The Divine Calls Mukesh Shanghavi, leader of the Toronto Study Group, head of the Audio – Video Department in Canada and recipient of the first call from Pujya Gurudevshri through Sadguru Connects, shares how the Master’s timely and immaculate guidance has motivated him to pursue the goal of Self-realisation Today, I’m hardly able to recognise how I was before meeting Gurudev in 2002. Each time I meet my beloved Gurudev, something within me changes, drawing me closer to Him. This is an ongoing process and one day by His grace and blessings, I will be one with my Divine Father, my Gurudev. Prior to 2002 was a period in my life where my goal was using my time effectively by spending endless hours working, earning money and enjoying life. I wasn’t interested in religion at all, but performed rituals just to please my mother. He Calls Me from Nowhere, Waking Me Up from Deep Slumber In December 2002, I decided to come to India. On the insistence of my wife Harsha, we planned to visit Dharampur for one week and, then take tours in India and meet our family. Little did I know that going to Dharampur and meeting Gurudev would be the start of my spiritual journey! During our stay at the Ashram in Dharampur, in one of the pravachans, He asked me where I had been and said that He had been remembering me. It was later that I realised that it was only His divine call that brought me to Him from Canada. The turning point of this trip was the Akhand Ratri bhakti on New Year’s Eve. When I sat for bhakti, I did not realise how fast time passed by. I enjoyed singing and dancing for the Divine with all the mumukshus throughout the night. For someone who had attended only social parties on New Year’s Eve in Canada, this was a miracle and only His presence could have brought this feeling of immense joy. On the morning of the New Year, my family and I were blessed to perform arti with Gurudev. What a great way to start my New Year! He Calls Upon My Latent Devotion, Instilling the Passion for Seva It was July 2003, the year Gurudev had blessed mumukshus of Toronto with the 21 most memorable days of our lives. Every day was a new experience for me, one day after the other I could feel myself yearning for more. I attended pravachans in the mornings and evenings and had the chance to do different sevas each day. I was involved in the overall audio – video seva during pravachans and pratishthas, stage set up and also assisted in planning a three-day trip with Gurudev and all the mumukshus. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and never felt tired. In fact, till this time I had no idea of seva and its meaning but during these 21 days, He showed me what seva meant and how to offer seva. Since then, seva has become my most passionate means of connection with Him. It brings me closer to Him and is my source of remaining in-tune with Him, helping me let go of my likes and dislikes. During a trip to Jaisalmer in 2005, we were all given an opportunity to do Jinpuja. I did it one day and skipped it on the next day. When Gurudev passed by me, He asked “Canada, did you do puja?” I replied, “Gurudev, I had done it yesterday.” He replied asking if I also ate only yesterday. He made me realise instantly that just as our body needs food every day, our soul needs to connect to God everyday as well. I went back to do Jinpuja, but this time, doing it made me feel different and blessed, because I was now doing it with a purpose to come closer to my Lord. Next day during a photo session with Him, He asked me how old I was and I replied, “46 years.” He said, “You don’t have much time, you have to speed up.” He Calls On Me to Shatter My Delusion, Blessing Me with Graceful Guidance In 2005, I decided that I wanted to buy a new house. We asked Gurudev and He immediately enquired how far it was from the Satsang Centre. He guided us by saying that if it was far and if we would be missing viewing of pravachans, then we shouldn’t buy it. In this manner, He made us realise that pravachans should be the most important thing in our life and that without it, everything else was useless. I bought a new house and as time passed by, I realised I had made a wrong decision by buying that house. I shared my feelings with Gurudev. He told me that I should go forward, but not get attached to the house as it was like a sand castle that could be washed away anytime, unlike my soul which shall remain forever. He guided me to direct all my energy towards realising my True Self. However, I didn’t sincerely listen to Him and didn’t take the message deeply. I was completely engrossed in the building process of the house and my connection with Him was lost. When Gurudev visited Toronto in 2007, the first thing He told me was, “Mukeshbhai, your smile has become so small, I thought you would be happier if you had a big house.” He caught me when I was at my lowest point and made me realise that I experienced this phase because I didn’t follow His ajna and got attached to the house. By His grace the purpose of our house changed to becoming our Lord’s shrine. He blessed us by allowing our house to be a centre for Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch. Now, we have children and mumukshus singing praises and dancing in Param Krupalu Dev’s bhakti through Divinetouch classes, Toronto Study Group sessions and workshops. He brought my entire family and me back to God and effortlessly redirected our attachment from the house to seva and bhakti for our Lord. He Calls Me Literally! Reaching Out Through Sadguru Connects Years passed by and I was at a point where I felt like life was at a standstill. I had never experienced a ‘best day of my life’ feeling but the day He called me and gave me blessings, was the one day I will never forget. In December 2013, I had not come to India for the Akhand Ratri bhakti, but both my daughters were in India celebrating New Year’s Eve with Him. As we were watching the webcast of the Akhand Ratri bhakti, I got a call from an Indian number. I picked up the phone and to my surprise it was our Mission’s secretary Sarvarpit Maulikbhai. He explained to me the new concept of Sadguru Connects, and how I was the first person chosen for the call. He then said that Gurudev wants to speak with me! I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was told and in a few seconds Gurudev came on the call and spoke with me in His loving voice. He blessed saying may your life be very prosperous, may Param Krupalu Dev’s refuge bear fruit and in this year, I should work hard towards attaining samyak darshan. After this call, I had no words, it all felt like a dream to me. I sat in the mandir and just started crying. My God, my Gurudev had told me that He has envisioned samyak darshan for me, that He saw potential in me. All of this was only because of the seeds of spirituality He had sown in me. Ever since then His words are constantly echoing in my head and heart. My focus became clearer, my work hours have reduced and my perspective of where I want to invest my energy has changed. I have been able to prioritise things such that I spend more time with myself introspecting and also offering more seva in Mission activities. Today, I can say that whatever good is in me is only because of Gurudev. Whatever I may achieve is only because of His constant effort, love and training – there is nothing of me, it is only Him and His doing. May I continue to experience His showers of grace and reach the goal He has envisioned for me and offer it to Him at His Lotus Feet. Please Note: This Tale of Transformation was published in Sadguru Echoes magazine, January 2016 issue. Topicsgraceloveself realisationsurrendertransformation Quotes To learn about an Enlightened One of the past, open scriptures. To understand a living Enlightened Being, purify your heart. Hanumanji is the epitome of devotion, service, wisdom, humility and strength, a perfect ideal for any devotee. Being all inclusive is the hallmark of a straightforward and open mind. One who conquers outer enemies is called Veer. One who wins over the inner enemies is called the Mahavir. View All #SadguruWhispers Being all inclusive is the hallmark of a straightforward and open mind. Select category for which you wish you receive updates via email - SRMD Updates Wisdom Updates Subscribe for updates
