*Dev Badri Shaligram*
But as soon as I moved forward, near the staircase leading out of that hall, I saw a Guru descending. He looked at me, I looked at him — and we both smiled, as if we had known each other for years.
He quickly walked toward me, accompanied by his disciples. Though it was our first meeting, it felt as if we were meeting after lifetimes. As we came closer, he began to speak beautifully about what a Guru is, and the importance of a Guru in one’s life.
The tears I had held back all the way from Haridwar to Rishikesh began to flow. His words touched my soul. He turned to his disciples and said, “Look, this is my friend. We are spiritual friends — he takes the name of Shiva, I take the name of Krishna, but our destination is the same.”
He spoke such beautiful words, holding my hand and looking deeply into my eyes. Then, he embraced me warmly. In that moment, it felt as though Lord Krishna Himself had embraced me, saying —
“Why are you upset with me, my friend? You may be angry with me, but I can never be angry with you.”
The heaviness that had formed in my heart after meeting the other Guru in Haridwar — and the repeated visions of Krishna’s face during the Rishikesh Katha — all led to this one realization. From that earlier experience to this one, Lord Krishna showed me that all of this was His divine play (Leela).
First, He made my heart heavy, and then, by embracing me Himself, He made me realize — “Behind all this, it is I who stand.”
From that moment, all anger and distance I felt toward the Divine dissolved completely. The love that Guruji gave me while holding me close — no words can truly describe it.
After some time, he himself asked us to go inside the hall. He was the very Guru whose name is known across the world, who spreads the glory of God everywhere. The ongoing program in Rishikesh was his own. People know him as “The Traveling Monk.”
Guruji asked us to sit in the same place where he himself usually sat. The kirtan was in full flow. My heart was completely at peace now — though my tears still didn’t stop.
Silently, I kept asking God for forgiveness — for being upset with Him. One moment in Haridwar, I had felt as if I had committed some unknown sin, and in the next, God Himself embraced me and showed — “No, this is an experience, a lesson — that you are walking on the path of the Guru.”
So many people already see you as their Guru. Through these two experiences, understand what you are meant to become —
Whether you are in a place filled with pride for knowledge and wealth, or where you become nothing despite having everything — so that you can embrace everyone equally, beyond all notions of high or low, big or small.
Only love — love for all — should remain in the heart.
Such thoughts filled my mind. I had chosen my path. My eyes closed in peace.
Just then, one of Guruji’s disciples came and asked how long we would be staying in Rishikesh. When he heard we’d be there a few more days, he said, “Our Guruji wishes that you all visit his room tomorrow. He would like to personally show you his temple.”
Hearing this, we were all filled with joy.
…*To be continued*