Mother of Joy

As the master
I revealed the mantra;
as the disciple I accepted it and started to recite it.
~ Mother of Joy

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."

It was being sung in a melodious tune. I was seized with the curiosity to know the occasion for the kirtan, and with that end in view I went right inside and found that the kirtan was being sung and conducted by a band of devotees by going round and round a centrally erected manch (altar) inside a well-decorated big hall. For some time I stood entranced with the kirtan but could not find anyone near by to enlighten me about the occasion. So I decided to leave, and as I turned back to go, I saw a Brahmachariji approaching me from the other side. I at once seized the opportunity and asked him about the occasion for the kirtan.

He said, "Ma Anandamayee is here and that is why Astaprahar (a 24-hour non-stop kirtan) is going on." I said, "I have heard the name of Mother but I hadn't had the opportunity and good fortune to have her darsan so far. Is it by any chance possible to meet her now?" His right hand pointed towards a set of rooms on the other side of the satsang hall and he said, "Ma is in one of those rooms. You may just try your luck." With these words he hurriedly disappeared, leaving me in two minds as to whether it would be right and proper to invade that sanctum sanatorium at that inappropriate hour, which was lunch time for all. After overcoming my hesitation and with a palpitating heart, I had taken only a few steps towards my goal when I found a burly middle-aged lady, apparently a close devotee of Ma, emerged from one of those rooms and moved quickly towards me as if to bar my advance.

When she came and stopped before me with a grave air and stern look, my heart seemed to miss a beat. She was wearing a light yellow-coloured dhoti and her hair was cut short. I at once realized that I should not have encroached upon that prohibited area without permission or escort and hence felt apologetic. In a deep voice the lady asked, "What do you want?" I somehow mumbled, "I hear that Ma Anandamayee is here and I hadn't had the good luck so far to have her darsan. Is it possible to have her darsan now?"

The reply came in a more unhelpful and unwelcome tone, "Do you think it is the proper time for darsan ? It's about half past one now and Ma is having a rest. You may come some other Time." The reply convinced me that the god of luck was unkind to me. Moreover, the darsan of a saint was no easy come-and-go affair. Its pre-requisites are devotion and sadhana none of which I was endowed with. To crown it all, it was utterly wrong on my part to act out of bravado and seek darsan at an undisputedly wrong hour. The lady's reply made me shrink within and I didn't hazard any repetition of my request before that august personality.

Without any further word, I decided therefore to retreat and proceeded towards the exit. This misadventure disheartened me a lot and I quickened my steps to leave. No sooner had I approached the exit door, than unexpectedly I heard the same lady address me in a softer tone, "Are you really going away?" I stopped and on turning back I found her standing at the same place but now in a relaxed attitude and not so unwelcome mood. But her question was not very clear to me because after her summary dismissal of me with her firm declaration that Mother was taking a rest and that darsan at that time was quite impossible, what else could I do but to go away? However, on my coming back to her, the following conversation ensued:

Q. What do you do here?
Ans. I work here in the office of the Defence Department of the Govt. of India.
Q. From where are you coming now?
Ans. Direct from office. It's now lunch time.
Q. "I see. Well, wait a minute, let me see."

With these words, she hurried towards the room from which she had emerged. I, on the other hand, stood perplexed wondering at the sudden and unexpected turn of events as well as change in the attitude of my questioner. A faint ray of hope then flashed into my mind at the possibility of fulfilment of my desire to have a darsan of Ma. But I did not have to wait long, for after a couple of minutes, the same lady beckoned me to her, and as soon as I came near, she whispered, "Go inside, Ma is in. Do obeisance to her and come out at once. Do not attempt to talk to her as it is now her resting time." I nodded to confirm that I would follow her instructions, and without tarrying for fear of being saddled with any further restrictions, I immediately entered the holy room - my journey's end.

I subsequently came to know that the lady who was instrumental in arranging my first darsan of Ma at that seemingly wrong hour, was no other person than our revered Didi Gurupriya Devi, who is not only a constant companion of Ma, but also a noble soul who is constantly engaged in serving her. Later on, when I was intimately acquainted with her, I came to know that Didi's exterior is as hard as nails but her interior is softer than flowers.

After gaining entrance into Mother's room in the manner mentioned above, I observed at first only a mass of lustrous brilliance in the sitting posture on a cot, a mass that looked like a human form completely covered with a cloud of whiteness. I express my utter inability to explain in words the impact of that unearthly phenomenon. Was it due to the fact that I had entered Mother's room after remaining quite some time in the blazing sunshine outside and it took some time for my eyes to adjust vision in the semi-darkness inside the room? Or was it a stellar orbit of Divine refulgence that always encircles Ma's Divine Being but remains mostly invisible? I have since heard a few fortunate devotees say that they have seen such a circle of light around her face and head as indeed this halo is always there. I therefore consider myself one of those fortunate few to whom Ma graciously granted a purified vision, a glimpse of her Divine Light.

However, after a few moments, Ma's whole feature. and her smiling divine face which appeared to me like a flower in full bloom, became clearly visible. I at once realized that Ma in her infinite kindness drew me out for a while from the realm of darkness in order to grant me a glimpse of the World of Light. Does this not testify to Mother's boundless, causeless and unaccountable grace upon her children?

I then did my obeisance to her and remained in a knelt-down position thoroughly oblivious of everything of this world and dazed by the unforgettable vision that I had a few moments ago. I had the least awareness of Didi's stealthy entrance and the way she had positioned herself just behind me. I came to my normal self at the mild admonition of Didi who hissed, "Make haste. Ma will rest now." Before I obeyed her, I bent my head down on the ground to do obeisance, and as I raised my head, Ma asked, "Do you live here (Simla)?" I replied, "No Mother. The office in which I work is now here. It remains here during the summer and moves down to New Delhi in winter." Ma nodded and said, "COME AGAIN".

She then stretched out her right hand and Didi taking the hint, placed an apple on her hand and Ma in turn gave it to me. I then did obeisance once again and came out of the room with my heart overflowing with joy and divine peace…”

~ Narayan Chaudhuri, That Compassionate Touch of Ma Anandamayee

~ Anandamayi Ma (1896 – 1982) was an Indian (from Bengal) spiritual leader. Sivananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society described her as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced." Initially known as a strange village girl in what was then East Bengal (now Bangladesh), She grew up to be known as the miraculously compassionate Mata Anandamayee -Mother of Joy. This name was given to her by her devotees in the 1920s to describe what they saw as her habitual state of divine joy and bliss. Precognition, faith healing and other miracles were attributed to her by her followers. Her acts of love and compassion to those around as well as away from Her have become almost a legend, serving as a perennial source of faith in Her.

"Before I came to earth, I was the same. As a little girl, same. Womanhood, same. In the hall of eternity, I shall be the same."
-- MA