Amma Anasuya Devi/Relationships: Part 2

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continued from previous post:

 

"Which is the best Sadhana to attain perfection?" someone asked

Mother (Amma Anasuya Devi). "Anything and everything that you do is

Sadhana if you do it with sincerity." "What was your Sadhana?"

someone asked Her. "It is begetting children and looking after them"

she replied. "Which is the best form of worship," another asked

her. "The one who bears the whole of your burden, the one who looks

after all your needs, is your husband. Look upon him as the visible

form of God that protects all; that is the easiest sadhana. Whatever

service you do unto him do it with the faith that you are doing unto

Him. Even whether you receive hard treatment, believe that it is a

training in endurance, humility and non-violence. When you look

after your children believe that your child is the young Lord Krishna

and serve him in that spirit. Thus the whole of your domenstic life

is converted into perfect and incessant Sadhana. Going to a forest,

closing the eyes and holding the breath are not greater than

that". "Our goodness lies in perceiving good in all" -- this saying

of Mother brings out the core of Mother's philosophy of personal

relationships.

 

What is the right form of personal relationships? What is the pure

form of the relations between a husband and a wife? What is ideal

friendship! On these and several other relationships Mother

expressed her views.

 

One day someone referred to a certain newly married couple and

commended their harmonious relationship. But immediately Mother said

that she was not satisfied by their relationship. Then someone asked

her what, according to her, would constitute ideal relationship

between a husband and a wife. Mother replied with oblique references

to the said couple:--

 

"There should be regard for one another in a good relatipnship. Real

regard is neither conditioned nor necessarily denoted by constant

physical proximity in any relationship. It is enough if genuine

mutual regard is there _in their minds_ be it between mother and son,

brother and sister, or even between wife and husband. They might

stay together or even sleep together--it is alright as long as they

behave in a sobre way, with dignity; but I don't like if they make a

fuss of it and try to proclaim to the whole world by their behaviour

that they are the husband and the wife!"

 

continued...