''If that unseen Force had not pushed us out of the flood waters, we would have surely drowned. This was nothing but a miraculous escape from death, thanks to the Master.'' says MAKRAND JADHAV, one of the leading trainers for the Art of Living's Youth Leadership Training Programme. 

It was a late night in August 2011 and my friend and I were driving home from Katepur Village in Latur. It was raining heavily and there was water-logging all along the route. We were driving through an incessant heavy downpour and we could barely see the road ahead of us. 

Suddenly, we realised that we were on a slope and the car started slipping off the road. We frantically applied the brakes and to our utter dismay, the car spiralled and did a 90 degree turn. The car started sinking as it entered a gushing water stream. For a moment it looked like a huge monster waiting to swallow us up. We lowered the windows, so that we could jump off. Suddenly, our car hit a tree and came to a halt. The tree was our only hope, and with our feet wedged in a firm foothold; we wrapped our knees around the tree and reached out to clutch its branches. 

I was in a state of shock and started trembling involuntarily only to realize that was my body's way of conserving energy. I tried to focus on retaining my foothold. The water had started rising above the bonnet and here i was holding on to the branch with baited breath trying to calm myself and think logically. It then struck me to attempt to call my family. The mobile was completely wet, yet i managed to get through to them - a miracle of Grace.  

What happened next was absolutely shocking, a near death experience for us. The car was thrown up with the water pressure and was almost hitting us. We released our grip on the tree and fell into the water. The torrential rains continued and now we were just being swept by the flood waters. We silently prayed to our Master, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Suddenly, as though some powerful force came to our rescue and we found ourselves being pushed out of the water. This came as such a relief to both of us who were in a state of complete panic.

Finally, the intensity of the rain subsided and we were safely evacuated by family and friends who had reached there. Many people visited us to hear about our experience. Within me, I knew that I had survived this ordeal only because of the Grace of my Master. Battling through raging flood waters in the pitch dark not humanly possible. If that unseen Force had not pushed us out of the flood waters, we would have surely drowned. This was nothing but a miraculous escape from death, thanks to the Master. 

This experience has given me realisation of an inner strength that i never knew I possessed - only through my Master's Grace. This Grace has empowered me from within and given me immense courage to take all challenges in my stride. Come what come may, I know there is an unseen hand that takes me through all adversities of life.