MOTHER DIVINE - SAI MOTHER THE GREATEST

[Guest guest]

Mata. And 25 years ago till this date, and for the rest of her life, my mother

took a vow that she would observe a fast which would grant her the privilege of

having a son. When I heard the story from my mother and when I saw her fasting I

felt pained. I told her: “Mother! If it has taken a Santoshi Ma Vratam for me to

come to your lotus feet, I will also take a Santoshi Ma Vratam to go back to the

Lotus Feet of Sai Ma.” And for 3 years, I undertook the Santoshi Ma Vratam to

become a student of Shri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. In these 3

years, I did not see any result. And the horoscope suggested that I would never

become a student. But it was just the pure Grace and Love of Sai Ma that I am

standing today in front of you as a student of Sai. Today is the most

auspicious day of

Navaratri Celebrations, the Festival of Nine Nights. What does this signify?

According to ancient Indian Mythology and our culture the scriptures reveal

that it was during these nine days and nights that the Devi Ma, Sai Ma, in the

form of Durga Mata destroyed evil from the face of the earth, evil which was

present in the form of the demon Mahishasura. It is also during these days that

Bhagavan in His previous Incarnation of Shri Rama prayed to the Devi Ma before

beginning His battle with the evil Ravana. It was this day when Arjuna acquired

the Divine weapons for fighting in the Kurukshetra. And it is on this day that I

will venture to describe the qualities of Motherhood, the Godhood of Mother and

the Motherhood of God. The First Touch of His Love A little child was clinging

to the gate of his kindergarten class and refusing to attend classes. At this

juncture, a group of teachers tried to pull the boy but the boy stretched out

to his mother who was standing on the other side of the gate. And it was not

until the mother assured the boy that she would come back to him in the evening

to pick him up that the boy agreed to go to the class. This vivid description of

this incident in my childhood flashed across my memory on the very first day I

joined the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. 54 fortunate boys were

chosen by Bhagavan this year to be part of the M.B.A Programme. But unusually

instead of joining Prashanti Nilayam directly, Bhagavan commanded those

students to come to Brindavan and seek His

Blessings. This incident was flashing in my mind as I held Sai Ma’s hand on the

Gardens of Trayee Brindavan. And in the same innocence I prayed to Mother Sai

because we were leaving from Brindavan that day. “Swami, please come to

Puttaparthi! Please don’t stay at Brindavan.” At this juncture Swami looked

lovingly at all of us. All the 54 boys who had sacrificed great careers, boys

who had left great academic opportunities, to be with the Greatest Divine Form.

Bhagavan looked at us and said: “I will come day after tomorrow.” When Swami

Wills, it is “Vajra Sankalpa” (firm determination) - nothing can go against it!

And just in two days, as promised, Swami made a trip all the way from Brindavan

to Puttaparthi to see His 54 students! Glimpses of Divine

Motherhood And during our stay in Brindavan at that time, we received some

glimpses of Motherhood. We saw the amount of care, the amount of Love which

Swami showers on His students. How many questions Swami was asking the warden!

Whether the boys were accommodated well, whether we were being fed well and

about the trip that we had to make to Puttaparthi. No Need to Run But is

this Motherly Nature of Swami only exhibited towards students? The answer is

no! Divinity does not distinguish between people to shower its Grace! I am

reminded of an incident when as a devotee of Swami and I had made a trip to

Brindavan. It is customary for all devotees and students alike to run after

Swami’s car when Swami goes out. In my enthusiasm I also chased Swami’s car

and I was very fit at that time. I raced ahead of others and we reached a

particular point of time when there was only Swami’s car and myself. I kept

running and running and after sometime I lost my breath. I went down on my

knees and gave up. I told Swami ‘I give up.’ Swami looked at me, rolled down

the glass and said in Tamil: “Porum, Porum! (Enough) Don’t run!” What

compassion this is! For a devotee who is running behind His car, we think that

Swami sometimes ignores us, Swami has forgotten us! Can God Forget? Talking

about forgetting, how can Swami forget! During one festival, Bhagavan was

concluding His discourse with the Bhajan

Hari Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahin, and Bhagavan forgot, or apparently seemed to

forget, a particular line. Then a student enthusiastically looked at Bhagavan

and Bhagavan asked him “What is the next line?” and the student immediately

sang the next line to Bhagavan. And Bhagavan said: “Good!” The same incident

was repeated for several festivals! And on one particular festival Bhagavan

approached the student and asked him, “Did you really think I forgot? If I

forget, the sun will not rise and the sun will not set!” Who else can make such

a statement other than the Divine Mother! It is left to us to understand that

this Divine Energy is present with us at all times and at all places! The

Greatness of Gayatri In our Puranas, it is stated that ‘Gayatri Chandasaam

Mata’, that is, before Creation, Gayatri Mata, the Mother of Vedas, that

Primordial Force Adi Shakti gave birth to the Trinity, as Three Babies. And She

blessed each of the Babies with the Gunas of Rajas, Sathwaa and Thamas. Mother

Gayatri left the scene and the Babies started crying and Mother Gayatri came to

that particular scene assuming the form of a five-headed God. And that is how we

picture Mother Gayatri today. Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha Tat Savitur Vareniyam Bhargo

Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Na Prochadayat The Gayatri Mantra is the single most

potent and powerful mantra which even Bhagavan has confirmed. Bhagavan says,

“This is the Mantra which will guarantee protection to the chanter, if chanted

correctly, at all places and at all times.” The Sacred Upanayanam When I read

this, I found a deep desire within me that I should also have my Upanayanam

(Hindu Sacred Thread ceremony) done and I should also have the chance of

chanting the Gayatri Mantra. But my age was 21 years and my father did not

believe in rituals. So he refused to perform the Upanayanam for me. At this

juncture every Darshan I used to give Him a letter asking Him for two things

“Swami I want to be your student and please perform my Upanayanam.” It took a

year but at the end of one year, Bhagavan organized an Upanayanam ceremony in

‘Sundaram’ at Chennai, the place where I reside. 108 boys were selected. But

unfortunately, an age limit was set of 18 years. And I was 21 years. In total

anxiety and depression, I wrote a letter to Bhagavan quickly saying “You have

to perform my Upanayanam!” and I placed it in my aunt’s house in front of the

photo. The next day, kumkum (vermillion) materialized on the letter! And I was

sure that this was a sign from Bhagavan that He would perform my Upanayanam.

The primary motive of having my Upanayanam done by Swami was not only to chant

the Gayatri Mantra, but to get the opportunity to chant it once in front of

Swami - and to get the blessings of the Divine Mother, Sai Gayatri. So Bhagavan

had said: “Bring those 108 Vatus (participants) to me after the function.” But

at the beginning of the function, Bhagavan sent another message “If those boys

come to Brindavan, they will have a lot of problems in terms of accommodation.”

What kind of Motherly Love is this again! Swami was concerned about the strain

which the 108 boys who were coming to seek His Blessings would undergo! So

Swami sent word “Tell those boys that I am with them all the times at all

places! Wherever the Gayatri is chanted, I am there!” As soon as I heard this,

I almost felt as if I didn’t want my Upanayanam to be done. Even though I knew

that Swami would be with me but, I would lose a chance of coming to the

proximity of Sai Gayatri. At the end of the function, I told my mother “Mother,

why don’t we make a trip to Brindavan despite Swami

having told us not to come?” My mother looked at me a little bit surprised and

told me “Tomorrow is your final University examination! This is a matter of

life importance!” I told my mother: “This is a matter of live's importance

mother! It is a result of the penance of several lives that I have this

opportunity to get my Upanayanam performed by Swami Himself!” And my mother

consented and we went to Brindavan. As soon as we went to Brindavan, we found a

couple of other boys who were equally enthusiastic to seek Swami’s Blessings.

And we arrived just in time before the music began. As we sat for Darshan,

Bhagavan sort of glided towards us and looked at us so lovingly. And I had no

hesitation, no doubt in my mind that I was looking at the Gayatri Roopam (form

of Gayatri) of our beloved Swami! Swami then gave us

Padanamaskar and materialized Vibhuti. And that was really an amazing incident

in my life which showed me that with Faith and Devotion, you can definitely win

the Love of Sai Ma! Mothers are the Gift of God to Man As an English saying

goes: “God could not be at all times with all people; so to ensure that they

were getting the same amount of Love, God created Mothers!” What a great gift

God has given to us! Bhagavan says: “A true Bharatiya, a true son, is one who

can strive to earn the Grace and Love of his mother.” Take the example of

Ravana, who was a great Shiva devotee and who had intense love for his mother.

When he saw his mother worshipping an earthern lingam, he asked her “Mother why

are you worshipping an earthern lingam?” She said: “Son, I want a place in

Kailasa.” Ravana said: “For you, I shall bring Kailasa here.” And he proceeded

to the Himalayas and started lifting Kailasa! This was the amount of devotion

that Ravana had towards his mother! But the same Ravana forgot the Mother

Principle when he abducted Sita! And so, he had to pay for the consequences of

his action. Sai Gives a Beautiful Voice I am reminded of a personal incident of

mine. I for one was never used to public speaking, be it an audience of one or

ten people. At the end of one unsuccessful talk, I went home and literally

burnt the pages of my speech! And my mother was silently observing me from the

back. She called me and said: “Son, what are you trying to do?” I told my

mother that I never want to speak again in my life! My mother said: “Don’t lose

courage! You will speak one day; not in front of one, two or ten but in front of

thousands of people!” And it is that very grace, the very words of my mother,

which I feel has come true today! When I came into the Sai fold, I was really

attracted towards Bhajan singing. But fate had blessed me with a hoarse voice!

When I used to sing, people used to close their ears! But I did not lose hope;

for I knew My Mother would again come to my rescue! Both the physical and the

Divine Mother. My mother, a trained classical singer, tried her best to teach

me the basics of Karnataka music. But, I did not relent - or my voice did not

relent. So my mother commanded me “Go and seek the Blessings of Swami. He will

definitely shower grace upon you!” That particular trip I made coincided with

Shivaratri festival in 2000. And as a devotee, I came and sat in the lines at

12 o’clock in the night because of the crowds. As Bhagavan willed, I got the

first row and I got a chance to take the Padanamaskar of Swami. But then I had

a desire in my mind: “Swami, if you can give me some Prasadam; something which

will make me sing well in front of you.” Suddenly, Swami started distributing

chocolates to the students. Bhagavan looked at me, aimed a chocolate and threw

it at my head! And ever since I took that chocolate I have sung in almost every

bhajan group in every state which I have visited. And today, it is only by the

grace of Bhagavan that I had the opportunity to sing in front of Him also! All

that we need to do is to offer our Love to such a Mother! The Godhood of the

Mother and the Motherhood of God The Vedas declare Matrodevo Bhava. In our

culture we are elevating the Mother to the level of God; in other words, we

declare the Godhood of the Mother. We also talk about the Motherhood of God -

but which is greater? The answer can be seen by considering a ticket. This

ticket represents the physical Mother. Without the seal of authenticity of the

Divine Mother that ticket is useless! And with such an attested ticket, you can

take a journey to any destination, be it a worldly or a Spiritual destination.

So both the Godhood of Mother and the Motherhood of God go hand in hand.

Becoming Swami’s Gold I would now like to narrate very quickly a small

incident. It happened in the final year of my Engineering course. I had made

another prayer to Bhagavan, “Bhagavan whenever I come to you as a student I

should have first class with honors and distinction; I should be a gold

medalist.” In Engineering, 80 percent is considered as a benchmark. So every

letter I wrote to Bhagavan, I begged “Bhagavan at least give me 80 percent!”

Bhagavan used to be so kind - He used to give me 5% extra! I used to get around

85% and once even 90% in my Engineering! In the final semester, I fell very

sick. And Swami knows what happened at that particular point of time. He

probably wanted to increase my faith and devotion. My mother made me take mock

exams but I could not even sit to write the exam. So my mother started her

usual prayer routines for me day and night and she accompanied me to each and

every exam! We had around 10 papers. Every time I sat in the examination hall I

visualized that I was not writing, but Bhagavan was writing. Because even the

doctor told that “I have no hope for you! Please depend on Bhagavan Sri Sathya

Sai Baba.” At the end of the examinations, I knew that I would barely have

passed. But when the results came the total average came exactly to 80 percent.

And I got the gold medal which I had desired - not for myself - but to offer at

the Lotus Feet of both my Mothers. An interesting statement which Swami made to

us on the first day “It is not enough to just earn an academic gold medal! You

should really be the Gold of Swami!” And we got an opportunity that time to

express our love to Swami. We told Swami "We are Your strength" and Swami said

“Yes! Students are My strength!” And this particular interaction showed us how

much Motherly Love Lord Sai showers on all of us! Now I will come to the

closing part of my speech where I would just like to say that we need to just

surrender ourselves not only to the Feet of the Lord but also to the Lotus Feet

of our physical Mothers. Bhagavan has said: “Mother and Motherland are greater

than Heaven!” In one of the trips I made to Malaysia, I looked back and saw I

was leaving this great country and my physical Mother and I almost cried! But I

remembered the words of my mother “Don’t worry! By the time you reach Malaysia,

Swami would have already come there!” And believe it or not the accommodation

which I was given in Malaysia, was right opposite to the largest Sai Centre in

Malaysia. And the devotees there were so full of devotion! So many people who

had never come to see the Physical Form of Swami were so devoted in whatever

activities they were undertaking! Whether it was chanting Vedas, whether it was

singing bhajans, or whether it was participating in Service activities! This is

the kind of Universal Love which Swami is spreading! The Three Mothers All that

Swami is saying is “Let us remember to honour not only the two Mothers but also

the third Mother - that is Mother

Nature. Let us never be ungrateful to all these three Mothers.” We are Children

of Mother Sai I would now like to conclude by just saying that whatever we do

let us just behave like an innocent child at the Feet of our Divine Mother. An

innocent child is a beautiful sight! It is the sight of God Himself! All that

we have to do is just surrender ourselves, give our love and believe in the

fact that Mother Sai - the single Principle which runs through all these

Mothers - will take care of us at all times! With these few words, I would just

like to conclude with a small prayer: “O Lord, take my Love and let it flow in

devotion to Thee. Take my every thing and let me be an instrument to work for

Thee.” Jai Sai Ram!

(SHARING WITH SAI LOVE)Ram ChuganiKobe, Japanrgcjp

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