No such thing as coincidence

Long back, with an earnest request from our cousin sister and her husband, we went to Bombay to attend the marriage ceremony of their only son. We all celebrated the ceremony with gusto. It was short, simple and sweet. Soon after the ceremony was over, guests left, and the newly married couple also went for their honeymoon trip. We had only one day left in our hand before our scheduled departure. So we started thinking - how we could use that short time meaningfully. Nihar, our cousin’s husband, came up with a brilliant idea. He suggested that we all should visit the holy place of Shirdi, have Darshana of Sai temple, and be blessed with His divine spirit. We all welcomed his idea. Shirdi is a small place near Bombay. Hundred years ago, a great saint, known as Sai Baba, stayed there. In his lifetime and even after he left his body, people visit from every corner of the world to see this temple and to get His powerful blessings which infuses the air of the place. Without wasting much time, we started our journey through the only motorable road. We reached there by evening, went to a hotel and then went to Sai temple to attend the evening Arati. The experience was blissful. We did not miss the early morning Arati either. We happily donated generously in the donation box, and were also glad to know that Sai trust has a well-run hospital and a lot of good work happens with these donations. When we came out, to start our return journey, I found it was drizzling outside. I was surprised to see a long line was waiting to donate to feed people , ”Anna daan” – the direct donation of food for the needy– is a long-standing tradition. I was inspired, and joined the line to donate fifty one rupees, the amount left in my purse. My enthusiasm was disturbed however, by my husband who pointed out that we wouldn’t make the flight if I was to stand in the line of people waiting to donate. So grudgingly, I got into the car and headed for the airport in the heavy rain. Well it turned out that our departure was delayed due to heavy rain, and we reached Delhi after midnight, instead of eight in the evening. Reaching home went to sleep in no time. Early morning, I was awakened by our housekeeper who said, someone was standing near the gate and wanted to see me. Reluctantly I went and found a middle-aged man in the traditional robes of a renunciate standing there with a smiling face. He had a picture of Sai baba in his hand and said, “I am going to Shirdi temple for Anna Dan”, and wanted a donation from me to add to the contribution. When I asked him how much donation he wanted, he said, “fifty-one rupees only”. I happily handed him that exact sum still in my purse from the night before. The karma of the commitment of donation had found a different path to its fruition. Such incidences cannot be taken as co-incidence, nor can be explained by logic. They are like guideposts in our lives, pointing to a deeper, unseen force that drives and connects all of life. And when accepted, guides the traveler to cross the upheavals of life with confidence and courage, knowing that the divine spirit is always there as the foundation of our apparently disconnected life experiences.