Maharaj is so exceptional. He remains apparently quietly in virtual seclusion, and yet something extraordinary is always going on around him. On June 27, as he joined the 31 pandits he has called in for ten days of puja to Durga Mata, he was obviously more involved in prayer and worship than anyone else. I took videos and photos of his intense concentration as the pandits were reciting their mantras and giving him things to offer to Durga after holding them in his clasped hands. Later we learned that Durga Mata herself appeared to him at that time and gave him her sword, telling him, “Use this to cut off the heads of the pandits!” Then today She appeared to him and blew a conch. The pandits were supposed to have done so themselves at the beginning of the puja, but they had forgotten, so She had to come Herself to blow the conch. They also failed to make a yellow tent around the puja area, according to Mata ji’s laws. Maharaj brought these mistakes to their notice, and they admitted their failures. Maharaj commented, “Pandits do mantras and havan every day, but they rarely meet Durga Mata. How can they be authorities on Her if they have never met Her?”