( Savi owns a jewelry business and has been an ardent devotee of Sri Swamiji since the consecration of Sri Rama Pariwar and Sri Satyanarayana Swami murtis by Sri Karya Siddhi Hanuman, in 2014 at the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Center. Since then, she is always willing to help in Swamiji’s mission here whenever she gets the opportunity, and has been coming every Tuesday and Saturday especially to do seva by these temples and for Hanumanji!)
Let me share what we in business have to expect on a daily basis
There was an incident in my business place. I was attending to customers and did not notice the door was open, when suddenly a man came in. The thought, “He looks like a bandit!” flashed through my mind. My other staff was with a customer also. Before I could react, he was followed by two more men, who were also bandits! Two were armed! I was wearing a very heavy bracelet on my hand and I had just finished a ‘phone call, and so still had the phone in my hand as well. The first guy took the phone away from me and said, “This is a hold-up!” I said, “What! Are you for real? What is wrong with you? Behave yourself,” still acting as though he were a normal customer. At that time it was just one other staff member with another customer. However, he kept grabbing at my hands, and each time he held my hands, I quickly moved my hands and kept getting away. Then he used both his hands, held one of mine, but as I turned my hand I moved away, so he could not get my hands. But another guy came to help him hold my hands and both pulled me towards the office. They took out some plastic tie wrap and tied my hands together with the other two persons, my helper and the customer, so three of us were there, tied up, in the room.
Just then, another customer rang the bell, calling for me. They opened and said that I was in the back. They brought him in the office, took his money from his pocket and tied him up as well. One of the bandits stayed in the room, guarding us.
Mantra saves
At that moment, a certain mantra came into my head and I started to chant it. Before I could say it three times, my strap that they used to tie me, burst so my hands were free. The guard bandit put his hands on his head, exclaiming, ‘Oh my god!” while putting his hands on his head, and he called out to the others who were about to break open the showcases. He said, “Come, come back for this woman! We have to shoot her or stab her now, she is too strong!” They came towards me, and I just smiled. I was wearing a long chain with all the keys for the showcases. I took out the chain and still smiling, said while giving it to one, “These are the keys to all the showcases.” They went back very happily to the showcases, tried every key to each showcase, and not a single showcase could they open! So one of the bandits said, “Oh my god! What should we do now? Shouting expletives, he exclaimed,"Break showcase!”
They smashed one showcase and took all the bracelets, and other items in that one. I kept on chanting this mantra and afterwards, on thinking back, for sure, Swamiji and Hanuman were there with me! The young bandits just put the jewelry in a bag and left in a few minutes! I said, “Is this for real? They just left?” I couldn’t believe it! Then I called the police and they came and did whatever they had to do.
That day was also Gita chanting practice day, so I went straight to Sri Karya Siddhi Hanumanji , bowed and thanked him for saving my life and the others'. Then I heard that on the news they reported that the police held the bandits in Chaguanas, and all the jewelry was recovered! I was called in several days later and recovered all the jewelry and these three guys are still in jail! I kept strong and was never afraid at any time! After Swamiji came to Trinidad, He gave that same mantra to me! I don’t know how it came to my head during that robbery! I don’t know how it came to my mind to use it! And I don’t know how I was not afraid at any time in that robbery! In fact, I had them uncomfortable! One policeman later told me that one of the men told him, “ Something about that woman! That woman, something about her not normal!” I laughed when I heard this, knowing it was all Hanuman’s blessing, and his doing! I need to thank Hanumanji and Swamiji a lot! I always feel secure when in danger, and that is Hanuman’s Grace! When the murtis were consecrated, Swamiji had told me to make sure and come here and do seva by Hanumanji! And this I keep doing!
My most recent ordeal
Recently, following that, there was another incident in my business place! A technician was supposed to fix the alarm in the store. I reached a bit late, then he came so I could not put out the jewellery in the showcase at that time. He spent some time in my office checking the wires, then he went into another office where the alarm was located. While he was there, I was packing out the jewellery, and while I was doing that a female came in to collect her repairs. She collected it and left, probably thinking I was alone at the time since she could not see the technician. My two other helpers, otherwise occupied, were not in the front store where I was, and the security was in his booth, but it is difficult to see him when he is there. The technician then came up to me shortly after and told me that he had to get a tool which he had forgotten in my office. I had no choice but to lock the showcase and go inside to get his tool. The doorbell rang, and though the door was open I did not realise that until afterwards. As the technician was leaving the office I was in the office doorway looking at this stranger with a hood and a gun and he was holding the gun to the neck of one of my staff. I looked at him for a moment in shock, and he looked back at me. Then he let her go and started to run towards me and another guy whom I had not seen before started running towards the office also.
Sadguru's reassuring "Don't worry...."
When they were a few metres away, I came out of my shock, suddenly slammed the door and they got locked out. As soon as I closed the door I heard a voice in my head, saying, “Don’t worry, the security is coming!” I had my cell phone in my hand, called the police and my husband at once! The bandits were unaware, it seems, that I had a security guard, and one of them took out a bag from his pocket and was trying to open a showcase hurriedly. But all the showcases were locked. I could see because my office glass is one way, and one bandit walked a little bit back where the girl had been. She was no longer there, as she and the technician were hiding somewhere and the bandits were only focusing on me! The other bandit was looking at the showcases, trying to open one. Then the security guard came speeding into the store!
The security guard fired two shots, and one fell down, shot in both legs, and the guard quickly kicked away his gun and ran towards the other thief, who by this time had left the showcase and had started running towards my office! No doubt he was looking for a hiding place. He got shot right in front of my office door! I had left my shoes in the front store, and was barefooted when I came into the office to get the tool. I wanted to get my shoes. Cautiously, I opened the door! The first thing I could see in front my door was the dying thief, screaming and the other one was also groaning with pain. I then thought calmly, “ Let me trip off the alarm so everyone could know what is going on here.” I paid no attention to him, and continued walking not wanting to look for shoes anymore. I had to pass the second thief on the floor also, and this is about fifteen to twenty minutes after I had called the police. So barefooted, I ran down to the police station which is just about a two minute walk away from my store, and the policewoman there said to me, “They didn’t reach yet? Don’t worry. They coming now.” Then they came about twelve of them, with big guns and they ran down the street after me back to the store. The whole town 'shut down' looking on! Then they came and took charge. And the strange thing is that again I was not afraid at any point in time!
Ganesh Baba to my rescue!
When I returned to the store, I realised that the brass Ganesh murti I had on a shelf above one of the showcases, must have fallen and hit the second bandit on his head and he fell and was then shot in front my door. This I guessed as the Murti was near his head on the floor. I managed to clear and clean up all the mess that same afternoon and opened the business the next day! My Ganesh murti was not at all damaged, and I know that my Guru in this form had helped to save me. I was very fond of this Ganesh and would light a deya there in front of him every morning, so it was soon reinstalled willingly, with full Abhishekam by the Dharmacharya. I was going to do a Devi puja in the store on Friday that same week, and the pandit told me, “You have to put Hanuman murti here on the altar though we’re doing Devi puja. Hanuman has given you a lot of blessings! And our pandit from Datta Yoga Centre also told me, “You have got special blessings from Hanumanji!”
I believe that the security did not act on his own!
I think Hanuman gave him that speed! In fact, I never in my dreams thought that he could move so fast! I cannot finish thanking Swamiji and Hanuman! They give me such good energy all the time in my life! They give me full protection! JAI HANUMAN ! JAI GURU DATTA!