Author: Bhola- Dirk Van de Wijngaard
On the 25th of June 2022—33 years after Sai Baba appeared to me in a dream (25th of June 1989)—Mohanji invited me to join Him for dinner at a loving Mohanji family’s house in Luton, UK. At the dining table, in the presence of, among others, two Skanda Vale Swamis and Christopher Greenwood, Mohanji looked at me seriously and said: “Next year, you have to come to Skanda Vale.” In honor of Skanda Vale’s 50th Anniversary, Mohanji installed a life-size murti (statue) of Shree Shirdi Sai Baba in a fantastic newly built temple. The inauguration ceremonies were performed perfectly in His presence and took place from the 9th to the 12th of June 2023. Since 1990, I have worshipped loving Mahakali Maa, and whenever we arrived in Nepal, I visited the Mahakali Maa temple. Since then, I have always carried a small photograph of Her with me, and before rescuing minor girls from the brothels of India, I would pray for the protection of everyone involved, telling Her that I am just a little squirrel in Her hand. Parvati and Mina fell asleep after entering our room in Skanda Vale in the evening, but I was restless and could not sleep at all. Praying to Her photo (for the last 34 years!), I told Her from within that I understood very well that I am just a little squirrel, but still, I felt that You, Holy Mother, had not accepted me as Your child! I also told Her that when I visited the temple in Nepal, others were sometimes asked by the priest to ring the Gantha (small bell) during Aarathi, but I was never asked! Was my Sadhana not good? I cried, and early in the morning, I wiped my tears and walked at 4:30 AM to the Bhajan Hall, where I sang wonderful devotional songs with approximately 300 other beautiful souls, most of whom I had never met before.
After the bhajans, I stayed for a while in silence while everyone else went outside. Then, a kind volunteer named George asked me if I was interested in visiting the Mahakali Temple! I was electrified when he said that he had a car and could even take me there, as the temple was located at the top of a hill! Arriving at the top, I saw more than 300 people, and I had to follow the line to sit at the end. Unexpectedly, a loving Mohanji volunteer named Selma recognized me and asked me to come forward. There, I sat with approximately 40 others in front of the entrance door. My heart started beating faster. When the temple doors opened, the priest announced that children below the age of 8 would have to wait, but after the Aarathi ceremony, they were most welcome inside. Then, he asked all children above 8 years old to come forward. A young girl and a small boy stood up in line before him. Then, as if I had been given a push, I ran to stand behind them as the third child. The priest looked into my eyes—almost frozen—and I calmly said to him, “Sir, I am also above 8 years old.” He gave the three of us permission to go inside. The young boy sat on the left side of the front row, the young girl on the right, and the priest offered me the seat between them—right in front of the majestic, huge murti (statue) of Divine Mother Mahakali Maa! As I gazed at Her loving, ever-protective face, my heartbeat grew faster and faster. With folded hands, tears of gratitude flowed down my cheeks.
Once the mandir was completely filled, the Aarathi ceremony started. Suddenly, someone tapped me on my left shoulder. When I turned, I saw the priest handing me the Gantha and nodding kindly! For the first time in my life, I was given the honor of ringing the small bell throughout the entire Aarathi. After the Aarathi, everyone went outside, and volunteers began distributing fruits. One of the volunteers handed me a huge, heavy plate filled with fruit and asked me to bring it to… Mohanji! As I walked towards the car, a tiny squirrel suddenly blocked my way. It stood still, looked up at me for a few seconds, and gazed straight into my eyes—a moment I will never forget. When I handed the plate of fruit to the driver, George, two young Indian men appeared out of nowhere. One by one, they extended their right hands to me and said, “Happy Birthday, Sir.” I was confused. My birthday is on the 31st of July! And today was the 10th of June! Searching for them just a few seconds later, they had disappeared in an instant! I delivered the plate of fruit and, in a sort of trance, walked back to my room. I sat in silence in front of the photo of Ma, whom I had worshipped for more than 34 years, and Her face kept transforming—over and over—into the smiling face of Mohanji! And then, Mohanji-Mahakali whispered in my heart: “Happy Birthday, My Child.” When I slowly came out of this trance, I remembered my prayers of the entire night and my four hours of prayers in the morning. I realized that Mahakali is Mohanji, and He had fulfilled my humble wish—to be accepted as Her/His child! Mohanji had fulfilled all my wishes through His mercy, sankalpa, and Divine Leela! A few days later, we went to the MCB center in Scotland, where Christopher asked Parvati and me to wait, as Mohanji wanted to give us an interview. While waiting, I told Parvati that in my early morning meditation, I had once again seen Mahakali’s face transform into Mohanji’s. But this time, I also saw five huge snakes above His head! Then Christopher called us in, and we sat down at Mohanji’s Lotus Feet.
He was busy on His mobile, and I gathered the courage to break the silence. With folded hands, I said, “My dear Mahakali Maa, thank You so much for finally accepting me as Your child. Thank You so much for all Your Divine Leelas!” Mohanji did not look at me but instead turned to Parvati and said, “Yes, and sometimes they also see me with five huge snakes above My head.” On the 10th of June 2023, after 34 years of seva, humble prayers, and living the Guru’s teachings (despite my faults—for nobody is perfect), I was finally accepted. Living a life of ahimsa, vegetarianism, and celibacy, I simply did my best, knowing I am just a tiny little squirrel in His hand. On the 10th of June 2024, Mohanji visited our house in Holland. And yesterday, just before writing this, an old photograph fell to the ground—it was a photo of Rama, the first girl I rescued from a horrible brothel in Delhi. It had fallen upside down, revealing the date of her birth: the 10th of June 1988! Coincidence? I now realize that I rescued her on the exact day, in the exact place, and at the exact moment that Mohanji had destined for me—long before I even knew Him! Yesterday, Aarushi, a member of Mohanji Global Youth Club, informed me that Mohanji once mentioned that He had rescued Dirk from drowning when Dirk was only 8 years old—a little boy who had jumped into the water to leave this world and be with his “dead” mother. And Mohanji added, “So My Leelas started even before I was born.” Now, I understand very well that Mohanji has been deeply connected with us for many, many lifetimes and that He has come specifically to remind us of the purpose of life! It is not the day you are born on Earth that matters, but the day your Guru appears to you and reminds you of your true purpose. Happy Birthday to Mohanji, Devi Mohan, daughter Mila, and all Mohanji family members all over the world.
