See Also~~ The Shelter of God…for Yourself and for Your Loved Ones ~ Bro. Pranavananda
A DEVOTEE — Over the years I have read or heard from Master and monastics that Master not only looks after us, his devotees, but he looks out for our loved ones, too, even when they are not on a spiritual path. I have also read and heard stories of how he has done this for other devotees’ loved ones.
Brother Anandamoy told a story of a fellow monk who had been married before entering the ashram. Later when he was older he became very ill. Bro. A. asked Master if the monk was about to pass but Master said not yet. Later Master came to see the monk and told him that his son was now on the path. This had been this monk’s great wish all the years in the ashram to see his son on the spiritual path. Soon afterward the monk left his body.
One devotee told a story about her mother, whom she loved very much, but her mother had many problems in life and had passed away without a spiritual path. The devotee’s spiritual counselor had prayed for her mother and told her that Master was with her when she passed and that she was now very happy. When asked why Master would do this, she was told it was because this devotee loved her mother.
There are many more such stories because our Guru cares for each one of us and our loved ones. This story of mine showed me that my Guru is looking after my loved ones, too.
It happened when my son and his wife were expecting their first child. The due date for the birth was March 11. By that time I had been an SRF devotee for some years and dearly loved Guruji and also loved Sri Yukteswar in a special way. The date being so close to our beloved Gurus’ special dates, I immediately wanted to ask Master to change the date so my grandson would have an especially blessed birthday! But I couldn’t decide between March 7 or March 9, Master’s and Sri Yukteswarji’s mahasamadhis. So I thought about it and decided I would ask Master to let my grandson be ‘cradled’ between the two, on March 8.
On March 8 I received a telephone call from my son saying that my grandson had been born! I did not doubt that Master had done this, especially after I learned more about this date. When Master gives, he gives more generously than we ask or expect! March 8 of that year also happened to be the date of Shivaratri. Especially during my early years on Master’s path I had a special love for Lord Shiva (we are told that a lot of us devotees in the west now have had past lives in India) and I always looked forward to Shivaratri, so I felt this was another very great special blessing.
In addition to these great blessings, I also learned that March 8 is both the birth date and date of the passing (feast day) of a great Catholic saint named St. John of God. He lived in the same city and at the same time as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross (whom I had always loved), and he shared the same spiritual director as these two great saints. These two saints are held in high esteem and talked about by our Guru and monastics, especially St. Teresa. St. John of God I had not heard of until then, but read that he also had an illustrious mission. Only much later, though, did I learn an especially wonderful fact about this great saint. A fellow devotee lived in the same area as these saints had and before coming to Master’s path he had entered the monastery of St. John of God. He said he had the greatest admiration for the work they do to this day. He also said that they practiced a technique like kriya, which they had learned in India!
LORD SHIVA “King of Yogis” and SHIVARATRI ~ Yogananda and Sw. Sivananda
The Shivaratri date changes every year. This year, for the first time since my grandson’s birth, Shivaratri falls on March 8 again. And again I feel and remember especially how God and Guru are so generously good. Neither my son or grandson are on a spiritual path yet. This would concern me very much if Master had not shown me that he is taking care of them, too. He blesses us beyond our expectations and I feel he is holding my loved ones in the palm of his hand. He is so good. He is a Premavatar. He is love itself.
See Also~~
Yogananda Site 