At my parents’ house in Punjab, India, I had my first brief Darshan of my Guru-Swami Mohandas Ji three decades ago. I didn’t understand much about the importance of a Guru or who a Guru is. To me, he was a saintly being to be respected, just as any other saints. I touched his feet for his blessings, as is customary in Hindu tradition, and he put his hand on my head, which I took as a gesture of his blessing. Our family respectfully addressed him as ‘Maharaj Ji.’
Before Maharaj Ji’s darshan, I had an opportunity to be blessed by the darshans of numerous other saints, so having darshan of Maharaj Ji was just like being in the presence of any other saint.
However, a few weeks later, the next darshan of Maharaj Ji in his Jalandhar (Punjab, India) ashram had an indelible impact on me.
I witnessed a few unexplainable!! The three inexplicable intriguing miracles, the unexplainable loving and peaceful energy emanating from him, and his answer (or no response!) to my questions put me squarely on a focused spiritual route.
A few years later, I started to have frequent Divine Experiences with my Kundalini awakened (although I had no idea or knowledge of what was causing the experiences, these were even Divine Experiences).
I then realized who Maharaj Ji is, what a Guru is, and who indeed a Satguru is. I realized that he is living among us but beyond mortal time and space. I saw him merged with All That Is. I felt his Divine Grace and purest of indescribable Love flowing to all without any conditions!
I witnessed myself and heard from others that he appeared simultaneously at different geographical places in his physical form to be with his loving devotees, bless, heal, and protect. Similarly, he’d appear visible to some and invisible to some within the same time and space.
Solid matter (food, dry fruit) would multiply or shower out of nowhere for all in his presence.
Nothing was hidden from him, although he would pretend that he didn’t know. His acting was not an ordinary being’s pretending. His every gesture and every word had a Divine meaning and purpose.
His divine Love enveloped everyone and met each person at the level they were. He’d talk about politics or other mundane daily routine life topics with people if that is what they could engage in with him, and at the same time, he’d sing and talk about the highest of the paths to Self/God Realization for those who could understand that.
No one ever left without food or having eaten some ‘prasad’ that came to have this darshan!
I witnessed Lord Hanuman appear in him. Many non-believers and atheists who, having heard of him, visited him to argue with him or insult him. Instead, they experienced themselves instantly transformed into lifelong devotees when they had darshan of Lord Hanuman himself sitting in place of Maharaj Ji.
He would demonstrate the humility of the most humble beings on the planet, yet he was the King of Kings in that humility.
Again, I witnessed thousands of others at many different times and places how it could rain or stop raining at his wish if needed.
In his younger years, he did numerous years of hard yogic penance and austerities in the thick jungles and caves of Rajasthan, India. All these places and his Ashrams are centers vibrating with Divine energy for anyone to experience and be blessed.
He’s the perfect yogi. Sri Sri 1008 Mahamandelshwar Yogiraj Mohandas Ji Maharaj.
Maharaj Ji has written and published a few books, mainly “Mun Ka Swaroop,” written in Hindi. It is one of the books that one could read daily for decades and find a new meaning every time!
There is not enough space or time to cover all that is Maharaj Ji (or lovingly called by many as Baba Ji). I listed a few of his Divine qualities that drew me and have drawn multitudes of seekers to Maharaj Ji on their journeys in their pursuit to cross this ocean of life.
Many of his videos, 100+, of various bhajans, kirtans, ghazals, discourses, pilgrimages are available on Youtube, and one could subscribe to his channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/MrSanjaySony/featured
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुर्गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुरेव परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥१॥
1.1 Gurur-Brahmaa Gurur-Vissnnur-Gururdevo Maheshvarah |
1.2 Gurure[-I]va Param Brahma Tasmai Shrii-Gurave Namah ||1||Meaning:
1.1: The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, Guru Deva is Maheswara (Shiva),
1.2: The Guru is Verily the Para-Brahman (Supreme Being); We bow down to that Guru.
Eternal gratitude to such an enlightened Guru,
Ritu
