I met His Holiness, Parama Pujya Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji for the first time in 1986. Prior to this I was working at the office of the Ministry of Road and Traffic and my boss came and asked me if I knew of an Indian Saint named Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I told her that I did not and she gave me a book about Him to read. I began reading the book and came across a saying which read, “If somebody meditates on me I will give them my darshan.” I read the book over and over meditating on Him, but I did not have His darshan. I thought that maybe He only gives His darshan to certain people.
The desire to meet a saint overcame me and in 1978, I went to India to Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Ashrama in Puttaparthi. When I arrived at the Prashanti Nilayam Ashrama, Baba did not come out to give darshan for two weeks. However, I waited and did not leave. One day while I was sitting, on the sand in the open ground, with other devotees waiting for Him to come out, it began to rain, so we ran into the Mandir to shelter. After the rain stopped we came back out with men and women sitting separately.
During this time Sri Sai Baba walked out to give darshan to the crowd. He walked towards me and stopped directly in front of me. I touched His feet three times and I touched His hands. He asked me where I was from and I told Him that I was from Surinam; He said that He would see me tomorrow. Then I told him that I want to go back to Madras but He said, “No! You must stay here.” I left the Ashram without talking to Him again and later I went back to Surinam feeling in my heart that He was not my Guru.
In 1986, I had moved to Holland and my sister, Gayatri, told me that her Guru, Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji would be visiting Holland, England and Switzerland. Intuitively, I decided to go to England to meet Him. I reached England and went to the place He was giving darshan. I walked into the room and saw Him sitting on a chair. I looked at Him and saw His sparking eyes. I knew in my heart that He was the one, He is my Guru. After meeting Him in England, I went to visit Him several times in India at His Ashrama.
In 1994, I had gone to Mauritius, and a friend gave me a plaque with the letter OM written on it. The next day I was standing on the balcony of my hotel with the plaque in my hand, I was looking out at the clear blue sky with amazement. Suddenly I noticed an object in the sky moving closer and closer to me. I first recognized it as a chariot, and then as it came closer I saw Sri Swamiji’s form in it. Then His form merged into the OM on the plaque, which I was still holding in my hands. From that moment, I stopped seeing Him as my Guru and began seeing Him as God.
On another occasion, I was in Holland at a salon getting a Pedicure. When I was finished and came out to get my car, I realized that it was dark in the parking lot and I was afraid to go alone. Just then, Sri Swamiji came down to me from the sky held my hand and led me to my car. I got in and drove home safely. My God was taking care of me.
Once I was thinking that if Sri Swamiji is the personification of love, how much He really loves us. I was comparing our love for Him as being as big as an elephant and that I was only an ant. As I thought of this, I saw Him sitting on the swing in the tree. Then I was with Him and we swung together. He was showing me that our love for each other was equal.
Whenever I had any family problem I would call on Him and the problem would be solved. Once my husband was suffering with heart problems and was not breathing properly. I was all alone with him so I prayed to Sri Swamiji, telling Him that I am alone and if anything should happen, I will not able to handle it by myself. Immediately, my husband began breathing better and slowly He recuperated. My God was always there for me when I called on Him.
Once whem Sri Swamiji visited my home in Holland, I called my mother, in Surinam, to inform her and she told me how I should prepare for Him. He came and after He left my son found four coins that He had left for us. Such is His love for us. I keep Sri Swamiji constantly in my thoughts. Whenever I get into my car, I sing bhajans to Him. I have met many saints in my life but when I first saw Sri Swamiji, I knew in my heart that He had some connection. He became my Guru and my God. I can only pray to Him to bless me that we will always be together for eternity for I cannot bear to have it any other way. Jaya Guru Datta