My Bulava

In 2005, when I was planning a trip to India a friend insisted that I include Shirdi in my plans. At that time, I did not know anything about Shirdi Sai Baba except that he was a saint. I was very reluctant to go as I was only there for a short visit and wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible.  I also felt I had to go as I had been firmly directed to do so, and didn’t want to end up with a lifetime of regret if something bad happened. Reluctantly, and not without a little anger, I agreed to go just this once.  Little did I know this was my “bulava” (calling).

When I got to Mumbai I found out that my brother had already arranged a private car and driver.  My sister and nephew joined us (including my husband and two sons), and the drive provided some of the best one-on-one time I had with my sister in years. When we were about to reach Shirdi, all of a sudden tears started rolling down my eyes and I said to myself “Baba I am coming”.  Never before in my entire life had I experienced this kind of emotion before visiting any temple. One amazing thing is that it was Baba’s Maha Samadhi divas when we first landed in Shirdi and I am starting this blog post on the same day, 11 years later.

I had another weird experience in Samadhi Mandir.  One of my friends had asked me to offer a red shawl to Baba and bring it back after offering. I agreed and when we approached the altar for darshan and gave the shawl to the priest for offering, the priest offered it, and when returning it to us another devotee just took it from his hand. I just stood there dumbfounded and at that moment, I instantly said in my mind, “Baba, look the shawl is gone, I need to take it back to my friend”. As soon as that thought came to mind, the priest asked that gentleman to return the shawl to me.  He did so and apologized for it.

Soon after returning from the trip, my husband and I noticed that the level of anxiety and worry in our minds had reduced.  We were experiencing peace of mind that we hadn’t ever experienced.  At that point we got involved in seva and found ourselves moving down the bhakti path with Baba.

Two years later, in 2007, Baba arranged us to meet a guru who over 5 years, taught us Vedanta, moving us down the Jnana path.  Our beloved guru Rita Nayar, who recently passed away at a very young age of 60 years due to ALS, was a remarkable and inspiring individual. She patiently and loving taught us Gita and Vedanta at her home.

It feels more and more as though we are now living in a different dimension and have gained tremendous inner peace and courage to face anything in life. In the past any little thing would upset and bother us, but now even if faced with very difficult circumstances, we find ourselves able to cope.  We have firm faith in Baba that he will take care of us that whatever challenges we are faced with shall pass. They eventually always do.

We feel so blessed that this trip to Shirdi propelled our journey on a spiritual path. I cannot thank my friend, Shammi Chopra, enough for introducing me to Baba. I am often amazed how since our first visit to Shirdi in 2005, Baba is guiding us every step of the way on the path of spirituality.

Om Sai Ram.