My Life – A Gift from Bapaji

The Gift of His Personal Guidance

I have been blessed to receive Bapaji’s personal guidance on many occasions. At Manchester in 2004, He guided me with the vision to return to India for my spiritual upliftment after spending 9 years in USA. In 2005, during His visit to Austin, He lovingly told me that He had come to bring me back to India. He cared not only for me but for my family also. He met my father and assured him that if I did not get food in India, He would send food from His house. This one simple act speaks of such volumes of love, that my eyes become moist as I remember it even today. Who would go to the extent of not only guiding me but also making my family members comfortable so that they wouldn’t be bothered about me moving back after so many years? Eventually I moved back to India and my family supported this decision.

After returning to India, whenever He met me, He would remind me of my spiritual purpose and reinforce in me that the decision to return to India was the right one. Once, we went to seek His blessings on the occasion of my son Ayaan’s birthday, wherein blessing us, He said that coming back to India was the right decision at the right time and that we had left our desires and ego when we decided to come back. He lovingly guided us by explaining that one should not look at the incomplete picture but see the final painting. He said that we may experience ups and downs but it was important to see the final picture.

On January 15, 2007, right after the pratishtha at our house in Mumbai, He gave me a magnificent ajna to follow. He said that right before leaving home or immediately after coming back home, without talking to anyone, I must first go to Param Krupalu Dev and bow down to Him and then continue with other activities. It is such a wonderful blessing, making God the Head of our home and making sure I see Him before I go out and as soon as I come back home. This seemingly small ajna carries such a powerful meaning and transformation in it because it has made me realise that all that I have is because of Him and all that I will have will be because of Him.

The Gift of Purifying Seva

I was blessed to receive the website seva during His Bengaluru dharmayatra in December 2007. It was through Him that I got a wonderful IT seva team to work with, to interact with so many different sevaks of our Mission and learn from them. Seva has been a wonderful tool in giving meaning to my life by serving Him. It is serving as an opportunity to introspect and check if the teachings given by Him are being imbibed in me. In meditation I am with myself but in seva I am with others who will not act the way I want, who have different personalities and this is when I find out how much of His teachings have been put into practise in my interactions. It inspires me to be better by seeing my idol Bapaji, other sevaks of the Mission and their passion for seva.

During the Sevak Retreat 2015, I was blessed to receive an award from Him for seva in the IT department. I was standing in the audience, wondering who would get the award and suddenly my name was announced. At the time, they mentioned that I was jovial in my communication with others. When I went to Bapaji, He asked, “Jovial – when?” Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this moment, not because of the award, but because my heart said even though others might consider me jovial but if He doesn’t, then I will work on it. The best part about the award was the opportunity to touch His holy Lotus Feet.

Once, Sarvarpit Amit Sheth was joking of how I was saying that after coming to India, I didn’t get much personal time with Bapaji. To this He shared that in the first ten years I took from Him in terms of knowledge and spending personal time with Him. Now this was my chance to offer. Such an inspiring guidance indicating that now, my life should be an offering at His divine Lotus Feet.

The Gift of Transformational Pravachans

His pravachans have played a tremendous role in helping me either move ahead on the spiritual path or bring me back on track if I had gone astray.

During the Paryushan Parva 2014, Bapaji had elucidated Patrank-128 from Shri Vachanamrutji. After Paryushan I had a fight with a shopkeeper. At one point, we were shouting at each other. When I came home, I went to the mandir to do Param Krupalu Dev’s darshan and the teachings of Patrank-128 dawned on me – Why did the soul not aptly realise that expressing anger, pride, deceit, greed etc. towards others is wrong? I realised what I had done was not right. I said sorry to Param Krupalu Dev but realised that only this was not enough. I needed to say sorry to the shopkeeper also. I got an ice cream, went to the shopkeeper and told him I was sorry. I took his hand and asked for forgiveness and gave him the ice cream. He was shocked to not only see me but also to receive an ice cream from me. He started smiling and talking to me. This is the power of Bapaji’s pravachans – they not only transform you but also create a spiritual atmosphere around you such that everyone around you feels the fragrance of His grace.

The Gifts of His Blissful Presence

During the USA dharmayatra 2015, I was blessed to be with Him at a few places. These moments were priceless – starting from morning chaityavandan and Guruvandan to attending pratishthas, getting an opportunity to drive Him and having meals with Him. Every moment spent with Him was one to treasure, learn, serve, get inspired, get elevated and to go within. Such moments gave me the chance to see, observe and learn so much from Him, absorb so much of His grace that He became my world and His rajipo became my only goal in all that I did. In the trip, during a Sadguru Udghosh He told Atmarpit Nemiji to take me in seva with him. Just remembering these words again and again is my driving force if I am down. It is my mantra to make sure I lead a life that is aligned with His vision.

I bow down to my dear Divine Grandfather Param Krupalu Dev. In this life, where it is difficult for me to understand the ancient scriptures, He has made things so simple in Shri Vachanamrutji, with beautiful patras that directly connect and guide me. When I was not even inclined towards religion, He saw I needed help and spiritual guidance and sent my Divine Father Bapaji to take care of me. Being blessed to have my Divine Father Bapaji in my life is the best gift I could have received. What can a son gift his father when everything the son has is because of his father? Every step in my journey is dedicated to Him. Every pure thought, each moment of elevation, peace, happiness is because of Him and His guidance, inspiration and teachings. I bow down in gratitude at His holy Lotus Feet for the gift of this blessed life.