For many weeks I had been waiting to get official permission for prolonged leave so as to go to India to be with Maharajji. This exceptional leave was granted one Friday, a week before my departure date.
As I was going to be absent for many weeks, I had to take care of many problems relating to my work before leaving. So every half-day, from Monday to Friday, during the five days before my trip, I was extremely busy with different appointments and meetings. I was to leave the following Saturday. I then realized on Sunday evening that I had not yet applied for my visa at the Indian consulate. I was only able to find time in my programme to make the application on Monday morning and get the visa on Tuesday afternoon.
Since the consulate had been closed on the Friday before, the very long queue on that Monday morning was already almost fifty metres long when I arrived. I had never seen such a long one. After waiting for more than three hours, when I was ten metres from the consulate, we saw that many people were coming out more and more quickly. In answer to our queries, some of them informed us that no more tickets were being given out for applications to be submitted, and that they had been told to come back the following morning. They therefore advised us to stop waiting, since it was now a waste of time.
It would be very difficult for me to come back the following morning. While inwardly asking Maharajji to help, I continued advancing with the queue, and so did most of the other people in line, as they wanted to hear for themselves that they would not be received. After several minutes, at last I entered the hall of the consulate where I was indeed told by the personnel that only those with tickets could remain there, and that the others would have to come back the following morning.
I remained, however, waiting for Maharajji to do something. What exactly? I had no idea, but I could not bring myself to leave for then it would be difficult for me to get the visa in time and the departure date could not be changed. I persisted in waiting for several minutes in one of the queues with those who had tickets, although having none, I would certainly be sent away when I reached the counter. I continued praying to Maharajji for help.
Suddenly, someone beside me said that there was a ticket on the ground, just at my feet. I immediately picked it up. No one nearby had lost his. I was therefore able to keep it and so go up to the counter where I gave in my application.
I even got the visa for the following afternoon as I had wished, while most of the other people had no other choice than to come back two days later because of the high number of applications to be dealt with.
I really had the feeling that it was indeed Maharajji who had answered my prayer in that way.
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