“I am finished, dear sister. What will I do now? How will I go on? I ruefully told my sister who had called up to inquire about my welfare in November of 2013.

“Why? What happened? She was concerned.

“My Gurudev is no more. I’m an orphan now. Life has no meaning anymore for me.” I told her tearfully about the maha samadhi of my Gurudev, who had meant everything to me for the past 9 years, since 2004. Her sudden departure from this planet had created a huge void in my life. I felt like a ship lost in the storm.

My sister wanted to comfort me somehow. Those were the days when Swamiji was relatively free and would respond to emails. She wrote to Him, requesting some words of consolation for me.

I had chanced upon Om Swamiji’s discourses somewhere in 2012 and had told my sister about a “Divine Swamiji”, whose beautiful discourses had an unmistakable ring of truth in them. The discourses had an invaluable message for a true seeker. When Swamiji visited Canada in 2012 she had the good fortune of having his darshan.

Swamiji replied to my sister’s email with beautiful words of love and compassion in the middle of the night, and a spate of beautiful messages followed. I felt alive and new as if the hand that had been guiding me so far had not left me at all. The same hand was now lifting the veil of unhappiness and gloom from my heart, filling it with hope instead.

In one of his beautiful messages, Swamiji asked me to share my Guru’s name and I quote Swamiji “She must be a divine being that she could transform you the way she did.”

Swamiji says in one of his beautiful posts “A true guru’s presence is like the soft stream that gently sculpts the disciple, chiseling the rock of their hardened tendencies.”

Depending on what best suits the disciple, the Guru resorts to suitable means to set the wheels of transformation in motion in the disciple. The Guru may, for instance, plant thoughts in the mind of the disciple. As seeds sown in the earth duly sprout in course of time, so do these thoughts keep beckoning the disciple toward the change the Guru has initiated in the disciple. These Guru Transforms subtly. The cause may not be evident upfront to the disciple. Often these changes shake the very foundation of the disciple’s beliefs and notions.

At the feet of Sadgurus, I have also felt such “tremors” that have shaken me to the core. In their wake, these tremors brought about a certain lightness, enthusiasm, and a feeling of joy. Joy that makes me want to rejoice in just being myself. My perspective toward life has changed as if some burden has suddenly been lifted off my shoulders and I now feel one step, if not more, closer to my source.

I have also experienced a shift in the way I respond to situations and people. Certain thoughts keep knocking at my mind, guiding me to respond in a particular manner. Following this guidance always leads to peace. Where have these thoughts come from though? I strongly believe it to be the Guru’s work.

There are many beautiful thoughts that have, and still are, reshaping my views on life, which I attribute to the grace and loving-kindness of Sadgurus who allowed me to be at their divine feet. Today I hope to share with you one such thought. This thought hasn’t just helped me handle my day-to-day situations in a better manner, it has also helped me inspire my near and dear ones positively.

So, here goes…

Isn’t it just between you and me?

The thought that has influenced me the most is, “If all my transactions are between You and me, Lord, then how can any person or situation affect me? Isn’t it just between you and me?”. This thought makes me see a suitable “line of action” in a particular situation. Following this “line of action” makes me feel light and happy.  Like a cork ball that will not drown, this thought pulls me up.

How has this helped me?

De-cluttering my mind: Sticking with this thought helps me de-clutter my mind, bit-by-bit, degree-by-degree. If my goal is to come anywhere close to God, then, unless the mind is empty, how can I fill it with something I want; the Almighty’s name, for instance.

Managing my relationships: One great impact of “practicing” this thought has been on my dealings with my relatives and my friends. For every relationship, if the source is the Almighty, then, I am not directly dealing with anyone. This thought sets me free. It gives me a feeling of a clean slate, wherein I can paint afresh.

Feeling of peace: Faces are changing, places are changing but the final transaction is only between the Almighty and me. This thought generates a great feeling of lightness and peace.

How do I go about it?

Practicing this thought helps. Situations that warrant unrest of the mind, sad moments, unhappy circumstances; any of these can serve as a trigger for this thought to pop up. I generally take refuge in this thought when I feel helpless in solving some problem/dealing with a difficult situation, etc. If at ANY point in time I still feel sad, the most likely reason is that I have moved away from this thought.

What about a situation, where I may have been, for instance, wronged? I can’t just be with this thought and hope for things to sort on their own.

In such a situation, I do what I must, however, I also derive great strength from the simple fact that I am not alone. The Supreme Being is by my side. For if every interaction is between me and the Supreme Being, then there can be only two possibilities. Either how I wish things to turn out from the particular circumstance will come true or the Almighty’s will be done. Either way, my faith in the Almighty will be strengthened.

It is my belief that Guru’s grace is a must for us to speed up on the path we have set for ourselves. I once heard Swamiji say in a discourse and I paraphrase: One look is enough for me to work on/transform a person. Such is the power of the Sadguru that it can transform us in ways unimaginable and unfathomable. All obeisance at the feet of Sadguru Om Swamiji.