Cherished Memoirs 35

This series chronicles interesting experiences recounted by the devotees of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. These articles are translations from the series, “Madhuramaana Mahaneeyar” that is published every month in Madhuramurali Tamil monthly magazine. This original article was written by Dr. Bhagyanathanji, Personal Secretary of Sri Swamiji.

Destiny Rerouted in NZ!

With the blessings of Sri Swamiji, for the past five years, devotees from twenty countries all around the world have been performing Global Nama Relay (chanting of the Mahamantra) on the first Saturday of every January. Details about this were published in our last Madhuramurali issue.

Well, how did this event take birth?

Mr. Venkat and Mrs. Kavita Venkat, a devotee couple from New Zealand, spoke to Sri Swamiji about a beautiful little desire they had and by his grace it turned into the Nama Relay. In Auckland, New Zealand, it is this couple who bring together the G.O.D satsangs and perform Nama service. Mr. Ravi and Mrs. Padma Ravi are their close friends. Mr. Ravi is highly virtuous. He is an ardent devotee of our Ashram’s Kanyakumari Sri Jaya Hanuman and our Sri Swamiji.  He also, without fail, participates and serves in New Zealand G.O.D. satsangs.

Mr. Ravi came to the mass prayer held on the Kalpataru day January 1, 2015 at Ambattur Vivekananda Vidhyalaya, for his first darshan of Sri Swamiji. Mr. Ravi stood within the precincts of the school looking at the thousands of devotees gathered there and thinking ‘it is indeed my great fortune that I have earned the opportunity to chant Nama along with the devotees and Sri Swamiji.’ Even in that huge crowd, Sri Swamiji, while walking up to the stage, called him up and blessed him with personal darshan. Mr. Ravi keeps saying that he can never ever forget this.

Mr. Ravi’s only son Jayasimhan, though he grew up in New Zealand culture, also has great attachment to our Indian values. We are now going to read about this youth who is always eager to help others.

At Sri Swamiji’s behest, at the time of my visit to inaugurate Australia Namadwaar, satsangs were conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua Guinea in November-December 2015. Jayasimhan participated with great enthusiasm in all the events that took place through the week at Auckland, New Zealand. It was vacation time after his school final examinations and he actively served in all these satsangs. For five consecutive days, with Sri Swamiji’s kirtan ‘Kaliyaiyum bali kollum’ as the basis, discourses were conducted under the title “Bhagavata Dharma – the Path for All.” At the end of it a mass prayer was conducted.

During this mass prayer, all the devotees stood in front of Sri Swamiji’s divine picture, chanted Nama wholeheartedly and submitted their prayers. At this time Jayasimhan prayed that he should pursue medical or dental studies. His father too placed the same prayer request. Mr. Ravi also requested me to place the same prayer to Sri Guruji in person, on behalf of Jayasimhan.

Does not our Guruji advocate that prayer through Nama is the most powerful? And in these times, the desire of parents that their children should do well in studies and thus in life, is only fair isn’t it? As Jayasimhan was the only son of Mr. Ravi, the latter’s prayer was that he should be well educated.

But getting admission into a medical college there was very difficult. The reason was that the Australian University that he wanted to study in is one of the best medical universities in the world; further, there is also high competition in this field. Even though Jayasimhan had very good scores, getting admission there was not certain. On returning to Chennai I informed everything to Sri Swamiji. Sri Swamiji patiently listened and blessed, “The best will definitely happen.”

I informed Mr. Ravi about Sri Swamiji’s blessing words. But later when the results were announced Jayasimhan’s name was not in it. Mr. Ravi was deeply disappointed. Highly disturbed, he contacted me and informed that Jayasimhan had not got a medical seat but had got admission to study engineering. But Jayasimhan did not desire that, he said. Once again I informed Sri Swamiji about it. Just as before, Sri Swamiji said, “Let us keep chanting Nama; the best will certainly happen.” Accordingly I informed Mr. Ravi to chant Nama incessantly. But he felt that as the allotment list had been announced, nothing could change; and that, in spite of Sri Swamiji’s blessing words, Jayasimhan would only take up engineering. Mr. Ravi had almost mentally accepted this.

In this situation, one evening Mr. Ravi called me over the phone. He sounded very excited.

“Sri Swamiji’s words have come to pass. Jayasimhan’s desire to get a dental seat has been fulfilled. Although the admissions were complete at that college, someone who had got a seat cancelled it. So we were called and he was asked to join tomorrow itself. It is all Sri Swamii’s blessings.” I informed Sri Swamijji of these happy tidings.

Hearing this Sri Swamiji smiled and said, “This is the greatness of the Lord’s Name (Bhagavan Nama).” At once I remembered the words of Tiruvannamalai Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He would say ‘This Beggar is not capable of doing miracles; only Ram Nam is doing miracles.’

Original Tamil article by Dr.Bhagyanathan, in Madhuramurali  December 2015 issue
Translated by Nisha Giri Houston, TX