The father of Gurcharan Kaur, our manager, has been pining away and rapidly growing senile since his wife died recently. He was so bereft that he predicted he would soon follow her. He seems very disoriented, often saying things that don’t make much sense, such as, “This is not our house.” Yesterday he told the family that the Yammas (agents of death) were coming for him, so not to cry—he would be going.

Gurcharan was therefore weeping when she happened to speak on the phone with Harinder Kaur, Maharaj’s domestic sevadar. Harinder asked if it was because of her father, and when she said “Yes,” Harinder put Maharaj himself on the phone. Gurcharan told him that her father said the Yammas were coming for him. Maharaj replied, “It is not so. Your father loves God very much and always recites Nam. When his time comes, it will be Guru Gobind Singh who comes, not the Yammas.” Then it was arranged for Maharaj to speak to her father on the phone. Maharaj told him, “There is nothing wrong with you. When your time comes, it will be Guru Gobind Singh whom you see. Now you get better, enjoy yourself, and come here to worship.”

The family went over in the evening, very worried, to see the father, but he was all smiles and peaceful. When Gurcharan went to see him, she said he was looking better than ever before. She had taken some toffees for the children, but instead she gave her father the whole bag to distribute. Throughout the evening he happily gave sweets to all who came. “Maharaj is so kind,” Gurcharan said.

January 26 –

            Gurcharan’s family managed to bring their father to see Maharaj. He was unable to walk, so they carried him and placed him on a rope bed in the hillside garden. When Maharaj came, he asked the father, “Why are you so depressed? You will have a long life. Next time you will come here on your own feet. When you will go from this world, Yammas will not take you. You will go by the order of the Guru.”

Maharaj called for some holy water and sprinkled it over the father. I was photographing the scene as it unfolded. As soon as Maharaj started sprinkling the holy water, beautiful rays of light started to appear in the photos, emanating from Maharaj Ji and covering the old man. We could not see those rays, but they were quite visible in the photos. Then Maharaj ordered him, “Start walking!” He blessed the whole family, told them to read Jaap Sahib, and told them to put havan ash on the father’s forehead, plus oil and blessed water from the havan on his left leg daily. He also told them to make the father laugh every day.  Maharaj said to the father, “Maharaj [Guru Gobind Singh] has given you great blessings. From today your mind will be changed and you will become strong.” Those blessings were immediately obvious, for the father was able to walk out of the garden on his own feet, with support from his relatives.