My
Experiences with Probable Miracles
Udhayan
Chawdhary
There is something on the eve of a major festival or
during a festival season, when important things have happened in my lifespan of
60 years. In the Festival- Ray of hope, I would like to reminisce a few of
them.
It was the year 1999. I was sitting by a lakeside in
New Delhi, watching the flow and ebb of the water, when I felt a strong
presence of the spirit of Jesus Christ enveloping me. For a few brief moments,
I did not know what was happening, I just felt enveloped by a divine white
light. I went back home dazed, not letting anyone know what I had experienced.
A few days later, a transformation happened. For the first time in my life, I was
blissfully happy. As the days went by, the bliss continued. Sensing the change
in me, my mother and my wife asked what had happened to me. I could not hold
back and told them the truth. In my mother’s opinion, the books of Norman
Vincent Peale, who is one of my favorite inspirational authors, had
subconsciously drawn me towards Jesus Christ. Prior to the incident, I had been
an avid reader of his books. My father’s failing health in the 80s and my
struggle with the pain in my mind left me a desolate and broken man. One day I
chanced to see Peale’s book at a roadside book counter, “The Power of Positive Thinking”.
I had never heard of him, nor about his books, before. I got hold of it and began
reading. The first page, I turned read “If God is with me, who can be against
me”. It was a sentence from the Bible. The words attracted me strongly, as if
beckoning me to read on. I purchased the book and read it. I felt divinely
inspired. Thereafter, I read all of his books, practically devouring them. In
times of distress, I took refuge in his books which had always inspired me, as
a drowning man clutching onto straw.
Although, at this stage of my life, that blissful
feeling has ebbed, yet, I feel it has a strong subconscious presence in me. One
particular incident bears mentioning. My wife who never quite believed me, took
it upon herself to test the veracity of my feelings. One evening, when she was
relaxing, she asked Jesus jokingly, “Jesus, if you are with us, then may the
lights in our house go off.” A few seconds later, the lights in our house went
off. My wife got scared. Not able to contain herself, she implored Jesus, “May
the lights in our house come back immediately.” Lo and behold, the lights came
back immediately. My wife became petrified and ran out of the house. We
believed Jesus Christ was with us.
In the year, 2004, on the eve of Makar Sankranti, I
went to Patna to represent New Delhi at the National Championship in Chess for
Central Secretariat Services. Chess has always been one of my passions. I was
selected in the team based on my performance in the Inter Ministry Chess
tournament meant for Central Government officials. The championship is not an
easy one. Only players performing exceedingly well, represented New Delhi in the
National Championship. I represented the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and
was fortunate to represent New Delhi on four occasions. As I travelled to Patna
via rail, it halted at Allahabad junction. I got down from the train to take a
breather. As I was taking a stroll in the station, I happened to chance upon a
book at a stall. The title of the book
read “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda. The author’s eyes were
mesmerizing, but I chose to ignore it. As I went back into the train, a strong
feeling overtook me to purchase the book. Again, I ignored the feeling, but soon
the feeling became too strong. It seemed to say, “Buy it, it is for you.”
Giving due respect to my inner feelings, I got down from the train and
purchased it. Seconds later the train departed. I glanced at the book, which
read, “What you hold is not an ordinary book, but a spiritual treasure”. Good
great words, I thought and put it away in the bag.
Upon conclusion of the chess tournament, I began to
read the book. The contents in the book seemed too incredible to be true. How
could this be real, I wondered! The book was about Kriya Yoga, an ancient
Indian science and stories of miracles associated with it. One particular
extraordinary story bear’s mention. The author Paramahansa Yogananda, who
himself was a great yogi had just cremated his guru, Shri Yukteshwar
Giri at Pune and was feeling sad for the death of his guru. A week later, as he
sat in one of the rooms of a hotel in Mumbai, a bright light enveloped Shri
Paramahansa Yogananda. Seconds later, the figure of his guru, Yukteshwar Giri
appeared in front of him in flesh and blood. Paramahansa Yogananda was stunned.
Said he, “Gurudev, is it you?”
“Yes, I am he,”
Yogananda grasped his guru tightly. The conversation between guru and shishya
is too surreal to mention in words. One needs to read it and derive one’s own
conclusions. After reading it, I was in a different world. I believed it,
period. My inner voice prompting me to buy the book at the station was
justified.
My daughter Mohua Chawdhary, nicknamed Dew, came late
into our lives, in the year 2008. After her advent, our fortunes turned for the
better, by God’s grace. I got promoted immediately in my job. My financial
resources were augmented significantly. These are considered auspicious omens
in our culture. “Ghar mein Lakshmi aa gayi” i.e., good fortune had come
into our lives, said my relatives and friends alike. Both my wife and myself
became a lot happier. In the year 2010, an incident happened which strengthened
my belief. As mentioned earlier, I had participated in the Inter Ministry Chess
tournament, but the first prize had always evaded me. In the penultimate round
of the team championship, I was on the verge of losing terribly. I wanted to
resign, when a strong feeling of clairsentience propelled me to play on. You
will win because of your daughter.” The feeling was as strong as the one I had
on earlier occasions, by the lake side and inside the train compartment. I went by my gut-feeling and played on, and lo
and behold I won the game! My opponent had run out of time. I won one of the
worst chess games of my life fortuitously. Later, my team went on to win the
first prize in the tournament. I was told by my team mates that my game in the
penultimate round proved to be the decisive factor in winning the championship.
Once again, the feeling of clairsentience, inexplicably, came to my aid.
I lost my mother in the year 2013 due to cancer. Ever
since she departed, I have felt a big vacuum in my life. I began to ponder on
where she had gone. The book “Autobiography of a Yogi” had strengthened my
belief in life after death. A year later, sometime during the festive months of
October or November, I went to New Delhi Railway Station to receive my wife and
daughter upon their return from a vacation to Kolkata. The train got delayed
and I had to wait. I decided to take a stroll and came across a railway book kiosk.
On top of the counter was a book named “Laws of the Spirit World” by Khorshed
Bhavnagri. The title of the book attracted me, and magnetically drew me towards
it. I purchased it immediately. Soon, the train from Kolkata arrived and I
received my wife and daughter. My daughter was then 6 years old and I missed
her terribly. As she came into my arms, I felt a different kind of happiness. A
few days later, when the elation of meeting my daughter subsided, I began to
read the book. By the time I completed reading the book, the feeling was
awesome. I felt I was transported to heaven. Earlier, I had mentioned about
Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”. Although the said book was meant for
mankind in general, yet I feel it had an aura of being for exclusive and privileged
persons. After reading “Laws of the Spirit World”, I felt the book was meant
for common people like you and me.
The story is about the author’s two sons who had died
in a car accident. The despondent parents fell it was the end of their world.
But a miracle happened. They were informed that their sons were very happy in
their spiritual world, and it was they who had requested their parents not to
worry about them. They wondered how this was possible. The parents were asked go
to a particular psychic medium. A psychic medium is a person with whom the
departed soul communicates from another world. Too incredible to be true. A
strong feeling of clairsentience enveloped me yet again, saying “You will meet
your mother in heaven after your earthly journey is over. Take it or leave it.”
In the year, 2017, on the eve of Durga Puja, Mrs. Das,
the wife of a stage actor in our colony approached my wife, telling her that
she wanted me to act in a stage show during Durga Puja. I refused flatly. My
previous experiences with acting had ended in a disaster. On one occasion, in
front of a small crowd, I almost forgot my name. It was a total mess. I decided
acting and stage were not for me. Mrs. Das approached my wife a second time and
requested me to act. I refused bluntly. Not to be outdone, she pestered my wife
a third time. She told my wife, that her strong intuition propelled her to
approach me. Upset at being pestered and having to refuse her for the third
time, I asked her, “Why me?” She said her strong inner feeling had made her
approach me for the third time. “Inner feelings”. I felt an uneasy sensation.
She said, I was required to play a character of Lok Nath in the show. At the
name Lok Nath”, both my wife and I jumped from our seats. Lok Nath Baba, a
great Bengali saint and mystic is a household name in practically every Bengali
family. Both my wife and myself have been ardent believers after the advent of our
daughter Dew in our lives. In my wife’s opinion, it is by the grace of Lok Nath
Baba that Dew came into our lives. As my life took an upturn, our belief in Lok
Nath Baba strengthened. My wife glanced at me and prodded me to act. In her
opinion, it was an indication from Baba, who wanted me to act. Left with no
other option, I finally acquiesced. The rehearsals were a nightmare for me. My
dread of acting was palpable. The director and other artists, wondered, whether
it had been a good idea to bring me in. Since Durga Puja was fast approaching,
they decided to change my role, but I refused to play the changed role. For me
it was either Lok Nath Baba or nothing. They pleaded with me repeatedly. Since
they could not get another artist, I was finally persuaded to change my role. I
was to act as a funny doctor. As the rehearsals proceeded, a strange sensation
engulfed me. I found that I enjoyed playing the new role. As days progressed, the dread of acting ebbed.
I felt I could do it. Then ‘D’ day came.
Strangely, I was not afraid. On the stage, seeking blessings of Lok Nath Baba
and divine Mother Durga, I acted. By the time, I finished, there was widespread
applause from the crowd for my acting. After the show was over, I was told, I
was the best actor. Glancing above, I thanked Lok Nath Baba and divine Mother
Durga for making me feel like I was in seventh heaven. I could finally act.
Throughout my childhood, I have had strong faith in
God. Vicissitudes in my life did not prevent me from having faith in the
divine. Praying incessantly to God has been the only consistent feature in my
life.
From the above experiences, I conclude that it was God
who did it for me.
I was just an instrument.
I reiterate, “If God is with me, who can be against
me”.
Amen.
