Rama Sakti Mission

– Kumari Sushila (1961)

Fifteen years ago, there entered into my sorrow laden life, a redeeming force, whom the world acclaims as Mother. Those divine hands lifted me from the mire of samsara, and vouchsafed to me grace and protection.

I had no knowledge of her spiritual attainments when I went to her. But, the kind and loving treatment which she meted out to all alike revealed the largeness of her heart and breadth of her vision. Her overflowing love captivated me. In her was inescapable attraction and irresistible spiritual power.

Her presence evokes a child-like attitude and that is precisely the reason why everyone irrespective of his age spontaneously addresses her as mother. Her inherent divinity and infinite love are those of the universal mother. In her benign look there is the assurance of protection. Manifested in her is also the majesty of her omnipotence. Her love is to all. Her inspiring words gave themes for contemplation, also her stately bhavas and wondrous samadhi.

Her state of ecstasy reminded one of the days of Sri Chaitanya Deva. Her touch was sufficient to make the devotee share the ecstasy of her bhavas.

Once during bhajan, when in the exalted bhava of Lord Krishna, she placed her hand on a devotee who was an intimate friend of mine. Suddenly the devotee was thrown into an ecstatic state. Exclaiming “Light, Light” she lost her body consciousness. There was unusual calmness on her countenance and she remained in that state for over one and half hours.

To the surprise of all, the lingering fragrance in the room was intensified. All were thrown into intoxicating rapture.

Even though the devotee was brought back from the state of ecstasy by the touch of Mother, still she was in an ecstatic mood for some days. Her indrawn eyes, her indifference to the external sense world, her aloofness, showed that her mind was preoccupied. Afterwards, relating to me her experience the devotee told me that when Mother touched her, two beams of light emanated and entered her body, throwing her frame into an electrifying ecstasy.

Hearing my friends narration, an intense desire arose in me to have vision of Lord Krishna. I whole-heartedly prayed to Mother who was none other than Lord Krishna for me, to reveal herself to me in the form of Krishna. The compassionate Mother granted my prayer. When it was midnight some unseen hand shook me and woke me up. I felt an urge for meditation. Within a few minutes my mind rose towards a blue light, in which I saw the blissful form of Mother, which in the next moment changed into the enchanting form of Shyamsunder.

 – SRI G.K.JAVALI (1961)

That memorable night! The night, that I can never forget. One of the bullets from a rifle struck and pierced through one of the steel store bins fitted both sides of a 3-ton lorry. This occurred on the battlefield in the II Great World War on the Burma Front. I was in-charge of an automobile store section in a mobile workshop. I had five 3-ton lorries fitted with steel store bins, two 3-ton lorries empty, a station wagon and a jeep car. The personnel under me were 2 store clerks and 2 store sepoys. When our unit moved to the front, fortunately and unfortunately, in the capacity of in-charge of store section, I selected a place for my store section, a bit away from the unit office and workshop. The vehicles under me were camouflaged and each personnel staff (clerks-sepoys) was allowed to sleep in each lorry in the nights.

This night, the night that I can never forget as said before, I was also sleeping on a camp-cot in between the store bins in a 3-tonner lorry. The sound of the bullet that hit my store bin woke me up and I lowered the tail-board, drew up the canvas that was hung and stood on the tail-board and lo! I was taken aback to hear only the sounds of fire from every side. It might be between 12 to 1 o’clock midnight. I went inside my lorry, took up my sten-gun, filled with ammunition and took a double jump from the tail-board to the ground and from the ground to a trench. As I could not make head or tail of this sudden fire from every side, I guessed the Japanese must have attacked our division or our unit. I pondered for a while for the future course I should adopt and then decided to join our unit personnel at the risk of my life as the distance was pretty long. I jumped out of the trench, crawled between the lorries to waken my staff and take them along with me to join our parent unit. To my astonishment, none were there in the lorries or anywhere in the trenches round about. They had run away leaving me alone in the whole store section area which works up nearly ½ acre.

I got frightened but the adventurous spirit in me pushed up my nerves of guts and I crawled through the bushes to join my unit personnel. When I had crawled through like this for a few minutes, I was able to see the face of a sergeant of our unit from the light of the fire that he shot from the machine gun that he was handling. When I moved further up, that sergeant turned his machine gun towards me but fortunately before he could open fire on me, I bawled out his name so loudly that he could hear me and to my satisfaction he turned his machine gun the other side and started firing. Few minutes later, I joined him and his party and enquired the reason for this random shooting. He was frightened very much at that time and told me that the Japanese have entered inside our division and have smashed the headquarters of our division and cut the communication.

So I thought the last day of my life had come or I was destined to become a prisoner of the Japanese army. But again the adventurous spirit in me pushed up my nerves. I contacted that very night all the sectional heads of our unit and infused confidence in those who were scared.

The random firing from rifles, sten-guns, tommy-guns and machine guns went up to 6 o’clock in the morning next day. Nobody knew where they were aiming at and at whom. The same morning, the Commander of our unit ordered us to abandon all vehicles, vacate our whole workshop area and to go to a nearby area where arrangements were made to set up defence. In that arrangement, I got the command of 12 men, 1 machine gun, 10 rifles and a tommy-gun. I selected a dangerous spot as it was easily accessible to the Japanese, if they wanted to enter our area.

I never believed in God or His powers. Man’s mind could do anything. The modern scientists have completely conquered nature and are on the point of conquering space. The superiority of science over religion dominated the period of my military career.

Now coming to our military operation, it was about 3 P.M. the very day we had moved to the new place, a stray defective motor vehicle, which was abandoned by some other unit in the new area, was ordered by our Officer commanding to be pushed to a ditch or such other place, as the sight of the vehicle may give a clue to the Japanese that the military personnel of the Allies are taking up the defence nearby. Six sepoys were pushing the vehicle from the tail board side behind and a driver at the wheel. Now it had approached my area of command where a turn was to be taken to the right and pushed up further till it was lost sight of in a ditch or a bush. The vehicle had to take a turn to the right but the incidents that followed, before the turn, changed my life forever.

The six sepoys were pushing the vehicle at the tail board end and a driver at the wheel and I, with a helmet on my head and lighted cigarette in my mouth, was standing just one foot away from the vehicle, inspecting the operation. Lo! All of a sudden, from a nearby hill from the back side of the vehicle, the Japanese opened machine gun fire on the vehicle and in a twinkling of my eyes, the tyre was hit and the bullets made many holes on the tail board of the vehicle, bullets passing through in between arms, legs, over and below our bodies, without however hitting anyone of us eight people. We all fled for the shelter in the different trenches nearby immediately.

I was alone in the trench. I was overcome by a power. I just jumped out of my trench uttering “ God, God, God,” stood near the trench, looked at it and by oath told the trench that I would not get in again in my life. I threw my Steel-helmet, again taking an oath that I would never wear it, started dancing with a song “I have no death! I have no death! No bullet can kill me!” At that time I had strength of an elephant and the courage of a lion. When nobody had enough daring to come out of their trenches in the nights, I roamed in the nights all alone fearlessly. I experienced an inward joy welling up from within. In due course, my mind was engaged in contemplation of God, the miracle of our escaping unhurt. Where to find Him and how to find Him became my mental pre-occupation.

After my military career while reading the book on Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, there were times when I felt unfortunate that I was not born then to see the Lilas of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in general and his worship of his own person instead of the image of Kali-Mata as the embodiment of divinity in particular. Not only that wish of mine was fulfilled by my Divine Mother Sadguru Ramadevi, who performed similar worship at times but also I saw Her, Sree Rama, Lord Krishna, Radha, Mira, Gouranga, Maruti, Saraswati and Shankaracharya.

I am proud and happy I am born in this age of Kaliyuga and have become the disciple of Sadguru Shree Ramadevi who is the incarnation of Adi-Shakti, Para-Shakti.

 – Smt. Ramani Kamath (1961)

Ours was a peaceful and happy marital life. A silken thread of love bound our lives together. When we were thus living in unbroken happiness, my husband had to be taken to the hospital for an abdominal operation. It was a case of appendicitis. The operation was successful and my husband was progressing fairly well when unexpected developments set in on the third day. I overheard the doctors whispering that my husband’s condition was serious. I was too shocked to be conscious of my surroundings.

The shock persisted and in me the doctors diagnosed symptoms of lunacy. Hospitalization for me was being thought of when a relative of mine, who was a disciple of Mother, chanced to come into my house. She prayed to Mother and tried to introduce in me the thought of the holy being through a photograph that was on hand.

The glorious day came in my life when my people took me to her. As I stepped into the room, a flash of lightning splashed through and filled it. It was such a splendour of effulgence that I could not describe. Perhaps my eyeballs must have dropped down, for, there I saw, in that light, two distinguished feet, lovely, blooming like two red lotuses, on the placid waters of some milky ocean. A voice was heard which was infinitely sweet. The voice was a command, sweetly persuasive. “Look, look here” were those words. I looked, but, saw not the form of Mother; but, the enchanting blue form of the Lord of Brindavan. That wonderful flute, that love-inspiring look, and those ruddy lips beaming bright with life-giving smile – that was Sree Krishna. Those crossed legs, and bending head, crowned with pearls, and diamonds and crested with a lovely peacock feather, I beheld. I was passing into a state of absorption, when again; the voice of infinite tenderness came forth, commanding me to look. I looked, and what was that sight! It was a flood of bluish light which whirled and whirled itself into a shape of alluring beauty. I saw that hand which gripped the invincible Kodanda, and the other hand granting me eternal refuge. Sweet was that face, calm and commanding. My eyeballs, which were drawn up, throbbed; their contraction was released, and they regained normalcy of function. In the place of the form of Sri Ramachandra, I beheld before me, the gracious Mother, of sweet smiles and enthralling beauty. I got the sanctifying darshan of her, who was identical with Rama, Krishna and Devi or Divine mother.

My own personal experiences establish her divinity beyond all doubt. Her gracious look saved me from complete breakdown. I felt regenerated. A new life began after my initiation. Developing in me is a sense of discrimination by her grace. My mind is being slowly withdrawn from the evanescent worldly pleasures. At her lotus feet, I have discovered my heaven of peace.

– SRI & SMT.L.B.MALKANI (1961)

The mystery of life is unfathomable. The more we try to fathom it, the more baffled we become. But the Lord in His infinite mercy periodically sends great sages, saints and Himself appears as avatar to unravel that great mystery, which gives us a glimpse of a new world. In the scheme of the universe, it has been so ordained that such high personalities should descend on this earth to stem the tide of spiritual decadence. One such great personality is Mata Sree Rama Devi, who has stirred the hearts of devotees and moved them to great heights of faith and devotion. It is through the contact of such saintly souls that our faith in God becomes more living, and the way becomes clear for us for treading on the path that ultimately leads to God-realisation, that is, unto immortality or liberation from birth and death.

Thousands of people of different castes and creeds have benefited from her personal contact; many have listened to her enlightened spiritual discourses with rapt attention; many have been uplifted by her soul-stirring kirtan. Her very presence inspires us and stimulates the current of our spiritual thoughts.

Our first darsan was at Parel, Bombay. Devotees had come to put her some questions on some spiritual topics. When our turn came, we also put her a question and asked her: “Does God hear or listen to our prayers?” At the mere mention of the word God, all of a sudden she seemed to have become galvanized and replied: “God does listen to, and answer your prayers”. “You can hear Him. You can even see Him”. Saying these words, Mataji at once went into samadhi.

From that time onwards the personality and charm of Mataji held a great influence on us. We were drawn to her as if by some invisible power.

The day of her departure from Bombay was approaching. In a couple of days she was to leave Bombay for Mangalore. A sudden urge came upon us to invite her to our place so that she may bless our home at Worli. That day in the afternoon there was Bhajan programme at Parel, where we wished to go and request her to come to our place after the programme was over. On the way, we bought a garland of flowers with which we wished to garland her when she visited our house. When bhajan was over we were waiting for an opportunity to approach Mataji and request her to visit us, when we learnt that Mataji had another programme for the evening and was going away with some devotees to Marine Drive, a place far away from where we were residing. We were naturally disappointed and felt that it was no use now asking her to come to our place. So we garlanded her there and came back. It was 7 o’clock in the evening. The sun had already set when we got back home. After a short while we came out for a walk at Worli Sea Face. We had hardly walked a furlong or so, when we heard the familiar voice of Mataji. We stopped spell-bound. It had by this time grown dark; we turned our faces to the direction from which the voice had come. There to our great astonishment and wonder we saw Mataji sitting on the low wall with some of her lady devotees. We approached her in great joy and reverence and told her how we had wished her to come to our place and how in a most extraordinary manner she had come to us and was very near our home. She smiled and at once consented to come to our house, thus fulfilling the desire of our hearts.

Prostrations to her, again and again.