Most of the time I think of Mother as 'Mother' that is to say I am her child and she is holding my hand and keeping an eye on me.
But there are also times when the roles are reversed so to say - i.e I feel she is a child of about three years and I am holding her hand.
Why is that ? The basis for this feeling of mine is the following story I read in Mother's biography.
It seems once Mother, her niece and a teenage attendant of hers - Rammay Maharaj - were engaged in preparing chappathis (flat pieces of Indian bread).
The division of labour was as follows :
Mother and Rammay were rolling the bread and Mother's niece was baking them.
Now, a certain knack is needed in rolling chappathis such that they come out in a round shape with no irregular, jagged edges.
All of a sudden, the niece made a comment "Aunt, Rammay's chappathis are coming out better than yours".
On hearing this Mother it seems threw a fit. She threw away her rolling pin and said "All my life, I have been rolling chappathis and now she says that Rammay who is a mere boy is rolling them better than me. Go, I will not roll chappathis any more".
Now Rammay had to play the peace-maker. He scolded the niece and told Mother - "Mother, she doesn't know what she is taking about. Look, look your chappathis have come out better than mine".
In this way, he cajoled Mother, and soon she regained her temper and happily participated in the work again.
Whenever, I read this story I feel like laughing. She, before whom illustrious spiritual giants like Sw. Vivekananda, Sw. Brahmananda used to tremble in awe, was not behaving like a small girl of three and throwing a tantrum !.
She, of whom, Shri Ramakarishna himself had said "If she is angry with me, I am undone" had to be soothed, cajoled and persuaded by a teenager that her chappathis were fine and needed no mending.
So, there are times when I feel that Mother is my small daughter and needs my protection !
I will close with a comment on this attitude of a devotee. According to the Vaishnavas, this is called Vatsalya bhava - the love that Yashoda had towards baby Krishna, the love that the Madonna has towards an infant Jesus.
One of the Tamil Alwar saint was known as Peria Alwar (Great Alwar). Once he saw the idol of the lord being taken in a procession and he became concerned that the Lord might get hurt in the melee that is a typical of an Indian religous procession. So, he blessed that Lord saying may you live long ! Ordinarily we ask the Lord to bless us. But here is a devotee blessing the Lord !
Thanks for sharing those beautiful
thoughts with us. There is also the
attitude of Madhura Bhava, which has been
accepted to be the highest expression of Prema.
I love this quote from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:
Sri Ramakrishna (to Girish and other devotees) — Pagli cherishes the madhura bhava toward me. Once she went to Dakshineswar and suddenly started weeping. I asked her why she was crying. She replied, ‘I have a headache.’ (All laugh.)
“She went there again another day. I had just sat down to eat. She blurted out, ‘Won’t you be kind to me?’ I went on eating in a light mood. She then said, ‘Why do you push me out of your mind?’ I asked, ‘What is your bhava?’ She replied, ‘Madhura bhava.’ I said, ‘I look upon all women as manifestations of the Divine Mother. All women are my mothers.’ She then said, ‘I don’t know all that.’ Then I called out to Ramlal and said, ‘Oh, Ramlal! Just listen to what she is saying – about my pushing her out of my mind.’ She still has that attitude.”
