Divine Presence: The Unseen Guidance of Satguru Maharaj on a Sacred Pilgrimage

It was in 1993 that I, along with my parents, embarked on a pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath. At the first stop in Haridwar, we met a 75-year-old man and his wife. During our conversation, the wife mentioned that her husband had survived three heart attacks, but his unwavering devotion to God had driven him to undertake this pilgrimage. They asked for our help during the journey. It was a full moon day, and the elderly man had observed a fast. He insisted on listening to the Satyanarayana Katha before breaking his fast and requested us to find a Brahmin who could recite the story.

Considering his health and the ongoing heavy rains that had closed the mountain roads, it seemed impossible. Yet, miraculously, a Brahmin appeared carrying a shoulder bag and walked towards us. I asked him if he could recite the Satyanarayana Katha, to which he agreed. We performed the Katha right there in the bus, allowing the elderly man to break his fast and have prasad.

When we reached Badrinath, I suggested to the elderly man that the temple doors would be open until 8 PM, and he could have darshan if he wished. He replied that he would only visit the temple after bathing and purifying himself the next morning. True to his word, he bathed early the next morning, performed his pind daan, and had darshan of Lord Badrinath. He then told his wife to make any final arrangements she needed to because he felt his time had come. He requested her to pour Ganga water into his mouth so that he could pass peacefully. After uttering the name of God, he passed away.

When the local priests and ascetics at Badrinath learned that he had willingly surrendered his life after having darshan of Lord Badrinath, a crowd gathered to see him. Some ascetics wept while holding his feet, and they all performed his last rites with great reverence.

Years later, I had a dream in which I realized that the Brahmin who had performed the Satyanarayana Katha was none other than Satguru Dev Bhagwan Shri Sudarshan Ji himself. This realization baffled me since I had not yet met Shri Guru Maharaj. In 1997, while reading about Narayan Parvat, I presented my curiosity to Shri Satguru Dev Bhagwan during a blessing ceremony.

He asked me about the timing of the event, and though I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, he reminded me that it happened in June 1993. He inquired how my desire to know more about this event arose after four years. Guru Maharaj then revealed, “If you had asked this question in private, it would have been better because the truth I want to reveal might cause people to doubt. Know that the Brahmin you met was indeed me. Break this illusion. A true disciple seeks his Guru, but sometimes the Guru has to reach out to his disciple.”

He continued, “You speak of 1993, but I have been drawing you towards me since 1978.” Hearing this truth from Shri Satguru Dev Bhagwan filled my eyes with tears of joy. It was then I realized that whether a soul moves towards the divine or not, the divine is always with the soul every moment.

Gopal Das Chhabra, Old Faridabad