This is the
transcription of the talk delivered in the
Divine Presence by Kartick Ramesh, a current MBA
student of the Institute, during Dasara
celebrations on the 8th of October 2005.
Aum
Sri Sai Ram! I offer my most Humble and Loving
Pranams at the dearest, Divine Lotus Feet of Sai Ma.
Before I begin, I would like to make a dedication to
the Principle of Motherhood without which, I would
not be standing in front of all of you.
In Honour of the
Universal Mother
I dedicate this speech to the
Universal Mother Sai Ma who is Omnipresent,
Omnipotent and Omniscient and with all of us at all
times. And, I also dedicate this speech to my
physical mother who though physically is not present
with me at this point of time is with me in every
thought, word, deed and action.
All
of us share a very special relationship with our
mothers. In our family we had a strange problem. In
my generation, there were no male children. In total
desperation, my mother sought the refuge of the
Divine Lotus Feet of Sai Ma in the form of Santoshi
Mata.
And 25 years ago till this date, and
for the rest of her life, my mother took a vow that
she would observe a fast which would grant her the
privilege of having a son. When I heard the story
from my mother and when I saw her fasting I felt
pained. I told her: "Mother! If it has taken a
Santoshi Ma Vratam for me to come to your lotus
feet, I will also take a Santoshi Ma Vratam
to go back to the Lotus Feet of Sai Ma."
And
for 3 years, I undertook the Santoshi Ma Vratam
to become a student of Shri Sathya Sai Institute of
Higher Learning. In these 3 years, I did not see any
result. And the horoscope suggested that I would
never become a student. But it was just the pure
Grace and Love of Sai Ma that I am standing today in
front of you as a student of Sai.
Today
is the most auspicious day of Navaratri
Celebrations, the Festival of Nine Nights. What does
this signify? According to ancient Indian Mythology
and our culture the scriptures reveal that it was
during these nine days and nights that the Devi Ma,
Sai Ma, in the form of Durga Mata destroyed evil
from the face of the earth, evil which was present
in the form of the demon Mahishasura. It is also
during these days that Bhagavan in His previous
Incarnation of Shri Rama prayed to the Devi Ma
before beginning His battle with the evil Ravana. It
was this day when Arjuna acquired the Divine weapons
for fighting in the Kurukshetra.
And it is on this day that I will
venture to describe the qualities of Motherhood, the
Godhood of Mother and the Motherhood of God.
The First Touch of
His Love
A
little child was clinging to the gate of his
kindergarten class and refusing to attend classes.
At this juncture, a group of teachers tried to pull
the boy but the boy stretched out to his mother who
was standing on the other side of the gate. And it
was not until the mother assured the boy that she
would come back to him in the evening to pick him up
that the boy agreed to go to the class.
This vivid description of this
incident in my childhood flashed across my memory on
the very first day I joined the Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher Learning. 54 fortunate boys were
chosen by Bhagavan this year to be part of the M.B.A
Programme. But unusually instead of joining
Prashanti Nilayam directly, Bhagavan commanded those
students to come to Brindavan and seek His
Blessings.
This incident was flashing in my mind
as I held Sai Ma's hand on the Gardens of Trayee
Brindavan. And in the same innocence I prayed to
Mother Sai because we were leaving from Brindavan
that day.
"Swami, please come to Puttaparthi!
Please don't stay at Brindavan." At this juncture
Swami looked lovingly at all of us. All the 54 boys
who had sacrificed great careers, boys who had left
great academic opportunities, to be with the
Greatest Divine Form.
Bhagavan looked at us and said: "I will come day
after tomorrow." When Swami Wills, it is "Vajra
Sankalpa" (firm determination) - nothing can go
against it! And just in two days, as promised, Swami
made a trip all the way from Brindavan to
Puttaparthi to see His 54 students!
Glimpses of Divine
Motherhood
And
during our stay in Brindavan at that time, we
received some glimpses of Motherhood. We saw the
amount of care, the amount of Love which Swami
showers on His students. How many questions Swami
was asking the warden! Whether the boys were
accommodated well, whether we were being fed well
and about the trip that we had to make to
Puttaparthi.
No Need to Run
But
is this Motherly Nature of Swami only exhibited
towards students? The answer is no! Divinity does
not distinguish between people to shower its Grace!
I am reminded of an incident when as a devotee of
Swami and I had made a trip to Brindavan. It is
customary for all devotees and students alike to run
after Swami's car when Swami goes out.
In my
enthusiasm I also chased Swami's car and I was very
fit at that time. I raced ahead of others and we
reached a particular point of time when there was
only Swami's car and myself. I kept running and
running and after sometime I lost my breath. I went
down on my knees and gave up. I told Swami 'I give
up.' Swami looked at me, rolled down the
glass and said in Tamil: "Porum, Porum!
(Enough) Don't run!" What compassion this
is! For a devotee who is running behind His car, we
think that Swami sometimes ignores us, Swami has
forgotten us!
Can God Forget?
Talking about forgetting, how can
Swami forget! During one festival, Bhagavan was
concluding His discourse with the Bhajan Hari
Bhajan Bina Sukh Shanti Nahin, and Bhagavan
forgot, or apparently seemed to forget, a particular
line. Then a student enthusiastically looked at
Bhagavan and Bhagavan asked him "What is the next
line?" and the student immediately sang the next
line to Bhagavan.
And
Bhagavan said: "Good!" The same incident was
repeated for several festivals! And on one
particular festival Bhagavan approached the student
and asked him, "Did you really think I forgot? If I
forget, the sun will not rise and the sun will not
set!" Who else can make such a statement other than
the Divine Mother! It is left to us to understand
that this Divine Energy is present with us at all
times and at all places!
The Greatness of
Gayatri
In
our Puranas, it is stated that 'Gayatri
Chandasaam Mata', that is, before Creation,
Gayatri Mata, the Mother of Vedas, that Primordial
Force Adi Shakti gave birth to the Trinity,
as Three Babies. And She blessed each of the Babies
with the Gunas of Rajas, Sathwaa and Thamas. Mother
Gayatri left the scene and the Babies started crying
and Mother Gayatri came to that particular scene
assuming the form of a five-headed God. And that is
how we picture Mother Gayatri today.
Om
Bhur Bhuva Swaha Tat Savitur Vareniyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Na Prochadayat
The Gayatri Mantra is the single most
potent and powerful mantra which even Bhagavan has
confirmed. Bhagavan says,
"This is the Mantra which will
guarantee protection to the chanter, if chanted
correctly, at all places and at all times."
The Sacred Upanayanam
When
I read this, I found a deep desire within me that I
should also have my Upanayanam (Hindu
Sacred Thread ceremony) done and I should also have
the chance of chanting the Gayatri Mantra. But my
age was 21 years and my father did not believe in
rituals. So he refused to perform the Upanayanam
for me. At this juncture every Darshan I used to
give Him a letter asking Him for two things "Swami I
want to be your student and please perform my
Upanayanam."
It took a year but at the end of one
year, Bhagavan organized an Upanayanam
ceremony in 'Sundaram' at Chennai, the place where I
reside. 108 boys were selected. But unfortunately,
an age limit was set of 18 years. And I was 21
years.
In total anxiety and depression, I
wrote a letter to Bhagavan quickly saying "You have
to perform my Upanayanam!" and I placed it
in my aunt's house in front of the photo. The next
day, kumkum (vermillion) materialized on
the letter! And I was sure that this was a sign from
Bhagavan that He would perform my Upanayanam.
The primary motive of having my
Upanayanam done by Swami was not only to chant
the Gayatri Mantra, but to get the opportunity to
chant it once in front of Swami - and to get the
blessings of the Divine Mother, Sai Gayatri.
So
Bhagavan had said: "Bring those 108 Vatus
(participants) to me after the function." But at the
beginning of the function, Bhagavan sent another
message "If those boys come to Brindavan, they will
have a lot of problems in terms of accommodation."
What kind of Motherly Love is this again!
Swami was concerned about the strain
which the 108 boys who were coming to seek His
Blessings would undergo! So Swami sent word "Tell
those boys that I am with them all the times at all
places! Wherever the Gayatri is chanted, I am
there!"
As
soon as I heard this, I almost felt as if I didn't
want my Upanayanam to be done. Even though
I knew that Swami would be with me but, I would lose
a chance of coming to the proximity of Sai Gayatri.
At
the end of the function, I told my mother "Mother,
why don't we make a trip to Brindavan despite Swami
having told us not to come?" My mother looked at me
a little bit surprised and told me "Tomorrow is your
final University examination! This is a matter of
life importance!"
I told my mother: "This is a matter
of live's importance mother! It is a result of the
penance of several lives that I have this
opportunity to get my Upanayanam performed
by Swami Himself!" And my mother consented and we
went to Brindavan.
As soon as we went to Brindavan, we
found a couple of other boys who were equally
enthusiastic to seek Swami's Blessings. And we
arrived just in time before the music began. As we
sat for Darshan, Bhagavan sort of glided towards us
and looked at us so lovingly.
And I
had no hesitation, no doubt in my mind that I was
looking at the Gayatri Roopam (form of
Gayatri) of our beloved Swami! Swami then gave us
Padanamaskar and materialized Vibhuti. And
that was really an amazing incident in my life which
showed me that with Faith and Devotion, you can
definitely win the Love of Sai Ma!
Mothers are the Gift
of God to Man
As an English saying goes: "God could
not be at all times with all people; so to ensure
that they were getting the same amount of Love, God
created Mothers!" What a great gift God has given to
us! Bhagavan says: "A true Bharatiya, a
true son, is one who can strive to earn the Grace
and Love of his mother."
Take
the example of Ravana, who was a great Shiva devotee
and who had intense love for his mother. When he saw
his mother worshipping an earthern lingam, he asked
her "Mother why are you worshipping an earthern
lingam?" She said: "Son, I want a place in Kailasa."
Ravana said: "For you, I shall bring Kailasa here."
And he proceeded to the Himalayas and started
lifting Kailasa! This was the amount of devotion
that Ravana had towards his mother! But the same
Ravana forgot the Mother Principle when he abducted
Sita! And so, he had to pay for the consequences of
his action.
Sai Gives a Beautiful
Voice
I am reminded of a personal incident
of mine. I for one was never used to public
speaking, be it an audience of one or ten people. At
the end of one unsuccessful talk, I went home and
literally burnt the pages of my speech! And my
mother was silently observing me from the back. She
called me and said: "Son, what are you trying to
do?" I told my mother that I never want to speak
again in my life!
My
mother said: "Don't lose courage! You will speak one
day; not in front of one, two or ten but in front of
thousands of people!" And it is that very grace, the
very words of my mother, which I feel has come true
today!
When
I came into the Sai fold, I was really attracted
towards Bhajan singing. But fate had blessed me with
a hoarse voice! When I used to sing, people used to
close their ears! But I did not lose hope; for I
knew My Mother would again come to my rescue! Both
the physical and the Divine Mother.
My mother, a trained classical
singer, tried her best to teach me the basics of
Karnataka music. But, I did not relent - or my voice
did not relent. So my mother commanded me "Go and
seek the Blessings of Swami. He will definitely
shower grace upon you!"
That
particular trip I made coincided with Shivaratri
festival in 2000. And as a devotee, I came and sat
in the lines at 12 o'clock in the night because of
the crowds. As Bhagavan willed, I got the first row
and I got a chance to take the Padanamaskar of
Swami. But then I had a desire in my mind:
"Swami, if you can give me
some Prasadam; something which will make me
sing well in front of you." Suddenly, Swami started
distributing chocolates to the students. Bhagavan
looked at me, aimed a chocolate and threw it at my
head!
And
ever since I took that chocolate I have sung in
almost every bhajan group in every state which I
have visited. And today, it is only by the grace of
Bhagavan that I had the opportunity to sing in front
of Him also! All that we need to do is to offer our
Love to such a Mother!
The Godhood of the
Mother and the Motherhood of God
The Vedas declare Matrodevo Bhava.
In our culture we are elevating the Mother to the
level of God; in other words, we declare the Godhood
of the Mother. We also talk about the Motherhood of
God - but which is greater?
The
answer can be seen by considering a ticket. This
ticket represents the physical Mother. Without the
seal of authenticity of the Divine Mother that
ticket is useless! And with such an attested ticket,
you can take a journey to any destination, be it a
worldly or a Spiritual destination. So both the
Godhood of Mother and the Motherhood of God go hand
in hand.
Becoming Swami's Gold
I
would now like to narrate very quickly a small
incident. It happened in the final year of my
Engineering course. I had made another prayer to
Bhagavan, "Bhagavan whenever I come to you as a
student I should have first class with honors and
distinction; I should be a gold medalist." In
Engineering, 80 percent is considered as a
benchmark.
So
every letter I wrote to Bhagavan, I begged "Bhagavan
at least give me 80 percent!" Bhagavan used to be so
kind - He used to give me 5% extra! I used to get
around 85% and once even 90% in my Engineering!
In
the final semester, I fell very sick. And Swami
knows what happened at that particular point of
time. He probably wanted to increase my faith and
devotion. My mother made me take mock exams but I
could not even sit to write the exam. So my mother
started her usual prayer routines for me day and
night and she accompanied me to each and every exam!
We had around 10 papers. Every time I
sat in the examination hall I visualized that I was
not writing, but Bhagavan was writing. Because even
the doctor told that "I have no hope for you! Please
depend on Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba."
At
the end of the examinations, I knew that I would
barely have passed.
But when the results came the total average came
exactly to 80 percent. And I got the gold medal
which I had desired - not for myself - but to offer
at the Lotus Feet of both my Mothers.
An interesting statement which Swami
made to us on the first day "It is not enough to
just earn an academic gold medal! You should really
be the Gold of Swami!"
And
we got an opportunity that time to express our love
to Swami. We told Swami "We are Your
strength" and Swami said "Yes! Students are My
strength!" And this particular interaction
showed us how much Motherly Love Lord Sai showers on
all of us!
Now I will come to the closing part
of my speech where I would just like to say that we
need to just surrender ourselves not only to the
Feet of the Lord but also to the Lotus Feet of our
physical Mothers. Bhagavan has said:
"Mother and Motherland are greater
than Heaven!"
In
one of the trips I made to Malaysia, I looked back
and saw I was leaving this great country and my
physical Mother and I almost cried! But I remembered
the words of my mother "Don't worry! By the time you
reach Malaysia, Swami would have already come
there!"
And
believe it or not the accommodation which I was
given in Malaysia, was right opposite to the largest
Sai Centre in Malaysia. And the devotees there were
so full of devotion! So many people who had never
come to see the Physical Form of Swami were so
devoted in whatever activities they were
undertaking! Whether it was chanting Vedas, whether
it was singing bhajans, or whether it was
participating in Service activities! This is the
kind of Universal Love which Swami is spreading!
The Three Mothers
All that Swami is saying is
"Let us remember to honour
not only the two Mothers but also the third Mother -
that is Mother Nature. Let us never be ungrateful to
all these three Mothers."
We are Children of
Mother Sai
I
would now like to conclude by just saying that
whatever we do let us just behave like an innocent
child at the Feet of our Divine Mother. An innocent
child is a beautiful sight! It is the sight of God
Himself! All that we have to do is just surrender
ourselves, give our love and believe in the fact
that Mother Sai - the single Principle which runs
through all these Mothers - will take care of us at
all times!
With these few words, I would just
like to conclude with a small prayer:
"O
Lord, take my Love and let it flow in devotion to
Thee.
Take my every thing and let me be an instrument to
work for Thee."
Jai
Sai Ram!
-
Heart2Heart Team