Shree Maa & Swami Satyananda Saraswati

February 1, 2005

I think you did a beautiful and accurate job! Jai Maa!

-

Nanda

Tuesday, February 01, 2005 9:07 AM

Shree Maa & Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Dear Karen,Thank you for reminding that newbies to the group may like

to know a little more about Shree Maa and Swamiji.While people would

get more information about them by visiting the following

linkshttp://www.shreemaa.org/shreemaa.htm

http://www.shreemaa.org/swamiji.htmI would like to give my personal

take on these two beautiful people after knowing them in close

quarters for a few years.Shree Maa - my one word definition for Her

is "MOTHER" She nourishes her children in every way - as someone said

"You wont believe the number of dishes that She sometimes cooks to

take care of her children." She guides her children - always , always

She suggests and recommends never forces .... "Could you please chant

such-and-such text" almost as if we were doing Her a big favor...

while all the time it is we that are being helped .She is concerned

for the welfare of her children -- how many times I have been

delighted with an unexpected call from Her. "How are you ? How is

your job ? Are you doing OK ? " and if I see Her after a gap of many

days "I missed you"And those are just her Human qualities ...Her

Divinity ... who can measure ? Her firm resolve , her glorious early

sadhana filled days, her days in India , performing yajnas and

tapasya with Swamiji .... Above all - Shree Maa the Guru. She whose

eyes can suddenly penetrate through me and ask me about my sadhana

....So many aspects to Her. But above all ... She is Mother.Here is my

take on Swamiji - the one word that I would use to describe him -

GURU.Swamiji - as the person - a warm man with a terrific sense of

humor. The efficient and organized and hardworking Sadhu - who packs

in 25 hour days into 24 hours. He handles all the day to day work

AND translates and writes books AND spends many hours in puja and

recitation and homa AND finds time to counsel people AND ..... whew

the list goes on...As a person ... a warm forgiving nature ...how

many times I have goofed up ... and all I have gotten from him -

immediate forgiveness and the problem never mentioned ... how much

love he has in his heart ! As a sadhu - his formidable strength and

sadhana - one has to see his passion for chanting the texts to be

carried into his bhava. His love for the Goddess - one needs to see

him do the Arati just once to know what I mean.I tried to give my

perspective to the newcomer ... but I wrote what came to my mind

without stopping to edit ... so if you find it fragmented, please ask

me questions and I would be delighted to answer. Also the best bet for

introduction to these wonderful people is still the parent website

http://www.shreemaa.orgJai GuruNanda

February 1, 2005

Your post set me thinking about Shree Maa and Swami Ji's qualities as Mother and Guru.

While we were on the U.S. tour in 2000, our caravan would occasionally

stop at wal mart. (Mother likes wal mart because of it's efficiency).

We would have a bit of a shopping spree, including getting food in

the grocery section. A few more hours down the road, the caravan

would pull off, and we would all go hover around Maa and Swami's R.V.

Maa would be in the R.V. making all of us supper. Then after a little

while, plates or bags of food would be passed out from the R.V. door,

usually with our individual names written on them, and we would all

delight in the prasad of Mother's wonderful cooking!

Whenever we were travelling a long way, on that day we would always

get an early start. On one such occasion, we were all sleeping on the

floor in a downstairs den of the house we were staying in. We were in

Minneapolis and had to go to Colorado. about 6 am Swami Ji came in to

find us all still sound asleep. I heard an incredibly loud bell

ringing. Coming awake VERY suddenly, I looked up to see Swami Ji

marching back and forth through the room and ringing this gigantic

arati bell as loud as he could, and singing with joyous abandon, "Jai

Maa, Jai Maa, Jai Maa, Jai Maa". We were all jumping up trying to pull

our trowsers on while still half asleep, to the jolting sound of the

bell and Swami's joyful song. Swami Ji was having a great time. I

still get a good laugh whenever I remember it!Nanda

<chandimaakijai > wrote:

Dear Karen,Thank you for reminding that newbies to the group may like

to know a little more about Shree Maa and Swamiji.While people would

get more information about them by visiting the following

linkshttp://www.shreemaa.org/shreemaa.htm

http://www.shreemaa.org/swamiji.htmI would like to give my personal

take on these two beautiful people after knowing them in close

quarters for a few years.Shree Maa - my one word definition for Her

is "MOTHER" She nourishes her children in every way - as someone said

"You wont believe the number of dishes that She sometimes cooks to

take care of her children." She guides her children - always , always

She suggests and recommends never forces .... "Could you

please chant such-and-such text" almost as if we were doing Her a big

favor... while all the time it is we that are being helped .She is

concerned for the welfare of her children -- how many times I have

been delighted with an unexpected call from Her. "How are you ? How

is your job ? Are you doing OK ? " and if I see Her after a gap of

many days "I missed you"And those are just her Human qualities ...Her

Divinity ... who can measure ? Her firm resolve , her glorious early

sadhana filled days, her days in India , performing yajnas and

tapasya with Swamiji .... Above all - Shree Maa the Guru. She whose

eyes can suddenly penetrate through me and ask me about my sadhana

....So many aspects to Her. But above all ... She is Mother.Here is my

take on Swamiji - the one word that I would use to describe him -

GURU.Swamiji - as the person - a warm man with a terrific sense of

humor. The

efficient and organized and hardworking Sadhu - who packs in 25 hour

days into 24 hours. He handles all the day to day work AND

translates and writes books AND spends many hours in puja and