Chasing Miracles……..

Moving around the country and living in many places over a span of thirty four years, the year 2001 saw us finally settling down in Chennai. But then, yet another type of ‘moving around’ commenced. Yes, the travel bug did bite both me and my husband hard and the coming days started seeing us making short sojourns. Mostly to Temples, we had not visited before. A few of these trips were those ‘conducted tour-types’, but most of them saw only both of us travelling.

Our world opened wide and we happened to meet some unique people ; people who had some strange experiences ; people who underwent a sea change after meeting some one ; people who had personal stories to relate, which had held us spell bound. I thought I would share a few of these with my Sulekhan friends; because, I do feel that there are quite a few here who, like me, love to hear about miracles and unconsciously chase them or dream about them. Of course, there are few who would also say, “Give me a pagan any day.” (Ha! Ha! Ha! Are you reading this?)

In November 2006, we took off on a “Conducted Tour” trip to Shirdi  along  with a group of people, all strangers. During the train journey, we started chatting away, exchanging notes on our travels. The tour included Shirdi, Shanishingnapur and Ranjangaon near Pune.

A couple and both of us started discussing about certain temples and subsequently the topic invariably switched over to music since the lady turned out to be a Carnatic Vocalist. The lady then related to us this incident in her early life.

“I was just eight then. My mother and I had gone over to a house, which an evolved Sage was visiting . It was six in the morning and the Holy person was expected to arrive by half past seven. We stood in the front row and slowly the crowd was swelling. It was past eight and no sign of anybody’s arrival. I was beginning to feel hungry and started pestering my mother, asking her to take me back home. At that age, I could never understand the significance of spirituality or divine persons. Meanwhile, we had got pushed behind. I was very hungry, angry and impatient. Then…He arrived. The crowd surged forward and then stood still. He asked them to make way and l could see that He was looking towards me. He came near me. I stood staring at Him. He asked me, “Very hungry, are’nt you?”

I nodded. He asked me to open my palms and hold them together.

He asked me what I wanted and I said sweets. He held His right palm above my cupped palms and there was a steady fall of sugar-candy from His palm. When my hands were full, they stopped. I thought, “This person has filled up both my hands. How am I going to eat!! He smiled at me, “You are wondering how to eat when both hands are full?” He took one candy and placed it on my  tongue and blessed me. Everyone was saying that I was a blessed person. I was not very sure of all this fuss.

Well. No one in my family, mother’s or father’s side, sings. They appreciated good music but no body had a good voice. No body was interested in learning music. It so happened, that particular morning, after listening to some Bhajans sung in front of that  Swamiji, I came home and was surprised to realise that I could  recall and sing those Bhajans. The Shruthi was perfect and the songs came out well and I wanted to learn music. Everyone was surprised. Later , Music was my subject in college. I started giving tuitions in Music. I also started giving concerts on All India Radio. Once, while sitting and singing in my Pooja room, I could see flakes and dust of gold floating around …..”

Oh! Was I awed!!

We still keep in touch with this couple.

Then, there was this lady, who was one of the group travellers on our trip to Pandharpur. She was the Correspondent of a school established by her father in law (she took up this responsibility after the demise of her husband, who was in the Central Government Service, holding a very big post).While at New Delhi, they had to attend a felicitation function and one of those who were on the stage was a Swamiji(He is no more).Her husband was an agnostic while she was a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesha and had a yearning to have darshan of as many divine souls as she could. She said she used to do an elaborate Pooja after her husband left for office. This lady and her husband were on the dais too and while getting off the stage after the function, she moved towards the Swamiji (She had read a lot about Him and had been wanting to see Him, but was silent about the whole thing as her husband had no faith in any evolved souls); the Swamiji stopped her and gave her an apple and blessed her. She was stunned and thrilled as He told her, “Your Lord Ganesha has been telling me that you will be here today.”  The apple broke open and sacred ash started coming out from the slit apple. The men and women who had come for the function started taking the ash from her, till the ‘upset’ husband dragged her away and ushered her into the car.  She was saying that to this day, Ganesha helps her out in so many ways.

In the same group was a family of five, who became quite close to us, as we were accommodated in the same vehicle – a Qualis, (after getting off the train at Sholapur )taking us to Pandharpur. Two brothers, their wives  and a sister. The elder among them was in his mid seventies. He had a story to relate too.

“While I was working I got interested in dramatics and we formed a group and started staging Plays. They were, most of them, lives of great people or plays with some message. The troup was quite popular and certain plays would see a lot of repeat performances in various cities and even in villages. Once the Director wanted to stage a drama on the life of Swamy Raghavendra and asked me start working on the script. I used to write the scripts for the Plays and  don the major roles too. I did not know anything about the Saint except a bare outline of His life. This was much before Rajnikanth’s movie on the Saint was released. I was seated out on the verandah of my home, which opened out to the street. It was past ten in the night and everyone had retired to bed. I was seated there, wondering how I was to go about it, whom to approach for information etc. ,when an elderly person was coming from the other side of the road. He asked me, “Oh! You want to know about the Saint” and started telling me a volley of things and then walked off. I sat then and there and kept writing and I had written all the dialogues. I got up in the morning wondering whether it was all a dream, but saw my manuscript. I acted the Saint’s role. The Saint became a part of my life. The play was staged all over India and more than hundred times. After I retired from service, acting stopped too, but I had started visiting Mantralaya regularly. Then..this happened. About fifteen years back ,  I had a heart attack . Immediately I was hospitalized and the doctors who examined me said that I have to undergo a by-pass surgery. The date was fixed  as the next morning. Here I was in bed, something that I have never done…I lost sleep and was praying to Shree Guru Raya and dozed off. In the middle of the night, I felt the presence of somebody near my bed. As I opened my eyes, I could see the orange robe and the smiling Saint. His hands were rubbing my chest. He then told me, “Go back home tomorrow morning. You don’t need any surgery. Take medicines alone. That is enough.”  He vanished. I could sleep no more. There was awe and joy in my heart. Early in the morning, I brushed my teeth and wore my dress and as the nurses and the Doctors came to wheel  me into the theatre, I told them I was leaving. The doctors were furious. My siblings and wife and children were very cross with me. I stuck to my decision. I went home. To this day, I am just eating some tablets. I have not had any slight discomfort too. I keep going to Mantralaya.” He had a great voice and sang a few songs, mainly Abhangs and we had a very soul-satisfying trip. Should I say that we too, both of us, went to Mantralaya within the next two weeks ?

Once we were travelling from Trivandrum to Bombay by train. The co- passengers turned out to be a nice North Indian couple. He was a highly placed Research Scientist with the Defence  Ministry, and had travelled widely and was relating interesting anecdotes. A very religious gentleman he had met some unusual persons on visits to Arunachal Pradesh , Badrinath, Rishikesh etc. It was wonderful, listening to him, as he explained the scientific reasons behind a lot of things people cast away as superstitions!

He said that on one such trip to Manali, he met a Swamiji on the hill slopes. It was winter and it was snowing. This Swamiji was bare bodied except for a thin cloth covering his body. He looked a very ‘unusual’ person, the scientist told us.

“Something drew me to Him. I went close to Him and did a pranam. He asked me to sit. I just sat there looking at Him. I did not feel like asking Him anything. He then told me all of a sudden,

 ‘Stop saying the Gayathri Mantra while you are driving a vehicle.’

I was stunned. How did He know that I have this habit of chanting while driving the car! He said nothing more. Just raised His hands and blessed me. Believe me,I have tided over some very difficult situations after meeting Him.” This gentleman also told us that Arunachal Pradesh is a very beautiful place to visit and experience. “Rudraksha trees, on either side of the river and the Rudraksha seeds will be scattered all over. There would be  hundreds for you to pick.” Ah! Wish I could visit this state.

There are many more such incidents I keep hearing and marvelling at.

I remember anticipating some incidents like this to occur during our sojourns to various places. When you expect or keep looking for it, it does not happen, they say.

Thinking deeply about this, I find that Miracles are taking place; but we are unable to recognize them.

The mere fact that we are able to cast aside all the bad and sad experiences that have shaken us - is a Miracle.

When we are able to go ahead, leaving behind us the ‘hurt’, people have thrown at us - that is a Miracle.

 When we reassert ourselves after a tragic situation that could have made us insane and go along the life’s path with courage and acceptance - that is a Miracle.

When we are able to laugh off all the insults and have no bad taste lingering with us - that is a Miracle.

If we are, in short, able to experience peace and calm, with all the turmoil around us-- that is the biggest Miracle that can happen! 

Many more such incidents are there..perhaps I will post them some other time.

(Pssssss… The last paragraph is just what you call, an auto-suggestion  --a gimmick. I am an incorrigible and incurable dreamer and am still looking out for those extraordinary happenings, each time I travel to some place. Given half the chance, I’d take off to Kolli Malai, Chathuragiri or the Himalayas !! !)

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