Women Symbolize Sacrifice

6 May 1999, Easwaramma Day, Kodaikanal

Published English.

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’s divinity blossomed under 's loving care; and could become powerful and famous Due to their noble and virtuous mother ; The love and care of made a great warrior; Fostered with the love of his mother , became a . Is there anyone in this world who can Take care of you the way your mother does? (mother) is the first word that man picks up in life. The first letter of the word '' also happens to be The first letter of the alphabet. Embodiments of Love! [Telugu Poem]

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one’s own language is called mother tongue, not father tongue. Among the parents, the first place is given to the mother; next comes the father. Not only in day-to-day life but also in the field of spirituality, mothers and women are given the highest regard. For example, when we mention the names of Divine couples such as , , , etc., the names of the goddesses come first. What is the inner significance of this? Mother represents Nature, which is the manifest aspect of Divinity. Similarly, the body and the , the creation and the Creator, are closely interrelated. The body cannot function without the . The cannot be experienced without the body.

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The refers to and . refers to the and to the body. But today, people are under the mistaken notion that refers to the of one’s own caste and community such as , (warrior), (merchant), and (labourer). is . The letter denotes Divinity. It also signifies the four stages such as (contemplation on God), (nearness to God), (identity with God), and (merger with God). Today, man performs all his activities having faith in the external world. All that is physical and external is temporary. Only the is permanent and eternal. In fact, the is the real mother. It is not proper on your part to forget this divine mother.

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Mother is one’s first God Mother is given the utmost importance in human life. There may be a wicked son, but not a wicked mother. It is because of the noble feelings of the mothers that sons become virtuous, intelligent, attain exalted positions and earn name and fame. The declare: (worship the mother as God, the father as God, the preceptor as God and the guest as God.) It is the mother who fosters you and nourishes you. It is she who knows your choices and preferences and fulfils all your needs. So, be grateful to your mother always.

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Though you cannot see , , , and , you are worshipping them because you believe in scriptures and what the elders say. But how is that you are forgetting your parents, who are responsible for your progress in life? First and foremost, you should show gratitude to your parents, love them, and respect them. Your blood, your food, your head, your money are all the gifts of your parents. You do not receive these gifts directly from God. All that is related to God is only indirect experience. It is only the parents whom you can see directly and experience their love.

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Children can understand the meanings of the word fox or dog only when they see their pictures. Similarly, it is only after seeing the parents that one can understand the existence of God. When you love and respect your parents, only then you can understand the love of the Divine Parents ( and ). This is what I tell you often: if you understand the ‘I’ principle in you, you will understand the ‘I’ in everybody. (individual) has emerged from (society), from (creation), and from (Creator). Only when you understand the principle of creation, can you understand the Creator.

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Woman is embodiment of virtues When went to in search of Mother , he found her sitting surrounded by demons under a tree in . felt very sad seeing being harassed by the demons. He went back to and told Him, Lord , I have seen Mother being harassed and frightened by demons pointing sharp swords at her. She was shivering with fear like a parrot in a cage [Telugu Poem]

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On hearing this, and immediately set out to with the army of , fought a battle with , and killed him. As per the command of Lord , went to and conveyed the good news to her. Then he requested to permit him to punish the demons surrounding her, who had put her to great suffering.

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said, “O , it is the responsibility of the subjects to obey the commands of the king. Just as you obey the command of Lord , these demons also had to obey the dictates of their king. It is not their mistake. They acted according to the instructions of the king. So, it is rather unfair to punish these demons. In fact, I suffered not because of these demons, but because of separation from .” So saying, she narrated the following story.

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The tiger said, “O bear, you should never believe human beings. This hunter tried to harm you, though you were kind enough to give him shelter and protect him. So, without further delay, push the ungrateful wretch down, I shall devour him.” But the bear said, “I have done my duty. Each one has to face the consequences of his own actions. I will not harm him just because he tried to harm me.” Narrating this story, said, “No doubt, these demons have put me to a lot of suffering without knowing what is truth and what is . Being the consort of Lord , I cannot stoop down to their level and seek revenge. I do not want to cause harm to anyone.”

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said, “O Mother, it is but natural that you, being the consort of Lord , are broadminded and noble hearted. You are the embodiment of . It is a mistake on my part to think that you would permit me to punish these helpless demons.”

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said, “, not only me but all the women are endowed with the noble qualities like compassion and love.”

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, the Divine Mother , the mother of this physical body, was first christened as at the time of birth. But after her marriage, , the grandfather of this physical body, being a (one of wisdom) and blessed with a vision of the future, started calling her (mother of ). He used to worship . His was a joint family. He had two sons. The elder son, , was the father of this physical body. His younger son was . Two sons of his deceased brother, and , also lived with him. One day, as there was some difference of opinion, it was decided to divide the property.

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How craved At that time, this body was eight years old. said he did not want any share in the property and told them to divide it among themselves. The four brothers asked to spend the rest of his life staying with each one of them. But said, “I do not want to stay with you, I do not expect anything from you. Whatever I have earned, distribute among yourselves. But give me one property, . If He is with me, I don’t want anything else.” He asked me, if I was willing to stay with him. I readily agreed.

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Both of us were staying in a small room. I used to get up early in the morning, clean the vessels, and cook food for both of us. After making the food ready, I used to run to to attend school. The lunch bell would go at I o'clock. I would run back to , serve him lunch, have it Myself, and then rush to school for the afternoon session. I maintained punctuality both at school and at home.

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, being one with wisdom, always craved Me. One day, he called and told him to change his wife’s name to . He told this because he felt the divine vibrations originating from within. His intention was to convey that she was the mother of , God Himself. But was not aware of the inner meaning of this name. He implicitly obeyed the command of his father and changed the name of his wife to .

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's last desire The new was built before left his mortal coil. He lived for 116 years. But, even at that ripe old age his eyes and legs were in good condition. So, he used to walk from old to the new every day, without a walking stick.

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He was an ardent devotee of . He used to come to Me early in the morning at 5 o'clock. Seeing him coming at a distance, I used to cover Myself with a blanket, pretending to be asleep. He would come slowly, lift the blanket, touch My feet, and return. He used to come early in the morning because he did not want anyone to notice him touching My feet. He was a little apprehensive about what the villagers would think if they noticed a 116 year-old grandfather touching the feet of his grandson.

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On a particular evening, I went to to see him. At that time, he was sitting on a cot, deeply immersed in singing a ballad, which described lamenting over the fainting of in the battlefield. He was very fond of this particular episode from the .

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lamented, “In this world, I might find another mother like , a wife like , but definitely not a brother like .” This is what he was singing to himself when I entered his room.

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I said, “O grandfather, what are you doing?” He exclaimed, "O , You have come,” and fell at My feet.

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He said, “, I am fully aware that You are not an ordinary child, but Himself. You are born in our clan to redeem all of us. But, I pray that You fulfil a small desire of mine. did not have the good fortune of drinking water from 's divine hands at the time of' his death. But was fortunate enough to be the recipient of such an act of grace in his last moments. , let me also have the good fortune of sipping water from Your divine hands when my end approaches.”

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’s motherly affection for The following week, I went to see him again after visiting 's house. came to know that I was coming to his house. Immediately, he called and told her, “I am not going to live any longer. Having known that my end has approached, God is coming to shower His grace on me?”.

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She responded in an innocent way saying, “Where is God? How do you know that He is coming?” Then said, “O mad woman, still you are deluded by the feeling of a mother toward her son! Look there, God is coming.” So saying, he pointed at Me as I was entering his house. She too was aware of My Divinity. But she used to get carried away by her motherly affection toward Me. Similar was the case with . Though she had seen all the fourteen worlds in 's mouth, she thought it was a dream or an illusion.

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told that did not take sweets. Right from birth till today, I have not touched sweets.

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Why? If I were to take sweets, thousands of devotees would start bringing sweets for Me. I do not take fruits either. I do not even touch milk or curds. I lead a very simple life. I take only gruel and groundnut chutney.

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also used to relish this food. He used to say, “, serve me whatever you eat.” Early in the morning, I used to prepare tasteful gruel, groundnut chutney and some green leaves curry. The whole street was very fond of My cooking. Sometimes, on My return from , I used to find all those afflicted with fever making a beeline in front of the house waiting for Me. would tell Me that they were all waiting to take the pepper from Me as it would give them relief. Immediately, I used to prepare pepper and distribute a glassful to each of them. They used to feel very happy, and later on expressed their gratitude saying, “, your pepper has given us great relief.”

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’s culinary skills In those days, on festival days such as and , the and barbers used to come to the house for food. In the house, there was no one else other than and Myself. So, I had to prepare food for many people. (’s mother) and and (’s sisters) used to prepare various delicious items including sweet in their respective homes on festival days. When they could prepare sweet , why couldn’t I also prepare them and serve grandfather? So, I also would prepare sweet and serve not only grandfather but also the washerman, the barber, and others. On one such occasion, (’s father) came to see us at lunch time. invited him for lunch, since it was a festival day. had his lunch with us and felt that the food items were very delicious. He went home and chided and for not being able to make the items tasteful. He said, “Look at , what a fine cook he is! Why can't you prepare the food items the way does?” From the next day onward, he started sending them to Me asking them to bring whatever food items I prepared. They would come and complain that it was because of My cooking that they were being blamed at home.

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How things happened they way they were destined When I was nine years old, , the elder brother of this body, decided to take Me with him to for studies. He felt that I was wasting My time staying with . But, grandfather objected to this, saying that I did not require any studies. But things happened the way they were destined to happen.

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After the construction of , one day I went to see . He asked to get a glass of water. He told her, “God has come to take me away. He made a promise that He would pour water into my mouth with His Divine hands, before I leave this body. He has come to fulfill His promise.” Puzzled by 's request, said, “You are not suffering from any disease, you don't even have fever or a cold. What makes you think that your end has approached.” said, “Death occurs as per the Will of God. Just as birth has no reason, death too has no reason. This is the Truth of truths.” did not want to argue with him. According to his wish, she brought a glassful of water and gave him. He sat down on the floor and made Me sit on the cot. He kept his head on My knees and said, “, please listen to My prayer.” was watching all this. She wondered, how is that he had so much love and regard for his young grandson. said, “As You know, I was doing a small business to make both ends meet. Perhaps I may still have to pay a or an to certain people. Please bless me so that I am not indebted to anyone in my death.” I said, “So shall it be,” and started pouring water into his mouth. He breathed his last as he was drinking water. His desire was fulfilled.

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Before leaving his mortal coil, he told not to get deluded by body attachment. He said, “Bodily relationship is temporary, whereas Atmic relationship is permanent. So, give up body attachment and develop attachment to the .” Three wishes of two noble mothers From that day onward, never stayed at home; she started staying in . Every day, in the morning and evening she used to come upstairs and talk to . She also understood My Divinity very well. When I appeared in the form of Lord to her, she would ask, “What ? Why are you adorning the snakes around your neck?” I would act innocent, “Well, I don't have snakes on Me.” She would move away saying, “Look, there are some snakes inside.” But later, on not finding any snake inside, she would ask for forgiveness. Like this on many occasions, she had the experience of My Divinity. Similar was the case with and . Though they knew that their sons were divine, they used to get carried away by their motherly affection toward them. Mothers are highly noble and virtuous. Their nobility cannot be described in words. It does not matter if you do not acquire worldly wealth, but try to win the wealth of your mother's grace. Only then your life will be sanctified.

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Three wishes of a noble mother was a noble soul. He was born in a poor family. He was living with his aged mother. He used to feel very sad seeing his mother wearing old and torn saris. After he completed his studies, he took up a job and started earning some money. One day he sat by the side of his mother and said. “Mother, please tell me if you have any desires. Now that I have started earning money, I am in a position to fulfil them.” She said, “Son, I don't have any desires. It is enough for me if you lead a noble life.” After some time, he got a better job and started earning thousands of . Again, he asked his mother to tell him if she had any desires. She said she had three desires and could not live in peace unless and until they were fulfilled. “Ours is a small village, and there are many children who are wasting their time without going to school. So, please construct a small school out of the money you have earned.” As per the wish of his mother, got a school constructed in his village.

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Then he asked his mother to express her second desire. “Our villagers are suffering for lack of medical facilities. There is nobody to take care of them when they are afflicted with fever, cough or cold. So, I want you to construct a small hospital.” built a hospital, too.

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Story of ’s humility As the days rolled by, 's name and fame spread far and wide. He was a good orator. His speeches were not based on bookish knowledge. He used to speak on matters of daily relevance. So, people in large numbers used to throng his meetings to listen to his speech. He was a very simple and humble man.

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One day he was going to a neighboring village to address a gathering. He boarded the train carrying a small suitcase. An I.A.S officer, who was going to attend his meeting, was traveling by the same train. He was carrying a small handbag with him. He had not seen before. As soon as he got down from the train, he started calling out for a coolie. Seeing this, went up to him and asked where his luggage was. The officer showed his handbag. said, “Why do you misuse your money? Do you need a coolie to carry your handbag? Let me carry it for you.” He took the bag from the officer and carried it.

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After reaching the destination, the officer asked how much money he wanted for carrying the bag. said, “I do not want your money, I did it as an act of service.” The officer proceeded to the meeting place where was supposed to deliver his speech. He was stunned to see the same person who carried his bag giving a speech on the dais. What a humble person he was, he thought to himself and felt ashamed of his behavior. spent all his earnings to fulfill the desires of his mother.

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’s similar wishes had similar desires. Once, she told Me, ", our is a small village. Since there is no school in this village, the children are forced to walk long distances to attend schools in the neighboring villages. I know that You are the ocean of compassion. Please construct a small school in this village.” I asked, where she wanted the school to be built. She said she had a piece of land behind her house. She wanted the school to be constructed there. As desired by her, I got the school constructed. Though it was a small school, the inaugural function was a grand affair, attended by many devotees.

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The next day, expressed her happiness over the inaugural function and said that she had one more desire. She wanted a hospital also to be built in the village. She said, “, I don't want to put You to trouble. If You are troubled, the whole world will be in trouble, and if You are happy, the whole world will be happy. So, if it gives You happiness, please construct a small hospital.” As per her wish, I got the hospital constructed. , a highly reputed person in those days, was invited to inaugurate the hospital.

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The inaugural function was a grand one, attended by thousands of people from the neighboring villages. did not imagine that this would be such a grand affair.

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Next day, she came up to Me and said, “, it does not matter even if I die now. I have no more worries, you have fulfilled my desires and mitigated the suffering of the villagers to a great extent.” I said, if you have any more desires, ask Me now.

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She replied hesitantly that she had yet another small desire. “You know that the river is in spate during the rainy season. But in summer it dries to a trickle and people do not have drinking water. So, please see that some wells are dug in this village.” I told her that I would not stop with these small wells and that I would provide drinking water to the entire region. said, “I don't know what is. I am satisfied if our village is provided with drinking water.” ’s sacred love for Once, on a day, after I had completed My discourse, and the were ready to emerge from My mouth. I sat on the chair and was in severe pain. Seeing Me suffering, got up from the gathering, came up to Me and said, “, why do You suffer like this? Come inside, come inside.” I said I would not come inside.

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She cried and tried to persuade Me, but I did not budge an inch. Unable to see My suffering, she went inside. As soon as she left, Linga emerged. All the devotees burst into thunderous applause. Listening to this, she came back, but by then the Linga had already emerged and I was showing it to the devotees. All the people got up to have a glimpse of the Linga. As a result, could not see it.

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Next day she pleaded with Me to show the Linga to her. I said I had given it to somebody. But she said, “, I have not seen. I want to see.” I told her that she would see in the future anyway. She said, “I do not want to put You to inconvenience,” and went away.

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She never had put Me to trouble any time. Whenever she asked Me for something, she would come back and ask if she had given any trouble. To all the devotees who came, she used to entreat not to cause any inconvenience to . She used to be very much worried whenever any minister came to have My . The situation in those days was such that even a policeman with a red cap was enough to frighten the villagers.

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used to be very much afraid of the ministers, thinking that they might cause some problem to Me. This was only the result of her sacred love for Me. That is the greatness of mother’s love. That is why she could lead a life of fulfillment and peace. In order to propagate this sacred ideal, this day is being celebrated as Day. This is to emphasize that each one of you should make your mother happy. If your mother is happy, is happy.

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Here is a small example. was the wife of of . She was always seated in 's temple, forgetting herself while chanting His name. One day, Emperor came to the temple and offered a gold necklace to Lord . accepted it and put it around ’s idol. was an enemy of . When came to know that had accepted a necklace for from his enemy, , he became very furious. He took it as an insult and threw her out of the temple. felt very sad.

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was in a dilemma, whether to give up or her husband . She resolved that she would not give up even at the cost of her life. Then she wrote a letter to seeking his advice in this regard.

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sent her a reply: “From the worldly point of view, you should respect your father, mother, preceptor and husband. But when it comes to God, everything else is secondary. God alone is important. left his mother for the sake of Lord . gave up his father for the sake of Lord . Emperor forsook his preceptor, , for the sake of God. So, there is nothing wrong in giving up your husband for the sake of .” Taking the advice of , left her husband.

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O mind, go to the banks of the sacred rivers and , the pure water of which cools and purifies the body.

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These two rivers stand for the primal nerves and , which converge at the center of two eyebrows. She started singing the praises of and proceeded toward .

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You can sacrifice anything for the sake of God Many such great devotees sacrificed everything for the sake of God. Women symbolize sacrifice. The declare: (immortality can be attained only through sacrifice; neither wealth nor progeny nor good deeds can confer it). You [Hindi Song] can sacrifice anything for the sake of God. But, sacrifice should not be done with a selfish motive or for self satisfaction.

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Do not hurt mother’s feelings The says that a woman has seven qualities, whereas a man has only three. So, never look down upon women. They are most virtuous. They are the very embodiments of nature.

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Some women may think that they would have enjoyed greater freedom had they been born as men. This is a wrong notion. In fact, women are more powerful than men. With all the sacred feelings in your heart, respect women and be respected. Respect your mother, obey her commands. Mother protects her children in many ways. Even after death, she comes back and helps you in various ways. Never disrespect your mother or disappoint her. Do not hurt her feelings. Try to satisfy her in all respects. Only then will the seed of devotion sprout in you. Everyone should follow the dictum, in letter and spirit and be a recipient of his mother's love.