A tribute to Smt M S Subbulakshmi

[Guest guest]

A tribute to Smt M S Subbulakshmi

 

The Queen of Bhakti Music

 

For decades, M.S. and her husband were, like many in Madras, devout

followers of the Paramacharya of Kanchi. One fine day, and I have this

on good authority, Paramacharya asked M.S. to go Puttaparthi. M.S. was

apparently puzzled by this command and wanted to know why she should go

to Puttaparthi when she already had a Guru. The Paramacharya simply

said: “Go and you will find the reason.â€

 

Incidentally, it is interesting that Ramana Maharishi also once sent

some of his disciples to Puttaparthi in this same way. So, M.S. came and

she instantly knew why she had been asked to come here. Thereafter she

was a regular visitor, and sang many times in the Divine presence. Swami

even visited her home in Chennai on many occasions.

 

Swami invariably showed much love to M.S. One year during Ladies Day,

Swami asked her to speak. She said, “Swami I do not know how to

speak. I could sing, but now, even that I am not able to do. How can I

speak Swami?â€

 

But Swami would not take no for an answer. He went down to where she was

sitting, and helped her to walk up a few steps to the porch in Sai

Kulwant Hall and took her to the podium.

 

M.S. then said, “Swami, as I just said, I do not know how to make

speeches. But if they ask me are you father, I will say you certainly

are father. If they ask me are you mother, I will assert that you are

indeed mother.†And in this manner she spoke just a few

sentences, straight from the Heart.

 

That evening, when Swami was going round and giving Darshan in

Poornachandra Hall before a cultural program, he told a group of ladies,

“Today, so many people made speeches, but the speech of M.S.

alone stood out. It came from the heart; all the others were

artificial!â€

 

Warden Narasimha Murthy was busy preparing the next volume of Sathyam,

Sivam, Sundaram, meant to be released the following year. In this

connection, he has been talking to many old-timers, and one of them was

M.S. Apparently, at the end of the conversation, Narasimha Murthy asked,

“Do you have any special prayer for Bhagavan?â€

 

M.S. smiled and replied, “Where is the question of prayer? Before

we even start to pray, Swami is giving all that we want and even

more!â€

 

PS: When the mind of man is unattached to the ups and downs of life, but

is able to maintain equanimity under all circumstances, good physical

health will be assured. Illness is caused more by malnutrition of the

mind than of the body. Doctors speak of vitamin deficiency; I will call

it the deficiency of " Vitamin G " , and I will recommend the repetition of

the Name of God, contemplation of the Glory and Grace of God. That is

the " Vitamin G " medicine. Medicine for ill-health is one third of the

treatment. Regulated life and good habits are two-thirds.

 

Source:

(media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/01JAN01/queenofbakthimusic.htm)