– Kum. H. S. Meera, Mangalore.
Obeisances unto Thee, O Mother, the eternal, the Absolute, the embodiment of the Divine and auspicious attributes, moving in our midst now in this gracious motherly Saguna form. In Thee we behold the most radiant and beautiful embodiment of spirituality. Blessed with this enchanting vision, with hearts surging up in joy, we all join together and offer our humble pranams at Thy Lotus Feet.
Today the 15th August is a great day, for it was on this day in the year 1947 that India, our Motherland, was liberated from foreign rule. Political independence came to us as a result of valiant sacrifices of numerous precious lives. Today the nation pays its tribute to their sacred memory. All over India people are excitedly celebrating the hard-won independence. While it fits with one’s patriotic fervour to celebrate this national event of significance, in a wider sense we can understand that freedom is not complete unless one is liberated from the tyranny of one’s own mind. Real freedom is an inner state of spiritual awakening, according to our Divine Mother.
We are indeed fortunate to have been drawn by Mother’s grace unto Her Lotus Feet during these tender years of our growth. We have come to Her to secure the real, inner spiritual freedom and Divine Mother teaches, guides and leads us along the inner path that leads to this coveted Goal. Not by words only, but by the wonder of Her inner touch, She is showing us the way how we can be free of all entanglements of the worldly life and realize the Supreme in our own heart. In every aspect of our everyday life we see Her Hand at work, comforting us, guiding us, strengthening us and protecting us, with motherly tenderness and love.
For us, devotees of Divine Mother, 15th August is a day of great spiritual significance too. It was on this day in 1939 that Divine Mother had a vision of Bhoomi Devi, the Goddess Earth. The emergence of Mother Earth before Divine Mother’s luminous supra-mental vision and Divine Mother’s promise to Her in the mystical language in Her transcendental divine bhava, reveal to us the spiritual dimension of Mother’s Godhood, the purpose of Her advent and the mission of our own individual lives in Mother’s Great Dispensation. The anguish of Bhoomi Devi is revelatory of the decline of dharma on the global basis and who else but Divine Mother of the Universe can wipe out her tears by establishing dharma on earth. Today when we recall to our mind this Vision as was narrated to us by Divine Mother in Her intimate session with the devotees, let us rededicate ourselves to Her Cause and become radiant instruments in Her Hands for the fulfillment of Divine Promise.
The independence day is celebrated every year by the citizens of Mangalore in the Maidan with colourful pageants. But for the devotees of Divine Mother, who used to assemble that day in the solemn atmosphere of Bhakti in the Dongerkery Bhajan Hall, these external pomp and exciting scenes of celebration in the Maidan seemed to have held no charm at all. I used to accompany my devout mother to the Bhajan Hall at Dongerkery; and the sight of the joy-lit faces of the devotees used to set me thinking as to what was the great attraction in the Bhajan Hall before which all external attractions of the Maidan paled into insignificance. Although Divine Mother was not physically present in Mangalore, it was Her all-pervading Shakti and vibrant love that drew these souls to the Bhajan Hall where, seated before the decorated portrait of Divine Mother they sang out the outpourings of their hearts in full-throated voice. Yes, the devotion which Mother has inspired in the hearts of Her devotees, is a great purifying fire and force. Most of the worldly things lose their charm once we come to the orbit of Mother’s love. Desires fall off as dry leaves from a tree. Her love is verily the rejuvenating power of illumination. When the rays of that love enter our heart, everything that is dark gets illumined; we become purer and feel a sudden elevation into a higher consciousness. A spring of new joy bursts forth in us. Such is the glory of Mother’s love. Imagine then, if by being in the orbit of Mother’s love such purification and elevation can come to us, what could be our state when our hearts become filled with love for our Beloved Mother, the Deity of our adoration! In what other way can we show our gratitude to Her than by transforming our lives into flames of pure love and consecrated devotion!
To contemplate on Divine Mother, is itself a means of purification. Her benign form, Her compassionate glances, the glitter and glow in Her eyes, the bloom of smile that appears on those lotus lips, the melody of Her utterances and the majesty of Her divine personality mingled with motherly tenderness, all loom large in our eyes. The imaginary world gets erased from our mind when Mother is uppermost in our thought and then we behold Her Beauty, Her Leela, Her presence, Her touch of grace everywhere in creation.
Human mind is the repository of worldly desires, passions and impressions. But when the mind can remain focussed on Mother’s divine form, it is bound to change its nature altogether. A transformation sets in. Instead of craze for material things, we begin to rejoice in the new found passion for God and His Righteousness. Even after attending the school and college for so many years, we hardly know the working of the human mind. We were slaves to its whims and fancies. It is at the Feet of Divine Mother that our real education started, the education that shapes our life towards perfection. The Merciful Mother, in Her great role as the spiritual preceptor, has patiently taught us the method of looking at ourselves. She has given us the right understanding regarding our mental constitution and has given us strength to curb unwanted thoughts and worldly tendencies. Thought of Mother fills the mind with an unearthly peace, a sense of inward bliss, and gives us the glimpses of the Promised land of unfading Glory.
From the recorded history of spiritual tradition in our country we know how ancient sages had subjected seekers to severe test before accepting as disciples. Mother does not choose Her disciples and never tests them also once they have become Her devotees. Her Motherhood is a haven of refuge for everyone. In Her vision of love, all are children. Therefore everyone who goes to Her is accepted into Her empire of love and eventually absorbed into Her spiritual lustre. Contact with Divine Mother awakens moral ardour and thereafter attainment of purification in life becomes the sole concern of the initiate.
Of course, Divine Mother, as the Guru and the Mother, is aware of our frailties and our foibles. Her cosmic eyes watch over every devotee whether he is far or near. Her subtle shakti guides everyone whether he knows it or not. To feel Her presence and Her guidance, it is very necessary that we live in the awareness of Her divinity always. When Mother dominates our consciousness, the path of righteousness opens up and thereafter our steps are sheltered and strengthened by Her grace. Just as a child lives in a joyous sense of security in its mother’s arms, let us have the implicit faith in Mother’s saving power and guidance and carry out Her commandments in whole-hearted obedience and understanding. Let us surrender completely to Her. In time of adversity, it is Mother and Mother alone who rushes to our rescue. Our prayer links us with Her omnipresence and at once we feel the infusion of Her shakti wherever we are. Mother enables us to swim against the currents of prakrithi. It is again Her Grace that will enable us to ford the river of Maya hard to cross. With our destiny safe in Mother’s Hand, we have no room for anxiety or worry about the uncertain future. Why should we grope in the dark when the blazing sun is shining aloft? Could there be a greater misfortune than remaining blind to the presence of the Supreme Shakti in our midst in human form? Mother is Universal. She is for all. She is the only hope of mankind who seems to be heading towards the moral catastrophe. Her presence on earth is the only silver lining in the sky. Her Teaching, when faithfully followed, can lead man from darkness to light eternal. In Her own, divine, inscrutable and inimitable way, She is accomplishing the moral and spiritual regeneration of humanity.
God-Men, the Avatars, the Prophets and the Messiahs, speak in the simple language to communicate profound instructions on Truth and life divine. Divine Mother is profundity and simplicity combined. As the Transcendent Divine, She is unapproachable, She is in a region beyond our intellectual reach and emotional competence. But as Mother, She is intimate to us, the very personification of simplicity. Awe-inspiring is Her Samadhi, Her silent Yoga poise; but musical and melodious is Her speech. Imperious is She in Her divine bhavas; but sweet and gracious is Her smile that converts even the arid desert of human mind into a fountain of bliss eternal Deep and unfathomable is Her Wisdom; but simple, remarkably lucid, is Her expositions. Mother is the amalgam of several wonders. Who can understand Her in depth and vastness! But love can interpret Her to our consciousness.
To listen to Her is itself a kind of experience in divine emotion. Words falling from Her are nectar of wisdom which convey the mystery of the Beyond. Those words are charged with power of direct experience. They emanate from Her universal Heart. They are capsules of wisdom which all can take in without any difficulty. It is a blessed sight to behold even small children sitting enrapt in motionless posture, listening to Mother’s profound discourses. It is Her Grace that prapares the mind of Her audience.
When She parts Her lips in verbal benedication, She also casts Her divine spell, not the spell of Magic and hypnotism which are of mental powers, but a spell, that can lift minds into higher and purer regions. This spell, this divine elevation, should become continuous. But I say, even if we have experienced it for a while, it is bound to be a source of strength in us. But alas! We frail human beings set our hearts on ephemeral things of the world, forgetting the truth of Her words. The One who is with us, is not a person; She is infinite Shakti in saguna splendour. She is the saviour for the supplicants. Her presence on earth is a golden opportunity for the genuine devotees and seekers to reach the portals of salvation.
The image of Divine Mother in our hearts is our most precious asset. That should glow always in undimmed splendour. Then we get the intellectual acumen with which to grasp the import of Her great teaching and also moral inspiration to mould our lives according to Her precepts. Her teaching conveys intimate knowledge of the hidden truths and covers multitudinous aspects of spirituality. To know Her greatness and to understand Her teaching, we need Her grace; but to invoke Her Grace, we should worship Her. To please and propitiate Her by our dharmic conduct, should be our greatest worship. The thought of the bygone years wasted in vain pursuits should fill our minds with repentence; but at the same time, with great spiritual zeal and energy, we should apply our minds to the task ahead of us. Hunting for joys of life lands us only in trouble and frustration. We have now reached the ocean of Bliss. In the loving fold of Mother we are eternally safe.
Visit to Shaktinagar, the paradise on earth, is a pilgrimage. When Sunday dawns, heart leaps with joy of the anticipated Darshan. Ears become impatient to hear the Divine Voice. While climbing and descending the hills, while walking through the fields and narrow pathways, we are already with Divine Mother, in thought and aspiration and a new spirit possesses us. We do not feel the strain at all. From a distance, the dome of Matrunilayam, the residential abode of Divine Mother, appears in view and the sight sends a thrill to our entire being. The distance dwindles into nothingness and we begin to feel the dynamic spiritual wave coming from Divine Mother. Several times I have imagined in my mental vision Divine Mother standing on the balcony and blessing the whole Creation. As we pass the gate and get in to precincts of Matrunilayam, invariably we get the blessed Darshan which is in itself an incommunicable experience. Divine is all attraction. A glance from Divine Mother washes away the accumulated dirt from our mind and we are initiated thereafter into a world of rapture. But there should be surrender and receptivity on our part. To be anywhere in Shaktinagar is to enjoy the bliss of salokya mukti itself. The outside world is forgotten until evening hour comes, when the Compassionate Mother Herself very often lovingly reminds us about time so that we may reach our homes before it is too dark. It is extremely painful to tear oneself away from the glory that is Mother. Whereas it is duty that beckons the devotees of Divine Mother’ back to their homes, it is Mother’s divine love that draws them to Shaktinagar again and again. Like the pendulum of the clock, they swing between two worlds : the world of duty and the abode of the Personal God.
Mother Gracious! By thy doctrine of duty, Thou hast taught us to see life in all its beauty and reminds us again and again that this precious life is given to us so that we may remember Thee always, behold Thy superhuman leelas, worship Thee with our heart’s devotion and find fulfillment in Thee by total dedication. Our Beloved Mother! May our devotion ripen into ecstasy and enlightenment. May Thy mystic touch transform us into vehicles of Thy effulgence. May our illumined lives proclaim Thy great work. May Thy sweet Name, constent on our lips and in our remembrance, be our comfort in distress and deliverance in samsara.
(Speech on August 15 developed into an essay)