Divine Mother Easwarammba Day - 06th May 2007 ( Part 2/02 )

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EASWARAMMBA DAY – 06th May 2007 (Part 02/03)

 

" Easwaramma was the chosen one. I chose her to be My mother. That is

the intimate relationship between Mother Easwaramma and Myself. "

 

That was the emphatic declaration of Bhagavan on the most auspicious

Easwaramma Day, the 6th of May, 2001. In no uncertain terms Swami

communicated how lofty, grand and glorious is the stature of Mother

Easwaramma. The thronging crowd in Sai Ramesh Hall exploded into loud

applause that evening as they heard these Divine words from Bhagavan.

 

 

Easwarammba's darling Sathya

 

Easwarammba went through many trying times mothering the " infinite

power " incarnated in her humble home, though of course there were

also mystical and profound experiences. When Sathya was just nine

months old, one singular episode baffled her beyond her limits.

 

I can remember the whole incident fresh and clear. I had just bathed

and dressed him and applied on his eyes cooling collyrium. I applied

vibhuthi from the Shiva temple and a dot of kumkum from the Sathyamma

temple on his brow. I put him in the cradle, gave it a swing and

turned to the hearth where the milk had come to a boil. Suddenly I

heard him cry. I was surprised for, believe me, he had never cried

since birth for any reason, hunger, or pain, or discomfort. I picked

him up and placed him on my lap and he stopped the wail. I saw a halo

of brilliant light all around him, a circle of radiance surrounding

him. But the light did not hurt me, it was so cool though so bright

and near. I sat still, lost in delight. It was there a long time,

before it faded slowly away. I closed my eyes and probably lost

awareness of everything around until my mother-in-law came to me and

I awoke. The child was apparently asleep. She asked me what had

happened and I told her about the halo that I could see even then

in clear outline. She put her finger on her lips and said, `Don't

tell anyone of this. They wouldn't understand. They would spread all

kinds of tales.'

 

Easwarammba would be blessed with countless such experiences and

every one increased her love for the beloved son she had been gifted

with after so much prayer and penitence.

 

The Mother's Heart Bleeds…

 

Sathya was so bright that denying him further education seemed a

sacrilege, so as there was no high school within a radius of twenty

miles he went to live with his brother so he could attend school at

Uravakonda. Easwarammba had to sigh and cry alone, and it must be

added, now and then to exult and enthuse, for stories seeped through

the intervening miles of the marvels Sathya had authored, the cures

he had effected, the problems he had solved, as well as of the

hardships he had to undergo.

 

Love without duty is Divine

 

During a visit to Puttaparthi from Uravakonda, Easwaramma gave Sathya

an invigorating " oil bath " and observed on his left shoulder a broad

length of blackened thickened skin. Sathya did not complain of

pain when the patch was touched or pressed and laughed it off when

she asked how he had acquired that mark. But when Easwaramma

insisted, he told her that the skin was rendered so as the result

of carrying water pots hung on both ends of a pole borne on his

shoulder for the household where he stayed. There was only one well

at Uravakonda for drinking water which was nearly a kilometer away, so

he walked to and fro about six times daily, thrice in the morning and

thrice in the evening.

 

Easwarammba was alarmed. " You must come away from there. They are

exploiting your goodness and your desire to serve. Why should they

depend on you for water? " But Sathya responded, " I felt it as my

duty, Amma. How long can the children survive on the brackish poison?

I carry the water of life from that distance gladly, Mother. I have

come to do this service. " Mother was in tears and could hardly speak.

Immediately, Sathya was back home in Puttaparthi.

 

 

The Mother's Greatest Anxiety – Swami's Food Habits

 

If Swami was away from her for some time and a visitor came from that

place, Easwarammba would invariably ask, " How is Swami? Is he keeping

well? Does he eat anything at all? "

 

Swami's eating habits were always a subject of concern for the

Mother. Every now and then Easwarammba would go into the Mandir, for

there were no regular hours for her or anyone else, and she would

note the new arrivals, talk to them and then move quietly towards the

women who were mothering her son. " Serve him and nurse him with

care, " she would plead. " Look at him; one can count the ribs, they

are coming through so clear. He won't listen to what we say. He

insists on his own ways, all the while telling us how to behave. And

somehow he justifies everything he does as good for himself. "

 

Noon and night, lunchtime and dinnertime, whenever she thought about

it Easwarammba was confronted by a conundrum. How could the Ananda of

others be Ahara [food] for him? He ate so meagerly. He relished so

little. He set aside so much. He had no obvious preference, no

visible appetite, no taste to satisfy, no hunger to appease, and no

time to spare. How could he derive sustenance from this Anandaless

atmosphere? She prayed for him to eat but it was all in vain.

Swami would take a mouthful just to satisfy her and then stand and

walk away.

 

It took Easwarammba a long time to reconcile herself to this Avataric

trait. Whenever she was around she personally supervised the

preparation of the menu for Swami by going into the host's kitchen.

She believed that Swami would eat a few more spoonfuls if the

cuisine was Telugu, or better still, if it was genuine Rayalaseema,

the region to which Puttaparthi belonged. When Swami was at Jamnagar

with the Rajmatha of Nawanagar (in Gujarat), Easwaramma feared that

the Gujarati dishes might not be acceptable to her son. She smuggled

herself into the palace kitchen and sought permission to prepare a

little chaar – a soup based on boiled pulses – so Swami would have

some food of familiar taste.

 

This mother's concern never left her alone. Her eyes were on his

plate to discover how much he tasted of what and how his health

reacted to the restraints he imposed on himself. When Bhagavan was

forty-four-years-old, Easwarammba was heard to say, " He does not like

their cooking. He used to eat well as a boy when I cooked his food.

But he does not care for my cooking now. He says I must have rest and

quiet and not to worry about such things. "

 

.....so that we may learn to serve

 

When Swami was a child, Easwaramma would have to spend an hour to

persuade him to swallow a mouthful. The thinnest of excuses – a crow

cawing for a morsel, a mendicant voice from afar, a child crying next

door – sufficed for him to run away from the plate before him.

 

On one occasion Swami took to drinking only a cup of buttermilk per

day…for thirty-six days! One can imagine the heart-rending pain

Easwaramma went through, struggling to hold back tears which

threatened to well up throughout the day. When at last Swami said in

response to the devotees' prayers he would resume his normal schedule

of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Easwaramma was happy beyond words

and asked him to never tease them with such tactics again. Even years

later, whenever she recalled those thirty-six days, it was with a

sigh and expression of resignation.

 

Her Child like Simplicity

 

Mother's concern for Swami extended to every detail of his life.

Apart from his spartan food habits, another subject which troubled

her was Swami's travels. She was always apprehensive of him leaving

Puttaparthi even if it was for only a day to a nearby city or town.

So imagine her distress when she heard about the planned trip to East

Africa in 1968. She was extremely nervous, to say the least.

 

Simplicity personified

 

Not much was known about Africa in those days, and the popular

impression was that it was a dark continent full of wild animals,

savages, and cannibals.

 

Easwarammba had heard this folklore and feared Swami would be in

danger if he went there. She resolved to have the trip cancelled and

expressed her reservations to someone involved with the expedition.

The person replied, " Mother, do not worry. Swami will be visiting

only big cities where he will be absolutely safe – no threats from

animals or savages there! "

 

Easwarammba was dissatisfied with the reply and felt hurt that the

person was making light of a serious matter. She approached someone

else and told him, " Listen, all of you are merrily planning a jaunt

to Africa without being conscious of the risk to Swami. It is not too

late yet, and you must do everything possible to dissuade him from

undertaking this trip. " The person she spoke to gave a patient

hearing and then replied, " Amma, have no fear. Swami will have very

high security protection. "

 

Easwarammba felt frustrated that no one was taking her misgivings

seriously. She sought out a senior devotee and conveyed her worst

fears to him. This devotee said, " Mother, it is true that there are

many dangers in Africa. But how can they affect Swami? He is God, is

he not? " Hearing this Mother Easwarammba became furious and shouted

back, " You fool! I know Swami is God and you know he is God. But do

those savages and wild animals in Africa know he is God? "

 

That was the Mother's child like concern and simplicity. Though she

had realised her son's divinity, motherly anxieties often overwhelmed

her. Sri Jayalakshmi Gopinath, who was fortunate to interact with the

Mother and observe her at close quarters, recalls:

 

I knew the Divine Mother Easwarammba so well. It was mutual love

between us. I loved her because on her face there was such brilliance

that you could not find anywhere in the whole world on any

sophisticated face. Whatever one would put on the face it could not

match the glow on her face. I have seen it myself. She was as simple

as a child.

 

Continued...on 06th May 2007