– M. Narayanan Unni, M. A. B. L Advocate, Madras High Court, Camp: Honolulu, U. S.
Divine Mother Rama Devi is the bestower on devotees of manifold blessings. Four of such blessings would be uppermost in the mind of the recipients. They are the Blessing of enlightenment; the Blessing of bringing persons of varying outlook to a regime governed by the law of love; the Blessing in the form of attunement to internal harmony and external concord; and the Blessing bestowing on spiritual aspirants of whatever denomination the untold benefits of austerity.
The Advent of Divine Mother is therefore not only the advent of the Guru par excellence. It is also the advent of the star of enlightenment in human consciousness. Through the faculty of the intellect that is in every one, by the grace of Divine Mother, there will be efflorescence in the form of Enlightenment.
What is Enlightenment? Enlightenment is the knowledge that underlying the ever-changing phenomena of external objects and the inner phenomena of ever-changing thoughts and emotions, there is Reality, which does not change and that Reality is the true self.
The physical body of sensations is veritably a shrine where the eternal and the ephemeral subsist together. Mother teaches that in the highest plane of man’s physical embodiment, there is divinity abiding within man himself, reachable by the practice of the law of love.
When persons begin to think and act humanely, then works of charity, justice and generosity will be resulting spontaneously. Based on this dictum is Mother’s teaching that practice of love by individuals will lead to harmonious social relationships.
Harmony leads to the realization of self. Realization of self will lead to the intellectual conviction of the possibility of achieving universal brotherhood, in which all selves partake and participate. As one practices the law of love adumbrated by Mother for adoption in day to day living, one would have to preserve harmony in domestic and social relationships.
A true realization of self is naturally followed by a profounder conviction of universal brotherhood. The law of love as expounded by Mother is both merciful and just. It is just in the sense that it works from within oneself to those outside in the world around. As we send out thoughts and feelings of love, on the basis of universal brotherhood which is a subsisting reality, so shall we reap the effects in goodwill towards ourselves from all directions.
From the definition of love as the basis of universal brotherhood and the promoter of mutual goodwill, Mother enjoins upon disciples and devotees especially, individual responsibility of setting in operation right thoughts and just sentiments as correctives to imbalances and imperfections wherever existing, in the society in which they are placed. Mother envisions each devotee and disciple of Her moving in the direction of Higher Self, in each of them, under Her aegis and directions, thus becoming several centres radiating light and love and peace and joy.
In some respects, the greatest blessing from Divine Mother is in inclining minds to the practice of austerity. What is the austerity prescribed by Mother? It is the discipline of training and cleansing the mind, curbing the senses, restraining capricious inclinations, not giving way to appetites and agitations, all the time cultivating the virtues and refining the moral nature to the best of one’s ability. This is the dispensation of Divine Mother. He who lives according to this dispensation will be in contact with Her divine guidance, Her divine vibrations and Her divine inspirations.
Mother has issued the warning that harmony and concord achieved through patience and perseverance, are liable to be endangered because, among spiritual aspirants, even among advanced sadhakas, by reason of their individual temperaments and characteristic tendencies, there will arise differences in opinions and diversity in outlook. When opinions clash and viewpoints differ one from the other, the unity will be broken, the harmony will be disrupted, bringing about as results thereof discord and disorder. Discord will give rise to mutual recriminations and adverse criticism of one another. Disagreements will thereupon occur and the tenets of the teaching may come to be jeopardized, violated, ignored and even forgotten.
Therefore, to avoid clash of opinion and conflict of personality fraught with disruptive consequences, Mother teaches that personal differences among spiritual aspirants should not be made much of; they should be forgotten. To make progress on the path of spirituality, the practitioners of discipline under the guidance of Mother should remain staunchily united in the upholding of Her tenets, in their promulgation and in their propagation. They should learn to disregard the shortcomings and at the same time, appreciate virtues. In the outer plane of their nature, they should exhibit bounty, generosity, patience and humility. In the inner plane, they should practice the threefold austerities in order to preserve and promote harmony and concord.
The threefold austerities are:
- The austerity of body consisting in purity, rectitude, charity and harmlessness;
- The austerity of speech consisting in speech that is truthful, friendly, gentle and courteous, causing no anxiety, no animosity, no anguish to any one, at any time;
- The austerity of mind consisting in serenity, self-restraint, sincerity and straightforwardness.
May the fourfold blessings of Enlightenment, Love, Harmony and Austerity result in clearer perceptions in the increasing number of Her devotees and disciples. With gift of higher knowledge, may She give corresponding motivations which are above selfish considerations. May she make us master every crisis through clearer vision and deeper understanding of Her glory and Her grace.