Swaranjit Singh, eminent businessman and President of the Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religions who is very close to Maharaj, came to see Maharaj along with his wife Prem. Later four more men joined the audience. Maharaj spoke to them about a variety of things, including the relationship between science and religion, the necessity of faith for successful management, and the state of mind of one who deeply loves God, including stories and teachings from Abraham, Moses, the Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali, Krishna, Peter, Jesus, Lord Ram, Moinuddin Chisti, and Aristotle. He quoted Jaap Sahib: “You are the Creator of conflict, and You also come in the form of peace.” He concluded by saying, “With such understanding, everything becomes peaceful. . . . Love God and nothing else is needed.” He reminded these influential people of the teaching from Guru Granth Sahib: “Saach seel chalo sultan”—“Oh ruler, act according to the power of truth.” Maharaj explained, “The greatest standard is to love God and be compassionate to people.”
After another audience in the evening with Maharaj, Prem told the story of her miraculous long-term survival. She is small and aristocratic, but very tough because of her faith and Maharaj’s great blessings. “It is only He who has been keeping me running all these years,” Prem affirms. Maharaj often used to stay in their home in Delhi. Often he went there at mid-day, and many times he stayed for weeks and even months at a time. At Maharaj’s wish, Prem read the entire Bible to him four times over the years. It was while staying at their home that he had several historic visions of Jesus.
In 1951 Prem was involved in a terrible automobile accident in which her stomach was destroyed. She says she was “bashed, broken up, from head to toe.” Ever since then, she has been able to eat only very small portions of a very limited diet, and she cannot tolerate medicines. Over the years, she has had 13 surgeries, from her eyes to her feet. Now on top of all that she had survived a new challenge from which she would surely have died, had it not been for Maharaj. A rare blood condition called Idiopathic Thrombocyclopenic Purpura (suspected to be blood cancer) had caused internal hemorrhages all over her body. She said,
For three months I couldn’t even put on my glasses. I couldn’t even turn my mala; I could only hold it in my palm. I cannot believe that I am still alive, but of course I am here. I don’t even know what to say to anybody.
To Maharaj I can only say, “You dwell even in hell. You are with me everywhere.” I only live with what He says. I’ve been literally living like this since 1951, and carrying on all my family obligations. Who could do it except for Him?
The normal blood platelet count is 2,50,000. Mine went down to 20,000. We came to see Maharaj on July 9th, the day before we went to Bombay, where they could administer a life-saving drug imported from Germany. The body was all blue. The face was like a bear had mauled it. Every blood vessel in the body had hemorrhaged. I came to say good-bye to Maharaj. Every minute it was like I was going to die, because I was bleeding nonstop from the gums. I said to Swaranjit, “Although I am feeling so totally fulfilled in my life–I have nothing else to desire– I cannot die in this condition because what will they say about my Guru?” The seriousness of that condition [from which he saved me] is an indication of his power.
Why don’t you people ask me, “How did you come out of it?” In that state there was nothing that I could think of except Maharaj’s charan [holy feet]. Day and night if I looked anywhere around, I thought only of him. It was like his hukam—He did not let me think of what I was suffering. There were pictures of Shiv Ji all around, but to me they looked like Maharaj. My whole life passed before me, from my babyhood, one scene after another, and I relived it. It was like being there and seeing and feeling the joy of my childhood. I was talking to Maharaj from inside me. I felt His presence.
What can I say to Maharaj Ji now? How can I ask Him why He wanted it that way? Everything that has happened He knows and has done. Whatever He is doing–as a Father, as a Mother, as a Brother—He is doing everything. He can tell me it is my karma, but my karma is also in His hands.
The top doctor for abdominal problems and the x-ray scanner could not believe the problems I’ve had for the past 46 years, and then the type of life I’ve been leading for decades. The antibodies were eating the platelets, but I could not take any medicines. They could not believe that my body at the age of 63, has taken over [its own functioning]. Maybe it might happen at a younger age. Since 1969, when we met Maharaj, all these years have passed like this.
When we first came to him in December 1969, he was sitting in the Dubai kothi veranda, with his back toward the house. You had to walk up one step to the veranda. We came from the side and could only see a figure dressed all in white, from head to toe. First Swaranjit stepped up onto the veranda and then I. Without even turning his head, Maharaj said, “Beeba, you have delayed your coming too long.” Without even thinking, I said, “Sorry, it has been too long.” After that, he beckoned us to sit on a mat near him; still he hadn’t turned his face toward us. Then I saw his face. I thought, “Yes—He can be a saint.”
After Swaranjit told Maharaj of his difficulties, Maharaj gave him Nam and told him to recite it morning and evening, and any time when he was sitting. He kept giving him prasad—patassas (round flat sugar candies)—and saying, “Repeat: Ik Onkar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru.”
Then Swaranjit pointed to me and said, “She’s also sick.” Maharaj said, “She should also do path [read scripture].” Swaranjit said, “She does.” Maharaj said, “That is the only reason why she is standing. But she must do more.” He also gave me Nam, saying, “From now on, recite ‘Ik Onkar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru.’”
It didn’t even occur to me until evening to wonder why he said, “You have delayed so long.” Swaranjit said, “Why didn’t you ask him?” It was only after two years that I could question him. He answered, “Beeba, whoever is going to come here is known.”
In 1976 there was a lump in my breast. They performed surgery and took out a three inch wide thing. When I came to Maharaj to say good-bye before that operation, he said, “No, no, Beeba, there cannot be any cancer. Take a khanda [two-edged sword] and go fight!” I was walking behind him as he moved among the cows. As he inspected them, he was also giving orders as to what was to be done for me after I came out of the hospital. I didn’t think I would make it out of the surgery, but whatever he said, I kept on saying, “Han ji” (“Yes, sir”). When I was in the hospital, he called Gurcharan to ask Swaranjit what time the operation would be. It was at 11 a.m. He left his kothi at 5 a.m. that morning and never went back to his room until 10 p.m. Then he called Swaranjit and told him, “Beeba is all right.”
Maharaj has literally changed my whole way of thinking and has taken my body and made two people out of it. One is the sick one, the other keeps running all over the world and running up and down stairs taking care of guests.
I think my entire life altogether is Maharaj’s living miracle. If there is one living and talking miracle in this place, it is Prem.