Bapu, you run to me whenever I am in distress!

- Dr. Shashanksinh Hore, Khandawa

Turning into a "God Believer" from an "agnostic" person is challenging. However, to narrate a person's journey, who hated Bapu to becoming a Bapu-loving person, is even more complex and certainly requires courage. One can garner that courage from love for Bapu. This experience is being narrated by a person who is a Rheumatologist. During the journey of recovering from a very unpredictable and dangerous physical condition to normalcy, he did not have any faith in Bapu. However, with every situation unfolding in front of his eyes, he began to believe in Bapu and today, he is a Bapu-loving person. I am Dr Shashanksinh Hore, an Orthopedic Surgeon. I might need about 4-5 Krupasindhu Magazines if I began narrating all my experiences. I was a total agnostic until about the year 2008, although I had faith in Shirdi Sai Baba. I used to go to Shirdi for Darshan twice a year. Since I am an orthopaedic surgeon, I managed to earn a sizeable chunk of money at a relatively younger age. I had all the material comforts such as a home, a hospital and a car. However, wealth and money attract many vices, and I was no exception to this. I used to consume alcohol every day and was almost a chain smoker. My wife, Dr Meghaveera, is an anesthesiologist by profession. She was a devout follower of Bapu, much before I became one. She used to write Ramnaam Books and also performed Upasana every day. I used to hate all the Babas and Godmen. My home did not have Bapu's photo. I used to joke about my wife's devotion towards Bapu and make a joke of Bapu and his teachings. I am a patient with Uncontrolled Thyrotoxicosis (a medical condition caused by an excessive amount of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream) since the year 1995. In the year 1999, I was diagnosed with "Extra Thyroidal Cancer." I took treatment at Nair Hospital, after which my Thyroid gland was surgically removed. I used to work in Akola District in a village called Aakot. Since I was the only orthopaedic doctor in the town, I worked for 16-17 hours continuously. My alcohol consumption, smoking, and relentless work for an extended time led to an inevitable thing - on November 25th, 2005, I had a massive heart attack on the day of Aniruddha Poornima. I was only 38 years old then. Since I have a strong will power, I took my wife with me and drove to the doctor at 3:30 am (Brahmamuhurtam). The ECG revealed a massive heart attack! I was given some emergency medical assistance and was later moved to a hospital with better facilities at Akola. I was unconscious for almost two days. My heart rate was nearly 120 beats per minute; I couldn't pass urine for two days. Therefore, everyone had given up hope of my survival. All my friends and family had gathered at the hospital contemplating the worst. After two days, I passed urine, and after that, I became slightly more stable. They then moved me to Wockhardt Hospital at Nagpur for an angiography. Dr Jagtaap was handling my case. For these 2-3 days, my wife was continuously chanting 'Kleshnivarak Shree Aniruddha Kavach' and Ghorkashtodharan Stotra. The angiography report revealed that the primary artery that supplies blood to the heart had a 100% blockage. On performing the echocardiogram, the results showed the "septum" and "apex", two parts of my heart were damaged to the extent of 80%. After looking at my condition, it was not possible for the doctors to perform either bypass or angioplasty on me. Therefore, my doctor decided to discharge me from the hospital by asking us to continue the medication. He also asked us to have faith in God. He instructed me to be vigilant about my health. I stayed in Nagpur and took complete bed rest for almost one month. During this time, there was a program organised by Upasana centre at Suyog Mangal Karyalaya, Lakshmi Nagar. My wife had attended that program. On her return from the program, I am confident that she applied Udi on my forehead while I was fast asleep. I am not the kind of person who would stay quiet in one place. Within one month, I began my work. In my profession, to fix a dislocated shoulder or a bone, or for that matter, to align a broken bone, one has to use significant force. While doing such work, I would begin panting. As a result, I became less confident over time. I had to invite doctors from Akola to perform surgeries. All those who visited would tell me, "Doctor, do as much as you can handle. Don't exert yourself." I could not handle their advice even if it were given with the best of intentions. I stopped taking accident cases that would come to me in the night. Needless to say, since I refused cases in the night, the relatives of accident patients would become quite vocal in expressing their displeasure at my refusal. In the year 2006, I visited Shirdi to take Sai Baba's Darshan. That is when I decided to relocate to another city for the sake of my profession. No one, including my wife, supported my decision of closing down my well running consulting practice of about 12-13 years. However, I insisted on relocating and on February 22nd, 2007, I relocated to Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. My wife was utterly displeased with my decision. Only to please her, I named my clinic "Aniruddha Krupa." At this stage as well, I did not have any faith in Bapu. In the meantime, I did everything that one had to do to establish a new practice. My practice began to pick up momentum in about 7-8 months. I did not neglect my health at all during this time. I continued my daily morning walk. I used to walk 5 km in about 50 minutes. I reduced my weight to 67 kgs from 98 kgs. One must be wondering that it's Bapu's divine intervention. One must be thinking that Bapu saved me from a massive heart attack. I would not be surprised if one felt that Bapu blessed me on my relocation and later helped me establish myself there. There is no doubt about it! However, I realized it much later. Indeed, it was Bapu's divine intervention. But, wait just for a bit more, as the real miracle took place later. I took Sai's Darshan in 2008 and then proceeded to Sangamner to attend my friend's daughter's wedding. I returned to Mumbai on the evening of January 29th. My wife asked me to go to Happy Home to purchase Ramnaam Books. I was angry from within because I did not want to go to Happy Home. In my fit of anger, I asked for 100 notebooks at the counter. The person asked me the name of the Upasana centre for which the notebooks were needed. In my anger, I said I needed them not for any centre but myself. Later he informed me that he did not have 100 notebooks to give me. He said that the books were to be available within two hours. He asked me to visit Vaibhavsinh Kalwadkar in the meantime. I met Vaibhavsinh for the first time on January 30th, 2008. I chatted with him for almost two hours. We exchanged our cell phone numbers. Later, I went down to buy the books. By then, Bapu had come down for Aarti. I was standing outside, engrossed in my thoughts. I was thinking, "Nowadays, I manage to walk 5 km in 50 minutes. It's time for me to start going for a jog." Right at that moment, my eyes met with Bapu's eyes. He waved his hand as if to tell me to wait and sit down. That one moment was enough to set right the rhythm of my life, I thought. After Aarti, as I was purchasing Ramnaam Books, I got a call from Vaibhavsinh. He said, "Doctor, you should wait in Mumbai for just one more day. Tomorrow is Thursday (January 31st, 2008). You would get to listen to Bapu's discourse. If you come to the discourse venue and meet me there, it would be good." Without thinking much, I reached Shriharigurugram the next day. Vaibhavsinh managed to get me inside the main gate and gave me flowers to offer on the lotus feet of Bapu. Amid much fervour, Bapu arrived. I was experiencing the arrival of the Lord on this earth for the first time. Once again, my eyes met with Bapu's ever-loving glance. He had that familiar light smile on his face. Later in the night, I left for Khandwa by train. On reaching Khandwa, soon I began to run and in the following four months or so, I began to jog for about 50 minutes. I began to offer my respect in front of Bapu's picture. I put up Bapu's photo in my clinic. Apart from 50 minutes of jogging, I began to lift some weights as well. While exercising, I kept chanting Sainaam and "Om Manasamarthyadata Shree Aniruddhaya Namah." Around this time, it happened so that Shri Pathakji, Shri Savdekarji and Shri Vishalji from Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, were passing by my clinic. On reading my clinic's name, "Aniruddha Krupa," they came in to visit with me. On June 26th, 2008, I got a chance to visit the Home of Shri Pathakji on the pretext of submitting my wife's completed Ramnaam Books. That day, I managed to take Darshan of Bapu's padukas and then from that day, I began to write the Ramnaam Book. As of today, I have completed 126 books. On the day of Kartiki Ekadashi (it's my son's birthday), eight people from Indore, namely, Shri Ansalji, Shri Sikarwarji, Shri Lokhande, Shri Vishalji, came to Khandwa from Omkareshwar after Punarmilap (immersing Bapu's Padukas) there. Upasana began, on that day, at my home. It continues to be conducted at my house from that day onwards. In between, Samirdada and Vaibhavsinh had called for a meeting of all centres from Madhya Pradesh at Happy Home in Mumbai. While the meeting was in progress, since it was time for Aarti, we were asked to go down to Gurukshetram. I got a chance to sit in the first row, right in front of Bapu. It was the first time; I was taking Bapu's Darshan from such close distance. It was sweltering at that time. About 4-5 people fainted due to heatstroke. Doctors from Happy Home clinic and some other helpers ran to them with help and shifted them to Happy Home clinic. While this was taking place, another person fainted outside the central area. There was no one to attend to him. The doctor in me did not allow me to sit quietly there. I got up right there and ran towards him to help him. Soon after, the person began to feel alright. I was inundated with the thought that since I had left right in front of Bapu, he may be upset with me. I was highly disturbed by that thought. Later, we again met Samirdada for the meeting. After the meeting got over, Samirdada told me, "Doctor, you have to attend the Kolhapur medical camp every year now." I understood the meaning of Samirdada's communication. From then on, I not only make attempts to attend the Kolhapur Medical Camp but also try and attend the blood donation camp. This is my journey which began from "Hatred towards Bapu" to "Love for Bapu." Today, I either jog for 50 minutes or spot cycle for almost 40 km. I go to the gymnasium as well. I chant “Om Manasamarthyadata Shree Aniruddhay Namah” 108 times every day. I always wear Tripurari Trivikram Locket. I consider Udi as panacea. Before entering the operation theatre for surgery, I hold Tripurari Trivikram Locket in my hand and then pray to Bapu to be with me during surgery. Only then I enter the Operation Theatre. Who would believe that I jog for almost 50 minutes knowing that 1/3rd of my heart is damaged? Nowadays, I lift my clinic shutter (it is about 13 feet tall) by myself. My wife, Mrs Megha, who was not at all willing to relocate to Khandwa, said to me on the day we began Upasana at Khandwa that it was Bapu's wish that you started Upasana here, and that was why he gave you the thought of relocating. The primary intent behind my narration is to let others know that Bapu ensures that the most undeserving person is brought on the right track. Then again, I would like to tell others (those who have had a heart attack like me) that "Have faith in Bapu." He would give you a perfectly normal life, just the way he has given it to me.