Recollections from webook:In the presence of Divinity

[Guest guest]

Dear One,

The following great experience was narrated by Fyzool Mohammed, Toronto, Canada.

Jaya Guru Datta

With Best Regards,

Peesapati. Lakshmi Prasad

Hyderabad

It was July, 1993 and a Saturday morning - I was driving on Highway 401 West to a residential address in Mississauga, a small satellite city bordering western Toronto. I had heard a new Guru, a Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji, was in town, and I wanted to check out the situation. I was a bit sceptical about this Swami because I had not heard or read of Him before.

 

Back in 1984, my wife and I had our first exposure to the Guru Tradition - of Spiritual Masters, Enlightenment, and the Spiritual Life. In the ensuing years, many beautiful summers were spent in the Catskill Mountains with Gurumayi Chidvilasananda of Siddha Yoga. Our hunger to know more about the Great Masters and theirTeachings had become insatiable, and we gobbled up every spiritual book we could lay our hands on. We did not miss the darshan of any renowned Guru or Saint who visited Toronto; but somewhere deep inside, we did not feel any binding connection. We were beginning to believe we were not yet ready for a Spiritual Master; perhaps we would never be ready in this incarnation.

 

It was about this time that we were informed of Swamiji's visit to Toronto. We had reservations about attending but, at the same time, we did not want to offend our friends who had extended this invitation. It was agreed that I would attend the Saturday morning program and checkout this Guru with the wild beard and rock-star skills on the synthesizer. So there I was, on my way.

 

As I approached the address, my analytical mind was on high alert and cautious. Cars were parked on both sides of the narrow residential street. People with brightly coloured sashes hanging over their shoulders or tied around their waists were moving hurriedly about, some naked from the waist up. These were warning signs, but the thing which triggered my panic button were the multi-coloured flags which lined both sides of the driveway. The mind's immediate reaction was "cult"! I drove right past the house, turned around and headed back home.

 

On my return home, I did not want my wife to know I had panicked. I told her I could not find the address. I confessed the truth to her later that day, but after I described what I had seen, she herself became just as leery. Yet, there was something in us which would not let the matter rest. We talked about it all evening, weighing whether or not we should attend the next morning program in Brampton. We eventually decided that we would, for our friends' sake, go to the "Musical Concert for Meditation and Healing" the next evening.

 

We did not know what to expect. We arrived early, found good seats, and looked at the frenzy of activities on the stage while people slowly filled the hall. Then someone announced that Swamiji had arrived. And there He was - entering through the stage back door and walking to the synthesizer table set up on the middle of the stage - a Being in a strange pink outfit and a loose black beard reaching past His chest. As He sat there fine-tuning the synthesizer and giving instructions to the accompanying musicians, I was keenly observing Him - observing every movement of body, of arms, of fingers, of eyes, and I knew immediately that such graceful movements could only happen to a Being who was totally relaxed and fully alert. At that moment, I knew I was in the presence of Divinity. All barriers dropped.

 

I have always been a lover of music and have a special passion for Indian music. There is, however, an experiential difference between listening to recorded music and live music. A live concert is a living force which can penetrate your very being and bring about a state of awareness where there is only listening. I fell immediately in tune with Swamiji's music. An energy field of peace and quiet was beginning to fill the hall. I listened attentively as he spoke about the healing principle of ancient Indian Ragas - how the ancient sages of India discovered the relationship between sound and the natural laws of the universe and the human body, and created a system of Ragas through which music was used to promote physical and emotional balance and healing.

 

I began to silently pray to this Master. You see, for several years I had suffered with prolonged periods of a severe skin disease. I had seen the best specialists in Toronto, but outside of medication which helped to give temporary relief, none was able to heal this illness permanently. The constant itching and the regular need to apply medication in most sensitive areas had brought about a state of hopelessness and, in its wake, severe depression. At that time, another bout of psoriasis was appearing, but I had decided not to return for medication. I asked this Guru for His help, and with the tears flowing, and as best as I could manage, I allowed my mind to merge with His music. I imagined waves after waves of the beautiful melodies washing through my body, cleansing, purifying and healing me. The body and mind relaxed in a wonderful experience.

Then an astonishing thing happened - amidst a cascade of ever-increasing drum beats, Swamiji entered the audience with a huge crystal wand, moving slowly amongst the people, and occasionally He would touch a forehead with the crystal. He went past me, turned around and stopped for a moment, came back and touched my right shoulder with His hand. I was taken by surprise! It felt like a quick flash of static energy coursing through my body. I was dumbfounded! Swamiji returned to the stage and the music continued, but this shock-like state remained for awhile. The connection with my Spiritual Master was made. The next evening, my wife and I took initiation.

 

Several weeks had gone by, and we were beginning a relationship with the Datta Yoga Centre of Canada. I had not been using any medication for the psoriasis and noticed the sores were healing on their own. Soon they were gone and did not return for about two years. I used to get them about every six months before I met Swamiji. When they did return, there were just a few small areas which quickly healed on their own. By then, we were listening regularly to a collection of Swamiji's music and bhajans.

 

Now we are in the year 1999, and this skin disease has not returned. I have no doubt that it is completely gone, healed by Swamiji's Grace flowing with His Divine music. I am indeed deeply grateful and thankful to Beloved Gurudeva for removing this disease.

 

In November of 1996, I was beginning to experience tightness in the chest area. It was intermittent, and since I am prone to lung infections, I thought it might be just a respiratory problem setting in. I decided to visit the doctor just in case. He found it was my heart and it was serious enough to need immediate attention.

 

The last few years have seen a severe decline in the quality of health care services in Canada because of deep cutbacks in government funding. Reduction in hospital beds and professional staff resulted in dangerously long waiting periods for critical medical attention. Bearing in mind this medical climate, the events which unfolded in my situation showed without a question of a doubt that Swamiji was the invisible Puppeteer.

 

My doctor called the hospital and arranged for my arrival in the emergency department. Within a few minutes I was given a bed in the emergency cardiac area - unusual. The heart specialist on call was in the hospital at that time, and my doctor was able to speak to him directly and without delay - accidental? Within minutes he was down to check me and ordered certain tests - again unusual. In less than two hours, I was hospitalized in the coronary care unit to wait for a cardiac angiograms - unbelievable; first, there were others who had been in the emergency department before me and had to wait about six hours before being transferred to coronary care; second, unless it was a critical case, you would be sent home with appropriate medication and appointments for different tests and, eventually, for cardiac angiograms.

 

I was scheduled for a cardiac angiograms in seven days and was transferred to the coronary disease ward. Two days later there was a cancellation, and I was slotted in - there were many in the ward who were there before me and whose problems were far worse than mine. How do I explain this? The angiograms test disclosed a partially blocked artery and angioplasty treatment was prescribed. This treatment could only be done at another hospital, and the waiting period was about eight weeks. At this point, most patients are sent home with medication and an eight-weeks-later appointment. My cardiac specialist decided to keep me in the hospital just in case an opportunity should arise where I could be slotted in earlier. The patient next to me, whose case was far more serious than mine, was sent home to wait his eight weeks. Yes, I felt a bit guilty but I knew this was the working of Swamiji.

 

I had set up a small pooja area on the wide windowsill next to my hospital bed. I had a picture of Swamiji, a flowering plant and the Guru Gita text. I continued my morning spiritual oblation to Gurudeva, read a portion of the Guru Gita, and offered a fresh flower. My walkman was in continuous use filling my consciousness with Swamiji's mystical music and bhajans. It was December and Christmas was not far away. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be spending Christmas in the hospital.

 

Then, to my utter surprise, nine days later I was informed that I would be on an ambulance to the other hospital early next morning for the angioplasty. No explanation was given and, until today, I still do not know how this opportunity came about. Every step of the way I had been given priority attention, as though some invisible force was directing the events in my favour.

 

It was late in the evening when I was informed. I thought I would offer fresh flowers in the morning to Sri Swamiji but did not have any. I called my wife to inform her of my good luck. She was very happy but it was too late to bring flowers. She said she would offer flowers at home. That night sleep was not sound. I had never had surgery before. I am not good at handling physical pain, and there was the fear of the treatment failing. I found myself doing a lot of Mantra Japa. I woke up earlier than usual, visited the bathroom and was about to perform pooja when I noticed that a fresh flower from a flowering plant I had placed next to the pooja was sitting in front of Swamiji's picture. I was taken aback! There was no possibility of it dropping off. These flowers were so intact that one would have to use some force to break them off the stem. I was mystified and filled with awe. The Master Himself had fulfilled my desire! I knew for certain He was with me and would be all

the way.

The shock of this experience brought in its wake a serenity in which all fear and worries disappeared. Angioplasty with a stent inserted in the artery to keep the blockage open was performed successfully that day.

 

This whole process, from beginning to end, took seventeen days for me - a process which was normally taking an average of two and a half months as hospitals struggled to reduce their budgets. Who knows what could have been the consequences for me if I had been sent home to wait as most people were? There is no question that Gurudeva's Compassion was with me and His Grace was ever protecting and taking care of me during those seventeen days.

Thank You, Beloved Master.

 

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