Archive for April, 2013

COLUMN OF LIGHT

Sunday, April 21st, 2013

– SMT.JANI BAI S.KAMATH
(1961)

A great boon which I received from the all-merciful was the rare privilege of association with the devotees of Mother. The chief acquisition from such an association for me was a mind inclined to piety which ultimately led me to the sacred feet of lord himself.

My pilgrimage to the abode of Mother in Tellicherry, along with a group of devotees in Mangalore which took place in my 16th year is still vivid in my memory. It was the most auspicious day which opened the gates of the spiritual realm for me.

Exactly at 12 o’clock, in the scorching heat of the midday sun we alighted at Tellicherry railway station. With a heart full of expectation and curiosity, indulging in a variety of imaginations about the Mother, based on the report of numerous experiences of devotees, I reached a house which was a heaven of peace and blessedness. On the doorway, awaiting our arrival was standing Mother of magnetic attraction and divinity. The hospitality which she extended to each one of us, the immeasurable love and meticulous care which she bestowed on us, the never-fading smile of her lovely face, all indicated that she was the very goddess of auspiciousness. Her gracious glances generated eddying currents of devotion.

The bhajan conducted in her house was over by 7 P.M. and many of the devotees who had gathered from neighbouring houses dispersed. She came to me and after making loving enquiries, directed me to spend some time in meditation in the room where she did her sadhana. As I stepped into the room I found myself enveloped by spiritual vibrations. So vivid was the experience of divine presence in that room that I felt exaltation. In my meditation there appeared a column of blue light in which I saw the form of Mother.

Absorbed in that delightful state, I was sitting quiet in that room, with closed eyes, when Mother came to me and placed her hand on my head. A prayerful mood came over me but I did not know what to pray. I simply prostrated at her lotus feet. Whispering into my ears comforting words Mother helped me get up and said: “Do not fear my beloved child; Mother is here to protect you and to strengthen you”. After two days’ stay in the holy abode I returned to Mangalore carrying sacred memories.

The remarkable incident which convinced me about Mother’s grace was the sudden change in the attitude of my husband. Formerly he was not inclined to accept her as guru in spiritual life. However, he did not object to my following her. During the religious convention in Trichur he did not accompany me, in spite of my repeated requests. On my reaching Trichur, Mother enquired after my husband and when I expressed my grief at his indifferent attitude, she consoled me and advised to remain peaceful. That night I had a vision in which I saw my husband prostrating before her. To my great surprise, my husband turned up the very next day and later became an ardent devotee of Mother.

Innumerable are the instances when she came to our rescue in response to sincere prayers. While we were leading a peaceful life at Udipi, my husband was suddenly transferred to Mysore and it was with heavy hearts that we left for Mysore, leaving all our happy associations with the local devotees. The nature of the work and the environments in the new place did not suit the temperament of my husband who, out of frustration, finally decided to resign his job and return home. Greatly worried, I spent my days in prayer. One morning, when I was offering prayers, Mother appeared before me in vision and blessed me. I intuitionally felt that she had commanded me to attend the Sadhana Mandir session at Mangalore. Both of us left for Mangalore the next day. On reaching Mangalore my husband got the news that he had been recalled by his officer, to his former office in Udipi. Thus not only she saved us from miserable situation, but also, fulfilled a great desire of mine to take part in the periodical session at the sadhana mandir. Her unseen power continues to guide and protect.

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Sunday, April 7th, 2013

 – Rao Bahadur K.R.SHITUT,B.A.,  
Ex-Dewan of Bhor

I came to know all about Mother on reading the book, “Yoga and God Realization” by Dr. Vishnu Mahadev Bhatt, a great and learned person. On page 383 of the book, the details of an interview of Sri Dilip Kumar Roy and Srimati Indira Devi, both disciples of Yogi Sri Arabindo Ghosh; with Mother Sadguru Sri Rama Devi are given. When they met her and paid their respects, she asked Mr. Dilip to sing a devotional song. On hearing the song, she went into samadhi, in the bhava of Radha, with her hands held up like Sri Krishna’s flute. In such a position she was in samadhi over one hour and a half. She  later spoke to them and said that she has a mission to uplift humanity. Accordingly love of God and service of humanity are the principles with which she inspires the masses.

Having thus obtained information about the yogic powers and mysticism (I take mysticism to mean the art of knowing God as defined by Gurudev R. D. Ranade, M.A., D.D., Vice-Chancellor of the Allahabad University, a modern saint of Karnataka) of Mother, I approached Sri Sadguru Rama Devi in Bombay in the year 1956. Giving all the antecedents of my life as a full pledge Ramadasi, having made Ram Nam japa over sixty years I am now over seventy-five years – I requested for favour of initiation to attain God realization. I was asked by her to attend the bhajans at the Bombay centre of the Rama Devi Bhaktha Mandali for over a year. I performed Ramanama japa constantly as directed. I kept constant remembrance of God and make japa constantly as far as possible and at intervals spent time in thought-free meditation.

It was on 26th November 1957, Sadguru Sri Rama Devi gave me initiation and upadesh. As she placed her hand on my head, and asked me to meditate with eyes shut, I caught a glimpse of something dazzling – the divine light, the flame on which Sri Sadguru asked me to concentrate daily and repeat the manthra given at the initiation. Accordingly, for over two years, I made japa, to commune with God and meditate and by God’s grace and Mother’s blessings, I am slowly but steadily progressing, inasmuch as, while in meditation, I daily have the God’s vision, and see moving images of God Rama, Krishna and Ganapathy. Also saints like Tukaram appear in my vision and my mind is enlightened with varied colours and ringing bells. What more astonishing is that with the naked open eye I see different visions, lights and images of God and I become drowned in ecstasy. Thus I am on the pathway to God under the blessings of the Mother. When she would shower further blessings on me, I feel confident Bhagawan Sri Krishna and Sri Rama will be seen by me, in perfect meditation. Sadguru Rama Devi is a living God – a guru to guide the masses.