I was introduced to Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji in 1976 by Dr Dianan Chandool, the first President of the Datta Yoga Center, Trinidad. He had given me a small picture of His Holiness which I used to watch and question myself “who is this person?” Before receiving this picture I was very ill and both medical and spiritual help did not abate my illness. However, after receiving the photograph I bowed down and pray to it and the illness vanished. Since then I continued to pray to the picture and I started getting closer and closer to Him. I would get up early in the mornings, and make offerings to all the deities including Sri Swamiji.
After this I became very interested in meeting this person. As my luck would have it Sri Swamiji was visiting the island and was having a program in Arima to which I was invited. I was told that He was God in human form and just by having His darsan you life will be changed. When I first saw Him, but what I really saw, was a human being. He told me that I must pray and do not worry. I was questioning myself, how could He be God? But then eventually I realized that He is God Himself, and with this realization everytime I sat to pray I would start crying.
In 1986 he visited my house and as he was walking he told me “you don’t worry.” He also advised my two children that they shouldn’t worry as everything will be allright. After about a year, good things started to happen and again I realized that He to whom I was praying to is God himself.
Later, as my relationship with Him was growing, suddenly one day he asked “Do you see Hanuman?” I said “Yes Swamiji.” Then He said “Do you see Me?” I said “Yes Swamiji.” He told me to close my eye and tell Him who was around, so I closed my eye and related to Him as to whom I was seeing around Him. After my explanation, with compassion He said to me, “Allright, I bless you; from today onwards you will do my work in helping people. Always remember to do well and help them.” With humility I said “Okay, Swamiji I’ll do that.” After that His Holiness started addressing me as ‘Trinidad Hanuman’.
One day Sri Swamiji said to me “Hanumanta, tell me what you want?” I said “Swamiji all I want is health, strength and energy to do your work.” He said “you don’t worry you will have that and never do bad, never hurt no one.” I said “no Swamiji.” I promise him that and I keep that oath to do good for people. Another time He said “do you want a house, do you want a new car?” I said “no Swamiji, I want health and strength, and I want your knowledge.” He laughed and said “you will get that.” and He keeps blessing me.
Because of my devotion to Him, I believe that I was given a unique gift to help people. Normally people will seek me out for cures to their maladies. With His grace only I am able to give some remedies for their ailments and miraculously they are cured. I started His work slowly; one day at a time. I don’t want anything from anybody except that they are healed and cured by Sri Swamiji’s grace. I would ask them to pray to the Guru and I will tell them Guru is God. Initially they wouldn’t have any belief in Him, because they see Him as a human being, but when the miracles, in their lives, starts happening they realized that Sri Swamiji is God Himself. He is not man; He maybe a human being, but He is walking on earth as God.
Every time, He was leaving to go back to India, a sorrow would come into my heart. I would start crying and He would walk towards me and advise me to hold onto His two feet. Timidly I’ll touch His Feet and bow and he would bless me saying “you don’t worry, everything will be alright.”
During His early visits to Trinidad, Sri Swamiji identified the Aripo River as a highly spiritual place for Datta Devotees. He said that in the past and till now, those ageless holy saints would come there, have their bath and perform pujas and rituals. Dr Chandool and I would go to the spot identified by His Holiness, a very large stone over which the water will flow before falling into the lower pool, and we too will perform some pujas and rituals. On this stone, the Holy Padukas of Sri Swamiji is carved and He would sit there and perform His pujas.
Once while meditating there late at night I closed my eyes and I saw a very old lady coming up the river chanting; Jai Hanuman. She had a bundle of wood on her head and a pot in her hand, and Sri Hanuman was following her. I told Dr Chandool what was happening.” He said, “alright, tell me when they getting closer.” He asked “do you know who that is?” I say “Yes, that is Mother Durga coming up in the water.” He advised that I should make my offering. I lit my deepa and made my offering of prasad. He said “okay, let’s go from here.”
I went back alone, very early the next morning, to the river. I sat on the rock I saw a lotus flower floating on the water and the Mother was coming up in that lotus flower. I got up and kept watching in amazement. I close my eyes and then I heard the Mother asking me, “would you light a deepa for me?” I lit a deepa, offered aarti and placed it on the stone. She then asked for flowers. I offer the flowers to her feet. I remain there for a little while, left, and then came back on the riverbank trying to imagine what was really happening in this river, what is going on in this water?
Another night when Dr Chandool and I went back there, something totally different was taking place. A big light, bright like the daylight, can be seen between the two mountains, showing as reflections as you would see from the sun’s rays. I asked Dr Chandool “how has this place become so bright all of a sudden?” He say “don’t worry, it’ll soon go away.” We remained there for a long while, made our offerings, and the place remain bright but the water very cold. When we came out the river the light just disappear. We didn’t see any light again. He say “let’s leave here now, she’s satisfied and she has gone her way.” I asked “who was it?” and he said “don’t worry.” However I assumed that it was the Mother and Lord Vishnu who were in the water, and I realize what was happening.
Many miracles have taken place in Aripo River. Once I went to the area where Sri Swamiji would normally sits. Other people came after me and were offering prayers. Somehow I just got up, started crying and shouted “look the Mother is standing on that big lotus flower floating in the water is, and she is coming towards us.” I offered her aarti and she asks for a mala; the mala was manasa pooja. I make the mala offering to her with my hand and the people were watching and asking “what was happening there?” I said “nothing was wrong, the Mother is here with us and everyone is safe, please don’t worry.” I offered flowers and lit camphor on a broad leaf in the water and it floated and went to her feet, it went where she was and remained lighting for a while.
When I speak of the Mother or Lord Vishnu, I am speaking of none other that my Sadgurudeva Sri Swamiji. Some devotees will come to the river and make offerings to Sri Swamiji, in the water, and they leave convinced that their offerings were accepted by Him. So many miracles have happened with Swamiji grace.
To meet Sri Swamiji, to get close to Sri Swamiji take years of devotion, and penance. It don’t happen in two days, he put you through all kinds of test. The more closer you get to him, the more work you will get, more pressure will be on you, you will get more problems in your life. He will see if you will run from Him or stand up with Him; that is the faith that I went through, and today I should say, I’m happy by the grace of my Lord, I am happy. I live in a world, where God is, and I am happy with Him. I will never forget Him in this life. He is always good to all his devotees and everybody. He doesn’t choose religion; everybody is God’s children in Swamiji,
We must understand that the more you pray to him, the better it is for us. He is not a mere human being, He is God Himself. He is the sixty four thousand deities all in a single form. When we bow to Surya in the morning, we are bowing to Him. When we bow and beg, we must ask for a spiritual and a peaceful day and you will get that blessing from Him. The first person that I offer my jhala to is my Guru to clear the way for me if there is any negative forces around, please remove it.
I consider Guru as mother, father, God, and everything else in the world. Everyday I would first sit and pray to my Guru. I was given the opportunity to bathe my Sadgurudeva with milk. With His grace I have washed His Holy Feet in the Aripo River. I have totally surrendered myself to Him. I have met God. I am pleased and I’m satisfied that I have a great Guru. I’m at peace, all my children are happy. Jaya Guru Datta.