He’s Planned It All !

I am inspired to write one of my story, a devotee’s story that happened with me:

The way it happened, why it happened everything had been just a miracle….

Background: I (am a professor in Comp Sc. & Engineering) had one (there were three more) M.E
student whose ME thesis I was guiding that year. During this one year I had finally concluded that he
was indeed not good at his work, but giving my best possible inputs I made his thesis complete and
got it submitted by him. Immediately after that he started asking me to guide him for PhD that I simply
refused then, knowing that it will be really difficult for him to pursue. He had some job offers and in my
view it was suitable for him to pick up a job offer. I also came to know that he then approached many
other faculty members for guiding him for PhD but knowing about him everyone refused.

One day, I was sitting in my chamber discussing a plan with some Yes plus volunteers and my phone
bell ranged. I was being asked to go as an expert for accreditation to a college in Thiruvannamalai in
Tamil Nadu, India. And, if I said yes for this offer I had to fly just a day after. Such type of a proposal
came to me after a long gap of 11 months or so. Less time margin to plan everything, such a far and
unknown place, tight work schedule, family compulsions everything came to mind, but somehow I
said Yes. While planning my itinerary, my well travelled colleague advised me not to take any flight
from Chandigarh in these foggy days as it is unreliable and he had to cancel his trip very recently.
Even after listening to him, having no other option I finalized to travel by Chandigarh to New Delhi and
then New Delhi to Chennai flight. The gap between New Delhi arrival and departure was 1hr and 10
minutes only. To my surprise the plane started scrolling on time, I thought my fear was baseless, but
soon after reaching to take off point the announcement came that due to fog in Delhi, there is half an
hour delay in departure, I calculated the margin (40 min), proactively informed the craft crew that my
margin is only 40 min now. She came back in next 10 min and said that she has informed the ground
staff at New Delhi and I will be boarded to next plane on priority basis(Somehow I was the only
passenger in this plane to travel further from Delhi to Chennai),and incidentally both bookings were of
the same airline. Time passed by. Half an hour gone standing as announced, further 40 minutes gone,
45… 50…60 and now 70 min, I was at Chandigarh itself at the time when I had to start from New
Delhi for Chennai. Now my worries were at the top, but somehow there was a hope, a firm belief that
things will be alright… suddenly the same air hostess was approaching me smilingly,‘Ma’am it has
been decided that the same plane will go to Chennai on which we are sitting right now’ !! (Waah mere
Gurudev, pure air-plane ki disha hee badal di sirf mere liye!!).Now the delay was meaningless, I
would reach Chennai anyway.

Only on reaching I realized that I was at such a divine and blessed place which many would not get a
chance to be on. Even I, with all my knowledge, achievements and intellect could never have
planned myself to come here. I was at a place where Agni swaroop of Shiva has manifested on this
earth. After performing our official work, we were taken by our hosts to Annamalaiyar temple next day
morning. Being the member of VVIP expert team we were taken to the garbh griha of the temple,
directly bypassing the huge lanes of devotees, and puja were performed for us with all rituals. To
specially mention, there was a Chitragrupta temple inside, and it is said that our visit gets recorded by
him. The experience of being there was divine. We also visited in next three days the newly built
golden temple of maa narayani in Vellur, ashram of Ramana Maharshi (who focused on “Who am I”)
and some other heart touching temples as well. Professionally also the trip was very very fruitful and
enriching and on top of this was these divine experiences.

But the story has not been revealed so far….I reached back Delhi, my husband had come to pick me
up. When we both started back after having dinner at Delhi for our hometown and I was continuously
telling him my experiences, he gave me a halt by saying ‘I want to tell you something that happened
back at your workplace, be calm and listen’. What? It was then that I was told that the boy whom I
refused to guide for his PhD tried to commit suicide, same evening when I left. He was rushed to the
hospital immediately somehow and rescued after serious efforts. He had written a chit mentioning my
name that as he could not fulfill my expectations so he was ending his life. Also his uncle was a big
shot in police and came to our university, asking for me that he will see me, how can I deny him, I was
the cause of this act and things like that. With firm and polite intervention of my colleagues, gentle
handling of my husband (without telling me anything in between), now after three – four days situation
was under control and calm.

O my dear Guruji, so this was why you had just picked me up? So gracefully, so conveniently, so
comfortably, literally to a heaven on this earth. O my lord! To save me from all the turmoil which
otherwise I would have gone through, to save me from the guilt and pressure that would have cooked
up inside me, to save me from such embarrassments!

The more I try to explain my gratitude, I lack words… tears roll down….. My Guru did sense the
danger in situation as soon as it would have started in the mind of the boy and planning for me started
executing. Even the boy was saved only with his grace. Later even the boy realized his mistake and
apologized to me several times in many ways. He has been doing good in his life then onwards. But It
became a life long learning for me that My Guru is there to take care of me.

Exactly after one week of my visit, Sri Sri also visited Annamalaiyar temple, as he was visiting all the
five panch mahabhoot temples. I felt so much connected, so much blessed again…. and again.

Jai Gurudev!

Seema Bawa