I work as a preschool teacher. I wish to share an experience which is still so surprising for me, but at the same time, I feel blessed by the grace of my Guru Sai Baba.
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.
It’s been a time of deep introspection, where one really looks at what is really important to one, and who is important to one. In my case, I too had to really face my mortality. There were moments where I thought if this is the end of the line for me, then so be it. I will go peacefully and gracefully. It has not been easy, and at times my breathing was a problem, but somehow I have managed to pull through this.
“I have told them, I’m coming to Sri Lanka in February!” Mohanji uttered these words looking into my eyes in Singapore, in December 2018 after the Consciousness Kriya Initiation, where I was volunteering that day. I was totally confused for a second. Then I thought that it was a good opportunity for me to be with Mohanji again soon.
It is with this thought in mind that I sat to begin Maha Mrityunjaya chanting on 26 March 2020. There was a call from the President of South Africa for all citizens to pray at 18h00 for protection and healing from the Corona virus, so I decided to do the Maha Mmrityunjaya Mantra for all those infected and affected by the virus and to alleviate fear in the general population of the world.
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.
