I have always loved you

By Mahantesh Math, India

It was the beginning of the first Covid wave in March 2020. I was to battle a crisis in my family during the same period. Shirdi Sai Baba assured me all the time that he was with me and he had never left my hand in any of the crises. I had been a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba for many years. All that came into my life after he made me aware of his presence – call it mundane or spiritual, always bore his stamp. There was nothing that was really wanted. Yet, in those times of crisis, I needed some clarity on whatever that was happening in my life. 

While browsing the internet, I chanced upon a YouTube channel, ‘Sai Baba Devotee Speaks,’ through which a person named Mohanji appeared. The video, though it did not make any particular impression on me, aroused my curiosity in him, which led me to the official website, Mohanji.org. My mind, in its ignorance, took him to be one of those feel-good Gurus who catered, particularly to the Western seekers. You can find many these days. 

My mind began creating one barrier after another until I started to read his blogs. Mohanji from the blogs was different from the one in the videos. When I began going through his blogs, one after another, the amazing clarity and the stunning conviction took me over. I was feeling a gut-churning kind of sensation, and a shift was happening in me. One of the blogs was about the sense of ownership and doership. 

I could not hold myself any longer and felt that I might get into sobs uncontrollably anytime soon. I just rushed to the bathroom in the house so as not to cause any misunderstanding with the relatives at home and went into uncontrollable sobs. Then, it dawned on me that Shirdi Sai Baba and Mohanji were no different. It has been my experience that whenever I visited Shirdi and came back home, more often than not, I used to get into such uncontrollable sobs. I was converted.

I wanted to explore more and more about Mohanji. As I had less work to do because of the Covid pandemic, this gave me ample time to explore about him. Strangely, in those days, while reading the blogs, the name ‘Mohan’ would crop up in unexpected ways. On the first day of reading, a relative was muttering to himself about a wrong call that he had received and that the name of the person on the phone was ‘Mohan.’ 

On the second day of reading, another relative was telling someone that a person from the medical lab had come to collect her blood for tests, and she added, even though it was not necessary, that his name was ‘Mohan.’ On the third day, my little daughter came to me and asked me in all her innocence, “Isn’t the name of Gandhiji, Mohandas?”

I had to go for a long trip, 9 hours of driving in those days of the pandemic, and I still remember, throughout the journey, his words that I had heard from the YouTube channels kept hitting me, where they were supposed to hit. I was enamoured of him. Then, as I was getting to know more about him, I began practising the ‘Power of Purity’ meditation that was available online, which affected me strongly.

Initiation into Consciousness Kriya

“Autobiography of a Yogi” was a book which I was aware of but was never curious to read until then. One fine day, when I began reading the book, my interest in Kriya was aroused. I also happened to come across the testimonials of Kriya Yogis – “Journals of Liberation” by Gurulight, at the same time. I was not sure whether I was really meant to receive it in this life or otherwise. 

I applied, and I submitted this dilemma to Shirdi Sai Baba. I prayed to him that if it was meant for me, then let the application be accepted; otherwise, let it get rejected. I would be okay with whatever was given. The application was accepted, and I undertook the Kriya training online in April 2020 and then made it a regular practice.

One fine evening, I had done the Kriya and listened to Shiva Kavacham, which was quite powerful. It was then that I heard a bird chirping in the silence of that evening. Strangely, I felt that the bird was within me, and everything around me was within me. At that moment, when I looked at the portrait of Mohanji, something within me strongly felt that he was indeed Shiva. 

Then I burst into sobs, and the floodgates were open. I kept telling him and pleading with him that if he allowed me to stay near his feet like a particle of dust, I would be indebted to him forever. It was at that moment that I heard the voice, “I have always loved you, Mahantesh.” That was so overwhelming that it took a while for me to grasp what had happened. All his grace! On the one hand, it was an emphatic reassurance of the past connection, and on the other, it was a reminder that I might have strayed away from the path in my past lives.

In Shirdi

It was destined for me to have Mohanji’s first physical darshan at the Shirdi retreat in December 2021. That was a dream come true, as it was in the same retreat that the Kriya initiation was supposed to be held. The initiation turned out to be a surreal experience in his physical presence. When I sat with closed eyes, I almost lost myself in that magical atmosphere. While waiting for my turn, a volunteer patted my back gently to remind me that it was my turn. 

When I went to him, I found him to be in an expanded state. While I kept looking into his eyes, he uttered some words that escaped my attention. The eyes, I felt, were like deep caves and that I could be lost forever if I entered them. The whole atmosphere was charged with gentle energy, and tears kept flowing down my cheeks while a beautiful bhajan sung by Natesh kept playing in the background.

The next day or so, everyone at the retreat was allowed to have individual interaction with him. With that gentle smile of his, he beckoned me to come when it was my turn, and that smile appeared to be something special – a smile of recognition. During the course of the conversation, he looked away for a while, and then his gaze turned towards me. All of a sudden, I felt as though my mind was put in a grinder, and my thoughts were running helter-skelter like popcorn. And it took a few seconds for everything to start settling down peacefully.

I can never forget that first retreat when I was welcomed to be a member of the M-family and allowed to flock with the birds of the same feather. I felt I belonged. I am grateful to Mohanji and the M-family.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 14^th December 2023

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 Testimonials team

 

An Ocean of Grace in Scotland

By Michael Draper, UK

In a testimonial published in November 2023, I described the divine grace expressed and transmitted by Mohanji and Devi on my first physical experience with them and how that grace continued on my first visit to MCB (Mohanji Centre of Benevolence) Scotland during the inauguration and Prana Pratishtha of Lord Ganesh idol, Shirdi Sai Baba idol and Lord Dattatreya idol.

At the divine inauguration, the Mohanji Acharyas and volunteers at MCB Scotland were very kind, attentive and eager to serve. As an example of their openness and alignment with Mohanji’s consciousness, I would like to share their role in another act of supreme grace.

I wanted to purchase a set of Padukas for my shrine at home and approached the volunteers who were serving at the stall, where various items, including Padukas, could be purchased. I might have simply been sold a set on display, and that was my expectation, but in the discussion, the volunteers had an inspiration. 

There was a set of Padukas that had been acquired by the team for sale but had happened to find their way onto the altar in the Shirdi Sai Baba temple and had been worshipped as part of the Shirdi Sai Baba temple inauguration. Enquiries would be made of the officiating priest, Shri Sulakhe Maharaj (former chief priest of Shirdi), as to whether these could be transferred to me. I was taken aback but extremely grateful for the generosity of spirit that was being demonstrated in going the extra mile (and then some) in this unexpected turn of events.

Grace flowed.

Following an exploratory discussion, Maharaj approved and agreed to transfer the Padukas to me after the final completion of all ceremonies. I was informed that I should attend and meet Maharaj in the temple accordingly.

This was and is an incredible honour and certainly unexpected. It is an expression of how, at the right time, divine grace delivers more than actually sought or even considered possible, but only if the agents acting in delivery and expression of that grace are open to play a role in transmitting the flow.

I attended as instructed, and Maharaj gave a big smile (we can all picture that) and a hug by way of welcome. He then moved to hand over the Padukas with reverence. He positioned me in front of the now-living Shirdi Sai Baba idol and instructed me to wait. He then reached for a Shirdi Sai temple shawl, placed it around my shoulders and then handed the Padukas to me in the presence of and view of Baba.

By ‘chance’ Selma and Peter witnessed this, and Dirk also appeared in the temple. Peter had his mobile phone with him and took a picture to record the event. I was awestruck.

I have no conscious memory or understanding of why I was eligible to receive this grace and honour. Prior to meeting Mohanji, my connection with Sai Baba in the form of Shirdi Sai was through my experiences with Sathya Sai Baba. Many years ago, I was unexpectedly given a small photograph of Shirdi Sai Baba in Prashanti Nilayam. 

I was told by the individual handing it over that I had a connection with Shirdi Sai. I was very happy to receive the photo but was perplexed by what the connection could be. I placed the photo in my passport for ‘safe-keeping’, but it subsequently disappeared. I don’t normally lose items and certainly not pictures of avatars. Why I chose my passport as a fitting place to keep the photo is loaded with meaning. The seed of my connection to Shirdi Sai had been planted in my waking consciousness, ready to grow at the right time.

What do the divine feet of Mohanji and Sai Baba represent?

When Sathya Sai Baba declared his avatarhood, he walked out of his family home to the garden of a devotee and sat upon a large rocky outcrop or boulder. His close devotees soon gathered around him, and Sathya Sai Baba led them in the beautifully poignant bhajan of

“Manasa Bhajare Guru Charanam Dusthara Bhava Saagara Tharanam.”

[Oh, mind! Meditate on the Feet of the Guru. This can take you across the difficult ocean of existence, birth after birth.”]

A photographer recorded the event, and when the photograph was developed, the small rock formation in front of the young Sathya Sai emerging from the larger boulder had taken on the form of a Shirdi Sai Baba idol. The supreme consciousness of the Masters is one, even though the forms may differ.

Worshipping the feet of the Guru is considered one among the 9 forms of Bhakti or devotion: the Navavidha Bhakti Marga. However, a close former student devotee of Sathya Sai Baba has disclosed from an intimate conversation with his students that:

“Swami said that people often thought Padasevanam only meant service to the Guru’s feet. This was the reason why everyone felt it was the easiest route to God because all one had to do was to get the opportunity to press and massage his feet. But that was not the actual meaning. Swami said that Padasevanam means walking in the footsteps of a Guru. To walk the path that the Guru walks is true service to his feet.”

To walk the path that is walked and shown by the Guru – that is the invitation and the truest expression of service to the feet of the Master. In the book Mast: the Ecstatic given by Mohanji, a probing, exploratory conversation takes place between Maharishi Shantananda and his prospective follower, Vamadeva, whose heartfelt desire is to be accepted into the Master’s Gurukul (a residential school where students live as part of the Master’s family):

Maharishi: The path is right here within you; why not walk?

Vamadeva: I am param buddhu. I don’t know the way, respected Master

Maharishi: Final destination?

Vamadeva: My Self, the Supreme Self, respected Master

Maharishi: Where shall you walk from? (Read: Where will you start? When can you start?)   

 Vamadeva: At your lotus feet. (Read: Right here! Right now!)

There is evident genuine camaraderie, friendship, and humour at MCB Scotland in a very welcoming and divine environment. When walking past Mohanji en route to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Mohanji quipped, ‘Nice T-shirt’, to which I replied, ‘Yes, it is’. 3 words each but with profound meaning in the space between them. My Mum would probably roll her exasperated eyes at the depth of emotional expression in my acknowledgement.

As a ‘newcomer’, it was more than heart-warming to be acknowledged. Inclusivity was also the foundation of the closing events following the Shirdi Sai Baba temple inauguration through two satsangs with Mohanji.

At one closing satsang, a number of individuals spoke about their experiences, being encouraged by Mohanji to do so. The sharing of experiences benefits both the experiencer and those listening on a number of levels. Mohanji is also keen that those reluctant to speak, go beyond their comfort zone as this helps to dissolve restricting and limiting ideas and leads to further expansion. 

Mohanji and Vijay made sure that everybody was acknowledged and valued. Blessed miniature statutes of Shirdi Sai Baba were presented on a personal basis, with the opportunity to express love and gratitude to Mohanji when receiving the grace of Baba from Mohanji’s hands. Everyone agreed that the food consumed during the divine inauguration event (on all levels) was awesome.  

Mohanji gave his concluding satsang in the Datta garden in the presence of Lord Dattatreya. There are no ‘accidents’, and nothing happens by chance. We were all meant to be here at this time for the inaugural event. Mohanji asked us not to bring mental interference into play with ‘why?’ Let the grace and experience flow without obstruction. 

Mohanji then gave everyone gathered the opportunity to seek their own clarification to personal questions. In responding to some of those questions, Mohanji explained that the establishment of MCB Scotland and other centres was to provide connected portals or spaces for the expansion and expression of consciousness in a divinely inspired environment which could also inform and inspire personal practice wherever we happened to be. I asked how best to maintain personal evolutionary practice. Faith, connection and consistency, Mohanji responded.

There was just enough time for a group photo. A genius was operating a drone with a camera that took a wonderful ariel picture of those gathered. That picture has since been published.

On returning home, another miracle occurred. At Dirks’s request, I opened up my first-ever WhatsApp account. I could not say no to Dirk. Dirk kindly sent some articles about his experiences with Mohanji and a beautiful picture of himself and Mohanii on a train, which I subsequently printed and framed; a family photo that I placed on the shelf sitting next to me.

MCB Scotland then announced their Rise and Revive retreat in September 2023. To be continued…

Offered at the lotus feet of Mohanji and the Masters of the Tradition with gratitude, love and blessings.

Samastha Lokah Sukinho Bhavantu: May all worlds and all beings in those worlds be happy and free.

Sai Ram! Jai Mohanji!

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 3^rd December 2023

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 Testimonials team

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A magical experience on foot with Mohanji in Chitrakoot

By Madhusudan Rajagopalan and Thea Klincov

November 2022

Introduction

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, 20^th November 2023

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 Testimonials team

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PURIfication

by Aleksander Kalinic, Serbia

What a trip!

I have carried a portion of India with me even here. Indeed a unique trip, especially as a significant part of the time was spent in the presence of Mohanji in power centres, enveloped by his grace. I still feel charged by the energy of Mohanji, which I was basking in throughout the trip. 

My wife Ivana and I started our journey on 17th Feb from Cork with a 3-hour bus ride to Dublin, a 4-hour flight to Istanbul and a 6-hour flight to Mumbai as our first destination in India. Actually, this trip started a long time ago with planning the flights, stops, logistics etc. 

Ivana and I laughed about how different we are in this matter; I like to plan ahead, and she would just go with the flow on her previous travels to India. The whole trip worried me about how I would manage the budget, seeing all the sites I planned, work balance (as I took only five days’ leave), is the internet good etc., you name it. Writing this seems like I managed successfully. It was a blessed trip.

Before it all evaporates, it really feels like we were in India a month ago, and this is probably my last effort to write it all down before I forget it. The funny thing about experiences is how fast they are gone, and life doesn’t wait for one to dwell on that moment but pushes you into new experiences. Alas, I didn’t feel like going, but being a stubborn Taurus, it was very hard to move; it was a miracle that I started this trip in the first place. All praise goes to my wife Ivana for bearing with my moods.  

Mumbai, Ganeshpuri and Shirdi

Day 1, Mumbai – Going from the airport by a cramped taxi to our accommodation downtown with Marjan and Jelena, whom we met in Istanbul, was probably the first impression I got about India, which confirmed my expectations of India that I saw on TV or heard from friends. Huge, crazy traffic, tonnes of people roaming on streets, slums with extremely poor communities, fully developed parts of town, flavours in the air, vast scenery of everything in sort of a mist, one cannot comprehend and process in single view or thought. I was in awe and smiling all the time. We got to see a little bit of Bandra, part of the town where we were residing while searching for a SIM card to get the internet. 

The journey commenced as it should. On the same night, it was Mahashivaratri, a night dedicated to Lord Shiva, so we wanted to experience local ceremonies in one of the temples. Google Maps took us to a slum in one part of the town, with locals welcoming us to participate in their devotional singing and celebration. 

Though it was a little scary initially, it was a unique and original experience. I would recommend a magnificent place for eating, Earth Cafe, which we highly recommend as a pure vegan place with the best food I have ever tried and smiling service. 

Day 2, Ganeshpuri – While leaving Mumbai, one sees the town, suburbs, and vastness of this big human dwelling – how we organise our lives and the places where we live. It reminded me of hive-like behaviour. Ganeshpuri was totally different as it is a holy place, the abode of the great saint Bhagwan Nityananda. We first visited the Muktananda ashram and then the samadhi of Bhagwan Nityananda. 

Marjan from Iran joined us as her flight came a day later, and our group grew slightly. We also met Monika and Nemanja here, and it was nice to see familiar faces on the other side of the globe. We were in time for darshan and received prasad queuing with many others, feeling we belonged with them. One guy from the crowd took us behind the temple on the riverbank to see the place where Bhagwan Nityananda meditated under a banyan tree and where he bathed in hot springs. The whole complex resonated with me, and I felt at peace. Some special moments such as these made us realise the unseen hand of the guru guiding us. 

Day 3, Shirdi –The trip to Shirdi was about 5 hours from Ganeshpuri, through rural parts of India. This powerful centre allowed me to taste real India. I tried coconut water, sugar cane juice, samosa, tea, and coffee. My travel mates were not that enthusiastic, though. 

Various people in colourful clothes were on the side of the road, where all the fuss was happening. Selling fruits and vegetables, making bricks from the earth and drying them in the sun, funny trucks with crazy ornaments on them, cows on the road, people stacked driving on motorcycles, no roads, then highways, then no roads again. All in all, an enjoyable 5 hours trip. Coming closer to Shirdi, I felt different energy as the land was more fertile and flatter than we had passed. In Shirdi, everything spins around the temple complex of Shirdi Sai Baba, the avatar of the Hindu God Dattatreya. 

I have heard so much about Shirdi Baba. He is staying in my home, right when one opens the front door and in a few other places around the house. Seeing in-person how big and respected his temple is, I understood why he is so popular among believers and spiritual seekers. It takes a lot of queuing and scheduling with tickets to enter the shrine, but once inside, it’s worth it. Seeing all these people and devotees from 7 to 77 years kneeling and lying on the floor in front of his statue makes you wonder how big his demeanour actually is. In the Mohanji family, most people connect to Sai Baba, and he has a special temple space in all the Mohanji Centers of Benevolence. 

Then you realise it is not about human characteristics or what you see in him, but you can understand if you need to put it in the context of Hindu tradition and God. Aside from the “official” part of visiting Sai Baba, we experienced many other lovely little moments with people wanting to take a picture with us, kids hanging on our arms begging for money, and people looking at us and smiling – a warm feeling of acceptance. 

Ivana finally took four little girls, following us around for lunch; we have a picture of them being the happiest kids in the world. So, rewarding. We also visited another smaller and much calmer temple of Sakori, which I liked because there was not much crowd and fuss around. The place is dedicated to Shri Upasani Maharaj, the main disciple of Sai Baba. He locked himself once inside a small bamboo cage, even though he was tall and cramped inside. He said he suffered for the release of his disciples and was standing as a surety in the divine court for their release. He confined himself in that small cage for over thirteen months, practically fulfilling all his daily needs from there. The disciples performed his aarati and listened to his discourses from within the cage. At last, on 31st Jan 1924, Maharaj released himself from the cage and stepped out of it to greet a small child named Godavari, who would later become his inheritor and the keeper of the spiritual wealth of the Sakori Ashram.

Puri retreat, 22-28 Feb

This retreat with Mohanji was the main reason for our trip. From day one, the ambience and satisfactory feeling of being welcomed by the program and events that one could not do on his own without outside help were enough for me to feel warm and safe and willing to give back. I went with the flow and let myself emerge with experiences this retreat allowed me to avail of. All praise goes to the Mohanji India organisation team for holding such a humongous event for so many people, and thank you for that.

The retreat is another world in itself. As everyone knows, who attended previous ones, or first timers, there is almost electricity in the air, filled with enthusiasm and curiosity in people’s eyes, raising expectations of what blissfulness we are headed towards this time. And heading we were. For me, it was a special treat of great fun, enlightenment, understanding and completion, and easiness of existing. 

I met Mohanji for the first time in Istanbul when I visited Ivana after one of the retreats. I had never attended one, and we met outside in some restaurant with a few others from the Mohanji Family. When addressing me in the first introduction, I was asked to pay attention to what he told me. He told me a story about the lion, which I interpreted as that attitude greatly matters in people’s lives. If you don’t have one, you are making your existence harder because you open yourself to a vulnerable position of defending your beliefs, thoughts or any feelings and conclusions you might have, but usually not sharing with a wider audience. 

It’s like playing video games and choosing a character to represent the best you strive to be. I lacked a lion attitude. 

When I wrote this today, I understood I could learn much from this unassuming man (Mohanji). This is not just a hoax or sect (as a typical label would immediately follow) but practical selflessness by one man trying to share the truth with the world.

Later on, I realised it’s much more than that, and I am happy that in this journey of learning about myself and the world around me, I have taken my first baby steps. Puri was my second retreat, as I visited Divcibare retreat for the short two days program. I dive into the depths each time, learning and connecting with Mohanji.

Puri was the first full retreat that I attended. I notice the people’s happiness at seeing each other again over the last year. It’s like an annual gathering of similarly minded individuals coming back from missionaries to share their experiences and new conclusions of knowing the self and reinforcing their beliefs in the pure presence of Mohanji with his positive attitude and smile; you just feel that you belong there.  

For the program itself, if I must choose, I was touched by Tota Gopinath Temple, where I experienced the outer body realm during the chanting. I was transported somewhere else. Preeti Duggal later told me that when she saw me, she could see that I was smiling and blissful, which made her also happy. It’s nice to have such confirmations. Later Ivana explained to me that even before, I used to react to the path of Krishna and that it explains some of my features. That is another confirmation I wouldn’t know by myself.

The Homa/fire ceremony for purification was very powerful, especially with Rajesh maintaining the fire and Lenart, Dejan, and Graham chanting the Veda. Sun setting in the beautiful tent with a fine wind blowing over the wavy cloth ceiling again transported me into my childhood. As a kid, we visited my grandparents to help with countryside errands over the summer. One of them was picking up dry grass into hay kind of cones and later driving them into a hay barn with a tractor where we would all sit on this huge pile of hay after a long day of work, sweaty, red in the face but happy, smiling and contented – breeze in the face, straw in the mouth, surrounded by my family. I could swear that I was not just remembering, but I was really there at that time and moment. This feeling started there and was with me throughout my trip to India.   

Pitru puja/ceremony for the lineage – It was a magical scenery next to the water tank of Pancha Tirta. Aditya explained to us what to do. People were bathing. It all made this sacred ceremony even more profound.

Even though, as foreigners, we could not enter the magnificent and huge Jagannath temple, we were blessed with the beautiful presence of Patajoshi, the chief priest of the Jagannath Temple. I felt when I first saw him as if he knew me, and I knew him. His gentle smile appealed to me, and I wanted to spend time in his presence. I felt he was much more than a chief priest, a powerful holy presence.  

Tota Puri ashram, Sri Yukteshwar samadhi, Konark Temple, Dhauli Stupa, Satsangs with Mohanji – I can’t even remember how much of “golden nuggets” of experiences this event portrayed in front of us. My gratitude once again goes to Mohanji and the organisers. To explain all of it smother the narrative here, but in a nutshell, I felt like I described above – out of the body, blissful and transported to another realm.

On our final day of the retreat, we visited KISS in Bhubaneswar, an education institute that does inclusive education, women empowerment, tribal uplift and sustainable development for over 30000 tribal children. Without me spoiling all of their successes and achievements by describing them, I am attaching a link, as there is so much to learn and appreciate in the enormity of this institution—about – Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar (kiss.ac.in).

I was surprised when we entered the room filled with thousands of little children sitting on the floor and doing OM chanting. They gathered there to welcome Mohanji and hear him speak. I was not prepared for that. Tears started watching this sight, and one can’t describe it with words. This was our last event before we flew to Delhi that afternoon. 

After finishing the event, as everyone was returning to their own ways, one suggestion was to keep that feeling and experience from the retreat and head straight home with elevation inside you. 

Cherish what you have been given. Travelling elsewhere as we did to Delhi is another level of experience that can’t be combined with a spiritual event like this. Yes, the Taj Mahal was beautiful and Delhi, even if we didn’t have time to really see its beauty, the retreat makes you travel inwards, and the whole idea of such events holds inner travel more important than what you see by your own eyes (which can be delusional as we know from the crow story of Mohanji).   

We came home to Ireland on the 4th thinking about where we were, who we were, and where we are now – like coming back in the body after an afternoon sleep.  

My takeaway from this trip would be that life is short. Of the many diamonds of truth by Mohanji, one is being present, knowing your purpose in life, and what you can do now between A and B. What one remembers as the most crucial experience in life is not what you see through your eyes but the inner feeling you carry – like my resemblances of India and childhood. I will take from India trip a few such memories, and the feelings will stay with me for life.  

India is a place of liberation and peace that leaves us without ignorance, where we unbind from ourselves and our programs in the mind. We should flow and feel life more. The preconceived point of view is blocking our liberation.

Thank you to all who have crossed my path in India, the new and old friends, acquaintances and people I don’t know. We were all there for a purpose, and our short existence there, next to each other, helped with some karmic growth and liberation.

Special gratitude to Mohanji, without whom this all wouldn’t be possible, my new/old friend that I openly welcome in my heart from now on.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 1^st June 2023

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 Testimonials team

Guru Tatwa in my life

by Jyoti Bahl, India

Life is a journey bestowed upon us to have experience, realise the power of nature around us and keep moving forward till destined. And when a guru comes into your life and works silently, transformation happens. The guru guides and helps us discover the potentialities he has already realised. When I think of the difficult times I was going through, a hand was suddenly offered for support. And as I held it firmly, Mohanji, my guru, has always been there with me. 

I want to share my journey with Mohanji, the events, the miracles, the transformation within me and how my faith became stronger in Sai Baba and Mohanji. I sing my praises to them for always being there for me, my family, and my whole lineage. Here I am sharing a few experiences that have completely changed the course of my life. I did not realise it when it was happening. But now, when I think about it, it shows the loving and supporting hand of the guru. It may guide you in your journey.

My mother-in-law was bedridden for five years from 2011. It was tough for her to leave her body and release herself as she still carried unfulfilled desires. We requested Mohanji, and he helped her transition from one world to another. My mother-in-law was the Trade Commissioner’s daughter, having enjoyed life’s great luxuries and travelled a lot. Though she had a good life, she still carried many unfulfilled desires that bound her to this world. 

Before I met Mohanji, I had no idea that this body is to fulfil desires, and if they are not fulfilled, the exit from the body becomes difficult, and you cling to it and suffer a lot in the last moments.

Mohanji helped her and guided us. When her last moment came, Mohanji asked me to continuously chant the Mahamrityunjay Mantra for three hours. She was unconscious, lying on the bed, and I kept chanting for three hours, and we saw her taking her last breath. Her last rites were performed according to the Sikh religion, and we had ‘Akhand Path’ (the non-stop continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib – a religious text – from beginning to end) at our place. 

Many miracles were happening. I had already applied for Consciousness Kriya. Mohanji was in Delhi. He was guiding me. The Consciousness Kriya training was on 28th July. And my mother-in-law expired on 26th July. Deep in my heart, I strongly wanted to receive the initiation for Consciousness Kriya from Mohanji. I surrendered everything at his lotus feet. We had the reading at our house in memory of my mother-in-law. The reading of the religious text was scheduled for 5 pm on 28th July. We had many guests at home. My husband asked me to attend the Kriya initiation. He said he would take care of everything. I still believe it was Sai kripa, Mohanji’s miracle, that I attended and received Consciousness Kriya’s initiation from our beloved Guru Mohanji. And I was back home on time for the reading and blog (prasad).

I was blessed and soaked in Baba’s grace for making the impossible possible. I started practising Consciousness Kriya consistently. And once a week, Sai Parivar and Mohanji family visited my place for bhajans and meditation. 

My mother-in-law, who left her body, still had some unfulfilled desires. She used to come into my dreams often. I felt there was something still left unfulfilled. I wanted to help her but couldn’t. I only used to pray to Sai Baba and Mohanji, surrendering fully at their lotus feet. I knew they would take care of my family.

It so happened that Nikita, my friend for years, living in Gurgaon, called me in September 2018 and said that Mohanji would conduct a Homa himself at Rishikesh, where a Retreat with Mohanji was scheduled. She mentioned this was a rare opportunity, with Mohanji conducting a Homa himself. And she suggested that we go together to Rishikesh for Homa. I had no idea about the Homa. But when I realised that Mohanji was going to conduct the Homa himself, I made up my mind to go. 

We arranged in a week and were at Rishikesh for Homa. We participated in the Homa. Before Mohanji started the Homa, he explained that this is not only for those who are present but for the lineage, our ancestors and our coming generations and how it will help each of us. Then it dawned upon me why I was there for the Homa.

The Homa started. Mantras were chanted, and we felt the presence of Guru Mandala and different deities who came to receive annuities (offerings). Mohanji looked so powerful and intense. Each of us was given a coconut to keep near our heart centre and offer it to the fire where devas come to receive it. With this offering, cleansing happened at various levels for various devotees. Lord Datta’s presence was felt by many. It was a strong mystical atmosphere. After the Homa, my whole lineage benefited, especially my mother-in-law.

After a month or so, Arunachala happened. On the way to Rishikesh, Sakshi asked me if I was going to Arunachala – the Kailash of South. With family responsibilities, I knew I couldn’t go on a Kailash trip; I decided to go to Arunachala.

The auspicious day came in October, just a month after my trip to Rishikesh. Things worked very smoothly. On the home front, everyone was ready to help me with my journey and share responsibilities in my absence. Going to Arunachala was a miracle. After returning from the trip, I realised why it happened—all the divine plays of Sai Baba and Mohanji. 

I was looking forward to reaching Arunachala in the presence of my Guru Mohanji. I soon learnt that there is an Inner Kora parikrama similar to the one in Kailash yatra – an arduous trek. And it came to my mind if I would be lucky enough to be part of it. The guru listens to your thoughts and fulfils them. 

We reached Arunachala and waited for Mohanji ‘s arrival. Mohanji arrived, looked at us and said, “All present here, be ready for Inner Kora parikrama on Monday.” We were thrilled to hear this. My ultimate wish was to be fulfilled. Later in the evening, we learned that it was shifted to Tuesday. I wondered why it was shifted from Monday to Tuesday, a day devoted to Shiva. When I asked, I was told Tuesday was a no-moon day (Amavasya) to pray for our ancestors. The pitru pooja of 14 days was going on. And Amavasya was the last day of pitru pooja and shraad (rituals) for all our ancestors whom we know or don’t know.

When you are with Mohanji, each day is blessed, and you are on a different level. The guru amazes you with his leela. On Monday, we visited Pawan Sut’s (a saint) place. The saint is no more in his physical body. A lady saint looks after the temple. When we reached the temple, we were welcomed by her. She explained about her guru.

While she was explaining about her guru, my eyes were fixed on the lotus feet of my Guru, Mohanji. There was an eternal tune going on in my heart. And there was a deep urge to ask Mohanji a mantra for sadhana. When we returned to our centre, and I found Mohanji sitting on a chair relaxing, I could not stop myself. I went to Mohanji and prayed to him to give me a sadhana mantra to be on the path. Mohanji asked Rajesh Kamath to write a particular mantra and give it to me. I felt blessed and happy. I went to my room and started chanting it.

Finally, it was Tuesday early morning when we were asked to get ready very early as the parikrama of Inner Kora was to begin by 4.30 am. We got ready and reached the starting point. It was pitch dark. Nothing was visible. I could see the dense forest around the path with the phone’s light. I got scared; maybe there were wild animals around. And when you are scared, you start chanting. And I realised that I was chanting the mantra Mohanji had given me the previous day. I kept chanting the mantra all through my parikrama. And while I was chanting, I could hear someone chanting, “Om Namaha Shivaya – Shivaya Namaha Om”. 

All through the Inner Kora parikrama, I was in a trance. The sunrise I saw that morning was so beautiful that no words could describe it. It was a heavenly feel, and slowly Arunachala appeared amidst the sun’s rays. I bowed down several times to Arunachala and was in tears.

The vision of Arunachala brought deep gratitude in me to my guru. Without the grace of Mohanji, this journey to the Inner Kora would not have been possible. The chanting of the mantra was deepening, and many more things were happening around me. A lady started walking along with me. And slowly, she started explaining various saints around the parikrama who were meditating in their subtle forms. They were not visible to my naked eye. But I could feel their presence as she explained, and with full humility, I bowed down to them and asked for blessings. 

On the way, there came a small spring. The water was as sweet as nectar and gave us the strength to keep walking. I completed the 15km Inner Kora parikrama. My eyes were filled with tears of gratitude. I couldn’t believe that I had done it. Then someone senior in the group mentioned Ramana Maharshi’s cave in the hills where people go and meditate. I wanted to go there. There was a separate path, and it was difficult. I kept my intention of visiting the Ramana Maharshi cave. And I started towards the centre. My only wish was to go and bow down at the feet of Mohanji, who gave me the strength to achieve this and fulfil my desire to visit Ramana Maharishi’s cave also.

We came back and found Mohanji waiting for us all. I ran up to him and prostrated at his feet. My tears were flowing. I got up and hugged Mohanji. To my amazement, Mohanji told me everything that had happened during the parikrama. Then realisation dawned upon me that the mantra I was chanting connected me to the Consciousness of Mohanji and Om Namaha Shivaya -Shivya Namaha Om was chanted by Mohanji. He was walking with me all through.

I was sitting with Mohanji when my son Shivendra called and said, “Mumma, I must share something with you. Today at 4.45 am, I saw you performing the aarti of Mohanji (the exact time we started our parikrama of Inner Kora) on the ground floor of our house.” He was sleeping on the first floor in his bedroom. He saw his Dadi coming inside the room and pressing his neck. He cried for help. Shivender said that he could see that when I heard him crying for help, I left the aarti plate and ran upstairs crying for Mohanji and asking Mohanji to help. 

Shivinder said, “When you entered the room, Mohanji was with you. Mohanji held Dadi and pressed her third eye at the wall of our house’s altar, and she merged into the wall.” And since then, my son and I have not seen her in dreams. Mohanji has taken care of her in his divine grace forever. Then I realised why Mohanji had shifted the parikrama from Monday to Tuesday, the last day of the Pitru Paksha so that all the grace we earn could pass on to our ancestors and they could be released from all the bondages.

Later that day, Mohanji asked me to go and visit Ramana Maharshi’s cave. He fulfilled this wish of mine also. It was a very powerful cave where we went and meditated for some time.

I returned home in November much lighter and soaked in the grace of Baba and Mohanji.

In December, my clairvoyant neighbour shared some things that gave me clarity. She spoke about the rough phase I had been going through since January 2018. My mother-in-law used to come in my dreams – sometimes blessing and sometimes asking for something I could not understand. She mentioned that a great Master protected my family from the ancestors hovering around with unfulfilled wishes. By showing her pictures of Mohanji, Sai Baba and Mahavtar Babaji, she identified the master as Mahavtar Babaji. Some past life karma must have brought Babaji, Sai and Mohanji into my life. Now I know Babaji, Sai, and Mohanji had cleared up our lineage and merged them in their divine light.

First, Homa at Rishikesh and then Arunachala – all these happened to clear our lineage. The divine play with a much higher purpose beyond our thoughts had taken place. Deep gratitude dawned on me for Babaji, Sai and Mohanji.

The guru plays a very important role in our lives. Guru is supreme consciousness. We should follow their teachings and guidance. They know what we need and much more. They cut short our karma. Since Mohanji came into my life, I have been sincerely into seva and singing. I sing the praise of my guru. When guru happens, dark clouds fade, and divine light fills up.

Guru is not a body but consciousness. In my case, “Baba” is who I always look upon; I listen to my soul and go with my experiences. Sai and Mohanji have showered me with many blessings. When everyone abandoned me, they only stood by me, protected and guided me. Guru Tatwa gave me the purpose of life and music. Singing is my passion, puja, aradhana, and prayers to the Lord. Ma Mukambika, Babaji, Sai Baba and Mohanji always hold my hand and guide me. There is no other place for me to go. 

My pranams at the lotus feet of Mohanji!

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 25^th May 2023

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 Testimonials team

In the company of Masters

By Eric Elbers, Canada

The story of the MyDattatreya website

KEEPING GOOD COMPANY

It is often said that travellers on the spiritual path should keep good company. Being an avid reader and living in a household where the members generally have other than spiritual interests, I found reading about the life and teachings of spiritual masters an inspiring and enriching experience. Paramahamsa Yogananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Anandamayi Ma, Amritananda Mayi Ma, and many other elevated human beings became my daily company, my teachers and my spiritual nourishment. 

Therefore, it was only a matter of time until I would learn about Shirdi Sai Baba, his life story as penned down in the Sai Sat Charitra, and next, the amazing story of Sathya Sai Baba. When reading about these masters, they would, as it were, come alive for me and indeed did become my daily companions. It was also a time when I was in transition from a spiritual path that had centered on the Sound Current and the Radha Soami teachings to more broad-based Hinduism. I felt attracted to Amritananda Mayi Ma and her teachings on compassion. I recognized that my reading, to a large extent, was an intellectual occupation, and I felt drawn to more heart-based spirituality shown by the amazing ‘hugging saint.’

MEETING MOHANJI

Then, in 2017, in an honorary magazine issue dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba, I read an article by Mohanji, in which he told his life story and his relationship with Sathya Sai Baba, who had been a turning point in his life. I felt immediately attracted to Mohanji and saw an opportunity to help an up-and-coming spiritual master in his mission. With time, a master attracts a core group of devotees around him who help and support him. A master who has been teaching for decades may have thousands of devotees and a hierarchical structure in the organization, but a master who is beginning his mission may still be approachable and welcome devotees to help him in his work. Such a Master was Mohanji. I emailed Mohanji and requested permission to start a meditation group based on his guided meditations. Very shortly, I received a reply that Mohanji had already become aware of my request even before it had reached him and had given his blessings.

In the summer of 2018, Mohanji came to Canada to dedicate an ashram in Ontario with a prana pratishta ceremony to inaugurate and empower the Ganesha, Dattatreya and Shirdi Sai Baba idols. That became an opportunity to meet face-to-face with Mohanji, who was very kind and enquired about my spiritual journey and how I had learned about him. I told Mohanji that it was my desire to serve him in his mission and become an ’outstanding’ disciple to him. This wish was fulfilled the following year when I was invited to participate in the Acharya training at the Canadian ashram, led by Mohanji himself. Mohanji told us that the correct way to measure living masters is not how many devotees they attract, but how many new masters they develop. The Acharya program was designed to develop such ‘budding’ masters. What a blessing to have been invited to participate!

DATTATREYA TRADITION 

During the Acharya training program in the summer of 2019, which lasted four days, I heard Mohanji many times refer to ‘the Tradition.’ I had no clue what tradition he was talking about, but it sounded intriguing to me, and soon thereafter, I learned about the Dattatreya tradition. That’s when I realized my love for Dattatreya. Even though I had grown up in a devoted Christian family [the Dutch Reformed Church], my intense reading had groomed me to recognize the immense stature and power of the Dattatreya tradition—the tradition of Avadhutas and liberation. To me, Dattatreya was not just another spiritual master, deity, or a great story, but I recognized him as the original, divine, spiritual teacher [Adi Guru] taking on many embodiments. This teacher is Divine Consciousness Itself, Supreme Reality, taking many incarnations to engage with souls to guide them back home. All the Masters I had read about were part of Dattatreya, the Supreme Teacher. This Teacher is Supreme Consciousness Itself, loving his emanations, Souls, and guiding them to Himself.

I felt I needed to give expression to my love for Dattatreya and wrote to Mohanji that I wished to work on a website dedicated to Dattatreya, documenting the great masters of the Dattatreya tradition to let people know about their lives and sublime teachings. Mohanji replied back “Yes, this needs to be done.” Encouraged, in November of 2019, I started a Facebook Group dedicated to the ‘Peerless Masters of the Dattatreya Tradition.’ Since its start in November 2019, this group has grown to more than 2250 followers, sharing news and stories about the Dattatreya Masters.

In the spring of 2020, during a Zoom Call with Mohanji Acharyas, Mohanji suddenly asked, “Is Eric there?” When I responded, he asked me to start working on the website for the Dattatreya tradition. Then, with the help of the Acharya Board, an international group of nine Acharyas was formed, and we started working on the documentation of the life and teaching of the Dattatreya Avatars and Masters. Thus, the MyDattatreya website was born. Seeing the success of the ‘Friends of Dattatreya’ Facebook Group, a Facebook Page about the Dattatreya Masters, named ‘MyDattatreya’ followed in the summer of 2020. This Page has now attracted 1348 followers.

Lord Dattatreya with Mohanji, Contemporary Datta Master

SHIRDI 2022

Due to the Covid pandemic from 2020 to 2022, travelling was restricted, and very few events were organized. So, as soon as it was announced that a Mohanji-led trip to Shirdi, India, would be held in December 2022, I decided to attend. It had been a long-standing wish of mine to visit the home of Dattatreya Avatar Shirdi Sai Baba. This was the chance. I also had desired to meet with Devi Amma, a living Saint in Bangalore, and spiritual daughter of Sage Agastya and Mother Lopamudra, and seek her blessings. Fortunately, I was able to combine both visits and was graciously welcomed by Devi Amma during a 30-minute private visit.

When we were speaking about Lord Dattatreya and the Masters of the tradition, Devi Amma shared a very interesting insight. She said that the incarnation of Dattatreya, as the embodied trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, had occurred due to the Divine Mother, the Shakti energy, requesting Supreme Consciousness, Shiva, to take birth as the trinity, so devotees could directly connect with the trinity of creation, sustenance and dissolution. Shiva agreed, and the well-known birth story of Dattatreya enacts this. It illustrates that it was the trinity which visited Anasuya, the pious wife of Sage Atri, during lunchtime while her husband was absent and tested her piety. And it was at Anasuya’s request [symbolizing Shakti] that the three gods agreed to be born to her as the trinity; hence, the child was named Dattatreya [Given Trinity].

BABA’S LEELA

Baba made me do an involuntary parikrama (circumambulation) when visiting Baba’s Samadhi Mandir for the first time in Shirdi. I entered the temple around 4:30 pm and, as is the custom, took off my shoes at the entrance I had arrived at (there are five gates) and placed them in a nearby rack. It was extremely busy in the temple with long lineups, and it took about one hour to complete paying my honours to Baba. By the time I got out, it had become dark, and moreover, I exited at a different location which I did not recognize. 

I had never been to Baba’s temple. This is a large place with buildings and crowds everywhere. It was very, very busy, but I had no choice but to start walking around the temple in my socks, looking for the rack with my shoes. Many different entrances, crowds everywhere, but no shoes I recognized. So, I made another round, and then another, and then another. No easy walking on socks on the very uneven, pebbly pavement. Clumsy and uncomfortable. After about an hour, I became more and more confused and shared my plight with a guard. Actually, three guards [trinity?] and it was the third guard who took pity on me and took me around the temple (again), visiting all places with shoe racks. And there are many! 

Finally, I was ready to give up the search and buy flip-flops for the rest of the trip, assuming my shoes had found a new owner. However, after another half hour of walking around the temple, right at the very end of the search, I spotted my shoes near Gate 3, where they of course had been from the very beginning. I was elated and relieved but also exhausted from circumambulating Baba’s Samadhi Mandir on socks for 90 minutes. Only Baba knows why he wanted me to do a 90-minute parikrama around his temple on socks, but in the end, he had mercy upon me.

SURPRISES

Another interesting and very heart-touching experience happened on the final morning in Shirdi, on the day of my departure back home to Canada. During the previous evening, I had met a group of Mohanji devotees from the Philippines, and we had discussed returning early in the morning to visit Dwarkamai, the place where Baba had sat next to his Dhuni [sacred fire] and receive visitors. I had not been able to find the place yet, but it could be challenging to schedule a visit because to be there at a quiet time, one has to start very early in the morning. And it was going to be a long day of travelling. 

But, surprisingly, I found myself awake and quite alert at 2:00 am, so I decided to make my way to the Temple. I was very happy to see my Philippine friends again; the temple grounds were still very quiet, and we had a wonderful time walking the grounds and spending time sitting and meditating in the Dwarkamai. 

Two notable surprises occurred on that last morning in Shirdi. The first one happened while we were circumambulating the beautiful and graceful Neem tree, still alive, under which Baba had chosen to sit during his first visit after arriving in Shirdi as a young lad well over one hundred and fifty years ago.  He sat there in meditation, rain or shine, and appeared to Shirdi inhabitants as an introvert yogi, having arrived mysteriously from an unknown source. While we circled the tree, suddenly, a few Neem leaves gently whirled down and landed at our feet. Excited and deeply grateful, we collected and shared these few precious leaves from the otherwise bare pavement since they are such a rare and prized possession for Baba devotees!

Next came a really big surprise. While ready to leave the grounds after having spent time meditating in the Dwarkamai, a Temple Guard suddenly appeared from nowhere and handed me a large gift bag wrapped in orange cloth. “Here, this is for you,” he said and walked away. I was stunned and surprised. My friends excitedly said, Oh, look, you have received a gift from Baba! What a blessing!” When I opened the bag, I found it was filled with diverse prasad: flowers, coconuts, fruits, sweets, gift cloth, etc. Indeed, a sweet blessing and departing gift from Baba.

Gift from Baba: A leaf from the Neem tree near Dwarkamai

NADA, THE SOUND CURRENT

We all have different constitutions, unique talents and weaknesses, and unique histories. On top of that, we travel different trajectories towards our shared destination, a complete merger with Supreme Consciousness, also called The Divine or God. Some of us are quick-witted and quick learners; others are sensitive with a great capacity for feeling and compassion. Some of us are visual, some auditory, some intellectual and some intuitive. For me, the journey has never been accompanied by great visual experiences or cinemascopic adventures, although at times I wished it would be like that. Instead, the Divine has come as a cat on quiet feet. He has come as a whisper, an insight, a calm knowingness. While others report remarkable meetings with a diversity of Masters, to me, the Divine Presence, the Master, and Mohanji in particular,  came as a quiet companion, a deep feeling in the heart, a nudge, a wink. Rumi called this Presence ‘The Friend.’ I call it my Companion. It is Consciousness Itself, also represented by Dattatreya.

There is no way we can separate ourselves from Consciousness, nor can Consciousness separate Itself from us, since Consciousness is what we are. We ARE THAT, Consciousness Itself. We are living, breathing and moving consciousness. All talk about Self-Realization is about removing the veil of illusion that we are something else. There is no need to grow into anything, to change anything, or to become something, because we are THAT already. We are Dattatreya.

In essence, we are victims of identity theft, the mind having stolen our true identity. Therefore, it can be said that we are victims of misidentification. We identify ourselves with an illusory personality produced by the mind. The master helps to lift this veil of illusion when our legs are strong and stable enough to carry the weight of our true nature.

My spiritual journey started nearly fifty years ago by connecting with the Audible Life Stream, also known as the Sound Current, Nada or Shabda, the Voice of God resonating through the universes. This sound of creative energy is always with us. It sings through creation in a divine play of creation, sustenance and dissolution. It starts as the primordial sound of AUM and branches into the Music of the Spheres, God’s Voice resounding in His Creation. 

Nada, the audible Life Stream, the light and sound of God

Over time the Sound Current has become my constant companion, a high-pitched eeee, at a slightly different pitch in each ear, merging in the centre of the head. It is the flow of the creative energy, the kundalini through the nadis.

During Dattatreya mantra chanting on Zoom, each Thursday morning at 7:00 am [PT]], at some point, the Sound Current ‘descends’ and becomes a presence that takes over. Hands and feet start tingling with the live energy flowing through the body system. It is like being plugged into a high-voltage electric wire. That is the Sound Current, the presence of Dattatreya.

These chanting sessions are open to all, and participants have reported also experiencing this high energy. By connecting to the chanter and the chanter connecting to the Sound Current, together we are wired to this Divine energy that flows through the universe as the creative, sustaining and dissolving force. The force of the Trinity. The Energy and Presence of Dattatreya.

Om Dram Sri Gurudeva Datta

Humbly submitted at the feet of my Master Mohanji and my Lord Dattatreya.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 4^th May 2023

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 Testimonials team

A new life

By Mimansa Arora, India

On Mohanji’s birthday, I want to dedicate this testimonial in gratitude for whatever he has done for me and all the transformations he has graced my life with. I have gone through these experiences multiple times but never sat down to pen them.

I met Mohanji physically at the end of 2021. However, my journey started in 2020. At the beginning of 2020, I had been through a very turbulent time; much of it was because of my own wrong choices and decisions, putting my faith in people who did not have my best intentions.

I made choices that I never thought I would make. Looking back, I could have handled things better, but it didn’t happen that way. However, my idea of self crumbled – who I thought I was and what I thought I would do. My self-image was destroyed, leading to an absolute lack of self-confidence and trust and no idea what to do. Everything spiralled down even further; I had no idea how to get myself out of the internal state, and the external mess created. 

This went on for a while and got way worse. There was guilt, anxiety, self-pity, self-blame, and a lot of pain, the pain I had caused to others and the pain that was caused to me. I had no acceptance of what was happening and would spend all my energy replaying everything in my mind for a better outcome.

I was always connected to Sai Baba; it depended more upon how much I needed him. However, the connection was always there with him – like a friend. Throughout this time, I would pray to him to help me anyway.

This went on for a while, going from darkness to some light and back to darkness. I was aware of some terms related to spirituality, karma, the law of attraction, etc. Around this time, the lockdown happened, and even though it brought loss to many, for me, it was like some fresh air. I could go back home, away from everything and everyone, and make some changes to the state I was in.

I understood that things, situations, and people were being removed from my life to help me, but still, I deeply drowned in all the emotions of the lower frequency. I was dragging myself through days, relying on guided meditations to sleep at night. My family could sense that something was not right with me, but I was too reserved to share anything. The thought of affecting them added more to the pain and guilt.

My acceptance was too low, and soon, I hit rock bottom. Everything piled up and led to self-hatred; I hated everything about myself, and when my parents would take care of me, I felt unhappy with that too. All I knew was that I needed help and couldn’t continue like this. The idea that I might have to experience more pain in life, just like everyone, scared me deeply.

I could not accept things getting added to the weight that I already had, and the idea that I might have lifetimes more to live was too dreadful. I started looking at ways not to accumulate karma, burn karma, and get out of karma, but I realized that it is not as easy as googling it and finding a solution. Throughout this time, I would share everything with Baba. He made his presence stronger and would send help in all ways, but I would still fall back after some time.

I started watching YouTube videos about Baba and stumbled upon one of the channels dedicated to people sharing their experiences about him. On that channel, I saw videos of Mohanji speaking about Baba. At this point, I was not looking for a Guru, nor did I think I needed a Guru. I simply liked Mohanji’s videos; he spoke simple words with clarity. I watched more videos of him, and one of his videos really touched me and brought about a change.

He spoke about how, no matter what, one should never entertain negative emotions like guilt, hate, and anxiety. Until this point, I believed that one is not truly apologetic if one doesn’t feel guilty and take responsibility for everything happening around them. Once I started accepting his teachings and chose to give up on such emotions, it felt like I could finally breathe. Suddenly I had hope, and slowly with time, the weight of everything became lighter. 

Sometime later, someone recommended the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, although that person had not read it. That book changed my life; the possibility a human can have in one lifetime and the possibility of a technique to get done with everything was too fascinating. There is a part in the book where Kriya is referred to as the rocket technique to liberation that stuck with me. And I understood that this was what I needed. 

After that, I read books about many Masters and their relationships with their disciples. All the books emanate much love. The books really helped me and made me stable, but I was not content with them; I wanted someone to come and guide me in their physical presence. I prayed intently to Baba to send a Guru my way. To make myself eligible, I tried chanting, yoga, and a few different things. All I wanted was a Kriya Guru, and I firmly believed I would get one. I was unsure how long it would take, but I was ready to wait.

I was watching Mohanji’s videos all this while, but I was unsure if he was a realized Master, more so because of how humbly he shared his knowledge and was exceptionally down to earth. My mind had many doubts; how did he get Kriya if he didn’t have a Guru? He did not appear like a typical Guru, and he did not speak like a typical Guru.

There came the point where I looked everywhere and was bombarded with forms of Kriya applications from different Traditions, but I was too low on confidence to make such a big decision by myself. Since Mohanji’s Kriya form was the first one that came my way, I filled it out and sent it with a prayer to Baba that if this is my path and my Guru, let this form get accepted. 

Within a week, the reply came, and the application was selected. It was my absolute faith in Baba with which I accepted and understood that it was Baba’s guidance. After that, my life was never the same; everything fell into place, grace came from all directions, and things started happening in my favour.

I came out of all the negative emotions; they left me totally, so much so that now I can’t even believe that there was a time I lived like that. It seems like a memory of some past life. My relationship with Mohanji took its sweet little time to develop. Many tests happened, too; some I failed to see, some I passed, but he did not leave me through them. 

In the past two years, I have had miraculous experiences, which I will share soon.

I will conclude this one with just one more incident. When I was going home during Covid, I remember feeling uncertain and crying about the life that I thought lay ahead of me. Still, when returning to college, I distinctly remember feeling absolute gratitude for the change that had happened in my life, for the love, grace, and absolute care that I had experienced only because of Baba and Mohanji. 

The transformation was so apparent that even my mind could not deny it. Mohanji truly gave me a new life; he brought me out of self-hate to so much love that it just expressed itself to others around me. There is no way I could see it coming, and there is no way my gratitude can do justice to the grace showered upon me. There is no way I deserve all this grace.

I end this testimonial with gratitude to Mohanji for everything and to Baba for giving me the greatest gift of a lifetime, the presence of a living Master. Mohanji, please always keep me at your feet.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 2^nd March 2023

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 Testimonials team

Walking the Streets of Shirdi with God

by Aditya Nagpal

The Mohanji T-Shirt

Today, I was walking on the streets of Shirdi wearing a Mohanji t-shirt. A monk stopped while crossing me and bowed down to Mohanji’s photo on my t-shirt. I asked the monk if he knew Mohanji. He said yes and added,

“He (Mohanji) is the greatest masiha (messiah) on Earth.”

As Mohanji usually does when encountering strangers, especially monks, I asked him if I could offer him food or if he needed anything. He declined to say he wasn’t hungry but asked me to buy him medicines for pain relief. I took him to a nearby pharmacy, got the medicines and opened my phone to pay using a wallet app. Seeing Mohanji’s photo on my phone screen, he asked to see it. For a long time, he looked at Mohanji’s picture with awe. Then he reverentially bowed down to Mohanji’s picture and said,

“He (Mohanji) is God.”

Mohanji’s picture on my mobile phone screen

Finally, he took the medicines and asked to leave. I bade him goodbye with the customary salutation in Shirdi, “Om Sai Ram”. He looked at me and said, “You don’t have to say ‘Om Sai Ram'”. Looking at Mohanji’s face on my t shirt, he said,

“What you have there is beyond everything. He is God.”

As he left, I stood mesmerised at what had just transpired. Since Mohanji’s accident, this message has been reiterated again and again, “You have no idea who you are with” Probably a direct and strong message from Sai Baba to drive home that point in Shirdi.

Especially what he said, “You don’t have to say ‘Om Sai Ram’. What you have there is beyond everything. He is God.” As if to say, stop focusing on dead Masters’ frames on the wall and miss the One (Mohanji) they sent for us to connect as a living Avatar. Soon Mohanji will also join them on the wall. A warning to ensure that should that happen, we have no regrets and have made the most of that huge blessing of association.

I received a confirmation of this experience when I read the following experience of a Mohanji follower. I had no communication with this person who wrote the post (either before or after). Their experience follows:

This morning at 3am. I was reading Aditya Nagpal’s post of his experience in Shirdi of meeting with a monk who bowed down t Mohanji’s picture on his t-shirt and told him,

“Mohanji is God. You don’t need to look for other Gurus anymore. Mohanji is the greatest masiha (messiah) on Earth.”

I’ve been sharing this post with friends on my messenger. I then messaged S. C., a new Mohanji follower from the Philippines, whom I got connected on FB very recently. I excitedly asked him if he had read Aditya’s post about Mohanji. He told me he woke up just a minute ago and had a dream of Mohanji. The dream was shockingly connected to Aditya Nagpal’s post!

I was in a car with Mohanji and another person that looks like a sannyasi (a renunciate) as he was wearing saffron robes typically worn by renunciates. It seemed like we were going to a supermarket and I was asked by Mohanji to accompany him to buy some groceries. When we arrived at the supermarket parking lot, I grabbed my wallet and took a hundred peso bill from it and gave it to Mohanji as an offering. He smiled and accepted the bill. Then, I took his right hand and did a pagmamano gesture (a Filipino gesture of grace intended to give honor to the elder and ask for their blessing), At first, he seemed hesitant of the gesture. I probably guess because I was already in His presence which is a blessing in itself! He then smiled. As we exited the car, I heard a voice (probably from the accompanying sannyasi) that said: “You are blessed and fortunate to be in the presence of a Brahmamurti (a living image/Idol of God). He is a walking God! You are graced with His darshan (holy sighting).”As we closed the car doors, the dream ended. Exactly when I opened my eyes, I received a chat from Joanna that very minute asking me about Aditya Nagpal’s post on Facebook. Such an incredible synchronicity! I humbly thank Mohanji for granting me his darshan, even if it be a dream… Thank you

In closing, this was a confirmation for me of what Mohanji has always reiterated, “One should spend a lot of time to find the Master that is right for them and is connected to the Source. But once they find the Master, they should stop their searching and focus on deepening their connection with the One they found. Further search, comparisons or lingering doubts will render their efforts futile.” I have always followed that dictum. Alll my altars have only one Master – Mohanji.

My altar at Hyderabad

My altar at Jammu

My altar at Shirdi

Mohanji has summed it up beautifully in the phrase,

“One Master, One Path, One Sytem, One Goal (Liberation).

‘Om Sai Ram’ to all from Shirdi! But wait I have just been told, “What I have here is beyond everything. He is God.” I better stick to ‘Jai Mohanji’!

Note: Mohanji will be in Shirdi this December 2022. Experience His grace in-person or live online. More details on the Mohanji website

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 20^th November 2022

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 Testimonials team

Empowered 5.0 – Towards the Dhuni

By Sanjay Acharya, Canada

After attending Empowered 5.0 personally, I know the true meaning of Empowered 5.0 is: Emotionally, mentally, & physically operating wonderfully even if rejected, ignored & in a disappointing situation. And 5.0 means learning to tune in with all the 5 elements within myself with 0 (zero) expectations & emotions.

Yes, it was indeed the most powerful Empowered program attended in person as I was not at all in the mind frame of attending personally. A couple of times, I said no to my wife, Alpa and my friend, Mahesh, that I was not going to Serbia as I had just returned from India after two and half months of stay there!

But we all know, Mohanji pulls the strings in HIS unique way, which we will never come to know. So one day, during the morning prayers & rituals, the matter went from mind to heart and tickets were booked to Serbia even before registering for the program. 

Serbia is one of the most beautiful countries in the Balkan region, especially after receiving Mohanji’s blessings & empowered by Devi Mohanji’s divine energy. It was a beautiful feeling as soon as I landed there and felt a warm welcome by my Brother – Nemanja, at the airport and then the heartiest welcome by Serbian and Balkan team volunteers at the hotel reception. Thank you, Team! 

And that moment came when Mohanji entered the hall. Suddenly the entire energy of the hall changed with full of love & devotion from more than 200 participants. Everyone stood up, looking at Mohanji with deep gratitude. Personally, tears of joy, love & devotion started flowing down my cheeks! I was near the entrance door, and Mohanji just glanced towards me, and he was so full of love that I started melting right away.

Then the time came to receive a goody bag from Mohanji. I was walking towards the stage with my heart beating faster & faster. Mohanji looked at me and said, “Acharya, good to see you, Acharya.” I could speak only three words, “Thank you, Father.” I wanted to ask him that – from how many people and how much pain you took Deva from that accident. But I could not, and I just took my goody bag and returned to my chair. 

Here I would like to share my experience on Oct 7th, 2022, on the day Mohanji “faced” a car accident. It was morning here in Toronto, Canada. I was at work performing Process Instruments Calibration. Suddenly I experienced chest pain! My BP went up. I was so confused, and I could not understand what was happening. I was experiencing breathing problems too! I was totally blanked out! I stopped work and stood aside. It lasted for a few minutes, and then I became normal, as if nothing had happened. I continued the work. Probably many of us came to know during the Global Volunteer Meet when Mohanji himself informed us about the car accident on Oct 7th, 2022. 

Back to Empowered 5.0…. Mohanji explained the significance of Empowered 5.0 in a simple but very effective way. From the next day, we started meditating with a blindfold. Being a devotional person, I had a vision of Lord Ganesha in purple colours the very first day. I also smelled the jasmine fragrance while I felt was Lord Krishna with Radha. At one point, I could feel Mohanji come near me as I felt the breeze of HIS presence with HIS divine perfume fragrance. I also suddenly experienced Shirdi Baba’s presence, and my eyes started flowing continuously for more than 5 minutes. Indeed, it was a transformative program.

I am writing this after 15 days, and I feel that Mohanji broke one of my biggest hurdles in the path of Liberation, which I have been going through for a long time. It’s a huge blessing that after Empowered 5.0, I also moved very close to following Vegan food habits. It’s again a grace received through attending Empowered 5.0 in person. 

Last but not least, I must say amazing teamwork by all the Balkan volunteers and Serbian team. They all expressed an immense amount of love and care every moment. I offer my deepest gratitude to all of them, but especially to my friends Nemanja and Monika.

Thank you….The journey continues towards the Dhuni (sacred fire) of Dwarikamai….

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 17^th November 2022

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 Testimonials team

My destiny with Mohanji – Part 2

Aditya Nagpal, India

Real shift

My real shift started happening in 2019 during Mohanji’s satsang in Hyderabad. I was a part of the organizing team, and afterwards, there was a huge transformation and a significant shift in my connection with Mohanji. I started seeing Mohanji inside me. This was becoming stronger by the day. I started seeing and feeling Mohanji everywhere. I started connecting to my spine spontaneously. The same year, I attended Kurnool seva (2019) and was fortunate to be with him and spend one night at his Ashram in Bangalore on Guru Purnima. 

I spent three days with Mohanji in Kurnool, where Mohanji shared a story about an old man who really wanted to meet him before leaving the body, and Mohanji fulfilled his wish. I do not remember the entire story, but in the end, he said to the man, “You need to intensify your connection with me gradually.” This was the summary of the story, and this message was so apt for me, “Keep intensifying your connection to me until you completely merge into me.” 

In the seva, we were supposed to serve pilgrims who traveled hundreds of kilometres from Karnataka and Maharashtra to Srisailam, a very famous Jyotirlinga temple in South India. We had to serve them food, and water, provide medical aid and give leg massages. Serving food was fine, but I was uncomfortable about giving leg massages. 

My mind and ego came into play, and I tried to escape doing it. But it did not work, and I was made to do it. I started with a prejudiced mind, but after a few massages, I enjoyed the seva. On return to Hyderabad, I realized that my ego had taken a big hit, because of which Mohanji had gone deeper into my system. 

The same year, there was a Guru Purnima satsang planned with Mohanji in Bangalore. One day in the morning, after meditation, I was looking at Mohanji’s picture and had the urge to attend the satsang. On Guru Purnima day, I reached the venue early and got an opportunity to help with the arrangements. 

After some time, Mohanji arrived at the venue. It was wonderful to see him. I prostrated at his feet. The satsang started, and people asked questions to Mohanji. After some time, Devi Amma also arrived there. My mind went into some other thoughts during this session, and I was not listening to Mohanji. Suddenly Mohanji looked at me and said, “Nagpal, do you agree with me?” This was after he had answered someone’s question. I was dumbfounded. I was sitting at the back, and everyone was looking at me. I said, “Yes, Father.” He did this to bring my mind back to him, and after that, I listened carefully. 

That night happened to be a lunar eclipse night. Mohanji had suggested chanting throughout the night. Somehow, I learned that full-night chanting was happening at Mohanji’s Ashram. Very few people knew this. This was an invitation for me, but I could not decide to go there as I had already booked a bus back to Hyderabad. After the satsang was over, I got an opportunity to help clear up. Mohanji had already left for the Ashram. 

Mohanji Acharya Aishwarya insisted that I visit the Ashram for some time, and then she would drop me at the bus stop. On the way to the Ashram, I got a strong pull to spend the night there. Mohanji and Devi Amma were at the Ashram, and as we arrived, Devi Amma hugged everyone there and left. It seemed as if she was waiting for our arrival. 

This was the first time I went to Mohanji’s Ashram. I cannot describe the energy of that place; it was unimaginable. I stayed back that night to chant. I was a little tired, but the energy there kept me awake all night. Next morning at around 5.00 am, Mohanji came down from his room, looked at me, tapped my chest and said, “Oh! You are here. Good to see you here”, as if he did not know I was there. 

After completing the chanting, we went out for Conscious Walking. I had a wonderful time at the Ashram. This was totally unplanned, but it was indeed his plan. After returning to Hyderabad, I was in a different mode altogether, something I had never experienced before. There were very few thoughts in me. I stayed in this mode for a few days. 

2019 was the year of transformation for me. My connection with Mohanji was intensifying. Serving Mohanji and his mission became my purpose in life. I was doing seva with full dedication. Later that year, I got selected for Mohanji Acharya training (October). I was delighted but couldn’t attend because of passport issues. That disappointed me. I desired to become an Acharya and serve the mission to my best capacity; instead, I got another great opportunity. 

One month later, I was made the country head of India. I was empowered and was allowed to serve the mission, which I really wanted to do. Guess where I was announced as the country head? In Shirdi, when I was with Mohanji! This was another miraculous meeting with Mohanji in Shirdi, which confirmed the oneness between Sai and Mohanji. 

I was deeply connected to Mohanji now, and many things were changing. Still, I used to visit Shirdi frequently to do seva. I planned to go to Shirdi in December for a weekend seva and booked a room in a hotel where I usually stay in Shirdi, right opposite the Chavadi, which is like being in the aura of Baba all the time. 

One day earlier, a Mohanji Family member called from Pune and said she would also be visiting with a friend and needed a room to stay in. It was hard to find a room as it was the weekend, and they had planned only a day prior. So I offered them my room as I am a regular to Shirdi and can easily stay elsewhere. I started looking for another room near the temple, but I could not get one. 

I then tried Jivanta Hotel as I had no other option. When I called them, only the most expensive room was available. I requested a discount on the pricing, and luckily they accepted it. Still, the cost was very high, which made me restless. But was there something behind all this? I reached Shirdi the following day. Someone told me that Mohanji was visiting Shirdi around the same time. I learned that Mohanji was checking into the same hotel that night. I was overjoyed. I realized that this was all arranged by him. But was that it? 

I went for darshan at the Sai temple in the afternoon. After darshan, I went to that hotel to see if my friends had checked in. But to my surprise, the hotel owner said that the room was not available as they had given it to someone else by mistake. I was agitated as this was very unprofessional of them. I was also worried for the two ladies as no other room was available. I went to my hotel and found that both the ladies had gone to my room and were resting. I was relieved. By then, I realized that this was some divine play as Mohanji was also supposed to check into the same hotel. All of us ended up staying there. Luckily, the cost of the room was not entirely upon me now, and I have to confess that it was a big relief for me. We eagerly waited to see Mohanji, who came in around 11.30 pm. 

What a blessing it was to meet and prostrate before Mohanji. I learned that Mohanji’s room was on the 4th floor, and ours was on the 2nd floor. Surprisingly, after searching for his room on the 4th floor, we found that Mohanji’s room was right next to ours. This was an absolute miracle. The next day, we had the good fortune of spending the entire day with him. That day, I was announced as the Country Head of India. Mohanji gave me suggestions and guidelines on how to approach this role. It was huge empowerment!

Usually, in Shirdi, I would spend time in Baba’s aura, but I was in Mohanji’s aura that day. I would stay in Dwarakamai at night, but that night, I stayed next to Mohanji. I felt fulfilled, and there was no need to go for Baba’s darshan. Even while leaving from Shirdi, I would go to Dwarkamai and take Baba’s leave, but I took Mohanji’s leave that day. I firmly believe that nothing can happen in Shirdi without Baba’s will. Baba had indeed sent me to Mohanji.

 After this, I felt that I had found everything in Mohanji. I found my Sai in Mohanji. There was no need to look anywhere else. I was able to see my path clearly, and merging with Mohanji became my only goal. All the distractions dropped off, and the purpose of life became very clear. I dedicated myself to him completely. 

Country Head

In November 2019, Mohanji Foundation CEO Madhusudan called and offered me the role of Country Head of Mohanji Foundation, India. My immediate reaction was that of scepticism; how would it be possible? Mohanji had a deep impact on me by that time, so I accepted the offer after about 30 seconds of thinking. I knew if something had come from Mohanji, he would handle it. I could not attend the Acharya training, but I was given another great opportunity to serve, and I was excited about it.

A Global Summit is conducted yearly around Mohanji’s birthday, in which future plans are discussed. In 2020, it was in Sri Lanka. It was my first Global Summit; the only roadblock was getting leave from office as I had already taken too many that year. But I booked my tickets anyway and left the rest to Mohanji. I did not tell my manager about the holiday and wondered how to go about it. 

A few days before the Summit, my manager called me to his room and said, “The client really appreciates your work, and they want to take you on permanently. So if you are ok, you can join them.” This was a miracle. Not only did I get to join a new company at a higher package, but I could easily avail the leave to go to Sri Lanka as I was leaving the company. My path to go to Sri Lanka with Mohanji was cleared.

I reached Sri Lanka as a part of the Global Summit team. I developed an inferiority complex looking at the other participants there. They were professional with great presentations. I was very new to all this and did not know how to deal with it. During the first two days of the Summit, I did not speak to anyone, thinking I would be judged. But as always, Mohanji knows everything. On the third day of the Summit, he randomly called out my name and teased me in front of everyone. He said, “Speak something; no one will judge you here.” 

As he moved out of the conference hall, he tapped my chest, “Are you open now?” He did that to open me up and remove my inferiority complex. After that, I could communicate easily with others, and my confidence increased immensely. Mohanji removed the blockages within me, which made me free. After this, there were profound moments of deep silence and no thoughts during this trip, which cannot be described. 

During the initial months of my tenure as the Country Head, the Covid pandemic struck the world. As instruments of Mohanji, we had to take up the responsibility of bringing positive vibes to the world during the chaos. I was busy with many activities starting and many volunteers coming forward to provide support. 

I was kept busy in a very positive way. I worked from home alone for more than six months before going to my hometown Jammu in October. As guided by Mohanji, I took up intense early morning sadhana, which helped me stay stable. 

In December 2020, Madhusudan offered me a role in the Global Management team. I gladly accepted it as it was another opportunity to serve, and by that time, I knew Mohanji would handle everything. Now, my role has expanded to the global platform. This role has expanded my horizons as I interact and work with our global family destroying my limitations of being restricted to serving one country.

As I progressed in my role as the Country Head, I realized the reason behind the position. It was done to eliminate a lot of my baggage and take me closer towards my goal of total dissolution. Situations were given, an understanding to handle the situations was given, and it was up to me to implement the teachings and rise above or detach myself from all the situations. It taught me how to deliver without ownership, which I can now observe and accept. I strongly feel that whenever Mohanji gives a task to anyone, he gives us an opportunity to surrender our actions to him. This needs constant practice. The role of the Country Head helped me practice acceptance and surrender in all situations.

With his grace, I am still serving in both roles, but aware that these roles are temporary. They are given to me as per my individual requirement on the path of liberation. When the path is complete dissolution, Tradition arranges everything for you at the right time as per your constitution and capacity. You don’t have to ask for anything, it is delivered to you as per your eligibility, and it could be different for different people depending on the individual constitution. This is why we cannot compare. Our beloved Master ensures that every individual deeply connected to him is moving towards the same goal of complete dissolution. All we need to do is accept whatever is given to us with complete faith and surrender.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 6^th October 2022

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 Testimonials team