08-April-2012 (Sunday) Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
08-April-2012 (Sunday)
Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
SWAMI GAURISWARANANDA - 14
Once a couple had come from Pabna to receive initiation from Mother. Mother used to grant initiation freely, and so they were initiated. The gentleman, a school teacher named Kalipada Roy, had a very young wife. Seeing her veil her face in my presence, Mother remarked, “Does even Rammoy abash you daughter? Why he is but a daughter to me!” Then the lady gave up veiling her face before me. One day I noticed that Boudi (sister-in-law) was rolling three chapatis at a time. We had become good friends by then. I sat down beside her and said, “Boudi, do teach me how to do it.” She demonstrated the technique: one has to first sprinkle a little flour on the chaki,3 (3 Circular, flat disc of wood or stone on which chapatis are rolled.) then a lump of dough is placed on it, and pressing a little, some more flour is sprinkled. A second lump of dough is now placed and similarly pressed with flour sprinkled on it. Then a third lump is placed on that and pressed as before. Finally, some flour is sprinkled on the last lump and all over the chaki. If the rolling-pin is then moved in a circular manner, all the three pieces rotate together, the need to turn them manually being dispensed with. When the lumps have been rolled evenly into thin chapatis, one just has to lift two and shake off the excess flour. So I learned the technique. When I put it into practice, I found all the three pieces merged into one. Obviously, the flour in-between had been inadequate. That being remedied, this time there were three chapatis, but of as irregular shape as the map of India – far from round. After repeated kneading and rolling, ultimately three quite good chapatis were produced. One day there were a good number of male devotees, not a single woman. Mother measured out a large quantity of flour which I kneaded into dough. Mother said to Nalini-didi, “Nalini, you bake the chapatis, Rammoy and I will roll them out for you.” Mother rolled one chapati at a time on her small, marble chaki with a small rolling-pin of ebony while I rolled three at a time on a large wooden chaki with a thick rolling-pin. The work was getting on quite smoothly when Nalini-didi suddenly commented, “Pishi-ma (aunt), Rammoy’s chapatis are rising better than yours.” No sooner had she uttered these words than Mother, setting aside the chaki and rolling-pin, stopped work. Her feelings hurt, she said, “Here am I, grown so old having rolled chapatis all my life, and Rammoy, a mere kid born the other day, he rolls them better than I do! I’m not going to roll any more chapatis, let him do it.” So there sat Mother, her chaki and pin kept aside. I too set aside my chaki and rolling-pin and got up. I told Mother, “If you don’t roll chapatis, I won’t. I’m off!” Mother realized that if both of us did the work together, it would be done quickly and there would not be any delay in offering bhog to the Master and serving the prasad to the boys. She resumed rolling chapatis. I ticked off Nalini-didi, “Two of us are together supplying chapatis to you, how could you tell Mother’s from mine? Can I ever roll chapatis better than Mother? Why do you make unnecessary comparisons?”
Today I’m 88 years old. When I look back on that incident and seek an explanation of Mother’s reacting in a huff, I find it in the scriptures which affirm that the behaviour of such beings tends to be eccentric. Sometimes childlike, sometimes sagacious. We find her tireless in her effort to impart knowledge to one and all, resolving all their doubts. Yet, we also have this display of childish whims.
(REMINISCENCES OF Sri Sarada Devi by Monastics, Devotees, and others - Compiled and Edited in Bengali by SWAMI PURNATMANANDA - Translated by MALOTI SEN GUPTA : P 85-87)
