Those who love and serve Maharaj ji are sometimes given great boons. Tonight Maharaj is very happy to show some of his close disciples the new addition that Mohinder Singh has lovingly built for him on his house on the hillside. As Maharaj ji speaks, he seems to be granting Mohinder Singh even more youthful energy:

                There is so much energy in a person. One can reach the age of 70 without any loss of energy, and then it decreases only a little thereafter.

                For 14 years [during the early development of Surajpur and Shiv Sadan], I never sat. That land is now worth crores because of inflation and the extremely hard work. When we went to Shiv Sadan, nothing was there except snakes and fish. A person who plans does so even in his sleep. For 3 years we drove to Shiv Sadan every day from Delhi. The same was true when we were developing Surajpur [which later was acquired by the government and became Greater Noida]. We didn’t know sleep. The record was our working for 70 hours at a stretch. Even the drivers got only 1 1/2 hours of sleep. The tractor drivers were amazing. There were so many snakes.

                Tea is brought to Maharaj. He touches his kara [steel bracelet worn by Sikhs] to the dishes before drinking his tea. During this pause, Maharaj’s close disciple Sunny (Hardip Singh Chahal) says, “So much worldly effort was required.”

                Maharaj responds,

                By the grace of Kalgidhar [Guru Gobind Singh, who wore a kalgi, or plume, in his turban], both horses were racing along together: worldly and spiritual. Why take charity? Look what charity God has given.

                Sunny’s daughter, who now lives in Delhi with her family, is planning to study in the US. She asks Maharaj if she should perhaps first go to a small university with few pupils to help her adjust in America. Maharaj closes his eyes and then says,

                It doesn’t matter for you. If you go to a school with lakhs of students, you will be the top student. If you go to one with thousands of students, you will be at the top. Your name will be great. You have been given a very great boon. You’ll be at the top in the whole world.

                After his daughter receives this amazing boon, Sunny tells us of his early days with Maharaj ji. He had been starting a successful career, but when he and his wife Asha became attached to Maharaj ji, neither family would help them. They had nothing but desire for Maharaj. So they came to Delhi and lived in a tiny two-room flat. They had so little money that it used to run out by the tenth of each month. Asha had never learned how to cook, for she had come from a wealthy family. All she knew how to make was paneer [fresh cheese]. But every evening, so they would not feel forlorn, Maharaj would come to their little flat for dinner, bringing a few followers. The man on the corner dhaba [roadside cooking shack] would make dal and chapatis and Asha would make paneer, and thus Maharaj ji ate with them every night.