In the second chapter of *Guru Charitra*, the creation of the universe and the importance of serving the Guru are described. A devotee named Namdharak, while travelling to take darshan of the Sadguru, became extremely exhausted and slept under a tree. In his dream, the Guru appeared, but when Namdharak woke up, he could not find Him anywhere. That longing to find the Guru became the beginning of his spiritual journey. A similar turning point occurred in Narendra’s life. Seeing his deep longing and restlessness to meet the Sadguru, it seemed as though the Guru Himself revealed His divine presence to him. The experience shook Narendra completely. His logical mind collapsed; he felt confused and unable to understand what was happening.
One day, during regular college days, a classmate named Uddhav Anantwar told Narendra, “Our Guru Maharaj is coming. When they arrive, let us go to them. They give fragrant sacred balls (gandha tablets). If we take them, we pass our exams.” Narendra, attracted by the idea of passing easily, agreed.
The next day, after college, Narendra told his friend, “You go to your room. I’ll come in an hour and then we’ll go cycling.” But instead of wasting time, Narendra went to his room immediately around 12:00–12:30 PM. The door was locked from inside. Narendra knocked—no answer. He knocked repeatedly and called out loudly—still no reply. Finally, the door opened slightly. Uddhav looked through the crack. Narendra pushed the door open and entered.
Inside, Uddhav sat with his face red, tears flowing, sobbing uncontrollably, both hands tightly pressed to his cheeks. The room was dark; everything was closed from inside. Narendra asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?” There was no reply. Narendra pulled Uddhav’s hands away from his cheeks—and was shocked. Five large, thick finger marks were imprinted on his face. But Uddhav’s fingers were small and thin; he could not have created such marks himself.
Narendra made him sit on the cot. After a while, Uddhav finally spoke: “I came into the room thinking you would come later. I lay down to rest. Usually, while sleeping, I keep my head toward the wall, but today I unknowingly kept my feet toward the wall.” Narendra asked, “So what?” Uddhav replied, “On the other side of that wall is the seat of Nath Guru Maharaj. My feet, by mistake, pointed toward them. As soon as I slept, Nath Maharaj came and said, ‘So, child—until today you kept your head toward us, and today you keep your feet? Here—take this prasad!’ Saying this, they slapped me hard and left.”
Narendra was stunned. The room was locked from inside. No windows were open. No one could have entered or left. He asked, “Are they in the next room?” Uddhav replied, “No. They are not in Nagpur at all. They are in Devgaon Rangari near Aurangabad—almost 600 kilometers away.” Narendra asked, “So they came from there, slapped you, and left? Just for that? How is this possible?” Uddhav said, “They come every day. Sometimes in a woman’s voice, sometimes a man’s voice. They give signs to show they have visited.”
Narendra could not believe it, but the red fingerprint marks, the swollen cheek, and the terror in Uddhav’s eyes made him question everything. Uddhav was physically weak; he could never inflict such marks on himself. Except for the two of them, the room was empty. This incident struck Narendra deeply. His curiosity and longing to meet Nath Maharaj grew intense. From that day, a major transformation began within him—his search for the Guru was no longer intellectual; it had become an inner fire.