The peda

During my student days, i happened to visit Mylapore in Chennai. This area has numerous temples and it was a habit to visit atleast three temples namely the Sai Baba temple, the Srinivasa temple and the Kapaleeshwarar temple. Mylapore was also home to the shopping strips around the Kapaleeshwarar temple. I had a habit of talking to god from childhood and wherever i went, i would silently chat with god to keep me company. I also tested god ever so often to understand if he/she truly existed or it was a figment of my imagination. On one such day when i was in a testing mood, i told Baba that he should give me a peda if he really was around and listening to me. I was accompanied by a friend and as we walked around, the friend suggested that we enter the sweet shop nearby. I accompanied her gladly. She bought several sweets and then finally handed over a peda to me. I was surprised. Did she hear my mental request to Baba? How did she know that i had asked for a peda? I thanked her and most importantly thanked Baba.He proved to me that he had heard me and responded as well.

The Visa Appointment

I had got admission to a US university in 2006 and all that was left was appearing for the visa interview. The visa interview i was told could be dicey. Many persons visa was denied for apparently no reason. I had no need to be apprehensive, as i had not even managed to get a date for the interview. By the time the official confirmation from the University reached me, the visa dates had already got blocked. The earliest available date was November 2006. However i had to reach USA by August. I was in a fix. I was not sure what had to be done. As i asked around, the US Visa Center informed me that they did have emergency visa dates available and i could apply for those. They also told me that the embassy planned to open some more dates to manage the excessive demand. I wanted an interview in June. The Visa office asked me to monitor their website regularly for the additional slots. I sincerely sat in front of the computer and was lucky enough to find a slot for June 4th. I tried booking online, but it failed as the date was no longer available. I rushed in my two wheeler to the US visa booking center that allows a manual booking process instead of using the internet option. In my excitement i speeded at break neck speed that i was almost thrown off my scooty pep. I somehow managed to reach the office in the next 20 minutes. I was afraid that all dates may get booked before i could get to the office. Chennai was one of the most crowded visa processing centers and the largest in southern . Numerous candidates competed for the few slots available. As i parked my vehicle i stopped for a second and prayed to Baba and Swamiji that they somehow help me secure the date for the interview. It seemed impossible but i prayed that Swamiji's grace can achieve everything. I sent this prayer calmly and then approached the visa officer inside. She asked me to fill out some forms delaying the process further. I mentioned to her that i had seen a date of June 4th being available that later became unavailable. She requested me to wait. After ten minutes she said a date was available and for June the 4th. I was thrilled beyond measure. I asked her to book it immediately. Within the next ten minutes my visa appointment was booked and i had a date ahead of friends who had booked three months in advance. The date that had seemed impossible to secure had become readily available with Swamiji's grace. I owe it to Swamiji for making my US education possible. May Swamiji be blessed for all his kindness and compassion.

Transports to peace

I was caught in the middle of the recession in 2008. After graduating in August i was unable to land a full time position in USA. I was depressed since i still had education loans to be paid and time was running out. Despite applying to over 500 companies there was absolutely no positive response. My day started with sending resume' and cover letters and ended with reject letters. Seeing the hundreds of reject letters come my way was a big blow. I had always topped in exams, had never waited for anything for too long and had had my way most of the time in my career so far. This unexpected response shattered me as an individual and as a professional and i started doubting my abilities and capabilities. Given the intense loneliness most people experience in USA, the absolute silence in the residential colony i stayed in and pressures due to US visa rules that gave me a tough time line of 3 months to land a job from the date of graduation i was totally at a loss. Unmindful of how i felt, i kept applying for jobs day and night. At times i felt extremely disheartened and my mind would go spinning into sadness and dejection. The loan amount to be repaid would keep flashing across my eyes. Atleast in India, life would be easier but in the United States it was so much more harder. I lost sleep, my schedule became erratic and i stopped communicating with friends since everyone seemed to have jobs and i had none and i felt like a loser. My mind was raging like an inferno- anger, sadness, frustration alternated every day for 6 months. God was not spared in my efforts. Everyday i wrote to god, prayed to him incessantly so much so that often prayer occupied half my day while the other half went into applications. I prayed to Swamiji a lot. When my mind became unmanageable i appealed to Swamiji to bring peace to me. I prayed a lot asking for peace. Nothing happened initially but as i continued to pray, the third time, a drastic transformation took place. My mind that had been like an angry elephant suddenly was thrown into peace following the appeal to Swamiji. For one whole week, my mind lost all anger and became calm like a lake. I was amazed. The calmness pervaded my whole being and i experienced infinite peace. With a peaceful mind i was able to achieve more and somehow Swamiji took away all my worries as well. I was drowned in peace. What a relief it was! Thank you, Swamiji.

The Doctor of Doctors

As a one year child, I was told that I experienced continuous ill health. The doctor, a well regarded pediatrician in Chennai, recommended performing a medical procedure which was felt as dangerous by the family members. At this point my grandmother, a staunch believer in Swamiji took me to Bangalore and placed me on Swamiji’s lap. She surrendered her grandchild to his fold and pleaded with him to restore health. Swamiji not only accepted the responsibility instantly but also administered a dosage of udhi/ashes to be consumed for a certain period of time. His instructions were followed religiously by my family members. After one month I was taken to the pediatricians’ clinic for consultation. He was hoping to perform the required procedure anticipating rapid deterioration in the child’s health. To his surprise, he found me perfectly healthy. A miracle had happened in the intervening period. The weak child had stopped displaying the previous symptoms, gained sufficient weight and was transformed into a normal healthy, happy child in a span of only 30 days. The doctor shook his head in disbelief and turned around to my grandmother and asked-“Who is your doctor?”-----She smiled and replied---“My guru, Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji”. Praise be to the doctor of doctors, Swamiji!

The flying mala

I was in class 10. I had written the board exams for the first time. I was extremely apprehensive of the results. I had done my best yet was unsure how the results would unfold.I was worried and repeatedly sent prayers to Swamiji. It was 4:30 p.m in the evening. My grandmother was standing outside the living room speaking with our neighbor. My grandfather had just finished his tiffin and returned upstairs. My mother was busy in the kitchen. As i finished my 10th round of prayer or more something unbeleivable happened. I had asked Swamiji for some sign that my prayer was heard and he had taken action. There was a huge photograph of Swamiji in the living room. There were three malas of sandalwood on the photograph. As i finished my prayer and stood looking at the photograph, one of the malas suddenly came alive. The static mala suddenly moved forward and with a terrific force was thrown away from the picture and fell down ten feet away. I was stunned for a moment. There was no external force in operation that caused the movement. I picked up the mala and placed it back on the picture. After ten minutes the phenomena repeated itself. I was dazed. No one else was around to witness this event.My heart told me that my prayer had been heard and Swamiji was communicating to me through the garland falling that action had already been taken. I got a score that matched my expectations. I was extremely pleased with my results.

I bow to Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji for showering his grace and compassion!

The Guru's holy feet

Several years back, Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji appeared in a dream vision. In this vision Swamiji was sitting on a podium with several devotees seated below. As we all waited for the guru to speak, he turned around to me and lifted his feet or padam. As i wondered about the reason, his feet drew my attention. On the feet were divine symbols marked. This included conch and stars. Swamiji put down his feet once a select few of us managed to get this unique darshan. To me he seemed to communicate that he was no different from our Lord Narayana on whose feet are similar markings. It is believed that the feet of the divine are very different from ours and these markings symbolize their celestial nature. The dream vision ended there.

Swamiji lives on

Recently i woke up with a distinct dream. The dream felt more like a vision except for the fact that it was all in black and white. I was accompanying my grandmother and walking down the street in Chennai or Bangalore. As we walk, we are approached by a car, a fiat. As we both wait to see who it was, a devotee of Swamiji alights and informs us that Swamiji is alive. I am indeed very surprised as i have never met Swamiji in real life. I am in fact thrilled and ask him where Swamiji is. I don't beleive him, in fact. As we discuss, he reveals that Swamiji has all along stayed in the house of one of his devotees. While i am still filled with disbelief and enthusiasm, the devotee leaves. Another car arrives shortly and whom do i see but the great master himself alighting from the vehicle. His radiant eyes, supremely calm countenance and an all knowing gaze stunned me for a moment. He got down from the car and stopped in front of me and peered it seemed into my soul. He spoke in a very controlled, calm manner pausing between words. 'So you thought i was gone long before?' he asked. ' What made you think i am not alive?'. ' I have been alive all along and continue to live amidst all of you'. He said. I was speechless. My guru whom i regretted not meeting and speaking to was in front of me in flesh and blood, reprimanding me for my lack of faith in his existence. My heart jumped with joy. Finally i was seeing my guru after all these years. My grandmother is equally excited. She speaks to Swamiji as in old times very gentle, very affectionate and in a friendly manner. Both our hearts are filled with joy. Swamiji gets back into the car and rides away flanked by devotees. I woke up with a clear memory of the whole dream vision. And the heart was filled with immeasurable joy and the mind kept recalling Swamiji's message.

The Guru indeed lives on! We are fools if we think any other way.

Sri Radhakrishna Swaminey Namaha!