August 19, 2015 Wednesday: Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
19-August-2015 (Wedneday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Swami Saradeshananda
The Mother as a Paramahamsa:
The Mother’s Anna-Prasad and Prabodh Babu – 2
Everybody there knew about his addiction to smoking. So sitting on a cane stool he was soon seen smoking. But hardly had he started smoking when he heard the Mother calling from inside the house, “Please send dear Prabodh inside. Food (rice) has been served for him. Let him was his hands and feet and sit down for his meal.” Extinguishing the fire in bowl of the Hookah (hubble-bubble), Prabodh Babu stood up at once and, with a smile playing on his lips, said, “I shall come later and enjoy my smoke.” And he mused, “How could the Mother know that I had come? Perhaps some words of our conversation have entered her ears.” So he washed his feet and hands quickly at the pond, and entering the house, found that the Mother was sitting on one side of the verandah of her room along with the women at her meal, while at the other end, before a seat, were placed a glass of water and leaf-plate, on which rice and other articles of food had already been served. As Prabodh Babu stood by the side of the verandah with folded hands, the Mother with a sweet smile welcome him with the words, “Come, child,” and making a mixture of some rice, vegetables and Dal (soup of pulses) from her own plate, gave it to him saying, “Take it, my dear.” Then she directed him to the leaf-plate placed at the other end and said, “Sit there, son. It is for you. We had an excess of rice vegetables and Dal. So take a sumptuous meal without worrying about us.” Prabodh Babu’s mind and heart were now filled to the brim with joy. Wonder-struck, he happily sat and started eating. The Mother was conversing with the son and putting little tit-bits in her mouth now and then, and the son, too sitting in front of her, was talking with her and enjoying his meal.
[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 187 – 188]
