A Master's guidance

I work at a museum in Warsaw, Poland, where I organise art exhibitions. Usually I tolerate my job, but at one time it was too much for me. I lost patience with my co-workers and manager.

Whenever I asked Guru for his advice if I could do something, the reply would come, "Yes, if it will not affect your job." This time I wanted to be really clever. I said to myself: "I will not tell anybody and I will not ask Guru for advice, because most likely he will say no to my sweet little plans. I will just say to my manager that I am immediately resigning my job!"

The next morning when I got up, I was absolutely sure that that day I would resign. I felt free and happy. When I came into my office, I sat down at my desk—just to leave my bag and go to my manager. Just then Agraha called and said that Guru wanted me to do something—he explained what it was. At the end he added, quite unexpectedly, "And Guru wants you not to quit your job."

So suddenly my secret and subtle plans had gone with the wind! And again Guru proved to be quicker and more clever than me.

Shaivya (Warsaw, Poland)

In May 1995, Guru came to Paris to give a concert. During a function, Guru asked what was happening with the running store that I wanted to open. At that time, I didn't have the money, but a few months later, I got it and opened the store, "Courez le But Vous Appelle."

In February 1999, Guru came to Paris to give another concert. Guru's running store in Paris was not going very well! I am not a real manager. Guru has always been kind enough to send disciples to be the manager, but they never stay. It seems like a game and I am all gratitude, depending entirely on him. Guru came to the store, and looked pleased and happy. It was so nice to see him there.

A few weeks later some seekers came to the store, and eventually three of them became Guru's disciples. I discovered one of them had been working for a big company for 14 years, reorganizing stores that were not doing well. A few days later, he came to work in Guru's store and we felt a new energy!

Some time ago we had a rather special customer in the store. He seemed like an ordinary customer, and he was not particularly a runner, but he liked the store. At first, around June 1997, he bought a little from time to time, but in the end, around November 1997, he was buying a lot every day, for himself, his family and friends, around $1,000 a week. For me it was Guru's incredible compassion. That December, during the Christmas trip, I spoke to Guru about this man and Guru said this "customer" saw God in me.

Unnatishil (Paris, France)

After one and a half years on the path, I began to consider going back to university. I left my work at one of the divine enterprises and began to clean houses to increase my savings, but I felt lost and miserable. As a solution, I decided to stop each day at noon and pray to the Supreme to show me how to be a more integral part of my Guru's mission. Not even one month later, Nishtha called to tell me that Guru wanted her to open a restaurant and me to work with her. I was shocked and surprised that this could possibly be the answer to my noon prayers.

After a few weeks of searching for a restaurant, Nishtha heard from Guru an "all new plan": she would be the new owner of Annam Brahma. We were to open immediately!

For months I thought I was sent just to help Nishtha get started and soon Guru would reveal my real role, a job at the UN or whatever. One day while cooking at Annam Brahma, I gazed out the kitchen window, praying to Guru to help me. I felt a red thread holding me to my Guru's heart.

Shortly after that, Nishtha was labelling drinks for all the workers and without knowing why, she wrote the initial "P" on my cup. A few days later I received my soul's name, and part of the meaning was "…the thread that links you to the Supreme. Without it there is no consciousness…"

Pranika (New York)

Three years ago I was running a 100 km race. It was very, very hot—extremely and unbearably hot. I was running fast—maybe too fast for this hot and sunny day. During the race everything was quite normal. I just felt a little bit sick in the stomach, but this is not unusual when you are running long distances, so I did not take it seriously.

After finishing the race, I tried to relax in the medical tent, but I became more and more sick. When people asked me questions, my reactions became slower and slower, and my eyes bigger and bigger. My conscious awareness of what was going on became worse. They brought me to the hospital, because nobody really knew what was wrong with me. Seven hours after I had finished the race, my whole body started cramping and I lost consciousness. From that moment on I have no remembrance; I was in a coma.

Afterwards the doctors told me that I had something very unusual, called edema. Water from the body rises into the brain and the brain wants to expand, but because there is no room for it to expand, it stops functioning—which usually leads to death. I was in a coma for three days. They almost operated on my brain, but fortunately, I became better.

The doctors told my husband that there was hardly any chance that I would survive. Guru was informed immediately and said, "Everything will be fine. I am constantly with her. There will be no damage." And he was absolutely correct: I am now fine.

Shamita (Vienna)

When I was a child, I was very dynamic. I used to play the whole day. At that time I had a problem with my heart which I kept to myself. Nobody but the Supreme knew about it. Sometimes I had very severe pain on the left side of my chest. I couldn't breathe properly, so I had to stay calm and inhale slowly and carefully. The pain would then disappear after a few minutes and I would be able to continue my normal breathing.

Once when I was 16 years old, the pain lasted for more than 10 minutes. I was alone and I couldn't breathe. I wasn't afraid, although I thought it might be the end of my life. When the pain disappeared, I started to breathe with great joy, slowly and carefully enjoying every breath. Suddenly, everything became peaceful and I heard a voice saying, "You will live 42 years." I was a boy and that was very far in the future. I forgot about it almost immediately.

Years passed by and in 1983 I became Sri Chinmoy's disciple. In January 1991, Guru told me that he would give me my spiritual name the next time he would see me. During April Celebrations, I was very eager to get my name and felt extremely happy. As the end of the Celebrations approached, I started to feel a weakness. After the function when Sri Chinmoy played on 27 pianos, I felt a little better and went to bed. During the night I woke up to go to the bathroom and the feeling of weakness returned. Later I found myself lying on the floor. I didn't remember what had happened. A disciple from Austria was there and he called another disciple who was a doctor. The doctor told me that I should rest and everything would be better.

When Jagattarini, my Centre leader, heard about this, she informed Guru immediately. Guru just smiled and said, "I know about that. Find a car and take him to the hospital." When I arrived at the hospital they found out that I had internal bleeding and wanted to operate. They asked me to sign a consent for an operation. My first thought was that I had to ask Guru, but the next moment I had a very strong feeling I should sign the consent, so I signed. Then I remembered the words that I had heard from the inner world when I was 16. I wasn't afraid. I just said, "Supreme, if it is Your Will, let it be."

From that moment on I do not know what happened in the outer world, but in the inner world I heard Guru saying to me, "From now on, during the next 36 hours, you have to consciously breathe." I obeyed immediately. After I exhaled, I would often forget to inhale again. In those moments, I would hear a voice saying, "Breathe in, breathe in."

The inner world wasn't pleasant at all. I was in some deserted surrounding. There were no leaves on the trees and the grass was gray. I was surrounded by wild animals that were trying to attack me. Again, I didn't feel fear and I bravely defended myself. At the same time I was sinking in the mud. When I was about to sink completely, I said again, "Supreme, if it is Your Will, then let it be." In the next moment, everything changed and I flew above the mud. When I reached the highest point I saw a beautiful place, unbelievably beautiful. This happened a few times. By repeating the Supreme's name, I flew from the mud to Heaven.

After some time I found myself in a very beautiful place. Everything was like a fairy tale. My friends from childhood were there. I was in a small cottage whose walls were covered with drawers. I had to solve the puzzle. If I succeeded, I would get an award and that would be a beautiful girl. But I didn't want a beautiful girl. All I wanted was to search for God, so I decided to leave that place. As I left the cottage, something forced me to turn back and I saw a beautiful girl looking at me sadly. I said to myself, "Sorry, but I have to follow my own way." I turned and went forward, but suddenly I realised that the cottage represented my own body, the drawers were the states of my consciousness and the girl, my own soul. I realised that I had no need to search anywhere else for God.

The operation was very difficult and lasted about 6 hours. The doctors told me that I was practically dead when I came to the hospital. They also told me that they had heard about Guru and that it was he who saved my life. They told me that it was a Higher Force.

Just as Guru had promised, he gave me my spiritual name. I feel deepest gratitude for the new life Guru granted me.

Tyagananda (Belgrade)