This series chronicles sweet experiences recounted by the devotees of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji as well as some divine experiences of Sri Swamiji himself. These articles are translations from the Madhurasmaranam series that is published every month in Madhuramurali Tamil monthly magazine.
Only God
It was the holy day of Ekadasi. Sri Swamiji was distributing the holy water as prasad to all those present, as always. A young couple with a child came and prostrated with so much love. Sri Swami, as a gesture of love, gave them fruits, flowers and a shawl.
Sri Swamiji enquired, “Who are you? Where are you from?” They responded that they lived abroad and visited the Namadwaar satsangs in their city frequently. The child also chanted a few shlokas that she knew and Sri Swamiji was very delighted. Despite living far away from India, the fact that their lifestyle and culture had not changed, made Sri Swamiji very happy. They explained about their country of residence, the environment there and their profession to Sri Swamiji. Suddenly, Sri Swamiji mentioned a lady’s name and asked, “Do you know this person?” It was a long, old-fashioned name. They shook their heads and said, “We do not know anyone of that name.” Sri Swamiji enquired again, “Are you sure? Do you not have anyone of that name in your family?” The answer was the same and they left afterwards.
Sri Swamiji was at the Ashram the next morning as well. He was standing at the entrance of Madhuvanam (his residence in the Ashram). Five to six people came and prostrated unto Sri Swamiji together. Sri Swamiji asked who they were. They answered, “We are from the nearby town. We wanted to have Sri Swamiji’s darshan as we came to know that you are staying here.”
Sri Swamiji enquired about each one of them. One lady from the group stood quietly in the back, crying. Lastly, she came in front of Sri Swamiji. Sri Swamiji asked, “What is your name?” and she responded with her name. The surprise was that it was the same name that Sri Swamiji had enquired about from the couple who had come from abroad, the day before.
Sri Swamiji immediately asked, “A family from abroad visited here yesterday. Are they related to you?” The lady affirmed crying. Sri Swamiji said, “I mentioned your name and asked them if they knew anyone by that name, but they said that they did not know anyone like that!”
The lady hesitantly answered, “Not even my relatives know that name of mine. All my family members are used to calling me by my nickname. How do you know my full name? How did you know that they were my relatives?” Sri Swamiji said, “I heard your cry yesterday itself.” All the visitors were very much amazed.
The lady cried her heart out, adding, “My husband passed away unexpectedly, a few months ago. He was only 50 years of age. Life was beautiful and I did not even dream of such a jolt in our life. I am tired thinking about the reason as to why this happened. What wrong did we commit to whom? I have not been able to find the answer to this question. I am unable to come out of this shock.”
Our Guru Maharaj, who is the personification of motherliness, said to her, “I understand your sorrow. My heart is trembling thinking of this. Even if we know the reason for this to happen, it will not bring solace. Let us drop that effort. You are a brave woman. You are very prudent. Let us focus on what needs to be done in future. Hold on tight to the Divine Name. Only God is always there with us in any circumstance as a support. You will be able to experience that.” Saying so, he consoled her and then sent her home.
Article originally chronicled by Dr. A Bhagyanathan, personal secretary to Sri Swamiji, in Tamil Madhuramurali Magazine February 2023 issue, Madhurasmaranam section.
Translated into English by Smt. Mangala Gowri Sridhar, Jacksonville FL
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https://godivinity.org/newsletters/nama-dwaar-newsletter-february-2023/
Radhe Radhe
Sri Gurubhio Namaha