For a long time I had been worried about one of my relatives. Years before, her husband and two of her three children were killed in a plane crash. Afterward, her businesses failed, and she gradually lost everything. Now she lives alone in a foreign country. The neighborhood where her apartment is located became dangerous and crime-ridden. The landlords kept raising the rent, but she felt she never had enough money to move.

Anyway, there was no one to help her move the furniture. Every time I talked to her on the phone she sounded angry, negative and without much hope. I sent her money when I could, but it never seemed to be enough to make a difference. On a recent new moon day, I offered Tarpanam to the ancestors as much as possible. After work, there was still an hour of daylight left. I started offering Tarpanam and particularly concentrated on asking the ancestors to help her. I had been fasting that day and became entranced with the image of an army of ancestors crossing the sacred river and traveling to the sacred world. I had the sense that they were happy and something had shifted.

A week or so later I was listening to a Path of Miracles teleconference call where Datta said that Vibhuti will do miracles…we can give it to sick people. That week I resolved to give Vibhuti packets to sick people, but I couldn’t find anyone. I listened to the recording of the teleconference again and got the idea to mail vibhuti to my relative. I also sent her $200. In less than a week, she suddenly called with the news that she had secured a new apartment in a safer neighborhood, in a secure building, closer to her work, and for a lower price. For the first time she sounded happy and hopeful. She said the $200 would be enough to do some much needed dental work and perhaps buy glasses. This was a real blessing.

[related: In Datta’s YouTube Video: The Two Alienations of Ego, the white powder on Datta’s forhead is Vibhuti. Vibhuti helps dissolve negative thoughts, clarifies your focus and enables you to set right goals, and help you manifest your desires.]