The Fisherman

Mr Harishchandra Koli got his realisation in 1979 in Patkar Hall, Mumbai. The next programme he attended, Shri Mataji called him on the stage and asked him to put his hands on the mother earth and see what he felt. Shri Mataji put her feet on Mr Koli's hands. He explained that with Mother's feet on his hands he felt as if he was in Kailash. He saw Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi as Himalaya and her legs were like a Sivalinga in his hands. This was the most wonderful experience of his life because he was a seeker and he was looking at God, and with this experience he felt that this was heaven and this was Adi Shakti, who he had been looking for the whole of this lifetime.

One month after getting realisation he was lying on the sofa after meditating. He was looking at Mother's photograph and suddenly he saw Mother in the Virata swarupa and the whole house was full of light. After these two miracles he realised that She was not a normal person, but is Divine. He wanted to know more about Her and he went to see his best friend Bhiku, and they both went for a walk at Gateway of India in Mumbai, with so much enthusiasm. Mr Koli told his friend that when he got his realisation he felt the cold chaitanya all over his body. He also told his friend Bhiku of his two visions, and that he must come to the next programme, whenever it was. Suddenly a large car stopped close to them, and the window went down. There was this miraculous person they had been talking about - Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. She asked him who he was, and he said his name was Mr Koli, that he had been at Her programme and also about the miraculous vision he had had that morning and that he would love to come to the next programme.

He went to the next programme with his family and friends. After the programme he went up to Shri Mataji on the stage and She asked him to turn round and showed him to the other people. 'Look at his kundalini rising,' She said. 'He is a realised soul and was one of the fishermen with me on the boat when I came as Christ. He is St Thomas.' At this time (1979), Mr Koli was a fisherman with four big fishing boats, and Mother told him, 'stop catching fish and now you must start catching people, within a few months.' So he sold the boats, and devoted his life to Sahaja work.

In 1981 Mr Koli decided that he must share the beautiful thing he had been given with all his relatives in the village of Sakhar. His wife Lakshmi, four more yogis and he went on a Sunday to give realisation. It was raining very heavily the whole day long, and stormy, and to get to the village they had to cross the sea. Because of the heavy rain, which made it dangerous, the boatman would not go for the whole day. Suddenly Mr Koli looked up at the sky and asked 'Oh rain of God, I pray to you and ask for forgiveness if I am interfering with the laws of nature, but the work I am going to do is for my Divine Mother, Shri Mataji Nimala Devi. I would request you to stop the rains while I go and give realisation, until I return. Otherwise it is not possible to cross the sea. The other yogis laughed and wondered what Mr Koli was doing, but suddenly there was a clap of thunder and the rain stopped. Everyone, including the boatman, was surprised to see what had happened. He went to the village, gave realisation then returned home. When he got home it suddenly started to rain again and that was the time when he realised what Sahaja Yoga was, and how much power Mother has given us.

In 1985 Shri Mataji told Mr Koli that She would like to come to Alibagh the following year and it was really a surprise because he had started building a bungalow and wanted to invite Her. The building work was going on and the building materials were lying around all over the place. Many village people said 'Aren't you scared that someone will come and steal the materials?' but he said 'This is Mother's house and it is well protected. No one would dare take anything.' The very next day a man from the village came and asked him 'Mr Koli, do you have a person protecting your house?' Mr Koli said, 'No, why?' The man replied, 'Because last night I saw someone in a white costume and a blanket over the body.' Mr Koli asked, 'What were you doing on my ground?' to which the man replied, 'Please forgive me, but I actually came to steal some cement and this person chased me. The person was quite large and strongly built.' Mr Koli and the villager entered the next room and the thief saw Mother's photograph. He was shocked and said, 'That is the person who was guarding your materials. This lady chased me and I ran for my life. She had a stick in Her hand and as wearing a white sari, a blanket and had a big bindi on Her forehead.' This shook everyone in the village because they all knew the story.

In 1986 there was the first New Year Puja at Alibagh. A miracle took place in the house. Shri Mataji reached there around 7.00p.m. from Ganapathiphule, and many other Western yogis too. When Mother stepped out of the car She was so surprised and said, 'This place is so beautiful. I always wanted to come here.' Mother went into the bedroom and said to the other yogis, 'I must tell Sir CP about this place and he must come and visit it.' She asked one of the yogis if somebody could get Her a phone as She wanted to call Mumbai. Since it was not a developed village there were no phones. Then She asked Mr Koli for a coconut. He asked Shri Mataji if She wanted to eat one and She said She did not, but She wanted a fresh one from the tree. A village boy climbed up and got Mother one in ten minutes and gave it to Shri Mataji. She went into Her room and closed the door. Many country leaders were sitting in the hall outside, and after an hour one of the leaders came and said that Shri Mataji was using the coconut as a phone and She was speaking to Sir CP for nearly an hour. Later the yogis found out that this was the year that mobile phones first came out.

The next day after breakfast a few of us yogis were sitting around Mother and Mr Koli asked Mother if a certain story from our grandfather's time was true. The story went like this: the villagers were saying that during his time there once came a man. Very large and smart, and he was walking on the seashore. He asked the fishermen, 'Now you have come back from fishing, how were the waters and how much fish did you catch?' One fisherman jokingly said that there were a lot of stones in the sea and less fish. The next day when all the fishermen wanted to go out fishing they saw the sea was full of stones everywhere and they could not go fishing. They realised the man from the day before must have had something to do with it, and they all went searching for him. After walking for a few miles they saw the same man sitting under a Banyan tree with closed eyes. The fisherman who had been joking the day before went running up to him and fell at his feet and asked forgiveness. The man said, 'Tathastu' meaning 'Blessings forever', and then said, 'Go, everything will be all right'. From that day everyone in the village worshiped at that tree and said it was Lord Shiva. Shri Mataji said that the story was true, because, She said, 'Shri Adi Shakti always follows Lord Shiva and that is the reason I am here now.' After that we and all the yogis went to the seashore with Shri Mataji, and She was barefoot.

After coming to Sahaja Yoga Mr Koli put all the pictures of gods he had in the ocean. He said, 'If Mother is Shri Adi Shakti, I don't need the other pictures', but he did not have the heart to throw the photo away of the gods dancing at the Feet of Shri Adi Shakti, which is now in the mantra book. One day after lunch at Alibagh, when Shri Mataji was with us there, he asked Her, 'Mother, I feel You are the One who is sitting there, but what is the meaning of this picture?' Shri Mataji said: 'All the gods had a meeting in heaven because they did not know what to do with humanity. Whichever aspect of God was sent to the earth, the people troubled them, i.e. Christ, Shri Rama, Shri Krishna, so at that time Shri Adi Shakti said, "I will go as a Mother for mankind, and I will go like a normal person with all the worries, sadness and happiness in life. I will go through everything and also through all the mayas (illusions). This announcement of Shri Adi Shakti was a blessing for the gods, and this was the joyful incident when all the gods are dancing, so Adi Shakti is there to help them.' Anand Thandav, meaning Joyful Dance, was the name given by Shri Mataji to the picture. After this announcement Shri Mataji said Mr Koli should make thousands of copies of this picture, and give it out to yogis all over the world so each one could have one in his or her house. It brings joy and love to everyone.

In 1996 Mr Koli was at Cabella and he said to Shri Mataji, 'I am in seventh heaven. Mother, thank you for everything. All my desires are fulfilled, I am happy but if I ever take my birth again let it be as your child and you as my Mother. That's all I ask for.'

In 1997 on Guru Puja day he expired peacefully with a smile on his face.

[from Eternally Inspiring Recollections of our Holy Mother. Volume 1 - Stories from India (2006)]