An article from the book ‘Thank You Guruji’ by Manoj J Lekhi (Amrut Vivek).

USA and Brazil Tour 

This was a very very hilarious & tragic incident at the same time. Guruji had gone for his US and Brazil trip. He called me from there and told me to get ready to go to Brazil.

Nina and myself got ready to go. I was to leave some time in the month of May and Nina was to join me 30 days from then. I had just resigned from my work and I told my brother I am going for 3 months. There after I would not be returning back to the business. I had left the business and was all set to go to Brazil and then from there to the US. I was extremely excited and thrilled that I was going to a foreign country for 3 months to do SSY classes. 

There I reached Mumbai airport. My flight was at around 6 am and Guruji was returning round about 1 am from Brazil. I had to reach the airport for my flight 3 hours before so that was at 3 am. I said I would rather go two hours earlier, meet Guruji take his blessings and then move on to Brazil. I packed my bags and there were at least about 30 to 35 close friends, meditators who had come to see me off. Everyone was excited and that time they actually put the tikka on me and did my aarti.

Everyone was in a very different mood. Some were happy some were crying for they would miss me. We reached the airport and there we see Guruji come at 1 am. I meet him take his aashirvad. I bow down to him. I told him Guruji now I am going. Then he asked me ‘Where are you going?’ I said ‘I am going to Brazil as you instructed’.

He told me ‘Arre babu, no need to go to Brazil now. Nothing, nothing will happen there. Don’t bother. Okay? Just come with me. I have learnt so many things I will share with you. Don’t bother about USA and Brazil.’ 

My dream which I had built for such long time was suddenly shattered. I was shattered inside but I put up a great front, smiled at Guruji but was crying inside. He took my hand and he took me and all 30 of us to Powai ashram. There he was sharing upto 6 in the morning. He would share so many things that he learnt and discovered in that trip. 

Infact it was in that trip that he discovered the six levels of consciousness and started sharing with all of us. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. I had been preparing for 3 months to go to Brazil and in 3 mins he turned the decision as if nothing had happened. What about the ticket and the money? It was not thought about. Just come. Once again I went and followed Guruji but couldn’t digest it for a long period of time.

My long awaited dream once again shattered. This was one more time I was further shaped and chiseled by Guruji. All my beliefs, thinking, everything was shattered. I was silent for a lot of time and in the morning, early morning 6 o clock went back home. 

My parents were not aware of this change of decision. In fact they were in the mood that he has already gone for 3 months. And when I returned back they were utterly shocked! The entire family was totally shocked and surprised how such thing can happen to anyone? It was hilarious to all those meditators and they were laughing and laughing. Everyone was laughing except me who was laughing from outside but crying inside.

I was accustomed to ‘CHANGE’ but not such big ‘CHANGES’. Anyway it so happened that after a few weeks, Guruji called me up and he said ‘Now you can go and prepare to go after 3 months to USA and Brazil’. I have arranged something there. And in August 1997 I went to New York, I was supposed to go to Brazil from there. Another paradox happened is that after one and half month in the US, I called Guruji that ‘There are a lot of possibilities here. Let me explore it and I would not want to divert my energy in two places.’

He agreed and he said you continue your classes in US. I did 4 classes there, stayed there for more than 100 days and came back. That was the time I stayed in more than 35 sadhaks’ houses and I learned a lot about the culture there.

What I learned in this whole episode was how Guruji would just change anything anytime anywhere and most people around him would get highly disturbed with these changes. I would also get disturbed but would recover very very fast and come back to zero in a few minutes, knowing that nature of Guruji. 

In fact one day in 2012 itself in Katarkhadak, Guruji was speaking to me and laughingly saying ‘I know people get disturbed when I change a policy.’ I asked him then ‘Why do you change so fast?’ He said ‘I know before they follow one policy, I have changed to another policy.’ He said ‘What to do, I see a better possibility, a higher truth and a new possibility and I always go for new possibility rather than just going about the old way!’

This was how Guruji was. Always living moment to moment. Always seeing a new possibility. 

This was his principle. Everything can be sacrificed at the altar of what you currently see as the truth.

I too have always endeavored to live by what I see as the highest truth. To me, unconditional love is my highest truth.

Thank you Guruji!