She “ordered” her husband from Sai Baba.
Devi Mohan, a 43-year-old beauty born in Croatia, was in some distant life from the past called Biljana Radonić. When I first saw her, the word “full-blooded” rushed thru my mind! Her energy fills up the whole room and wraps you in its warmth. She could be a case study for what it means to be a strong presence. Even though Devi holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs (Peace Studies), life led her into completely different areas of interest. Today she is involved with spiritual diplomacy. A certified yoga instructor, who is married to a spiritual teacher Mohanji and works alongside him (and his many volunteers) within his global platform, she is doing her best to make the world a better place and help people reach their highest potential. Devi is fully dedicated to this work.
Stolen childhood. Small Biljana was born in Croatia, in Slatina, to a Serbian father and mother. She enjoyed a normal childhood – we could say a happy one – until dark demons with their malice dragged that part of Europe into a Balkan masacre. ”When I was about to attend class 8 in elementary school, we became refugees. Overnight, we had to leave our home – almost naked and barefoot – and move to Serbia. We had nobody there, lived with other refugees and lost everything. As of that moment, my childhood was stolen. My spiritual journey started then.” This is how Devi describes her childhood.
(Devi adds that the spiritual journey often starts when we are thrown out of our known and comfortable world. The spiritual journey would never begin if one lived a life without any deep pain – be it physical, emotional or mental. That is why all that happens to us has a deeper meaning.)
A cake that never was. ”This was a time when really horrible things were happening to me – language was never a problem, but the writing of it was. I didn’t know how to read or write in cyrillic alphabet, and I remember feeling like an idiot while looking at the blackboard. My schoolmates didn’t accept me, but were mainly mean and humiliated me at every step. On top of it all, I was hungry all the time. At our accommodation we were given nothing but cabbage and/or beans in a big pot every day. There was no other food!«. This is how Devi describes her life during refugee days in Serbia at that time. Her 14th birthday was nearing. Her overworked mother saw that her girl was suffering. She wanted to make her birthday at least a little better. She promised to bake her a cake, in whichever way possible. »For many days I was tasting the cake in my mind, rejoicing at the very thought of actualy eating that cake, instead of imagining it. That was the only bright spot on my horizon.« Finally the birthday came. Mother kept her promise and the cake was ready. But unfortunately, Devi didn’t even get to taste it. When other refugees heard that there was a cake in the house, they ran there, grabbed it and ate all of it in no time. None was left for Devi. »The event really shook me. Tears were pouring down my face like rain. I blamed God for not loving me, because he wouldn’t even give me that one little thing that I asked for.«
I’m not a victim! »I kept sitting there, crying for hours, feeling deeply sorry for myself. At one moment, all of a sudden, I felt a strong surge of energy within me. Something powerful was arising from my inner space. I clearly heard a voice in me exclaiming, »I am not a victim!« That was such a strong, transformative experience, that I immediately promised myself that I will study hard, that I will show everyone in the class that I can be the best student there!« With this new strenght in her she started to fulfill that promise. Her classroom opened at the evening, when she would cover herself with a blanket in a cold room, while flashlight would illuminate her school books. Soon she was excelling at all the classes.
One week before the end of that semester, the children were asked to write an essay entitled »Children at war.« That was her chance to express how she was feeling, how it is for children of refugees in an environment foreign to them. The teacher was brought to tears while reading her essay and she showed it to the school Principle. He called Devi to his office and asked her to read it on the microphone. »I was shaking like a leaf on a tree. While reading the essay with tears in my eyes, the principle held my hand encouragingly. I managed to read till the end, before the bell ended that class. Schoolmates, who had humiliated me before, now gathered around me with totally different feelings. My essay was honest, I had pure intentions, and that opened their hearts.« To this day, Devi still fells warmth in the heart when she remembers that event.
Power of intention. After finishing high school, it was natural to continue onto university. »I thought a lot about what to study. We were poor, but I wanted a good education. Not only good education, I wanted a good profession where I could also benefit others, benefit the world. My intention was very pure and very strong and that manifested in around 80.000 euros worth of scholarships to complete a Master’s degree in International Affairs (Peace Studies) at one of the best universities for that particular area of study. I continued my studies in America.« She kept her childhood promise, she laughs.
First astral travel. Despite the great career that was ahead of Devi, life didn’t satisfy her. She was unsuccessful in romantic relationships and was craving spiritual fulfilment – something she hadn’t found with Christianity, the religion she had been brought up with.
At some point she experienced a conscious astral journey, during which Mahavatar Babaji appeared to her. Her consciousness immediately recognized that this was her path. »Three days after that experience, which shook me a lot, I still had exams to finish, and after that I only read, searched for information on Babaji, yoga, kriya. My state at that time could be described with the word grace, enormous grace that I felt«, humbly explains Devi. The world of »Rockefellers« didn’t interest her anymore, her path was set.
Let him be a real man! Because Devi is a beautiful woman, she naturally didn’t lack admirers; however, these were not ‘real men’, and some of them were even married. She’d had enough of unsuccessful relationships and decided to meditate for ten days on the question: ”What do I even look for in a man?”
During those days she realized a lot about herself and her relationship to men. She set a clear vision for herself, about what kind of a partner she wanted. Without false modesty, she decided: »If I am ever to marry, it should be someone who is a spiritual Master«, was her first condition. »Because I come from the Balkan region, I want a real man, a leader, not a pretender, and he must be unassuming. And the third wish was that we work together for the benefit of all humanity«, Devi explains amidst laughter. During Darshan in the ashram of Sai Baba, she wrote those wishes on a little piece of papper and left it there. After some time, she almost forgot about it.
Marriage mediator Sai Baba. While living in Dubai, Devi dedicated herself to yoga, and became a certified instructor. During a large, international yoga event (at which she was one of the main instructors and stood out due to her skills in public speaking), she met Mohanji for the first time. He was one of the participants of the yoga programme there – a friend had acquainted them. ”At first sight, he looked pretty ordinary, but the energy about him was very special. When he looked at me, I felt like he was looking deep inside my core”, remembers Devi. She sat near to him during an official meeting and felt like they were twin souls. ”But not in a romantic way!” laughs Devi. Mohanji gave her his mobile number but, for whatever reason, she didn’t call him.
They met again at another spiritual event, after which they enjoyed some tea together. ”I spoke a lot, and he was silent. I told him about my Babaji experience – he was the first person I could ask about what that experience had meant. For the first time, I had met a person who’d had deep spiritual experiences, and with whom I could honestly talk about such things.”
Devi still didn’t realise that Mohanji was the answer to her prayer to Sai Baba. (Followers of Sai Baba often speak about getting messages from him in dreams or visions.) Sai Baba was also communicating with Mohanji.
Following their shared tea together, Sai Baba had said to Mohanji, ”Poor girl, she is so confused, she doesn’t know who you are!” (God knows how it would be if Sai Baba hadn’t intervened again.)
After another message from Sai Baba, Mohanji called Devi. He told her that Baba had spoken to him again and said: ”I didn’t have any other option. I had to give her to you. You were the only one who fitted her conditions”. (Devi tells amidst laughter that she almost forgot about her ordering Mohanji from Sai Baba.)
This is how the universe works; you only have to let go and have pure intentions. Everything else is history.
When she presents him to her parents. I wonder how her parents had accepted this, for regular people, unusual son-in-law? ”Oh, that was a funny situation! Firstly, my sister Danijela had married an Indian man of Sikh origin, so Mohanji being Indian wasn’t that big of a shock for my parents. When I brought Mohanji to visit, my parents behaved with a lot of warmth and hospitality – as Balkan people often do towards guests. The table was full of meaty delicacies, while my sister and I are both vegans and my husband, a spiritual teacher/guru! I shake with laughter as I recall that situation”, says Devi.
”My father had also said that Mohanji looked so different, but that his granddaughter Mila had come out really well! We were all laughing a lot”.
Her father had some shoulder pain during this visit, so Devi asked if Mohanji could help. Mohanji held her father’s hands casually for 3 minutes, and the shoulder pain simply disappeared. Her father was delighted! Her aunt, who was also visiting, had a painful elbow. She asked for help and Mohanji healed her too.
When all of the visitors had left, Devi’s grandfather was most disappointed and said: ”How could you let him go? Don’t you know that I have so many aches!”
For the good of humanity with pure intentions! Devi is the right hand in the global Mohanji Foundation. Along with many volunteers, they are trying to make the world a better place and transform lives. Mohanji and Devi live a full life, and together, they solve many people’s problems.
Their love was crowned by a daughter, Mila. Now Mohanji’s family is building their home in Slovenia, in a village called Saint Ana near Lenart, dedicating themselves to their mission.
Devi Mohan says that now, she is fulfilled.
