25-October-2015 (Sunday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Second Part
Swami Saradeshananda
12. The Mother’s Concern for the Poor: Case of Haridas Vairagi – 3

This day he sang many songs sitting on the verandah of the Mother’s room. That particular song addressed to Uma, he had to repeat several times to the great enjoyment of his listeners. By now the day had far advanced. The Mother gave him some oil and asked him to have his bath. When he came back, the Mother spread a seat for him and put before him a glass of water and a plateful of puffed rice and molasses, besides some Prasada. Haridas poured some water on the puffed rice to soften it. The Mother too sat by his side to see him eat. They began conversing, when many topics cropped up about his joys and sorrows in life. Haridas had no children of his own. He had brought up a boy from childhood, whom he now initiated into Vaishnavism. The boy then became his disciple and learnt from him some songs and music. The boy now helped Haridas in running the household by earning something by way of voluntary gifts for singing devotional songs. But it was found that he was not worldly-wise and that his health, too, was not good. So, on the whole, he could not bring any substantial additional to the family income. The family was therefore in as needy a condition as ever. Hearing all this, the Mother expressed her sympathy. This touched that old man’s heart and narrated to her how difficult it had become for them to hide the shame for want of cloth. After eating his fill of softened puffed rice and molasses, the old man heaved a sigh of satisfaction, cleaned the plate and the place where he had taken his food, and making Pranam to the Mother, was ready to take leave of her. At this the Mother put into his hands the cloth that she had spread in the sun to dry after her bath, and said, “We are not being offered so many pieces of cloth these days as of old. Otherwise I would have given you a new one. But this one, too, is almost new, I have just used it three or four times only.” The old man was hesitant to accept the cloth. Thereupon the Mother assured him that she had sufficient number of clothes for use and that she would not be put to any difficulty by giving him that one as a gift. With his eyes brimming with tears, the old man tied the cloth around his head, made Pranam to the Mother, received her blessings and expressing his gratitude to her, took his leave in a happy mood. The Mother’s face, too, became suffused with joy.

[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 216 – 217]

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