It all started in April 2020 during the confinement period due to Covid-19. I went to many Masters till 2009; although I was practising, I did not seem to evolve on the spiritual path and I was getting quite frustrated. Sometime back in December in 2019, an old friend kept talking about Shirdi Sai and the experiences he encountered, but I just listened casually.
I pray that this joy and blessings be bestowed on everyone. May his kindness and mercy give directions to all of us. May his grace always stay upon us and guide us. May he give me the wisdom and strength to practice his teachings in day to day life and offer this as Guru Dakshina at his lotus feet.
I would often hear of frequent references to ‘Mohanji’ made by both these wonderful girls during our conversations after the class. Their love for ‘Mohanji’ was indeed endearing, and it ignited my curiosity to learn more about their Guru’s philosophy and teachings.
The year 2020 would be remembered as historical due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here in West Bengal, we faced another calamity The Super Cyclone – Amphan.
As per the Indian Meteorological Department, Amphan was to touch Kolkata at 5 pm and gradually head towards Bangladesh.
What is bhakti? The answer to this question touches a chord deep within. When we lose ourselves for the sake of love, that is bhakti bhaav. The spontaneous flow of bhakti is like the waves of a haunting whale-song reaching out through the unfathomable dimensions of time to touch the chords of one’s soul. Mohanji’s love for us is like that. Unconditional. He sees neither race nor colour nor ethnicity. Just the glorious brilliance of our magnificent souls. Unblemished. Pure.
20th April 2020. Amidst the fight with the negativity of Corona situation all across the globe, while spreading positivity through various online programmes, shocking news came from the parental home that shook me to the core! News that I had not expected to hear! My 2nd brother Bibhu, succumbed to a sudden cardiac arrest and had left us all forever! He was healthy, happy, joyful and very active. He was just 50 years old.
When I was sentenced and sent to prison, I was extremely scared. In my first week there, I was made to sleep on the floor. What made it worse was being next to a stinking bathroom where I could not sleep because everyone was passing by to get to the toilet. The only time I could rest and sleep was when all the inmates were already asleep. I can never forget that during my first few days, I was bitten by a cockroach and I really suffered a lot. There was no one that I could ask for help. I got sick because of the heat and congestion but nobody ever helped me.
During the coronavirus pandemic, inspired by Mohanji’s call for action, the UK family also came together and started doing online programmes from morning till night. We have had sessions of chanting starting from 6 am to sessions of book reading, meditations, online Mai-Tri, special devotional songs etc.
Mohanji and a small group of 12 people had the ultimate opportunity to visit Girnar in the state of Gujarat, which is considered as one of the most ancient ‘Datta Kshetras’ in India.
Mohanji says that before birth, we choose each moment of our life. In times of challenges, we think, “Oh my hat! What possessed me to choose these experiences.” With the awareness of acceptance and faith, life becomes easier to embrace.
