By Nisha Lohana, Canada
I had a deep desire for the Kailash pilgrimage even before I came to Mohanji in 2021, so I was quite excited when I heard about “Kailash with Mohanji.” I also sent my vote for interest in 2023. My only problem was my job. I work in health care as a Lab Assistant, and it’s really difficult to get a vacation on the desired date, so I was worried about how to manage a 15-day vacation for the Kailash trip.
My husband and I visited India in 2019, and then Covid-19 came, and the epidemic hit globally. For three years, we weren’t able to visit India to see family, so in 2023, we also wanted to visit India. My dream was to visit and stay in Shirdi for three days, and this was at the top of my bucket list. But as Gurudev (Mohanji) always says, “Don’t make plans, and live in the present.” This statement made me truly understand the deeper meaning of the words.
On May 10th, 2023, early morning, we got some sad news from India that my father-in-law had passed away. On the same day, we took emergency leave from work, booked the first available flight, and went to India to pay our last respects to the departed soul. We stayed in India for 30 days, and instead of the 3 days I had dreamt of, I ended up staying for 3 hours in Shirdi. I took Baba’s darshan and left for Canada on June 10th, 2023. My vacation was gone, and the emergency trip was quite expensive. My husband was in emotional shock, and my health was at its lowest. Nothing was favorable for the Kailash trip. During the difficult time, the date for the Kailash was announced, and it was July 23rd to August 8th, 2023.
On June 12th, 2023, I resumed my work, and as I entered my work office, my lab supervisor came and asked me to see her in her office. I went to her, and she had a paper in her hand. She calculated and showed me some calculations, and we conversed briefly. In the end, she said, “You still have 15 days left in your vacation bank.” I was shocked, but deep inside, something told me this was for Kailash. After work, when I told my husband that I had 15 days of vacation left in my vacation bank, he said, “Maybe you are going to Kailash.” I took it as Mohanji’s blessing and started thinking about the prospect of going to Kailash.
From that day till I reached Kathmandu, a series of tests took place. It ranged from conflict with my manager for leave, resignation from my job, moving to another apartment, health issues, and many other emotional circumstances where you are forced to check your priorities. Those 35 days were as difficult as the Kailash Parikrama and as beautiful as Kailash darshan because, during those days, I realized the omnipresence of Mohanji, the omniscience of Baba, and the omnipotence of Swami Sathya Sai Baba. Almost everyone who was on the Kailash trip also had extraordinary experiences of Mohanji’s omnipresence.
I had a small argument with my manager about getting 15 days of vacation. She refused to approve it as I had just come back from emergency leave. As a result, I decided to resign from the job. On June 25th, I sent my resignation with 20 days of notice period, and with this time period, July 17th would be my last day at work, and I booked my flight for Kathmandu on July 20th. During those 20 days, I remained extremely busy from 4 am to 11 pm. There was no time for any special preparation for Kailash or for any physical exercise, just cooking, cleaning, and packing for moving.
During that time, my neck pain was at its peak, and it used to be severe during the morning hours, which caused delays in getting out of bed. I did an ultrasound to rule out any major problem, and the report came up showing three severe muscle tears. One day at 4 am, I woke up as the alarm rang, but I struggled for 10 minutes to get out of bed. I felt exhausted and wanted some more rest, but I had to start work at 6:45 am. I felt helpless and vulnerable, and tears rolled down from my eyes. I asked myself if I was physically fit for the upcoming Kailash trip, or “What if I get sick there and cannot complete the trip? The answer came to my mind by grace, “Be practical before spiritual.”
To escape from all the mental chatter, I quickly got ready and left for work. The entire day, these questions and doubts plagued me. I left work, but due to mental tiredness, my whole body ached. As I entered my building, the elevator was out of service, so I took the stairs and found it difficult to climb to the second floor. I entered my apartment, and the same question came to my mind: “Should I go for Kailash or not?” I sat on the couch in front of Mohanji’s photo, and I looked into his eyes. Before I asked him anything mentally, one Sanskrit shloka or verse came into my mind, which I had learned when I was 8-9 years old. That shloka is as follows:
Mukam karoti vachalam pangum langayate girim yatkrupa tamaham vande paramananda madhavam
Meaning : “I offer my respectful obeisance unto The Supreme Bhagavan Madhav (Mohanji), the source of Supreme Bliss, whose Divine Grace turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross great mountains.”
My question was answered and I felt a little lighter with heartfelt gratitude. I stood up and indulged in pending house work. From that day, that shloka became my breath, and on many occasions I found myself chanting the last line, “Yatkrupa tamaham vande paramananda madhavam.”
July 19th, 2023, was a memorable morning for me. All tasks were completed, my job was over, moving to a new place was done, necessary unpacking was also done, and some shopping for the upcoming Kailash trip was also done later on the same day. Feeling content and with a big smile, I was sitting on the dining chair with a cup of tea, and suddenly, my husband told me, “Kailash is a difficult trip, so prepare yourself with some pranayama and yoga. Now you have time to do it.” I liked his advice because I was in a relaxed mood after 25 days of hard work. I am not a person who enjoys yoga and breathing exercises, so I replied to him that I have only 2 days remaining, and that’s not enough to benefit from yoga.
Hearing my remark, he did not say anything further, but at the same time, my mobile screen blinked with a YouTube notification. I quickly opened it, and there was a photo of Swami Sathya Sai with the message, “Sai considers effort. Don’t take me for granted.” I could not ignore the message because Mohanji, Baba, and Swami are like Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh to me. They work as a team: Swami guides you, Mohanji puts you to the test for the same subject, and Sai Baba checks your marks. After reading that message, I started light exercises and breathing work.
After 15 mins, I felt like some magic was at work. After 30 mins, my palms turned hot, my nose tip turned red and cold, and my whole body was full of energy. For the first time in my life, I realized how powerful breathing exercises were. With excitement, I informed my husband that I really liked his advice as I had a positive experience, and I will do it tomorrow as well. The next day, I sat for yoga and pranayama; although the previous day’s magic was missing, I completed the exercises.
My flight was scheduled for 12 pm on July 20th, 2023, and I realized that morning that I had not done online checking. I immediately grabbed my phone to check in and saw four emails waiting in my inbox about a 10-hour delay in my connecting flight from Vancouver to Delhi. This meant my Delhi to Kathmandu flight would be affected as well. I immediately contacted the airline, but there was no solution to the delay. I had no solution left, so I sat in front of Mohanji’s photo and prayed, “Mohanji, I did my best; now, please give me a solution.”
Just then, a name somehow entered my mind, and it was Keta Shah. She is from the Mohanji Canada family and is one of my good friends. So, without any second thought, I dialed her number and explained everything. Even though she was at work, after 2 hrs of trying her best, she got a new itinerary for me with a new departure date of July 21st. Leaving one day late meant arriving later than the scheduled time in Kathmandu. I took a deep breath with this solution and sent the new itinerary to the Kailash team so they can rearrange my pick up from the Kathmandu airport.
At 4 pm, I received a call from Bhavani who was part of the Kailash team, and with her precise manner she explained that reaching Kathmandu at 9 am on July 23rd would be around the same time the participants had to submit their passport for the Chinese embassy. If my flight is a little late, then I might not be able to get a Chinese visa. Again, I was in a dilemma about what to do, but at this point, I felt tired, and I was not in any position to make any prayer. I quietly stated inside of myself, “Mohanji, now it’s up to you. I am not going to cancel my flight. I am leaving tomorrow, and whatever you decide for me, I will accept as my destiny, but I am coming tomorrow.”
With a heavy heart, I was sitting in the living room, and again, I got a call from Keta Shah, asking if everything was ok. I explained to her about the new situation, and she said to let her talk to the Kailash team. After 30 minutes, she called with a solution. She informed me that when I reach Kathmandu, a person will be waiting for me to collect my passport and take it directly to the visa office to avoid any delay in the submission. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. She came as my rescuer in the current travel crisis.
On July 21st at 10:30 am, I finally left for the airport, and my flight was at 12 pm. During the check-in process, something unexpected happened. Shirdi Baba’s idol was left in my hand instead of being part of the check-in. I held onto him while I boarded the plane, and nobody on the flight bothered me to put him away during take-off. After 15 minutes of departure, the aircraft started shaking abnormally, some bags dropped from the shelf, and the pilot announced bad weather and difficulty in going forward. Baba was sitting on my lap, so I just looked at him and said “I am not scared.” After 5-6 minutes, everything became normal. The only concern I had was to reach Kathmandu at 9 am, and this occupied my thoughts.
Suddenly, I felt a big spark, or lightning, from my third eye area, and everything around me disappeared. What I could see was only Gurudev Mohanji entering the aircraft. He was wearing a t-shirt and pants and was coming towards me. He was 4-5 steps away from me, and the vision ended there. For a second, I could not understand what was happening, so I just looked at Baba to ask him, but I became speechless because there was something unusual in Baba’s eyes. He was looking at me with childlike innocence, and I felt like a baby was sitting on my lap. I just kissed his forehead.
From that moment, Baba became my all time companion. A new journey with Baba took place which happened and it is still happening after Kailash. After that there were no more tests, or difficulties on my way. I reached Kathmandu smoothly and as per plan I handed my passport to the designated person. When I came out from the airport, I saw our great sherpa Tashi. He was waiting for me holding a big poster of “Kailash with Mohanji.”
There is no need to say that I did the whole Kailash trip without any physical sickness, and for these 15 days, my neck pain has subsided. It resumed on August 9th, 2023, after the Kailash pilgrimage had concluded, and I was on my way back home. After the trip, I applied for the same job position that I left for Kailash, and mystically, I got hired again for the same position. When I look back and think about all the incidents, the only words that come out from my heart are – “Yatkrupa tamaham vande paramananda madhavam (Mohanji).”
Sashtang pranam at your lotus feet Gurudev Mohanji, Baba, Swami Sathya Sai and Lord Ganesha. Thank you for everything and thank you for giving me an opportunity to meet such a lovely group of 30 people in which each one is special and engraved forever in my heart.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 26th September 2024
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