My OperaThe Magnificent Mother
Thursday, December 30, 2010 8:50:49 AM
At The Feet of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi
by Swami Haripremananda (a disciple of Holy Mother)
Let me tell you about what happened one day. I don't recall the exact date, nor does it really matter. Mother's niece Radhu had been suffering from some serious ailment that had reduced her to mere skin and bones. She could not even speak, only a shrill whine came from her instead of words. Mother, deeply moved, said to me, 'Hari, let's take her to Bankura. Baikuntha is there, he's an allopath, M.B., who also practises homeopathy. He has made quite a name for himself.' I interrupted her, 'Do you mean Baikuntha Maharaj, Swami Maheswarananda?'
'Yes, yes, you surely know him as you are from Bankura town,' she replied. 'I know him well enough,' I said, 'He is the head of the Bankura Math and a homeopath who has never failed to cure his patients.'
Mother confirmed that it was the same person she had in mind and so one day she went to Bankura with her niece and I accompanied them. In those days Bankura Math had hardly any quarters to speak of, let alone suitable accommodation for women. So we rented a place on Feeder Road which had two rooms. The patient occupied one, Mother and I, the other. The treatment began. One evening, after the Doctor Maharaj (Swami Maheswarananda) had examined the patient and left, Mother was sitting on a stool in our room. On an impulse, I began to massage her feet. They were so thin and shrivelled! Mother at that time had wasted away physically. As my hands passed over her feet, suddenly a doubt arose-was Mother truly the Mother of the Universe? Would the Mother of the Universe have such emaciated feet? Mentally nursing this doubt, I continued stroking her feet silently. Gradually I came to feel that the feet were certainly not those of an old woman, they were the well-formed feet of a young woman. In the light of a nearby lantern I clearly saw two incomparably beautiful feet with alta (red lac-dye) bordering them, half-moon shaped nails enhancing the beauty of the close set rounded toes. Gold anklets inlaid with pearls and precious stones adorned the feet. Whose feet had I been tending?
Speechless with wonder, I tried to fix my gaze on Mother's face. I saw the image of Jagaddhatri with a golden hue, three eyes, four arms, and decked with numerous ornaments. There was a crown on her head and weapons in her hands. A sublime effulgence radiated from her. Before I had had a good look, I cried out, 'Mother! Mother!' and lost consciousness. How long I remained in that state I can’t say When I came back to, I found Mother stroking my back saying, 'Hari, O Hari, what has come upon you, get up, get up!'
I sat up. I saw Mother, old and thin, sitting with her gaze fixed upon her suffering niece.. This, then, was Mother, Mother of the Universe, Saradamani, the onsort of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna in his divine play. Glory to Mother! Glory to Thakur!
-Swami Haripremananda
by Swami Haripremananda (a disciple of Holy Mother)
Let me tell you about what happened one day. I don't recall the exact date, nor does it really matter. Mother's niece Radhu had been suffering from some serious ailment that had reduced her to mere skin and bones. She could not even speak, only a shrill whine came from her instead of words. Mother, deeply moved, said to me, 'Hari, let's take her to Bankura. Baikuntha is there, he's an allopath, M.B., who also practises homeopathy. He has made quite a name for himself.' I interrupted her, 'Do you mean Baikuntha Maharaj, Swami Maheswarananda?'
'Yes, yes, you surely know him as you are from Bankura town,' she replied. 'I know him well enough,' I said, 'He is the head of the Bankura Math and a homeopath who has never failed to cure his patients.'
Mother confirmed that it was the same person she had in mind and so one day she went to Bankura with her niece and I accompanied them. In those days Bankura Math had hardly any quarters to speak of, let alone suitable accommodation for women. So we rented a place on Feeder Road which had two rooms. The patient occupied one, Mother and I, the other. The treatment began. One evening, after the Doctor Maharaj (Swami Maheswarananda) had examined the patient and left, Mother was sitting on a stool in our room. On an impulse, I began to massage her feet. They were so thin and shrivelled! Mother at that time had wasted away physically. As my hands passed over her feet, suddenly a doubt arose-was Mother truly the Mother of the Universe? Would the Mother of the Universe have such emaciated feet? Mentally nursing this doubt, I continued stroking her feet silently. Gradually I came to feel that the feet were certainly not those of an old woman, they were the well-formed feet of a young woman. In the light of a nearby lantern I clearly saw two incomparably beautiful feet with alta (red lac-dye) bordering them, half-moon shaped nails enhancing the beauty of the close set rounded toes. Gold anklets inlaid with pearls and precious stones adorned the feet. Whose feet had I been tending?
Speechless with wonder, I tried to fix my gaze on Mother's face. I saw the image of Jagaddhatri with a golden hue, three eyes, four arms, and decked with numerous ornaments. There was a crown on her head and weapons in her hands. A sublime effulgence radiated from her. Before I had had a good look, I cried out, 'Mother! Mother!' and lost consciousness. How long I remained in that state I can’t say When I came back to, I found Mother stroking my back saying, 'Hari, O Hari, what has come upon you, get up, get up!'
I sat up. I saw Mother, old and thin, sitting with her gaze fixed upon her suffering niece.. This, then, was Mother, Mother of the Universe, Saradamani, the onsort of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna in his divine play. Glory to Mother! Glory to Thakur!
-Swami Haripremananda
