THE DIVINE DARSHAN OF MATA VAISHNO DEVI A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY (2008)

The last times I visited, I witnessed the supreme Lord, Maa Adishakti. People prayed to the Shakti by various names like Viswavijayni, Jagat Datri, Kalyani, Gouri, and many others. The Mother’s name is beyond words, but in those moments, I felt Maa's presence walking with me. The sensation was deeply spiritual, a heart-warming feeling that I can only describe as real—not fake, nor taken from any other stories. This is my personal spiritual experience with Maa, which I describe here.

Maa, the divine, is known by different names in different places. Without the Mother Goddess, the whole world cannot move even for a second. She is my Adi Devi, Mata Vaishno Devi. The description of my feelings brings me closer to Maa, and I feel blessed to have had this great opportunity—something I may never find again in my life. I went to Maa for Darshan, but she too was going for her own Darshan as Jagat Janani.

On the 21st of June, 2008, I bought a ticket at the Katra Mata Vaishno Devi counter to visit the shrine, which is approximately 17.3 kilometers from the counter. While I was standing at the counter, a lady came up to me. I had never met her, nor did I know her, but she said, “Bhaiya, you are in the line,” and asked me to get a ticket for herself and her mother. I was astonished and wondered who she was, as I did not know her, yet she was asking me to get the tickets for them.

However, due to my spirituality and faith in Mata Vaishno Devi, I didn’t give it much thought. I decided to get the tickets for both of them and for myself as well. Next, I prayed to Mata and requested a ticket at the counter. The ticket counter person informed me that if I took three tickets, they would be issued together, but if I only took one, it would be issued separately. By then, the lady and her mother had also come into the line. I requested the counter person to issue a joint ticket for all of us, and they gave us a combined ticket to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.

After that, I took the joint ticket to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine along with the two ladies from Katra towards Mata Bhawan. I then came to know that one of the ladies was approximately 70 years old with dark skin, and the other was a young lady, around 19 or 20 years old. The old lady asked me, “Beta, how far is Vaishno Devi?” Her breath was fast, and her face looked worn and tired. I didn’t know if anyone else was noticing her, but her face and breath didn’t seem capable of enduring the journey to the shrine on foot.

I asked the young lady about their family and other details. They gave me different names and diverted the topic. The two of them were arguing about how they should visit Mata Vaishno Devi. I asked if they would prefer to take a horse ride, palki, or another option, but the old lady insisted, “Beta, I want to see Mata with my own feet. I will never take any other option.” I took both of their bags and walked step by step with them until we reached near Banganga at around 19:00 hrs in the evening.

After that, their argument continued. I asked the same thing again, but they refused. Meanwhile, I was a little upset because I had an interview in Delhi the next day and needed to take an early morning flight on the 22nd of June, 2008. I prayed to Mata, asking, “Mata, I don’t know what situation you've created for me, but what is it that you're trying to show me?” I offered my prayers to the almighty Mata and sat with them. I offered lemon water, food, and other items, but they only accepted the lemon water.

Time passed quickly, and by around 21:00 hrs, I started to worry about my interview. I then requested the two ladies, especially the older one, saying, “Mata, I need to leave now. I have an interview tomorrow, and my flight is early in the morning. I must reach there early. I pray and touch your feet. Please excuse me if I have caused any misbehavior or bad thoughts.” The older lady then told me, “Beta, you will succeed in your interview and everywhere else.”

I quickly moved toward the Mata shrine and reached there at around 12:30 hrs. After praying at the shrine, I came back via the same path. However, I didn’t meet the two ladies again along the way. I wondered how they hadn’t crossed my path, but then I thought about it and discussed it with some astrologers. They told me that Mata had walked with me. "You are very lucky," they said, "because you have seen Mata."

That moment stayed with me, and I always feel that if your mind is pure, the almighty is always with you. Since then, I have been successful on my path, and I always will be. The supreme power, the almighty, is beyond description. The divine is super powerful, and we are just like ants in the creativity of the almighty.