15-April-2015 (Wednesday) Mother As I Saw Her – Swami Saradeshananda
15-April-2015 (Wednesday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Swami Saradeshananda
The Uniqueness of the Mother’s Way of Initiation – 05
She gave initiation generally at the end of her daily worship of the Master. She would call the aspirant affectionately, seat him near her, and make him perform Achamanas or purificatory sipping of water. Then she would ask him to think of the Master latently and offer himself entirely at His feet. After that she would ask him a question or two, and give him his Mantra and introduce him to his Guru-Ishtam. Then the initiate would be permitted to worship her with flowers and offer Dakshina (offering of commodities and money). She would then bless him. Her well-to-do sons, as advised by old devotees, would bring her sumptuous offerings of cloth, fruits and sweets. She would even forbid poor devotees to spend lavishly on Dakshina. In fact, many were initiated without any expenditure on Dakshina at all. It is the devotion and self-surrender of the initiate that constitute real Puja and Dakshina.
[Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi) – Swami Saradeshananda. Translated by Prof. J. N. Dey. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore Madras-600004: p 128]
