Fond memories of bliss – Part 47
Numerous people come to have our Guru Maharaj’s darshan. More often than not, they have unfulfilled prayers in their hearts and wishes that have not borne fruit for long. The reason for a prayer not being fulfilled in spite of putting in sincere efforts is the fact that it falls short of grace. The moment they have Sri Swamiji’s blessings, their wishes get fulfilled automatically. When Mahatmas give words of benediction, they are not merely words that flow from their mouth; it is indeed divine grace that descends in the form of those words. It is said that when words flow out of the lips of a Mahatma, the entire cosmos orchestrates itself to make those words come true.
Here are a few incidents to illustrate this fact…
During the first week of April, Sri Sri Swamiji visited the southern districts – Madurai, Sivakasi and Tuticorin. Tuticorin, which is known for its pearls, is known to us better as the city of Nama-Pearls – ‘Nama Muthu Nagar’. The residents’ love for Nama and our Guru Maharaj is beyond words.
A few months ago, when Sri Swamiji visited Tuticorin, a lady-government officer came to have Sri Swamiji’s darshan, after having heard about the wonderful changes that have taken place in the lives of people due to the Mahamantra and the grace of our Guru Maharaj. When she had our Guru Maharaj’s darshan, she told Him that her jewels and other valuables had been stolen from her house. She prayed for the recovery of her ornaments. After having patiently listened to her woes, Sri Sri Swamiji simply said, ‘You will get your valuables back’.
This time, when Sri Swamiji went to Tuticorin, a mass prayer was organized by the devotees. As it is usually the case, devotees came forward to narrate their experiences. This lady came up to the dais and narrated her experience. The happiness in her heart was evident in her face, as she said with a beaming smile, ‘Just as Sri Swamiji said, even after so many days had passed, the thief was caught and I got back all my ornaments through the court!’
Mr. Zivan Prakash and Mrs. Yamini are long time devotee of Sri Sri Swamiji. The couple resides in Chicago, USA with their little one, doing Guru kainkarya. Recently, Mrs. Yamini wished to have her parents travel from Chennai to Chicago during April-May so that they would be of assistance to her. Fortunately, her parents already had US visa. But, only later did they notice that her mother’s passport had expired and had to be renewed. They had given the passport to a travel agent for renewal, and after weeks of holding it, he returned it to them without renewing it.
There was not much time left and everybody told them that they could safely forget their travel because renewal was close to impossible given the very short timeframe. They approached Sri Swamiji with prayers of making their travel possible. Sri Sri Swamiji, in a very casual manner, asked them to go ahead and apply, and said that they would get it.
The next day, Mrs. Yamini’s father went to the passport office. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise for him when the official (whose name, by divine coincidence happened to be Murali) let him inside right away (which, otherwise is a lengthy process involving a laborious wait) and meet the passport officer without any appointment! The entire family rejoiced in gratitude when the passport was renewed the same day!
Ekadasi is a golden opportunity for many a devotee. Rain or shine, be it a holiday or a working day, devotees make it a point to come to Madhurapuri Ashram from far and near, as, it is a day, when they can enjoy the Divine Couple Sri Madhuri Sakhi Sameta Sri Premika Varadan in all their glory during Tirumanjanam and Puja, and at the same time, have Sri Swamiji’s darshan. On this day, Sri Swamiji patiently lends His ears to every devotee present.
During the last Ekadasi (on Saturday, April 10th), when Sri Swamiji was thus patiently listening to devotees, one person came to Sri Swamiji. He did not seem to be a familiar face. As he spoke to Sri Swamiji, he said, ‘I casually attended your mass prayer on January 1st at Sri Vivekananda School grounds in Chrompet. During the discourse, you threw a challenge – You said, whatever the audience wished in the name of Nama will happen – take this as a challenge from me and chant.’
He continued, ‘Buying a house of my own has been my cherished desire. The house next to where I live came up for sale, but I did not have enough money, and the cost was way above the loan that would be sanctioned to me. Buying that house was simply impossible and eventually, I lost it to another buyer. When I attended the mass prayer, I wanted to try out your challenge. So I sincerely chanted the Mahamantra during the mass prayer, wishing to buy the very same house. To my surprise, within a week, the new owners of the house approached me on their own accord – they were willing to sell the house to me! I couldn’t believe my ears! And above all, they were quoting a price which was well within my loan-limits! Today I am a proud house owner, thanks to Nama!’
Sri Swamiji gently smiled, expressing His pleasure at the gentleman’s conviction and faith in the Mahamantra. Prayers powered by Mahamantra are indeed extra-ordinarily powerful, aren’t they?
