14-February-2012 (Tuesday) Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
14-February-2012 (Tuesday)
Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
SWAMI APURVANANDA - 01
THE MOST MEMORABLE YEAR OF MY LIFE IS 1918. That was the year I first met Mother, first visited Belur Math, the holiest place of modern times, and in that very year I had the darshan of five direct disciples of Ramakrishna – Swamis Brahmananda, Shivananda, Saradananda, Turiyananda and Subodhananda.
A few days after Kojagiri Lakshmi Puja, I went to Belur Math for the first time and spent a few days there. There is a story behind this too. Once I dreamt of Belur Math and Mahapurush Maharaj. I wrote to Mahapurush Maharaj about it and begged his permission to visit Belur Math. On receiving his letter granting permission, I set out for Belur Math, and on arriving there found that it was exactly as I had dreamt.
I climbed the stairs leading to the shrine (the old one) on the first floor, and as soon as I made my obeisance, I was filled with joy. A little later, I descended to the courtyard and requested a monk to help me obtain darshan of Mahapurush Maharaj. He took me to Maharaj’s room. Immediately upon climbing up the stairs of the monk’s quarters, the sight of an aged monk of divine and serene appearance told me that he was no other than the great man I had dreamt of. He looked at me affectionately, his eyes seemed to overflow with compassion. I was overwhelmed and fell at his feet. When I prayed to him for initiation, he said, “But I don’t impart initiation to anyone. Master himself is your guru. Repeat the name ‘Ramakrishna’; that delivers one from all sins; that alone will do you much good. Later, if initiation is necessary, that too he himself will take care of.”
(REMINISCENCES OF Sri Sarada Devi by Monastics, Devotees, and others - Compiled and Edited in Bengali by SWAMI PURNATMANANDA - Translated by MALOTI SEN GUPTA : P 49-50)
