In honor of our Gurus

[Guest guest]

Dear Holy Family,

 

We all feel the spiritual gifts we have received, and continue to

receive every day from our Gurus Sri Maa and Swamiji, and it is true

that it will take us years more of hard spiritual practice for us to

truly understand the depth and eternal quality of those gifts - if we

ever can. What I want to call attention to, with gratitude and utmost

awe, is what they have suffered and sacrificed in a physical way, and

continue to do every day, to be gurus to us.

 

I have a couple of mental pictures in mind which I want share. One

was told to me by my Kumari only a couple of days ago. She had been

at he ashram for morning ceremonies, and later to do computer tasks

with Swami. It was during the midday break, when all others were

resting - because no-one sleeps much there, least of all Sri Ma -

that Kumari happened to pass by the ashram kitchen. There she found

Sri Maa hard at work cleaning the whole kitchen by Herself.

 

When Kumari inquired why She was doing this hard work, (and, of

course, offered to help Her) Shree Maa told her that She had not been

entirely satisfied with the state of the kitchen as she had found it

that day, and so at once went to work Herself. If Kumari had not

chanced upon Her that day no-one would ever have known. Sri Maa places

physical cleanliness very high on the list of spiritual virtues, and

has little notes here and there saying, "Cleanliness is next to

Godliness" just to remind us all.

 

The other image that stands out in my mind at the moment goes back a

few years to the time when the Devi Mandir was taking its present

form. There was heavy work then, building roads, moving earth, digging

wells, erecting structures.

 

The picture I have is of Swami, having taught himself to drive a

bulldozer, in his gerrua-colored overalls driving the big machine

himself and moving earth around like a professional. I also remeber

him with his head under the hood, covered with grease, and with

skinned knuckles in the frosty air, fixing the recalcitrant disel engine.

 

These are just two pen pictures of how our Gurus work for us day after

day, much of it unknown to us. To the honor and glory of them both for

ever and ever!!!

 

With undying gratitude,

 

Tanmaya