Sri Ramakrishna And The Divine Mother with More Sathya Sai Memories

Very hard to imagine a soft and pretty song such as this, can be dedicated to the Goddess Durga. This song or chant is a mix of both the traditional styles of chanting and modern day music. I like it and added here for you to enjoy. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will upload one of my special pictures of Goddess Durga from an old print, bought years ago.  (The photo here is not mine. It came from the internet.)

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Here’s a short excerpt from a discourse given by Swami during 1997. Might add I will be away for two months from middle Feb. I hope you, during that time, will explore the back posts on this blog. I am sure there is something here for everyone..

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navaratri-durga-puja

Devi’ Compassion And Grace

Among the many lessons driven home to the students in Brindavan by Bhagavan Baba in His evening discourses in April, 1997, in Trayee Brindavan’, one was concerned with the need for firm determination on the part of a devotee to earn the grace of the Lord. Bhagavan related an episode from the life of Adi Shankara as a young lad.

“The great Acharya was barely four years old at the time. His father, a devout scholar, used to offer daily worship to Goddess Raajeshwari every morning. Meditating before the Goddess with closed eyes, he would offer a bowl of cow’s milk to her. When he opened his eyes after meditation, he would find that bowl was only half-full, the other half having been accepted as an offering by the Goddess. One day, he had to go to a neighbouring village for three days. He told his wife to arrange worship of the Goddess in the customary manner with the offering of milk, with the young Shankara deputizing him in the worship. In accordance with his father’s instructions, the young lad sat in front of the Goddess in the sanctum and performed the prescribed ritual. After meditation, when he opened his eyes, he was astonished to see that the bowl of milk offered to the Goddess remained full. He felt sad and cried out: ‘Divine Mother! What wrong have I done? I cannot bear this punishment. Please show your grace on me as you did for my father.’ He prayed intensely for some time with closed eyes. When he opened his eyes he saw that the bowl was now totally empty. All the milk had gone. He was in distress again and cried out: “Devi! You have consumed all the milk. Where is our share of the Prasadam? If we are denied this, what mother will say and what will others think? I will not leave this place till the bowl is refilled.’ In response to fervent prayers, the Goddess spoke: “Dear child! When the river has joined the river, how can it be redirected? Shankara said: ‘Nobody will believe me when I say that no milk was left in the bowl after my worship. They may think that I drank all of it. I cannot face them. Devi! Without your Prasad, I will not leave this place. I will lay down my life at your Feet.” Swami concluded this moving account of the episode with the following finale: “Devi Raajeshwari’s heart melted on hearing the young boy’s appeal. She took the bowl and poured her Divine breast-milk into it and gave it to the young devotee.’ The compassion of the Divine, Swami said, has no limits.” Sai Baba. SS. 6/97. p. 153

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A Short Story:

Sri Ramakrishna and the Divine Mother

Shri Ramakrishna worshipped the Divine Mother in the form of Holy Mother.  Sarada Devi was the presiding Deity or Sangha-Janani of the Ramakrishna Order.  During 1901, in a mysterious way, the Divine Mother was worshipped at Belur Math with all festivity and éclat.  Swami Brahmananda saw a vision of Mother Durga coming from Dakshineswar on the Ganges.  At that very time Swamiji was also coming from Calcutta.  After reaching Belur Math, Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) felt a deep desire to worship Mother Durga.  Holy Mother was  invited on that sacred occasion and Sankalpa of the Durga puja took place in her name.  From that time, Durga-puja is worshipped  in the Belur Math and other branch centers in the same manner.

To accept God as Mother is, according to Shri Ramakrishna, the final word in spiritual striving.  It is indeed, to some at least, the smoothest and surest way of having God-vision.  Shri Ramakrishna never condemned any form of approach to God but insisted that the one of a child to its mother was the purest, safest and best.  Let us accept any attitude towards God according to our mental predilections, and develop the helplessness, restlessness, intense longing, faith and surrendering attitude of a child for its mother’s arms.  Sincere prayer never goes in vain.  Through genuine prayer we may get spiritual illumination.

– Ramakrishna used to worship Goddess Kali so I am somewhat surprised to learn of his devotion to Goddess Durga puja also. 

The Goddess Kali, Calcutta, 19th century. watercolour on paper.

 

A Reason And A Season – More Sathya Sai Memories

this you tube is best seen full screen. The photos have been retouched and are now in painterly style and very pretty. enjoy 

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“I AM SWAMI”

Once in Brindavan, as Bhagavan Baba was coming out for Darshan, He saw
four boys standing. Swami stopped and asked one of the boys, “What is
your name?” The boy told Baba his name. Swami then asked the same
question to the other three boys. Two of them gave their names but the
third one said, “I am Swami.” Baba then told that boy, “In that case,
go and give Darshan!” and moved away.

Man certainly is an aspect of God. In fact, as Swami says, man is God.
But this fact must be realised in the heart and not merely understood
in the head. And having realised this basic truth, man must always
have that Godly feeling. Merely declaring, “I am God!” will not do.

Swami in painterly style..

The Gift Of Darshan – More Sathya Sai Memories

this video is in HD and is clear. Maybe it will be slow but that’s how vimeo works.

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Darshans up until the time Swami stopped walking were wonderfully relaxing. We sat for only a short while before Sai came out from his home in the Poornchandra Hall. We sat there expectant and anxious. Most of us had letters or something we needed to convey to him,  sometimes we only wanted to whisper an “Om Sai Ram.”

One day a friend of mine, held out her passport instead of the letter that she had intended to offer to Swami, he blessed the passport! Such was his mischief. (Perhaps there was a message in the blessing of the passport. One never knows!)

While  he slowly moved along the red carpet, every eye was on his shining form. Sometimes we could see an aura around his head, like a mirage in the desert, all hazy  and wavy.  I remember how quiet it was back then. How respectful people were. We would often be talking softly for a little while beforehand, but always, I’d say at least ten minutes before his appearance, Sai’s  darshan could be felt. We would all suddenly go very quiet and a certain hush would envelop us in a soft vibration. It was simply magical. Here is a video of that time, called Gift Of Darshan.

enjoy.

 I Only Wanted Swami To Talk To Me! – A Darshan Story

On one of my visits to Puttaparthi, I had a really great experience with Swami. (I think it was during 1999). I was feeling very down and out.
 I was feeling very small and insignificant and unworthy of even    talking to anyone.  I was just keeping to myself. then I prayed to Baba to talk to me  because that would make me feel better and worthy of being talked to by others also. With that thought, I went inside sai kulwant hall after having drawn  4th token (or something near to that no.) and I was  sitting in the second row in darshan on the men’s side.

Then the music started and Baba  came out from the Poornachandra Auditorium. He used to walk then. He shuffled forward taking letters, blessing trays. Finally he was opposite my row. He spoke to someone there.  Then He suddenly turned towards our side. There was a Russian sitting  in front of me.  Baba said something to him. Then suddenly He was looking at me and  saying something  in Telugu (I think because I heard something like “neevu” which is a Telugu word). My head was spinning. I couldn’t believe Baba was talking to me !! At the same time the thought passed thru my head “could Baba be mistaking me for some other guy, some Telugu guy”?? I dismissed that thought as soon as it came because i knew that  Baba knows everything. He doesnt make mistakes. Then Baba repeated what he must have said earlier, in English.  He said “Where have you come from ?” I was still too stunned to reply. Baba spoke a third time.  This time in Hindi. He said “Keedhar se aayaa?” meaning again  “where  had I come from.” I managed to say “SAI, Mumbai”. Then Baba threw up His hands in the air as if I had given the wrong answer and He said
“Oh!! Bombay!”

Then He proceeded to make vibhuti right in front of me and gave some to a Telugu farmer sitting next to me. Others nearby  stretched out their hands and Baba kept giving vibhuti to all. Finally  I also picked up the courage to stretch my hands out for vibhuti. But  Baba just turned away. When i was praying to Baba earlier in the  day, I had told him that “I dont want vibhuti or anything else,  Baba,  please just talk to me.” By turning away Baba displayed His omniscience. He proved to me that He knew my thoughts.  What a proof !! I sat there with tears flowing down my cheeks and couldn’t stop crying long after darshan. People would just look at me and I was not able to say anything. They just nodded
 knowingly and said “Ananda” meaning bliss !! Baba does hear and answer  our prayers. He knows everything.

-from a friend