would do it had not come true. B. had not been able to invite Mohanji for some understandable reasons that he explained to us later. But he told us that Dinesh – one of Swami Gopal Baba’s devotees from Delhi, who happened to have walked the Outer Kora with Mohanji – had invited him during his recent stay in Delhi.
My Sherlock Homes instinct woke up. I sent a message to Dinesh. He answered: ‘No, I didn’t invite Mohanji. I only mentioned the celebrations to him. Mohanji then told me that He had heard about the celebrations from Preeti Duggal and a few others, and He ‘impulsively’ decided to attend them while talking to me.’ I was stunned to hear this.
Then who invited Mohanji officially? How did The Mother come to her children? Was it simply the innocent and sincere prayer of two of her children and a dream of a third that invited her all the way South? Dinesh and Sita said: ‘It was the Tradition that invited Mohanji.’ My inner voice had already confirmed that statement. Which mother needs an official invitation to come to her children? The mother is simply drawn towards her children when they need her. She knows every need, even before her child cries.
Miracles do happen, but it is not a good thing to assume things without checking facts and turning them into a miracle. Therefore I didn’t end my search here. I asked the managing trustee of the Sri Soma Sai Skanda ashram, and the missing part of the mystery got solved.
After hearing from Dinesh about Mohanji’s change of plans and his intention to visit the Sri Soma Skanda Ashram, they officially invited him for lunch and the inauguration ceremony of the dispensary, despite the intern rule of the Trust to not invite any spiritual Gurus or Masters to the ashram during major functions like Swamy aradhana, and Sathya Sai birthday. The reason was understandable and simple. They all would be busy with function activities and probably would not be able to receive their official and holy guests with proper rituals.
So, the actual miracle was that for Mohanji, the Trust members made an exception to their own rule. A miracle was that Mohanji came spontaneously, despite having other plans in Delhi. That it so happened that he had another function in Bangalore on the same day and could combine them conveniently.
Nico’s dream was part of the miracle, and our prayers that came true were part of the miracle. Our hearts being filled to the brim with love and joy was part of the miracle. Kannaiah’s presence and his being able to officially welcome Mohanji and attend to all his needs while Swami’s Indian disciples were busy with the function was part of the miracle.
Seeing Mohanji humbly bowing down in sincere respect to our Guru’s picture in his house, despite his own immeasurable spiritual status, was part of the miracle. Mohanji’s remark during our goodbye was that we were welcome in his ashram in Bangalore during the remainder of our stay in India was part of the miracle.
Sita, Nico, Yvonne and I were blessed to spend three afternoons with Mohanji before we flew home, with many hours of satsang. And with blessings and hugs of dear Amma and Achan, his parents who felt very very close, eating with the family, attending aarathi, watching Mohanji in the set up for a live zoom session, meditating in the guestroom while he was doing some other work.
On the day before our flight, Mohanji served us our meal like a divine Mother. He served every item with his own hands and didn’t forget anybody or anything. Once again, during this journey, he proved that he is not only the embodiment of the Divine Father but the Divine Mother as well!
These were sheer miracles and completely unexpected. On how we deserved this grace while Mohanji had such an incredibly busy life being involved in activities in 91+ countries, He answered (as I remember): ‘It is not easy to get to me like this. You have been involved with sadhana and with Masters for many years.’
We experienced so many blessed miracles on this journey that we had to ask ourselves: are we able to digest all this? As soon as I heard my limited thinking, I recognized the mind talk and directed my mind towards more elevated ways of watching the course of events: being with our Guru involves being open and limitless. There is nothing to digest. Digesting is limited to a person.
Being in divine presence requires simply flowing and experiencing the grace of every living moment. In the best-case scenario, there is only Him. My sincere prayer is: May we all be able to flow in Guru Consciousness, where there is no mine or me. Experience moment by moment. And as soon as we forget, may we wake up to his presence once again.
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 4th February 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.
In part 2 of this testimonial, Linda shares her wonderful experiences during the Empowered 5 program and her journey afterwards.
For me, the absolute highlight of the event was the following experience which I am so happy to share. In the week before the event, I started the translation of the book Kailash with Mohanji, The Inner Kora. On the evening of the third day, I suddenly felt inspired – and this came from an intense, deep longing from somewhere inside – to write a small note for Mohanji and place it between the cover and the title page of the book.
Having had the opportunity to dive into the vastness and stillness of the Himalayas by translating the Miraculous Days by Rajesh Kamath, a longing to experience the life-changing pilgrimage had occurred. I wanted to honour the authenticity of the experiences described, and what would support that purpose better than becoming an experienced expert? Since it was likely that I would never be able to make the pilgrimage in this life because of a life-threatening blood disease, I asked in my note if Mohanji would bless me to walk two circumambulations around him: one for the Outer Kora and one for the Inner Kora experience. For I suddenly felt very deeply and clearly that He represented both.
Waves of emotions arose from inside of me at the very thought of it. I received his short and sweet answer the next day. He wrote underneath my request: Definitely Linda, Mohanji. I was thrilled and anticipated the feeling of making the rounds and feeling so much freedom, but I had no clue how and when this would happen.
Day 4 arrived. This time, I joined the line of people waiting for a word or a blessing from Mohanji or for a personal question. My heart was pounding with the beats of a sledgehammer when I thought of the question I had already asked in the letter. I literally thought for a moment that I would die on the spot. What would people think of this action? It scared me. But I decided that no fear would stop me from doing what my heart clearly dictated.
The blood condition I was diagnosed with in August, which caused my blood to attack itself, made me vulnerable to a heart attack or a brain infarct. This was not a time to get guided by fears for anybody’s opinion. So I told myself what I learned from my daughter when she was young: be afraid but don’t stop.
When it was my turn to spend some moments with Mohanji, I touched his feet with all my love. He looked at me with bright eyes and with a big smile he said encouragingly: ‘Linda! You wrote me a letter?!’ ‘Yes, Mohanji,’ I smiled back. ‘Repeat your question,’ he said. ‘You are my Kailash, Mohanji, would you kindly permit me to…,’ before I could even finish my sentence, he said: ‘I will stand up,’ and he positioned himself right in front of the stage on the floor, giving me ample space to walk around him.
I bowed down at his feet to receive his blessings to finish the journey safely, for I considered it as The Real Thing. And very reverently, I finished the first circumambulation for the Outer Kora and inwardly asked blessings for the Inner Kora round. It was an intense experience, and I thanked him from the bottom of my heart after the last round. I sat down on my chair to meditate, but my teeth started chattering profusely as if I just came from the coldest of places.
I ordered them to stop and tried to relax to allow it to happen, but it continued with regular spastic movements of the whole body. A clear sign to me that it had not been an ordinary journey. Bodies never lie. Even the next two days, the spastic movements happened but only when Mohanji looked my way or when I felt the Kailash experience. I have no words to describe my gratitude for the immense grace that fell upon me, and I can only thank Mohanji times and again for his consent.
When the alarm rang on the morning after the five silent days, my body was still tired, and I felt like pulling my blanket over my head and continuing my sleep. I said to Mohanji inside: ‘I would like to catch some more sleep.’ His immediate answer came unexpectedly: ‘Better put your mind to sleep.’ But my mind went off enthusiastically, louder than the alarm clock. Again I heard his voice: ‘Better give your mind a break.’ With this valuable advice, I went back to the world of noise. Absolutely sure that my life will never be the same.
On the way home from the Empowered 5 retreat in Zlatibor, we were ready to check in at Belgrade Airport, and I suddenly remembered that I had my fanny pack with my passport in my check-in luggage. I searched my entire suitcase, but to my horror, the passport was not in its usual place in the bag. My friends asked if it was still at the reception desk of the Zlatibor hotel.
In the hustle and bustle of meeting dear acquaintances, I had not noticed that I hadn’t gotten my passport back when I got the room key. At check-out, the receptionist hadn’t mentioned anything. To summarise, I was not allowed to fly and stood like a bunny in the spotlight, trying to control my heart rate with the pause technique. Two conflicting currents ran through my system at the same time.
The current one was an expectant ‘Just move on to the next most effective step. Everything is ok. Maybe it will even be an exceptional fun detour with a possibility of extra satsang and a nice chill with Mohanji family members.’ Stream two was the fear stream, and it was slowly trying to overrule stream one. It succeeded quite well. A whole arsenal of questions shot through my head in a matter of seconds. Realistic and fearful and mixed. Mohanji would have been fine with the realistic ones.
Who to call first? How do I reach people if I’m somewhere with no wifi and I’m in a pickle? How does my passport get from Zlatibor to Belgrade? Can I rebook my flight? If not, will I manage to pay for a new ticket with my credit card this time? It didn’t work out the last time when I was in India. What will be the extra costs? When will there be a new flight? Is it dangerous in this country for women alone? Mohanji help! This is very much out of my comfort zone. India is already so familiar, but Serbia is so unfamiliar to me.
Meanwhile, an empowerment participant, Jesus from Mexico, cast himself as an unexpected guardian angel, and I immediately saw Mohanji’s hand in the play. On the one hand, I was once again faced with the consequences of ‘not being present’, and on the other hand, there was immediate relief in the form of help. My friends spoke words of support. My friend and roommate in Zlatibor, Sylvia, stayed beside me with Jesus until they were assured that the most important questions had been answered through Jesus’ phone calls to the right people. Then he ran from counter to counter for information.
They kept supporting me until they almost missed their own flight, but when they saw I was fine and under the covers, they ran to catch their own. If this is not divine intervention… That touched me immensely, and I told them so at length afterwards. Mohanji’s intervention did not end there. I found a desk with a friendly ground staffer who arranged a new ticket at a very reasonable price for me with KLM, and payment went smoothly.
Cecilia, a friend of Jesus from Belgrade and Mohanji Angel number three, picked me up by car and gave me the key to a studio where I could sleep. How cool is that? I didn’t even know her. Only the connection with Mohanji was enough for her to offer her hospitality and full support. Unfortunately, she herself didn’t have time for satsang and had to rush home to manage her urgent affairs.
I felt seriously lost once I was alone. The energy of the city hung over me like a heavy blanket. Eating alone in a restaurant was not very helpful. I kept trying to connect inwardly and feel what I was feeling. What I felt stayed with a dreary frozen-bunny-in-the-spotlight feeling because I was alone and uncomfortable, but it was what it was. ‘Take a breath and be present’ was my advice to myself. Then came a redeeming app from Tijana, who was on her way by bus from Zlatibor with my passport because she had to travel to Belgrade anyway. Wherever I would be in Belgrade, she would come to me, was her promise. That was Mohanji Angel number 4!
She appended that just around the corner from my studio happened to be the weekly meditation evening being held that evening at Belgrade’s Mohanji Center. A Mohanji Center is around the corner! In a giant city of over a million people where even regular residents lose their way! And the start time was in half an hour. What a synchronicity! After a curious search (I had been given the wrong address) where, in the spirit of ‘don’t give up before you are defeated’, I had to ring the doorbell of total strangers to tap into Wi-Fi for a while, Finally, I found the Center and was warmly welcomed.
It was not until the meditation that I discovered a strong inner resistance to my fear of being alone in a strange city. The fear had been obvious during the afternoon, but the resistance to the fear had not, and it was the very one that caused a blockage in my flow. Fear in itself is not a blockage. It is natural. But fear of the fear or resistance to the fear is. It makes you not really allow yourself to feel the fear. With Mohanji’s ‘feel the feeling’ in mind, I was able to feel and embrace the fear and through that softening, it finally gave way to the enjoyment and gratitude that lay underneath.
Mohanji Angel number 5 – she had a difficult name – gently translated the Serbian spoken information into my ear before and after the meditation. After a lovely Bliss of Silence meditation, we took fun group photos, and someone ran away, only to reappear after a few minutes with bags full of yummy goodies. “Why don’t we make an impromptu Happy Tuesday instead of Happy Wednesday?” he said enthusiastically, establishing himself as Mohanji’s Angel number 6 to materialize the chill-satsang that I had imagined at the airport.
Everyone was so sweet, and when we started translating ‘I love you’ into two languages, all the remaining Mohanji Belgrade angels laughed very much at the sound of the Dutch word for ‘you’. To them, it sounded like a cat and ‘you’ conveniently became ‘meow meow’. Two days earlier, on the morning of the Diwali celebration, I woke up feeling: Mohanji is the manifestation of the Wish-fulfilling Tree as the Sathya Sai Baba devotees among us know it from Puttaparthi. Thank you, Mohanji!
My most delicious recipe for manifesting my vision: I imagine what would make me very happy and what is within my purpose. I offer it at the feet of my Guru. I feel joy and gratitude in advance. Then let go of any outcome and stay with a sense of expectant joy, and remain curious as to how the Guru will manifest this or something better. The taste and outcome of this recipe are sheer grace.
After arrival at Schiphol Airport, while driving home with my husband, I received a phone call from the hospital. The result of the latest blood test of my ‘incurable’, ‘untreatable’ and life-threatening autoimmune disorder was negative! I was completely cured. The diagnosis of the illness and my miraculous way towards this result are described in three previous blogs about my treatment in the ayurvedic hospital Vedasudha in Kerala. The only thing that I could do that moment in the car was a loud and extremely joyful: Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Mohanji!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I started editing the above experiences, one month after the retreat, Cecilia came to my mind and my gratitude towards her. I opened WhatsApp, and who was writing to me? Cecilia! Saying: ‘You came to my mind, and I thought of writing you…’
I decided to keep the above testimonial with me for a while to experience the post-Empowerment effects and to add them to my testimonial.
Part 3 to be continued…
Please click on the link below to read part 1 of this testimonial.
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 28th January 2023
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Radha: Sathya, can you tell me the significance of the Puri Jagannath Temple?
Sathya: Jagannath, as the name denotes, is the Lord of the Universe. This sacred Dham is one of the four holy abodes revered as the Char Dham. These comprise Jagannath in the East, Dwaraka in the West, Badrinath in the North, and Rameshwaram in the South of India. Legend has it that the universal consciousness radiated its presence in the Nilanchal caves, condensed to an embodied presence as Daru Brahma, and revealed itself with the auspicious symbols of Lord Vishnu (Shanka, Chakra, Gadha, and Padma), in the sacred waters of Mahodadhi, to king Indradyumna.
The idols of Lord Jagannath, Bal Bhadra, and Subhadra were carved out of this wood by the celestial architect Vishwakarma himself. He undertook the mission under the condition that the doors to his workplace remain closed until he completes his work. However, the queen’s curiosity rose as the days passed, and she persuaded King Indradyumna to unlock the doors. On opening the doors, they saw Vishwakarma had vanished. The promise had been broken, and the work was left incomplete. Therefore, we only get to see the semi-manifested forms of the deities. This allows one to perceive the Lord according to one’s devotion and understanding. It lets the devotee unravel His mysteries in myriad dimensions, unique to the one witnessing Him.
This reminds me of Mohanji’s words, “Those who have eyes will see!”
Lord Shree Jagannath has captured the hearts of Mahagyanis, Bhaktas, and Yogis. True to his name, He has a universal appeal and is revered by devotees of both Vishnu and Shiva.
The devotees of Shiva consider Him as Bhairava. He holds a special place for Buddhists too.
Balabadra, Subhadra and Shree Jagannatha
Radha: It would be interesting to share some of the events leading to this trip. It is different for each of us, although we travelled together. For me, the highlight before the trip was choreographing for the Ashtapadi – Chandana charchita Neela Kalebara!
Last year, I happened to choreograph for the Ashtapadi, “Nath Hare, Jagannatha Hare”, exclusively for the opening of the Jagannath Shrine in the UK. This inspired me to work on more Ashtapadis. I took your suggestion of choreographing for “Chandana charchitha” and started exploring its various dimensions. “Chandana charchita” describes the eternal romantic Lord Sri Krishna anointed with the fragrant sandal paste and radiating the bewitching bluish hue.
A friend of Radha describes to her the pastimes of Shri Krishna. As we dive deep into the composition, we realise that Radha, the one who is fully integrated with Krishna, experiences this oneness even though it is the other Gopikas who are actually playing with Krishna. What was very exciting to me was the fact that I was getting an opportunity to perform and record this at Puri, the birthplace of Jayadeva, an ardent devotee of Jagannath! When I expressed the intention, Mohanji blessed me in his style, “Tatasthu! Blessings! Take help from the organising team!”. I meditated on the song incessantly to internalise the Bhaav (feeling) of Radha as we interpreted from the composition – only when we soak into the feeling can we become the dance!
Sathya: Your thoughts resonate with me. I see the divine hand in the making of Chandana charchita in every step. Even your costume in shades of yellow and blue was in perfect sync with the elements describing the shades of Krishna. To me, this trip broke the patterns and barriers that I had confined myself to during the pandemic. I consider the trip a blessing from our Guru, Mohanji.
The abode of Puri Jagannath is Durlabh Kshetra meaning “difficult to attain”. Unless Lord Jagannath himself wills it, one cannot step into the sacred Dham. In the last two years, I was restricted in my commuting, mostly staying within my locality and stepping out only in case of absolute necessity. I was not sure if I would join you even when you informed me about it. When our mother reinforced the invitation, I decided to join.
The stage was set for the pilgrimage with the flight tickets and cottage booked. It was heartening to know that Mohanji’s parents, uncle, and aunty were also joining this yatra. With more elders and children joining the trip, I was certain that it would have a different yet enriching flavour to the trip. It is a blessed opportunity to travel to an abode of such greatness in the presence of the Guru and elders.
On January 3rd, 2022, we took the morning flight from Bangalore to Odisha. As we waited at the airport, I continued the Tamil translation of the Jagannath Meditation given by Mohanji. With our mother adding finer touches, the meditation was taking me into a zone inside. We greeted Mohanji’s parents as we anticipated his arrival. Mohanji arrived. I knelt to take his blessing but was held in his embrace. All members of the group exchanged some greetings eagerly, describing each one’s entry to the trip. I was already lost in a reverie when Mohanji’s voice boomed loud and clear as a seeming instruction to his mother, “Keep the boarding pass ready!”, bringing me back to the ground. Mohanji always teaches us to focus on the present and never take the practical aspects lightly. His teachings are valuable to the ultimate journey of dissolution and easy navigation in the terrestrial world.
“Presence of mind in every thought, word, and action can eradicate karmas. It can liberate you.”
-Mohanji
As I completed chanting a few rounds of the Hanuman Chalisa, we landed safely in Odisha. Mohanji Acharya Subhasree and her Odia team extended a heartwarming welcome to Mohanji and the group at the airport. We were introduced to Manaswee, and we understood that he would be our point of contact and guide during this trip. The marine drive from Bhubaneshwar to Puri was enjoyable. Manaswee exhibited his innate hospitality by offering to buy us tender coconuts on the way. After a short break, when the car zoomed through the road, you alerted him that a black thing had flown past and that it could be his wallet.
Radha: Yes! We quickly realised that it was indeed his wallet! As we drove back, a cyclist told us that another man was getting the wallet for us. As we got it back, Manswee said that the people living in the section stretching between Bhubaneshwar and Puri are extremely honest and truthful and would not act otherwise.
Sathya: It is hard to believe such places still exist in this world of opportunism. The Puri Dham is described in the Purana as Purushotama Kshetra, where the pious and the noble-minded reside. I was moved to find that a fraction of that is still a reality. “The pride in PuriTY” logo was all over the walls stretching across the marine drive. I felt the logo rings with truth and is not remote from reality!
“Purity of thought, word and action liberates man from everything and strengthens his existence. Purity is power. Purity is truth. Truth is pure. The whole universe resonates with truth and purity. When we live the truth, purity happens. Purity liberates. It fills life with faith and hope. It connects us to the Highest of consciousness. The Power of Purity is unfathomable. It is the nature of the Supreme.”
-Mohanji
Radha: We reached Puri by 3 pm, and in the evening, we were surprised to know that we could go to the Temple of Jagannath the same night. We entered the shrine consciously, submitting our obeisance at each step leading to the shrine.
Outside the Jagannath Temple
Mohanji took my hands and placed them on the fingerprints of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which got deeply etched while he was in a trance, enraptured by the Lord. These marks are eternally enshrined on the wall behind the Garuda stambh.
Sathya: That was indeed an unplanned visit to the temple. Mohanji made sure that everyone in the group joined the visit. As we left our cottage, we saw Mohanji waiting for everyone to assemble. Standing beside him, I was filled with soothing, cool vibes. I enjoyed it and wondered if it was physical or metaphysical when Mohanji remarked, “It is very cold here!”
Immediately, the experience of cooling dissolved! I did not analyse it further. At the temple, we were told by Mohanji to keep our arms extended up as if ready to receive the embrace of Lord Jagannath. All of us hugged the Garuda Sthambha.
The first darshan of the Lord was filled with so much excitement. Stepping into the sacred shrine where every stone and pebble radiates his essence is a gift of a lifetime/lifetimes. We slowly moved in, drawing in that divine energy with every breath. The fragrance of sandalwood wafted in the air, and we exchanged glances, recognising it as soon as we entered the temple premises.
As we neared the sanctum, our eyes were glued to the deities trying to absorb all that we could in one go as the Panda/Priest described, “The dark one to the Right is Krishna, Devi Subadra in the middle, and the light-complexioned one is Balabadra”.
I tried to connect what I heard and saw as the arathi flame was burning bright in front of me. I realised that I had come really close to it! I moved to the other side, tucking away in a corner, trying to hold on to images for a while longer. Not for long! A panda waved in my direction to take the arathi and make way for the others.
Coming out from the other side, I saw Mohanji standing there, away from the hustle and bustle. I quietly offered my prostrations to Mohanji with deep joy and gratitude for being there!
Radha: That was such a great darshan! As soon as we stepped out of the sanctum, soaked in Lord Jagannath’s energy, we saw Mohanji standing there and I could only see him as Lord Krishna himself. This is a solid reminder to each of us that the Guru and God are the same. Immediately, you prompted me to get the calendars blessed. We released the HSTD (Himalayan School Of Traditional Dance) calendars just outside the sanctum of Lord Jagannath! Mohanji patiently went through each of the pages and blessed everyone. Can there be a more incredible blessing at the start of the year for the HSTD platform?
Following this, we went to the Shrine of Bimala Devi temple.
Sathya: The shrine was closed. I was told that this temple is one of the Shakti peeths. We waited in front of the shrine. Our mother looked at a figure in a small niche and asked me what it was. I did not want to give a wrong answer. The other niche was Ganesha. So this was Skanda. Mohanji came to the shrine. He, too, saw that the shrine was closed. He had the darshan of the deity in the niche and said, “Skanda!”. Mohanji took Appa’s (Dad) hand and placed it in the niche, and said, “Subramanian, you should see Skanda”. At that same instant, a priest came out of the shrine, the gates were opened, and we could see Bimala Devi. It was just for a few minutes. Mohanji casually stated, “The gates opened”. Amma remarked, “Yes, I saw that!”
Radha: Opposite this was the small shrine of Matha Ekadashi. There is an interesting story connected with Puri. I was under the impression that this shrine honoured the Ekadashi devi and devotees who fasted on Ekadashi – the eleventh day of the fortnight. As per the scriptures, observing fast on this day grants many blessings and Moksha, too. Here, Ekadashi devi’s hands are tied. She was overcome by pride, and Jagannath tied her hands, symbolically suggesting that partaking prasad in Puri is considered auspicious even on an Ekadashi day, and devotees should not hesitate to do so.
Sathya: Well, that brings us to one of the highlights of Puri Dham – the sacrosanct Puri MahaPrasad! Chappan bhog, comprising 56 dishes, is offered daily to the Lord.
“Puri Mahaprasad can be taken even if it is the leftovers from a cat’s mouth!” Amma exclaimed. Saints and legends have talked so highly of Mahaprasad. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Paramacharya of Kanchi who never partook food without completing the sacred rituals have relished the Mahaprasad.
We were not so conscious of the greatness of the prasad then.
It was pure grace that we could partake of the Mahaprasad. After climbing a few steps, we entered a space that seemed like another shrine. I was surprised to see Mohanji, Mila and the others seated with a banana leaf in front! It then occurred to me that we were going to be dining there. Mohanji’s uncle and aunt sat next to me as I sat down. I told them that I enjoyed watching their interview about Mohanji. One gets to see the house where Mohanji was born in that video.
The priests brought Mahaprasad in earthen pots and served the dishes. Some of the dishes had the flavour of mustard, and the Kheer that was served at the end was really divine!
Another name for Mahaprasad is Kaibalya – that which gives Moksha, salvation or liberation. It is said that if one takes this food of Lord Jagannath, he will have no rebirth.
Radha: I remarked to Subhashree, sitting next to me, “The kheer is nothing but Krishna. It tastes heavenly,” and took a second and third serving, too, without any inhibition!
The darshan was a bonus, and I did not expect the Mahaprasad that evening. Absolute grace! That was the first day at the sacred Dham.
Radha recording the dance
Sathya: The next morning started with a bang and Chandana Charchita was recorded. A big open lawn resplendent with the morning dew as the sun was rising and the birds chirping became the perfect stage for recording the Ashtapadi. After recording, on our way back to the cottage, we met Mohanji, who was on his way to the reception. He told you with a smile, “I knew you were dancing!” We had quite a few unexpected chance meetings with him during the trip.
Radha: The day started with a visit to Bedi Hanuman temple, where Mohanji officially released the Himalayan School of Traditional Dance calendar.
Bedi means chain. The story goes that Jagannath appointed Hanuman to protect Puri from the fury of the sea. Varuna entered the place, and the place bore the brunt of his raging waves.
Jagannath asked how this happened when Hanuman was taking care. Hanuman told him that he was nostalgic about home food and had gone to Ayodhya. From that day onwards, Lord Jagannath ordained that special offerings be prepared and tied Hanuman here, with the love of his Prasad.
Sathya: As we exited the temple, we saw some calves. Mohanji fed one of them heartily. I watched it joyfully as the calf ate the bananas; there were some dogs too, but we had only bananas.
Mohanji feeding a Cow
How could one just feed only the cows and not the dogs? Aditya too had the intention to feed the dogs. I remembered that there were some biscuit packets in the car. We went and brought the packets and fed the dogs. They, too, got their share of food.
We then went to Chakra Tirtha, which is considered the place where the Daru Brahma arrived first. It is known as Adi Jagannath Kshetra.
After spending some time in the shrine, we proceeded towards the sea. Mohanji and a few others had walked ahead and reached the beach. As we got down from the car, the sight of a dog drew our attention. It was in its final moments and was not in the least interested in biscuits. When I called out the name “Mohanji”, it lifted its head up, turned, and looked in that direction. I did it a few more times, and it responded. Manaswee got some water and poured it carefully so that it could take in a few drops.
I was reminded of Mohanji’s teaching. “Every meeting has a purpose.”
We then resumed our walk towards the beach. I saw Appa offering ablutions at the sea. He sprinkled some water on us as a blessing of the sea, and we then walked back to the car, feeling the sand between our toes and the gentle breeze from the sea.
Radha: The next stop was Tota Gopinath temple. As we entered the temple, a priest described the place’s significance in Hindi. He said that it was there that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt such intense separation from Krishna that he burned to ashes. Mohanji asked us, “What is the word in English to describe his feeling?” All of us tried to come up with the words – Yearning, Duality, Separation! Mohanji finally said, “Longing”, looked at me and said to the group, “I thought she would be able to tell.”
Tota Gopinath Temple
Sathya: Upon entering the shrine, Appa felt attracted to the painting of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on the wall and anointed it with Sandal paste. What struck me about this Dham was that nearly every priest said, “Krishna bakthi!” when we sought their blessings. May you attain the love for Krishna. We rendered a few bhajans there; we witnessed a powerful arathi at noon. With the drumbeats accompanying the arathi, it felt as though the dance of Krishna and Radha was coming alive. After the arathi, we went to the backyard from where a body of water was visible at a distance. A priest accompanying us mentioned that it was Radha Kund. Mohanji was also with us. He joked, “Radha is idhar, Kund is udhar”, looking at you.
Radha: Later, we went to the chief priest’s house. Mohanji was presented with a sacred cloth called the “Gita Govinda Kanduva”. The priests then blessed Mohanji’s family with the accompaniment of chants. The place reverberated with sacred sounds. Each of us was presented with the Flag of Jagannath.
Sathya: That has to be treasured. It is a dream and a lifetime aspiration for even the people of Puri to offer a flag or receive it as Prasad. It was such a precious moment to be blessed with the Banner of Jagannath in the presence of Guru Mohanji! I prayed that the flag of Purity, Ahimsa, and Truth fly high and let us witness the triumph of supreme love over all darkness.
Radha: In the evening, we had a satsang. After the satsang, we went to the temple of Jagannath. Mohanji asked all of us to sport the flag around our necks while going to the temple that evening. We took a short van ride to reach the temple.
Sathya: As the van zipped through the streets of Puri, the names of the hotels “Guru Estate and Guru Empire” that flashed in the night captured my attention. It so happened that just as we entered the temple, I was next to Mohanji. We entered the space demarcated by the wooden barricades. As I was lost in that moment, I heard the song “Poornam-adah, Poornam-idam!”. It felt so apt as if to describe Mohanji!
Om, That (Visible outer world) is Full, This (Invisible inner world) is also Full, From Fullness comes that Fullness, Taking Fullness from Fullness, Fullness indeed Remains, Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Mohanji always says just like a mother who delivers a child, a Guru can transfer energy to create many masters, but just like the mother, the Guru remains complete and full.
Radha: We neared the sanctum and had to wait outside for an hour. I went in. It was crowded. I was standing right behind a priest who was sitting down. It was surprising that nobody asked me to move from that place. I felt as though Lord Krishna was embracing me; I was immersed in that for almost an hour. This unimaginable experience was enhanced by the sounds of the drums. I was unaware that we keep our hands raised to embrace the Lord. This I came to know later from Mohanji in the sanctum. This lasted for some time and is one of my most memorable experiences.
Sathya: We were all waiting for the darshan and sat on the steps. Mohanji was leaning on the arched niche, just a few steps below the entrance. I was chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. A little while later, a priest opened the door, and it happened to be Hanuman inside.
The scenes from the temple are still vivid in my mind. The devotion of the pilgrims really touched me; some of them were bringing their aged parents and little children along with them. Family members chanted in chorus “Jai Jagannath!” while ascending the steps to the temple. ‘Sanatana Dharma is so beautiful!’ I thought.
“Hindu tradition trained us to respect plants, trees, birds, and animals as celestial representations. Respect helps preservation. Annihilation is a sign of alienation. When we preserve every being of nature with reverence and respect, nature preserves our life and health too. This is Sanatana Dharma.”
-Mohanji
What I perceived was pure devotion. They were oblivious to any concerns about the pandemic. Only the joy and ecstasy of the Lord’s darshan were palpable.
The sound of the bells and drum beats transported me to a different world. After some time, the priest called us inside. There was a seating area to the side where we were asked to wait again. An elderly person who was carrying the drum blessed us by placing it on our heads. The powerful vibrations were from the same instrument. He also gave us sweet prasad, which he had kept safely tied to his dhoti.
Finally, we had Darshan of Jagannath a little while later. The decorations were in progress, and the Lord was being decked up in a new set of garments. Subhasree was standing next to me. I asked her if it was the garment we offered Jagannath, and she said she didn’t think so. We later found out that the special garments that Mohanji had offered would be draped in a later ceremony.
After the darshan, we had the opportunity to soak in the sacred aura of the temple. Mohanji sat near the steps facing a tree. The priest was explaining that it was the Kalpabata-The Wish-fulfilling Tree. I associated what he was saying with Mohanji. Our Guru is indeed a Kalpavriksha, fulfilling the righteous and innocuous desires of all of us.
A white flag offered by Mohanji was flying high on top of the temple tower. The Neel Chakra and the flag were a spectacular sight to behold.
A little while later, we were called again for another Darshan. Lord Jagannath was draped in the special clothes offered by Mohanji. As Amma and I gazed at the deities intensely, trying to identify if it was Mohanji’s offering, Mohanji, who was right behind, confirmed it for us by saying, “These are our offerings!” The bright red garments dazzled and it was a visual treat to behold Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Balabadra in splendid Besha.
Radha: After a fulfilling darshan, we prostrated at the “Mukthi Mantap” on our way out. As we exited the temple complex, the Narasimha, enshrined at a towering height, caught our attention. We prayed for his protection and left the temple.
We were informed that we were going to the chief priest’s house again as he was hosting us for dinner. We were not hungry after the sumptuous lunch, but the thought of kheer was inviting!
A sumptuous meal with Mohanji at the Chief Priest’s house
Sathya: We were served snacks that day – Puri, Dal, Kachori, and Kheer. It so happened that we were dining next to Mohanji that night. Preeti came suddenly and offered to clean the leaf for Mohanji.
He said, “I have cleaned. You can do it for your satisfaction. I don’t want you to have a birth for cleaning leaf!”
Mila, sitting on the other side, was aghast when she heard that. “A life for cleaning leaves?” she asked.
“If a thought is so overpowering, it becomes the main agenda for the next life”, explained Mohanji.
As I was eating, I had a desire for a picture. Mohanji’s explanation was also working in my head at the same time. All our phones were in the car, as we were not supposed to carry it to the shrine. I was trying to drop the thought as we had almost finished and were ready to leave when Mohanji said, “Get the camera!” Another desire was fulfilled instantly!
Presenting HSTD calendar to Devi Mohan
Radha: After dinner, I presented the HSTD calendar to the chief priest. Your desire ended up with many pictures being captured that night to record those precious moments.
Sathya: The following day, we went to Totapuri Ashram. Totapuri Maharaj was the Guru of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and guided him to use the sword of wisdom and find Goddess Kali within.
“Every prayer should become another inner communion and a deeper connection to the truth within until you recognise that what is inside you and outside of you is indeed the same. There is no prayer, and there is nothing to pray to except an inner activation of omnipresent truth through external symbols and representations.”
-Mohanji
Mohanji bowing at the feet of Totapuri Maharaj
When we walked into the ashram, it radiated peaceful energy. At the ashram, before entering the samadhi, we all wanted to take a group picture. I was still soaking in the Jagannatha experience, and to me, the dual camera on the cell phone appeared like Jagannath, with two round eyes and a nose!
As the others entered the shrine and prayed, I stepped away to buy miniature Jagannath dolls from two kids at a stall outside the Mandir. A while later, when the crowd inside subsided, I went in and prostrated at the feet of the idol. We were also shown the treasured cot of Maharaj.
Nowadays, I feel like the mongoose whose body became half-gold after eating the leftovers of a pious Brahmin. It rolled over on many leaves but was only half gold. After rolling on the food left on the leaf of Lord Shri Krishna, it finally turned fully into gold.
I have had some amazing energy experiences connecting to Mohanji, and most other things don’t give me the same feeling. It feels like I am always in a quest for that indescribable ecstasy, that energy surge that fills me now and then at times when it is most unexpected.
Any object or place could also start vibrating with the magical touch of a Siddha.
We were now on the other side of the cot. Mohanji smiled and patted me gently as though he was reading my thoughts.
We stepped out and sat before the shrine. A spider on a wall opposite where we were sitting caught my attention. The spider was oscillating between movement and stillness. I wondered, “Is this my state?”
In the Dattatreya tradition, every being is significant and can reveal the mysteries of our magnificent universe if only we align with it. On returning to Bangalore, I was surprised to read a quote from Mohanji that was related to a spider.
“As a spider gets trapped in its own web, man gets trapped in his own thoughts. Spider makes the web with the thread from his own body. Man makes his trap with thoughts from his own mind. His reality is a product of his own thoughts. He creates his own destiny. He can change it too. Only the one who made the trap can untrap himself.”
-Mohanji
Another thing that caught my attention was a picture of Totapuri Maharaj on the outside wall of the Shrine. The picture with his intense eyes gazing up was powerful. There were four conches placed beneath a portrait of Totapuri Maharaj.
I wondered aloud, “What could be the significance of four?”
Amma, beside me, responded, “What do you think?” and I suggested, “Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha, maybe?”
Radha: I was also moving about in the ashram without many expectations. I went in and came out since many were inside. I then circumambulated the Samadhi mandir. By now, the group was sitting in the Samadhi Mandir. I wanted to attend the Darshan of Padukas. At that time, the doors were closed. I thought if I was fortunate, the doors would open. The Priest came from nowhere and opened the door. I went inside and placed my forehead on the padukas. I felt a strong energy and had no thoughts. This had happened so vividly once before at Vashita Guha when I went on the Badrinath trip with Mohanji. It was so magnetic that I could not take my head off the Padukas. All that I could hear vibrating in my inside were the words, “Neeye Naan! Naane Ne! (You Are Me! I am You!).”
I came out and took a couple of pictures opposite the well. We left the place, and then you remarked, “Did you read the words inside the shrine? Aham Brahmasmi!”
Although I did not read the words, the feeling of oneness and no mind did last for a short while in that powerful presence. This was not an imagination or my projection either. Because I came in just like you with zero anticipation, but one person can just do a quick reality check on all of us. That is our mother.
“If this is the oneness you feel, be ready to eat whatever I give without complaints!”
We went to the Sankareshwar temple next. Mohanji and Devi performed Poojas there. I enjoyed the chanting of the priest in a mellifluous voice.
Pooja at the Sankareshwar Temple by Mohanji and Devi Mohan
Sathya: A cow constantly moved about in the outer area and stood between Mohanji and Devi like a child. The story of the temple itself is connected to Kamadhenu, the celestial cow- which spontaneously bathed the Shiva Linga with her milk.
One of the priests described the significance of Jagannath Dham. As he explained, I was drawn to the description of Lord Sudharshana. At Jagannath Dham, the deities are worshipped as a quartet. Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshan. Now I perceived another relevance of my observation of the four conches earlier. It was also visually so evocative when the priest explained. Before Lord Jagannath appeared as Blue Light or Neel Madhav, Lord Sudarshana came as fiery red rays, purifying everything. I was connecting that with Kriya. Purification at all levels should happen before presence is revealed. I meditated on the glory of Lord Sudarshana.
What we both thoroughly enjoyed was the final song after Sri Rudram.
“Hey Shiva Pati, Parvati Pati Trahimam Bhava Sagaram!”
The priest asked the entire group to join the chorus of these few lines. Some sanctified rice was sprinkled on us, and we were asked to keep it tied to the tip of our sarees.
In the evening, we went to Ganga Mutt. Mohanji addressed us all and said we were all part of a special group to have had this experience.
Painting on the wall of Ganga Mutt
He summed up the trip as Grace in Abundance.
Appa called it Oceanic Merger, for which Mohanji said, “Sagara Sangamam!”
After the talk, when the assembly dispersed, I was engrossed in penning down my takeaways from Mohanji’s speech on a sheet of paper when I saw Mohanji, who had been walking, pause in front of me. I was curiously watching, wondering what he was pausing for, when I noticed that there was an insect in his way. He looked at me.
I realised that he did not want to step on it and tried to take it out of his way quickly, but it had already moved away. That was an exhibition of ultimate compassion! Conscious walking of the highest degree and perfect awareness at every step.
The Priests with Mohanji at the Ganga Mutt
Radha: The next day was an open agenda. None of us really wanted to see Konark and the plan was fluid. Amma mentioned the Sakshi Gopinath temple. This was on our way back to Bhubaneswar and we decided to go.
At Sakshi Gopinath, the cows actually knocked on the window of our car when we arrived. Appa was so moved that he bought a lot of bananas and fed them heartily. An old man guided us to the temple.
At the temple, we were told that Krishna is the witness to the pilgrimage that one makes to the Char Dham. After singing bhajans, we thanked Krishna for the memorable experience.
Sathya: Our last stop was the Lingaraj temple. Lingaraj means the king of Lingas. After having a pleasant darshan, we circumambulated and sat at a place, singing hymns.
“Shiva is Supreme Consciousness, brightness, full awareness. We worship Shiva linga, li or la is connected to Layana – dissolution, dissolving. Ga means vast, unfathomable. So, the shiva linga is an expression of something which is vast and cannot be contained into any form, structure or frame. We are worshipping Shiva, that state of being fully conscious. That is more or less the method of the Datta or Avadhoota tradition. They are fully occupied with Supreme Consciousness. Fully aware of Supreme Consciousness. Every movement of every atom, they feel. They are fully occupied, fully aware. Datta tradition is that aspect of being fully aware, fully conscious but at the same time fully responsible, fully here”.
-Mohanji
Radha: There was a Hanuman shrine just opposite the place we sat. After performing pooja at the Hanuman temple, we were asked to go to the shrine of Baidyanath.
Sathya: When we entered, the priest was struggling with an object. One of the eyes of Baidyanath had fallen off, and the priest was trying to fix it.
You said, “If this is the condition for Baidyanath (Lord Shiva as the Chief of Doctors) himself, then what of the common man?” That was such well-timed humour!
I remembered that Appa had sandal paste. He was hesitant about offering the sandal paste at the shrine as he had very little left, and it may need to be more. I insisted that he should offer it to the priest to anoint the lingam. The priest took the paste, applied it on the lingam, and attached the eye of the Lord to it, and it instantly fell back in place! I left the premises with prayers to heal the world from the effects of the pandemic
One more shrine awaited us in the same temple complex. It was a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva as Vishwakarma, the celestial architect.
The priest at this shrine told us that Lord Shiva himself took the form of the celestial architect Viswakarma and constructed all the shrines. An Akandadeep (Eternal lamp) is kept burning here.
Radha: I visualised the beautiful Mohanji Ashrams that would be built in the future as the priest described the glory of Lord Shiva as Viswakarma!
The entire trip had been such an amazing experience! I remember on our return flight, a co-passenger who had been to Puri shared with me that it had not been easy for him to get Darshan of Jagannath! It made me cherish our experiences even more, and I mentally thanked our Master for it.
Sathya: Last but not least, our pilgrimage culminated with another meeting with Mohanji and a thrilling visit to the airport before he boarded the flight. I express my heartfelt gratitude to Lord Jagannath, Mohanji, Subhasree, and everyone who made this trip truly memorable. Before we knew it, we were back in Bangalore. The following days saw a bit of churning, with all of us experiencing some signs of cold and fever.
But even while experiencing that, some soothing waves constantly massaged my spine. Puri waves, indeed! Jagannath’s vibes were so overpowering that they kept us hooked to Him.
Radha: Truly memorable. I am awaiting the next one now. Will it be Dwaraka?
Jai Mohanji! Jai Jagannath!
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 12th January 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.
My tryst with Puri Jagannath began in my younger days. Listening to the episodes of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Charithra, I learnt about his powerful connection with Puri Jagannath. Those episodes fired my imagination whenever I thought of ‘The Lord of the Universe.’
I was fortunate to be introduced to Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s teachings very early on in life. As I read and internalized them, I understood that the following three things are incredibly precious.
In the words of Paramahamsa, the water from the Ganges, the Brindavana Rajas (sand enshrined with the footprints of Lord Krishna), and the mahaprasad (consecrated food) offered at Puri Jagannath is verily the Brahma Swarupam (God’s form).
I had the blessed opportunity to visit Puri in 1984 with my American friend Dr Tandavan. Being a foreigner, he was denied entry into the temple, but he had the heart to tell me, “You go and have your fill!” The lasting memory of this first pilgrimage to Puri is when I set my sights on the temple tower and the flag from the rear portion of the temple. I stood transfixed for hours together, and that visual feast alone consummated my maiden darshan (seeing a holy person or image of a deity).
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – Pc: Wikipedia
The blessed beads and the ineffable blue
Several years later, I had the blessed opportunity to go to Puri for the second time in 2015, when my younger daughter Radha took part in a dance festival at Cuttack and was awarded the title Nrithya Bhushan.
Before the festival, we decided to go to Puri Jagannath and seek the Lord’s blessings. It was also during the Nabakalebara (the change of the physical form) time – an event that takes place once every twelve years.
As we entered the temple, a priest came on his own accord and guided us to all the shrines in the large complex. One could feel the Lord’s hand in this as it was completely unanticipated and unexpected to get a venerable priest to provide such loving guidance. Strangely, there was little of a crowd. We could all sit in front of the Lord at the Bhoga mandap (food hall) for a considerable time.
I am happy to share two events of special significance during this trip. I was wearing a Rudraksha mala (garland made of Rudraksha seeds), a precious possession given to me at the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple and also blessed by the touch of Sathya Sai Baba as he walked by me during darshan time at Puttaparthi. While sitting at the mandap (hall), I saw a priest whose Thulasi mala (garland made of Thulasi leaves) caught my attention. An urge sprang from inside that made me ask the priest whether he could get me a similar kind of mala, place it at the feet of the Lord and give it to me as a prasad (blessed offering). He asked me to return the following day. Much to my delight, he had entrusted the job to another priest who took the mala inside, kept it at all the sacred spots charged with Bhagwan’s Chaitanya (Consciousness) and handed it to me. I felt profusely blessed. To this day, this Thulasi mala is a constant reminder of my sacred connection with Puri Jagannath.
The second event was when the priest who guided us that day took me to another sacred spot called Rohini Kund. The priest at Rohini Kund asked me to do ‘Pitru Preeti’ (satisfying the ancestors). I was unsure what he expected as his dakshina (offering), so before proceeding, I asked him about the same. His immediate response was, “This is priceless. I am not going to ask you for a dakshina. You can choose to give whatever you want to give me!”
It is pertinent to record here that I had yet to do any prior study on Puri Jagannath then. I was unaware that it is a great Mokshapuri (seat of liberation) and a place for performing ancestral rituals. Only on my return did I come to know through my elder daughter Sathya that Jagannath’s Consciousness originally manifested in this Rohini Kund before it was enshrined at the temple.
Without knowing anything about the aura and significance of the place, I offered my ablutions and performed the rituals. I made a small offering on completing them, and the priest blessed me profusely. As is traditional, I started to circumambulate the Rohini Kund, and the enormity of the occasion dawned on me in the flash of a second. I could see and sense how immensely pleased my ancestors were in my completing the simple rituals on my radar. The joy of my ancestors and the radiance of the ineffable blue stayed inside me for a long time.
The subtle connections
In this connection, let me recount a related incident. The Master who originally initiated me into Mantra Diksha (a sacred word, phrase or sound that a Guru gives to a disciple as part of an initiation) when I was in my teens also foretold that a great Siddha Purusha (perfected being) would walk into my life as my Paramaguru (Supreme Master) if I was steadfast in trotting on the path he had laid for me, without any detours.
This Master came in my daughter’s dream and expressed that I had forgotten to include him in my ablutions and rituals at Rohini Kund. This was within a week of my return from Puri Jagannath. When she related this dream to me, little did I realize that I would get one more blessed opportunity to fulfil this wish that would leave me with a sense of perfect completion! Of course, while Masters do not need anything for themselves, it is incredibly rewarding for the disciples to hold them in their dearest thoughts when any event of this dimension takes place.
Now, let me dwell on the inspiration for this write-up – my indescribably fascinating pilgrimage for the third time, between 3rd January and 6th January 2022, in the company of our peerless Master Mohanji!
Before the pilgrimage, I had the opportunity to visit and spend an unforgettable evening with Mohanji. I have found that every time I hold onto my Master with some intensity, I get an inner call from deities for darshan, and in the same vein, when I hold onto my Aradhya (worshipped) deities, I am blessed with my Master’s proximity.
In that light, Subhasree’s invitation for the Puri trip immediately after this visit felt like it was a gift from Mohanji. During the trip, Mohanji confirmed this intuition when he said that the divine will have chosen every one of us. The subsequent turn of events further corroborated this. The temple had opened for public darshan on 3rd January but closed on 10th January 2022 due to a spike in the cases of Omicron soon after our return. It was another strong reminder that one could not be blessed with this kind of pilgrimage without the will of God and the grace of the Master!
The summit of sublimity
Before narrating the experiences during the pilgrimage, it is appropriate to record a few of my reflections on Mohanji.
There are testimonials galore about Mohanji’s leelas and benedictions bordering on phenomena. However, another facet of Mohanji is equally phenomenal but not so luminous. The sublime emptiness he exemplifies at all times and his absolute surrender to the will of the Almighty are unbelievable states of being. I can state with certainty that if anyone attains even an iota of this sublime state of self-nullification, they can be assured of being in the embrace of the infinite. It is also my humble understanding that many oceanic merges have taken place in the remarkable journey of Mohanji. The Nath Tradition, the Datta Tradition, and the Akandha Sai Principle have all conglomerated and merged in Mohanji at different stages of his life.
It is well recorded that the Sakthi Tattvam (the Goddess Principle), the Universal Motherhood, was transferred to him as per the directions of Guru Mandala without being asked. Another merger of immeasurable dimensions took place when Mohanji visited Kathirkamam, venerated as Dakshina Kailash (Kailash of the South) and one of the most sacred abodes of Lord Skanda. Mohanji was presented a Vel (Skanda’s Lance) here by the presiding priest. This was a symbolic merger of the SkandaTattvam (The Guru Principle).
The wish-fulfilling Kamadhenu
Getting back to the pilgrimage, we arrived in Puri on 3rd January 2022. There was no plan for the evening in the original schedule of the trip. On arriving, we were pleasantly surprised when we were told that an evening darshan had been arranged! Before this most auspicious evening darshan on the first day of our trip, Mohanji instructed us to keep our arms extended and raised in front of the Lord. It was later revealed that this posture was an expression of embrace with the Lord of the Universe.
Right then, I intuited that an oceanic embrace was taking place in the subtler realms of Consciousness. This was a merger of Atma Chaitanya (the soul Consciousness) and KrishnaChaitanya (Krishna Consciousness). This indicated the great changes taking place at an incredible speed that will resonate for generations to come.
It is redundant to state that whenever we go on a pilgrimage with Mohanji, our deepest, righteous desires are usually fulfilled. One such desire of mine was to partake of the most revered Puri mahaprasad (56 food items offered to Lord Jagannath). I had yet to get this opportunity in my prior two visits to Puri Jagannath. As grace would have it, we were all served the mahaprasad sumptuously within the temple’s precincts during the unplanned visit. Mohanji himself described that darshan as a bonus.
Soon after, as we exited the temple premises, I held onto the flag at the temple tower. As mentioned initially, this has been my most treasured object of veneration at Jagannath. So much of the pulsating energy and the power of Consciousness is concentrated in the flag. As I was transfixed on the flag, in a flash, a thought occurred out of nowhere as to how wonderful it would be if one could get even a little shred of the blessed banner. Of course, I brushed this thought aside and decided to go with the flow simply.
Mahaprasad
Completion of a Master’s wish
The following day, we were taken to a place called Chakra tirtha. Instinctively, I sensed the aura of the place and decided to go to the sea to offer my ablutions to my late Master, who had expressed this in my daughter’s dream, as mentioned above. The innermost desire I had been carrying for six long years was fulfilled when I offered my ablutions in the blessed waters. I later learnt that this was the Adi Kshetra (ancient area or place) where the all-pervading Consciousness manifested as DaruBrahma (the Supreme Lord manifested in the wood idol).
Usually, when I go on a special pilgrimage such as this, I make it a point to carry some personally ground, fragrant sandal paste as an offering to the deities. I was given the privilege of anointing the deities with the priest’s consent in the sacred Chakra Tirtha.
The eternal banner of victory
The same afternoon, we had a grand welcome extended by the most revered chief priest of Puri, Pattajoshi Shri Janardana Mahapatra. He presented Lord Jagannath’s attire to Mohanji, a special gift reserved for the privileged few. Although Mohanji and the chief priest were meeting each other for the first time, the connection was spontaneous and instantaneous. The priest, without any prior knowledge about Mohanji, perceiving him and proclaiming him as Vishwa Guru (Universal Master) really struck me as a wonder of wonders! It is one thing to be connected to a Supreme Master such as Shirdi Sai Baba or Sathya Sai Baba and then be guided to Mohanji, which we have seen in many instances, and another, for a priest whose every breath revolves around the God of Gods, perceiving Mohanji as a Vishwa Guru in his very first encounter. This is such a precious rarity!
Much to our great surprise and thrill, every one of us was gifted with the most vibrant flag of Jagannatha by the chief priest. How does one describe this? An unspoken thought from the previous evening had been fulfilled almost immediately! It really left me dazed. Another instance reminds one that when God’s will and Guru’s grace flow together, nothing under the sky cannot be fulfilled! I consider this flag as an eternal symbol of victory of dharma over adharma, Truth against illusion, and a triumph of our highest self over all the gravitational pulls and viles of the earth.
That same night, Mohanji and the group had the great fortune to offer a very special garment exclusively handcrafted for Lord Jagannath. In fact, it was again the will of the Almighty that we could all have the darshan to our heart’s content. The ‘Vastra Dharanam’ ritual usually has no time specification as it is performed after completing all other rituals and is one of the last rituals performed before the temple closes for the night. Our darshan on that day coincided with this offering. As Mohanji remarked, this was nothing but grace in abundance.
The Puri pilgrimage was replete with so many extraordinary events, but it would be appropriate to restrict myself to just a few more highlights here.
Remarkable revelations
On 5th January 2022, we were taken to another powerful shrine, the samadhi of Totapuri Maharaj, a great Siddhapurusha (enlightened Master). He was also the Guru of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. I had two memorable revelations at this shrine, which may interest like-minded readers.
I have been an ardent devotee of Sri Sadashiva Brahmendra, an avadhoota (a person who has reached a stage in their spiritual development in which they are beyond worldly concerns). His jeeva samadhi (tomb of a Hindu Spiritual Guru whose life force still exists in the tomb) has been at Nerur in Tamil Nadu for many years. When I walked into the ashram of the Totapuri Maharaj campus, I had the same feeling at Nerur. As we walked into his abode, I bowed to the idol of Totapuri Maharaj, placing my hands on his feet, inwardly seeking a message. Instantly, I heard a baritone voice reverberating in my inner ear “He (Mohanji) and I (Totapuri) are one.” I opened my eyes with a start and immediately turned left. Mohanji was seated there, deep in dhyana (meditation). Without giving a second thought that I may disturb his meditation, I held on to his feet and bowed down, still internalizing the revelation.
Soon after, Mohanji took me to an inner chamber which is said to be the actual samadhi (tomb of a saint) spot of the great saint. He touched a tiger skin placed behind a cot and said, “This is where his head is.” In a second, he lifted the skin, and I quickly put my hand and could feel it at the tip of my fingers. This was a rare opportunity that was not available to everyone!
Remarkable revelations and communions happen in such quick succession when we are with a peerless Master. All that is needed of us is to remain receptive and vigilant. The Guru’s grace then takes over.
I got to meet Mohanji again, for a precious moment, before boarding the flight on my return journey. Feeling incredibly grateful for what had been an unforgettable experience, I held his hand of grace. Mohanji looked at me and said, “I bless you..I bless you!”. It may sound casual on the face of it, but it rang with so much power and vibrancy.
Totapuri Maharaj
The blue magnet
On returning to Bangalore, I was ill for about a week. I was down with a fever, throbbing headache, parched throat, body aches and all the telltale signs of the pandemic. I isolated myself for the period of recovery. Going through physical turbulence makes one more sensitive to feeling the hands of grace and divine healing. An indescribable huge blue magnet was holding me in a divine thrall, and I was in a state where there was a pain but no suffering, an oft-repeated observation of Mohanji. The mind was in a zone with an exquisite blend of stillness and rapture. I wondered whether it was a replica in the microcosm of the oceanic merger of the Atmic Principle and Krishna Chaitanya playing in front of my eyes as I had intuited in Puri!
I conclude with a quote from a precious abhang (devotional poetry) sung by the great Yogi Sankevarma when he had the maiden darshan of his Parama Guru, Sant Gyaneshwar.
“Guru dhyayi Guru dhyayi Guru Parathe Sadhana Nahi
Guru sevaa cha Sankalpa Guru tochi, Para Brahma
Meaning:
Meditate on the Guru!
There is no greater sadhana than holding onto the Guru
When the Guru is pleased, the Almighty is mighty pleased
Guru is verily the Para Brahma!
Jai Mohanji!
Jai Jagannath!
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 5th January 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.
‘Let the pain be there in the body, do not suffer from it.‘– These are the words that many of us have heard from Mohanji. It’s difficult to do this – to separate pain from suffering. We always think that pain and suffering are things that unavoidably come together, but many times, Mohanji has demonstrated that it is possible to experience pain without suffering.
The Head-on collision:
A recent incident that shook the entire Mohanji Global family once again provided a solid example of Mohanji’s choice not to suffer amid great pain. During the Global Volunteer Meet Zoom call on 9th October, Christopher, Mohanji’s Executive Assistant, announced the head-on collision that their car had had on the 7th October evening whilst Mohanji was returning to Slovenia. Mohanji was sitting in the front passenger seat and had taken the impact on his heart. Chris further shared that Mohanji was initially admitted into the Critical Cardiac Care Unit in the hospital but had discharged himself at his own risk and was resting at home. While everyone in the Zoom meeting was shocked to hear this, Mohanji also joined the Zoom meeting, as it was scheduled earlier for him to address the attendees. Mohanji appeared and he spoke himself about the incident. He was calm, though his voice sounded slightly tired: ‘One thing this incident has proven is that I have a heart; I am not heartless.‘ – Mohanji ended his talk on a jovial note.
The month of October was a critical period. Three in-person programs with Mohanji – The Global Mai-Tri Meet, Empowered 5.0 and Empowered Trainers training – all spanning over 11 days, were about to start soon in Serbia – from 16th to 27th October. Mohanji was to be present in all three of these programs. ‘But will that be possible in the current situation? Is Mohanji well enough to attend the 11 days long programs in Serbia?’ – these were the questions that popped up in my head naturally. I was part of the organising team for all three of the programs, and I was travelling to Serbia the very next day on 10th October. The plan was to spend some time around Mohanji, serving him and cooking for him before going for the programs.
But now I was not sure whether Mohanji would be able to travel to Serbia and when. Anyway, I accepted the situation – whenever he comes, I will be available at his service. I surrendered my thoughts at the feet of my Guru. Later that evening, Milica, Mohanji’s PA, messaged me confirming that Mohanji would arrive in Belgrade late the next evening, on 10th October, the same day that I arrived in Serbia!
Arrival in Serbia:
Some of us gathered at the Belgrade airport to receive Mohanji that evening. We were all eagerly waiting to see him as well as we were wondering about his health. Mohanji came out of the airport looking frail physically, but the shine on his face and the smile on his lips melted all of us when he spread his arms to hug us. He is here with us, and it’s a big deal! I asked him, ‘Are you having pain, Mohanji? Are you feeling ok?’ Mohanji said in his usual style, ‘Pain in the chest is there. But I am not suffering.‘ ‘I had to run away from the ICU, you know. It was more suffocating there’, he added jokingly. Whilst I was happy to see him physically in front of my eyes, and also, although I was assured that I would be around him to serve him, I had some concerns about him flying with the present condition of his heart. With that worry in my mind, I scolded him lightly, ‘Was it worth taking this risk of flying, Mohanji? You needed to take complete rest.’
He said, ‘If I didn’t leave Slovenia immediately, then I wouldn’t have been able to travel and then what about these programs? I don’t want to cancel these programs, you know.’
Even in this condition, he is thinking about us! About the programs!
Naively, I told him, ‘Then for these next few days, Mohanji, please just relax and take complete rest, no meeting people, no meetings and no work. Just rest.’
He smiled! ‘I never stop working.’ He muttered.
Of course! Metaphysically this is true, but physically he must surely take rest, I told myself silently.
The so-called resting period:
The very next day, just like on any other day, he allowed some devotees to come and see him. He had pain in his chest, his heart condition was not good, his diet was restricted, and he was only eating two times per day, yet he would still sit the whole day and meet the devotees who came. He didn’t stop doing his work, regardless of his health condition. We could all feel his fatigue, his pain, but he never complained about anything, nor did he deny anything to people! In the next few days, Mohanji sorted out many critical and important things for various countries and MCB lands about the upcoming programs, spoke about books, wrote forewords and discussed the minutest details for the upcoming retreat.
One morning, immediately after I served him his herbal tea, he asked me to bring a notepad and sit down. I got my laptop, ready to type, without knowing what was to come next! Mohanji was in a very different state that early morning – serious and focused. He started explaining to me the roadmap of Empowered 5.0. He narrated, explained and repeated, ensuring I understood it well so I could put it all in a presentation pack. He was flowing, flawless, unstoppable. I was listening and noting down non-stop. After he finished talking, he ensured that I had cleared all of my doubts and told me to prepare the slides and show them to him later. It was almost his breakfast time, and I had to prepare for that, but he wasn’t worried. He waited patiently until I brought him his breakfast. I admired him at that time – his focus, sincerity, attention to detail and overall flow. His priority for the Empowered 5.0 program was beyond his own physical pain. Later, he even checked the slides after I had prepared them. Such a thorough approach to preparation! All of this is only for us! How blessed we are, I couldn’t stop thinking. Mohanji completed so many things during the 4-5 days in Novi Sad before we left for Zlatibor for the in-person programs; he met many people while dealing with his physical pain, and he did it all without displaying any suffering. If I weren’t there personally near him, it would be impossible to see him and understand the extent of physical pain he had.
Humility and down-to-earthiness!
While I was closely noticing Mohanji spending the entire day working, talking, and sorting out people’s problems at the physical level, I was worried about his food, rest, and recovery. While he didn’t stop working, he followed Dr Umesh’s advice with the homoeopathy medicines. Like a good obedient son, he ate well whatever I served and allowed me to give him light oil massages. Apart from this, there was no special treatment! He thanked me for giving him the right food and for the massage, etc., in this hour of need.
He said, ‘This is helping me to recover! The right food and the oil massage. You came here at the right time. Thank you!’
The truth was that actually, I was grateful! I was grateful for the blessings that I am here around Mohanji and have got this opportunity to serve him. It was only due to his grace that this was allowed. Yet he is thanking me! Sometimes Mohanji leaves me speechless with teary eyes; his leelas, only he knows!
The incident during the Canada trip in March 2022:
His physical condition never binds Mohanji, and I have witnessed this many times before. I was recollecting a very serious situation that had happened a few months back, in March 2022, during his visit to Vancouver, Canada. Not many people knew about it. Whenever I mentioned the story to others, I would get shivers. It wasn’t ordinary. Let me narrate it here. Mohanji and a few of us had travelled from Toronto to Victoria, DC, for a two-day program, and then we were scheduled to go to Vancouver for a day and then fly back to Toronto. When we reached Victoria, Mohanji was perfectly fine, but he suddenly developed a cough later that evening. The cough intensified, and then chest congestion came too. It was so bad that he couldn’t sleep and kept coughing the whole night. The next day, there was an event in a Sai Baba temple, and Mohanji had to speak. His cough was getting worse, but he didn’t cancel the program. He went ahead with the Satsang and the program afterwards, meeting many people. That night also was very disturbing for him as he was coughing continuously and couldn’t sleep.
We had to travel to Vancouver the next morning, so we wanted to know whether he should travel in this condition or rather stay back and rest; however, this would mean that the program in Vancouver would have to be cancelled. Chris and I discussed this with Mohanji because we were quite worried about his flight travel in this situation. He insisted that the program should not be cancelled: ‘Baba is waiting for me. Hundreds of people are waiting for me. I cannot cancel the program. I will travel to Vancouver; I will manage.’ He assured us.
Though the flight to Vancouver was only for 25 minutes, there was some delay, and we had a long wait in the airport. That meant there would hardly be any time left for the event as soon as we arrived! I was feeling anxious thinking about Mohanji’s constant coughing and chest congestion. Mohanji understands everything! While waiting at the airport, he kept us engaged telling some funny incidents and leaving us laughing and rolling on the floor! While I was worried about his health, he didn’t seem bothered at all. Finally, we boarded the plane and that 25 minutes of travel was the worst. It was a small flight, tight sitting and packed with people and very turbulent too. When we came out of the flight, Mohanji was feeling really restless! His cough had worsened! Looking at his condition, the team decided to cancel the program. Once again, Mohanji repeated that he could not disappoint people waiting for him. It was an event at the Sai Baba temple. Mohanji took a little rest and then went ahead to the event. New place, new audience, and despite a terrible cough, Mohanji managed the Satsang very well and kept meeting everyone with patience and with as much time as everyone needed. After the event, he spent quality time with the local team when he returned to his residence.
It had been a long and turbulent day for him, and despite his chest condition and really bad cough, he patiently performed all of his duties lovingly and compassionately. I was in constant touch with Dr Umesh and gave his medicines to Mohanji regularly.
As the evening progressed, Mohanji’s cough was getting worse. Dr Umesh was regularly on the phone monitoring his condition and guiding me about the medicines to give him constantly in small gaps. Mohanji was unable to lie down or take any rest with the persistent cough, so he was sitting upright on the chair the entire time. We were supposed to travel back to Toronto the following day. Mohanji’s condition was getting worse. At one time, while he was speaking to Dr Umesh, his cough became very severe, like a fit, and he fell on his back on the bed with his eyes rolled up; he was completely unable to breathe. For a moment, my heartbeat stopped! But I don’t know how I got the strength; with the phone in my right hand with Dr Umesh on the line, I held onto Mohanji’s wrist with my left hand and pulled him to sit upright! I don’t know how I got that strength and power. I was speechless for a few seconds, and then as Mohanji sat up, he could breathe again. My heart was racing fast, but I gathered myself and calmly, I explained this to Dr Umesh. Dr Umesh kept assuring and guiding me. During those few hours watching Mohanji in such trouble, I had no thoughts other than how to get him some relief and make sure he returned to Toronto safely.
Thanks to Dr Umesh’s excellent care and medication, Mohanji was feeling better the next morning and could travel back to Toronto. I had been witnessing the condition of Mohanji for the last two days, but despite that, he did not cancel any of his events and continued on as planned. After reaching Toronto, though his condition was slightly better than Vancouver, he was still in bad condition. It was -18 Degrees C in Toronto and snowing. Chris decided to advance his travel to the USA to leave a couple of days earlier for a warmer climate.
Before leaving Toronto, Mohanji wanted to complete some of his pre-committed events, including a visit to a devotee’s home! It was snowing, the devotee’s home was at least 1 hour of driving each way, and Mohanji still wasn’t well. Despite all this, he didn’t want to cancel this house visit and said he would complete his commitment. I had tears in my eyes, and on one side, I was feeling slightly angry as to the urgent need to keep this commitment above his health condition, having to travel a long distance in such bad weather.
The night’s situation in Vancouver flashed before my eyes, and I couldn’t imagine seeing Mohanji again in such a terrible condition. I know Mohanji doesn’t let his pain come in the way of his duties and commitments. His love for his devotees was beyond his pain! It wasn’t comfortable to watch him do this, but my heart was filled with gratitude to witness this act of unconditional love from Mohanji. While I was worried about his health within this physical reality, I was also aware of the higher purpose behind why Mohanji had taken this physical pain onto his body. He had shown me this while I was healing his body. Mohanji takes on very severe and life-threatening situations from some of his people and dissolves them through such pains in his body. Witnessing the truth in a different dimension and witnessing what was happening in physical reality was a completely different experience for me. The duality of pain and suffering, the truth beyond all pain and suffering, and the pure unconditional love that Mohanji operates from in every moment – this wasn’t easy to understand: the astounding reality of the magnanimous Mohanji!
Awareness regarding the Slovenia Accident – vision through healing
I will now share another angle about how Mohanji can endure physical pain without suffering. This is my realisation of Mohanji from a different dimension that he allowed me to witness through healing.
After the car accident in Slovenia, some of us did a healing on Mohanji’s body in that condition. I am sharing the description of the vision and understanding I had of this incident from this healing session. When I was attempting to heal Mohanji’s heart, I saw the land of Slovenia’s Mohanji Peace Centre – his heart took the shape of that land. I then saw huge flames all around that land, some houses in the land were charred in the fire, and all of the residents were perishing. Mohanji showed me that this was a disaster that he had to remove only by taking it on himself physically because it was not just about the fire on the property – it was about the lives of many of his devotees and volunteers serving the centre. While the healing progressed, I saw the fire going down, but still, there were patches of fire here and there around his heart. I knew that it was no small karmic event that Mohanji eradicated by taking the big hit on his own heart. Some effect will remain upon his heart and overall health until those small fire patches on his heart eventually dissipate and fade away.
This vision brought me clarity about the new lives that Mohanji gave to many. Mohanji didn’t show me the faces, it wasn’t necessary, but the reality is that he is standing strong in front and facing all possible storms that come, protecting his people like a loving father. The reality is that he is giving new lives – rebirths to many of his devotees like a mother taking the pains of her child and almost dying in the birthing process! The purpose behind Mohanji taking such extremely painful physical conditions onto his own body is not just an act of sympathy or even empathy. Still, these are the true empowerments that Mohanji is giving all these people through new births and a complete transformation. Many may not realise this right here and now; some will realise in time. Mohanji does his work quietly, without announcement and without taking any credit. He is totally bound to his purpose! It is also true that he will not leave things halfway until his job is done here in this incarnation! He has never done that in any of his previous incarnations. However, such incidents are hard-hitting wake-up calls for all of us. If we remain asleep in this life, we will surely miss the boat again.
While in Novi Sad, some of us who did the healing that day were narrating our visions to Mohanji, and everyone was bringing their own unique aspect of the understanding. I was getting clarity about the huge purpose behind every single act of Mohanji. Nothing is a coincidence, and nothing is an accident – this is the master plan of the great Master and the Tradition behind him to wake us up, transform us, and empower us.
The pain continues, still no suffering – the conclusion:
Coming back to Mohanji’s resting days in Novi Sad! Soon the date for the program in Zlatibor was approaching. Mohanji guided us in detail for all three programs. Soon, we all travelled to Zlatibor – almost 4 hours from Novi Sad. Mohanji was stationary at one place in his Novi Sad residence for the last four days, but he still had not recovered from his heart condition. So, the 4 hours of car travel wasn’t very comfortable. When we reached the hotel, our residence for the next 11 days, I could feel Mohanji’s fatigue and physical pain. But he had work to do, talking to the organisers, the guests arriving from different countries, etc. The program started. Mohanji was attending every day for his scheduled times and delivering powerful satsangs. But beyond that, while he was staying in his room, he was administrating every little detail, orchestrating every single movement, not just through his physical guidance, but also energetically.
Every morning, he would meet all the organisers and give the detailed directions; every lunch time, when we would come during the break and check about how the program was progressing and what people’s reactions were; and every evening when the program ended, he was taking detailed feedback too. At each step, he was advising us in every little detail – no matter what, nothing was too small or too big for him.
He was working tirelessly, sitting continuously on his chair in his room. Energetically he was aware of everything. His remote presence from the room, his physical presence for specific times every day with the people – had a huge impact on everyone. More than 200 people had gathered. Every single person was going through a unique journey, and Mohanji was there with each one, guiding energetically, physically, and telepathically – in every possible way.
There are numerous situations and experiences to share. Still, I will end this write-up with two significant examples showing you all, my dear readers, how Mohanji was working miraculously beyond his physical pain, far from any suffering. The first is an example of his action in physical reality, and the other is an example of his energy-based action on a different dimension.
Here goes the first one – as I mentioned previously, Mohanji had given us specific instructions regarding food during Empowered 5.0. The specifics were conveyed to the hotel and we had a team following it up closely. There were certain food items that Mohanji had specifically mentioned to avoid for very valid reasons. Every day, the food was progressing satisfactorily (while there were small issues and it wasn’t 100% as per the instructions). One day, due to some unavoidable reasons, they made exactly the food that Mohanji had asked to avoid. Usually, I cook different food for Mohanji so that his diet is taken care of, so he doesn’t get to see what food has been prepared in the hotel for the participants.
However, on that particular day, I was rushing to get Mohanji’s lunch, and I had yet to see or eat the lunch prepared for us by the hotel. While Mohanji was eating his lunch, he asked me if the food for the participants was ok. I told him I had yet to go to the dining hall. Then Devi walked into the room, and Mohanji asked her what was prepared for lunch and how it was, and when he heard Devi’s response, he wasn’t happy. I was shocked, too, as the lunch that was prepared that day was exactly what Mohanji had said not to prepare! It wasn’t on our menu, but it was prepared and served to all! Mohanji wasn’t happy about this negligence as that food could have a harmful energetic effect on some of the participants. ‘Wasn’t happy’ is an understatement – he was furious, and for the right reasons. Immediately after the food lead came, the restaurant team came and Mohanji spoke to them directly, clearly and firmly, ensuring that the mistake would not be repeated!
During all this time since then, I have been thinking about how it was that of all the days that Mohanji could have asked about the food, it was only on the day of the mistake that he actually decided to ask. This is not a coincidence! We may think that Mohanji is sitting in the room and only taking feedback from us, but what we forget is that Mohanji doesn’t need any physical update, reporting or feedback from us – his consciousness is alert 24/7, within every moment he is present in every place, witnessing everything that’s happening! After that incident, the hotel guys were careful and then, for the rest of the days, everything progressed as per our given plan.
Now, the second example: As the Empowered 5.0 program started, with the unusual routine people were following; no one had any idea about the intensity of the energy Mohanji had created. All sorts of releases were happening, for everyone, in their unique way, in quite unexpected ways too. On the very first day, within the first hour, one lady came out of the hall complaining of severe stomach issues with diarrhoea and vomiting. We couldn’t send her to her room alone; we couldn’t send her to any hospital at that point without consulting with Mohanji. So, in that condition, I took her to my room and asked her to rest there. Mohanji was resting at that time, so I didn’t want to disturb him. I felt that she would feel better if she rested in my room. I checked on her regularly and found that she was still having frequent visits to the toilet. At that time, I felt I could give her Mai-Tri and that if she slept for some time, at least this frequent running to the toilet would stop.
I took her permission to do Mai-Tri, and during the session, I prayed that the Mai-Tri would let her sleep for some time – or at least until Mohanji woke up! I didn’t want to disturb Mohanji at that time considering his health condition, but at the same time, I wanted this lady to relax and not deteriorate any further. A simple prayer, but miraculously, she slept for 2 hours or so.
In the meantime, Mohanji was up and had given us immediate advice to call the doctor and arrange the necessary treatment needed in the room itself. By the time she woke up, the doctor was in the room and already treating her. Her sleep was certainly miraculous! Later that day, I was narrating this to Mohanji and told him childishly, ‘Mohanji, you know, Mai-Tri works! I asked during Mai-Tri to make her sleep, and it happened! Mai-Tri really works you know.’ It was indeed funny the way I was expressing my thanks to him – but once again, nothing was too small for Mohanji. This was also the beginning of many miraculous events that happened after that.
The next morning, during his Satsang with the participants, Mohanji said to contact us for Mai-Tri if anyone had any issues. From there on began the flow of constant requests for Mai-Tri, which came from participants in the hall and online. Only 6-8 volunteers were available to give Mai-Tri at that time, and we had more than 250 sessions done! The Mai-Tri sessions during the program were unique, per specific instructions from Mohanji.
What I witnessed during the first Mai-Tri session while sitting in the event hall was mind-blowing. It took me to a different world! No – actually, it showed me the different Universe that Mohanji had created in that hall – a vision difficult to narrate. It feels impossible to justify with my words the presence of the supreme consciousness and the feeling of a tangible universe system – galaxies, stars, many different worlds of existence and energy flows of higher frequencies! In that space, doing Mai-Tri was not about relieving people from their physical pain but rather about accentuating the release of their blockages to take them towards ultimate empowerment.
All of us volunteers doing Mai-Tri had unique and powerful experiences while doing the sessions and the people who received them had astounding experiences too.
All these were happening through the energy of Mohanji – the one beyond this physical personality we often mistake- sitting calmly on his chair in the hotel room! Staying indifferent, detached, and working silently, Mohanji was still dealing with physical pain and discomfort, but he displayed no sign of suffering.
What I witnessed in the 16 days that I spent with Mohanji, from the time he travelled from Slovenia after his accident until the end of the program, is just unbelievable. It was a tangible, unmistakable example of Pain but No Suffering!
Thank you, Mohanji, for being a constant living example of every single teaching you give us. I offer my sincere gratitude for every opportunity you gave me in every dimension to witness, understand and experience who you really are.
Koti pranams at your feet.
I love you, Mohanji.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 29th December 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.
The time I’ve spent with Mohanji, observing and working with him, has allowed me to soak in the teachings of the Tradition of Liberation, where life is the biggest teacher. Rather than outwardly teaching, as I mentioned in a previous message, it’s possible, if you keenly observe how Mohanji walks, interacts, and lives within the world, to see many of the teachings or practices through the way that he lives.
Some of the main ones we see are ahiṃsā, for example, non-violence in thoughts, words or actions and respect for all beings. Mohanji is a practising vegan. He’s always conscientious and considerate of others, respectful of their spaces, who they are, and their right to express themselves and experience the world. He also walks very lightly on Earth; he avoids all kinds of waste possible. His only real requirements are food, shelter, and clothing, living modestly.
The other day Mohanji was answering some questions in the morning. Many messages come in overnight these days, and there is a lot of time difference between India and Slovenia. Usually, he sits in the morning for many hours, replying to each one. This morning, he decided it was my time to answer some questions. He said, “Greenwood, come on, I have some questions for you; you can answer these.”
He asked questions on trust and betrayal. As per the Tradition, “What should you do when somebody trusts you?” That was his first question. My answer was, “Simply stand by them.” I know this from the Tradition and from observing how Mohanji lives his life because, for everybody who trusts him completely, he stands by them, no matter what. He’s firm with his connection with them. But Mohanji also added, “Make them feel safe.” As per Tradition, our job is to stand by people who trust us and make them feel safe. I think this is fundamental during these times when society has high anxiety and fear. We should stand with someone and make them feel safe if someone trusts us. So, this was a tick. I was happy to get one question right!
The next question was, “As per the Tradition, what should you do when somebody betrays you?” I thought and said,” Okay, well, simply nothing; that’s what they wanted to do.” But his answer here was, “Simply stay away. Stay away, but also be thankful to God or whoever you want to; thank the higher for showing you their true face.”
This sounds like a straightforward answer, to stay away and be thankful for seeing who that person is. Many people fall into a trap; they can begin to talk bad about the person, tell everybody what happened, “Did you hear what happened? I can’t believe this person did this to me.” They can even go so far as to take revenge, and people make all sorts of messes.
The point made is you have to be very careful because gossiping, judging, and taking revenge are all taking you into a lower frequency, into their frequency. You can get tangled up and trapped in this, which is the opposite direction of elevation, whereas the Tradition takes people to Lightness and Liberation.
So, when somebody trusts you, stand by them and make them safe and if someone betrays you, stay away and be thankful that you see their true face.
Day 180 – Many will come
If you take away the time Mohanji and I spent in quarantine in Slovenia, we’ve probably been here just over a month, maybe five weeks. During that time, he has given the energy to speed up activities here in Slovenia. In that time, we’ve achieved a lot, not just on the land but also in setting up things here. We’re working well towards our goal of having the first programs here at the Peace Center by the summertime. Now that the boundary is clear, it’s very distinct; the fences have been put in place. Our focus now shifts to creating living spaces. As I am here, I’m working and building; it feels like the start of something big.
In my time with Mohanji, I’ve heard many different predictions about him from great saints and astrologists. As I work closely with Mohanji, I notice the respect and reverence many great Masters give him. The activities also speak for themselves with all the great work happening worldwide with Ammucare, ACT Foundation, and ACT4Hunger. As we work here, we can tangibly experience the grace and ease with which the activities flow. There are obstacles, for sure, but in the end, plans happen, and the right people come together. It almost seems like an effortless activity at times. There’s work, but it’s more the right organization and coordination; all things come together on time, especially when you consider that we’re in the middle of a Covid situation.
This all points to something much more significant, which I think we all know. I’ve never seen the full revelation of who Mohanji is or what it will be in the world. What makes me believe this is that other Saints and Masters are beginning to tell our people about Mohanji. For example, last weekend, two lovely ladies visited the Peace Center, the land, to offer respect there and also to Mohanji. Now, they have a Guru. They told me, or he had told them, that there’s an Avadhoota, and they must go and meet Mohanji. They’re part of the Dattatreya Tradition too.
What he said was interesting because he had said they should never leave Mohanji. For me, it was a fascinating talk. She explained that many people now knew about Mohanji from that organization and that, over time, many more would be coming to see him. Once the Centre is fully running (where Mohanji is based), many of their people will be coming to stay. I don’t know the total numbers of that organization, but it’s 1000s and 1000s worldwide.
Mohanji has also told me that many people are coming, and I believe it, though I don’t fully understand the scale. I remember that one person has also said that in the future, people will even be queuing just to catch a glimpse of the cloth that Mohanji is wearing. Whilst I believe this, sometimes it seems unimaginable, especially when I’m driving Mohanji from the apartment to the land in this cheap, dusty, and muddy secondhand car, which we’ve purchased so that we can go to the land and back to conduct the work.
I was thinking about it this morning and am excited about what’s coming.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 11th December 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.
Mamta shares with us her beautiful experiences from Mohanji’s powerful and popular online and in-person Empowered programmes
A message and poem of gratitude
Dear Mohanji,
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be heard during Empowered 4.0. Your answer has healed me and wiped my tears of a lifetime. Lifetime is too small a word to contain this huge span, and tears are indeed a pool. I am now blessed with relief. To me, your words “Zero deviation from responsibility” are now inscribed in gold.
One by one, layer by layer, I first saw my fears, then my insecurities and lastly, the ownerships leave me. Amazingly you have walked along with me, guiding me miraculously. You have given me the joy of living in multiple frequencies. I feel so honoured about it. I am working hard each day to make myself more deserving now that you have accepted me at your lotus feet. Please keep telling us more about dharmic existences and karmic allowances. I am not a bad investment, I promise. So true that nothing is ours. Even the thoughts and words I am using in this tiny piece of my creativity are yours. I am awaiting the moment to see a clean me one day in the mirror you project. I have tried to express my gratitude in a few lines.
I am immensely grateful to you, dear Mohanji.
You are the highest attainable.
Higher than the highest, greater than the greatest.
You are Shiva.
I need to raise my devotion to that of Nandi.
You accepted me at your lotus feet.
I shall make myself deserving and not disappoint you.
You are the only one of your stature.
Master from the Himalayas guiding me in my own home.
You need nothing from us, not even gratitude.
I now want to be just serving.
You are stability.
I am holding on to you like a strong pillar.
You are unconditional love, kindness and selflessness.
I wish and pray nobody ever brings you any harm.
You are caring for me like a responsibility.
I will gradually be able to discriminate the real from the illusion.
You are working so hard on me with rocket speed.
I need to speed up too.
You have truly empowered me through words of wisdom.
I shall apply them in life and make you proud.
You gave me the awareness of the third eye.
I am seeing things differently and have developed better outlook.
You chose to be in the space of my heart.
I will always keep it clean and not allow contamination.
You have filled me with both hands.
I already feel attained and realized.
You are indeed Supreme Consciousness.
This Avatar called Mohanji seems to have happened just for me. I know no other God.
Basking in joy and bliss, anand and parmanand….
Breaking comfort zones gets me rewarded
The much-awaited program dates of Empowered 5.0 were announced, and we were eagerly looking forward and preparing to reach Serbia. The organizers were very kind and offered to arrange our transport from the airport to the Venue at Zlatibor. They also shared information about the local bus facilities.
Mohanji teaches us about “Breaking the comfort zones.” He says nothing sprouts there. He inspires us to “Dare to be different.” He also talks about “Walking the unknown path.” All of this gave me the courage and the inspiration to choose the bus option and avoid the comfort of the van, thereby giving myself a chance to experience things out of the box and get exploring.
My plane landed around 12:30 pm. I had planned to take the bus at 14:15, which would take me to Zlatibor by 18:00, and I will be in time for the welcome session. I got done with baggage and customs, my passport and other formalities. Figuring out things just took a little extra time, so I couldn’t make it for the 14:15 bus and got the 15:30 instead. This one had a commute time of four and a half hours to Zlatibor, which meant I would miss the welcome session.
Now, as the clock came close to striking 19:00, the time the welcome session would begin, I was becoming restless. It was also getting dark outside already. The darkness caused a little bit of fear, just a little bit, not much, as l was in an unknown country, the language unknown to me, in a bus on a mountain, and the night was creeping in already.
My mind was processing all possibilities so as not to miss the session. Being with Mohanji is so important for all of us, and we can all relate to the restlessness I was feeling. I then attempted to reach the organizing team to check if it was possible for them to send me a zoom link for the session. This way, I could just take it from the bus. I was completely aware that it may not be possible as it was a last-minute request, and the team would be so busy on the ground.
My restlessness was growing even more. My soul was now making friendly requests to Mohanji, asking him to facilitate the link. And he actually did!
One of our friends from our older WhatsApp group of Empowered 4.0 happened to be sending the link to somebody else. My perspective here is that this person was just an instrument through whom Mohanji sent me the link. Surely, he appreciated my venturesome travel and wouldn’t have let it go without a reward. I could take the session from the bus and didn’t miss a word.
Lessons to take: All thoughts, words, and actions are orchestrated by the Supreme Consciousness. Me missing the 14:15 bus and somebody sending the link for somebody else was all just part of the play. We are not the owners of action. We just sincerely need to follow the teachings of our Master and apply them too. Having full faith in my Master and heartfelt prayers gave me this amazing experience.
Mohanji can move mountains
I would like to share this experience on behalf of the entire Empowered group. We have all witnessed this. It may lose its significance if it is not brought to our notice, and it needs to be given its due importance. It may easily get forgotten, but it’s really big if pondered upon.
During the welcome session, Mohanji gave us a brief idea about the practice and what we would be doing for the next 5 days. He also told us we were free to choose to sit on chairs or sit on the floor or maybe spread out our yoga mats and choose to lie down. He really wanted us to feel comfortable. We had a hall facility in the hotel, which we would occupy and use for our practice purposes.
A discussion about the space constraint of the hall followed this. Then there were further discussions on the possibility of extending the hall. Some halls have walls with sliding panels making an extension possible. But then very clearly we understood that the walls weren’t flexible and the discussion almost closed, concluding that the hall cannot be extended. The walls were strong fixtures, and there wasn’t any possibility of their removal.
But it was beyond anybody’s imagination what Mohanji could do. He was able to get the strong fixtures removed and thereby get the hall extended. The space was now so much bigger. To me, and I believe to everyone, this was nothing less than witnessing Mohanji move mountains. The walls were really not the movable kind. Even thinking about getting them removed was unimaginable. For a program, just a temporary program of 5 days, who could possibly even want to get into this hassle! This is yet another demonstration of how much he cares for us and how he delivers, crossing over all obstacles.
Lessons to take: Mohanji can move mountains. We need eyes to see. We need to feel so much gratitude. We must realize that we are the most blessed group ever and must give back too.
Energy support felt tangibly
This is a very special experience. This is on day 5 of our intense workshop on practicing silence at Zlatibor, Serbia. I am sure this experience sharing will help increase the devotion aspect in all the readers.
One of the instructions for this practice, as given by our beloved Master Mohanji, was to keep the body still. He says we need to take steps, and he is providing us with energy support. We all will agree that staying still is a task, as we are so not used to keeping the body restful. We sit with our spine erect for a while, then feel pain and want to crouch back.
It was day 5 of the workshop, the last day. I was sitting on a chair, trying to keep my spine erect and keep my body restful. I could do so only for a short while. Then I started feeling the pain in my back. But as this was the last day of the workshop, I was trying to increase my determination not to make any movements and to remain still. The pain kept on increasing. There was a strong urge to crouch back. At the same time, my determination to stay still was gaining strength too.
There was this powerful thought behind it: it was the last day of the workshop, and there was no tomorrow. So I was bearing the pain. This thought process kept continuing, that is, the urge to crouch and then strengthening the determination, urge to crouch, strengthening the determination. Now the pain really became very excruciating, like it kind of reached the breaking point. I knew I could no longer stay still in the position. The pain now brought a tear to my eye. This is where I believe my subconscious mind came to my rescue.
Roop dhyan (image worship) has been one of my ways of worship. Just before giving up, my mind got this feed of Roop dhyan from my subconscious mind. I was now imagining the divine hand of Mohanji bringing healing to me. His sacred, beautiful hand with all its shringar (adornments) like the bracelet of beads, the red sacred thread around the wrist, a silver coiled ring and a red stone ring on the fingers. There isn’t anything more beautiful than that.
To my amazement, a miracle happened. This little effort of imagination of his divine hand actually brought me healing. My pain disappeared just like that. The so excruciating pain became no pain. Absolutely no pain. I tangibly felt the energy support that Mohanji spoke about. I could now effortlessly stay still and continue with my practice. The joy of experiencing a miracle filled me with so much that I could hardly focus on the practice.
My take from this experience: Let’s keep our minds occupied with thoughts of the divine. This keeps our subconscious mind powerful, and our subconscious mind, like our good friend, comes in handy when we really need it. We are on a path where our endurance really gets tested, but with the strongest determination, it rewards us with miracles. Roop Dhyan is a simple and joyous way to raise our devotion.
Guru sends a meal
This is during my return journey on a flight back home to Houston from Belgrade. The seat number assigned to me on this particular flight was 39G, which is an aisle seat in a middle row of four. After boarding, as I came closer to my seat, I found it to be already occupied. This was a family of four, a husband and wife, a toddler of 3 years and an infant of 3 months. When I checked with them about the seat, they realized they had mistakenly occupied my seat. They asked me if I could adjust to take their seat, which was 39D. It was completely understandable that it is a hassle to move with a baby and a toddler for anybody, for that matter. This wasn’t a problem for me at all; after all it was just another aisle seat on the other side of the row. So I simply agreed and went and sat in their seat.
It was now lunchtime. They were serving vegetarian food to only those who had pre-ordered the same. The air hostess came and served me a meal too. I was quite amazed as I had not pre-booked a meal for myself on that flight. I started a small conversation with my co-passenger, the mother, expressing my surprise about it, and told her that I did not pre-book any meal. Her husband overheard this and then recollected that it was he, in fact, who had booked the vegetarian meal for himself, not because he’s a vegetarian but just for the sake of it. We both forgot that we had swapped seats.
This now got clicked with him, and we understood the whole story behind the meal. So the meal was meant for seat 39D, which is for this family. I now offered them back their meal, but they asked me to accept it as he said that they are providing vegetarian meals to only people who pre-ordered them, and they were fine to eat the regular meal as they were not vegetarians. I was grateful for their courtesy, and then I accepted.
When I opened the meal box, there was dal and rice, which is a staple Indian meal that every home in India cooks every day. They were happy that I got a good meal. They themselves couldn’t understand what had caused them to book a vegetarian meal and also select the Indian option. To me, it became crystal clear that this meal was sent to me by my Guru, Mohanji. He wouldn’t want me to go back home hungry. This was the most special meal I have ever had in my life. I cherished every bite and felt immense gratitude.
Along with gratitude, there was this immense joy of experiencing a miracle. Some bites even felt saltier after they had gotten mixed with my tears. Later on, the contemplation helped me understand a few lessons. All acts are orchestrated by God. We are not the doers. The couple, just instruments, placed this order. Seats getting interchanged was not accidental. They mistakenly occupying my seat was part of destiny’s play. Guru, like a loving mother, takes care of us. How can he possibly let you go hungry!
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 1st December 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.
Yesterday afternoon, on the 31st of August, I had the unexpected good fortune of attending the Ganesh Charturti event with Mohanji, and I was still staying with Harish and Neetha, two dear friends I had not seen for a decade. Harish was, in succession to his father, Dharmadarshi NC Nannaiah, the Managing Trustee of the People’s Trust, a charity that had incessantly worked the past forty years for the welfare of eighteen of the poorest villages in the countryside around Bangalore.
After waking up at 4.30 this morning, I did my daily sadhana practices. When I opened my eyes, a beautiful surprise awaited me. The reflection of the candlelight, shining through the transparent frame of a small Shiva picture, created a cross of light on Mohanji’s heart on the picture behind it. From a physical point of view, the appearance of the cross was perfectly explainable, but it was a miracle for my heart and gave me an intense feeling of being connected. Born a Christian, the very first thought I had during the satsang with Mohanji in Onderdijk last year in 2021: ‘This is how the disciples of Jesus must have felt at the feet of their Master by the waterside two thousand years ago.’ I posted the picture on the Mohanji Netherland app, and this was the immediate and astonishing reaction that followed from Selma, one of the devotees:
This is really remarkable…Early this morning, I did a prayer to Jesus. I said that I just wanted to be in his presence; I closed my eyes and just kept seeing Mohanji in front of me, I often feel Jesus and Mohanji as one energy, so I jokingly said to Jesus: ‘You will have to give a sign with a cross or something hahaha’.I fell asleep…and see this picture now that I just woke up!
After visiting the People’s Trust project in Sriramanahalli that day, we went to Mohanji’s home address, where we were expected at half past three. Because the main road to the airport had been blocked, it became a bumpy ride through small villages and fields, which made them silently wonder if we would be too late this time, too. But no, we were kindly received, and Mohanji entered his reception room after a few minutes, dressed in white cotton trousers, a plain cobalt blue t-shirt and his hair in a ponytail that had been twisted into a bun at the back of his head. It looked casual and gave us the feeling of talking to a good friend. He inquired about my trip to Kerala.
At Mohanji’s right hand was a beautiful, lifelike painting of himself. To my surprise and amazement, the booklet In Silence with Mohanji, which I had only recently written and was published by Gurulight, was leaning comfortably against his picture. It gave me an enormous feeling of connection and also recognition of the – for me – life-transforming experiences that are described in the book. Rajesh told me afterwards that Mohanji had placed the book there himself a few weeks ago and, in the meantime, had shown it to several people and also given it as a gift. That touched me tremendously and made me think of Swami Gopal Baba, my deceased Master. He, too, did not give direct compliments, but through others, one heard how happy he was with your work.
A week earlier, a spontaneous thought had come to me: how wonderful would it be if Mohanji would come and visit the People’s Trust project. After all, People’s Trust had already committed itself for forty years to social work for eighteen of the poorest villages around Bangalore and had provided children from poor families with free schooling, nutritious food and much more. One never knew what cooperation or inspiration from both sides with Ammucare (Mohanji’s charity foundation in India) might result from it. Harish had brought a leaflet of the Trust and handed it to Mohanji. Mohanji looked at it calmly and agreed to come. The condition was that there would be no ceremony or garlands, gatherings, speeches, etc. He just wished to come incognito as a mere guest. That, too, is great, so Harish had no problem with that commitment.
Soon our conversation became what could rightly be called a satsang. Mohanji visibly enjoyed answering the in-depth questions that were asked. When Milica came and pointed out the time and that his next meeting would start elsewhere, he replied nonchalantly: ‘Just tell them I’ll be there in twenty minutes. No, tell them to start already.’ The importance of silence was discussed at length, and briefly, he explained daily life techniques. Freely translated, the technique went like this: Imagine a busy road (symbolising all the mind matter and daily concerns), and on the other side, you see a quiet bench. Now stay focused only on the peace that the bench radiates. As if you were looking right over the passing cars and buses. After a while, there will only be silence. No matter how many cars pass by.
Mohanji also told us about the tremendously beneficial effect of Pitrupaksha, freeing you from the karma and inclinations of your ancestors. And he also said that even without giving annadaan to saints and the needy, you could already experience a great difference in your life by simply offering all your food and drink to the following six forms of Gods: 1. Ganesha, 2. Kul Devatas (to the God who your family worships), 3. Naga Devatas (High souls who return to earth in the form of snakes – nagas – because then they are most likely to be left alone and to function unseen as saviours of the consciousness of the world), 4. Ishta Devatas (your personal form of God), 5. Pitru Devatas (the ancestors), and 6. Gurus.
He spoke about how Mina (a devotee from Serbia) sat next to him on the floor in Novi Sad, Serbia, while he was busy with the messages on his phone. He heard her inwardly repeat the question: Who is Mohanji beyond the physical body? He looked up from his phone and told her to touch his big toe. Finally, after wondering about this question for five years, she got a fulfilling answer when Mohanji took her on a wondrous journey to the sun and through the universe. She has described her experience in a three-part blog. Mohanji asked me to share the link to her experience with one of the attendees, and now I am sharing it with you. Read the first part of her incredible experience: https://minaobradovic.wixsite.com/understandingtruth/post/mohanji-the-universe-a-true-experience
He took all the time for us and, when a few more people arrived, for them too. Calm, interested, clear and loving as always, he asked us not to leave yet, but to remain seated while he spoke to the other guests. When he finally had to go, he asked us to stay for a meal. We felt at home and welcome and accepted the invitation with both hands.
The arathi in the house mandir started and was similar to the arathi during the Ganesh Chaturti event one day ago; anyone who wished could participate in the flame-waving. Being able to experience this sacred ceremony at Mohanji’s own home will certainly add a special dimension to my daily Mohanji-arathi at my home temple. Mohanji’s parents were watching with shining eyes, and I felt strongly attracted to them. Realising at that moment that calling Mohanji my bada Bhaya (big brother) included them to be my parents as well! While the others were in the living room, I had a long conversation with both of them. They did love the bustle in their house. There were people coming and going all the time. Mohanji’s father had been a surgeon and had worked till old age. If I remember correctly, he was seventy-two when he finally stopped performing surgeries.
He told me that when he saw me, he thought: ‘I know her. I have seen her before, but where and when?’ Then he went to his sleeping room and returned with a triumphant look and a copy of my booklet. He pointed at the picture on the cover, showing Mohanji and me. That was why I had seemed familiar to him! Now he knew! He smiled. He had even read all my testimonials and therefore felt he already knew me. I was delighted. Mohanji’s father wondered why I did not write a thicker book about Mohanji. His idea was to add new experiences to the book and let it grow. Both parents were so sweet and involved. Mohanji’s mother was a woman of great integrity, and when I mentioned that because of their great example, the world had gained such a Divine Friend, tears ran down her cheeks. We looked deep into each other’s eyes and shared the emotion.
We had a delicious meal of dosa and puri, and when I asked Rajesh why he was not eating with us, he said that he had eaten before, and that his current habit was to eat no more than two meals a day. I smilingly asked him if that was difficult for him because I knew from translating Miraculous Days how fond he was of food. To which Aditya, president of Mohanji Foundation India, said that Rajesh had changed a lot. So he had not only given up smoking (as he wrote in the same book) but also eating a lot since he was with Mohanji. Transformation with Mohanji is unforced and lightning fast; I have had the feeling (and the experience).
Rajesh, as coordinator of Gurulight, helped enormously with the process of translating and publishing MAST and In Silence with Mohanji, and I had never seen him in person, although we must have exchanged dozens if not hundreds of messages with each other. So he got not one but more than four hugs spread over arrival and departure. After which, I asked him if he had already received a hug from me. After a short photo session with all of us, we said goodbye smiling, satisfied, grateful and happy.
Three beautiful days with my friends later, my flight was leaving at 6 o’clock in the morning of the 4th of August. My loved ones at home were joking that they were doubting whether I was coming home this time or making a new impulsive decision again to stay in India. But this time, I arrived safe, grateful and immensely happy. Being inwardly connected to Mohanji all through the process, I felt safe, loved and cared for, and I was guided to the right people and given the right inspirations and prompts at all times. I had continued my daily Shiva Kavacham listening sessions every night in Vedasudha Hospital, and I felt confident that nothing untoward could happen to me.
To be continued after the coming blood test results from the hospital in the Netherlands are released within two months…
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 26th November 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.
Experiences With Mohanji 