In plain words
The ideal of Easwaramma and Pedda Venkamaraju
Once, on the festival of Swami's birthday, all the villagers went to Easwaramma: ‘Mother! Today is the festival of your son's birth. You too must take part in this celebration,’ they begged. ‘What fortune could I want more than that?’ she said, and came walking from the village. As soon as she reached the room where I stayed, she sat down. ‘Swami! I could walk as far as your room. I cannot walk any further,’ she said. Then Venkamma: ‘Mother! I will hold you; you walk,’ she said. ‘None of you need hold me. Swami Himself will hold me. Swami Himself will protect me in every way,’ said Easwaramma. So great was her faith in Swami.
In May 1972 the Summer Classes were going on at Brindavan. One morning Easwaramma had her tiffin, drank her coffee and sat down. She pounded her betel and put it in her mouth. All of a sudden: ‘Swami! Swami! Swami!’ she called, three times. I said, ‘I am coming, I am coming.’ I came. She called, and I came. By the time I came, she was gone.
Pedda Venkamaraju, the father of this body, was just the same! On the day he was to go, he came to me and gave me some money: ‘Swami! After I am gone, on the twelfth day, give food to the poor,’ he asked. The two of them were just the same! Even when they had nothing for themselves, they gave in charity to many. Those born to such parents are very fortunate. If anyone came to Easwaramma with the words, ‘Mother, I have no bangles,’ then: ‘No bangles? You are a married woman, are you not! Your arms must have bangles,’ she would say, and go into the house, bring a little rice in a winnowing basket, hand it over, and have bangles put on her. At that time she had not even a naya paisa. She would help the poor by giving them grain.
In that family, everyone had the spirit of sacrifice!
Kondamaraju, the grandfather of this body, was also a man of very great character. He looked on everyone with an equal eye. He had two sons, Pedda Venkamaraju and Chinna Venkamaraju.