Shirdi Sai Baba

With Mohanji – Anecdotes from My Spiritual Journey

Posted on April 19, 2018April 22, 2018 by Mohanji Editorial Team

By Pramod Nair, UK

OM SAI RAM

Interface and interaction with numinous souls in diverse physical forms is indeed the feat of fate or destiny or, of course, our Karma. Either way, it is BLISS.

I, being an ordinary mortal plunged in family life, had but no thoughts except for the daily rat race of my life. The light of my inner soul dawned after I met my Guru, Poojya Sree Bhagwan in 1998 who incited my spiritual quest and philosophical qualms. Henceforth, I had no looking back and the consciousness that this Guru has been known to me since eons left me spellbound. Every physical form must go into oblivion as is the law of nature and my Guru attained Samadhi on 15^th August 2017 leaving me and my family in an abyss of grief. This preface is indispensable when I narrate my acquaintance with Mohanji on the 17^th of September 2017. Behold, I perceived the same feel of vibrations I experienced with my Guru, Poojya Sree Bhagwan, the soul bond and my inner call to meet him surged another infinite accord in my life with Mohanji.

Nityananda Swami of Ganeshpuri had blessed my maternal grandfather and grand-uncle in the course of their numerous visits to his ashram and I used to watch on YouTube the aarti going on there. It was by prospect, or by providence that my eyes fell on a discourse by Mohanji on Swami Nityananada and this enticed my instantaneous interest. This led me to view another talk of Mohanji on Shirdi Sai Baba.

My inquisitiveness to know more grew without bounds and I set on a trail to find the means and ways to meet Mohanji.

The first thought was to spot if he had a Facebook account and to my surprise he had and he was visiting the UK. My yearning to meet him augmented by time and my thoughts frantically set on informing about him to my consort and better half, Aroma! On informing and briefing on Mohanji, I enquired if she was interested to meet him as he was visiting the UK. Ignorant of who Mohanji was, Aroma expounded on his picture that he appeared like a CEO of some company. To my surprise, he used to be one, and this intrigued me further to reach him. Mr. Vijay gave in sequence that he would be in Bath on the 17^th September 2017 and we started our journey along with our friends Rohit Phillip and Sue Tasher to Bath, from Penarth.

With Mohanji - Anecdotes from my spiritual journey - 4 — *A moment from the satsang in Bath*

Certain meetings spark imperative kinship from the past, not explicable to ordinary mortals. Such was our meeting with Mohanji. Memories imprinted in our brain shape as dreams and there, I found myself entangled in the spiritual aura of Mohanji leading us both down a pleasing panorama.

MY INNER REFLECTIONS WITH THE DIVINE

5^th January 2018

Visions are a supernatural apparition or a spectre of events which can define certain spiritual encounters and I experienced one, after my usual chanting. It goes thus…

I was physically in front of an idol and that idol to my bewilderment was Mohanji and accolades were accorded as Jai Mohanji and Om Namah Shivaya many a time by the devotees amassed around.

The aarati focused towards the deity in the sanctum sanctorum threw light on two shivalingas ingrained by silver plating and arrayed by exquisite flowers.

The bliss I endured was unfathomable and I spanned over to my substantial entity chanting Om Namah Shivaya wide awake.

4^th Feb 2018

Any unprecedented event spoiling our tranquillity initiates us to think about the position of our stars – a typical Indian Hindu mind. I being no exception was in the same path due to lack of a good job which compelled me to pilot my celestial stars and their positions. Lo and behold, the divination I acquired was that I was engulfed in SHANI DASHA. The burden of filling up many job applications took its toll on me and as my last resort for my chaotic mind, I approached my benefactor and saviour, Mohanji.

As usual the serene reply from him, “Don’t worry,” ascertained me to adopt an unwavering mind to subsist life as it comes with the equivalent momentum as if I had a job. The shani mantra of “Om Sham Shanishwaraaya Namah” came to my salvage and I supposed all would be resolved. The feel was akin to the one I would cognize when my Guru was with me.

The impediment in implementing my job offer in London impelled me to mention this to my friend who took up the issue and started punching numbers on his phone in the process of contacting someone. Caught unawares of what was happening behind him, he declared that a job has been set for me in a care home in Wales. Meanwhile hidden in the backdrop was a familiar face smiling at me and I jolted to comprehend that it was Mohanji’s face which was showing up at all glory in front of me. My friend was in no frame of mind to stop praising the new job I was offered. Amidst all this cacophony I felt I was hallucinating, but inevitably was not and perceiving Mohanji nod at me in complete agreement to take up the Job, I knew it was no dream and my eyes could not betray me.

As an arid land absorbs every tiny drop of water, this job offered solace to my scorched mind and the affirmation Mohanji transmitted through his smile and nod goes beyond rationalization. The job was undeniably a stability pill for me and added to that, caring for the elderly was a spiritual endeavour.

Eventually, I was gratified because I would be with my dear ones in London itself. What more does a human need? Indeed, a family package!

9^th Feb 2018

The craving of the soul is unfathomable. It leads us to supernatural situations and places. One such hunger in my inner self was Shiva Kavacham by Mohanji which haunted me day and night. I resolved to explore the usual online source YouTube, but in vain. My thoughts started speculating on why I was deprived of understanding this Shiva Kavacham by Mohanji. Later, it was made clear by Mohanji himself who appeared to me as a 3D image and elucidated the power of this Kavacha and explained why it was covert.

The inner quest materialized when I got a copy of Shiva Kavacham from Subhasree and I solicited permission from Mohanji to listen and chant this. I was very glad in return to tender her a pdf copy of Shani Mahtmyam in English which my Guru used to read daily.

On February 23^rd (Mohanji’s birthday), my inner self boomed with the yearning to render Mohanji my deepest and inner feeling in the form of a stuthi or poem and it poured out from me frenziedly, the medium of expression being Sanskrit. Will share it when the destined time approaches

10^th March 2018

This day was very propitious to me as it happened to be my Poojya Sree Bhagawan’s birthday. If in physical form he would have turned 93. Darshan of Avadhoota Nandandaji was soul gratifying followed by the sight of Mohanji standing and praying in a hall which was veraciously bedecked with tables and chairs set like in a fine dine restaurant.

My thoughts raced to connect this vision with the current job offered to me, that I had accepted in a fine dine restaurant in Cheltenham. Same day I could visualize oil dripping from the photo of my Guru, Poojya Sree Bhagawan, which emanated the fragrance of sandalwood.

16^th March 2018

My association of the soul which was connected to Mohanji persevered. I dreamt away to glory, perceiving Mohanji as my mentor or spiritual guide. We strolled into serene places and it was bliss. Out of the blue! Mohanji handed me a silver paper with Sanskrit inscriptions of the chant Om Ram Ramaya Namah. Surprises persisted, yet again Mohanji took out another article, which was inscribed in Tamil, and it delineated on Shirdi Sai Baba and Keno Upanishad. Since the language of Tamil was Greek and Latin to me, my friend was asked to read out the inscriptions to me. Mohanji presumed my dilemma on the Tamil language and proposed that it would all be clear and the inner meaning will be revealed. Soon, I was handed a golden hued watch by Mohanji seeking me to adorn it and with the words of utmost importance and divinity he held: ‘LET YOUR SERVICE TO HUMANITY BEGIN’. My inner thoughts revealed that the watch was a reminder of how precious time is and the goal is to live in the present, serving as a tool to enforce service to humanity. As all holy books and teachings preach ‘MANAV SEVA MADHAV SEVA – SERVING HUMANITY IS TO SERVE GOD’.

The mantra entrusted to me was to be included in my daily chant and then I realized that Rama Navami was on the 25^th March. In addition to the chants, I also had the opportunity to read the English version of Kena Upanishad which precisely depicts Brahman with attributes and without attributes, and for being a treatise on “purely conceptual knowledge”. It reaffirms the idea of “Spiritual Man”, “Soul is a wonderful being that even gods worship”, “Atman (Soul) exists”, and “knowledge and spirituality are the goals and intense longing of all creatures”.

16^th March 2018

After my Sharana Mantra and Mohanji’s Gayatri Mantra, I felt an inner urge to peer out of my window and gaze at the Sky. I felt the clouds impinging on each other to conform a silhouette. I contemplated more closely at the shape formed by the clouds and could view that it was Kalyan my younger son’s face and it emanated pain. I looked again and it was the same. Disturbed, I sat down in meditation and was in the process of sending healing vibes to him, in case he was in pain. Kalyan had gone for a night out with other children from the school on the 15^th of March. He was all thrilled and robust the previous day. At the defined moment, the landline rang and it was from the school reception asking me to instantly collect back Kalyan from his camp place. He was ill and had been vomiting. Mysterious are the ways of the divine masters, enigmatic and it’s with awe we realize how they render a helping hand and guard us in our troubled times. I surrender to the divine, bow to the supreme masters and my faith in the Guru is impeccable.

3^rd April 2018

My visions sustained and this time I was in a Satsang where Mohanji was encircled by many people who came to see him and get blessings, after his Latin American visit. I remained a witness and was imbibing the scene, when Mohanji spotted me and asked me to sit beside him and placed his hands on my shoulder lovingly. After few moments Mohanji got into a trance sort and his bhaav (expression) changed followed by the presence of Vibhuti on his right palm. He applied it on my forehead and blessed me by placing his hands on my head. The flow of energy from his hands to my body surged in and I was in total ecstasy. The divine energy was activated in me. The vibhuti which I tasted did have the divine fragrance as well.

Meanwhile, Mohanji started giving vibhuti to people around him and many thanked me, because they felt I was the reason behind Mohanji giving vibhuti and I personally thanked Mohanji for this amazing experience.

THE HOLY CHANT: THE KEY TO ETERNAL BLISS

I have been chanting the Sharana Mantra given by my Sadguru Rama Devi, who was my Guru, Poojya Sreee Bhagawan’s Guru. Before departing the earthly abode, she imparted this mantra to his disciples, Poojya Sree Bagawan and his consort Tara Devi on 1^st November 1978. This universal Mahamantra is:

CHARANAM SHARANAM RAMAMBAKE

CHARANAM SHARANAM TRAYAMBAKE

Charanam means holy feet, Sharanam means Surrender, Ramambike means the one who gives material and spiritual wealth. Trayambake means the one who knows my past, present and future.

It literally means “I surrender to that supreme source or power which gives me material and spiritual wealth, I surrender to that supreme power who knows my past, present and future.”

My Guru used to say it is a mystical formula. It only asks the spiritual seeker to surrender. One has to chant from 5.30am to 5.45 am every day for it to give the desired result quickly. I have been doing this since 1998.

In reality, when you surrender your ego at the feet of the Guru/God, the Guru/God takes heed of all your trouble. You are no longer carrying the “I” sense, it is renunciated to the absolute Guru.

If one understands the Guru tattva, the source is the same, the form changes. This can be understood if you love your Guru, you see him in everyone and everything. I see my Guru through and in Mohanji. The love, care and presence which my Guru gave me is what I see in him.

My Guru used to tell me,“Pramod, I am always with you”

When I met Mohanji he said the same thing, “Pramod, I am always with you”.

Incredible are the ways of true masters.

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Meeting the Master in Shirdi

Posted on May 29, 2017June 1, 2017 by Rajesh Kamath

By Martin Simonovski

Continuing from the Pune leg. The morning after the sleepless night spent exchanging business ideas with Palak, we slowly started to take the luggage out of the complex of Mohanji Baba’s Ashram. A long trip of several hours to Shirdi awaited us.

After the ride, we finally arrived at the hotel Jivanta in Shirdi. We left the luggage with the receptionist where Milica met us. Later, we headed together with Barbara to the hall where the retreat was taking place. While walking I noticed that there were posters on the walls notifying people, “Please maintain silence”.

As soon as I entered the hall, tears started brimming over. The energy was indescribably strong and I started crying even more. Mohanji Baba was glowing with such a great intensity that it could melt even the toughest heart. Love overflowed completely. When he turned around, I felt as if the sun came down on the Earth to bathe us in love and bliss. At the same moment, I felt another sun rising straight out from my heart and shining. The tears didn’t stop. That was the strongest energy that I had felt so far.

The participants who were present spoke about their experiences with Mohanji Baba. I heard many stories that made my heart melt even more. The hall didn’t have room for anything but love. I could write a book about this moment and still be unable to describe the energy that was present in that room. Many people shared their experiences about how Mohanji Baba had changed their lives completely. Experiences were shared wholeheartedly. Even today while writing this text, tears start to drop at the sheer thought of me being present in such a place full of love. With every thought of those moments, I go back to the paradise which could only be ruled by love.

After the participants shared their experiences, I went to say hello to Mohanji Baba. After the certificates were distributed, we went to the dining hall along with the other participants. The food was very delicious, as usual. 😀 After lunch, I settled myself in the hotel room and volunteered to help out with the preparation for the event to be held the following day. So, I went downstairs where the public satsang was held. Along with Mohanji Baba, there was a special guest – the chief priest of the Shirdi Sai Baba temple – Sulakhe Maharaj. As usual, the participants of the public satsang asked questions and Mohanji Baba answered them in his direct style laced with wit and humor. At the public satsang, there was also a music release of Mohanji Baba’s Sahasranaamavali (1008 names of Mohanji Baba) and Ashtotari (108 names of Mohanji Baba). Before the music release by Sulakhe Maharaj, Taiji shared her experience of writing Sahasranaamavali and Ashtotari. The energy during the satsang was very strong and several times I felt an urge to fall asleep. My eyelids were closing by themselves. I needed a coffee. 😀

After the satsang, I went to taste the amazing food at Ahimsa Vegan. During my stay in Shirdi, I had the opportunity to taste most of their menu. I recommend all of you to try the food there whenever you get a chance. After dinner at the vegan restaurant, I continued with helping out with volunteer work for next day’s event. I had energy to even work until the next night. The following morning, I headed to the Consciousness Kriya event after breakfast in the vegan restaurant.

After the Consciousness Kriya event, we went to buy VIP passes to visit the Samadhi (final resting place) of Shirdi Sai Baba. The passes allow one to save time by bypassing the serpentine queues of people waiting to see Baba. Together with Zlate and an employee of the hotel, we went to the Sansthan office. It was really cool to ride on a motorbike with two other people, especially when you are in the middle of the “sandwich”. 😀 Previously, I had only seen this kind of picture on the internet but not in the real life 😀

Before we entered the Samadhi, we took our shoes off and left them outside, as is customary for temples in India. We waited for the door to open so that we could enter inside. As I was getting closer to the Samadhi, I started feeling a very strong energy. As if the energy was not from this planet. I don’t know if Sai Baba was present or not but the place was a “nuclear plant”. The strong energy was circulating in every corner of the temple. I don’t have words to describe this divine energy. I recommend everyone to visit this Samadhi whenever you get the chance. The transformation is inevitable. After the aarati, I tried the Prasadam (consecrated offering) of Sai Baba. As we went back to the hotel, I enjoyed sharing experiences while walking with other devotees of Mohanji Baba. That night, I had too much energy so I used it to help with volunteer work.

The next morning, together with Mohanji Baba and the rest of the participants of the retreat we went for a walk in Shirdi. We walked and ventured to the same places that were once graced by the great Shirdi Sai Baba. While walking next to Mohanji Baba, I felt as if I had the power to lift an elephant. I had no idea what to do with so much energy. A couple of people came around us begging for money to buy food. Instead of giving them money, Mohanji Baba sent them to a nearby restaurant and paid for the bill.

After we finished the walk, we went back to the hotel to checkout. Immediately after the aarati, we left for Ganeshpuri. On the way to Ganeshpuri, we visited a temple of Sai Baba. The Swami responsible for the temple also took care of over 1200 children. These children were orphaned because their parents (who were farmers) committed suicide due to rising debts. We were welcomed wholeheartedly and received many gifts. Another group of people came to the temple accompanying a palkhi (a palanquin with Shirdi Sai Baba). The group had walked for several days with the palanquin to reach Shirdi and were taking a brief rest in the temple before proceeding to Shirdi.

After we arrived at Ganeshpuri, we visited the Samadhi of Bhagavan Nityananda. As soon as I sat to meditate, I started feeling deep peace and lost my existence for several moments. It is very hard to use words to describe the experiences that I had in this temples. That is why sometimes I use hyperbole to try to explain their essence, even though sometimes it is not enough. After the meditation, we visited several other temples to before heading to Mumbai.

When we arrived at the apartment of Madhu and Preethi, we were welcomed as Gods. They had prepared wonderful food in abundance. In India, guests are treated as Gods and their home was no exception. Their endeavor to make us happy and satisfied made them very happy. It was this Indian custom that taught me that happiness is in giving. I would like to thank Madhu and Preethi for the wonderful book “The way to home” that gave me greater awareness on the main reason for my trip to India. Thank you. I recommend it from my heart to anyone who is in search for themselves.

Our journey to Chennai started the following day and I will share that experience in the next blog.

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Mohanji’ Birthday – New birth for all of us!

Posted on March 1, 2013 by mohansuniverse

Mohanji’ Birthday – New birth for all of us!

Written by Shashank Jaitely

February 23 was Mohanji’s Birthday. It was celebrated at Shirdi, in the lap of Sai Baba.

The day started with attending Kakad Aarti at the Shirdi Sai Temple. It was wonderful and electrifying atmosphere with Sai chants and aarti reverberation. Mohanji was feeling at home and after the aarti, took everyone around the temple and explained every corner of the place. The first place to be visited was Baba Samadhi. He explained to us that Baba had promised, “I shall be active and vigorous even from the tomb,”.

After attending the aarti, we visited Gurusthan. The first thing that caught our eyes at Gurusthan was the huge neem tree. This tree gave shelter to Baba for a few years when he stayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties, though its leaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reported that the leaves of one of the branches tested sweet. For them it was a sign of Baba’s grace; others see it as evidence of the tree’s exceptional sanctity.

We visited Dwarkamai and meditated near Baba’s Dhooni. To the devotees of Sai Baba, Dwarkamai is one of the treasures of Shirdi. The spirit of tolerance, acceptance and welcome for all is very much alive. Baba has said that merely going inside the mosque will confer blessings, and the experiences of devotees confirm this. Sai Baba respected all religions and creeds, and all had free access to the mosque. It is typically unique of Sai Baba that he regarded a place of worship – the mosque – as a mother. He once told a visitor, “Dwarkamai is this very mosque. She makes those who ascend her steps fearless. This masjidmai is very kind. Those who come here reach their goal !”

On entering the mosque one is struck by its powerful atmosphere and the intensity and absorption with which visitors are going about their worship. Another point we notice is the great diversity of devotional expression. Some people will be kneeling before Baba’s picture of making offerings, others will be praying before the dhuni (perpetually burning sacred fire), some may be doing japa or reading from sacred texts, and others will be sitting in contemplation. If we spend some time here we may become aware of a mysterious phenomenon, unexplained, only experienced….

We felt that Baba came to welcome His Son and His family to his house. There was so much love, so much compassion…

After spending a couple of hours at the temple, we reached Khandoba temple. Here Mohanji narrated the story about how Baba got his name – Sai. In the sequence of events that were destined to become famous as part of the early life of a most beloved and very great saint, this small temple is of two-fold importance: first as the spot where Shri Sai Baba halted on his entry into Shirdi with the wedding party of Chand Bhai Patil, and secondly as a place where he acquired his name.

It is said that a young man, dressed in the Muslim fashion in a Kafni (Robe) arrived in a bullock cart as the guest of the wedding party. As the party approached the temple, the temple priest, Mhalsapati, on seeing the fakir, called out, “Ya, Sai!” (“Welcome, Sai!”) and the name remained ever after (Sai is a Persian word meaning “saint” or ‘holy’, and Baba means “father”). In this way, it was Mhalsapati who was responsible for Baba’s name, which has become the sacred mantra of thousands of his devotees.

In those days, the temple was on the periphery of the village in the midst of a burial ground. The structure was very basic and did not even have a door. However, it seems to have appealed to Baba’s temperament as he commented to the incumbent priest, Mhalsapati that being so quiet and solitary, it would make a good spot for an ascetic like him to stay.

After spending some beautiful moments at the temple, we came back to the hotel to have tea and breakfast and after resting for a while, headed towards the Shirdi shrine again for Satya Narayan katha. After attending the katha, we visited Sai Sansthan Prasadalaya for lunch. It was an amazing experience. Baba himself was there at the entrance to welcome us. Everyday,25 to 30 thousand Sai devotees take meal as a Prasad. During the time of festivals of Lord Sai baba the number of Sai devotees hikes up to 55 thousand. Free Prasad meals are served to poor, blind, handicapped and sages.

We then visited Sakori to the temple of Upasni Maharaj. Mohanji explained to us about the role and greatness of Shri Sai of Shirdi in the the life of Kashinath Govind Upasani Sastri, who later came to be known as ‘Shri Upasani Maharaj’. Shri Sai’s deeds and life were full of miracles, but the greatest miracle was His creation of this once inconsequential person to the status of a Sadguru within a period of four years! The methods used by Shri Sai to completely transform Kashinath Sastri, the pain taken by him to protect the neophyte and the assurance with which he grew this unsure and confused disciple to the state of a Perfect Master, would indicate where in the spiritual hierarchy of this world Shri Sai remains.

It was almost evening when we ended darshan at Upasni Maharaj temple and it was time for the dhoop aarti. We all moved towards the temple. Another miracle was waiting to happen there. We got a bit late and there was huge crowd that had already gathered in the queue. We were almost at the end and it was literally impossible to get the glimpse of Baba during the aarti. There were some more people who had joined us and they were disappointed that they would not be able to see Baba. But when the door opened, somehow the people ahead of us scattered to different directions and we ended up just ahead of Baba’s idol! We could experience the full glory of Baba during the Dhoop aarti. It was not less than a miracle!

After the aarti, Mohanji asked us to go get Udi before the counters close. Few of us went to get it but the queue was overwhelming. Some of us took the courage and managed the queue to get it. Few of us were left. This was the manifestation of another plan of Mohanji which we came to know only later!

As it was Mohanji’s birthday, we had planned a dinner at a local restaurant. It was a blessed dinner with the family. Mohanji was in cheerful mood and acted as a host as he was feeling at home!

Finishing the dinner when we were planning to go back to the hotel, Mohanji suddenly asked if everyone had got Udi. It was almost 10 pm but four of us who had not taken Udi, decided to go back to the temple to get it. It was a matter of chance as the Udi counter closes early. But somehow we were pulled towards the temple. We were supposed to reach gate no 4 and there was a way from the temple compound to reach there. But we decided to take some other route. We were not sure why we did that, but we kept on going. When we reached gate no 4, the counter was closed. We were not really disappointed as we knew we were late, instead of returning back from the same route, we decided to take yet another detour. The moment we did that, we saw a small child in the corner crying! And there was no one with him. He was alone and scared. We tried talking to him but he did answer. We asked people around about his family, but no one knew about it. We picked him up and started walking toward the announcement door. The child kept on crying and did not answer any of our questions. We got hold of a security officer and very reluctantly he offered to help. After walking few meters, a man approached us and declared that he was child’s relative and has been looking for him! We wanted to be sure so walked with him to the child’s mother who was thrilled to see her lost child. We did not really reprimand them as we had understood by this time that it was all part of Mohanji’s leela. Few of us could not get Udi earlier as we were supposed to come back to the temple, not to get Udi but to help the lost child find his parents.

Greatness of a Master gets exhibited not by words, but through his experiences and learnings. And the day was full of them.It was his birthday, but it felt that it was a new birth of all of us!

Symbol of Protection – Fragrance of our Master

After the visit to Mahakumbh where we had experienced divinity in the lap of mother Ganga, it was time to head for Shirdi, the penultimate destination of a two week long pilgrimage.
Rajni Dasgupta and I planned to reach Pune on the 22nd February night so that we could reach Shirdi by midnight, well in time for the first early morning Kakad aarti, marking the beginning of birthday celebration of Mohanji. Our schedule was tight but we had full faith that we would be able to make it on time.
Our flight landed on time and we hopped in the cab for Shirdi. We got the first sign of Divinity when we realized the number of the car. It totaled up to 9 which is a very sacred number!
We started our journey to Shirdi. I was wanting to sleep as the next day was starting very early, but could not. There was something unusual and I could feel it strongly. I tried to figure out and felt a familiar fragrance in the car! The fragrance that is associated with Mohanji! I looked around for car for the source but could not find any. The fragrance became strong as if some was wearing it was sitting amongst us. It struck me that Mohanji must be here! I went in silence and started to feel his divine presence. Till now I was not sure what Rajni was feeling. I turned towards her to share what I was feeling, and suddenly she said, “He is here!”. Even she has been experiencing the fragrance moment we had left the airport.
The fragrance remained with us for the rest of the journey. We were feeling elated and thrilled with joy that Mohan ji was with us, travelling with us on his birthday eve! And of course we could not sleep of excitement.
Somewhere in the middle of the journey, we noticed that the speed of the car had slowed down. We were running on a very tight time schedule and wanted to reach Shirdi as soon as possible. We asked the driver to hit the gas paddle a bit but he kept driving at a slow speed. I then noticed the reason for his driving…he was sleeping! I jolted him up and asked him to stay awake and drive carefully and offered that he could stop for a while to have tea to get fresh. But he continued to drive and became alert after that. We kept a watch on him for the rest of the journey.
We reached Shirdi and checked into the hotel where Mohanji was staying. We had to get ready in an hour’s time to attend the morning Kakad aarti at 4 am. We met Mohanji in the lobby. After wishing him on his birthday, we thanked him for being with us the whole of the journey but wanted to know the reason. He smiled and said, “I protected you from an accident! The driver had slept and I was driving the vehicle and avoided it getting hit by another car! “. The thought sent the chill in the spine..YES, the driver was sleeping and the car was still moving straight. It was Mohanji who had taken control of the car.
We could only express immense gratitude. He did ensure that we not only reach in time but also safe and sound. What a wonderful beginning to a blissful day!

Shashank