Chitrakoot is well known to readers of the Ramayana [One of the two major epics of Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Religion)] as the place where Lord Rama (the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu), along with his wife, Mother Sita and brother Lakshman, spent eleven years out of his fourteen-year exile. Even today, the town seems to exist in that bygone era, reminiscing the lost days with every corner adorning a shrine of Lord Rama’s durbar (royal court)– Lord Rama seated in his darbar with Mother Sita by his side, his brother Lakshmana behind him and Lord Hanuman at Lord Rama’s foot.
Chitrakoot has found its way in many a Mohanji conversation over the years. Mohanji wanted to experience this place he calls Lord Hanumanji’s ‘home’ since Lord Hanumanji is ever present where his beloved Master, Lord Rama’s name is chanted. In November 2022, Mohanji was finally able to visit this power centre. This blog is a humble attempt to capture our experiences and insights from this short yet action-packed visit.
Chitrakoot – A Background
Chitrakoot is a picturesque town nestled amidst forests and hills. The town is replete with images and chants in praise of Lord Rama. Murals with images of the Ramayana adorn the walls while the sacred chants ‘Jai Siya [Siya is Sita in the Awadhi Hindi language] Ram’ (Hail Mother Sita and Lord Rama and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ (Hail Lord Ram) fill the air. The myriad ashrams dotting the town and the throng of saints and mendicants – both local and wandering- on the streets give this town a distinctly spiritual vibe. The beautiful and holy Mandakini river flows through the town, adding to the ethereal feel of the town.
The centre point of this town is the sacred hill Kamadgiri, where Lord Rama is believed to have lived. Kamadgiri, in Sanskrit, literally means “one that fulfils all desires”; hence, a circumambulation of the base of the hill is considered highly auspicious. Devotees believe that all the teerthas (holy places) lie along the route.
Chitrakoot is also synonymous with Lord Hanuman’s presence. As is well known, Mohanji loves and reveres Lord Hanuman as an embodiment of the perfect Master disciple for his unshakeable faith and complete surrender, with full awareness of his stature. Mohanji has explained this beautifully in his blog:
“Lord Ram asked Hanumanji, ‘Who are you?’ Hanumanji replied with total humility, ‘Great Lord, if I knew who I was, I might not be serving you.’ What Hanumanji meant was that if he realised who he really was, then there would be no separation from Ram, as Hanuman and Lord Ram are indeed ONE – two aspects of the same consciousness. There is no servant and no master. There is no expectation. There is no separation. Until this realisation happens, this and that, me and that, he and that, and all other kinds and aspects of separation will exist in the mind.”
Though I knew about Chitrakoot since childhood, I had never visited the place myself. I was excited to experience the place in the presence of Mohanji since that usually unravels some new facets beyond the normal. Thea, our photographer/videographer, was even more thrilled about Hanumanji living in Chitrakoot and particularly the prospect of experiencing Hanumanji in a physical form! Her connection with Hanumanji had happened around a year earlier through a story related by her friend following a Mai-Tri session. Mohanji had recounted this story about the power of Hanuman’s devotion in several of his satsangs, but it clicked and changed something in her only after her friend mentioned it. You can get more details of this story here.
Since then, she has considered Hanumanji as the personification of dedication, selflessness and surrender to one’s Guru. He became both an aspiration and an inspiration. Her friend had told her, “Being with Mohanji, doors open. Without him, they just close in front of us.” She felt we would probably meet Hanumanji due to Mohanji’s presence and grace but was concerned if she would recognise him. In her words, “In this world, the fake seems more real than real itself and sometimes real looks fake. We have to keep our eyes open, ready to perceive the imperceptible.”
Humble Beginnings
Chitrakoot is located on the border of two large North Indian states, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and involves a long road journey (almost 5 hours) from Lucknow airport. One of Mohanji’s followers, who stayed close to Chitrakoot, had been inviting Mohanji to visit Chitrakoot for almost a decade. When Mohanji confirmed his intention to visit, he made all the necessary arrangements and came to receive Mohanji at the airport. We undertook the mostly uneventful road trip after a sumptuous lunch in Lucknow.
Though Mohanji never seeks special privileges when visiting Masters or power centres, the Tradition ensures to take care of their own. Lord Hanumanji secured extra attention and respect for our group by arranging a car hired previously by local politicians for election campaigning. The ruling party flag on the bonnet with the pictures of the chief minister of the state and the prime minister of the nation on either side was the passport that ensured prompt passage through the intervening checkposts and toll points. Late evening, we reached our cottage in Chitrakoot, welcomed by the gurgling Mandakini stream nearby. Despite the late evening fog blocking the view, the tranquillity was palpable. We settled in, made plans for the next morning and retired for the night.
The Kamadgiri Parikrama
The following morning brought our first glimpse of the holy Mandakini flowing below our cottages, which were situated on an elevated plateau. The surreal early morning setting of a fading fog permeated with chants from nearby ashrams, the gushing sounds of a flowing river, and the occasional chatter of the people bathing in the river created a serene temple town atmosphere that set the mood for the day ahead. After breakfast, we set out with great anticipation and excitement for a parikrama of the holy Kamadgiri mountain and drove to the starting point, the Shri Kamtanath temple. After offering our prayers, we started our parikrama at 9.45 am and expected to complete the well-paved and largely flat five km path at a very relaxed pace within 90 minutes and return for lunch.
Mohanji had just returned from his overseas travels and was still recovering from a serious car accident in Europe the previous month, when he has to spend almost 3 days in the ICCU. Despite his weakened state, he continued with his busy program schedule and commitments, which prevented proper rest. This was followed by his travel to India and further travels within India. Hence, we were mindful not to exert him as he was still recovering. Before we started, we asked Mohanji if he would like to take the wheelchair services or similar support. However, Mohanji refused any kind of support and insisted that he would walk the whole path. We reluctantly accepted his decision. We felt there was a greater significance to his decision… this would become evident to us later.
The pathway of the parikrama begins to the left of the main temple, with many small shrines dedicated to various deities. We stopped to take their blessings; Mohanji’s pilgrimages are always for the well-being and welfare of all the people associated with him and all the world’s beings. We prayed along those lines and started our walk. Interestingly, the last shrine was dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba – a reassuring sight for all of us, signalling Baba’s presence with us through the parikrama.
Since there were many pilgrims walking along the busy parikrama path, we brought two bags of biscuits in preparation to distribute to sadhus (renunciates or mendicants) and other beings. Right opposite the Baba temple, there were many old people sitting on the floor waiting for alms. Usually, there is a mad clamour as people feel that there won’t be enough. As we gave biscuits to a man, he loudly exclaimed, “Don’t worry. Everyone will get it. This gentleman has brought lots of biscuits!” We don’t know if he recognised Mohanji or was a saint in a beggar’s guise, but his words were a proclamation that there would be no denial to anyone under Mohanji’s watch!
As we started the parikrama, we fed every being in sight generously – be it a dog, cat, goat, cow, monkey or a human being. We had bags filled with biscuits and bananas. Our local hosts walked with us and arranged the food items to be distributed. They told us that monkeys loved raw brinjals (eggplant). We bought a few kilograms of brinjals from a nearby vendor and gave them to the monkeys. Soon, demand outstripped supply, and we had to engage another push-cart vendor. Given the rate of our distribution, this vendor joined our parikrama group and walked with us all through the path, supplying brinjals as and when needed!
Normally, monkeys can be quite troublesome and scare people. However, they were in extraordinarily good behaviour in Mohanji’s presence, taking food from our hands like little children unthreateningly. Mohanji constantly fed beings at almost every step. He mentioned that animals respond to us as we do to them. If we approach with fear, they respond with fear and aggressive behaviour. As we operated with love and kindness and fed them generously without fear, they mirrored in kind and behaved like ‘good children’. Mohanji would throw bananas or brinjals to one side of the path or onto the boundary walls to make it easier for monkeys to pick up and eat. Some monkeys connected with Mohanji and had an eye-to-eye conversation before scurrying off. Throughout the parikrama, we observed various such exchanges where animals connected deeply with Mohanji, and we had the blessed opportunity to serve thousands of them.
Encounters between Mohanji and Animals
A few episodes were particularly interesting. One monkey swooped down the parapet wall from a high roof, watched Mohanji intently, approached him and collected his banana in one smooth move without letting the banana fall to the ground. Mohanji casually commented, “No more monkey lives for him. He will take a human birth in his next life!” Later in the parikrama, Mohanji took a small detour to feed a calf, staying with him for several minutes longer than with any other animals until then.
This calf ate from Mohanji’s hand to his heart’s fill. As the calf ate, Mohanji shared that this calf, in an earlier human life, had denied food to someone, falling down the ladder of evolution to become a bull. By feeding the calf with his hands, Mohanji nullified the negative effect of that act and helped him progress to a human birth in his next life. Mohanji remarked, “There were many reasons for coming to Chitrakoot. Meeting this calf today was one of them!”
We were in awe of the dimensions in which Mohanji operates. What we see is not even a micro fraction of what he actually does. On the surface, he fed a calf. However, there was so much grace and compassion that went beyond the feeding. Mohanji always says, “No one comes within my presence unless I have something to deliver.” Who knows what else is happening when a seemingly random stranger meets Mohanji even briefly – what immense grace or eligibility brings them to that moment?
They may not realise it, but it is a reminder that we should. Every moment and interaction with Mohanji is an act of grace and an opportunity to raise one’s awareness and operating levels. Taking Mohanji’s friendly behaviour or casual demeanour at face value and taking his time for granted is the biggest mistake one could make. If we miss the bus, he would be none the lesser, but we would have missed an opportunity that we craved for lifetimes!
Another lesson from the above episodes is treating every being with kindness. Mohanji often says that the Tradition of liberation is so powerful that if even one being yearns for liberation, the Tradition sends a Master to fulfil that desire. When we see a being and dismiss it as just another animal, we are unaware of the karmic background. It could have been an elevated human in a past life that reincarnated as an animal due to karmic pulls.
Perhaps a divine being taking an animal form to meet Mohanji and take prasad (consecrated offering) from him. Or just a being going through the daily struggles of survival, hoping for food from a kind being. The bottom line is that our ignorance has no limits, just like Mohanji’s compassion! Hence, the safest bet is to treat all beings with kindness, or at least with no rudeness. Another of Mohanji’s constant reminders is “Never miss an opportunity to serve another being. God and Guru can come in any form!”
During this walk, Mohanji’s kindness was not limited to feeding animals. Our group encountered several sadhus. Mohanji enquired if they needed anything and a few mentioned blankets, given the onset of winter. Mohanji instructed our local host to arrange for a blanket distribution drive to all the sadhus and elderly beings on the parikrama path and other places in the town, which was subsequently completed within a week.
Mohanji also noticed that the monkeys and other animals were often in conflict with the pilgrims. He felt the hill couldn’t provide enough food for the animals, forcing them to stray into human territory. He asked our local team to arrange fruit tree plantation on the sides of the hills so that the monkeys and birds had plenty of food, removing their dependency on passing pilgrims. This project was taken up by our local team in coordination with the local authorities and completed a few months later, post-winter. In this way Mohanji’s parikrama benefited the beings not just on that day but also on a long-term basis.
Connecting with the Ramayana
We also had the opportunity to experience the most sacred historical places and stories from the Ramayana. When we began our walk, Mohanji mentioned that he felt Hanumanji would grace us with his darshan (holy sight) during this parikrama. He didn’t specify how or when, so the unsaid message was to keep our eyes and ears open. Stay ‘alert, aware and active’ as Mohanji often reminds us. The parikrama path is dotted with various temples and shrines of either Masters or deities, with many dedicated to Lord Rama and his darbar.
Midway through the parikrama, we entered a big temple out of curiosity. The temple had the square structure of a traditional house, with living quarters around the perimeter and a spacious central courtyard open to the sun. One had to bow down to enter, due to the low height of the door and cross the courtyard to see the main deities.
There was a niche to the right of the house where an old saint was sitting. We went to him and struck up a conversation. We were amazed to discover that he had custody of the original Rama Charita Manas – the translation of the Ramayana from Sanskrit to the local language by the great saint Goswami Tulsidas that made the great epic accessible to the masses! It was an unbelievable surprise as we were not even aware that the original manuscript was intact.
The book was many centuries old. The saint explained that the Rama Charita Manas consisted of multiple books (referred to as kaand in Hindi, which means section) dedicated to different stages of Lord Rama’s life. These books were preserved in three locations. This temple had 2 kaands, while the rest were distributed between the Tulsi mandir (temple) in Varanasi and a temple at Tulsidas’s birthplace, Rajapur.
The saint fetched the manuscript from his cupboard and laid it on his table, allowing us to touch the well-preserved pages (encased in special sleeves to protect them from decay). He became deeply engrossed, telling us stories of Lord Rama and Lord Hanumanji. Mohanji gestured for us to click pictures of him speaking and particularly to take close-ups of his face. His blue eyes glazed over, becoming almost transparent as he continued talking.
Mohanji listened to him with rapt attention, and a few minutes later, the saint looked away and ended the conversation. We offered him dakshina (an offering to a holy personage, in this case, money), took his blessings and left. As we stepped out, Mohanji asked with a twinkle in his eye, “Did you notice how his eyes changed? Hanumanji spoke to us through him and blessed us.”
I had noticed a change in the saint’s body language, but my awareness was not strong enough to pick up the subtle changes. When we saw the camera photos, the changes were clear, yet it took time for this incident to sink in. Hanumanji had just spoken to us directly! People spend their lives connecting to Hanumanji and yearning for a sign from him. Our proximity to Mohanji allowed us mere mortals to listen to Lord Hanumanji! My head spins at this thought. Though ignorant of this encounter’s import and impact, we knew a deep transformation happened within us!
Outside, to the left of the entrance, were shrines dedicated to Tulsidas and his Guru, Narhari Das, on an elevated platform that required a short climb. Due to paucity of time, we paid our respects, bowed down from afar and continued on our parikrama.
Our next stop was at another non-descript-looking temple. The name board ‘Bharat Milap Mandir’ informed about its significance. This is where the younger brother of Lord Rama, Bharata, met his elder brother during his exile and requested him to return as Ayodhya’s ruler, discontinuing his fourteen-year exile. Being under renovation, we couldn’t see all the shrines.
However, the main attractions in this temple were not the shrines but the gopuram (pyramidical spire) structure in the open courtyard that housed rock slabs with the imprints of the feet of Lord Rama, Bharata, Mother Sita, Lakshmana and Shatrughna (another younger brother of Lord Rama), and Lord Rama’s mother, Kaushalya. It is said that the fiery intensity of mutual brotherly love melted the stones, capturing their footprints for eternity.
At first glance, one only sees a few stones with imprints. But the story behind the meeting carries incredible lessons. The crown prince, Lord Rama, was asked to go into exile a few hours prior to his coronation by his heartbroken father (King Dasharatha) on the wishes of his second queen, Kaikeyi, to fulfil a promise he made to her. Treating his father’s word as a divine command, Lord Rama instantly leaves the kingdom without a second thought.
His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana follow him since their life had no meaning without Lord Rama. His other younger step-brother, Shatrughna, wants to follow but is asked by Lord Rama to stay behind to take care of his father and his mothers. When his step-brother Bharata (Kaikeyi’s son) returns to Ayodhya and finds out that his mother sent Rama to exile to make him king, he curses his mother and leaves for Chitrakoot to convince his exiled brother Rama to return to the kingdom as the rightful ruler.
Lord Rama, known as Maryada Purshottama Rama (Rama, the lord– epitome or gold standard – of right conduct), counsels and consoles his brother that his father’s words as a parent and king are divine commands for them and cannot be disobeyed. He has to finish his exile, and Bharata has to rule the kingdom. Obeying his elder brother’s words, Bharata agrees to rule the kingdom but decrees that only Lord Rama can be Ayodhya’s king, and he will remain Lord Rama’s mere servant.
He declares that he will serve as Lord Rama’s regent and rule the kingdom on Lord Rama’s behalf until his return from exile. He requests Lord Rama to give his padukas (footwear), carries them on his head with utmost respect and reverence, installs them on the throne in Ayodhya and rules Ayodhya on Lord Rama’s behalf, eagerly awaiting Lord Rama’s return. These padukas are now on a pedestal in Nandigram.
This story exemplifies the highest principles of right conduct:
King Dasharath honouring a promise made out of gratitude, no matter the personal cost
Lord Rama’s complete detachment from the trappings of power
Lord Rama’s absolute respect for his father and king’s words
Bharata’s absolute love and surrender to his elder brother
Bharata ruling in absentia, keeping duty and purpose above personal desires
Through these lessons, the place transports us from the mere physical location to a portal of profound insights – it just depends on what we choose to see. It also struck me that Mohanji espouses and exemplifies the exact same principles in today’s world, not through mere words but through his actions and his life. This does not require the study of scriptures or epics to understand, but merely listening to Mohanji’s words, watching his actions and following his guidance like our life and beyond depended on it! Though it is really that simple, how much do we really practise? Food for thought, indeed…
We continued on our way and eventually completed the parikrama. We lost track of time amidst the grand festival of feeding. A mere parikrama and temple visits became a full-fledged interspecies celebration with sadhus, beggars, children and other beings (monkeys, cows, dogs, goats and birds) participating in the festivities, enjoying in unison the food being served to them. In Mohanji’s words, “Feeding the children of Mother Earth is the best way to visit temples and pay respect to the deities.”
We realised that it took us almost four hours. Besides the temples, we had not taken any breaks or rested anywhere. Yet, we felt incredibly light and happy and not the least bit tired. The cleansing in this high-energy location probably explained it. Mohanji seemed visibly contented and happy! He shared a profound message, “Hanumanji is happy, as we made his people happy. I fed these beings generously without any denial, thus cleansing all our people of the sin of denying food to any being, knowingly or unknowingly, at any point in their lives, past or present!” We felt happy hearing this and also for making so many beings happy! A powerful completion for us and for many in our community!
Conclusion
The Chitrakoot visit and the Kamadgiri parikrama provided an opportunity to connect to the Ramayana epic at a very personal level. Living in big cities, we lose sight of the incredible spiritual heritage of ancient, sacred Bharat. Chitrakoot reminded us that wealth is ever-present and accessible to those who make the effort! It was also a gentle yet powerful reminder of Mohanji’s oft-repeated maxim that the purpose of our life is to add value to the world with every waking moment. When we do that, we change the world through our practice, not precept. Practice what you preach, and then your practice becomes the preaching. Go not in search of Masters or God. Touch the lives of all those who come your way, and Masters and God will come in search of you.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 20th November 2023
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A Conversation with Tayiji on her experiences with Mohanji
Q: Tayiji, Jai Mohanji!
T: Jai Mohanji!
Q: Tayiji, please tell me, is Mohanji an ordinary person or is he an avatar? What is your opinion about this?
T: In my view, Mohanji is not an ordinary person because he has appeared to me in many forms of God. So how can I say that he is an ordinary person? And in my view, he is an avatar. An ordinary person can never take the form of God. Hence Mohanji is not an ordinary person.
Q: Tayiji, did a guru or any great man ever tell you something about Mohanji being an avatar?
T: Many gurus have said so, one of them is Tyagananda Saraswati living in an ashram in Hyderabad. He said that his guru gave him a rosary and instructed him, “A Guru named Mohan will meet you after 15 years, give it to him.”
When Tyagananda Saraswati finally met Mohanji, he told Mohanji this and placed the rosary in his hand.
He saw the third eye on his (Mohanji) forehead. He also told Mohanji, “You cannot have one Gayatri Mantra (sacred chant), there should be many Gayatri Mantras. You are not a regular saint- All the gods and goddesses dwell in you.”
Once, Mohanji stayed in Delhi with a Guruji Maharaj for 2 days. And when Mohanji was about to leave, the Guruji Maharaj also started going with him. Mohanji said, “I am an ordinary person, why are you coming with me?” He replied, “You are not an ordinary person, you are a great man. Three generations ago, our Guru wrote the names of some soon-to-arrive great men. Your name was among them.”
Another time, Mohanji and his father met a young man in Kerala from the Naga community. The young man showed him a Shiv linga: “This is a fire shivlinga, can you take it?”
So Mohanji extended his hand and said, “I can take it.” The young man warned, “It is fire, no ordinary person can lift it. And only one who is of Shivansh (shiva nature) can take it. If ordinary people touch it, they will get paralyzed.” The young man then told Mohanji, “You are not an ordinary person, you are the form of Shiva. You are Shiva.” Saying this, the man prostrated at Mohanji’s feet.
The man asked Mohanji’s father, “Immediately upon birth, did Mohanji laugh or cry?” Mohanji’s father replied that Mohanji had laughed. The man said, “Your son is not an ordinary man, he is an avatar. Let him do what he wants.”
Mohanji’s eyes are very intense, only the yogis can recognise their brightness. Ordinary humans cannot.
Let me tell you one more incident. In South India, there is an astrology called Nadi astrology. It tells about the previous births, based on the pulse of an individual. A Nadi astrologer said that Mohanji had not been interested in incarnating. But thanks to the prayers of mankind and some yogis, he had to incarnate and come to Earth. Mohanji will stay for 1008 years. His glory will travel the whole world, preaching the eternal religion (Sanatana Dharma). And finally, he will reside in India to the age of 75 and give salvation to mankind by giving darshan.
Q: Tayiji, please tell us who is Nadananda ji?
T: Nadananda ji is a highly-respected avadhuta (austere monk). He lives in his ashram at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. He gave the title of Brahmarishi (supreme sage) to Guru Mohanji and said, “Based on the communication from the Gurus in the Guru Mandala (a sacred league of sages), I am conferring the title of Brahmarishi to Mohanji.”
He also entrusted his powers to Mohanji and said, “Guru Mohanji is fourth in the list of 16 glorious Maha Gurus (great sages) of the Guru Mandala.”
Q: Tayiji, when and how did you meet Mohanji?
T: Mohanji came home with our son in 2011. When he came, Mohanji was wearing jeans, shoes and his hair was long. Seeing this, I doubted whether Gurus are like this! So we prostrated at his feet, he came in and sat on the couch. Looking at me, he said, “Some people are suspicious of me and wonder how can someone wearing denim and shoes be a Guru!” I was embarrassed about my thoughts and asked for his forgiveness.
During our conversation, he casually asked, “Why did you stop performing the aarti (worship) of Shirdi Baba?” When we earlier lived in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh (India), we used to perform Baba’s aarti every Thursday. And as happens in Shirdi, we used to sing all the songs of the Aarti.
We discontinued this practice for some reason after coming to Delhi. We were very surprised that Mohanji came to know about this. We sought his forgiveness. He advised us to start again. So we started singing Aarti once again.
Q: How did you get the idea of writing the Ashtottari (108 names) of Mohanji?
T: Whenever Mohanji came to our house, he would be accompanied by others who would narrate their experiences. I wondered why I should not write Ashtottari in his name. This was my resolve.
I wrote Ashtottari in August 2013 and when Mohanji came home, I told him that I wrote his Ashtottari. He simply looked at me and said, “Ashtottari is very good, but you did not write the name of my parents and my Gotra (lineage).” I was taken aback. After asking him again, I included the name of his Gotra and his parents.
Q: Okay. Then, how did you get the idea to write the Sahasranama (1000 names) of Mohanji?
T: Mohanji would often come to our house, accompanied by some people. One day, I felt that after listening to so many experiences, I too was having my own experiences. So I thought why not write his (Mohanji) Sahasranama? When I told him this, he laughed and said that the Gurus don’t have Sahasranama. I said, if you are doing all the work that God does, why can you not have Sahasranama. So I started writing the Sahasranama in August 2014.
One day, we came to know that Mohanji was staying in a nearby hotel. So we went to meet Mohanji in the hotel, prostrated and sat down. Mohanji looked at me and asked, “You are writing the Sahasranama, yes? How many names have you written so far?”
I replied around 61 or 62. He said – no, you have written 74 names. When I came home, I saw I had indeed written 74 names. I kept on writing this way.
In between, I could not write for two months when a baby was born in the house. Later, I restarted and completed it in December. One day, my son came home and was talking to Mohanji on the phone, “Today is my Tayiji’s birthday, please bless her.” So Mohanji spoke to me and blessed me. I said, “Guruji, your Sahasranama is now complete on my birthday.” He replied, “How is this possible? It will be done on my birthday.”
Then I started verifying once again; many names were repeated two or three times. There was also some mistakes after eight hundred names. After correcting these, I kept writing more names. An instruction came to write these in English. Once the English edition was ready, by the time we could courier it, Mohanji received the Sahasranama in Dharamshala, exactly on his birthday.
Q: Tayiji, when you had already written the Ashtottari (108 names) and Sahasranama (1000 names), then why write the Mohanji Chalisa (40 devotional couplets) as well?
T: In the Ashtottari and Sahasranama, every leela (play) of God is translated into a name. But in the chalisa, all his leelas are described. For example, Hanuman’s deeds are described in the Hanuman Chalisa. In the same way, I have tried to write some of Mohanji’s leelas in his chalisa. My aim is that just as Hanuman Chalisa is read in so many houses, if Mohanji’s chalisa is read in many houses, people will know his glory.
Q: Now please tell us about your experience with Mohanji.
T: I will narrate my experiences with Mohanji between 2012 to 2018:
In May 2012, Mohanji was going to come to Madhuban in Gurgaon, India. Shubha (known fondly as Amma- mother) and I both wanted to go and meet him. Mohanji was supposed to arrive at 5 pm. There was such a loud storm between 2-3 pm that the doors started knocking. There was so much rain and dust that we gave up hope of going to Madhuban.
Around 3:00 – 3:30 pm, the storm and rain gradually subsided and everything was clean. The sun came out, then we went to Madhuban in the evening and met Mohanji. We were surprised that a storm would come suddenly and stop. Sumit was there and said that Mohanji has done a Yagna of Panch Tattva in a temple in Gurgaon. The storm was a result of that. We were stunned again to know that Mohanji had such a hold on the five elements.
Later that year, Mohanji came on the occasion of Dussehra. I requested him to allow me to do his Pada Puja (worshipping the feet). Mohanji said, “You are already doing my Pada Puja everyday then why do it specially now?”
I had never done his Pada Puja before. I had only been doing Pada Puja of Shirdi Baba with devotion every day. It is the glory of Mohanji that he said so.
In 2013, my son informed me that around 10-15 people including Mohanji are coming to eat. My sister had gone out. I had not cooked food for 10-15 people. I got worried, my daughter-in-law was at home. I got up early, took my bath and lit a lamp in front of Baba and then prayed: Babaji is coming to our house for the first time. Others are also coming. Please give me the strength to cook delicious food for everyone. Later, both my daughter-in-law and I started cooking together. We made 2 – 3 dishes and then made more food.
After a while some devotees helped us, they made rotis and papad. Some work was done in this way.
When sitting to eat, Mohanji said to the others, “She has been up since morning and praying- That I cook well, make delicious food, praying to Baba. See how tasty the food is. Have you all eaten?”
The food of 15 people was eaten by more than 25 people. People kept coming and eating that day. This is also one of his great leelas.
One day in 2014, we all went to meet Mohanji when he was heading out. He sat in the car and we all greeted him. And one such message arose in my mind, “Who is Mohanji – is he Sai Baba or Dattatreya or Mohanji?”
Suddenly, he opened the door of the car and looking at me, said, “I am Saibaba, I am Dattatreya, I am Mohanji.” Saying this, they closed the door.
I can tell other experiences of 2015. One day I was sitting near the dining table. The kitchen glass door was closed. A globe entered through the door.
In it, I could see the world: blue sky, white clouds and some flying birds, big tall buildings and people, instead of sea and sand below. And that globe went a little way and disappeared again.
On the same day, a small globe came in front of the mother’s photo, during my sister’s pooja.
I asked Dhritiman Biswas Ji at home that day about this. He asked, “Do you still not know who was that world? It is Mohanji.”
In June, Mohanji took us to the tomb of a Punjabi Guruji in Chhatarpur, Delhi. My sister Shubha and an Englishman were also with us in that day. The three of us went with Mohanji. Since it was a Thursday, our car was stopped far away. So we had to walk towards Guruji’s tomb. I was thinking I can’t walk this far Baba. I am not able to walk for long. Mohanji was ahead and walking quickly.
Suddenly his walk slowed down a bit and he started moving with heavy steps.
I suddenly remembered the Mahadev (Shiva) TV show. In it, Shiva carries his consort Sati Devi on his shoulders. This scene was tangible, Mohanji’s hair was also long. We all met near the stand, so I told this to Mohanji. He said, “You have no illusion, Mahadev is not a serial. I carried both of you on my shoulders because you were praying right- saying I can’t walk-That’s why I did it.”
So again, we started going in the queue. There were many people there that day, and suddenly Shirdi Baba, Sai Baba appeared on my forehead. They both were running towards me laughing, raising their hands and blessing me. This went on for some time. When we started climbing the tomb, the scene stopped.
Then I told this thing to Mohanji. He said, “You were saying in the morning that you do not see any gods. You were feeling sad. That is why I got you their darshans. Anyway, all gurus are one.” Without any sadhana, I saw both Gods by the grace of Mohanji and so I was very happy.
After that, I always used to perform Mohanji’s aarti in the evening. But I had a habit of watching a TV serial at 6:00 pm. So somedays, I would do Aarti early, or after the serial or during the ad breaks.
After a few days, Mohanji came to the house and he said in front of everyone, “What is the matter? I come everyday and listen to your Aarti. One day you hurry, one day at 6 o’clock, one day at 6:15, why are you giving aarti like this?”
He knows everything, but he said so to get rid of that habit from me. So I apologized to him. I stopped watching the serial and started performing Aarti at the same time every day.
Let me tell you some experiences of 2016. In April 2016 on the night of the Kshetra Purnima (full moon),
I could not sleep. At 2-3 am, I heard my own voice. I was screaming loudly. “Who are you? You have come in a disguise. You are not Mohanji.”
Then suddenly my voice was heard. “You are that original element.”
In the same month, once I was listening to a Qawwali (Devotional music of the Sufi sect) on TV. The devotion in the Qawwali brought tears to my eyes. Suddenly I noticed that Mohanji is sitting in meditation at some distance, wearing white clothes. As soon as I saw Mohanji, I started calling him and moving towards him. After taking some steps, my feet suddenly stopped. I was trying to take a step, but could not lift my feet.
After a few days, Mohanji came home. I asked him about these two experiences. He asked, “You are writing about my Charitra (nature), is it not? I am the core element, now you know it, so write. No one can come to me in their body, they can come only in their consciousness.”
Then on the day of Guru Purnima, I saw Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasya, Yukteswargiri and Paramhansa Yoganandji standing near the lift. And our Guru Mohanji was coming in. He wore a white dhoti with a golden edge, a white kurta and a Rudraksha garland around his neck. He went inside.
I had a rose garland in my hand. I thought who among these four gurus should I garland? As a result, all four gurus disappeared. When Mohanji came home later and I asked him, he said that he was in USA on the day of Guru Purnima, taking class. He wore the same golden border dhoti.
I saw Lord Narasimha ji (The fierce part-lion part-man avatar of Lord Vishnu) in the corridor one day that year. I was sitting near the dining table. Seeing Narasimha ji, I was terrified, scared. He had golden hair, a golden crown, big eyes, big teeth. He kept his hands like this and went in. He wore a dhoti till his knees, a vest with some designs and jewellery in both hands. He also wore Mohanji’s ring in his hand. And he went towards Mohanji’s room. Mohanji appeared to me as Narasimha that day.
On the day of Kartik Purnima that same year, Rajesh was also in the house. The three of us together worshiped Shiva. We have a custom of lighting 364 wicks on Kartik Purnima.
Mohanji was at home that day. When we told him this, he said, “You people should worship. I would come automatically while lighting the lamp.” Saying this, he went into the room and closed the door.
After lighting a lamp, we offered prasad to God and performed the aarti of Mohanji and Shivji.
Then Rajesh and Amma touched Mohanji’s feet. When I went to touch his feet, I noticed a lot of sand in Mohanji’s feet. I keep quiet and asked him later when he was eating. He replied, “Today is Kartik purnima, is it not? So I went travelling. That is why there was sand. This is why I wear my dhoti lower, so that no one sees my feet.”
The same day Mohanji asked Amma, “Who did you see while doing abhiskek (pouring water) of the Shivalinga?” She replied that instead of Shivling, she saw Mahavatar Babaji. He remarked that the form of Shiva always changes. The form of Shiva is not what you think.
I will tell you about my experiences in 2017. I fell down in March 2017. I had a large operation of my hip joint replacement. When I came home after the operation, Mohanji came to see me and after seeing me he told my daughter and son, “A big accident was going to happen. I got her out by one of her legs.
The same day, when I came to know that he was coming, I was welcoming him in spirit in the early morning, by laying roses in the corridor. Then instead of Mohanji, Dattatreya came in running. There was so much light behind him, that it rose like smoke. He was only wearing a dhoti and a Rudraksha garland around his neck. There were three heads and only two hands. With a rosary beads in one hand and a water pot in another, he was laughing and walking quickly. When I said this to Mohanji, he said, “Yes, I am visible nowadays as Dattatreya. In Canada also, a devotee saw me as Dattatreya.”
That devotee stretched out his hand and asked Mohanji to walk over it. Soon all the devotees lay down there and spread their palms and said, “Walk on our palms.” Mohanji felt bad about this and he refused. On their repeated requests, he walked on their palms. I asked Mohanji, did they not have pain with your steps? He said, “It did not happen because I made myself lighter.”
Then I understood how Lord Ganesha sits on the mouse and how Lord Karthik sits on the peacock. I felt that God makes himself lighter to sit on his mount.
In April, Mohanji was coming again to see me. Then I spread jasmine flowers in my feelings and started welcoming him. Instead of Mohanji, light came like a flame, gradually growing in size and came towards me. When I asked about it, he said, “Nowadays I have become like light.”
One day at 3:30 am, I suddenly heard loud Hanuman Chalisa. A rendition sung by Bal Subramaniam from South India. After that, I heard Hanuman Chalisa sung by MS Subbalakshmi. Both Hanuman Chalisa began to be heard loudly. I saw a chariot decorated with flowers on the road. And hundreds of people were walking behind the chariot. And I saw Raghavendra Swamy sitting inside the chariot.
Raghavendra Swamy is an enlightened being, a yogi, and he took living samadhi at a place called Mantralaya. That place falls on the banks of the Tungabdra River near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, India. I was telling all these things to someone very loudly: “Tungabdra is a river. This is Raghavendra Swamy. This is called the Mantralaya.”
Then suddenly I saw a very big hall, all the people were sitting across the hall. And singing praises of Raghavendra Swamy.
I was late. And then when I went to him, I accidentally touched a little bit of his cloth. Then everybody was screaming- Do not touch the guru. When I went ahead to bow to him, his face was Mohanji’s.
The whole head was shaved. Raghavendra Swamy is also shaved. Tilak was on his forehead and then he was sitting, like Raghavendra Swamy. So I wondered, if it is Mohanji, why is his head shaved?
While bowing to his feet, I picked up his dhoti a little to check if they were Mohanji’s feet. And I could see Mohanji’s feet. So I was shouting loudly- Mohanji’s hair, Mohanji’s hair- and the scene stopped.
When Mohanji came to the house and I told him, he said- it is a good thing that you are seeing great yogis.
But he did not say that he came as Guru Raghavendra.
Let me tell you about three more experiences of 2017. In August 2017, I went to Mohanji’s room. I wished to pay my regards to him by touching his feet but the doctor had told me not to bow down. I sat down in front of Mohanji with his permission. Mohanji was doing some work on his mobile, and I wanted to sit down for some time and get up. Suddenly he lifted his legs from the chair and stretched them on the bed in a cross.
He asked me to sit. After some time, when I got up, he said – come now and touch the feet. I had not told him I wanted to touch his feet. Then I went to him and I saw him in many forms, such as Shri Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, Hanuman, Dattatreya and Sai Baba. Speaking their names, I was touching his feet.
And when I said the name of Dattatreya, Mohanji asked me to stop, “See how my feet have become when you were saying the name of Dattatreya.”
When I saw, his two feet were on top of each other on the bed. And the top leg was shorter and softer, like that of a 15-16 year old boy. Mohanji explained, “You were speaking the name of all the deities with devotion. This is why while speaking the name of Dattatreya, my foot became like this. Dattatreya’s foot is like this.”
My happiness knew no bounds. This was no ordinary thing. I made obeisance to him repeatedly by touching his foot. Without my saying, Mohanji knew my wish and let me touch his feet. He said that, “When anyone touches my feet with devotion, I feel good. Otherwise I feel sad.”
Let me tell you another experience of 2017. One night at 3 am, I could see an idol of Lord Hanuman (Hindu God and ardent devotee of Lord Ram).
That idol was so big that if you saw the feet, you could not see his face and if you saw the face, the feet could not be seen. And in front of the idol, there was kanji (starch from hot rice) in a very large handi (pot). The pot was steaming. And salt was kept in a big bowl.
Seeing Hanumanji, I said to him, “Hanumanji, are you also drinking Kanji like Mohanji? I will come with rice.”
Saying this, I was bringing white rice in a big pot. Then Mohanji appeared there.
Why did I say Mohanji, although his face is that of Hanuman. And the body is all of Mohanji. He wore a dhoti of magenta color. And wore a dhoti on top. The color was a mixture of red and white. And he was standing there and I kept salt, rice and a ladle for him to eat. Mohanji spread his hand and said, keep it four steps ahead. I recognized the ring in his hand.
Then Hanumanji was standing there just like Mohanji. And Mohanji became like Hanuman there. He said, “Keep it four steps ahead.” I did not understand what to keep there- was it the ladle? The scene later stopped.
Then in October, I saw a very big black circular boulder. It was surrounded by floral designs. Inside there were two feet embedded in the stone, more than a meter long. When Mohanji came, I asked him for an explanation. He said those were the feet of the tradition. I considered myself blessed to see the feet of the tradition. And I would pay obeisance to them daily.
Let me tell you about some of the experiences of 2018. In February, Mohanji had come home. He was sitting having snacks in the evening. I was sitting near the dining table in front of him, suddenly the electricity went away.
I had been simply gazing at him at that moment. I saw that his forehead was completely shining in gold. A glow was seen shining in the color of gold. Then electricity came back and he started having breakfast.
I kept quiet and then Mohanji asked, “Tayiji, what did you see?” I replied, “I saw gold colour on your forehead.” “Yes, I am in gold color when I am in the subtle form.”
When Mohanji came on 24 July, he was sitting in the morning eating dosa for breakfast. Before eating the dosa, he was praying as usual, offering the food to all the gods and goddesses. I was sitting there in front of him, Rajesh was also there. Mohanji prayed, gave a piece of dosa to Rajesh and said, “Give it to Tayiji.” Then Mohanji asked me to eat. When I ate, I found that the piece of dosa was sweet. He asked, “How is the dosa, Tayiji?”
“It is sweet, Mohanji.”
“Yes, I make food nectar before feeding it to the deities.”
I had never seen Ram in my life. Nor Shiva nor Krishna. Not even Sai Baba. But Mohanji blessed my life by showing himself to me, in the form of all these deities. I want to express my gratitude for this and bow down to him a billion times. I want to express my deep gratitude for the darshan (visions) he gave me on this birthday. Mohanji, I bow down to you a billion times.
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 10th December 2020
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.
Here is a miraculous escape from the jaws of death of a devotee, saved only by the grace and protection of Mohanji!
I died (well almost). And Mohanji brought me back to life.
The reason for writing this anonymous account is just to make sure that my family does not panic after reading the incident that I am about to narrate. Hence, will obscure certain names of locations to protect me and my companion’s identity.
In India, Diwali is a big festival and is accompanied by holidays at work. I decided to put the few days of Diwali holidays to good use by going to the Himalayas and doing some serious spiritual practices. I consulted Mohanji and he told me about the practices that needed to be done.
The place I was going to has a very powerful Goddess temple. I planned to drive all night, so I could reach it early in the morning. I was travelling with a companion and that person had gone off to sleep while I negotiated the mountain roads in the dead of the night.
As the car turned a corner, I saw a leopard crouched by the road. I stopped the car and woke up my companion to also look. We watched it for a few minutes until it leapt and disappeared in the hills. I didn’t think much of it at that time, but should I have? Was it Divine Mother?
In the next few days, I did my spiritual practices intensely sitting on the lap of Divine Mother.
On the way back, I stopped by the ashram of a very famous saint (who is no longer in the body) and who is known to be an incarnation of Lord Hanuman. As I sat down before his seat, my third eye area immediately started to vibrate as if receiving a Shaktipat. After some time, we started again towards home, Mohanji’s padukas and the Sri Yantra of Divine Mother in a shoulder bag strapped safely in the back seat, like how one would tuck in a small child, with the seat belt.
Within about half an hour, the accident happened. As the car was coming down the mountain road, the brakes failed and the steering jammed, mysteriously. Both my companion and I knew that we were about to fall off the mountain when the brakes failed to stop the car. All of a sudden, the car was off the road and tumbling down the side of the mountain, as they show in the movies. I vividly remember the alternating darkness and light as the car tumbled down while flipping.
People confess their surrender to God or Guru while they are hale and hearty. It is difficult to replicate the few seconds before death and one’s reaction during those last seconds. I was dead calm. As the car was crashing down, I thought I was going to die and I calmly took three names: Mohanji, Maa (meaning Divine Mother) and the name of the saint whose ashram I had just visited. The car came to a stop. (We later came to know that the car had fallen about 100 feet!).
No frantic sentences were uttered while the car was crashing, nor did I see my life flashing before me. The airbags had saved both of us. We were bleeding a little from cuts here and there, but as we climbed out of the car, we realized that neither had any serious injuries. Miraculously within minutes, villagers arrived and rescued us.
As we climbed to the top of the mountain where we had gone off the road, villagers told us that a shoulder bag was found on the road. This was the same shoulder bag which contained Mohanji’s padukas and Mother’s Sri Yantra. It is as if that they stepped out at the top of the mountain, anchored themselves and stopped the car from falling further! We were later informed by the villagers that, the tree which stopped the car from falling further was the last tree on that mountainside. After that was a sheer drop of about a kilometre down the ragged mountain into the river below. Of course, we all realised what could have happened had the car fallen further.
It seemed as if Divine Mother and Father (Mohanji) fought with Yama, the God of Death, themselves to stop him from taking us away.
As I waited for the police to arrive, the only thought that was in my mind was that I knew for sure, the strong bond I have with my Guru, Mohanji – as I was about to die, I took His name. There was also a certain comfort and a feeling of bliss that my surrender and faith was tested and wasn’t found inadequate.
This reminds me of the beautiful Indian bhajan (spiritual song) which goes:
इतना तो करना स्वामी जब प्राण तन से निकले
गोविन्द नाम लेकर, फिर प्राण तन से निकले
This means that – Lord, as my life exits from my body, please allow me to take your name.
Almost felt like James Bond – straightened my imaginary tie after climbing out of the crash! Why should I care, when ‘M’ has my back! (And no, I am not talking about 007’s boss!)
When surrender is complete at the lotus feet of the Guru, the Guru will cross the cosmos to protect you and hold your hand in a split of a second. Physical distances are meaningless between a Guru and the devotee. What truly matters is the bond between the hearts.
Over the next few days, we finally managed to reach home. Apart from the car, we did not suffer any other loss – physical harm (Can you imagine tumbling 100 feet down a ragged mountainside and not requiring even one stitch?), wallets, travel bags, among other things.
Incidentally, I had left Shiva Kavach and Devi Kavach mantras, recited by Mohanji, playing on a loop in my altar room at home. Was this a coincidence?
Mohanji has resurrected me many times before, from sure death, but those stories are for another time.
Today, Lazarus lives, saved by his Jesus.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||
Compiled, Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 5th December 2019
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.
Every breath is a gift from Mohanji. So many times in my life, I have experienced how Mohanji has literally saved me in various situations.
16th July was Guru Purnima. I was yearning to be with Mohanji, but due to various commitments, I couldn’t make it to Bangalore. I was upset that I could not meet him physically. However I have no complaints, as thanks to Mohanji Foundation, we had darshan of Mohanji and Devi Amma’s beautiful satsang live on Facebook.
The next day, on 17th July, I slipped and had a bad fall at home. Mohanji literally held my hand and reduced the impact of the fall. There were no injuries at all, except that my right ankle got twisted. A major head injury was prevented. My heart knows this was purely Mohanji’s protection. I sincerely thanked Him in my heart.
Due to the twist in my ankle, I couldn’t walk for 2 days. I did not inform Mohanji about all this, as I felt that He knows everything.
The reason for sharing all this is because what happened couple of nights later (20th July) was just amazing. All these events appear to be linked.
That night I woke up at 3 am. I was not feeling well, so I read a blog by Lata on her experiences at the Kumbh. After reading, I went back to sleep. Then in my dream, Mohanji came and took my husband and me to a very old Hanumanji’s temple. It was a cave which had images of all the Devis and Devatas. At the back of the cave was Hanumanji’s temple. There we did a pooja and Mohanji applied orange colour kumkum on our foreheads. After the pooja, Mohanji asked me, “How’s your foot?” He took my foot in His hands and blessed my foot. He closed his eyes and gave me healing.
Immediately after that, I woke up and the pain was gone. In excitement, I jumped out of my bed and realised that the pain had really gone. No pain at all! Everything including the swelling had gone. Mohanji took away my pain and healed me.
I had wanted to meet Him. He gave me darshan, and even took me to a beautiful Hanumanji’s shrine. Not only that, He healed my physical pain also through His divine darshan in the dream.
Mohanji truely means it when He says ” I am with you.” He makes sure that we feel His presence when we need it. The divine dream that I had was a clear evidence of this.
I felt this was a precious and blessed gift for me from Mohanji for Guru Purnima! My head bows to my Guru with gratitude.
I am always at your lotus feet, dear Mohanji!
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||
Compiled, Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 1st August 2019
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.
Mohanji says, “The human mind needs forms to associate with. This is fundamental. It recognizes forms and connects to forms. Human constitution uses all faculties such as body, mind, and intellect to connect to the chosen form. And when the connection through faith increases, individual personality takes a back seat. The individual starts to merge with the object of worship. Non-duality happens. When oneness takes root, often the need for any of the individual faculties that the individual used for the primary connection also becomes redundant. Everything dissolves into oneness.”
In May 2018, towards the end of the Kriya Intensive programme and Volunteers Meet in Bosnia, some of us were sharing our experiences with Mohanji in the main satsang hall. Seated in a circle, heartfelt feelings and emotions were shared, all of us totally absorbed in Mohanji’s love and compassion. When it was my turn, I sang a bhajan that was close to my heart, one that I sing often at home to Mohanji. The words are simple yet so beautiful.
You are the centre of my life my Lord, You are the centre of my day
I open my heart to You and pray for Your grace
I feel the power of Your love my Lord, I feel the power of Your love
I open my heart to You and pray for Your grace.
The Guru’s feet
As I finished, Deviji who was also seated with us said with a lovely smile, “I am looking forward to meeting all the bhakti yogis in London soon.” A visit by Mohanji, Deviji, and little Mila was already planned to take place in August 2018 and we were all counting the days for their arrival with much excitement, looking forward to having them with us.
During their stay in London, many of us had the privilege of spending some time with Mohanji, Deviji, and Mila. So many beautiful moments, full of grace and joy, filled our days. Those few days flew by quickly and it was time to say good bye too soon. Afterwards, as I read the blogs and testimonials from others, I realised how each of us experienced Mohanji’s presence and love in our own unique way. We may have all been with Him at the same time during the same programme or event, but each one of us experienced Him according to our own constitution, perception, and eligibility.
During this visit, every moment I spent with Mohanji gave me a different emotion to the feeling of devotion. I recently read a beautiful article on ‘Nava vidha bhakti,’ the 9 forms of devotion, and realised that I had experienced these beautiful emotions and recognised them as such, purely because of Mohanji’s grace.
It is said that of the different types of yoga, bhakti yoga is the easiest way to reach the Lord in the Kaliyuga. When devotion and love for the Lord are pure, free from conditions, desires, and ego, transformation happens within. We become the instrument of the Lord. Through writing this article, I pray that my love for Mohanji becomes deeper and purer. May devotion fill my days and bring positive transformations within me.
The 9 forms of devotion which we feel and experience towards our Guru or God are shravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, paada sevanam, archanam, vandanam, daasyam, saakhyam, and aatma nivedanam.
1. Shravanam (Listening to the names and glories of God)
The first in the nine forms of devotion, shravanam is to listen to the divine glories of our Guru or God. As we listen and contemplate on His words, qualities, and divine plays, our mind merges with the thoughts of divinity. With easy access to social media, listening to satsangs, bhajans, and songs, seeing messages on whatsapp or Facebook were all tools for me to listen or read about Mohanji throughout the day. Listening to His teachings, seeing His messages and reading others’ experiences were all ways for me to connect to Him while being away from His physical presence. Planning His visit with the UK team was exciting and that itself was a satsang too. As I constantly listened and contemplated on Mohanji, love and reverence subconsciously grew and I also realised that these thoughts were purifying me in tangible and subtle ways.
As we cultivate a yearning to listen to His glory and teachings with faith, and as we practise what we have learnt, the act of shravanam helps us evolve in the journey of spirituality.
2. Kirtanam (Chanting the glories of God)
In the second form of devotion, kirtanam, one sings the glory of Guru or God with devotion. Whenever we recite or chant His name and sing His glory from the heart, we automatically become joyous; our hearts are filled with love, not just for our dearest Guru, but towards all those who are around us. Continuous chanting has the power to elevate us.
At the UK retreat, we had bhajans at the end of each day. Even if He was tired, Mohanji would stay and listen to everyone’s offering of love to Him, have a satsang with us afterwards, before retiring to His room. One of the highlights was to actually listen to Mohanji sing ‘Garuda Gamana’ with one of the devotees. We were all mesmerised, listening to His beautiful voice, giving such joy not only to the devotee He sang with but to all those who were assembled there.
Shyama singing a bhajan
One evening, we chanted the Sri Rudram in Mohanji’s presence. This chanting is done in praise of Lord Shiva and I was reminded of chanting it at the holy banks of Manasarovar and also during the parikrama of Kailash. Lord Shiva who was silent and majestic in Kailash had taken the form of the compassionate and loving Mohanji who was physically in the room with us. Although thousands of miles apart, the innocence, divinity, and purity that I felt was the same in both occasions, and I felt so blessed to have Mohanji there with us while chanting. None of us wanted these evenings to end!
3. Smaranam (Remembering God)
Smaranam is the third form of devotion where one constantly remembers their Guru or God and His divine qualities. It is said that namasmarana, the constant chanting, and remembrance of the divine will help us attain liberation. Remembering and chanting the name of our loving Guru, remembering His compassionate form, seeing divinity in nature are all ways of remembering Mohanji’s presence in my life.
Satsang with Mohanji
Whether it’s chanting the Mohanji Gayatri, Healing Gayatri or singing devotional songs/bhajans, I feel that simply knowing/remembering that He’s always with me, keeps me connected to Him, making life the joyous journey it is. As faith and devotion increase, surrendering my actions to Him becomes second nature and from small miracles to large, I feel Mohanji’s presence throughout the day. As acceptance and patience increases, pain and suffering are greatly reduced and I am able to face life with equanimity more and more.
4. Paada sevanam (Serving the Lord’s feet)
In the fourth form of devotion, paada sevanam, one worships their Guru or God by surrendering all actions at His feet and serving Him. Recognising that a true Guru is connected to the supreme consciousness, worshiping the paaduka (sanctified sandals) is also a form of paada sevanam.
In the Indian tradition, people often refer to the Guru or God’s feet as paada pankajam (lotus feet), as they are described as soft and beautiful like the petals of a lotus. During this visit, we had the incredible opportunity of doing Paada puja to Mohanji’s feet. It was such a sacred event and all those who took part felt so blessed. Mohanji explained the significance of this sacred ritual and graciously allowed us to wash, decorate and do aarati to His feet. It was a dream come true, something many of us had yearned for but had not expected to happen.
Guru Paada Puja
Bowing down at the feet of someone shows humility and lack of ego. As we bow down at the feet of our dearest Guru with an innate sense of surrender, we recognise His divinity and pray that He will grant us protection and lead us from the many bindings of life to freedom in existence.
5. Archanam (Worshipping God)
In the fifth form of devotion, archanam, one makes an ‘offering’ of love to their Guru or God. It may be ritualistic worship where food, flowers, and many other materialistic items are offered. It can also be singing bhajans, chanting the sahasranamam (1000 names), ashtothram (108 names) or doing aarati, which are all forms of archanam. When the rituals are combined with internal meditation and awareness, our hearts and minds are purified.
While Mohanji was in London, I had the opportunity to make some of His meals along with a few other devotees. Cooking is usually not my passion, but making food for Mohanji is a blessing I will always cherish. I can only imagine this would be how Yashoda felt when she made food for Krishna! Mohanji’s enjoyment of simple food is lovely to witness. The times I spent in the kitchen gave me such a close connection to Mohanji. Nothing else existed apart from Him. In those moments I was not a parent, wife, sister or daughter. There was no personality, just an amazing feeling of not existing as a person with ego, etc., but being an empty instrument for divinity to work through. This state of perpetual meditation which seemed beyond my reach seems a little closer to attain now, a state I should attempt to be in, throughout the day.
My archanam or offering while Mohanji was here in the physical form for a few fleeting days has enabled me to surrender and offer all my actions to Him even when He’s physically not present. Expressing our love for Him and connecting to Him with mind and heart, all our actions become sacred when offered at the feet of the Guru.
6. Vandanam (Offering obeisance to God)
The sixth form of devotion is reverential prayer, vandanam, to our Guru or God. Prayer is a language of the heart and when expressed with sincerity and love, it becomes an intensely personal process which elevates us. There are many types of prayers; of gratitude, for the well-being of others, for peace, etc.
Prayers and chanting have become a part of life and I realise Mohanji purifies us in subtle ways when we undertake these actions with the correct intent. Whether it’s chanting, singing or simply talking to Mohanji in my mind and seeing answers to my questions or thoughts through someone or something, my faith in prayers has increased manifold. Whether it’s an internal dialogue or an outward expression, prayers make me feel more close to Mohanji. I share an incident here which showed me again He knows everything that we think, say or do, that we always live in the presence of divinity.
On the last night before Mohanji’s family left, I was feeling so sad. I sent a text message to the host family saying, “Tomorrow morning will be the last meal with Mohanji for a while.” I had not asked to help make breakfast as I knew someone else was bringing food in the morning but went to help with other things. Just a short time before leaving for the airport, Mohanji said, “Let’s have some uppma.” I thought He was joking as He knew someone was bringing breakfast and said, “Mohanji, are you serious?” He replied with a smile “I never joke about food.” As we rushed about in the kitchen with last minute preparations, I realised that Mohanji knew my thoughts and feelings and in His usual compassionate way, asked me to make something to make me happy. Always so caring and loving, He spreads joy in every possible way. That morning we had two different items for breakfast, blessed by Mohanji!
7. Daasyam (Serving God as His servant)
In the seventh form of devotion, daasyam, one aspires to be of personal service to their Guru or God. With no sense of inferiority, one yearns to serve the Guru as well as His devotees. Only those who are trustworthy, truly humble and are not self-centred are given this boon and it’s amazing to see Mohanji’s interaction with such beautiful people. He’s so relaxed and happy in the midst of those who love Him unconditionally and serve Him selflessly.
Serving Guru in any way is a blessing of lifetimes
Hanuman’s devotion to Lord Rama is a great example of daasyam. I have heard Mohanji speak of Hanuman with so much love and share here a story He narrated a couple of years ago. When Valmiki completed the epic Ramayana, Sage Narada who read it said that Hanuman’s Ramayana was better. Valmiki was not happy that a ‘monkey’ had also written a Ramayana and wanted to find out if it was indeed better.
Valmiki found Hanuman in Kadali-vana (plantain grove) and the Ramayana inscribed on the broad plantain leaves. Reading it, he found it to be exquisite and unable to help himself, started to cry. When Hanuman asked if it was that bad, Valmiki replied he was crying because it was so beautiful and no one would read his Ramayana once they read Hanuman’s Ramayana.
Hearing this Hanuman simply tore up the banana leaves and said, no one will read Hanuman’s Ramayana. You wrote it so that the world remembers you, but I wrote it so that I remember Ram.” Hearing this story of Hanuman’s pure love for Lord Rama in Mohanji’s mesmerising voice was simply amazing and it brought tears to my eyes.
Even now, when I think back to this moment, I feel so humbled to be a part of Mohanji’s family, receiving His love and grace, and pray that such intense devotion and purity wells within me too.
8. Saakhyam (Developing friendship with God)
In the eighth form of devotion, saakhyam, the devotee considers the Guru or God as their friend. An example of this is Lord Krishna’s childhood in Vrindavan. He spent the days playing with his friends and taking care of the cows. His friends would chase him while playing, massage his legs while resting and feed him food with love. Their love for Krishna was complete. Mohanji is also our true friend, who accepts us as we are, with no judgements or expectations, interacting with us with pure love.
Loving embrace of Mohanji
It is always a joy to see Mohanji relaxing at times, away from His back to back programmes. One evening after Mohanji had retired to His room, a couple of us were talking about a song that Mohanji really likes and we were listening to it on you tube. The next morning while having breakfast, He started talking about the song as if He’d been there during our conversation! Then He asked us to play that song and started to sing along with Sonu Nigam (a famous Indian singer), His deep voice perfectly complementing the singer’s higher pitch. Very sweetly, Mohanji would explain the meaning of the song to me between singing the verses, as I was the only person there who didn’t understand the language. It was a privilege to see Mohanji’s carefree attitude and joyous singing. How blessed we are to have the eternal friendship of our Guru.
9. Aatma nivedanam (Total surrender of oneself to the Lord)
In the ninth form of devotion, aatma nivedanam, the devotee surrenders completely to the will of the Guru or God with no trace of ego. The devotee if completely filled with devotion, gains the knowledge of his true self and becomes one with the divine and all aspects of His creation. When we offer everything to our Guru with equanimity, we become His instruments, and the Guru takes complete care. He knows what is right for us, all we need is trust and full faith.
Being Mohanji’s instrument – In the consciousness of Mohanji
Mohanji is a living example of simplicity and humility. He teaches us by being a true inspiration. Mohanji encourages us to serve with love and humility, not just those who visit Him or are in His fold, but all beings of the earth, to the best of our capacity. By cultivating love and serving the needy, we realise the existence of divinity in all forms.
Aarati for Mohanji
Taking up one or a number of these paths to connect with our beloved Guru, understanding the path and following it with faith and consistency, we can make our lives purposeful and meaningful. We become the pure instruments of the Guru, spreading unity, purity, and divinity to the world.
“Worshipping the Guru, considering him as representing the Lord Almighty or personification of the Lord is definitely the path of those who are inclined to Bhakti or devotional path of spirituality.” – Mohanji
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||
Compiled, Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 14th May 2019
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.
As I was sitting in our ‘Mohanji room’ and looking at the altar, I thought, I should bring home a Datta idol. Sometime later, I saw photos of Mohanji’s home in Bangalore and saw Mahavatar Babaji’s idol in those photos. I had seen this before too. However, this time suddenly I asked myself, why have I never felt inclined to have Babaji’s idol in my altar? Well, with time, I just forgot about this thought.
Altar in Bangalore Ashram
Just a few months back, in August, just two days before Mohanji’s visit to London, I had a really amazing, unbelievable experience regarding Mahavtar Babaji. I had written this story and published it in Mohanji’s chronicles – “Stone to crystal”
The story was about the expansion beyond my bodythat I had experienced after reading Mohanji’s written blogs on Mahavatar Babaji.
Anyway, a few days later, suddenly during an informal discussion, I was asked,
“For a complete stranger, what age Mohanji would look like?”
Immediately His image flashed as if He was standing in front of me. This was happening instantly. I spontaneously said 40, or even may be between 35 to 40. Then something just made me write ‘Mohanji is ageless.’
Yes, that’s how Mohanji appeared to me, He is ageless! At this point, I had no comparison of Him with anyone else.
The Ageless Mohanji (a pic from Rome!)
The next morning, I received a photo of a majestic rainbow in Singapore. Unlike my regular gross mind, I could see little beyond and understood that I was not just being shown a beautiful rainbow…I was being reminded of Dattatreya!
Majestic rainbow in Singapore – a joy of nature in the presence of Mohanji
As the day progressed, in a miraculous way, I came across a blog that showed me the connection between Mohanji & Hanuman. During this again the reminder of my spontaneous response to a conversation regarding Mohanji as ‘ageless’ flooded my memory.
That night I had knee pain which was getting unbearable. The pain was so bad that I woke up and couldn’t sleep again. This was about 3 am. I kept praying to Mohanji, keeping my own hand on my knee for healing, feeling Mohanji’s energy flowing through.
After some time, I felt better but my sleep had gone. So I took my phone to read something. While I was browsing on my phone, a blog by ‘Vanamali’ on Mahavatar Babaji flashed up. I wondered, is this author ‘Vanamali’, the ‘Vanamali Mataji’ that I know as Mohanji’s spiritual mother? I opened the blog. It was indeed her. I started reading. She was describing a place called Katargama (also known as Kathirgamam) in Sri Lanka, as the Kailash of the South. She had explained about Lord Murugan’s incarnation in that place. Before I realised, it was time to go to the office. I left the blog reading incomplete and continued with my day’s activities. Later on in the evening, I picked up the story from where I had left off. This reading brought me the awareness of something majestic, that I had so far not realised.
In the blog, Vanamali Mataji explained that Kataragama is the place where Lord Murugan (son of Shiva) had moved to from Kailash. Lord Murugan then incarnated as Mahavatar Babaji, in a small village in South India. At the age of 15, as a young boy, Babaji had travelled to Kataragama in Sri Lanka! That’s where he met his Guru, Siddhar Bhoganathar. At the age of 16, Babaji was blessed by his Guru Bhoganathar with ‘Kaya Kalpa’ – to remain a youth forever. While I was reading this part, suddenly ‘Ageless – Mohanji is ageless’ flashed in my memory. It felt as if an electric current went through me.
The ageless Mahavatar Babaji
I continued my reading. The blog explained about Babaji’s journey back from Sri Lanka to India. In South India, Babaji met Guru Agastya, who accepted him as his disciple and taught him Kriya yoga, and the importance of breath. At this point of the story, I was reminded of how Devi Amma of Bangalore, a highly evolved spiritual master, disciple and spiritual daughter of Agastya Rishi, considers Mohanji as her spiritual brother. She says he is none other than Agastya Rishi’s son! Also, the fact that Mohanji imparts the teaching of Kriya, giving importance to the breath, struck a chord, while I was reading about Babaji!
Even though I was reading about Babaji, the image that I had all through this time was of Mohanji.
The story continued. Babaji was in the Himalayas, meditating in the cave. Suddenly a vision flashed to me. I saw Mohanji meditating in this cave! Every word that was mentioning Babaji, the only vision I had in front of my eyes was of Mohanji.
Mohanji in meditative state
Slowly I realised, whom I see in the very ordinary form of Mohanji is much beyond that.
Surely, He is none other than Babaji himself.
Surely, He is none other than Murugan himself!
I was seeing a smile in my own face, a smile of joy. As if I have found a treasure, I suddenly realised, ah, this is why Mohanji loves going to Skanda Vale!
Skanda Vale is a sacred place where Guru Subramaniam has built a temple for Skanda, also called Murugan. He believed and so does everyone else, that Skanda lives there!
I always thought Mohanji goes to Skanda Vale because of the Guru Parampara, Datta tradition, His love for the Skanda Vale community.
Let me tell you a couple of flash-back stories on Skanda Vale here.
In September 2017, I was blessed to accompany Mohanji to Skanda Vale when He was there for a few days enriching the Skanda Vale community with His valuable presence. During that time, Mohanji had told me that Skanda Vale is very special to Him and to give His time there is a very high priority for Him. At that time, I just attributed His statement to His humility and His duty to the Datta Tradition. Again in August 2018, Mohanji went to Skanda Vale, for a purpose even more powerful – to do the consecration ceremony of the Datta idol!
Mohanji doing consecration of Lord Dattatreya at Skanda Vale, UK, August 2018
While I was completely merged in the divinity of Mohanji’s actions in Skanda Vale, I was surely far away from understanding why was He doing all these things!
Coming back, I now realised that reading Vanamali Mataji’s blog was not just any ordinary blog reading. This was a great revelation to me. I understood that Mohanji goes to Skanda Vale, the place where Skanda lives. Because He himself is none other than Skanda (Murugan)!
I then remembered, just sometime back, it was an auspicious day for Skanda and my friend Radha sent me a short video clip of her father, Subramaniam uncle doing aarati to Skanda with a special deepam. This was not any ordinary aarati ritual, it was indeed a very powerful one. Subramaniam uncle is not just an ardent devotee of Murugan, he is a devoted disciple of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and loves Mohanji immensely. To receive the video clip of this ritual to Skanda was not ordinary. I had felt the divinity that time to receive the clip, but I only understand now, why was I allowed by the divine to view this!
Special Kartika puja (for Skanda) at Subramaniam uncle’s home
Whether we think of Hanuman or Dattatreya or Murugan or Mahavatar Babaji – all are an ansha (part) of Shiva, and ultimately Shiva himself!
That’s the revelation of this incarnation that I know as Mohanji.
In just one day, I had the visions or realisation of Lord Datta, Lord Hanuman and now Murugan and Mahavatar Babaji. Ah, a truth beyond my imagination was unfolding.
A naïve question that had appeared in my mind a few days back about the connection with Mahavatar Babaji was being answered by the divine in such a beautiful way revealing the utmost truth about Mohanji to me. This revelation was happening to me through my own realisation, not by someone telling me! I was surely more than overwhelmed. I was totally awestruck.
In this state, I couldn’t stop myself from expressing this experience to Mohanji and begging Him to confirm this. However, as usual, Mohanji was far from being emotional. He gave me a straight clear answer,
“I am Mohanji. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“I am Mohanji. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
I felt so silly to have asked Him this question.
Did I need to? No.
Does the answer matter? No.
The revelation to me was my own realisation. That was my TRUTH. Period.
My story doesn’t finish here.
Mohanji didn’t answer me. But the divine had other plans. 🙂
Next morning, I received Preethi Gopalarathnam’s WhatsApp message. She had forwarded me a message conversation between Mohanji and her, the previous day. Her message to Mohanji was about her urge for visiting Kataragama in Sri Lanka!
An unbelievable similarity between the photo of young Mohanji and young Murugan in a calendar!
As I rubbed my eyes, I was reading the message repeatedly. Am I really reading it correctly? The day before when I discovered about Kataragama and the follow-up on the unfolding truth of Murugan, Mahavatar Babaji, and Mohanji, she was at the same time, thousands of miles away, feeling the same pull too! This couldn’t be just mere coincidence. I realised through this, Mohanji has answered my previous night’s question!
This is now so clear, as clear as a crystal, to me.
All through the day, my whole body was shivering but the heart was full of joy. I don’t know what enlightenment means or feels, but I certainly felt enlightened that day.
Like the little girl who receives a very expensive toy beyond her dreams, I had something that I never could even dare to think of! In my naïve mind, simple Mohanji was enough. This truth indeed was a huge realisation for me.
I started writing about this experience. Usually, when I feel the urge to express my thoughts, I just write it quickly and share. I strongly feel that Mohanji doesn’t delay in giving me experiences, so I must not delay in expressing and sharing it, as every experience that I receive, is not just for me. Someone somewhere will benefit from it too.
But, this blog has taken many days, weeks, even months!
In the meantime, ‘Guru Leela’ happened. Mohanji Acharya training happened. Kumbh Mela happened. All three out of the world, beyond this lifetime experiences, happened. But I still hadn’t completed this blog!
Finally, Mohanji’s birthday approached. I thought it’s high time now for me to publish the blog. I must publish the blog at least for Mohanji’s birthday. However, that still didn’t happen.
A few days later, after Mohanji’s birthday, I received a mail from Lisa, sharing the experience of her visit to Skanda Vale on Mohanji’s birthday. When I read her story, I froze. I was dumbstruck after I read what she experienced at the Skanda Temple in Skanda Vale, on Mohanji’s birthday. Following is an excerpt from her blog which is published in Mohanji Chronicles blog site.
“Suddenly, as I looked at Muruga, I felt as if I was not there in my body, and felt Mahavatar Babaji’s presence.”
Lord Muruga, Mahavatar Babaji, and Mohanji – all as one! Here is one more devotee realising this truth and conveying her experience completely independent of the realisation that I had.
I realised that the Divine was bringing clarity to me about the truth of Mohanji’s incarnation – the one form beyond all forms! Whether I realise Him as Mahavatar Babaji or Lord Muruga or Lord Dattatreya, ‘Being Shiva’ is His eternal truth. With this revelation, Mohanji taught me once again why I need not run behind any form, any incarnation.
Mohanji is the door for me, Mohanji is the path for me and Mohanji is the destination for me. In this life, my Lord Jagannath brought Mohanji to me and then he merged into Mohanji.
Before that, I had no knowledge of anyone else. After that, I have no knowledge of anyone else.
Everyone is just one and the only one for me – Mohanji! Simple and straight, ‘ageless’.
That is why I can see Him in every other Master or God and I can see all Masters and Gods in Him. For me, everything is ‘Sarvam Mohan Mayam’ – all manifestations as one and only ‘Mohanji.’.
I would like to end my story with sharing some special moments of my gratitude for my Gurudev, my Mohanji. I remain at His lotus feet as the eternal slave.
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.
Lord Hanuman, the one Who is Swift as the Mind and Fast as the Wind, who is the Master of the Senses, and Honoured for His Excellent Intelligence, Learning and Wisdom, Son of the Wind God and Chief among the “Vanaras” (Who were part of the Devas incarnated in the species of the monkeys to serve Sri Rama during His Incarnation), To that Messenger of Sri Rama, I take Refuge (by prostrating before him).
Treta Yuga (The era of Lord Rama) is long gone, however, Lord Hanuman exists even today. He exists in the form of our devotion, utmost surrender to our Gurus and divine. He exists to show us the presence of supreme consciousness, the Para Brahma. Time and again, many devotees have experienced the presence, incarnation and vision of Lord Hanuman.
Needless to say, the one who has eyes can only see! God is everywhere!
One such miraculous appearance of Lord Hanuman happened through the form of our ‘aradhya’, (Respectful) the one in whom we see supreme consciousness – Mohanji. This happened recently while Mohanji was in Palakkad, Kerala and on the auspicious day of 4th anniversary celebration of Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Palakkad.
This miraculous appearance was not just visualised by one person, but multiple people. The grace didn’t even stop there, this appearance was even experienced by another devotee thousands of miles away, many days after this actually happened, just by mere watching photos!
Unbelievable, it may seem, but the sincere and true account from the people who witnessed it directly says it all. Here is a compilation of the experiences by three people who have witnessed this event directly.
Experience sharing by Mahesh Bhalerao
I was very fortunate to meet and receive blessings from the most unassuming and humble Siddha Saint Devi Amma at Her residence in Bangalore. This is the second time I was meeting Her. I had met Her earlier with Mohanji.
Last time Devi Amma explained the secret of why She is holding the pillow all the time near her stomach area. It was a very interesting story and we all laughed. I really love to listen to Her voice when She speaks, as every single word is very divine, loving, full of energy. Mohanji considers Devi Amma as His own mother. Agastya Muni had told Devi Amma that Mohanji is His son and Devi Amma also considers the great Sage as Her father.
This time around like a child, I requested Her to tell us a story and She explained how She met Hanumanji for the first time and how Hanumanji Himself confirmed His identity.
Hanumanji made Her listen to His each and every breath and His every hair saying Ram, Ram, Ram, to confirm His identity.
Remembering that explanation makes me feel amazed every time.
While leaving Devi Amma’s place, She gave me a paper bag saying it has some fruit and specifically an orange for Mohanji, an apple for Mila and a pomegranate for Devi Mohan.
I kept the bag carefully not to lose or misplace it during my travel from Bangalore to Palakkad. I was travelling to Palakkad to be present for the 4th Vardhapan Ceremony of the Shirdi Sai temple in Palakkad. As soon as I reached Mohanji’s house, I met Him prostrated at His feet and got His blessings. Mohanji, very lovingly commanded me to freshen up and get ready to go the temple. Least at that point, did I know what I was going to witness soon! Anyway, I freshened up and wore a new dhoti that was gifted by Priti, and all excited, I went to Mohanji again with the fruit bag that Devi Amma had sent for Him.
Mohanji was sitting with Appa Murali, a great devotee of Maa Kali. Meeting various divine masters and receiving their blessings making my life extremely fulfilling, has been only possible due to my Gurudev, Mohanji’s grace.
The time came to hand over the fruit bag, I did explain to Mohanji that each fruit was for specific person and that the orange was for Him.
Soon after, all of us present in that room witnessed an amazing play of divine masters, exhibiting the oneness.
Devi Maa had evoked Hanumanji in front of us when she delivered me the fruits! As soon as Mohanji received the orange, His upper lip started to swell up and was steadily growing outwards, His eyes were intense. His face turned clearly appearing as Lord Hanuman’s face!
Witnessing this, I had no other reaction but the Maruti stotra was flowing out of my mouth and tears flowing.
It was as if time stopped till I finished Maruti Stotra. When I finished the chant, Mohanji looked at me and asked me if I had completed the stotra and then asked everyone to move on and get going towards Sai temple for the ceremony. He could barely open His mouth and speak.
I looked at Devadas and his eyes were closed and my sister Anila was looking at me, trying to tell me that it was Hanuman with her hand actions. I was very happy and felt that if Hanuman Ji was with us, Shree Rama was with us too! Later on, I realized that Shree Rama was waiting for Mohanji in the form of Sai Baba at the temple.
We all reached the temple and Mohanji was received with lot of respect. Mohanji then proceeded to carry out the Dhwajarohan – a flag hoisting ceremony to formally inaugurate the three-day long Vardhapan programme.
While standing in front of the flagpole, surrounded by a lot of people, His face continued to change.
Mohanji always reminds us that CONNECTION, CONVICTION and CONSISTENCY are key to spiritual growth and I realised how true this is today. With the heart filled with unconditional love and devotion for Guru, it’s possible to experience what usually seems unbelievable. When doubts appear as clouds in our mind, we fail to see the light of truth. Then again, if we surrender completely, ignoring doubts, truth appears right in front of our eyes and enters our heart. We become inseparably one with our Guru, like Hanumanji with Lord Ram.
Deep gratitude Mohanji, for Your grace of giving me this amazing darshan!
At your feet Father… as always…, Jai Shree Brahmarishi Mohanji
Experience sharing by Jelena Fassbender
I have gone through various difficult situations in my life in recent times. But since I’ve connected to Mohanji, they were not just bearable, but very often smooth and even elegant. After my divorce, l didn’t have a place to stay. Within two weeks, l moved into a beautiful apartment and it is all because of Mohanji’s Grace. Mohanji loves me and takes care of me every moment. For the last couple of months, I have even had an opportunity to travel with Him to various places in India. Being in the close proximity of such a powerful master is a very deep cleansing process for myself and definitely a ladder for my spiritual growth. He knows what we need, when we need. Everything is provided and taken care of. All we need is to be available and open to receive. During this time of travelling around India with Him, I have had many amazing life changing experiences. One of such experiences, which opened something completely new, very subtle, I would like to share with you here. It helped me to understand Him better.
On 28th of January, it was the inauguration of the programme to celebrate the 4th Anniversary of Shirdi Sai Temple in Palakkad, Kerala. As a guest of honour, Mohanji was invited to inaugurate the celebration. A couple of us were staying with Mohanji, at His parents’ house and just before we went to the temple, Mahesh Bhalerao, who had come that morning from Bangalore, brought a bag of fruit for Mohanji. That was a present from Devi Amma, a very warm, sweet, powerful authentic Siddha, who loves Mohanji as her son.
Devi Amma, who gave Mahesh an orange for Mohanji, an apple for Mila and a pomegranate for Devi Mohan.
At that moment, Mahesh told us, that Devi Amma was chanting Hanumanji’s mantra, while giving him the present for Mohanji! For those who are not familiar with the name Hanumanji, short explanation is that He was the bravest, the most loyal, persistent and ardent devotee of Lord Rama, who has a lot of value in scriptures like the Ramayana. In Hinduism He is one of the most worshipped deity, hidden behind the being who has a face like a monkey.
Mohanji is Hanumanji! Yes, Shiva has many forms!
In such a miraculous moment, we left the house and went to the Shirdi Sai temple. After He had received a warm welcome with priests applying sandalwood paste on His forehead and trustees garlanding him, Mohanji was invited to hoist the flag and begin the celebration. While standing in front of the flagpole, surrounded by a lot of people, His face continued to change. His upper lip became bigger and His cheeks became very firm, but He didn’t show any kind of confusion, on the contrary, Mohanji was standing there, as steady as a mountain. The moment He took the rope and started to raise the flag, I was blown away. His cheeks expanded even more, and the colour of His eyes changed into oily dark green.
His face continued to change. His upper lip became bigger and His cheeks became very firm.
After a very powerful whole-day ceremony, we came home.
Mila, Mohanji’s daughter ran into His arms, asking, “Papa, what happened to your upper lip, you have no teeth, I can’t see your teeth.” Mohanji was smiling like a child and said: “Papa has teeth, can’t you see them?”
After a couple of days, three of us were sitting with Him and talking. I couldn’t keep all the impressions from that particular day within me anymore!
“We saw You as Hanuman that day” I said. He was smiling at me and said, “Where does Hanuman sit, when Lord Krishna is a Charioteer? Hanuman sits on the flag. Those who have eyes to see, will see.” It is interesting that most people assembled at the flag hoisting ceremony did not see anything. They did NOT notice the change on Mohanji’s face!
It’s important for me to mention though that during my 3-month-long travel with Mohanji, never before this event or post this event day, have I seen any changes in Mohanji face! I am convinced that what we saw on that day is not an ordinal physiological change. This was indeed a strong message to us, whoever could see and understand it. I am definitely one of the lucky ones!
Thank you, Mohanji, for giving me the opportunity to see! Once You said, “We’re on the path of annihilation, not entertainment. I’m the fire, be at least the flame!” I am eternally grateful for having an opportunity to witness and to understand, for the first time, more clearly than ever, what it means to be an empty vessel. Thank you my beloved Guruji Mohanji for giving me a chance to experience the Truth!
It’s all Your grace!
Endless love and gratitude at your Lotus Feet.
Experience sharing by Priti Bharadwaj
The last 10 years of my life have been an onslaught of many emotional roller coasters, the last one being an unwell child which shook the very core of my existence. As a mother, I couldn’t do anything to help my suffering child except pray, chant, hold on to faith and practice very badly at times, patience that everything would come out fine. With Mohanji’s ongoing support, divine guidance and blessings, individual prayers and distance healing sessions, grace flowed. After some painful treatments, karmic healing and spiritual understanding which had to take place, recovery took place and she got better very rapidly. Thank you Mohanji for guiding me and for being with me.
Despite this unbelievable full recovery of almost two-and- a-half years of a child’s sickness, unbeknown to me, the journey had taken its toll on me. Suddenly, after two very active years of looking after a sick patient day and night, I had nothing to do, no one to fill my empty moments of inactivity and I began asking a lot of questions. I couldn’t sit quietly to do any of my spiritual practices which I don’t forget. I thought I had to do 5000 hours of chanting, breathing, etc. to raise my vibrational level and get me out of tamas!
The mind became overactive, scrupulously clever and devious. As I was closely watching my thoughts, as a witness, a thought came in through the back door and before I knew it, I was overloaded with 5000 thoughts. Tamas was setting in deep taking me away from my active self. I became a ‘couch potato’. My spirit was stagnating down, spirally downwards.
I didn’t have any deep experiences of any kind to solidify my conviction that a higher awareness exists or any conviction at that time to hold on to. It became a Catch-22 situation – the more I thought the more it took me away from my conviction and faith, even though I was honoured to have met and spent time with Mohanji on many occasions. My mind wanted to meet a deeper aspect of who Mohanji is. My mind wanted to know more, I wanted a deep inner revelation to see who Mohanji is, to see a facet of this divine consciousness that we call Mohanji.
Well, this opportunity came to me recently.
I attended the 2017 Himalayan Retreat with Mohanji on the ghats of the river Ganges. It was 100% joyous, all my earthly five senses were to the max, and I was abuzz with the aromas of the Ganga Aarti incense sticks which the fresh Himalayan winds were bringing to the cold nose. Ah those unforgettable perfumes! The wonderful sounds of devotees’ bhajans and colourful sights of the melodious aarti on the ghats of Ram Jhula, dancing with Mohanji and other devotees – every moment was unforgettable. The crisp cold dips in the Ganges together with jugs of freezing cold water poured from our Guru’s hands cleaning away karmas from life times after life times. The delicious homemade scrumptious tasty vegan dishes all cooked fresh three times a day tingled my taste buds. Precious days!
These wonderful sunny days at the Divine Resort in Rishikesh were blissful to say the least, however, the last day was approaching and my heart was sad it was coming to an end. I was beginning to experience love which, for whatever reason, I had failed to receive as a young child. I selfishly wanted to spend more time in the presence of our Guru hoping that my heart chakra could open. Luckily, I realised very quickly, at the first Satsang Mohanji conducted, that I had come with an expectation. So, I decided that the best course was to go and spend some time alone after the retreat contemplating in an ashram to quieten my buzzy mind. However, to my surprise this was not to be the end. My Guru had other plans for me! This was just the beginning of my travels in India along with Mohanji. There was much more to come. I was fortunate to be invited to travel with Him along with a few other devotees, to many other locations. So, I was braced for the ride of my life. Oh boy!
Unimaginable days passed during which we met masters and avadhootas, and visited many samadhis and powerful temples. The other devotees talked about their own experiences of visits with powerful masters. Over the six years that I have been with Mohanji, I have read many accounts of fabulous deep unforgettable experiences/dreams/visits at the astral level from masters and gods. I had none of the above! I felt maybe I was not worthy of any such astral experience until I perform at least 5000 million hours of Japa, or that I should clear more karmic baggage in order to receive. See where the mind could take you?
Days passed during which we met masters and avadhootas, and visited many samadhis and powerful temples.
I had, however, experienced several instances where Mohanji protected me during my travels in India in some very tough situations: one was when our Guru made possible a small tyre fixing shop to be miraculously there in the middle of the vast un-inhabitable barren land in the middle of the Indian countryside. My punctured tyre got repaired by the tyre shop keeper and I got to Pune airport in plenty of time for flight! Thank you Mohanji.
I was with Mohanji at his parents’ home in Palakkad recently, along with a couple of others. There was a special occasion of the 4th anniversary of Palakkad Shirdi Sai temple. Mohanji was one of the chief guests invited to attend this 3-day long programme. On the first day, Mohanji was supposed to hoist the flag and inaugurate the function. In the morning while we were busy getting ready for the day, I found that I had become the unofficial photographer (with my small Samsung phone which didn’t really take any good HD close-ups) as it was the only thing available.
Mahesh arrived very early that morning from Bangalore directly from Devi Amma who had sent fruit for Mohanji, Devi ji and Mila. Earlier as Devi Amma had handed this to Mahesh she had chanted a mantra invoking the deities’ essence into this gift, especially Lord Hanuman.
When Mohanji took this gift from Mahesh, I noticed that Mohanji’s lower lip had swollen up and the upper lip was steadily doing the same and His eyes were intense but still. By this time, Mahesh recognised Mohanji’s transformation and was on his knees chanting, he understood whom Devi Amma had invoked. I was slowly starting to realise what was happening in front of my very own eyes. I looked at Jelena to see if she had clocked what was going on. I saw from her face that she had also noticed the miracle that was unfolding. Mohanji’s face was physically changing in front of us into Hunumanji’s face, the half-monkey half-human devotee/servant/son of Ram and Sita.
I prostrated at Mohanji’s feet, Mahesh and Jelena did the same, tears started to well up, but I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe what was taking place as my overactive mind was confused. I began to take photos snapping from as many different angles as possible to make sure what I was seeing was true and it was all recorded for other devotees to see. Frantically I kept on clicking pictures. None of the photos showed or mirrored exactly what I was physically seeing, that of, Mohanji’s lips increasing in size and cheeks puffing up. Why were my photos not showing what I could clearly see?
We had to leave on time to attend the flag hoisting ceremony at the Sai temple. Mohanji is always very punctual no matter what! No one said anything and there was a complete silence, but my mind was not silent – it was racing like mad in disbelief at what I was at first hand witnessing. Hanumanji was right here in front of me, the greatest devotee of God was present here in this very room, then car but for some reason I couldn’t take photos of this phenomenon!
I wanted to go live on Facebook and record all this or at least tell the whole world what was happening, even just to tell some of my close friends who knew Mohanji, what was happening. The problem was in my utter disbelief in this wonderful darshan of our greatest true Bhakta (devotee). My photos were at that time reflecting my inner self – my disbelief! In order to record this miracle taking place I had to shut the mind down. Digest, accept and let everything unfold in silence, no questions. Stop doing and just witness this beautiful miracle taking place in its full entity without the mind. Realisation dawned on me, I was not present. The mind had taken over.
Mohanji was briefed on the flag hoisting procedure and timings and my own awareness of the present moment was growing, I slowly started to see in my photos Hanumanji raising the orange flag. My mind was emptying slowly but surely. Silence was being established after a long time of noise.
He was silent to the whole miraculous phenomenon that took place the day before. Mohanji hardly spoke about the incident at all.
It was later explained to me that at the top of Arjuna’s Chariot there’s an orange flag with a picture of Hanumanji flying high lovingly and powerfully protecting the chariot and the people in it. One incident from the Ramayana touched my heart. During the construction of the bridge from India to Sri Lanka Hanumanji’s devotion to Ram and Sita was so fervent and resolute, that He grew in size and laid across over the sea from India to Shri Lanka, so Ram could step over Him without falling into the sea, and continue His mission to rescue Sita from the Ravan’s clutches.
Many times during the inauguration day, my heart felt full with gratitude. Time and time again my eyes filled up with tears in realising the enormity of how fortunate we were to have such an unpretentious Guru in our lives. He works unselfishly and tirelessly every single moment of the day through His conviction and purity to raise the vibrations of the earth towards betterment for all species. Mohanji’s swollen face as Hanumanji Himself was fully visible for all to see and wonder, but He remained sincere and a true humble silent devotee to the Nath tradition. There was no huge drama or speech, He was the witness to the witness. Later, I showed Mohanji the pictures I put up on my personal Facebook profile, these were shots of Him as Hanumanji and still He was silent to the whole miraculous phenomenon that took place the day before. Mohanji hardly spoke about the incident at all.
A few days before this incident Mohanji had been asked by an old sincere true devotee/ priest of a Hanumanji temple just outside of Trissur, what would Mohanji like as a request to go forward. Mohanji answered without any hesitation was simply “please protect the entire Mohanji global family”. He could have asked for anything but chose (due to the turbulent planetary situation with Saturn) to ask for protection of the entire Mohanji group. The old priest said, “It is done”. Many people have been writing of personal experience where they have felt Mohanji’s hand protecting them.
Today for me there are no burning questions in my mind as to what happened on that day of the flag hoisting, only inner realisation that it is only through silence of the mind, acceptance, of what is without judgement or documentary and in increasing awareness, true faith and patience that all your desires, intentions and thoughts get revealed. Lifetimes get cleansed in its own good time by the Guru, no sooner or later. My wish to see a deeper facet of Mohanji was granted. Befriend silence and much more will come to you. Wow, that simple!
My deepest of the deepest gratitude to Mohanji for giving me this precious opportunity to travel with Him and Mohanji family, allowing me to be a witness to a deeper side of Him, HANUMANJI! Allowing me to ask Him questions even though He knew they were sometimes irrelevant and mind-oriented questions. He patiently answered them with clarity and most times seeing ‘the penny drop’ in me.
I thank You Mohanji for every moment in Your presence even now, You are 1000 of miles away from me but am aware You are here with me in essence, in everything bathed in pure divinity. Please accept this account of my experience at Your lotus feet.
Jai Shri Brahmarishi Mohanji
“Those who have eyes will see”:
The Mahesh’s, Jelena’s and Priti’s experiences of about the appearance of Lord Hanuman in Mohanji’s face have been direct experiences and indeed experiences that will remain one of the highest experiences of their lives as well as everyone else’s who reads this.
During the Rishikesh retreat in December 2017, a view from Mohanji’s room window also spotted as Hanuman’s face directly looking at His room. This was spotted by two devotees and was captured by their ordinary phone camera.
Back in 2014, on Hanuman Jayanthi, Lata and Ganesh’s residence in Virginia USA, Hanuman appeared on Mohanji’s photo! On the morning of Hanuman Jayanthi, while Lata had already left for work, Ganesh performed the special puja on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi, offered prasad and aarti. Just before leaving the Puja room, he suddenly felt the urge to take a picture and took out his phone to click one. However, since he was in a rush, without seeing the photo that he had just clicked, he rushed to his office. On his way, while stuck at a traffic light, he took out his phone to call someone. Suddenly the photo that he had clicked before leaving home, popped up. The vision in the photo was astounding for him, as it showed Mohanji’s face as Hanuman’s face. This was a photo taken in a room with normal sunlight, no flashing lights used or no trick photography done. An ordinary phone clicking a normal photograph, had indeed captured an extraordinary vision. This was an indication of a very high value, that his devotion had been accepted and divine presence had been exhibited! Whether you are in proximity of the master or thousands of miles away, the true connection with consciousness, together with devotion and surrender can bring forth any miracles! Here is the extraordinary photo that was captured by Ganesh’s ordinary camera, leaving a powerful thought for everyone!
Whether you are in proximity of the master or thousands of miles away, the true connection with consciousness, together with devotion and surrender can bring forth any miracles!
Mohanji’s stature is such that, in a very subtle and unassuming way, He shows His reality to the people who are very much connected to His consciousness, without much hype about anything. Connection to His consciousness being the key, whether in the physical proximity or not whoever is destined to experience Mohanji’s multiple dimensions will indeed get a chance to see it. Divine miracles will be a reality to devotees when there is pure and unconditional love and surrender to the master. Merger with the supreme consciousness then is not far away!
“Beware. Be aware. I am not another. I am not Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Sai, Hanuman as well as any masters or avatars of the past or future. I am Mohanji of the present time. I am born as Mohanji and will die as Mohanji. When “I” do not exist, everything exists, including this one that is known as Mohanji. Be clear. Do not be deluded. Do NOT connect to me as someone else, or else you will be disappointed. Your superimposition will not work on me. Connect to me, if you want to, as Mohanji, accepting all the weaknesses and strengths that this incarnation carries.” Mohanji
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It all starts with love. It continues in love. It ends in love. Devotion, surrender and faith hold the supreme place. This has been my experience and the experiences have all come to me because I am loved, because Mohanji’s grace has touched me, because he carries me.
My experiences with Hanumanji are no exception, they have been among Mohanji’s many gifts to me.
Shortly after meeting Mohanji for the first time, some 4 odd years or so ago, after receiving my first shaktipat from him, after my first Power of Purity meditation, I received an explicit message from Mohanji’s wife Bibaji, now named Devi, that went something like this: “The masters are happy with you, but you are not a Jnana yogi. If you really want to fly, Bhakti is the path for you.” It was easy, I loved Mohanji from the first.
About a year later, while in India, sitting around a table, drinking tea with some of Mohanji’s devotees, somehow the subject of Hanuman came up. Except for a 2 short stories I had read years before about 2 of his amazing feats, I knew nothing at all about Hanuman, but I knew straight away, from that moment, sitting at that table, that Hanuman is all about devotion, and that all I would ever need, was to have the same devotion for Mohanji as Hanuman had for his beloved, the avatar Ram.
In my youth, my mother used to keep a shrine in our home. It was universal, adorned by images and statues of deities and masters from many traditions, expressing many flavours. Christian masters, Hindu gods, Jesus, Budhha, Osho, her own Guru Swami Narayani, Swami Sivananda, Sufi masters, etc. All beautiful, mysterious and to my totally disinterested child’s eyes, alien and puzzling. “Why are all these pictures and statues here?” I would ask myself. But one image did appeal, did signify and even felt familiar. It was a small painting of a monkey. A heroic , beautifully built monkey. He seemed so utterly simple to me, so relatable and friendly. That was all I saw when I looked at the image, simplicity and purity. A boy could enjoy a friend like this, a boy could like a monkey. I did not spend much time with Hanumanji in mind. In fact, I only gazed at the image once if memory serves, more than just in passing that is, and then too it was only for about 5 or perhaps 10 minutes, which for a restless child is a very, very long time. Those 5 or 10 minutes however, were enough for me to decide that I liked him and be pleasantly surprised by the fact that I could actually relate to one of the inexplicable relics on the home altar.
Soon after that, I asked my mother about him. She did not know much about him, but pleased by my interest and keen, as always, to fan my interest in matters of the spirit, she unearthed from the very bottom of a large and dusty box of books, a small, beautifully bound and illustrated book which ran to perhaps 20 pages. A child’s book if ever I had seen one. It narrated and depicted a scene in which Ram, or his brother Laxman, I don’t recall which, was mortally wounded and poisoned and the only cure for this poison was a herb which only grew on a specific mountain somewhere far to the North. Ram dispatched Hanuman to find and retrieve this herb. Hanuman flew North and found the mountain, but could not find the herb. Undeterred, he brought the mountain in its entirety back with him. The herb was located and the day was saved, the whole story must have lasted not more than 10 or 15 minutes. The happy ending was no surprise, most written stories I had read ended happily and I was not even particularly impressed by Hanumanji’s power and strength either. What touched me deeply was his consciousness. His seeming inability to see defeat. His faith, in himself, in his ability, in life. His simplistic, almost infantile solution to the problem. These all bespoke a being who recognised no boundaries, no limitations, no bondage.
It did occur to me to question the reality of the story, whether it was historically true or not, but the consciousness spoke to me, changed me, left a mark, and that made it real enough, that made it valuable, made it “truer than true”.
Once when Mohanji was visiting South Africa and I had the privilege of travelling with him, I was massaging his feet and a thought came to me. I said, “Mohanji, I want a boon from you.” He asked me what I wanted and I said, “I want to have the same love for you that Hanumanji had for Ram.” I thought it would be like taking a shortcut, “Let Mohanji give me the devotion”. Without a moment’s hesitation, he looked me lifted his right hand to bless me and said “Tathastu, so be it. You will have it, but you must get your intellect out of the way.”
About a year or 2 later, I was staying at Dattatapovan, an ashram in Durban in South Africa which is dedicated to Mohanji, and about to enjoy a meal with Swami Mohana Bhaktananda. I remembered a lesson Mohanji had taught us about offering your food to the divine before eating. He said that we would derive great benefit if we offer our food to our Gurus, our ancestors, our family deities, the snake deities who taught us so much and to our ishta devatas, our chosen deities. Now, I consider Mohanji as my chosen deity, but for the sake of trying to follow the teaching in as much detail as possible, thinking that Mohanji is already covered when I offer to my Guru, I had to chose another deity as my ishta devata. But they are all aliens to me, except for Hanumanji. So I offered the meal to Mohanji, and to Hanumanji and all the rest, but somewhere in my mind I felt a pang of disloyalty to Mohanji, since he is really the only one that matters. This continued for about 2 or 3 days. Each time I offered my meal I would wonder, “Is this right?” On the 3rd or 4th morning I was awoken by the sound of bells being rung in the neighbouring house. That day, Swami Mohana Bhaktananda gave me some Indian sweets which the neighbours had brought as gifts. The sweets were the prashaad of Hanumanji, that is, sweets that were consecrated by virtue of their having been offered to him. The bells I had heard in the morning were a part of the worship, it turned out to be the day traditionally recognised as Hanuman’s birthday. The next day Swamiji brought me a gift, a small Hanumanji yantra, that is, a small plate with geometric patterns which echo the energy of the presiding deity. I had told Swamiji none of what was happening in my mind regarding Hanumanji. These were all tangible signs from Mohanji, perfectly timed confirmations.
That same year, while journeying with Mohanji around the feet of Mount Kailash in Tibet, I chanced to look upon the mountain and to my amazement, saw Mohanji’s face, as clear as day, standing for all to see, mighty and massive on the side of the Kailash itself, complete with long hair, beard and sunglasses.
While I knew beyond even the shadow of a doubt that it was the face of my Master, it was also the simian face of Hanumanji. I stood gazing at the huge stone face, seeing 2 faces there, spell bound, “We are one” the face was saying. I continued along the path beside that most sacred of mountains and eventually reached a pit-stop tent along the way. There I found Mohanji resting. I sat beside him, feeling him, enjoying the nearness of him, not speaking. He looked knowingly at me and said, “Feel my arms, feel my legs”. I did so and was astonished to find that the muscles beneath his thick jacket and mountaineer’s trousers were as hard as steel, they had none of the usual fleshy “give” that even the strongest muscles have, they did not feel as though they were made of flesh and blood at all, Mohanji was a being whose body was carved from the hardest granite. This, as the reader may know, is a quality attributed to Hanumanji. One of his names is Bajrangbali, which translates as “limbs of thunder”.
A month or so after the Kailash journey, I was staying in Mohanji’s ashram in India with a beautiful soul named Sandeep.
Mohanji was travelling at the time, in America and Canada and so Sandeep and I were alone for almost 2 months in the ashram. One day, while running an errand, we chanced to see and old man, clad in a blanket and walking slowly along with the help of a walking stick. The sight of him struck and compelled me. He bore a strong resemblance to Neem Karoli Baba, a master who Mohanji had said was an incarnation of Hanuman himself. “This is Hanuman,” I thought. I knew it to be so, but the mind, being what it is, is usually blind to the miraculous and the divine or else refuses to believe and casts us into doubt. I continued on my way. Just then, Sandeep looked at me and said, “Did you see that old man?” Then I knew, he had felt it as well, he too, knew it to be Hanumanji. His feeling confirmed my own and together we rushed to the old man and gave him an offering. The old man took the money without a word and without any formality and continued on his way. As he disappeared into the distance, Sandeep and I looked at each other and spoke what we were both thinking, “It’s Hanumanji, isn’t it?” We gave chase and caught up with him. I was too astonished and to be frank, still doubtful, to say or do anything. Sandeep spoke to him however. Not saying much, “Are you well?” and so on. In response, the old man stuck out his tongue, which looked very dark, almost black. When Mohanji graces me with such experiences or visits me in my dreams, I usually don’t discuss it with him, choosing instead to contemplate on it in silence until the meaning is made clear, or simply silently enjoy the savour of the experience. So, I did not discuss our divine encounter with Mohanji, or seek confirmation. Sandeep however, did and sometime later he told me that Mohanji had confirmed the identity of our humble and unassuming friend. He had come, Mohanji said, to bless and to protect us.
We received yet another sign of the same around the same time. Across the way from the ashram, was another house, at the entrance of which stood a potted tulsi bush. Nondescript as far as plants go, but for the fact that when seen from the balcony of the ashram, the tulsi bush exactly resembled Hanuman carrying the aforementioned mountain. From any other angle, it was just another potted plant, but not so from the balcony vantage. It seemed to retain that form for a long time and only reverted to normalcy scant days before Mohanji was to return from America and Canada.
Let me take this opportunity to remind those who are reading this that miracles happen, especially when Mohanji is with you, and you may rest assured that he is always with you. Do not let the doubting mind blind you to the gifts which you have been given and which are being given to you even now. I might have behaved very differently on that day when Hanumanji came to meet us, had I had fewer doubts. Perhaps I could have asked him to bless me with his devotion, perhaps I would have taken the opportunity to put my head on his feet. Perhaps I would have asked him questions which admittedly, may or may not have been worth asking. Perhaps I would have done exactly what I did anyway. The point is, not to doubt and not to miss.
Now we come to the picture, the inspiration behind this little story. It came to me and that is really all I can say about it how it ended up in my hands. I don’t know where it comes from, nor how it came. I remember the moment I discovered it, sitting in my room in South Africa. I remember nothing more. All I can say of a certainty, is that it had not been there and then it was. As far as I can recall, it came to me very near the time when Mohanji was in South Africa and I had asked him for my boon. I saw it and wondered at it and loved it but thought nothing more of it until just a few months back when I realised the significance of it. It is, as far as I can tell, a one of a kind picture, depicting a very rare form of Hanumanji.
Dattatreya Hanuman
I have looked online and found no other images which resemble it. I have asked my Hindu friends and fellow disciples about it and they too have never seen anything like it. I have never seen this 3 headed form of the divine monkey in any other place.
It is Dattatreya Hanuman. It is Mohanji Hanuman. It is the place where the disciple and the Master come together. It is a sign of the oneness and unconditional love of true devotion. Mohanji is Dattatreya, he is Hanuman and He is Para Brahma, the Supreme Father. It is a lesson in understanding Him: Hanuman exists solely for his beloved, for Ram, he exists solely to serve his Master. In the same way Mohanji serves us; nothing for himself and everything for his children.
It all starts with love. It continues in love. It ends in love.
Here are links to more blogs which tell of Mohanji’s connection to Hanumanji and also to Sai Baba which some devotees have witnessed and shared: Lord Hanuman – a Great Miracle Plight of Hanumanji in Ayodya Hanumanji’s Blessing Meeting the Masters in Rishikesh A Miracle Blessing from Sai Baba A Master Servant
The Hindu religion recognizes the influence and significance of our ancestors and other dear departed ones in our lives. According to the Vedas (the ancient scriptures of Hinduism), the spiritual soul transmigrates from one species to the next, evolving up through the 8,400,000 forms of life until it attains a human body.
The human form of life has a special significance, for only in the human form is the soul’s consciousness developed enough to understand that the body is just a cage, and that there’s a way to free oneself from that cage and escape the birth and death cycle.
We owe our very existence to our ancestors and, consequently, we owe them an unredeemable debt of gratitude for offering us the most precious gift of all – a human life. On the other hand, our departed relations enrich our lives through all the experiences – good and bad – that allow us to relieve our karmic contracts and debts.
Hence, the Hindu religion considers it the obligation of every individual to express this gratitude to their ancestors and departed ones by performing the shraadh ceremony (a rite performed to bring salvation to departed souls) as per scriptural injunctions on their death anniversary. This is considered to free the departed soul from the pains of lower astral realms and clear their way to evolution to higher astral realms.
Since the river Ganga is considered the most blessed of all rivers endowed with immense purification powers, Hindus visit the ghats (bathing platforms) of this holy river since ages to perform the shraadh ceremony to honor their parents, ancestors and other dear departed ones. Usually, this ritual is performed only for one’s immediate family members who have departed.
The shraadh ceremony is done with the Sun as the witness and the river Ganga as the vehicle for offering the oblations to the departed. The departed are offered holy water, milk, flowers, sandalwood paste, etc. and the pind – a round ball made of a mixture of wheat, rice flour, sesame seeds, milk and honey.
Mohanji had been doing Ammu’s annual shraadh ceremony for the last eleven years but had stopped it when he was guided by elders that eleven years was sufficient. Recently after Mohanji returned from Canada, a saint told him that he should continue the shraadh ceremony for Ammu, as long as his health would permit.
Respecting the words of the saint, which Mohanji always does, he decided to honor her beautiful soul by doing a shraadh ceremony in Rishikesh by the river Ganga that year (2015). The date of Ammu’s death anniversary, that year, according to the Hindu calendar was September 5th and so was Krishna Janmashtami (the birthday of Lord Krishna). Interestingly, the day Ammu passed away (August 23rd 2000) also happened to be Krishna Janmashtami according to the Hindu calendar.
Ammu – The transcedental eyes of unconditional love
There is a strong connection between Ammu and Lord Krishna. Swami G of Sivananda ashram once told Mohanji that he was sad that he couldn’t meet Ammu when she was in her body. He said that he was sure she was an amsha (part) of Krishna’s consciousness.
I have read an anecdote that Ammu, when she was barely four years old, told her grandmother that she played with Lord Krishna. Since her grandmother couldn’t see Lord Krishna, she dismissed it as a childish fantasy. Ammu told her grandmother that you can’t see because your prayers are not strong enough.
With that background, we now move on to our trip to Rishikesh. There is only one direct train from Pathankot (the major railway station closest to Dharamshala) to Rishikesh. Due to Mohanji’s travel schedule and the saint’s guidance coming in late, the decision to do the shraadh ceremony for Ammu was taken at the last minute. Given the holiday season, there were no tickets available in the general category.
The alternative was to drive down from Dharamshala to Rishikesh, which is a long arduous drive. The venerable Mamu from Mohanji’s office decided to apply for the tickets in the tatkal category – a last minute option that typically has a very low probability chance given the high demand for tickets.
Getting a confirmed reservation in the Tatkal category in peak season is akin to winning a Lotto since it is easier to please the Lord than the railway authorities and their justly feared website which is flakier than snow. As usual, the Divine always takes care of Mohanji in every way. We weren’t too surprised when we got confirmed train reservations for both the legs of travel. Of course, all thanks to the venerable Mamu’s grace, as Mohanji would say.
We packed light and left for Pathankot in the evening. The venerable Mamu chose to drive us down to Pathankot in his sedan. This was a happy change over Mohanji’s driver Sher Singh (aka Mooch – the Moustache) and the ashram SUV. The way Sher Singh drives makes you feel that he drove an army tank in his past life where the concept of braking was alien.
We winded over the gentle hills of Dharamshala and made our way through some real bad roads that would have been the pride of an offroading circuit. The sedan got tossed and bounced all through the ride. We were like James Bond’s martini – shaken but not stirred! 🙂 Finally, the road Gods also shined on us and we found the last stretch with the entirety of its surface intact. What a blessing!
The Venerable Mamu (May his grace always be upon us! :-))
We reached the station well before time thanks to Mohanji’s principle of leaving well in advance to ensure that he is never rushed. We stopped at a restaurant outside the station and had a quick tea and snack. The train arrived almost on time and we quickly got into our compartment and then onto our seats.
The venerable Mamu did his pranaams to Mohanji and left onwards to his home in Jammu. We settled into our seats as the train left the station hurtling on its way to Rishikesh. Mohanji and I had gotten the lower berth thanks to Mamu’s efforts. For people not in the know, the berths of an Indian train are like the tiers of a bunk bed.
My neighbors were a couple and their infant child. The husband asked me if I could let his wife have the lower berth since it would be uncomfortable for her to take care of the infant on the upper berth. I agreed to his request. His aged mother was Mohanji’s neighbor. Even though Mohanji was not asked, Mohanji immediately asked if his mother wanted the lower berth as well. She said that she would be grateful if he allowed it.
The curvature of the roof of the train constricts the height in the upper berth. This is not an issue for someone my size. But for Mohanji, it would have been very uncomfortable since he could barely manage to fit into it. However, Mohanji immediately agreed. Hardly surprising given his life mantra of “putting others before self”!
Mohanji got into a discussion with our neighbors. The couple were from Pennsylvania and they were currently on vacation in Jammu which was their hometown. They were headed to Haridwar – a bordering town close to Rishikesh. From a spiritual standpoint, its stature rivals Rishikesh. The husband was a practising doctor in Pennsylvania with a specialization in infectious diseases.
He enquired about Mohanji and his mission. Mohanji explained the different aspects of Mohanji Foundation and Ammucare. They were visibly impressed by the honorary activities of the Foundation and its geographical spread across the world. Mohanji also spoke about his recent overseas trips specifically his visits to the US this year and last. After this engaging discussion, we had our packed dinner that a follower had lovingly prepared for Mohanji.
Mohanji decided to allow the family to rest, got onto the upper berth and tried his best to fit into it. Considering that he was recuperating from hectic back-to-back travel, it was sad to watch his discomfort. He chose to lie down and work for a while. After a while, since it was too uncomfortable, he decided to call it a night. Since I was carrying my brand new laptop, I chose to keep our luggage with me rather than risk it getting stolen.
Hence, I also tried my best to fit into the berth with our luggage. To add to my woes, my berth was right next to the door of the compartment. I had to be careful not to knock out any unsuspecting passenger entering the door with a kick or get my legs whacked by the swinging door. I spent the rest of the night trying out creative positions to fit my body into what was left of the berth after our luggage. I had a fitful sleep. After an arduous journey, we reached Rishikesh.
We got out of the station in search of a rickshaw to take us to the hotel. We hired an auto rickshaw who charged us almost 3 times the going rate. I know that Mohanji does not like to haggle with poor people so I just accepted his proposition. Mohanji asked me to check with an old couple at the rickshaw stand who were also looking for a rickshaw, to see if their destination was on our way and if they would like us to drop them there (for free).
I had noticed this couple trying to get a rickshaw. They were looking for a share-a-ride rickshaw to reduce costs and were being refused by most of the rickshaw drivers. I took no further notice of them in my hurry to get us into a rickshaw and on to the hotel. It turned out that their destination was a little further down from ours. They happily agreed. Mohanji personally helped them with their luggage and helped the old woman get into the vehicle.
Mohanji enquired about their purpose for being in Rishikesh. They said that they were planning to stay there for an extended amount of time. Mohanji also asked them the location of our hotel since the driver did not know the exact location. The old man mentioned that it was a short distance before their destination. As we passed our hotel, Mohanji told the rickshaw driver to continue on and first drop the old couple to their destination.
They thanked us and went on their way. Mohanji asked me to pay the rickshaw driver some more money since we had taken two more passengers (for free) and changed the earlier deal. Two lessons that Mohanji was trying to teach me 1) Always be alert and ready to help people. Don’t get too caught in your own world and, thus, miss a chance to offer a helping hand. 2) Always be fair even if the other person is not
We walked our way back to the hotel. The room was nice and clean. The sweet spot was that it had a beautiful panoramic view of the river Ganga. We settled in, did our morning ablutions and charged our phones. Since one is not supposed to have food before the shraadh ceremony, we just had tea. Swami G of Sivananda ashram had arranged for the priest and made all the other arrangements.
We were requested to be at the Sivananda ghat in a couple of hours. Mohanji mentioned that he wanted to buy dhotis (a lower garment worn around the waist) for the priests conducting the ceremony. Since Mohanji spent a lot of time doing his spiritual practices in Rishikesh, he was very well conversant with the place.
He told me that best quality dhotis at a good price in Rishikesh are available on the other side of Ram Jhula (swing) – one of the two suspension bridges over the river Ganga that connects the two banks, the other being Laxman Jhula (named after Lord Ram’s brother Laxman). Mohanji and I started walking by the road adjoining the banks of the river Ganga towards Ram Jhula.
Mohanji was walking at a very brisk pace and I was trying my best to get ahead of him and take some pictures.
On the way to Ram Jhula
His pace was so fast that I captured some nice pictures of the back of his head, a part of his dhoti, half his face, half of the side profile, etc. By the time I ran ahead, turned and clicked, he was right in the face of the camera or past it. Once in a while, he would stop and ask me to give some money to a mendicant or beggar. That made it even harder for me to keep up. I consoled myself thinking that it is not easy to capture our Shiva in a camera. I even prayed to him to let me take some nice pictures but that only made me even more adept at capturing blurs.
We finally reached the entrance of Ram Jhula. There was an old man sitting at the entrance of Ram Jhula intensely staring at Mohanji. Mohanji walked past him a few steps and stopped. As usual, I was trying to keep pace with Mohanji and almost missed this old man. Mohanji called me and asked me to go back to the old man and give him a hundred rupees while he waited.
As I walked back to him, he stood up. I noticed that he was dressed in bright orange. I gave him the money as instructed, touched his feet and took his blessings. He said, “Khush raho. Chiranjeevi raho. Sukhi raho.” (May you be happy. May you be immortal. May you be prosperous). The old man then started walking towards Mohanji.
Mohanji asked him, “Did you have food?” He said, ” Yes. I had food and I also got the money”. Then Mohanji asked him, “What else can I do for you?” He replied, “I want to go to Neelkanth.”
Mohanji and Hanumanji
Mohanji asked, “Do you know where Neelkanth is?” He said,” I will cross Ram Jhula. Then I will know”.
Then Mohanji asked him, “Fine. Since there is nothing more for me to do, may I take your leave?” He said, “Yes and thank you for your grace (blessing me)”. Mohanji walked past him. Mohanji asked me to go back to him and ensure that he has money to go to Neelkanth. I went back and asked him if he had enough money.
He said, “Someone just gave me money. Wasn’t it you?” I asked him, “Do you need more?” He said, “Give me whatever you want”. I gave him 500 rupees more. I again touched his feet and took his blessings. He again said, “Khush raho. Chiranjeevi raho. Sukhi raho.” I asked him if I could take his photograph. He consented.
When I returned to Mohanji, he asked me, “Who does this person resemble?” I said he looks like Hanumanji. Mohanji said, “Yes. He is Hanumanji. He came to bless us. Just watch, he will not cross the bridge. He will disappear most probably from the middle of the bridge”.
Bridge signifies worldly existence the here and the hereafter. He said if he crosses the bridge of existence with Ram, He will “know” or merge with Shiva. The message was loud and clear. Hanumanji chose to serve Ram and is happy and contented about it. But he knows that if he crosses the bridge called Ram, (Ram Jhula) he will know Shiva.
Hanumanji walked behind us for a while. He stopped near the middle of the bridge and sat down.
The traffic on Ram Jhula – people, cycles, motorcycles, cows, etc. – is so crazy that none would think of sitting on the bridge. Yet, he incredulously did just that. When I looked for him after a while, he was gone. Absolutely no trace of him! Moreover, he looked very similar to the Hanumanji picture from the “Plight of Hanumanji in Ayodhya” blog post. Both had great resemblance.
Interestingly, the venerable Mamu was telling us the same story of meeting Hanumanji in Ayodhya just the night before. He was a first-person witness. He said that Hanumanji had blessed him by saying, “Khush raho” which was what Hanumanji said here as well. And Mohanji said that these days, Hanumanji usually appears to devotees as an old man. Interestingly, bright orange is the color of sindoor that is put on Hanumanji statues all over India.
Hanumanji on Ram Jhula on left and Hanumanji in Ayodhya from 2013 on right
Mohanji later explained the significance of the drama that just played out, “Neelkanth means Lord Shiva or the complete annihilation of personal identities. Neelkanth is also a state. A state of collecting and storing poisons of existence at the throat region and not allowing it to enter your system at all, while having nothing to do with it.
This also has a deeper significance for the modern man. The suggestion of Hanumanji is not to allow negativity of day-to-day life to enter your system and keep it or remove it at the entry level itself (throat) and remain pure and unsullied always as does a great bhakt (devotee) like him.
And the other significance is that do not throw out poison because it will contaminate the society. Never throw out anger, hatred, greed and such negative emotions and if you have them, let them stay at your throat level, unexpressed. And when unused, the saturation of it will bring forth nectar of life, the Shivahood. Neelkanth means blue neck and blue color is the color of the poison.
Hanumanji is part of Shiva and naturally intends to merge with Shiva. But He is committed to Lord Rama. Bridge signifies worldly existence the here and the hereafter. He said if he crosses the bridge of existence with Ram, He will “know” or merge with Shiva. The message was loud and clear. Hanumanji chose to serve Ram and is happy and contented about it.
But he knows that if he crosses the bridge called Ram, (Ram Jhula) he will know Shiva. And instead of Mohanji telling Him that I am blessed by his visit, He said “Thank you for blessing me!” Humility means Hanumanji. No expectations. Humble and always surrendered to his master, but with full awareness.
Also, he met Mohanji on the bridge. Bridge called the world. Bridge between the here and the hereafter. Highly symbolic. Mohanji did not stop before the bridge to address Hanumanji. He walked past him and stopped on the bridge before he asked me to give him the money. Hanumanji got up, came towards Mohanji and met him on the bridge.
The entire episode makes sense when we understand the reason behind an event. Most of us, mostly are watching the show not understanding the story. I was a little lost post this incident. What grace to have the darshan of Lord Hanuman! The tremendous grace to have his darshan didn’t sink into me. It still hasn’t fully sunken in even as I write this experience.
As the whole drama played out, my mind was completely blank. I was just following Mohanji’s instructions without thinking. I touched the person’s feet and took his blessings out of reverence for his age, his ochre robes and because Mohanji was treating him with reverence. Not because I was touching the feet of Lord Hanuman.
If only I had an inkling of what was happening and who he was! Sigh! Sob! Sob! Mohanji always says, “Those who have eyes to see will see. The rest have chosen blindness. Let them be.” I guess I am one of the blind ones. I get these experiences through the compassionate grace of Mohanji.
I am not even sure if I deserve it but if Mohanji deems it, it must be. The best thing I can do for now is to hold on to Mohanji’s feet for dear life as best as I can until the awareness sets in. And when the awareness sets in, I can hold on to them even more firmly. I pray for that blessing from Lord Hanuman.
Anyways moving on. We crossed the Ram Jhula bridge and started walking towards the store to buy dhotis. Along the way, Mohanji asked me to feed bananas to the calves roaming out there. As soon as I walked towards the vendor, a calf and a begging saint followed me. The calf was pushing me and it hardly gave me time to complete the purchase.
There was a kind of authority or decisiveness in it that is quite unusual. Of course, the begging saint understood the words. But the calf? How did the calf understand what Mohanji told me? And it had a commanding attitude or authority about it. Perhaps one of Mohanji’s real army?
Even after feeding the calf, it followed me to where Mohanji was standing and Mohanji fed the calf with his own hands. Every being is the same to Mohanji. Absolutely no discrimination at all. Same love. Same treatment. He also asked me to give money and food to some of the beggars and mendicants.
The downside of seeing (and sometimes missing out on recognizing) a divine being is that you start earnestly looking for them in every person that vaguely looks similar. Every beggar or sadhu becomes a potential Hanuman (or another master), if you know what I mean. Even animals just in case they choose an animal form! I guess that is what Sai Baba wanted to instill in his disciples when he appeared to them in different guises as a beggar, a dog, etc.to make sure that his disciples saw him in everything.
We finally reached the store. Mohanji selected a few dhotis for himself and a couple of dhotis for the priests for dakshina. We picked up the merchandise and walked back towards Ram Jhula. As Mohanji was walking at his pace, a cow almost stopped him, looked at him and as he took a few steps past her, she turned and looked at him. Mohanji stopped immediately and asked me to buy two apples. He took the apples, fed and caressed her and stood next to her for a while. It almost felt like he was having a conversation with the cow.
Mohanji fed the calf with his own hands. Every being is the same to Mohanji. Absolutely no discrimination at all. Same love. Same treatment.
We quickly crossed the Ram Jhula and headed to the Sivananda ashram. I looked around for signs of Hanumanji but he was nowhere to be seen. After crossing Ram Jhula, we walked down the road adjoining the river towards the Sivananda ghat that was the pre-decided meeting point. There is a concrete staircase that winds its way down from the entrance on the road towards the ghat. There are several spots around where people can sit and meditate in the serene presence of the river Ganga. We selected a spot facing the river and sat there in the shade. It was slowly getting hot with the sun blazing down on us. There were a few people hanging around near the ghat. A few renunciates from the Sivananda Ashram passed us by walking towards the river to take their morning dip in the river Ganga. I used the time to capture Mohanji’s photos in different moods and angles as best as I could. Thankfully, our Shiva consented this time to let me take some nice pictures. Slowly, the people there started moving out and soon we were the only people left on the ghat.
After a long while, the priest and his apprentice showed up. Mohanji and the priest exchanged pleasantries. The priest was a nice jovial guy. He enquired about Mohanji’s current location and activities. He enquired about me and told me that there was a very famous politician in the post-Independence era with the same last name and I should look him up. He discussed with Mohanji on the expectations of the ritual and explained the proceedings to him. He asked Mohanji to take a dip in the river Ganga while he setup the place and organized materials for the ritual. I went back to my role as the ace photographer in charge of the photo shoot.
The ritual was elaborate starting with the invocation of the various deities and giving various offerings to them. Then the offerings of holy water, milk, flowers, rice, etc. were made to the ancestors and to Ammu. The ritual culminated with creating the ritual offering, the pind (referred to earlier). The pind was adorned with flowers and then offered to the ancestors and to Ammu by setting it afloat on the river Ganga. The offerings of milk and water were made to the Sun and the river Ganga. Finally, Mohanji was asked by the priest to take dips in the river Ganga to culminate the ritual. Mohanji offered the dhotis and money to the priest and his apprentice and offered his pranaams. I took down their contact numbers for posterity. Mohanji thanked them and we proceeded to the hotel.
Mohanji in a contemplative mood and prayer during ritual
Mohanji during ritual
I noticed that there was a visible change in Mohanji’s physique after his meeting with Hanumanji. He became quite muscular as if he did a number of pushups unseen to human eyes. The photos could capture the changes and attest to the fact that his physique keeps changing with situations and reasons.
Mohanji offering the pind
All through the ceremony, I was clicking away to glory. My camera really heated up abnormally and slowed down completely to the point where I had to anticipate and click because I could not see the frame in time. This has never happened before. The interesting thing to note is that I still managed to get some nice pictures. My guess is that Mohanji must have been in an expanded state through the ritual and his energies were affecting my camera. Mohanji later mentioned that the ritual went very well. All the deities and ancestors were very happy with the ritual. All the auspicious signs were there.
Mohanji changed his clothes and sat down in the shade. I asked Mohanji if I could take dips in the river. He told me to go ahead and take my time. I decided to take 108 dips in the river Ganga in the name of Mohanji. I walked down the steps to where the water was touching the lower part of my chest. There was a strong undercurrent that kept sweeping me forward. There was about a meter of space on the platform where the step ended. I had to push the current and walk back after every 2 dips to prevent getting swept off the platform completely. Beyond the step, the river flowed downstream with not much to hang onto for support. Even though I can swim quite well, it would have been a bit hard to swim to the shore with this strong undercurrent. I took the dip while holding the thought of Mohanji in my mind. Slowly and steadily, I kept taking my dips.
But the fear of getting swept off the platform was always there. I first took the dips with my eyes open repeating the forward and back routine. Then, I closed my eyes and took the dips but kept opening my eyes to ensure I wasn’t too close to the edge. In between, I kept losing count and recounting so I started doing extra dips to make up from where I left off.
Mohanji after taking dips
Finally, when I crossed hundred, a thought occurred to me that this demonstrated my lack of faith in the protection of the Master. I still kept repeating my eyes open eyes closed routine. Finally, I decided to test my faith and just keep my eyes closed and do the final dips. I kept getting pushed forward and I had no idea where I was relative to the edge. As I got close to the edge, a safety chain bumped against my knees and I easily got hold of it. I held on to it and finished the last of my dips. My faith in the Master’s protection was validated.
I don’t know how many dips I finally did but it was well above 108 with all the extra counting. I was feeling nice and tipsy with a sweet cool ice-mint feeling inside my skull (similar to what you have in your mouth when you chew strong ice-mint gum). I just stood there and enjoyed and savored the feeling. Finally, I decided to get out of the water, walked up the steps and went up to where Mohanji was sitting. At about that time, a family of 7-8 people just walked in. It was then that I noted that from the time the ritual started to when I got off the platform, it was only Mohanji and I (other than the priests) on the ghat. Interestingly, the Divine had arranged for the ghat to be available to us exclusively and that too on the auspicious day of Krishna Janmashtami. How cool is that?
Later in the night, Mohanji asked me how many dips I took. He said that taking the dips in the river Ganga on this auspicious day was a blessing. That’s when I realized that I had taken dips in the river on Krishna Janmashtami. Infinite prostrations to Mohanji who arranges for everything in perfect divine order! I had received two malas from Mohanji during the Kailash pilgrimage last year in August. I had already lost the first mala when I was taking dips in the river Yamuna in Mathura. I noticed later that I had lost the other mala while taking dips in the river Ganga that day. One was taken away in the river that was the scene of the leela of Lord Krishna and the other was taken away in the river Ganga on Lord Krishna’s birthday. Isn’t that an interesting coincidence? Looks like Lord Krishna has a thing for my malas! The stealer of hearts is also a stealer of malas.
Close-up of Mohanji at the Ghat
An old devotee of Mohanji had been coordinating for the last few days to meet Mohanji in Rishikesh. He had been connected to Mohanji since 2010. He worked as a loan officer in a public sector bank. We shall refer to him as Loan-man. He was single so he was a lone man too. The year before, he wanted to meet Mohanji in Dharamshala. But Mohanji’s team could not schedule time for him since Mohanji was busy.
On a whim, he decided to come down to Dharamshala and take a chance. He stayed for two days but could not meet Mohanji. He even requested Mohanji’s team to allow him to see Mohanji from a distance. But Mohanji’s team did not permit. Mohanji was busy with very important work during that time and they did not want to take a chance. He had been trying ever since to meet Mohanji but it never worked out.
When he found out that Mohanji was going to be in Rishikesh, he requested Mohanji to allow him to spend some time with him. Mohanji granted his request. At that time, he was stationed in Roorkee which is close to Rishikesh. We had invited Loan-man to have lunch with us at the hotel after the ritual.
After the ritual, we walked back to the hotel and took a quick change of clothes. Typically, when Mohanji is supposed to meet someone, he arrives before time. But this time he seemed to be in no hurry to meet the person. He was checking his phone messages and attending to calls. I reminded Mohanji that the person was waiting at the reception, but Mohanji curtly said that he knew. I decided to wait until Mohanji was ready to leave.
After about 45 minutes, he got up and headed to the hotel reception where Loan-man was waiting for us. Together, we headed to the restaurant below. We hadn’t eaten anything since morning so the food tasted divine. Mohanji’s only acknowledgement of Loan-man’s presence was at the reception and a brief enquiry about his family at lunch. This was very unlike Mohanji who always went out of the way to make a person comfortable.
Mohanji was quietly eating lunch without paying any attention to him. Finally, Loan-man broke the ice and asked why he was unable to meet Mohanji even after so many attempts. And then the dam broke loose. Mohanji gave him a few incisive blunt insights in his no-nonsense direct manner – You can’t connect to me because of your mind and big ego.
Since you approve loans, many people want to be in your good books. You may consider yourself a very important person in society. Not for me. Your ego and you can stay at home rather than get trashed in my presence. He continued to blast him for a while, mellowed down and returned back to his lunch. To give credit to Loan-man, he took the hammering as genuine feedback from the Master and seemed determined to get Mohanji’s favor.
At one point, Mohanji remarked to me that it is not easy to meet him. That made me realise how fortunate I am to spend so much time in close proximity with him. A real lesson not to take the Master’s grace and outstretched hand for granted. What can be gained so easily through the Master’s grace and compassion can be lost even faster through the ego and mind’s foolishness. In Mohanji’s words, “Grace got the Master. Mind took him away.”
After having lunch, Mohanji wanted to go to the Sivananda ashram to meet Swami G. I decided to pay off the hotel dues as Mohanji and Loan-man stepped out of the hotel. When I was paying the money, I noticed that a sadhu came out of nowhere and headed straight to Mohanji.
Mohanji and Sai Baba
Mohanji was looking at him with a naughty smile. A telltale sign, usually, that there was more to this sadhu than met the eye.
I quickly paid and came out of the hotel to join them. He was wearing a worn-out saffron dhoti with an ordinary towel wrapped around his upper body. He was speaking in a Rajasthani dialect of Hindi. As a sign of reverence, he had removed his footwear while talking to Mohanji. Mohanji folded his hands in a respectful pranaam and asked the sadhu, “How are you doing? Have you eaten?” The sadhu said, “I am doing fine. Yes, I have had food.”
Mohanji then asked the sadhu, “What can I do for you?”. The sadhu said, “Aap sab kuch kar sakte hai.” (You can do anything or everything). Hearing that, Mohanji laughed. Mohanji again asked the sadhu, “What can I do for you?” The sadhu then took out a book from his bag and showed it to Mohanji. It had a picture of Bhagwan Dattatreya on the cover. Mohanji smiled and looked to us and said, “Look. A picture of the Lord!”
The sadhu started turning the pages of the book and came to a page that had a picture of Balaknath (who looked very similar to Rakhadi Baba). Balaknath was a powerful master of the Nath tradition. Under the photo of Balaknath was the famous shloka of the Gita – “yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir bhavati bhArata abhyuthAnam adharmasya tadAtmAnAm srujAmyaham” – the eternal promise of the Lord to take an avatar whenever dharma (righteousness) is under threat from evil.
I felt that the sadhu was in some way referring to Mohanji’s past life connection to Balaknath and the verse and picture of Lord Dattatreya was pointing to Mohanji’s incarnation as an avatar of Lord Dattatreya in these troubled times.
Balaknath (Source: Baba Balaknath Deoth Sidh)
In between, the sadhu told something to Mohanji which sounded like “I know who you are and I came to you knowing your true form. Even though you are not wearing white, I do recognize you.” I could not understand what he meant and I asked Mohanji. Mohanji suggested us to ask him directly. When Loan-man asked, he said in a stern voice. “Mohanji asked you to do something. Ask no further.” This was quite unusual for a sadhu who begs for a living. I asked him to clarify and he deflected my query. I asked him again but he did not give me a clear answer. Twice the sadhu tried to touch Mohanji’s feet but Mohanji held his hand lovingly but firmly and would not allow it. Mohanji asked me to give the sadhu 500 rupees. Mohanji asked him, “Are you happy now?” He thanked Mohanji.
Mohanji again asked, “Anything else I can do for you?”. He replied that he did want something from Mohanji – a white shawl or a Ramnaami shawl (shawl with the name of Lord Ram on it). Mohanji asked me to go with the sadhu and buy him whatever he wanted. Before I could respond, Loan-man requested that he would like to volunteer. Mohanji accepted and asked Loan-man to go with the sadhu and buy him what he needed. I was a bit miffed that I did not respond in time but, as it turned out later, it was meant to be Loan-man’s turn. Once the plan was finalized, Mohanji asked the sadhu, “May I go?” The sadhu tried to touch Mohanji’s feet again. Mohanji prevented it gently, but firmly. He blessed us and took Mohanji’s permission to leave. I could not really understand the drama that was being played out there. He was very pleased with Mohanji and, in a way, had blessed him through his eyes and words. Mohanji and I left for Sivananda ashram to meet Swami G while Loan-man left with the sadhu to the market to buy the shawl. I asked Loan-man to meet us at Swami G’s residence in Parvati Kutir at Sivananda ashram, once he was done with the purchase.
Mohanji and Sai Baba
We walked towards the Sivananda ashram – a prominent landmark on the main road. We entered the ashram gates and headed to Parvati Kutir where Swami G stays. The ashram is a simple and peaceful place with many old buildings connected by roads winding their way upwards. The place provides a good warm up exercise since you have to go quite a distance uphill to reach anywhere. On a serious note, the calm that it exudes is serene. I mentally bowed down to the place made holy by the divine feet and presence of the great Swami Sivananda.
Mohanji and Swami G
He received Mohanji very cordially as one welcomes an old friend. Mohanji gave Swamiji the special dates from Dubai that he had gotten for him. They conversed mostly in Malayalam. I gathered that he was enquiring about Mohanji’s family and work. Mohanji told him about the extensive overseas trip that he concluded last month and mentioned about his future plans.
While they were talking, I noticed a monkey in the window trying to get their attention. It made different noises – like a monkey, like a bird, like a cat, etc. It even tried to flit from window to window to try to catch their attention. But they were deep in conversation and, I guess, didn’t notice. The monkey was desperately trying to catch Mohanji’s attention. I managed to get a few blurry pictures of the monkey. Finally, Mohanji noticed the monkey and asked me to take a picture. But it disappeared from sight after that.
Monkey vying for attention outside Govindanandaji’s window
Since we had to a train to catch in an hour and a half, they concluded their discussion and we took leave of Swamiji. We left Sivananda ashram and made our way back to the hotel. I called Ashutoshji and he didn’t seem too happy on the phone. He was still at the market and said that he would take another fifteen minutes. I asked him to meet us back at the hotel. He was possibly miffed at being unable to spend time with Mohanji (Mohan is another name of Krishna). Not to mention missing out on the ananda (bliss) of meeting Swami Govindananda (Govind is another name of Krishna). On Lord Krishna’s birthday.
While walking back to our room, Mohanji casually remarked, almost to himself,
“In this incarnation, I will play with a lot of people. Only a few will understand me or the game I play. Many won’t. They will lose me. I will lose nothing”.
When I asked what he meant, he brushed it off and did not explain any further.
Loan-man later joined us in the hotel room. Mohanji enquired about his experience with the sadhu which Loan-man related. The sadhu took him to a local market. Loan-man advised him that it was better to go the main market to get the shawl. The sadhu gruffly told him, “Did I ask you where we should go? What did Mohanji tell you – to get me what I want. You just follow me.” He enquired in several shops but could not find the shawl he was looking for. In one shop, the sadhu was offered a saffron shawl but he declined saying that it was meant for sanyasis (renunciants). He was specifically looking for a white shawl. The commanding and authoritative tone of the sadhu was surprising and, in a way, annoying to Loan-man. It was not expected from a begging sadhu.
The sadhu then told Loan-man that they would go to the main market. The sadhu was walking very fast and Loan-man was following – almost running behind him. Loan-man started observing his walking style. The baba had a confident gait with a walking stick held firmly in his left hand and was walking with a dynamic pace much faster than Loan-man. It was amazing to Loan-man that the sadhu had asked for bhiksha (the act of giving alms). Yet he was the one following the sadhu around and the sadhu was deciding everything according to his own whims without even bothering to ask Loan-man. Loan-man started getting frustrated with the sadhu’s attitude. He wondered, “Who is this sadhu who was turning the concept of bhiksha topsy turvy?” For a moment, Loan-man thought, “Why can’t the sadhu just take money from me and buy it himself? Why is he wasting my time? I wanted to be with Mohanji.” But then, a second thought came along that if Mohanji has asked me to do it, then there must be a specific reason and I must do this.
Mohanji and Sai Baba
While walking with Loan-man, the sadhu enquired about the location of Mohanji’s ashram. Loan-man mentioned that Mohanji lives in Dharamshala. Suddenly, the sadhu hailed an autorickshaw driver in a rough and commanding tone to stop the vehicle. He sat next to the driver and asked Loan-man to sit on the backseat. The sadhu asked the driver to take them to the main market. On reaching the main market, they alighted and the sadhu asked Loan-man to pay in a very authoritative way. The sadhu asked a local hawker for directions to the garment shops. The hawker was not responding properly probably because of his worn-out garb. The sadhu scolded the hawker and asked him firmly to guide them properly. The chastised hawker directed the sadhu accordingly.
They looked through several garment shops. Finally, they reached a shop where the sadhu was shown a shawl for two thousand rupees. He said that this wasn’t what he was looking for. He was talking to the shopkeeper in the same authoritative tone. Finally, he found what he was looking for – a 5 meter long pink cotton shawl for two hundred rupees. He told Loan-man, “The Swami (Mohanji) has come from “far away”. He is a good saint. I have not asked this from anyone and I will not ask this from anyone except him. Only from Swamiji (Mohanji).” He further added, “Sawa lakh se bhi jyaada kimti hai ye daan” (this offering is worth more than a hundred and twenty five thousand rupees). Loan-man asked him if there was anything else that he could do for him. He asked for ten rupees to take an autorickshaw. Then he placed his hand on Loan-man’s head, blessed him and left with the shawl. Loan-man noticed an unusually nice fragrance of vibhooti (sacred ash, usually scented) coming from him.
When he finished relating his experience, Mohanji asked him, “Do you know who he was?” Loan-man was surprised at Mohanji’s line of questioning. He assumed that the sadhu was a siddha purush (realized being) since Mohanji was treating him with utmost respect. However, he couldn’t figure out who he was. Mohanji finally asked him, “Did you see Sai Baba?” Loan-man was not prepared for this. Of all people, he didn’t expect it to be Sai Baba. Mohanji asked us to look at the photographs that I had captured. It happened so fast that I only managed to take three photographs. Mohanji asked us to look at the legs of the sadhu and compare it with the picture of Sai Baba. As an aside, when I sent the pictures to Sandeep Mishra, he noticed the clear face of Sai Baba from Dwarkamai on the right leg of the sadhu. Mohanji asked Loan-man if he found it out of the ordinary that a begging sadhu should demonstrate that kind of authority and confidence in his behavior. Then Mohanji explained that Baba’s nature was commanding and authoritative. In Mohanji’s words, a king in the guise of a clown will still act like a king. That is his basic nature.
Sai Baba had himself come down to give Loan-man three important lessons –
1) a dressing down to demolish his ego. Loan-man may have been carrying the pride and ego attached to his position as the loan officer in a bank. He was a great fan of Mohanji. And he was craving for his time and togetherness. After months of waiting, he met Mohanji. And almost immediately, he was asked to go after this Baba. The longer the Baba took to choose his stuff, the more frustrated Loan-man became. He had to literally run the streets with Baba without having any awareness as to who this old man is. He took him through streets, shops and made him pay for their travels, until he found what he was looking for. He did not buy anything until he found the exact shawl that he was looking for. The tedious trails made Loan-man impatient and angry. He had thought that it was a simple thing. And he was eager to get back to Mohanji as he knew that Mohanji will leave the place soon to catch his train. Baba tested him, his devotion to Mohanji, his commitment, his patience and finally blessed him. Also, the long wait to meet Mohanji bore fruits in a much larger dimension where he got to travel with Baba and take his blessings. Also, Baba never allowed him to sit next to him in the vehicle. He allowed him to sit at the back. Only those with equal stature are allowed to sit next to him. In this context, the vehicle driver is insignificant in this story. Loan-man was also quite annoyed and concerned with the commands and authoritative language of the Baba. He found it inappropriate to his cultured mind. Another barrier broken here. His heart brimmed with the anxiety of missing Mohanji again, lapse of time, anger towards the behavior and ways of Baba and finally, after all the tests and turbulations, he got the sweet nectar of divine grace.
2) Baba told him to follow the Guru’s commands without question. That was what he meant when he sternly said, “Mohanji asked you to do something. Ask no further.” What an immense blessing in return for the resolve Loan-man demonstrated to pursue Mohanji at all costs.
3) The greatness of a Master can be recognised by his extreme humility and Sai Baba showed us an example of that by taking off his slippers while talking to Mohanji.
As for me, it was my second case of non-recognition of a Master. Two strikes in a single day! Not being able to see Hanumanji and Sai Baba. I must be truly blind. In spite of the tremendous blessings, I was at first dejected at my lack of awareness. But then I realized that they did not come to meet me. They came to see Mohanji. I was only meant to be a witness to the meeting. It was only the grace of Mohanji that allowed me to be a witness to that incident for reasons best known to him. The witness serves best when he doesn’t get involved with the incident. Hence to play the role of an unbiased observer, I am blissfully unaware of the significance or the import of the incidents and the people involved until after the fact. When I evaluate the incident later, the glory of the situation is revealed to me (mostly through the grace of Mohanji). And that is exactly how you spin a negative quality into a positive one. Either that or I am the village idiot. Anyways, this is my story and I am sticking to the former.
One interesting aspect that I thought about, in hindsight, is that both the masters responded, when asked, that they had food. It probably could be due to the fact that Mohanij always offers food to both of them before eating. They had in a way received and “eaten” the food that was offered by him.
Anyways, moving on. It was time for us to head to the railway station. Mohanji asked me to get holy water from the river Ganga for taking back with us. I looked around and wondered if the sand from the banks may make the water murky and dirty. I was also looking for a clean spot to fill up the water. I asked a person standing on the steps and he pointed to a couple of spots around – almost as if saying that it didn’t matter; it was all good. I then picked a spot and stood at the edge of the bank and starting filling water in my bottle. He came by, stepped into the water and himself offered to fill up the bottles with water away from the shore. I thanked him profusely and headed back to our room. Before leaving the hotel, Mohanji said that he wanted to go to visit the river one last time. Loan-man wanted to take photos of Mohanji. He had specially brought an SLR camera to take the pictures. Mohanji asked him to come along and take some pictures by the shore.
We then proceeded to check out and head towards the railway station. Loan-man wanted to accompany Mohanji to the railway station. I hired an autorickshaw to take us to the railway station. This chap wanted to charge a hundred rupees (even higher than the exorbitant charge we paid earlier). Since Mohanji specifically asked me not to haggle too much with the autorickshaw driver, I told him that we had paid eighty rupees on the way here. He agreed. Mohanji saw an old man and asked us to check if he wanted to be dropped off. He was more than happy to tag along. When we reached the station, Loan-man paid the fare for the rickshaw. Mohanji asked him to pay the autorickshaw driver a hundred rupees.
Different moods of Mohanji at Sivananda ghat
As we were walking to the train station, Mohanji told us, ”Never bargain with poor people. If someone can be made happy by ten or twenty rupees, we should go ahead and do it. It does not mean that we should let people fleece us. We should try as much as we can to make people happy in our own way as per our means. As an example, this autorickshaw driver could feel the love in people and give someone a free ride tomorrow.”
The train was already docked at the railway station since Rishikesh was the starting point. We boarded the train and got to our seats. Loan-man wanted to spend the last few moments with Mohanji before he left. Mohanji asked me when the train would arrive in Pathankot. The message I received from the venerable Mamu only mentioned the departure time. Loan-man offered to get that information online. Suddenly he realized that the train went up to Roorkee where he lived. He immediately decided to take a chance and board the train even though he didn’t have a reservation. He decided to immediately buy an unreserved ticket and then request the ticket collector to stay in our compartment. Through an innocuous query, Mohanji gave him an opportunity to spend a few more hours with him in the train. He was more than elated. Loan-man rushed to the ticket office and managed to get in just minutes before the train started leaving the station.
As the train moved along, Loan-man requested Mohanji’s permission to massage his feet. Mohanji consented. Loan-man started to massage Mohanji’s feet with a lot of love. Mohanji gave certain directions for Loan-man to follow. An interesting side note is that when the ticket collector came asking for the ticket, Loan-man just told him that he was headed to Roorkee. The ticket collector just nodded and did not even bother to check his ticket. He just let him be seated in a first-class compartment on a general class ticket! When the train arrived at Roorkee, Loan-man took Mohanji’s blessings and left.
This time round, the railway gods were probably not appeased because we got the seats towards the side of the train. The lower berth towards the side of the train is made by folding two adjoining seats which are never on the same level (much like the mind of a man and woman). This results in a gap around the lower back which makes sleeping on it uncomfortable. The venerable Mamu asked me to speak to the ticket collector and get Mohanji’s seat changed to a regular lower berth. On hearing my suggestion, Mohanji categorically said, “I don’t want any favors taken on my behalf.” Mohanji never takes any favors and always gives preference to others. I still quietly slinked away and went to the ticket collector. But there were no replacement berths available. Mohanji had to, unfortunately, suffer through more discomfort on the long journey back home.
As for me, the railway gods decided to give me an experience of how it feels when hell freezes over. I had both the AC vents running full blast on my body. I was planning to stay awake since the train reached Pathankot at 2:00am in the morning. But the frigid cold got through my resolve and I hid within the thin sheets that barely kept the cold air out. I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep until the alarm beeped me out of my cold storage slumber an hour before the scheduled arrival time. It was time to stand vigil and ensure that we do not miss the station. Mohanji probably knew of this and insisted that I set an alarm just in case I slept. That did come in handy since the alarm woke me up in the nick of time. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, we finally landed at Pathankot.
I had informed Sher Singh aka Mooch well in advance to pick us up from the railway station. Mooch was there to welcome us and he quickly escorted us back on the ashram SUV. Mohanji gave Mooch a free pass to step on the gas and drive us back to the ashram as fast as he could. Needless to say, Mooch took to the suggestion like a fish to water. We were literally flying back on the wings of the SUV aided in flight by choicely placed potholes and Mooch’s breakneck speed. Mohanji asked me in between if I would like to have some tea. I would have loved to but didn’t want Mohanji to wait so I declined the offer. Thanks to Mooch’s flying ways, we reached the ashram quickly and, yet, not too worse for wear.
As we entered the ashram, Mohanji requested Devadasji to make some tea for him. It was already 4:30am in the morning so I decided to forego sleep. I was pleasantly surprised and infinitely grateful when Devadasji took the extra effort to make a piping hot cup of regular chai just for me (Mohanji has only herbal tea without milk or sugar). The Master listens in and grants our every need no matter how small. As I sip the tea in the cool morning and have a smoke, I bow to Mohanji in gratitude for the immeasurable grace that he showers on my undeserving self and hope that someday I prove myself worthy of his unconditional love and grace.
An update on Loan-man. After this experience, Loan-man was completely revved up. Before leaving, he made resolutions for doing Mohanji’s meditations, conducting them in his house and doing everything to make up for lost time. In the light of his experience, I wanted to follow up with him and support him in any way I could. The first week, he said he will get to it. Second week, same response, Third week, same excuses. After 3-4 months, I dropped it since there was a total lack of commitment.
Around a year later, Mohanji was visiting Guruji (Avadhoota Nadanandaji) at his ashram in Kurnool. Mohanji was standing with Guruji when Anand, one of Guruji’s close companions, who was on the phone said, “You are coming to meet Guruji. Oh! You are a disciple of Mohanji”. It caught Mohanji’s attention. He immediately said, “My disciple! Let me speak to him”. Guess who was on the other side! Our dear Loan-man! Mohanji told him, “You are my disciple. I didn’t know. Please come.” The following day, Loan-man showed up at the ashram early in the morning. Mohanji and Guruji were seated on the chairs with a group of us encircling them on the ground. We were enjoying being in their presence and the informal satsang (discourse) that was going on.
Loan-man came and sat on the ground along with us. He was sheepish and uncomfortable because he hadn’t expected Mohanji to be there at the ashram. Mohanji sarcastically invited his “disciple”, “I didn’t know you were my disciple. Thanks for letting me know. Please come and join us.” Guruji enquired about his journey and if he needed anything. The conversation continued from where it left off before Loan-man’s intervention. Suddenly, Guruji looked at Loan-man and said, “What do you want? Ask for anything. I will grant it to you right now.” Loan-man was completely taken aback. He looked confused and kept looking alternately at Mohanji and Guruji. Finally, he blurted out, “I want Mohanji!”.
Then it was déjà vu all over again. Until that time, Mohanji had ignored Loan-man’s presence completely except for the short jab when he invited him. Mohanji asked, ”You want me! Did you say you want me?” And then Mohanji let loose on a trembling Loan-man, blasting him in front of Guruji, “You must have read Guruji’s autobiography and decided to get close to Guruji thinking that you will get a chance to go to Gyanganj. First, you didn’t know I was coming here. In spite of all the previous bashings, you have still come there and that too on a false pretext claiming to be Mohanji’s disciple. Don’t use my name. You are a very important person. Lot of people may need favors from you. But I need none from you.“
Loan-man started weeping. Guruji interjected, “The child is crying, let him go.” Mohanji replied, ”I don’t care for emotions. Even if I work on him for a hundred years, he will remain the same. Nothing will become of him.” Guruji felt pity and said, “For my sake, can you initiate him?” Mohanji continued, “It is completely useless. Nothing will happen. It will be a complete waste of time for me and him.” He told Loan-man, “Don’t bring this crying drama to me. Your tears won’t move me. I show no mercy for people like you.”
Guruji kept insisting and Mohanji kept refusing. Finally, Guruji told Mohanji, “If you consider me as your Guru, please initiate him.” Mohanji replied, ”If it’s your command, then I will do it. But I am telling you right now that it is a completely useless exercise. It will have no effect on him.” All this happened in the presence of a large group with Loan-man, unwittingly, being in the center of it. He told Devadasji later, “I will find out when the next train is coming and commit suicide in front of it.”
The same evening, Sujatha Akka (Guruji’s disciple), Guruji, Mohanji and I were sitting in Guruji’s room. Guruji asked me and Sujatha akka, ”After my energy transfer to Mohanji, he is technically my disciple. But I still call him my brother. Do you know why?” Since we were put on the spot, we coughed up reasons which he summarily dismissed. Guruji then explained, “Mohanji is the son of Shiva. I am the son of the Mother. I have nothing to do with the Father and he has nothing to do with the Mother.”
“But we are children of the same parents. Hence, he is my brother. What you saw in the morning today were our differing innate expressions. Mohanji as Shiva displayed the sternness of the Father while I displayed the care and love of the Divine Mother. When he met me for the first time, he didn’t tell me who he was. (Looking at Mohanji) When I asked you who you are, you said you just needed my blessings.”
“Even though you didn’t, Mother told me who you are and asked me to honor you. Why are you not revealing yourself?” Mohanji replied, “There is nothing to reveal, what will I reveal? It’s not important.“ Guruji said, “The Guru Mandala (Masters of the Tradition) had asked me to cool him down because he had too much fire which didn’t allow people to approach him. That was the reason I initiated him in Sri Vidya (practices centered on worship of Divine Mother).”
The following day, Mohanji initiated Loan-man into Sri Vidya in the Kurnool ashram. There is a happy ending to the story. I met Loan-man in Ugadi seva in 2018 and he was a completely transformed person. A year later, he even had the great fortune to host Guruji at his residence in Varanasi (where he moved from Roorkee) for a few months and take care of him. The same year, he even joined Mohanji and the group for the royal dips in the Kumbh Mela. Through all the episodes, Mohanji (and then Guruji) got him moving finally on the path to freedom.
Even when they mete out harsh punishment, Masters do it solely out of unconditional love. Never out of malice. Mohanji’s stern treatment of Loan-man in both cases was aimed at the removing the blockages that were keeping him from progressing. The two Masters orchestrated a divine play and worked together seamlessly to help a follower who had been stuck in a rut for a long time. It is futile to use our human faculties that have the inherent and obvious limitations to understand the actions of a Master rooted in cosmic consciousness. Isn’t it then foolish to comprehend the incomprehensible with our human failings?
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||
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This is a question that we all ask at some point in our relationship with Mohanji. Whether we are disciples, devotees, well wishers, just curious or even cynical, at some time in our contact with Mohanji we will ask if he is really a Guru, or someone we can just learn from or just another fraud. In my experience, Mohanji himself, does not make it easy with his all so subtle ways and teachings. There are no lightning bolts from the sky or him going into a trance and speaking differently or him levitating (well, usually). He just is … He is simple and unassuming. And in his simplicity, the mind and intellect will naturally ask this question: Is Mohanji a real Guru?
He is so simple and unassuming.
Before we go on, we should quickly define a guru. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a Guru as “a religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism”. But in truth a Guru is much more than this. There have been many interpretations to the word Guru (and thus the role). Some say “Gu” means darkness and “Ru” means light, indicating that the Guru takes you from darkness into light.
The Guru Gita says “Gu” means beyond qualities and “Ru” means devoid of form, thus giving attributes to the Guru. Guru also means “heavy” or “weighty”, and thus is compared to a weight that holds paper down and prevents it from flying away. A Guru similarly holds the disciples mind down and prevents it from flying away with the senses. In the musings of my mind, I sat thinking about this. I asked myself if Mohanji is a real Guru.
If I thought about all the things I have read about Mohanji then the answer is easy, but I wanted to assess this from my own personal experience. I began thinking about things that I perceived directly about Mohanji to answer this question. As always, we should look at the examples of beings that we trust to objectively assess a situation. Who better to ask about a Guru than Hanumanji and Vibhisanji. They were supreme devotees, praised by everyone. If they reached such heights of spiritual glory, they certainly will be able to teach us how to choose a Guru.
Hanumanji, the one who is the repository of incomparable strength, all the virtues and good qualities, the foremost among knowledgeable beings
Hanumanji first served Sugreeva who was hiding in a cave from his brother Bali. At this time Hanumanji’s powers remained dormant and Sugreeva could not manifest them in Hanumanji. But as soon as Hanumanji met Shri Ram, he knew that he was his master and Shri Ram manifested Hanumanji’s dormant abilities. This teaches us two very important lessons. A true Guru is one that does not have any fear and secondly has the ability to manifest change in a disciple. Can I find these qualities in Mohanji from my own experience?
When Mohanji was in South Africa, we were driving together to the Ganesha temple. On our way, at a four way intersection, an oncoming car sudden turns to his right, even though we had right of way. I slammed the break, and stopped before hitting him. Then I noticed Mohanji’s arm stretched over my chest. This was Mohanji’s instinctive reaction to protect me rather than placing his hands over himself to protect his own body. This shows the absence of fear for himself and protection for someone else, just like Shri Ram.
Sri Ram
A few days ago while at the gym, I was looking at someone swimming in the pool. I was using the bicycle closest to the pool and looking at the swimmer and the water. Then suddenly it struck me. I am near water! I have a phobia for large bodies of water and before Mohanji, I found it very difficult to even walk near a pool. I used to feel dizzy and nauseous. But now, without even realising it, I’m cycling near a large swimming pool. Ok, so that is a check for Hanumanji’s two lessons.
Vibhisana as King of Lanka
Vibishan was very dedicated to Ravana until he learned of Shri Ram. He left Ravana and took shelter under Shri Ram’s feet. Ravana eventually kicked Vibishan out of Lanka but Shri Ram made him King of Lanka. This teaches us many things, one of which is that a true Guru is not egotistical and freely gives to his disciple. It is not just about knowledge. Ravan was a brilliant scholar, even greater than most sages of his time, but Vibishan still left him. In Mohanji, you do not find a trace of egotistical personality traits or a power mongering nature. And this is shown by what makes Mohanji and his tradition special: Shaktipat. Mohanji never once said that it is vital that only he is there physically to give shaktipat. Neither did he ever say that if he is not physically present we must use a photo of him. No instead he initiated people to act as mediums. Why was this necessary? He could have dominated and shown absolute power if he did not do this. Mohanji does not need me or other initiates to be there to deliver shaktipat. But because Mohanji has no ego, because it is his nature to give, and because he loves us…he honours us with the ability to act as a facilitator for shaktipat. So he fulfills Vibishanas lessons too.
Scripture declares a Guru as having three qualities: (1) “One whose vision (all five senses) is stable without the need of an object of desire (even God) for staring”; (2) one whose mind is stable without meditation or any need for any support”; and (3) one whose Prana (breath or energy) is stable without performing conscious Pranayama, She or He alone is the Yogi, or the Guru worthy of our attention and services.” I have seen all these three qualities in Mohanji.
Mohanji’s senses are all under complete control. When he stayed in South Africa, I noticed that he was equally happy whether you gave him bread and butter or a meal with five curries to eat. Although in physical pain and tired, he still conducted all the meditations he had to, went to all the functions he had to and fulfilled his obligations. So that fulfills the first criteria.
As for the second quality, we all have seen pictures of his brain wave scan that scientifically show that his mind is always in a meditative state. Mohanji mind is always under control. MohanJi has scolded me and a second later he was praising me. He never gets angry the way we do. His mind is always still.
And finally the third quality. I have never seen Mohanji do any pranayama. But his prana is so balanced and strong that when he did pranpratishta at Merudada Ashram, I felt cold marble murthis turn warm and a hot “breeze” shoot out of a linga. Of course there are more incidents that confirm all this but I wanted to only use what I experienced and saw with my own eyes. And from all of this, undoubtedly, MOHANJI IS A SADGURU.
On 28th of January, it was the inauguration of the programme to celebrate the 4th Anniversary of Shirdi Sai Temple in Palakkad, Kerala. As a guest of honour, Mohanji was invited to inaugurate the celebration. A couple of us were staying with Mohanji, at His parents’ house and just before we went to the temple, Mahesh Bhalerao, who had come that morning from Bangalore, brought a bag of fruit for Mohanji. That was a present from Devi Amma, a very warm, sweet, powerful authentic Siddha, who loves Mohanji as her son.
In my youth, my mother used to keep a shrine in our home. It was universal, adorned by images and statues of deities and masters from many traditions, expressing many flavours. Christian masters, Hindu gods, Jesus, Budhha, Osho, her own Guru Swami Narayani, Swami Sivananda, Sufi masters, etc. All beautiful, mysterious and to my totally disinterested child’s eyes, alien and puzzling. “Why are all these pictures and statues here?” I would ask myself. But one image did appeal, did signify and even felt familiar. It was a small painting of a monkey. A heroic , beautifully built monkey. He seemed so utterly simple to me, so relatable and friendly. That was all I saw when I looked at the image, simplicity and purity. A boy could enjoy a friend like this, a boy could like a monkey. I did not spend much time with Hanumanji in mind. In fact, I only gazed at the image once if memory serves, more than just in passing that is, and then too it was only for about 5 or perhaps 10 minutes, which for a restless child is a very, very long time. Those 5 or 10 minutes however, were enough for me to decide that I liked him and be pleasantly surprised by the fact that I could actually relate to one of the inexplicable relics on the home altar.
Experiences With Mohanji 