WITH MOTHER RAMA DEVI
Mother Rama Devi of Mangalore was a great saint. I had the privilege of receiving the Mother’s blessings when she visited Ramanasramam in 1960. Her teaching is rooted in advaita and pure devotion.
The author of Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Munagala Venkataramaiah, who was then an inmate of the ashram, guided me to approach the lady saint with devotion, faith and understanding. He said, “To our knowledge, after the great Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, it is only Mother Rama Devi who spontaneously enters into bhava samadhi. This is an ecstatic state where the body stays still for a long time, exuding spiritual grace effortlessly! Witness that splendour this evening when her devotees conduct the bhajans.”
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It was a thrilling spiritual experience to see the Mother go into bhava Samadhi! The devotees were singing bhajans. Suddenly, the Mother who was seated in deep meditation, got up and started dancing fiercely. The bhajan was in worship of the divine goddess, Durga, who had fought and killed the demon, Mahishaasura. When the verses described the fierce fight, Mother Rama Devi enacted it vividly. Though her eyes were closed, her movements were full of perfect rhythm, incomparable splendour and extraordinary beauty. After slaying the demon, she stood in bhava Samadhi, triumphant, still, and fully absorbed in the Self! Witnessing that resplendence, I felt a different dimension in my consciousness open up.
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Later, I was very fortunate to have a long and exclusive audience with her. There were only the two of us. From among the many important spiritual secrets disclosed to me on that day by Mother Rama Devi, I want to share with sincere seekers one very important revelation –the Mother principle.
She told me, “The mother is so sacred that even the greatest of renunciates –Adi Sankara, Pattinathar and Bhagavan –came and attended on their mothers during their last days. Bhagavan even gave enlightenment to his mother! The mother-son relationship is not merely a karmic connection. It is a true spiritual link. Actually, every mother is great since she gives the soul to the child in its sixth month when it is still in the womb. Till, then, it is merely a biological, fleshy growth. Only after that, does it become a human being. Have you ever thought about it?
The mother, while carrying the baby, is the only human being who has two souls, simultaneously, in a single body. A mother’s gift is thus, the greatest gift. No man can ever have this honour. The mother-principle assumes the highest importance in a spiritual seeker’s life. This is a spiritual secret. Worship your mother and your spiritual aspirations will surely be crowned with success!” I bowed down repeatedly to the great mother principle, sitting in front of me with a human form and name, Mother Rama Devi!
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Later, I came to know that in the Hindu scriptures, which prescribe rituals for all important occurrences in human life, it is stated that before six months of pregnancy, if a miscarriage takes place, no rituals need be performed. But if this happens after the sixth month, full ritualistic ceremonies have to be performed by the father of the child as if a fully grown child had died. It proved to me that the soul enters the foetus in the sixth month. This knowledge humbled me and gave me a deep insight into the physical and spiritual glory of the mother principle. I instantly remembered the profound declaration of Swami Ramdas, “The sun, the cow and one’s own mother – the three physical aspects of God – are available to all human beings!”
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Recently, I came across a profound passage from the sacred statements of Prophet Mohammad. Someone asked the Prophet, “Who has the greater right over children, the mother of the father?” He answered, “The mother’s right is greater than the father’s”. He was asked this three times. And each time, his answer was the same. The fourth time he said, “The Father’s right comes next.” “Why do you give the mother three rights to the father’s one?” The Prophet replied, “Your mother carried you for nine months in her womb and then, gave birth to you. After that she gave up her sleep for you, suckled you, carried you in her arms and cleaned you. For years she cooked for you, fed you and served you food. She did your laundry. When you were forty, fifty, sixty, she still followed your progress with interest. Your father sowed you in your mother’s womb, provided for your food and made sure you had clothes to wear. Can this be compared with your mother’s role?” The questioner went on, “Well, I wonder if I could ever repay my mother for all her help and service, however much I do for her”.
The Prophet replied, “You cannot repay so much as one night’s due!”
“But, suppose I carry my mother on my back, clean up after her, cook for her and feed her. Suppose, I attend to her as long as she lives?” “There will still be this difference between you. Your mother looked after your life even before you were born, while you can do so only until she dies!”
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