The Third Miracle: Blessings of Saint Gajanan Maharaj

Dear friends, hope you all are doing well. Today being Thursday, I am sure most of you must have visited temples and had a good darshan of the Almighty. Now for other readers especially from western part, Thursday is considered very auspicious for saints, saints like Shirdi Sai Baba, Swami Samarth and Gajanan Maharaj et al and hence devotees visit shrines of Saints, many people even observe fasting on this day. Maharashtra, it is said is known as Land of Saints yes this Wikipedia link is worth a read, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Maharashtra

In this blog I am going narrate an incident that almost scared me to the hell and how Lord Gajanan Maharaj's and my parents' blessings saved me from that hell. I will try to keep this as brief as possible.

After taking charge of my Branch in April 2012, everything was going smooth, though it was my first rural assignment and first posting as a branch manager, I should be thankful that through the blessings of the Saint and my staff in the Branch who were very co-operative. Here, I must mention that in this branch there was this practice that on every Thursday after the banking hours, the whole staff would gather and perform aarthi of Gajanan Maharaj along with reciting shlokas and bhajans. On some days, customers would gather too for the aarthi, I personally used like this very much and I am sure so did my staff and customers. As a matter of fact, even today this practice is followed and will be followed in future to by his blessings. Perhaps, this aarthi or puja is what has saved and will save many sincere Branch Managers, staff and the Branch itself.

Let me now narrate the incident, it so happened that during the month of November 2013, I had gone on leave for a fortnight and returned, it was wednesday and during those times wednesday in that place a NBD (Non Banking Day), which means that on this day no customers shall visit the Branch  and it was purely to remove any backlogs. Fresh from the holiday, I was all geared up with my work, though, I missed my family terribly. So around in the noon with sun at full charge and we sitting in a nice cool Branch powered by AC and chatting around, that's when a customer came to meet me, he had a passbook and seemed to be anxious, it was about some unauthorized withdrawal from his account. On closer look it was not some small amount but a sum to Rs.5 Lacs! Yes, you have heard it right. This itself was enough for me to start investigating. Honestly even I was tense and immediately checked the account and it was confirmed fraud by the person who had at various instances withdrew Rs.1 lac totaling Rs.5 Lacs. My staff and me were in very tense situation, it was clear fraud and though not by the Bank or staff but yet it was something which one cannot be taken lightly. I immediately rang my Regional Office and informed the Admin Manager who was very nice guy and knew that I was new to the Bank it was my first assignment. He initially did get very angry, however then cooled down and spoke go me very reassuringly, I am still grateful to him and still in touch with him. It was some divine intervention, perhaps  it was Sant Gajanan Maharaj's blessings to protect on of his many children from the impending issue and get him out of it.

Me and my staff gathered and assessed the damage or call it gravity of the situation. The situation was indeed a tense one. Now, let me take you through my Branch and my staff, my branch was a small one with one officer that's me and one more Rural Banking officer, who was common for two Branches, then there were three clerical staff with one being very senior and used to handle cash. then there was one Canteen Boy named Deepak, about whom I mentioned in my earlier post and then we had one young lad who worked as Business Facilitator who was not on the Bank payroll. So, in all my Branch had all male staff and no female staff. The age of youngest staff was 22 and the eldest one was 54. I have deep respect for my staff even today, to each one. The senior staff was one of the most respected and so were others and we all worked as a family. We worked together, prayed together, laughed together and even ate together as if we were not just colleagues but brothers or some very good friends.

I shall continue about the further developments on this issue and how blessings of Gajanan Maharaj saved me. May this article help some one to realize the power of friendship and togetherness.

"II Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan II"

FIRST DIVINE EXPERIENCE AND SOME MORE!

II Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan II

Dear Friends, today is Thursday, auspicious day for the Saints, saints like Gajanan Maharaj, Sai Baba, Swami Samarth et al. Yes, I had described briefly about the Saint Gajanan Maharaj, Shegaon and the holy temple, though I agree this brevity took 3 chapters or blogs of mine. However, friends, even you would do the same after experiencing his holiness and divinity. Now, without wasting time let me get to the purpose which I started the blog.

As I mentioned earlier, that when I got the posting to Sangrampur Branch, I was very heavy hearted and did not want to leave my earlier place, however as they somethings happen for good, this was one of them. However, in Chikhli itself I had heard about the Saint and Shegaon, so, the first thing I did before joining my Branch was to visit Saint Gajanan Maharaj's temple and seek his blessings and friends let me tell you, that was the best thing I did ever. His love and affection is fathomless and I thank him for the same, perhaps, I can say that on behalf of all the devotees.

Now, without wasting time let me get to the divine experiences and miracles. Friends, someone learned man has said correctly that food, clothing and shelter are indeed basic needs. So, for the first two weeks I was staying in a lodge nearby to temple and used have my breakfast and dinner at the temple mess. The food especially rice was very delicious and I personally like the devotees thronging around it like bees near nectar filled flower. Also hailing from Mumbai I used to get homesick at that movement seeing so many people from different parts of the country made me happy and I could overcome the periodic home sickness. On week ends I would go for house hunting but found nothing close to heart which I could call my home. In the evening I would sometimes visit the temple of Gajanan Maharaj or would just sit in the front courtyard and admire the congregation of humanity, occasionally I would get a glimpse of Temple's elephant which used mingle well with people, the whole experience was amazing.

After searching many homes I was not satisfied and I could not afford to pay the lodge rent everyday. Suddenly one morning Deepak my branch's canteen boy (He was not just a canteen boy but heart of the Branch, a very dedicated fellow and great helpful guy to be with) visited my lodge and told me that he wants to show me a house, so off we went and he took through many lanes and finally we enterd the house. The house was on the first floor and the owner was Shegaon Branch's Guard and an ex army man. The house was indeed beautiful and by local standards it was way better well ventilated and had a huge backyard with a wonderful view something like a large balcony! I imagined my family standing at the backyard by the beautiful view. Thats it! I made my decision and told Deepak that I would like to rent and then we spoke Shri.Dhumale the owner who was more than happy to lend. And the very same evening I shifted from the lodge to this beautiful house which will be my home for rest 2.5 years filled with beautiful memories with lovely and affectionate people. For the skeptics this was mere co-incidence but for many including me, it indeed is a 'miracle', a 'divine intervention', maybe Gajanan Maharaj took pity on me and helped me, by keeping me close to him. i am grateful to his holiness, to my parents and to this day to Deepak and the Shri.Dhumale and his family, who have become our extended family and they all graced  with their presence in  my wedding. This connects me to the next miracle which I have mentioned in the following paragraph.

My father being a very ritualistic and spiritual person suggested a date for housewarming with boiling of milk in this new home. In fact I would like add that me and my cousin were seeing each other and were deeply in love (well its a norm in southern India for cousins to get married), after many years, our family slowly acknowledged and my cousin's father who happens to be my maternal uncle asked my date and other details for Horoscope match known as kundli match. (In India parents invariably look for horoscope match between girl and boy to predict the compatibility, even if its love marriage. Though some people changing this trend believe purely in compatibility alone). It made both of us anxious, me more though I was happy that my uncle is slowly accepting me. Tense, I visited Gajanan Maharaj and asked for his blessings and promised  that I shall break a coconut if all works well. So, coming to the point the my father finally after consulting gave me a nod for housewarming and the day co-incidently was on Thursday. So, in the morning I did all the prayers and kept the milk for boiling and  the milk boiled well, which is a auspicious sign. Now, the miracle, after this I left for my Branch and in the Branch my cousin who is now by the Grace of Maharaj and our Parents' blessings is my loving wife, that our horoscope matched and its an auspicious sign! This news made me very happy and the very evening I went to temple and took divine darshan of Gajanan Maharaj and his blessings, thanking him profusely, being Thursday Maharaj's palkhi (palanquin) was placed at the courtyard, touched it and felt blessed and as promised offered one coconut. It was indeed one of my happiest moments and day in my life. May his blessings shower more such days to all and everybody be happy together. 

Now, dear friends the above too are indeed 'miracles'! For believers it is indeed. Only some people would understand these miracles,  ask some sincere lovers and they would vouch for it, ask some person looking for a decent home for his family and they would vouch for it. Shree Gajanan Maharaj's love is for all and believe in him and in yourself and see the miracles unfolding. Dear friends, I am sure you must have experienced too, you may be from any religion, no bindings, so please in the comments section share your divine experiences and miracles.

II Gan Gan Ganat Bote II The third chapter.

Friends, first of all let me apologies for writing after a long gap.I still have no excuses to tell you all, may be that is how its is desired by Lord Gajanan or sincerely may be its my own procrastination.

In my earlier post, I had mentioned about Lord Gajanan' padukas and how his blessings are always there for his devotees. Now let me take you the rear end of the temple where a very ancient statue of Lord Hanuman is present and there is 'Audumbar Tree' (Fig Tree) next to it. Now, just next to the temple is a huge kitchen and store room which prepares 'Maha prasad' for all the beloved devotees of Shree Gajanan Maharaj. There is a huge hall in which at any given point of time can house hundreds of devotees for the 'Maha Prasad' containing 2 Chapattis, rice, vegetables and small portion of sweet. There is a saying in Sanskrit which goes 'Anna Hey Para Brahma' which translates to as Food is superior and is equal to Divinity and the Maha prasad is distributed free of cost. Devotees from all around come here and partake in this Mahaprasad. Trust me dear readers, it is a mammoth task to arrange food for so many people.  Just to give you a glimpse, one hall is huge enough to feed hundreds of devotees at a time, the process is so systematic that you would indeed be amazed. With Saint Gajanan Maharaj's blessings, such a huge task is accomplished by the temple administration very easily.  Again, a miracle, isn't it?

The temple of Gajanan Maharaj looks even more majestic in the evening will cool weather and birds chirping all around with the 'Varkaris' (Devotees) singing kirtans (devotional songs) and playing chimes, devotees from all walks of life sitting and enjoying the beauty is indeed a worthy sight. The Saint really takes care of all his devotees. Its like devotees as children playing in the temple as courtyards and he looking at them with a divine happy smile on his radiant face with love and affection for all.

As a matter of fact, I was told by one of good friend that even if you have a glimpse of the 'Kalash' or Temple dome peak (as shown in the first picture of this blog above), it will be indeed a great blessing for the person. And I firmly believe in it. Dear readers, one should take time to visit this place 'Shegaon' take darshan of our Saint and seek his blessings, I am sure you wont be disappointed at all and rather leave contented.

Dear friends, I can keep on writing about the beauty of the temple and his holiness' grace, however, I humbly request you all to visit Shegaon and visit Gajanan Maharaj's temple and seek his grace and blessings and I am sure your worries will all vanish. Have firm faith in Him and he shall guide you to the right path. I can keep on writing but it will much better if you could visit the temple and feel it for yourself. From here on in my next blog I shall  narrate about some 'Miracles' (read 'divine experiences') that I myself have experienced and still by the grace of his Holiness keep feeling and experiencing and with his blessings in future too I and all his devotees shall feel his love and divinity and in case you have experienced too then I request you to narrate the same in comment section.

I end this chapter here and will begin a new, may Gajanan Maharaj's grace be always there with you.

II Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan II

              

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Care Taker of Vidarbha, Shree Gajanan Maharaj! The Second Chapter.

 II Om Shree Ganeshaya Namaha II

II Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan II

Dear readers, thank you to all of you, who have taken time to read the first part. May Lord Gajanan's blessings be always on you and may he guide you on the right path. Now, I really need to apologise to both of you! Yes one is to Lord Gajanan Maharaj for taking a such long time to write the second part and to all you devotees and readers. Please forgive me. Without wasting a single moment let me get to the job. Dear Friends, I will not harp about my job, rather I will take your attention to the temple of Shree Gajanan Maharaj. Ad mist the hustle bustle in and around the temple, once you reach inside the temple, what you feel and experience is pure calmness...and yes other than that, what you will notice is utter cleanliness!  Yes you heard it right again, Shree Gajanan Maharaj's temple is one of the few temple of whom, we can boast to be one of the cleanest. The front yard is huge and has majestic entrance, it is here that all the major activities take place on auspicious days. In the evening it is all the more beautiful to see the congregation of humanity..from all walks of life. It is indeed a treat for eyes to see people form all walks of life assemble at this one place. One can see a big family sitting together, smiling, chatting and sharing the prasad on one side and then you have kids who have a gala time running and chasing each other a little further you would see a group old men & women sitting and chatting about various topics. One could also see some village folks singing melodious hymns which really soothe the ears to add to this musical note one can also hear many birds chirping around the temple returning home in the evening. Yes friends this how a typical evening looks and like I said before its indeed a congregation of humanity and gives an impression as if Saint Gajanan Maharaj is holding his children on his lap..the courtyard.

In the courtyard or front yard there are adequate arrangements made to place your footwear and as you walk further one can see the majestic temple dome. It is said that in case one is genuinely in a hurry and is not able to take darshan of the Saint, he or she can just have glimpse of the dome or 'kalash' as we call in Hindi and Marathi and that shall be equivalent to have taken  holy darshan of  the Saint itself. I myself have done it many a times and trust me you can feel his blessings. The light shining above the kalash is indeed divine.

The entry to samadhi of the Saint has two paths, one which is near to the main gate and it is used on days when there is less rush and then you have one more entry upstairs which is used during peak hours especially during Thursdays, Ekadashi and on Pragat Diwas. The beauty is that, however large the crowd may be, efficient management by the temple authorities ensures that one can have darshan within two hours! And the best part is that, there is no VIP culture which otherwise deprives certain privileges to normal devotees. Hence, any person however significant he may be, has to join the queue. This denotes or sends an important message that all are equal in front of God. Our Saint, Shree Gajanan Maharaj, the Care Taker of Vidarbha  treats his devotees as his own children and does not differentiate between them.

The temple courtyard also places many charitable institutions like Handicap Rehabilitation Center, Ayurvedic Treatment Center, which gives a good impression to devotees that the temple not only is for the devotees it also works towards up liftment and development of people around. This is very important and relevant considering the fact that devotion, spirituality and religion should go hand in hand with humanity and charity, only then these are truly worth. This is something that the older generation should teach to the younger generation.

Once you enter through main entrance, you are guided into a ventilated labyrinth and this labyrinth follows down into a chamber which seats the Samadhi of The Saint. The Samadhi again is majestic with just the bust of Saint Gajanan Maharaj and his Foot imprint. One glance of the Saint's Samadhi is sure to get you blessings that you always yearned for! Ask any devotee..he may have his own version of the same. One can offer their prasad here and there after one has to climb the stairs which takes us to the temple of Shree Ram with his beloved wife Sita and his loyal brother Shree Lakshmanan along with his most ardent devotee Shree Pawanputra Hanuman. Yes you have guessed it right, below is the Saint's Samadhi and above the samadhi is this temple. In this temple's hall on all four sides of the pillar are paintings which depict life of Saint Shree Gajanan Maharaj and his works towards up liftment of people as well his well documented miracles. I urge the devotees and visitors to go through it so as to understand the significance and great of Shree Saint Gajanan which  will definitely benefit them. There is the pradikshana  path outside the temple  and a large stambh or pillar at the back side of the Samadhi or the temple. The pradikshana path also has a counter where the devotees can have few sips of Saint's holy water or Thirth, which is so potent that it has saved a devotee Janrao from deathbed and this has been documented in Shree Gajanan Maharaj's Pothi or Book on the Saint's life. One can also carry a small bottle to collect the tirth, which the devotees can distribute to near and dear ones for the benefit of all. Along with thirth one can get the Bhasma or Vibuthi (Holy Ash) which also has auspicious value.

Many important yagnas are conducted in the pradihskana area and also in the evening the place becomes even more vibrant, with recitation by many holy saints and many devotional music programs pleasing the ears with intermittent chimes by the Sevaks. Trust me you would really immerse yourself here. Now after this if any devotees want to give any Dakshina or Abhishek or offer a donation then they can visit the counters which are well equipped and the staff very cordial. One you are done they will give the slip with which one can collect the holy prasad for oneself and his near and dear ones.

I need to specially mention one place which  eventually the devotee is guided to, it is the place where Shree Gajanan Maharaj used to seat and rest and meet his devotees. This place is just opposite to the samadhi. and it is very special because of its serenity and yes the holy Padukas of Shree Gajanan Maharaj. One is not allowed to speak and maintain pin drop silence. This place is huge and as we enter, we would find devotees silently reading the Saint's pothi or meditating. On going little farther we first take darshan of Lord Vithoba and Rukmini Devi's  and then we enter the chamber where Shree Gajanan Maharaj used sit and rest. The huge beautiful portrait of Shree Gajanan Maharaj looks at all his devotees with love and affection and this where the holy Padukas are kept, beautifully decorated with various colorful fragrant flowers. And this where devotees seek his Holiness' blessings. The touch of Shree Gajanan Maharaj's Paduka's by a devotees removes all their worries and obstacles and blesses them with happiness, good health, love and affection and success. But for this one has to have really strong faith in Lord Gajanan Maharaj.

Friends, I hope you enjoyed reading the second part and those who have never been to Shegaon may be 'googling' to find out more about Lord Gajanan Maharaj and about Shegaon. I humbly request you all  to put your valuable comments here and share your experiences. 

May Lord Gajanan's blessings be always with us! 

Gan Gan Ganat Bote! Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan!

Divine Experience! : The Guardian of Vidharba, Shree Gajanan Maharaj......

Divine Experience! : The Guardian of Vidharba, Shree Gajanan Maharaj......: II OM SHREE GANESHAYA NAMAHA II II OM GAJANAN JAI GAJANAN II Dear Friends, its been a while, rather years that I have blogged....

The Guardian of Vidharba, Shree Gajanan Maharaj...the first chapter

II OM SHREE GANESHAYA NAMAHA II

II OM GAJANAN JAI GAJANAN II

Dear Friends, its been a while, rather years that I have blogged. Some thing or the other kept me busy, but finally the day has dawned and here I am, rebooting one of  my favorite hobbies with this post i.e Blogging. Now, let me tell you that, this particular blog is not totally inclined towards religious diension but its more on my experience..a divine one! Yes, no frowning please, I am sure,  some of you or most of you must have experienced too and hence I am eagerly waiting for your comments. I now come straight to the matter in the next paragraph, hope you all enjoy reading it and some or rather most of you may be able to correlate with this and yes please do not forget to share your own experiences.

It was year 2011, I had finished my training period and got confirmed too, then came the postings and lucky me Mumbai is what I got, my home town and that too a plum posting as Forex Officer. For four months I thoroughly enjoyed the profile, but let me tell you my posting though was as forex officer, however the job I did was to draft letters for my branch Manager, assist him in day to day work and yes go through some Letters of Credit (LCs) and other allied documents. The actual forex part job was too risky to be immediately given for so..that explains. In banks especially public sector ones, one has to undergo mandatory rural assignment for 2-3 years and that would make the person eligible for further promotions and postings. In my case too the same applied, so I hurriedly without batting an eyelid I applied. There is a reason, I never had a hostel life, and my father had one so he used say that the hostel life was one of his best moments of life. So, when I got into this premier bank, i had to undergo training in different locations so which meant I had to be out of home for quite a long period. Initially it was tough but later I really enjoyed it! So, though the pleasure being at home was one thing here in Mumbai but the free life as a bachelor kept on calling in me, with this in mind, I applied and then very quickly I got my posting, which was quite a shock because I never expected that I would be too soon. And the posting was in Nagpur Region! The place which is known for its extreme climate was quite a distance from Mumbai.

For a moment I cursed my self for applying but later after discussing with my family esp. my father, decided to ahead, leaving behind my home town and that plum profile as forex officer. I landed in Nagpur and there met the HR of that region, where another surprise awaited me... I was given Buldhana Region, which is a district falling in Nagpur Region and is some notorious for its water scarcity, yes one can imagine my predicament (typically in a Public Sector Bank, there are many decision makers at every level so there is no common HR department per se but each zone, under the zone each region has an HR Manager). Geographically, Buldhana comes under Vidharba Region in Maharshtra. So off I went for Buldhana, where in I was given final posting of branch in a place known as Chikhli, which is like 25 Kms from Buldhana. A major commercial hub of that region. Access to Chikhli is through roadways only as there are no railway line, a only major drawback to this place so you either get down at Jalna Railway station and take bus from there which two hours journey or you get down at Malkhapur station and again its like 1.5-2 hours journey from there through bus. I was posted as DBD Manager, which stands for Developmental Banking Division. The branch was quite big with around 20-30 staff. I got a nice house which was 3 storeyed and I stayed on 3rd floor, which was like a sky scraper in that place, overlooking a breath taking view entire Chikhli as well lovely lush green farms on three sides. Ahh what a house it was and what a view! Well ok not to digress from the main matter. Right from my childhood I was very spiritual and religious, but more of spiritual and i respect all religions. I have been to Temples, Churches, Dargahs, Gurdwara and a Jain Derasar too. So, Chikhli  has a famous temple of Shree Renuka Devi and ever year there is a grand procession followed by rural fair which is attended by many devotees from all over the Vidarbha region and sizeable population from other regions. I had an opportunity to visit the temple and have a divine darshan of Shree Renuka Mata, her ever smiling face exhibited warmth and a feeling of motherhood, as if she is there to protect all of us. As a matter of fact, when I purchased my first bike, I took it the temple for her blessings and what a miracle, there I met our bank customer who was very influential in that town and he requested the priest to perform an elaborate and special pooja for my bike, and I was quite touched by the same, now the skeptics may call it as mere co-incidence, however I call it a Miracle.....

My stay in Chikhli was brief, lasted 5 good months after which I was posted in Sangrampur as Branch Manager which was like 90 kms from Chikhli. With heavy heart I left for the my designated posting, I inquired with lots of people and they suggested that Shegaon a very famous holy place would be a right place for my stay initially. As a matter of fact, when I was in Chikhli, many people suggested me to visit the holy shrine of Shree Gajanan Maharaj in Shegaon, especially a very generous Aunty who used to deliver lunch and dinner for me. But I never could take time out for the visit. But call it destiny or again divine intervention, here I am going towards Shegaon, as it was en route to Sangrampur which is in the interior and much of a happening place. The nearest well known place was as a matter of fact Shegaon, so it makes sense. I reached Shegaon and took a room in a lodge, I was supposed to report the branch next day which fell on Tuesday, my branch was around 32 kms from Shegaon. The very first feeling that brushed me when I got down in Shegaon was..the Vibrancy, a peaceful vibrancy! Even in night Shegaon was brilliantly coloured with many devotees thronging the place to have a glimpse of the Saint. The divine radiance of Saint was felt even in the night!

I got up early in the morning got freshened up and off went for Darshan of Saint Gajanan Maharaj, the holy one who has saved me on many occasions and will save me and my people in many more times to come. Even in that early summer morning the crowd of devotees was worth noticing. Young, old, rich, poor, disabled all people forgetting their caste and creed converged here at his Holiness to seek his divine blessings, I was one among them...I again call it a Miracle! I shall in following chapters describe more ....May Lord Gajanan shower is blessings on all. He is the reason that I am writing this treatise. II Om Gajanan Jai Gajanan II