| A TALK ON RELEVANCE OF THE HOLY MOTHER AT THE HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE ON 22ND AUGUST 2004 AT 11.00 A.M. |
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| Swami Gokulananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi |
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| A TALK ON RELEVANCE OF THE HOLY MOTHER AT THE HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE ON 22ND AUGUST 2004 AT 11.00 A.M. Thanks and gratitude to Revered Swahanandaji Maharaj. More than 84 years have rolled by after Holy Mother?s Mahasamadhi. Naturally one may ask the question how relevant are her teachings in the present day context. The world as we know it now, has undergone a sea change from the days when she was on this earth and did her Leela. Development in Science and technology have ushered in revolutionary changes in communication, healthcare, transport, travel etc. Holy Mother had to undertake her journey from her village to Kolkata a distance of only eight miles or so in a variety of transport and taking more than a day, with an overnight halt at Koalpara village not far from Jairambati. And what a combination of various types of vehicles it was. Bullock carts, railways, boat and sometimes even on foot. Refer to the T.V. Programme when we organized in our Delhi Centre and the Questins I put to the girls. Very few knew about Sharda Devi. Well, there is no doubt that the celebrations of Mother's 150th Birth Anniversary both in India and abroad have helped to bring to light Mother?s teachings and Mother's life to a much greater audience but for Mother, Sri Sri Thakur would have perhaps remained the exclusive property of a handful of devotees. My Idea in mentioning this matter is that unlike Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, not many people have been able to fully realize the full significance of the Mother especially as a spiritual guide. Our love and concern for fellow human beings, our spiritual quest, our desire for a better life-both materially and spiritually-in short, certain values which distinguishes men from animals, have not undergone any change. It is in this context that we have to see how relevant Holy Mother is still. I presume that those present here are broadly aware of the facts of her life. So I would refrain from repeating them. Though on a superficial examination, she seemed to have led an ordinary life of a housewife doing normal domestic chores, she was divinity herself. Sri Sir Thakur referred to her as Saraswati "Jnanadayini" or giver of knowledge and ordained her to rescue the people of Calcutta who were "crawling like worms in the dark". Swami Vivekananda maintained (in a letter to his brother disciples from USA):"To me Mother's grace is a hundred thousand times more valuable than Fathers. Mother's blessings are paramount to me. Please pardon me. I am a little bigoted here as regards Mother.............. Of Ramakrishna, you may aver, my brother, that he was an incarnation or whatever else you may like, but fie on him who has no devotion for the Mother." It is on record that Mother whose spiritual training was undertaken by Thakur himself, continued with spiritual practices throughout her life. On reflection one can see that she wanted to send a message across. And what was the message? The message is: Spirituality has to be practiced through out ones life. It is not a matter of a few months or a few years. She was a model of simplicity, purity, modesty, and tenderness, yet she was more than this. One could feel there was a great unseen power within her that manifested at times even through ordinary incidents of her life. She assured her children all over the world, 'Wherever you may be, remember you have a mother.' "During her life of sixty-seven years - and in particular the last twenty years - she took the role of mother to its highest possible ideal. This is where her greatness was most manifest. Here we shall look at a few examples: First and foremost there was her disinterested motherly love for all. Her motherly love was unique, as it encompassed everyone. Even when Indians were agitating for the boycott of foreign cloth, she told her disciples that the English too were her children. Then again, the story of her life is a story of ceaseless loving service. In her childhood she served her brothers and sisters. Later, even when she became old, she served her disciples and other men and women who came to her - in fact, anyone who approached her for peace and blessings. Above all, she was always a source of peace and succour to all around. Sarada Devi's motherly attention and concern were given with the attitude of same-sightedness, no ordinary mother could be her equal. She treated the erring and undisciplined with the same affection as she treated the noble and gentle. Holy Mother herself said that Amzad was as much her son as Sarat. Amzad, It should be noted, was a notorious robber who also worked as a labourer, while Sarat was monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna venerated by all for his spiritual attainments. Thus she could see no faults in others. Her argument was, can a mother see faults in her children? Among other things, the Mother said to a devotee: ' Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child. The whole world is your own.' She herself had practised this throughout her life, and before she left her body she advised others to do the same. An honest and faithful practice of this ideal in our personal, family, national, and international life can address all the threatening challenges that the world faces today. And only such an approach can open the door to the abiding peace that we all seek. The sweet fragrance of Sarada Devi's motherly affection, her loving concern, her dedicated service, etc., were but facets of the great blessing that radiated from her and the Master's universal mission. Wherever she was, her motherly affection crossed the barriers of language, sex, creed, and race, and the spirit of universality shone. The advent of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi as the Divine Consort of Bhagvan Sri Ramakrishna in the 18th century is of great significance not only to the devotees who lived in that period, but for all generations born later and also the generations to come. Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, the 10th President of our Order who was associated with the Holy Mother as her disciple during her lifetime said: "Ah, what a blissful experience to sit at the feet of one who was an embodiment of humility, kindness and love,........whose love knew no difference between a saint and a sinner and who shed a holy radiance that could not be fathomed. Those who breathed in this spiritual atmosphere found, when they came out, that their deep-seated malady-the attraction for the world of the senses and sense-enjoyment-was cured to a great extent. It tasted insipid. Life was no longer an aimless wandering but seemed to have a purpose and value. The soul that was slumbering was awakened and heard the sweet though yet distant call of the Infinite and became restless to attain it. What a metamorphosis!" First and foremost, the Holy Mother demonstrated to humanity how to lead a simple life and life of joy and contentment. Hers was a life of extreme simplicity. A simple life always leads to inexplicable mental happiness and one can experience this only when one leads such a simple life as that of the Holy Mother. A great gift which the Holy Mother gave to the world is LOVE. This is not the selfish, limited and truncated love of an ordinary worldly mother for her children. This is to love all equally as one's own children. The extension of unselfish love beyond the family, region and nation as taught and demonstrated by the Holy Mother is one of the best gifts that she bestowed on humanity. For her, everybody is her child whether it is Radhu or Amjad or Sharadananda or anybody else, and she did not discriminate them as good or bad children. Her love was so pure and unselfish that it crossed the limits of caste, creed, colour and sex. Everyone who came in contact with her during her lifetime admitted feeling the love of her mother heart. Her love was in fact a disinterested motherly love for all. In those days of freedom struggle specially when Indians had a hateful attitude towards the British, she once expressed that the British too were her children and had equal love for them. Thus, her love did not have even an iota of inequality or discrimination. Mother herself said once "I am the Mother of the virtuous and the Mother of the wicked. I am the Mother of the good and the Mother of the bad --- whoever addresses me as Mother, I am his or her Mother. I am the Mother of all." Now an example of Holy Mother?s all embracing love:- One day, one of the robbers brought some plantain to the Mother and said, 'Mother, here are some plantains for the Master, will you accept them? The Holy Mother stretched out her hands for acceptance and said, 'Certainly I will, my dear; hand them over. Why should I not, since you have brought them for the Master?' A woman devotee who hailed from a neighboring village and happened to be there, was taken aback by this strange behavior of the Mother, and she said warningly, 'These are thieves, you know. Why should his things be offered to the Master?' The Mother, apparently unperturbed by this rude interference, deposited the fruits in the store and ordered some fried-rice and sweets for the man. When he had gone, she turned to the woman and administered a stern rebuke, 'I know who is good and who is not.' Her mission was to uplift the spiritually fallen, and she used to say, 'To err is human; but how few know how to lead an erring man?' Amzad was one of those 'mulberry-robbers' who had a hand in erecting the mud walls of the Mother?s house. One day the Mother seated him on her verandah for his meal. Nalini Devi served him, but owing to caste prejudices she stood at a distance on the courtyard and tossed the food on to the man's leaf-plate. This displeased the Mother, who said, 'Can one have any relish for food if it is served in such a fashion? If you can't serve him properly, I shall do it.' When Amzad had finished his meal, the Mother cleansed the place herself. At this, Nalini Devi loudly denounced the act saying, 'O dear aunt, you lose your caste thereby!' But the Mother cut her short, 'Amzad is as truly my son as my Sarat (Saradananda) himself is.' This is a rare example of universal motherhood in these days of religious fanaticism and social discrimination. Holy Mother's all-embracing love knew no geographical barriers and it included all people of all nations, races and cultures. She firmly believed that problems arise because of some misunderstandings and lack of communication and faith in each other. They can be solved by frankly talking to the parties concerned without any selfishness behind and with a certain accommodation on both sides. We are to find solutions according the circumstances of time. The Holy Mother herself had encountered many problems of living while staying in Nahabat. But with patience and perseverance and positive understanding she smilingly went through the difficult daily routine. When she was going to Sri Ramakrishna for the first time after her marriage, she was walking her way to Dakshineswar. She lost her way through the forest and suddenly she was confronted by a robber. The Holy Mother at once understood the situation and adjusted herself to the circumstance and shedding off any fear whatsoever she established a relationship with the robber and said: "Father, I am your daughter Sarada. My companions left me behind. Perhaps I am going in the wrong direction. Your son-in-law lives at the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. I am going to him. Please take me there. He will certainly appreciate your kindness and show you proper courtesy." See how she adapted herself to the situation and endeared herself to that robber adopting him as her father. The Holy Mother gifted to the society the virtue of ideal relationship between a husband and wife. The pure and unselfish love between them will go a long way in solving many problems arising out of conjugal life. Both the sweet temperament and adoration of Sri Ramakrishna for the Holy Mother and the great reverence and worshipful attitude of the Holy Mother towards Thakur (as Sri Ramakrishna was respectfully addressed by her) coincided for demonstrating an eventful and highly elevated relationship between two persons united by wedlock. Another gift bestowed by the Holy Mother is that she taught through words and deeds that even a small and insignificant thing is quite important in terms of its usefulness and one should give due respect to the so called insignificant things also while handling them. Once a devotee threw away the broomstick after sweeping the room. The Holy Mother scolded her saying she should know that the broomstick is very useful. Why don't you place it properly after its use she chided. The Holy Mother is an embodiment of perfection. She always told her devotees and admirers that even the small things which are useful in their own way should be handled properly but not in a slip-shod manner. Another gift of the Holy Mother is what we call in modern terminology, 'positivity'. There was nothing negative about he with regard to her dealings with men and problems. There is no 'NO' in her dictionary. Anybody can approach her on any matter at any time and she could always give a positive solution. 'Catholicity' is another gift of the Holy Mother for the world. She preached and practiced the virtue of catholicity in her own life. She was always liberal for anything and everything. There was absolutely no rigidity in her outlook. The Holy Mother was an embodiment of humility, patience and purity. She always engaged herself in innumerable household duties including feeding a number of people visiting her every day. And yet, she was highly patient and loving towards all of them. She demonstrated to the world that purity and patience are the paragon virtues that anybody can practise living in this world. Perhaps the greatest gift of the Holy Mother to the world is Sri Ramakrishna himself. Sri Ramakrishna was the supreme avatara quite untouched by the worldly affairs. The Holy Mother from the beginning to the end of her association with Sri Ramakrishna encouraged him to tread the Divine path which he had chosen to demonstrate to the world about the great, noble and pure life that one can lead living in this very world. She never stood in his ay at any moment of her life and she always used to serve him in every respect. Romain Rolland referring to the self-denial on the part of the Holy Mother said, "It was by the consent of his wife that he (Sri Ramakrishna) was free to follow the life of his choice. Magnanimously she renounced the wife's right over her husband and encouraged him in his mission." Judged from this standpoint we can say that the Holy Mother's greatest contribution to mankind is Sri Ramakrishna himself. In today's selfish, strife-torn world her all-embracing motherly love, without expectation of any return, is very rare, and even now many turn to her for her love. In fact, there is a belief among some that her loving grace is still active, and people in distress pray to her for relief and protection. Globalization is a new idea that has been thrust on the people of this world, and seemingly magical achievements in mass communications have made it easy. At the same time, however, globalization has brought into sharp relief the gross disparities in privilege among different segments of humanity. This, in turn, has brought about an increase in terrorism and brutality, a rising tide of selfishness, and also chauvinism among privileged nations. In practice, human beings have made a mockery of globalization. The stark reality of today?s situation thus brings out even more the greatness of Holy Mother and her all-embracing mother heart. In Holy Mother's case, her words and her actions were all imbued with her humility, gentleness, absence of ego, and especially her universal love. Thus, by taking her life as an ideal one can slowly but steadily rise to attain the highest. In fact, with the passage of time this feeling is gathering strength. This is why her life has such wide appeal, and this is why more and more people see in her the face of the all-merciful Divine and Universal Mother. If we study Mother's life, one sterling quality of hers which stands out is her infinite patience. Swami Swahanandaji in his article "Holy Mother in Universal Perspective" which is included in his book" Vedanta and Ramakrishna" has explained this aspect of her life beautiful. Day after day she lived with extended members of her family many of whose sanity was questionable. They were demanding, selfish and mean minded. Yet she never lost her cool, faced all situations with equanimity and kept her calm and spirit of service under the most trying circumstances. Sri Ramakrishna Said, "Sa.sa,sa". These three similar sounding Bengali alphabets mean: Forbear, forbear, forbear. Patience, forbearance, unselfishness and a little love will bring peace and happiness as Mother?s life has demonstrated... Remember her immortal saying which is also her last recorded message: "If you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child, the whole world is your own." You have to weigh this against our natural tendency which is critical and always look for faults in others whereas Mother cold never find fault with others. She herself said and I quote her "Formerly people's faults appeared to me also. Then with tears in my eyes I prayed to the Master, "Master, I can no longer bear finding faults. Then only this defect left me. Even if you commit so much as a little fault after doing a thousand good to somebody, he will be at once offended. People only look for faults. One should look for merits as well.' By her own admission, "Yes, I cannot see the faults of other people". Again I take you back to Mother?s last message:- "If you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child, the whole world is your own." If the love which the Holy Mother bestowed on humanity as a precious gift is given a practical shape by all, the entire world becomes our own; there will not be anybody who is left without love. A virtual happiness of Heaven can be created on earth. If we ponder over and meditate upon this apparently simple message of the Holy Mother, we find that it contains two very important truths which are of supreme importance to humanity today. The Mother said, "If you want peace of mind do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults.' Here 'if' is the operative word. Those who make a choice and actively want peace of mind need curb the fault finding tendency. Others need not heed her words till they come to that state of mind where peace appears as a quality to be desired. How much freedom there is in these simple words which have such a profound and transformative import. The second part of the message which follows as a natural sequence of the first is: "Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child, this whole world is your own.' Here is a definite imperative for world conquest - a conquest which is to be made only through self-mastery. On proper analysis, the words used by the Holy Mother have a dual message to convey - one is outward, the other inward. The central theme of this message is to shift the focus from outward to inward. If people see their own faults, will there be any fault left to be seen? We acquire faults by seeing faults. When we sincerely see our own faults, we will have very little time to see others' faults. As one advances in this practice, the apparent distinction between the self and others disappears. Such a person can never be a cause of any suffering for anybody in the world. When a man has thoroughly imbibed the virtue of not seeing faults in others, he has already unconsciously learned to make the whole world his own for he has discovered his identity with all. This principle can be easily extended to national and international levels whereby faults of other nations are ignored, and world conquest through lasting peace can be achieved. The Holy Mother clearly demonstrated that in spite of all the outward differences and variations that exist among the peoples of the world, there can be union of souls threaded together by unbounded love for one another. From the beginning of her life, the Holy Mother laid emphasis on the necessity of making people one's own. This ?own-making? was the special mission of her life, as we see it in a continuous, uninterrupted flow from the beginning until the end. Thus, she does not differentiate between Amzad, the Muslim robber and her intimate associate, Sarat, alias Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna; she looks upon the Englishman, who is considered to be the enemy of the country, as her own child. Thus poised in the sense of motherhood she could break all barriers between man and man and stand above all humanity whether of the East or the West, Indian or foreign, righteous or erring. If the world has to be pulled out from the abyss into which it has fallen, the only way is to mould our lives in the light of the Holy Mother's teachings and then carry the message far and wide to create the necessary impact and give a new orientation to the lives of people. This is not an ordinary task and yet, we can do it provided we have the requisite will fortified with the grace of the Holy Mother. The ideal should not remain an ideal only, but has to be put into practice. One other quality of Mother which we can emulate with great benefit to us is her tremendous capacity to adjust to various situations. She was in great financial distress after Sri Ramakrishna passed away and her very small pension was also stopped by the Dakshineswar temple authorities. There were times in the village of Kamarpukur when she was not sure where the next meal was coming from. Yet she never allowed that to disturb her peace and tranquility and those who visited her found her a picture of calm and serenity. Little did the visitors realize what a struggle it was for her for mere survival. So we think we can still learn something from her life which is still useful, which is still relevant. As individuals we feel we can learn things from her life and teachings which will make our life just a little better. And then comes the other question: Can these qualities be of help to the society as we see it now. We know what ails the world today. Consumerism, religious fanaticism, hatred of fellow human beings - simply because they believe in some other god than theirs - are eating into the fabric of human society. People are being led to believe that only material progress can bring about happiness. The realization has to dawn that beyond a point, it only bring misery The salient features of the message of Holy Mother is Love, compassion, patience and forbearance. Love for fellow human beings and also love for everything around you. Service to fellow human beings is service to God. And this is to be done with all humility. Love should be all encompassing. You may remember how pained was the Holy Mother when Her attendant was rough with the house cat. She reacted as if She had been hurt herself. Patience, forbearance and capacity to adjust are virtues when practised by individuals will also make a better society and this would a better place to live as Swami Swahanandaji has very rationally explained in his article on Mother. In today?s strife torn world, fractured by ideologies, religious fundamentalism and terrorism when innocent people are being senselessly killed, we will do well to remember Mother's life and message. If her message and teachings can guide our thought and action, the world will be a much better place and that will be our true tribute to Her on this holy occasion of her 150th birth anniversary. |
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