-T. N. Gopinathan Nayar (Trivandrum)
Once I suddenly fell ill with severe pain in my stomach. I found it difficult to breathe properly. Immediately my sons, Ravi and Nandan, took me to my brother-in-law Dr. P. V. Nair. Fortunately, his son, Dr. T. V. G. Nair, was also present there. In their presence, I vomited. Dr. T. V. G. Nair sensed that the root cause for the stomach pain and the trouble in breathing was something serious. Immediately he brought an expert Dr. P. P. Joseph from the Medical College. It was nearing midnight.
As per his advice, I was removed to the Medical College Hospital that night itself. Fortunately, my pain subsided and I slept. The X-Ray photos indicated a slight shade at the bottom of the right lung.
A portrait of Divine Mother was placed on the table and I derived much strength and consolation. Whenever I was free of visitors I used to chant Her Nama Manthra. One day, during my afternoon siesta, I had a dream. It was a scene from Shaktinagar Campus. I saw my aunt Mrs. T. N. K. Nayar, and Tarakka, the respected President of the Mission. I saw my aunt rushing to Tarakka and telling her: “Tarakka, Gopi is very ill, undergoing treatment in the hospital. Please inform Divine Mother.” I heard clearly the words of Tarakka: “Don’t you know? Mother is not here. She has already gone to Trivandrum.”
Dream gave me immeasurable strength. That afternoon, a T. B. expert pierced needles in my chest and later ruled out the presence of pleurisy in the lung.
Next day I was put to special tests. What baffled the Doctors was the temperature in the evenings. It would go up to 102 degrees and persist for a couple of hours. The Doctors had a discussion about it and decided that it might be due to cancer. They did not inform me about their inference. My brother-in-law was told. My son Ravi also came to know of it. The agony of the poor boy was intense. The Doctors told me that I would be taken the next day to the operation theatre for a test. Dr. M. R. S. Menon who is a friend of mine, was to do the test. A tube with a light attached to it would be inserted through my throat right up to the interior of the lung to know whether there is any malignancy there. Dr. Menon assured me that I would be completely free from any pain. Without knowing the significance or seriousness of the experiment I readily agreed to it. Except myself all knew the seriousness of it and all were anxious.
My son Ravi was trembling with distress and fear as I was taken to the operation theatre. In his agony, for some time, he was praying intensely to Divine Mother with his eyes closed, and tears streaming down, when he suddenly had a vision of Matrunilayam, the residential abode of Divine Mother in Shaktinagar. He saw my stretcher being taken in. Divine Mother suddenly appeared, emerging from the “Elevator Room”. It was all dark and he saw Mother with a grave look bending over me and blessing me. The vision vanished as abruptly as it appeared. My son was comforted and calmness came to his mind, by the impact of the vision.
All my relatives were there to know the result. Since I was not aware of the seriousness I was comparatively calm and unperturbed. My mind was incessantly chanting the powerful Mahamanthra. With extraordinary thoroughness and skill Dr. Menon did the experiment. I did not know even a pin prick. When I woke up from the effect of anesthesia I saw beaming face of my son. Dr. Menon, to the relief of all, categorically proclaimed that I was free from cancer.
Streptomycin injections were given to me and that proved effective. Since the condition remained normal consecutively for the next few days, the Doctor allowed me to return to my home. Thus after spending 45 days in the Hospital I came back to my sweet home.
When I regained enough strength to travel, the first thing I did was a pilgrimage to Shaktinagar for the darshan of my beloved Deity. Among others, there were many devotees from various parts of Kerala camping at that time in Shaktinagar. Observance of Kerala’s harvest festival, Onam, was going on in Shaktinagar. I had the glorious darshan of the beloved Ma, my Saviour, whose gracious intervention in my destiny had given me a new lease of life, thus enabling me to visit Her abode and to bask in Her grace again. Feelings of grateful love surged up in my bosom. Those were the moments when my heart whispered to me in supernal language that in this world I had none else but She whom I can call my own, who alone offers the purest love, who alone can look after me here and hereafter. The omniscient Ma must have divined my inmost feelings, and at once, Her benign and gracious look fell on me. Oh, what an experience it was! That smile which bloomed in those eyes, the smile of utter simplicity, seemed to have also profounder depths and mysterious realms which human intelligence cannot reach. Mother called me near, made me sit near Her Feet and blessed me profusely by sprinkling ‘Theertha’ on my head. With Her own divine Hand She applied on my forehead sandalwood paste ‘Tilak’. My son was asked to garland me in Her august presence and the entire audience applauded and wished me many happy returns of the day. Though my 60th Birthday was not observed early because, I was in the hospital, the celebration took place at Shaktnagar in Mother’s divine presence, in the company of the pure-souled devotees. I cherish that enviable thrill in the innermost shrine of my heart, wherein I had installed my beloved Ma long long ago.
Though the beloved Mother has become the Formless Reality, Her luminous, love-inspiring Image of love will continue to shrine radiant in my heart and in the hearts of thousands of devotees like me. O Mother Divine, the beloved Mother of all, let the life of this child become a fitting homage to Thee.