July 7, 2015 Tuesday: Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
07-July-2015 (Tuesday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Swami Saradeshananda
The Incident of Milk polluted with dry Fish – 2
Nevertheless the thought continued to disturbed her, that the son had taken so much trouble for the milk and had brought it over such a long distance, and still it could not be offered to the master! She started asking the opinion of every one of the inmates of the house about this. Like an innocent little girl she was going to different persons, even to the cook and the maid-servant, and asking, “Well, my dear, could not this milk be offered to the Master?” Some of them gravely made the remark, “How can that e! A fish has been found in the milk. So it is now not fit to be offered.” The Mother became very dejected and sat there morose. Just at that time Nalini-Didi returned home and the Mother appraised her of her dilemma. After hearing everything Nalini-Didi like a ‘seasoned matron’ pronounced her verdict. Laying proper emphasis by gesticulating with her hands from time to time she said, “What is wrong with the milk, auntie? Just a small dry little fish fell in it, and that in the house of a villager. It has been removed also. How could the milk be affected by that? Why can’t it be now offered to the Master? In the city of Calcutta what all things do not the milkmen mix with their milk? Who cares to look into that? Such milk is used in the production of all these sweets. Payasam, too, is prepared with it, and people offer these sweets and Payasam unhesitatingly to the Deities.’ At this the Mother’s face brightened up and she said, “Yes, Nalini has indeed spoken rightly. Whoever pays heed to that the Calcutta milk is like! How many are the things they mix with it! And when that milk can be offered to the Deities, why not this too/ And it is absolutely pure and so much better than the Calcutta milk.” Thus fully agreeing with Nalini-Didi’s reasonable opinion, the Mother became very happy and satisfied and arranged for Payasam to be prepared with the milk and to be offered to the Master. After it was all over, she fed everybody with the Payasam, serving it herself, and her joy knew no bounds.
[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 166 – 167]
