This Centenary year of Divine Mother Ramaa Devi, I was sitting one morning thinking of my role as a disciple when my wife asked me to write about my experiences as I thought it was a command from Divine Mother herself.
My memory goes back to my twenties when I was blessed by my father who was not educated but had a lot of experience of this mundane world who told me one day to utter Sri Rama Jayam to protect myself and come up in life. I was attracted and used to go to Rama temple near my house everyday in the evening and spend an hour and leave after Deeparadhana which gave me solace.
This practice coincided with belief in God’s ways and fortunately my marriage with the daughter of Govindarajulu Chettiar a staunch disciple of Divine Mother Ramaa Devi in 1954 reinforced my belief in the Divinity. I used to accompany my wife to Bajan in T.Nagar every Sunday without fail and continue my prayer.
My first impact with Divine Mother was when she gave her discourse after Bajan one evening during her visit to Madras. She laid stress on FAITH and SURRENDER. SHE said, people go to a doctor with firm belief that he would cure one’s illness, send the child to a teacher with a belief that he would educate and teach good values of life. This is nothing but FAITH in the doctor and the teacher. These words struck me and I was attracted to her like magnet and longed to hear more from her.
One day during Bajan, Divine Mother said that one should have a Guru. I was very anxious to have a Guru when a clarion call came from Divine Mother that she will initiate aspirants on a fixed day. Myself and my wife thought we were fortunate and went to meet Divine Mother when she made us to sit and gave the sacred Mantra SRI RAM JAYA RAM JAYA JAYA RAM and asked us to meditate. That was the Divine day to remember and closing the eyes began chanting the sacred Mantra.
On subsequent days of bajan, DIVINE MOTHER stressed the importance of surrender to Guru by quoting from the Gita, the advice to Arjuna, ‘Mamekam Saranam Vraja’. These were commandments to us the disciples and the twin teachings of Mother, FAITH and SURRENDER.
We were drawn to Mother and we continue our association with Mother and SHE became a legend. Our whole family got attracted and my daughters have such faith that they began singing HER Glory that they published all Her songs into a book Bajanmala which is a bible to all disciples.
This Centenary year will herald a new FAITH and vision of Divine Mother Ramaa Devi and bless all her disciples and children. May we all sing the glory of Divine Mother Ramaa Devi.
PROF. G. SETHURAM