Excerpt from Shree Maa's new book by Steven Newmark

[Guest guest]

Here's an excerpt from Shree Maa's new book, Love So Strong It Broke

The Cage: The Life of Shree Maa. This

is from a chapter on called Faith and Doubt. The book will be

released soon. We hope.

 

THE STORM

 

Surrounded by a raging fire, encircled by robbers in a lonely place,

or tossed about by turbulent winds in a boat on the great sea,

people who remember my glory will be freed from calamity and anguish.

 

from the Chandi Path

 

 

One night, at three o'clock, Ganesh appeared to me and

said, "Tomorrow

morning you have to go to the Brahmaputra river and protect a big

ship."

 

At eleven a.m., I said to all the devotees who were with me, "Hey,

does

anyone want to come with me? Let's go to the Brahmaputra River.

Today

we'll have fun!" Everyone came with me-all twelve devotees. When we

reached the Brahmaputra river they announced, "Today no boat or ship

is

going to the other side because of a big storm." At that time I

knew,

"Oh, this is why Ganesh told me to come!"

 

Everybody wanted to go back, but I said, "I'm sorry, I'm not moving,

I'm

sitting here. I have to find out why Ganesh told me to come." After

about two hours, there was an announcement that a big ship was

arriving.

When the ship landed, I stepped on it and so did all my devotees, as

well as many other people.

 

Oh my God! When we were in the middle of the river a big, big storm

came! Later we learned that it was the biggest storm in fifty-three

years. The waves were so big! The ship was going back and forth, up

and

down. It looked like the ship was going to go underwater. Everyone

was

being tossed about, the way God tosses us about sometimes.The ship's

captain and others were crying, "Call on God, only God can save us!"

and

all the people started to cry!

 

I was so happy, you know, because Ganesh told me what he did, and I

went

into samadhi. Whatever happens, happens. Ganesh told me He will

protect

them.

 

I heard later that the engine broke. The ship's captain, who was

from

England, was reading the Bible and trying to calm the crying people.

 

After a couple of hours, I suddenly felt everybody holding me. I

woke

up

and all the devotees were yelling, "Why did you bring us here?" All

the

children were shaking me! They were really, really upset and they

were

crying. It looked like they wanted to kill me! They pleaded, "Save

us,

save us!" I said, "Just be at peace. Remember God," but they

continued

to yell.

 

I said inside to Ganesh, "Do you want to kill them? I know you want

to

protect them." I opened my eyes and I asked the devotees to pray to

Ganesh.

 

Then evening came, and slowly, with God's grace, the ship went near

the

Kamakhya Temple, and stopped. It was supposed to go in the other

direction, but it went instead to the Kamakhya Temple. Can you

believe

that? The captain pulled up, and many boats came, and everyone got

down.

Then the storm stopped!

 

People felt that I had saved them and they bowed down to me. They

were

so thankful. Then I told them to go to the big Shiva temple. All of

us

were praying to Shiva about what had happened that day! Everybody

became very relaxed and happy. (Laughing) There was such a

beautiful

feeling that God is living with us, and God is protecting us all the

time.

 

(Since that time the boatmen in that area refer to Shree Maa as the

Eternal Goddess of the River.)

 

Did Ganesh tell you to go so you could protect the people who were

on

the boat?

 

Yes. Ganesh said, "You go to Brahmaputra River today and take care

of

the people." I had no idea there would be a storm. I had no other

information, it was incredible. That really impressed me!

 

Impressed you? In what sense?

 

It impressed me how beautiful it is when you love God. Do you know

that

story about the disciple who was asking his Guru how he could see

God?

The Guru said, "Let's go take a swim." The Guru took him swimming

and

held his head underwater until he could barely breathe! When he

finally

let the disciple up for air he was gasping for breath. The Guru

said,

"When you want God as much as you wanted to breathe just now, you

will

find him."

 

When you reach the stage when you really want God, this is how you

feel! It feels beautiful. In this story, the disciple wanted to

know

how it feels and the guru put him under the water to show him. When

the

disciple was struggling to get back his breath, it was like when you

are

under the spell of maya. When you are bound with maya, you can't

breathe.

 

So when the guru pulled the disciple to the surface, he let out his

breath and said, "Aaah!Aaah!" That "Aaah" is exciting. You get a

release when the guru lets you up. You feel what you really want,

Maya

or God? (Laughing) This was happening with all my disciples that

day!

 

Yeah, they thought they were going to die.

 

Yes, this was happening with everybody to remind them of God. After

that, they all went to the temple and prayed, "Oh, God!"

 

They felt they had been saved by God?

 

Yes, it was so great! So great! A couple of devotees came with me,

like Gautam and his wife. Gautam's wife had a little doubt, you

know,

"Oh, why is my husband going with this lady?" But after that she

completely changed! She bowed down to me and said, "Mother, forgive

me.

I had a doubt about you." God gives a teaching in so many different

ways--it's unbelievable.

 

DOUBT

 

Can doubt be healthy sometimes?

 

Doubt can help sometimes. Out of doubt, faith comes. St. Francis

said

that. Where there is doubt, there is faith. Without doubt, how will

faith come?

 

Is there always some degree of doubt if you're on the earth?

 

No, I don't think so. A pure soul has no doubt. When you love God,

there

is no doubt. When there is confusion, when you don't know yourself,

then

doubt surrounds you. Whoever lives with Maya, they have doubt. They

are

attached to their own desires. They have doubt and that doubt

sometimes

creates faith.

 

Pure knowledge, pure wisdom and pure love are great weapons that can

destroy all doubt. Here's a good story. Three sadhus were doing

tapasya. Suddenly, the great sage Narada Muni appeared. The three

sadhus saw Narada Muni, and said, "How long will it take us to see

God?" Narada replied to the first sadhu, "It will take you 100,000

years!" The first sadhu was very unhappy. Narada told the second

sadhu

"It will take you 200,000 years." The second sadhu was extremely

unhappy. Finally Narada turned to the third sadhu and said, "Do you

see

this tamarind tree? This tree has millions and millions of tiny

leaves.

That's how long it will take you to see God." The third sadhu was

overwhelmed with joy! "That means I will see God!" He danced around

and

around in joy and in that moment he realized God.