Safe in Her arms - By Karuna Poole

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya

 

Many of you may have already read this ...

 

Taken from Mathruvani April 98

http://archives.amritapuri.org/matruvani/vol-98/apr98/98mv04safe.htm

 

Safe in Her arms

 

Devotee Karuna Poole recounts how she felt Amma's presence during a

nearly tragic airplane flight to India.

 

 

As I reflect on my years with Mother, I am aware that from time to

time events occur that challenge and/or build my faith. Being a

passenger, last December, on a plane falling 25,000 feet toward the

ocean was certainly such an event! The story actually began eight

weeks earlier, when I felt an inner direction to start saying my

mantra, a lot!

 

 

While there have been other periods in my spiritual journey where I

have focused on my mantra, japa has never been a consistent part of my

sadhana. I began to say my mantra 1,000 to 10,000 times a day,

sometimes more. I also began to chant the Lalita Sahasranama, the

Thousand Names of the Divine Mother, about five times a week.

Occasionally, before my annual visit to Mother's ashram in India, I

have felt the need to update my will. This was one of those years. The

morning I left, I felt compelled to write my roommate a note saying

that if I died on this trip, I would like Mrs. Jenkins, a friend who

is a gospel singer, to sing at the memorial service, should one be

held. In addition to the growing feeling of dread I was experiencing,

two clients told me they sensed I was in danger.

 

The journey started out just like any other. There were five Seattle

devotees on board, one of them being my daughter. We travelled to

Singapore without incident. After an 18-hour layover in Singapore, we

boarded the airplane for the final leg of our trek. I remember

thinking, "Just a few more hours and we will be sitting beside Mother

during Devi Bhava... We are in the home stretch... We have made it."

 

Not so! Halfway between Singapore and India, our plane started

shaking. Simultaneously, all the oxygen masks fell from their

compartments. As we struggled to put on our masks, the plane started

falling - first, 15,000 feet, then another 10,000. The entire fall

took about one minute. As the plane began to plummet, my daughter and

I glanced at each other and then we each focused inward. My mantra

started flowing freely within me. I felt immensely thankful that I had

been "directed" to focus on my mantra prior to the trip. I believe

that it was this preparation that made my mantra so accessible. I

noted that the premonitions of danger had been correct. I realized

that should I die now, I could leave the earth without regret. I had

no sense of unfinished business. I felt curious about what would

happen when, and if, we hit water. Would we live? Would we die? Would

we struggle? Would we experience pain? Those thoughts were present,

but there was a matter-of-fact energy associated with them. Mostly I

felt relaxed and peaceful... all that was important was my mantra.

 

The reaction of the other passengers was far different from that

generally portrayed by the media. A woman screamed for about two

seconds as the plane began to fall. After that there was complete

silence aboard the plane until the pilot spoke, about 15 minutes

later. When he did speak, he informed us that there had been a

decompression problem. He said everything was under control and that

he had turned the plan around and was heading for Malaysia.

 

Once we arrived in the skies above Malaysia, the pilot informed us

that he had decided to continue on to Singapore. He said, we would be

better able to handle the situation there." What did that mean? Were

we going to crash upon landing? The two-hour journey following the

fall seemed endless. During that time, we had no idea whether we were

going to live or die. The pilot had said that everything was going to

be fine, but why should we believe him? What was he to say? "We are

going to crash shortly. Prepare to die"? Even through all of this, I

was, for the most part, free from fear. All that was important was my

mantra.

 

Sometime during the first hour, I became aware of a strange odour. I

decided to take off my oxygen mask and see if I could identify the

heavy, pungent smell. I concluded that it was burning electrical wire.

The implications of that did not hit me until much later when a

newspaper reported that a fire had caused our plane's decompression

problem. Other news reports said that it was a miracle that the plane

landed safely in Singapore.

 

After we arrived in Singapore, the airline provided is with meals and

lodging. Finding a substitute flight to India was no easy matter this

close to Christmas. We discovered that there had been two devotees

from Los Angeles on board, in addition to the five from Seattle. We

met together in one of our hotel rooms, singing bhajans accompanied by

a small keyboard and percussion instruments created from spoons,

glasses and anything else that could make a sound. We felt close to

Mother and to our satsang group at home, which was having its weekly

meeting at the same time. On our third day in Singapore, my daughter

and I discovered a Kali temple. That night all of us trekked to the

temple and participated in a puja. I imagine most of us praying for a

swift and safe passage to India. The next day we were once again on a

plane, headed for Mother!

 

One of the first things I noticed after arriving at the ashram was a

sign on a bulletin board that read, "Life is not a right; it is a gift

from God." I had a stronger sense of sentiment than ever before!

 

A devotee told me that earlier in the week one of the brahmacharis had

informed Mother that our plane had crashed. Mother had responded, "The

plane did NOT crash; My children were on board." Later another devotee

told me Mother had been aware that our plane was in trouble from the

moment it started shaking.

 

The next day when I went for darshan, Mother described the entire

plane incident to those seated near Her. Later that same day, I

silently wondered how much danger we had actually been in. During my

next darshan, She once again told the crowd what had happened to the

plane and then whispered in my ear, "Karuna, BIG problem." That was

all I needed to end any lingering doubts that She had actually been

present. I don't know, and likely never will know, whether or not

Mother saved our lives that day, but I was clear that She had been

with us through the experience. I had no doubt that Her presence was

the primary reason I had felt such a sense of peace.

 

In the weeks and months that followed I became aware how much this

experience had impacted me. My faith in Mother was significantly

increased. She had known that I was in trouble and had been there for

me. I carried a sense of confidence that She would be there for me

when I needed Her in the future. I also noted how events that in the

past would have been very upsetting, now barely phased me. I was much

more capable of "going with the flow" and letting life unfold as it

would, trusting that whatever happened would be in my best interests.

 

Several images came into my consciousness soon after our arrival in

India. One was the image of Mother's hand catching and holding the

plane. The other image was of my being held, safe in Her arms. Those

images will stay with me forever. I am thankful for Her presence in my

life, for the grace She continually grants me and for Her commitment

to guide me until I learn all I need to learn on this journey Home.

[Guest guest]

Ah! thank you Vipin for this wonderful post. I will also thank Karuna

whose name I recognize from the Seattle Satsang. Now I can fly without

fear for the rest of my life, after all SHE is piloting the plane LOL.

 

Just wanted to share with you an incident from the last summer Seattle

retreat. Amma warned me everytime I went for darshan that I need to

sleep well - I just took that in as matter of fact and promptly forgot

that. After all why do I need to be reminded of elementary things like

sleeping, eating etc, cmon everybody knows them. She warned me again

and again, "Eda you need to sleep". Of course I just dismissed such

trivial and trite suggestions. Now how can you sleep with Amma around,

I felt so energetic that I slept only 1 hour on the first 2 days and no

sleep on Devi Bhava day. So I thought "Amma why do you make such

nonsense statements like to sleep well, when you are radiating so much

energy which is keeping me awake all the time- if I dont sleep this is

all your fault ". Now at the end of Devi Bhava I left as I had to show

up for work that Morning and i had only 2-3 hours of sleep for the last

3 days!! As I hit the interstate, there was considerable traffic and it

was literally bumper to bumper rubbernecking at 70 miles. AND suddenly

I felt so sleepy- this could not have happened at a worse time. In fact

a few moments, I almost dozed off for a few seconds and immediately

woke up (with my car swerving around but the adjacent lanes were empty

so it was OK). Finally at one point, I was just going to drop off

asleep with my car going at 70 miles with another car in front, behind

and by the sides. It would have been a major catastrophe. At that point

I prayed "Amma please help me out" and was passing out; at that very

moment some incredible energy(this is the only way I can describe it,

words fail to convey it adequately) entered me and suddenly I felt so

energetic and awake and had absolutely no need to sleep the rest of the

day.

 

PHEW! that was close and Thank you my AMMA- what will I do without you!!

Just as birth mother keeps close to her infact, SHE is all the time

with us keeping us safe. As I write this, for some reason I cannot stop

crying with joy....

 

 

Best wishes and good evening to all.

-yogaman

 

 

Ammachi, Vipin Pavithran <vipin.p@g...> wrote:

> Namah Shivaya

>

> Many of you may have already read this ...

>

> Taken from Mathruvani April 98

> http://archives.amritapuri.org/matruvani/vol-98/apr98/98mv04safe.htm

>

> Safe in Her arms

>

> Devotee Karuna Poole recounts how she felt Amma's presence during a

> nearly tragic airplane flight to India.

>