The Speed of Thought and the Guru’s Grace
In 1990, long before the internet and smartphones, communication between disciples in the US and Shri Dadaji Mahendranath in India relied entirely on the written word. Aerogrammes were the convenient blue, self-stamped, foldable envelopes that could circle the globe in a speedy 7–10 days.
Back in the early 1980s, Kapilnath had tracked down a genuine Tantrik guru in India who was, remarkably, an Englishman. This discovery sparked a series of aerogrammes crossing the oceans over the following years and eventually led to a couple of trips to India by Kapil to meet the great Magus in person. Kapil returned from his first visit with glowing stories of his interactions. I desperately wanted video footage of Mahendranath, but my demanding professional schedule made travel difficult.
When Kapil planned a second trip, I instructed him on using a portable VHS recorder. I even attached an Om symbol to it. He made the journey but returned with the recorder still unpacked in his travel kit. Guruji had explicitly said no to being video-recorded, and Kapil had been so profoundly affected—intensely “zapped” by the presence of this great being—that he had far better things to focus on.
Correspondence and the Long Path to India
I had also been carrying on a letter correspondence with Shri Dadaji Mahendranath. Kapil’s amazing reports fueled a deep longing in me to travel to India and experience this for myself.
The process was involved: securing time off work, booking airline reservations, obtaining a visa and passport. To get an Indian visa, you had to send your passport to the consulate in San Francisco, which took about two months.
Meanwhile, Dadaji had been polite about a potential visit but gently hinted that the timing was less than ideal. His household’s daughter was getting married during that period. Indian weddings are a major affair, spanning multiple days with extensive celebrations.
I persisted. The political climate in India was tense: interfaith riots making headlines, and reports of Air India plane crashes added to the unease. My itinerary required flying Air India for the final leg: Japan Airlines from Seattle to Hong Kong (with an overnight stay), then onward to Delhi, and finally Air India to Gujarat.
My work schedule was locked in, tickets were in hand, and I was counting down the days to what I hoped would be the trip of a lifetime.
The Hints in Daily Life and the Decision to Cancel
Two weeks before departure, late in the afternoon, I found myself at the checkout line in a local pharmacy. The cashier was chatting jovially with the customer ahead of me, joking and laughing. Out of nowhere, he interjected to the man: “…it’s not like you are going to Hong Kong.”
I couldn’t help but speak up: “By the way, I’ll be in Hong Kong in two weeks!”
The cashier looked at me and laughed, “Oh my, I’m psychic sometimes!”
That was the final sign. As I left the store and walked home, my intuition crystallized: I should not proceed with the trip to meet Mahendranath at that time.
My route home passed a Western Union telegram office. It was around 8 p.m. I stepped in and sent a simple telegram to Shri Dadaji Mahendranath in Mehmadabad, Gujarat, India. I was canceling the trip, as events and my intuition had convinced me not to travel then.
I made it home, retired early, and fell asleep soundly, confident in my decision.
The Dream Transmission: No Distance Between Guru and Disciple
Sometime near 11 p.m., deep in the first dreamscape of sleep, an extraordinary shift occurred. I was yanked from my dream. Out of nowhere, Dadaji’s face appeared right in front of me. He stepped back, touched my forehead with his finger, and said, “Here is your mantra: Om Namah Shivaya.”
Instantly, I was blinded by the most intense, purest white light I had ever known. A fleeting thought crossed my mind: though the light was overwhelming, it carried no sensation of heat. The saying “light of 10,000 moons” now made sense.
Time dissolved. I dissolved into the great white expanse for what felt like an eternity.
I awoke and checked the time. The message was unmistakable: “Message received!!” My mind was blown for days afterward.
A telegraph signal from the US to India’s system, then to the local train station in that small village, where it would be written out and delivered by hand messenger, should take exactly three hours.
Direct mind transmission operates outside the boundaries of physicality.
This was my indelible experience that there is no physical distance between a Guru and his disciple.
Om Namah Shivaya!!
Salutations to the immortal line of Shiva’s Naths!
Guru Om!