A week before my 40th birthday, my husband asked what I wanted to do this year. Usually, I would give it some thought, but this time, within a few seconds, I said, “Let’s go to Vrindavan.”
I have no clue what made me say that—I hadn’t been thinking about Vrindavan, and there was no external nudge that led me there.
He agreed, and I smiled—because it’s very rare that he agrees to an outdoor plan without debate or applying his logical brain to my emotional decisions.
Two days before the trip, an article about a stampede at a religious site due to heavy rainfall triggered his logical mind. He called me from work (knowing that sharing this in person and seeing my disheartened face might lead to dhoom-dhamaka before my birthday 😉).
The way he explained the risk—especially to the kids—combined with days of continuous rain, I reluctantly said okay. I was heartbroken, but ab bacho ki suraksha ka sawaal tha, toh kya karti!
That same day, I turned to some of my favorite podcast channels to distract myself from my doomed birthday plans. The first one that popped up?
“Pundrik Maharaj Explains Vrindavan, Shri Krishna, Radha Rani & Bhagavad Gita.”
I thought, maybe God wants me to know more about Vrindavan before going there. Taking it as a divine clue, I watched the podcast. It made me want to go even more!
I tried one more time with my logical-brained husband, but I couldn’t argue with the facts he presented in the “Court of Birthday Planning.”
He came armed with weather forecasts, past traffic reports, and news about stampede-related deaths.
So once again, I sighed and went along with his alternate birthday plan.
The new plan: a movie (we picked Narasimha Mahavatar, perfect for the kids), lunch, a visit to Hanuman Mandir, and then dinner.
He promised we’d go to Vrindavan soon—and we proceeded.
Birthday morning began as usual, filled with hugs, love, and wishes from the parivaar.
We dressed up and headed out for the movie. Abhinav had even booked a theatre close to home that offered a discount—Banker pati was happy!
As soon as we entered, it was swarming. I hadn’t seen such a rush for a movie in a long time.
We soon realized the crowd was full of Krishna devotees. They wore beautiful white chandan tilaks, many held jap maalas, softly chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. It was clear they had come as a group.
We settled into our fancy seats and waited. The ads rolled, but the movie didn’t start. I asked one of the helpers about the delay.
He said, “We’re waiting for Guruji.”
Honestly, we were a little annoyed. But by then, we had realized we were the only four people in the entire hall who weren’t part of the devotee group, so we couldn’t protest much. Everyone else was patiently waiting.
Now for the magic moments
1. Magic No. 1:
Guruji entered—and it was none other than Pundrik Maharaj, whose podcast I had watched two days ago!
He walked in radiating energy and joy. Our frustration vanished instantly.
2. Magic No. 2:
The movie was the best birthday gift I could have received.
We had chosen it simply because it was family-friendly, but it echoed every belief I hold. It was magical. Divine.
The perfect emotional boost to kick-start my next decade.
3. Magic No. 3:
I couldn’t go to Vrindavan—so Vishnu ji brought Vrindavan to me.
Throughout the movie, there were Vishnu chants, soulful bhajans, a dholak performance at the end, and a hall full of Krishna devotees surrounding me.
This couldn’t be a coincidence.
It was a blessing. A divine reminder. A moment of profound realization.
I’m filled with only one emotion—gratitude.
And a promise to myself: to walk the path of dharma for the rest of my life.
watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DM5OEZ0vVC30uNysdeF0p_HC1gD_diAioKIMfI0
The Jyoti Girl 
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