Divine Mother Easwarammba Day - 06th May 2007 ( Part 2/03 )

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EASWARAMMBA DAY – 06th May 2007 (Part 02/03)

 

" Easwaramma was the chosen one. I chose her to be My mother. That is

the intimate relationship between Mother Easwaramma and Myself. "

 

That was the emphatic declaration of Bhagavan on the most auspicious

Easwaramma Day, the 6th of May, 2001. In no uncertain terms Swami

communicated how lofty, grand and glorious is the stature of Mother

Easwaramma. The thronging crowd in Sai Ramesh Hall exploded into loud

applause that evening as they heard these Divine words from Bhagavan.

 

 

Easwarammba's darling Sathya

 

Easwarammba went through many trying times mothering the " infinite power "

incarnated in her humble home, though of course there were also mystical and

profound experiences. When Sathya was just nine months old, one singular episode

baffled her beyond her limits.

 

I can remember the whole incident fresh and clear. I had just bathed and dressed

him and applied on his eyes cooling collyrium. I applied vibhuthi from the Shiva

temple and a dot of kumkum from the Sathyamma

temple on his brow. I put him in the cradle, gave it a swing and turned to the

hearth where the milk had come to a boil. Suddenly I heard him cry. I was

surprised for, believe me, he had never cried

since birth for any reason, hunger, or pain, or discomfort. I picked him up and

placed him on my lap and he stopped the wail. I saw a halo of brilliant light

all around him, a circle of radiance surrounding

him. But the light did not hurt me, it was so cool though so bright and near. I

sat still, lost in delight. It was there a long time,

before it faded slowly away. I closed my eyes and probably lost awareness of

everything around until my mother-in-law came to me and I awoke. The child was

apparently asleep. She asked me what had happened and I told her about the halo

that I could see even then

in clear outline. She put her finger on her lips and said, `Don't tell anyone of

this. They wouldn't understand. They would spread all kinds of tales.'

 

Easwarammba would be blessed with countless such experiences and every one

increased her love for the beloved son she had been gifted with after so much

prayer and penitence.

 

The Mother's Heart Bleeds…

 

Sathya was so bright that denying him further education seemed a sacrilege, so

as there was no high school within a radius of twenty miles he went to live with

his brother so he could attend school at

Uravakonda. Easwarammba had to sigh and cry alone, and it must be added, now and

then to exult and enthuse, for stories seeped through the intervening miles of

the marvels Sathya had authored, the cures

he had effected, the problems he had solved, as well as of the hardships he had

to undergo.

 

Love without duty is Divine

 

During a visit to Puttaparthi from Uravakonda, Easwaramma gave Sathya an

invigorating " oil bath " and observed on his left shoulder a broad length of

blackened thickened skin. Sathya did not complain of

pain when the patch was touched or pressed and laughed it off when she asked how

he had acquired that mark. But when Easwaramma insisted, he told her that the

skin was rendered so as the result

of carrying water pots hung on both ends of a pole borne on his shoulder for the

household where he stayed. There was only one well at Uravakonda for drinking

water which was nearly a kilometer away, so

he walked to and fro about six times daily, thrice in the morning and thrice in

the evening.

 

Easwarammba was alarmed. " You must come away from there. They are exploiting

your goodness and your desire to serve. Why should they depend on you for

water? " But Sathya responded, " I felt it as my

duty, Amma. How long can the children survive on the brackish poison? I carry

the water of life from that distance gladly, Mother. I have come to do this

service. " Mother was in tears and could hardly speak.

Immediately, Sathya was back home in Puttaparthi.

 

 

The Mother's Greatest Anxiety – Swami's Food Habits

 

If Swami was away from her for some time and a visitor came from that place,

Easwarammba would invariably ask, " How is Swami? Is he keeping well? Does he eat

anything at all? "

 

Swami's eating habits were always a subject of concern for the Mother. Every now

and then Easwarammba would go into the Mandir, for there were no regular hours

for her or anyone else, and she would note the new arrivals, talk to them and

then move quietly towards the women who were mothering her son. " Serve him and

nurse him with

care, " she would plead. " Look at him; one can count the ribs, they are coming

through so clear. He won't listen to what we say. He insists on his own ways,

all the while telling us how to behave. And

somehow he justifies everything he does as good for himself. "

 

Noon and night, lunchtime and dinnertime, whenever she thought about it

Easwarammba was confronted by a conundrum. How could the Ananda of others be

Ahara [food] for him? He ate so meagerly. He relished so

little. He set aside so much. He had no obvious preference, no visible appetite,

no taste to satisfy, no hunger to appease, and no time to spare. How could he

derive sustenance from this Anandaless atmosphere? She prayed for him to eat but

it was all in vain.

Swami would take a mouthful just to satisfy her and then stand and walk away.

 

It took Easwarammba a long time to reconcile herself to this Avataric trait.

Whenever she was around she personally supervised the preparation of the menu

for Swami by going into the host's kitchen. She believed that Swami would eat a

few more spoonfuls if the

cuisine was Telugu, or better still, if it was genuine Rayalaseema, the region

to which Puttaparthi belonged. When Swami was at Jamnagar with the Rajmatha of

Nawanagar (in Gujarat), Easwaramma feared that the Gujarati dishes might not be

acceptable to her son. She smuggled herself into the palace kitchen and sought

permission to prepare a little chaar – a soup based on boiled pulses – so Swami

would have

some food of familiar taste.

 

This mother's concern never left her alone. Her eyes were on his plate to

discover how much he tasted of what and how his health reacted to the restraints

he imposed on himself. When Bhagavan was

forty-four-years-old, Easwarammba was heard to say, " He does not like their

cooking. He used to eat well as a boy when I cooked his food. But he does not

care for my cooking now. He says I must have rest and

quiet and not to worry about such things. "

 

.....so that we may learn to serve

 

When Swami was a child, Easwaramma would have to spend an hour to persuade him

to swallow a mouthful. The thinnest of excuses – a crow cawing for a morsel, a

mendicant voice from afar, a child crying next

door – sufficed for him to run away from the plate before him.

 

On one occasion Swami took to drinking only a cup of buttermilk per day…for

thirty-six days! One can imagine the heart-rending pain Easwaramma went through,

struggling to hold back tears which

threatened to well up throughout the day. When at last Swami said in response to

the devotees' prayers he would resume his normal schedule of breakfast, lunch,

and dinner, Easwaramma was happy beyond words

and asked him to never tease them with such tactics again. Even years later,

whenever she recalled those thirty-six days, it was with a sigh and expression

of resignation.

 

Her Child like Simplicity

 

Mother's concern for Swami extended to every detail of his life. Apart from his

spartan food habits, another subject which troubled her was Swami's travels. She

was always apprehensive of him leaving

Puttaparthi even if it was for only a day to a nearby city or town. So imagine

her distress when she heard about the planned trip to East Africa in 1968. She

was extremely nervous, to say the least.

 

Simplicity personified

 

Not much was known about Africa in those days, and the popular impression was

that it was a dark continent full of wild animals, savages, and cannibals.

 

Easwarammba had heard this folklore and feared Swami would be in danger if he

went there. She resolved to have the trip cancelled and expressed her

reservations to someone involved with the expedition.

The person replied, " Mother, do not worry. Swami will be visiting only big

cities where he will be absolutely safe – no threats from animals or savages

there! "

 

Easwarammba was dissatisfied with the reply and felt hurt that the person was

making light of a serious matter. She approached someone else and told him,

" Listen, all of you are merrily planning a jaunt

to Africa without being conscious of the risk to Swami. It is not too late yet,

and you must do everything possible to dissuade him from

undertaking this trip. " The person she spoke to gave a patient hearing and then

replied, " Amma, have no fear. Swami will have very high security protection. "

 

Easwarammba felt frustrated that no one was taking her misgivings seriously. She

sought out a senior devotee and conveyed her worst fears to him. This devotee

said, " Mother, it is true that there are

many dangers in Africa. But how can they affect Swami? He is God, is he not? "

Hearing this Mother Easwarammba became furious and shouted back, " You fool! I

know Swami is God and you know he is God. But do those savages and wild animals

in Africa know he is God? "

 

That was the Mother's child like concern and simplicity. Though she had realised

her son's divinity, motherly anxieties often overwhelmed

her. Sri Jayalakshmi Gopinath, who was fortunate to interact with the Mother and

observe her at close quarters, recalls:

 

I knew the Divine Mother Easwarammba so well. It was mutual love between us. I

loved her because on her face there was such brilliance that you could not find

anywhere in the whole world on any

sophisticated face. Whatever one would put on the face it could not match the

glow on her face. I have seen it myself. She was as simple as a child.

 

Continued...on 06th May 2007