Vasudeva and Pushpa Goplani, Surat

I get His inspirations and still cannot believe the solutions I get, or the end results I achieve. He is the one who guides me through all these difficult situations.

Sometime, between the years 1994-1995 I was introduced to Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji by Mr. Niranjan Parekh, a ‘Revenue Collector’ in Surat. After my first meeting with Him I felt that His religious beliefs and His way of teachings can benefit us a lot. I started going to temple and following Sri Swamiji; His works and His mission. In 1997, When Sri Swamiji visited Surat He offered me the position of Executive Trustee to the Ashrama. Mr. Niranjan Parekh, then the current executive trustee was a government officer, so by Law he could not be appointed as Executive Trustee. I requested some time to make a decision, but Sri Swamiji told me not to worry and assured me that I would be able to fulfill my duties, so I accepted his order (Aadesh).

I feel very lucky and blessed to be associated with Sri Swamiji. Whenever He is visiting Surat and Gujarat, I personally drive His vehicle and take Him everywhere He wants to go. Sometimes I drive 4 to 8 hours. For me, it’s an honor to travel and sit next to him for four to eight hours at a time. Once he mentioned to my wife, Pushpa that He wanted to go and do the “Bhagwat Katha” in Telugu in Dwarka. So we took Him there and He did the Katha in Telugu. That was a big and blessed experience with Him.

Once, when He announced that He was coming to Surat, I had big problem. There was a very important business project underway and my presence in the negotiation was absolutely necessary. However, Sri Swamiji insisted that I accompany Him during His visit. He gave my name and mobile phone as contact person during the visit, so I had no choice. We traveled to different places and different cities during visit and I could not attend my business meetings. On Sri Swamiji’s departure, I learned that my business project was executed perfectly without my presence and we made better deal and more profit from that project. I sincerely believe that Sri Swamiji wanted me to be away from that project for my own benefit and His blessings worked in the deal.

In my day to day life I get lots of inspirations from Sri Swamiji. During very difficult situations; in business, with devotees or finishing my duties at the Temple, I get His inspirations and still cannot believe the solutions I get, or the end results I achieve. He is the one who guides me through all these difficult situations. Sri Swamiji has created a very good atmosphere for us in Southern Gujarat. He has achieved a very good following. Lots of devotees follow His teachings.

Sri Swamiji is very important in my day to day life. He has inspired so many good books for the guidance of the devotees. I just follow Him and His teachings. He is our Guru, Master and Father. I believe in His guidance and I follow completely. He becomes a child with children and an intellect with intelligent people. I have seen Him with people who do not believe in Him or in God. They also say that He has some power and spiritual knowledge. They are also influenced by Him and believe in His power.

Sometimes He will assign different tasks to different people and we believe that is our duty and religion (DHARMA) to follow His directions and complete the tasks. I believe that we will be able to build a big cultural and social center for local community if He creates an oath to have it done. He instituted that we conduct “Medical Tents” where we offer free medical services, eyeglasses and other medical tests to poor and needy people. He believes in social services and helps the unfortunate and the poor people.  He is very instrumental in these kinds of events and works. My wish is to conduct these kinds of services and help poor people with His help. He energizes people during His visits by fulfilling the dreams and internal wishes of His devotees without they asking Him. He just knows of their wishes problems and He solves them. He communicates with them through mind and soul. He does not need to speak. He just knows and fulfills.

Whenever Swamiji announces His visit, we start stressing that things are not ready and he will not be happy. We always think that we will not be able to prepare for His visit in time. However, by the time He arrives, everything falls into place and somehow we complete all the preparations. It is a true miracle. Once, just two days before He arrived, the air conditioning unit at His place caught fire. The whole unit was destroyed and walls and ceiling were blackened with the smoke. We were worrying how we are going to fix everything in such a short space of time. With His grace, we were able to repaint the room and replace the unit with the help of many devotees who came without being called; everything was finished in time and with perfection. I believe that it was a big miracle.

Every devotee believes that Sri Swamiji has a hand in our good fortune and we feel blessed

in our daily lives and we thank Him for the progress we make daily. Before meeting Sri Swamiji, my wife, Pushpa, used to pray to God about her health telling Him, “When am I going to see you, when are you going to help me and guide me, for I need your help and guidance.” Then, that very first night that she saw Sri Swamiji she was convinced that her prayers were answered; she knew that she was seeing the living, walking God and her mind was at ease.  He was the one who she was looking for and since then she have devoted her life to Him and accepted Him as her Guru, Father, Mother and God.

Eight years later she was diagnosed with cancer and started using some Ayurvedic medications. Not long afterwards, we learnt that Sri Swamiji will be visiting Surat shortly. She went to have His darsan, but she did not tell Him about the cancer. She just felt that she was a sinful person and would not be able to see Him during His visit. However, He just knew about it and asked about her health. She told Him about the diagnosis and asked His permission for treatment. He blessed her and asked her to go for treatment on Thursday.

It may be unbelievable, but her checkup, radiation treatment and surgery were all performed on a Thursday and she was even discharged on a Thursday. After that she never had to go back to a hospital again. She believes that Sri Swamiji came into her body as “Dattatreya” and relieved here from the pains and suffering. He killed the cancer and made her feel better. Whatever He said to her turned out to be true. She is living the bonus life blessed by Sri Swamiji. Each pulse and each breath that she is taking is His blessings.

Whenever she sees someone in pain or in a difficult situation she would ask them: “Do you want to see God?” If they say, “Yes!” she will take them to the temple and show them the “Paduka” of Sri Swamiji. She would ask them to touch the “Paduka” and pray for solutions to their problems. She sees it as her work and duty to bring them to the “Paduka” and the rest is in Sri Swamiji’s hands. He helps them and solves their problems. He takes away their pain and suffering. He cures them; she is just the observer.

I cannot describe Him. He is the ocean of knowledge. Have you seen the limits of ocean? He is limitless. He is our Mother God. It is beyond our capacity to describe Him. When we go to Mysore, we sit in His temple and listen to His discourse, even though we do not understand Telugu language, but it gives us a lot of peace in our mind and soul. It gives us happiness just to see Him. Our hearts get drenched with emotions. Whenever He talks to us we are very happy.

Every devotee has different experience with Sri Swamiji. He provides different unique solutions to each situation. He is like doctor and treats each devotee for his own situation and issues.  If someone gives one rupee, He will not be satisfied until He returns ten times that amount to that devotee. We do not think about what will happen in future. We are just happy to follow His teachings and rules of life. He knows our needs and our lives are fulfilled by Him. I can keep talking for one month but my stories will not end. He is our life.                                                                                                 Jaya Guru Datta.