TAB E OF CO TEN S T BLE F ONT NTS

rial .......... 3 . Sketch of Ma f ........... 4 ring Incid dents fro Mas life om s . .......... 10
Healing of Mental Distu M urbance ....... ...................................... .................... ....................... 10 My Husband Got Cured ................... d d ...................................... .................... ....................... 11 Rescue of a Desperate Devotee ......... D D ...................................... .................... ....................... 12 One Less Obs stacle ............................. ...................................... .................... ....................... 14 A story told by MA........................... b ...................................... .................... ....................... 14 Ma and the lessons of Karma. .......... l Ka ...................................... .................... ....................... 15

Questions and Ma Answ ...... s as wers ........... ..................... 16 aimer .... 40

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Ed ditorial

ay Ma bless and guide me for co ompiling th magazin on her. It is she who his ne .

inspires me, it is she who acts through me, an I am ju an inst nd ust trument in her n hands. I must say at the ou y utset that the only m t motive of th magazin is to sp his ne pread supreme name of Ma. People will come into Mas fold on th e s heir accord and when Ma d n wishes that. I wish this maga t h azine does its part ho tiny it c s ow could be.

out Ma ca be an Nothing new abo nly source of e written, the on t information about Ma is the old re. Devot tees per rsonal literatur experien nces poo ol is an nother authent tic source e; howeve er, I have lim mited time and resour to rce find peo ople who were blesse by w ed Ma in pe erson. If Ma blesses, such M people may send their article for m t es next ed dition and then those can e be inclu uded. That will keep this t p magazin ne alive for fu urther edition. I am su ure the ar rticles from re eaders will certainly be inspiring g.

MagazineN Name:Matriv vani Edition:Firs stEdition,Ap pril2012. Editor:Asho okJain Category:Sp C piritual Rights:Nor ightsreservedbypublis sher.Reader rs canfreelyciirculateanddistributee c emagazinea as longasmag azineispres servedinitsoriginal formatandnocontenta f alterationisdone. Contact:ash C hokjain_29@ @rediffmail.c com

This ma agazine is absolutely free. You can circul late it in it original format am ts mong your frie ends and relatives. I have liste sources of articles and quot r ed s tes wherev ver I could as scertain for sure the sources. All the mat A terial is fre eely availab on web and ble b hence I could hav access to that. What I have done is t ve t e that I have selected best e ut t agazine on Ma. n among them and tried to pu them in the format of a light weight ma m a y, e d azine As per my knowledge, with all humility I believe this would be the first e-maga of its kind on Ma May you all have peace and happiness in your lives by Mas k a. u d r blessing Peace, light and lo gs! l ove to all of you. Jai M o Ma.

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Li Sketch of Ma ife h
(sou urce: om-gur ru.com)

nan ndamayi Ma was born in East Bengal (now Banglade M n B w esh) in 189 Her fath 96. her,

Bipin Be ehari Bhatt tacarya, sang Vaisnav songs of va ften appea aring to be intoxicated d. He would rise at 3 AM and si ing songs, and was g given to wa andering fo long periods. or His wife would go searching for him an bring him back hom On one occasion, e nd m me. e during a storm, th roof blew off the ho he w ouse and h continue singing in the rain. he ed

Anandamayi's mo other, Moks sada Sund dari Devi, was also known for her state of r es bhava or religious emotion. She was visited by a o s v avatars and deities w d who shown with light as she per s rformed her househ h hold dutie es. While pregnant with Nirm mala (Ananda amayi's giv ven name), she woul see visio ld ons of sages and sta atues of de eities which would appea and the suddenly disappea She late took vow and bec w ar, en ar. er ws came a female renunciant. e

Anandamayi Ma was very sensitive to religious ritual as a child, and the soun of w o d nd religious chanting would brin about ecstatic fee s ng e elings in he At temp er. ples, she w would also see religious figures em e merging from religious statues a s and reentering them. She was ofte distracted and wo en ould be see gazing i nto space, her eyes not focuse on en ed outer ob bjects. Her education was very limited and her writin skills we minima r d ng ere al.

She ma arried at 13 years of age to Ramani Moh f han Cakrav varti or Bh holanath as he was kno own, and spent a few years liv s w ving in her brother-in n-law's hou use, much of it apparen ntly in tran nce. She was a hard worker b w d but sometimes had a difficult time concent trating on housework Her rela k. atives assu med that the trance were du to es ue overwor Her bro rk. other-in-law died, an she wen to live w w nd nt with her h husband at age t 18, whe she me a young man who was impre ere et essed by he quiet wa of being He er ay g. called her "mothe (Ma in Bengali) and predic h er" a cted that o one day th entire w he world would address her in that wa r ay.

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It was a celibate marriage though not by her hu t t usband's c choice. When thoughts of sexualit occurred to Bholan ty d nath, Anandamayi's b body would take on t d the qualitie of es death and she wo a ould grow faint. He had to rep peat mantras to brin her bac to ng ck normal consciousness. Som metimes in such sit uations, h n her body w would bec come distorted in variou ways or it would stiffen. She later said that she had given her us r s e d n husband spontaneous elect d trical shoc cks when he touche her the wrong way. ed Bholana thought the situation was te ath t emporary but it prov ved to be p permanent. His relatives said he should remarry but he did not fo s s e ollow their advice. La r ater, Bholanath took init tiation from her and accepted Anandamay as his gu m a A yi uru.

While liv ving in Da acca, to others came recognize her spir e ritual qualities. At the so . ound of religi ious chanting, she would become stiff and eve en fall to the ground i a faint. Her in body w would occasionally bec come deformed during these d events. Sometime it es would At lengthen. hrink others, it would sh would or its limbs w seeming go into impossib position as if th skeletal structure had chan gly o ble ns he e nged shape beneath he skin. She would hold difficul yogic po b er lt ositions (as sanas) for long periods and spon ntaneously form com mplex tant tric hand positions (mudras) and gestures s.

Her hus sband thou ught she might be possessed and too her to exorcists. One d, ok physicia suggested she was not mad in the con an nventional sense but instead had a t kind of god intoxic g cation - a divine madness for w hich there was no secular cure. d .

In 1916 she became ill and moved back to he parent's home in Vadyakuta In 6, b er s a. 1918 sh and her husband moved to Bajitpur w he r where she b began to d Shaivite and do e Vaisnav vite spiritua practices Inner vo al s. oices woul d tell her what actio ons to perform and which images to visuali s ize. Her yo ogic practic ces (kryias were spontaneous and s) 5 | Page

she described them as occurring much like a factory where the various machines all worked automatically and in perfect sequence to produce a product.

Anandamayi would shed profuse tears, laugh for hours, and talk at tremendous speed in a Sanskrit-like language. Other unusual actions included rolling in the dust and dancing for long periods whirling like a leaf in the wind. She would also fast for long periods and at other times consume enough food for eight or nine people.

In the history of Indian devotional traditions, changes in bodily structure and state are considered to be spontaneous expressions of religious emotion. Anandamayi's changes were more extreme than these more common sattvika bhavas (sweating, fainting, crying, change in skin color, hair standing on end, etc.) which also normally indicate strong religious emotion. Some respected Indian saints of the past were described as having had similar bodily changes.

Anandamayi went on various pilgrimages traveling throughout India stopping in ashrams and attending religious festivals. She had a temple built for her by disciples in Dacca but left the day it was completed. She traveled to Dehradun where she lived in an abandoned Shiva temple for almost a year without money and often in freezing temperatures without blankets.

She was known for her siddhis or yogic powers where she could read her devotee's thoughts and emotions at a distance, make her body shrink and expand, and cure the sick. One disciple claimed that she was saved from death after a car accident when Anandamayi grasped her "life substance" and brought it back into her dead body.

Anandamayi was sensitive to environmental influences as was demonstrated when she once passed a Muslim tomb. She immediately began to recite portions of the Quran, and to perform the Namaj ritual (Muslim prayers). These and other similar acts showed Anandamayi to be someone always moving through a wide variety of psychic and religious states, each one expressing itself through her. She often objectified her body by describing her actions in phases like "this body did this" or "this body went there". She believed her chaotic actions were expressions of the divine will. 6|Page

metimes as scribed her actions to a person al though unnamed g r o god: I hav no ve f pleasure or pain, and I stay as I have always bee Sometimes He draws en. side, and sometimes He takes me inside and I am completely withdraw I s wn. ody, all of my actions are done by him an not by m Gopina Kaviraj Sri e nd me. ath j, Anandama ayi: Upade esa O Pras snottara (C Calcutta: P Pasyant Pr rakasani, 1 1382 .1

o sometime describe herself es ed pletely em mpty with no sense I am" rema aining. She was lost e great void (mahasuny which ya) sponsible for her actions. The that emana ated from this void ten chaotic and incoherent. w was tha a univer at rsal state os arises due to spo d ontaneous ns of the divine will which w ut of this nothingness But she s. alked in theologica terms al her bha avas or that f ions were the play of the Lord van) acting through her body. g h

mayi con nsidered individual to be a kind of spiritual . She calle it bhava roga, or the disea ed r ase of feeling where every pe e erson t him or herself as a separa s ate individ dual. When some of her disc n f ciples ned about the large crowds of people tha would so at ometimes follow her, she , ded,

do not feel the weigh of your head, of ha ht h ands, and o feet ... so do I feel that of ersons are all organic members of THIS B c s BODY; so I don't feel their pres l ssure their worries weighin on me. Their joys and sorr ng s rows, problems and their o y either ego sense nor conceptio of r on s, I feel to be vitally mine ... I have ne eness. Gop pinath Kav viraj, ed., Mother as Seen by Her Devot tees (Varan nasi: Shree Anandamayee Sangha, 19 S 967), p. 94 4 ge

Though she was never formally initiated by a guru, one evening she spontaneously performed her own initiation, visualizing both the ritual scene and movements. Simultaneously, she heard the chanting of initiatory sacred words (mantras) inwardly.

She explained that there were four stages in her spiritual evolution. In the first, the mind was "dried" of desire and passion so it could catch the fire of spiritual knowledge easily. Next the body became still and the mind was drawn inward, as religious emotion flowed in the heart like a stream. Thirdly, her personal identity was absorbed by an individual deity, but some distinction between form and formlessness still remained. Lastly, there was a melting away of all duality. Here the mind was completely free from the movement of thought. There was also full consciousness even in what is normally characterized as the dream state.

While sometimes speaking of spiritual evolution, she also maintained that her spiritual identity had not changed since early childhood. She claimed that all the outer changes in her life were for the benefit of her disciples.

When Paramahansa Yogananda met Anandamayi Ma and asked her about her life, she answered: "Father, there is little to tell." She spread her graceful hands in a deprecatory gesture. "My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, 'I was the same.' As a little girl, 'I was the same.' I grew into womanhood, but still 'I was the same.' When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, 'I was the same....

And, Father, in front of you now, 'I am the same.' Ever afterward, though the dance of creation change[s] around me in the hall of eternity, 'I shall be the same.'" Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi, (New York, Philosophical Library in New York City, 1946), Chapter 46

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Anandamayi Ma would some w etimes exp press a var riety of role and lat explain that es, ter this was a performance sta s aged to tea ach one of the peop present some les f ple t sson. Howeve such act er, tions were not a func ction of her will and o r occurred without plan nning or intent.

Anandam mayi was a holy wo oman without f formal religious trai ining or initiat tion whos se status was based entirely on her ecs n static states. Sh did not have an o he outer guru, tho ough she d hear vo did oices that told her what religious and t meditativ practice to perf ve es form. She emp phasized the importance of detach hment from the world and m d religious also devotion n. She encouraged her dev votees to s serve others. S She did m much trave eling and wand dering, at times refu using to stay at the ashrams her devotees provided for her. W While her pare ents worsh hiped Kris shna, she could not be placed in any d definite tr radition. An ecstatic child of ecstati parents, she becam a ic me famous saint who li ike many o other female In ndian saint stood on the ts n edge o of several relig gious traditions and in the mids of s, st none. She influenced the sp S pirituality of thousan ds of peop who ca o ple ame to see her e through hout her long life, and left for her heaven abode in 1981 fr nly rom where she e constantly oversee spiritual growth an well-bei ng of all he devotee Jai Ma. es nd er es.

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In nspiring Incide ents from Mas life m e

Sou urce: http:// //www.anan ndamayi.org g/

Healin of Me ng ental Di isturban nce

In 1948 Ma's birthday anniv 8, versary was being ce lebrated in a private garden in New n Delhi. One morni O ing in the midst of satsang a weird lo ooking man entered the garden. Dressed in a queer fashion, his face bo i h ore the loo of insan ok nity. He wa alked straight over to the wome en's side and spoke to each woman w e with her h head uncover red: "Cover your head!" No one took any heed of him. This seemed to an e nnoy him much. Finally he approa ached Ma and repeat a ted his req quest to he She at once er. complied with his wish and motioned to the gi rls sitting near her t do likew to wise. w he bly d was visibly pleased a his y at Every woman in th assemb followed suit. The stranger w sudden success. With a triumphant sm W mile he wa alked acros to the m ss men's side and sat dow quietly. After some time, however, he got up, an wn nnounced in a loud v voice that he wanted to leave. Ma handed an orange to someone to be pas n o e ssed on to him. This for some unk known reas son infuriat ted the str ranger and he threw the fruit a Ma at with vio olence. He aimed well and it hit her. A w wave of ind dignation s surged thro ough the crow Two of Ma's devo wd. f otees caug hold of the offend and tried to lead him ght f der out of the garden At the gate he fre t n. g eed himself from the grip and attempte to f eir d ed return to the satsa t anga. One of the dev votees hit him and w with difficul the intr lty ruder was fina ally turned out on the street. Ma later reprimand d t ded the de evotees, te elling them: "You are not to prev " n vent anyon from co ne oming to this body. Moreover, you must no beat any ot ybody."

Next morning the stranger came ag m e r gain, he w was decen ntly dresse and loo ed oked normal. He straig ghtaway sat down with the men in a dignified manner and s d ed t er, t remaine quiet throughout the satsanga. When it was ove he went up to Ma and talked to her. She invited him for lunch, and he stayed unt after the meal. He was e til e found to be an educated, cultured and amiable person. Afte o erwards it transpired that the thro owing of or range at Ma had caused the m an such de M eep remorse that he was healed of his mental distur rbance. He had been unbalanc e n ced and w was restore to ed ty normalt by Ma's grace.

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usband Got Cur red

d by a devo otee from the pdf "com th mpassiona ate_touch" by Narayan Chaudhu uri) band's wea health was a matt ak w ter tant worry to me. Wi a view to ith g Mother's grace, I used to y ght for my m Her day and nig d's speedy recovery. In th he me, I was asked by someone to directly be efore Mat taji for his h It was in the year 1959 that I t up my min to beg to Mataji to nd y husband. Luckily, Mataji cam me wah in Fe ebruary 1960 and I 1 to go and see Her there. It was d t t private visit to He I quiet v er. tly ched Her as a petitio a oner; but no n did I ente the room than both er m nner and content of all that I o to say com mpletely va anished fro om d. To my utter surprise, I foun nd e mental fo in which I had bee og h en ped, dissolv ved at the radiant smile e s On Her ask king me about my pro oblem, I fo ound mysel speechless. Someh lf how I d my original compo osure and told Her t that I wan nted to see my husb band of the serio ous diseas he was suffering from. Ma with Her usual ineff se fable voice advis sed me to have faith in God a h and pray t Him for my husb to r band. h there wa nothing new in He advice, y Her wo as er yet ords were s spoken in such pathetic to one that I had the experienc of drink ce king in Mother's inf finite sion flowin freely from Her lustrous e ng f eyes. Soon I reached the stat of n te s where Ma was min and I was Hers completely It made me feel as if ne w y. e had yielded to my wis and my husband w d sh y was shortly after com y mpletely cu ured. ter I would go nowhe else for his treatm d ere r ment.

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ue D ate otee Rescu of a Despera Devo

In a spiritual gath hering at a school in Varanasi, Ma was o n , once listen ning to kirt tana. Suddenly she got up from the dais for reasons best kno t s own to her and hurriedly r proceed ded toward the gate leading to the pub ds e t blic road. T Two devot tees, N an A, nd followed her. A mo d otorist who was driving to the g o gathering w was met at the entra ance. Ma unce eremonious asked him to give her a lift to the railw sly h e way station which he did. n e On arriv at the station, he was asked to purcha val s d ase three r railway tick kets to Sar rnath for Ma, N and A. The gentl leman poin nted out that no tra for Sar ain rnath would be available till the next day. Still Ma insisted a nd the ge entleman p procured t three tickets for Sarnath, knowing full well that there was no p f g e point in do oing so. W Within minutes a train steamed into the statio and Ma with her t s o on two companions hurriedly stepped into an empty com d mpartment The gen t. ntleman m murmured t that the t train, being a mail tra ain, would not sto d op at Sar rnath. Ma paid no heed to his remonst trances. Th train wh he histled off. The motor rist went ba ack to Vara anasi to inform Gurupriy Devi about Ma's latest kh ya a s heyal (act of divine whim) a t e and eventually brought her and some others to Sarnat t th.

N Now, N a and A ha ad almost an t u uncanny e experience. Unexpect . tedly t the train n suddenly stop pped, p presumably because there was no ' 'all clear' signal. At once Ma a alighted fr rom the tra and to N ain old a and A: "C Come down come d n, down q quickly." A jumped f from the t train. N was inca apable of such an ath hletic f feat. While N was hesitating, Ma e , h helped him get down And with a m n. hin f few seconds the tra ain started N d. a and A foun themse nd elves under the r p protecting wings of M at Sarn Ma nath, t thus carrie by a mail train not ed s scheduled to touch such an unimpor rtant statio The cha of even was my on. ain nts ysterious e enough so far. At Sar rnath the mys stery deepe ened. The evening wa dark an d the locality desolat as te.

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Ma asked her companions whether they could lead her to the newly built Birla Dharmasala. Their answer was in the negative.

Ma then assumed the role of a guide and started walking in a particular direction without any hesitation. N and A followed her silently. The party at last reached Birla Dharmasala - a big house with a porter posted at the gate. Without caring to make any enquiry Ma walked past many empty rooms and finally entered straight a particular room occupied by a lady who happened to be an ardent devotee of Ma, Maharattan by name.

Maharattan's experience was also very wonderful. She had come from far away for Ma's darshan at Varanasi. Misinformed that Ma had gone to Sarnath, she forthwith rushed to Sarnath in a tonga (cart) and learnt, to her dismay, that there was no question of Ma's visit to that place. In the meantime, the tonga driver had left and there was no train for Varanasi. So Maharattan was stranded. She shuddered to think of the dreadful prospect of spending the night all alone in an empty dharmasala situated in a lonely locality far away from human habitation. On top of this she was unwell and was running a temperature. The helpless lady was in a terrible plight. She then completely broke down, crying 'Ma, Ma!' At this juncture Ma physically appeared before her and exclaimed: "Here am I, here am I .... don't cry anymore."

After some time the motorist who had escorted Ma to the Varanasi railway station brought Gurupriya Devi and others to Sarnath. Ma was now revealed in wonderful spirits - she went on talking and laughing and cutting jokes at the cost of Maharattan. The whole party had prasad rather late at night and then they all slept on the roof of the building with Ma lying near to them.

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Less Obs stacle

came to see AnandMayi Ma. He was ov s verwhelme with gri ed ief at a re ecent al loss. Ma will und derstand my sufferin m ng, he sa aid to him mself, She will e the extent of my sor rrow. But the mome he ente ent ered the ro oom, Ma be egan g merrily, looking at him all the while. Ma! he protested, Seeing how t t y I am, how you can laugh like that? Ba e aba, Ma r replied, there is now one w stacle betw ween you an God! nd

ry told by MA b
here a person died, and it was decide by his friends an relative to , w ed nd es m the last rites on the bank of the Ganga which wa a long w r e a as way off. It was me. When the dead body was being carrie to the d b b ed distant crem mation gro ound, ng storm attended with torren a w ntial rain b broke out making fu urther prog gress ble. The bier-carriers had no other alter b s o rnative tha to leave the bier with an e pse on the road and run for she r elter. On re eaching the they fel asleep du to ere ll ue e fatigue.

from this place there lived a ve old and destitute p e ery d whose con ndition due to prolong e ged illness was very s at that tim She had a longme. -cherished desire to her last on the ban of Gang but how it could o nk ga, w sible she knew not. Then in tha night of rain and T at f at ody left te emporarily she heard about tha dead bo nclement weather. w

e thought to be a God t d-gifted op pportunity w which she to avail of. She som mehow wen near the forsaken nt e anaged to unfasten th dead bo he ody and dr rag it to nearby nallah (drain) fu of h ull She then took the place of the dead bod y on the b t bier, covere herself fully ed cloth and la still. ay

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After sometime when the weather was clear, the carriers of the bier returned and raised the bier on their shoulders without a semblance of suspicion of any foul play in their mind and proceeded towards the cremation ground. On reaching the bank of the Ganga, they started making necessary arrangements for performing the last rites. In the meanwhile the old woman breathed her last. In this way, her desire was fulfilled as it was destined to be. Ma then ended the story with the following conclusion: "God in His supreme kindness and infinite compassion makes whatever arrangements are necessary for the bestowal of anything that is lotted to each one of us just at the proper time and place."

Ma and the lessons of Karma.

Once a man named Pannalal came with a problem. His friend had been continuously doing sadhana for 20 years without any spiritual achievement and had now decided to leave the path in disgust, having lost faith in God. Ma told him that mere practising was not enough unless one could get rid of Lust, and desire. "If you hold on to the chain while taking a bath, you can never have a proper dip." Again, "the old prac-tices and beliefs stand in the way of getting to the Truth."

Pannalaljis wife used to pray and meditate hours on end every day and yet she died in pain of cancer after a prolonged illness. Why did she suffer like that? Ma said, "One accumulates the effects of habits, prac-tices and beliefs over several life cycles. Dont you think it is His mercy if all the accumulated ill effects are washed away through the suffering in just one life cycle." Dwelling on his friends doubt, Pannalaiji asked, "Can one see God?" Mas clear reply was, "You can see Him the way I see you now or you see me here - there is no difference. You can achieve HIM more intimately if you have a yearning to achieve and feel Him."

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Our Questio ons M Mas A wers Answ

Source: Orkut Com mmunity on Ma, various websites s

QUESTION:

God has given us the sen nse of "I", H will rem He move it aga ain. What n need

is there for self-su urrender?

ANSWE Why do you ask? Just keep still and do nothing. ER: o

QUESTION: How can one po c ossibly keep still? ER: surrender is necessar s ry. ANSWE This is why self-s

QUESTION: How can I know which is the true pa c w t ath? ANSWE ER:
If you sit with all doors and windows closed, ho can you see the p l d ow u path? Open th door and step out; the path will become visible. he d w e

VISITOR I have no spiritual aspiration I am ha R: n ns; appy as I a am. ANSWE ER:

That is good; we also are talking of happiness If you h s e f s. have found the d secret of happines why do you make this state o ss ement inste ead of bein in this s ng state for all to see? She smiles, th visitor la o he aughs and a acknowledges that it is so. To be with God is true happiness. w The mu ultifarious kinds of be k easts, birds, men - w what are t they all? W What are these varieties of shape and modes of bei s es ing, what is the essence within them? W What really are these ever-changing forms? Gradually slowly, because y e ? y, you are rap in pt the contemplation of your Beloved, He become revealed to you in every on of n B H es d n ne n s cluded. Yo u realize t that water, earth, pla , ants, them; not even a grain of sand is exc animals, birds and human be d eings are nothing but forms of y n t your Belov ved.

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Some experience it in this manner; realisation does not c e come to ev veryone in the n same way. There are infinite possibilities an w nd, consequently, w which for any particula person is the spec ar cific path along whic the Univ a ch versal will reveal itse in elf its boun ndlessness, remains concealed from most individuals , c f s.

QUESTION: Is it ever possib to bribe God? e ble e ER: e ANSWE By cheating, you yourself alone will be cheated.
God is everywhere He perva e e, ades every ything. He, who you thi om ink you have sought in vain fo r so many years, is not apart from y you. Jus as a ma cannot be without bones, b lood, flesh and skin, so the On is st an t h , ne present ev verywhere, at all t times, int terwoven with everything that exist g ts. God is one very ow Self, the breath o one's bre e's wn of eath, the life of one's life , the Atma Not unt his true Self f a. til has been revealed t o him may a seeker ever relax his y r x search. By seeking, one will fin the Self is within o y nd f one's own grasp To feel fatigued, exhausted because one p. d, has not found Him is a ver good sign indeed It f m ry d. indicates that one is nearing the purific t cation of o one's heart and mind. In dreams all kind of thing can be seen: thing which the mind has been busy ds gs s gs, with and also, thi d, ings which have not been thou ght about but which have occu urred in the past or will come abo in the future. In any case everything that happens p l out g belongs to the rea alm of dreams. There are instance when on loses co es ne onsciousnes while sit ss tting in me editation. S Some people have found themselves swoon ning away, as it were, intoxic , cated with joy, remaining in that condition for quite a long time On eme e. erging they claim to have y experien s nced some sort of divine bliss. But this is certainly not Realis e y sation. A s stage exists in meditatio where intense joy is felt, on is as if s n on y ne submerged in it. But who d is it that gets subm merged? The mind, of course. A a certain level and under certain T o At d nce may pr rove an ob bstacle. If repeated t time and a again circumstances, this experien ereby be p one may stagnate at its par e rticular lev vel, and the prevented from getting a taste of the Essence of Thing gs.

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If after coming do own from the state of contemp t o plation you are capab of beha ble aving as befor you hav not been transform re, ve n med. When one has bec come estab blished in a state of tr ranquility, one has be ecome still. Only the the act en, tivity of ones nature, which is c , continues a every moment in s at sleep and in waking from birth to death, thi as part o thinking mind bec w is of g come caught in the Stre eam of Self eternally remain floa f ating in it. Ever to keep the mind poised in the Self wide e e-awake in the current of Rea n ality, where the Unfatho omable, the One-with hout-end is ever reve s ealed in Hi infinity - this is must, with the inte w ensity of a possession, be your one and c constant en ndeavor.

d? QUESTION: Is it necessary to renounc the world n t ce

ER: ANSWE

No, wh where is the plac where G hy i ce God is not? The natu ? ural way of life

itself co ould be tra ansformed into the spiritual wa of life. In fact, th s ay here is not thing which ca be "oth an her" to God; so prop perly speakin g, to live in the wor is to be on rld the way to Self-re y ealisation. If one does not arrive a a state of t at e stillness the ag s, gitation of one's w f whole system will manif fest throug every n gh nerve and fib ber of the body an render one e nd inefficie nt. If one's energy is not retai ined, the harm monious fu unctioning of this en nergy in perf fect tranq quility is not poss sible. Interest in the Supreme Quest and t e practice perform es med in search of T Truth naturall y has a calming effect. The g preserva ation of en nergy is ess sential. A perso on, who e expects this body to be o always super-normal in its dealings with the wor ld, will be disappointed. One mu ust not allo oneself to be caught ow f by the lure of supernor rmal faculties. Suppose one has acquired the power that wha e r atever one utters be ecomes tru or ue whateve one des er sires is fulfilled. Wha of it? Th is only a stage. By using such at his y 18 | P a g e

powers to destroy or improve people one may become arrested on that level instead of progressing towards the ultimate. To get entangled on the level of these powers is a waste of energy, having acquired them one must not lose sight of the supreme Goal of human existence, but strive unceasingly after Self-realisation. Failing to do so will create obstacles and may result in a fall. Everyone has his own path. In God's creation the possible becomes impossible and the impossible possible at all times.

QUESTION: If Mataji has found peace why does she keep wandering about? ANSWER:
If I stayed in one place the same question could arise, could it not? Pitaji, don't you know I am a very restless little girl. I cannot stay in one place. This is one answer. From another point of view; I might say it is you who see me travelling. In reality I do not move at all. When you are in your own house, do you sit in one corner of it? Similarly, I also walk around in my own house - I don't go anywhere - I am always at rest in my own home. I am not going anywhere: I am always here. There is no going or coming - all is Atma.

QUESTION:
daily?

What do you think of all these new people coming to see you almost

ANSWER:

Nobody is new. They are all familiar to me. You and I are two persons

and yet you and I are one; and the gap between the two of us this also is myself: there can be no question at all of duality. Attachment and hate arise out of the sense of duality. Everybodys satisfaction is my satisfaction. Everybodys happiness is my happiness. Everybody's misery is my misery. Become drinkers of nectar - all of you - drinkers of the wine of immortality. Tread the path of immortality, where no death exists and no disease.

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When you feel pow within yourself, when new l wer w light dawns on you fr rom within, the more yo can kee it concea ou ep aled in utte calm an stillness, the more it will gro in er nd e ow intensity If the sli y. ightest ope ening appears, there is always t the fear it w escape will e. Sustaine effort ends in effo ed e ortless being - in oth her words, what has been atta , ained by constant practice is finally transcend y ded, and th hen sponta aneity comes.

QUESTION:

Peop are ask ple ked to worship God, to sing His praise in hymns to , e s,

perform puja, to repeat constantly His name, an they do all this without knowing m r s nd o what Go is. Will you please explain? od y

ANSWE ER:

God is all-knowledge, and one can not know His true nature till one s d

to attains Self-Realis sation. The one will find Him t be none other tha oneself, the en e an , only Atman, the only Self there is, and that H is with form as the world and a He without form as Chit, Pure Consciousn C C ness. In th meantim prayers, worship and he me, be medita ation ha ave to pe erformed.

Q QUESTION: :
in reality? n

What are you e

A ANSWER:

How

c could

su uch a que estion aris in se yo our heart? The visio of on go ods and d godde esses ap ppears in n accordance with one e inherited disposition. I am wh hat I wa arid wh I shall b I as hat be; you am m wha atever co onceive, t think or say. Bu ut, more to the p point, th his body h has not c come into being to reap the uits of pas karma. Why st fru do on't you ta ake it that this bo ody is terial the mat 20 | P a g e

embodiment of all your thoughts and ideas? You all have wanted it and you have it now. So, play with this doll for a little while. Further questions on this matter would be fruitless. In the whole universe, in all states of being, in all forms is He. All Names are His names. All shapes His shapes, all qualities and all modes of existence are truly His. If one is to attain the Eternal, it is helpful to look for that in everyone and everything. The search after Truth is man's duty so that he may advance towards Immortality. The moment that has passed returns not. Time must be used well. Only when spent in the effort to know "Who am I?" has it been used well. You are yourself the self-evident atma: seeking and finding is all in you. In wealth and property there is certainly no peace. What then does give peace? My own true nature is peace, knowledge, and divine consciousness - unless and until this is released, how can there be peace? In order to find your Self, you must become revealed to yourself. How beautiful! If one stops short at whatever can be achieved by following one line, the Goal of human life has not been reached. What is required is a realisation that will uproot conflict and divergence of opinion that is complete and free from inherent antagonism. If it be anything less than that it means that one inner experience is partial and incomplete. In true realisation one can have no quarrel with anyone one is frilly enlightened as to all creeds, faiths, doctrines and sects and sees all paths as equally good. This is absolute and perfect Realisation. So long as there is dissension one cannot speak of attainment. It is said that even though the Whole is taken from the Whole, the Whole remains the Whole. There can be no additions and no subtractions; the wholeness of the Whole remains unimpaired. Whatever line you may follow represents a particular aspect of it. Each method has its own mantras, its own ideas and states, its beliefs and rejections -to what purpose? To realise Him - your own Self. One must be fully conscious, wide-awake. To fall into a stupor or yogic sleep will not take one anywhere. Through every religious Sect He gives Himself to Himself and the value of each of these sects for the individual is that they each indicate a different method to Selfknowledge. He alone is water as well as ice. What is there in ice? Nothing but water.

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QUESTION: What does God eat? SHREE MAS ANSWER:

God eats your pride. Just as a cow licks the dirt after making it edible and clean, in the same manner God eats the pride of one.

QUESTION: When does God laugh? ANSWER:

When one is in the womb, there is a connection with God. You are definitely not alone. When you have met Mother you should remain free from all doubts and anxieties. You are definitely not alone. Mother is always with you. Why do you think your life is in vain? Mother Herself will see to it. You can come to Mother whenever you like. Mother is always with you. Never to tell an untruth. Not to get angry.

GIRLS: What shall we do to attain spirituality, the higher life? MA:

So you think it is a higher life, then very emphatically - seva (service). By service the inner self is purified. To serve God in all forms.

GIRLS: What about our own work? MA:

All work should be done in the form of seva (service). Service of God and His creation.

GIRLS:
in?

Why is it that at the time of meditation all ones worldly thoughts crowd

MA:

Just as when cleaning a room, you collect all the dirt in a big heap. But you

must pray to God not to let your mind concentrate on the dirt. Just as you see your own face in the mirror, so also you see yourself. Pray to God to remove your blemishes weep for Him. Practice the name of God.

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In what form will he appear? f e n whatever form you desire him He will appear. Ju as a m r u m, ust mother scol lds a hen it is na aughty and is pleased when he is good, s also God scolds an is d d e so d nd . Lastly lo ook you are my frie a ends dost You mu t. ust devote at least five e s a day to me, to your special preference i whateve form you like. m in er u

ION: How can our mi inds be fre for praye and med ee er ditation? W When we ar so re
ed by work and family responsib k y bilities? Wh should we do in that case? hat

ER: Let the work be done of its own accor without e d rd, t
Work with hout the fe eeling that it is you who are t u e g. Take it as if it is Go od's work, done throu ugh you as s trument. Then your mind will be at rest and w d l. That is prayer and meditation p n. are ill, go and consult the very best doct y tor. If you u rself into the hands of the gre t eatest, you may then remain fr n ree from w worry l: "Whatev happens is all righ I have done my u ver ht, utmost." B to approach But atest is difficult, and it costs so much, one has to give, on has to g d o ne give! pproaching God, one has to giv everythi ng, all one possesses g ve e s. ople say: "How am I to give up my prid " u de, my ang ger, my se elf-importa ance; n I bear in nsult witho out a murm mur. Flowe ers and fruits come into existence he cause they are poten y ntially cont tained in th tree. Th herefore, y you should aim zing the On Supreme Element which will throw light on all ele ne e ements. orld is itself but an embodimen of want hence th heartac e nt t; he che due to the o e of fulfillm ment need endure. This is why it is said th there are two kind of e t hat ds in human life: one pertaining to the worl d in which want follo t ows upon w want, er of one's true being g. e very nature of the former that it can never en in fulfil t n nd llment; on the n y, the sens of want is perpet se t tually re-st timulated. On the ot ther hand, the , ims to brin to completion the activities of man's true being, to establish ng e s his divine nature. Thus, if he endeavor to fulfill himself b entering the e T e rs by g of his true being, this current will eventua e w ally lead him to the p perfect pois of se true being g. hen jar tha had been given Pra at n ana Pratist ha bv a Ma ahatma, re elated the s storv e. age

"At f first", it sa aid, "I "as part of th earth. I was ha he appy at and a perfect peace. But one t day a man came wit th a spad and dug me out. Oh de g dear, it hurt terribly." Then he carried me away and n d y left m in a heap in a cor me rner. Then I though I would be n ht d left i peace. But how b in badly mista aken I wa as! Early next morn ning I foun that he had nd brought a ham mmer to c crush What me into fine powder. W I s suffering dreadful unde erwent!

Howe ever, having bec come powd der, my ho opes rose h high. Now I shall su urely be le in eft peac ce! But no, more pain was in store for me. The next day; I was mix xed with w water and stamped on. When this ordeal was over I truly ected to have fo ound expe lasting peace. In vain - is the no end to misery I was pu on a pott p v ere d y? ut ter's wheel and l turned round and round at a maddenin speed ti ll I was for r ng rmed into a jar. Now I felt quite certain tha thereaft f at ter I shou uld be left alone. Bu again I was ut wrong, for a new kind of tor rture was to be my lo Every d t ot. day I was e exposed to the o ng nd n d e. nt scorchin rays of the sun an every night stored away in the house This wen on for some time, only to end in even worse luck. O Hari, on fine mor Oh ne rning I was put s into fire and baked. Feeling sore all ov e ver, I comf forted mys self: What more can they do to me? This no doubt marks the end of my tribulation and hen m o m e ns nceforth I shall enjoy undisturbed peace. m d ected to a n new kind o trial. of Far from it! Lo and behold, I was subje I was taken to the market and man people came and banged on me to see t t ny d whether I was wit r thout a hol Finally, someone bought me and took me home He le. e k e. 24 | P a g e

filled me with Ganges water, placed me on a pedestal and performed Prana Pratistha and this is how I am able to speak now. When in this manner one has matured and been made perfect, one will be filled with the Ganges of wisdom and awakened to Divine Life. Then one will be able to speak. Once when the satsang was over, an old man was taking leave. "It is getting late," he said, "I must be going home." "Late indeed," agreed Anandamayi, "there you are right; but go to your real home, not to the dharmasala pilgrim hostel." "I am not staying in any dharmasala, I have my own house here," he replied. She shook her head and smiled: "Do you call that home? You won't be able to stay there forever. Your days are numbered and when your time is up you will have to leave. I call it dharmasala. There are rules and regulations; you may remain for a while but then you have to quit. This body tells you to find your real home from which nobody can drive you out, which is not of this world. Dig deep and unearth your real wealth, find your real home in God, who is your own Self." When you wash your clothes, you have to apply soap. It is, of course, true that the clothes will not be clean unless the soap is rinsed off again. But can dirt be removed without soap? The thought of God is the soap that in the end has to be washed away by the purifying waters of the Ganges of Supreme Knowledge. Don't worry about results. In business, you give and you get something in return. This is called a bargain, but it is no real gain. If you adopt this sort of mercenary attitude, you will not get anywhere. Never leave off your practice until there is Illumination. You must be adamant in your pursuit. The remembrance of God is like a flame. In whichever direction it is blown, it will burn up whatever lies in its way. According to your actions you will reap the fruits. No effort is ever wasted. Good works and bad works will yield their harvest in great abundance - for He is extremely generous. Perhaps you will argue: "I want to be a king, but my wish is not granted." You get exactly what is due to you - nothing less and nothing more.

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a pitcher fu of wate has a hole, ull er h r small, all the wa a ater will leak This is how it is with you: your y tration is never comp n plete, ther is re k in it, and you do not want a w g with your whole being. n, preserva ation and dissolution are d tly in process and all are within y to fathom the end of yourself, if m ! ist, and th is why the unive his y erse the whole universe is within you. y d future, this world and the ne a ext everythin is conta ng ained in you. y re, in as much as you are fre m y ee he entire universe held within f - the fact of your et ternal freed dom revealed an any que nd estion of be eing age no longer arises. st, so the universe ex u xists. nal relation nship exists between God and m s man. But in His Play i is sometimes n it nd sometim broken or rather appears t be broke but it is not really so, mes n, r to en, y relationship is eterna Again, seen from a al. s another sid there is no such t de, s thing ionship. So omeone, who came to meet this body, said: "I am a new comer to w o s got the re eply: "Ever new and ever old, in e ndeed." ht of the wo orld comes and goes, it is unsta s , able. ht which is eternal ca never be extingui shed. By t s an b that Light y you behold the d ght and ev verything in the universe; onl because it always shines w ly e s within n you perc ceive the outer light. Whatever appears to you in t o . r the universe is y to that great Light within you, and solel because the Supre ly eme Knowle edge essence of things lies hidden in the depths of your being is it p t s possible for you r ire knowled dge of anyt thing. was movin from wa to ward of a hos pital, she remarked: "this also is a ng ard d o with God's images. who manif fests in the shape of disease as well. e s y one of these temple the gods and godd es s desses are giving darshan." age

The sense of want, of emptiness and one's true being are in exactly the same place - in fact, they are That and That alone. What is this sense of want and what is "true being"? He and nothing but He. For the simple reason that there is one single seed, which is the tree as well as the seed as well as all its various processes of transformation - truly the One alone. You attempt to appease want with want; hence want does not disappear, nor does the sense of want. When man awakens to the acute consciousness of this sense of want, only then does spiritual inquiry become genuine. You must bear in mind that only when the sense of want becomes the sense of the want of Self-knowledge, does the real Quest begin. Whether you call it the One, the Two, or the Infinite, whatever anyone may say, all is well. Whenever you have the chance, laugh as much as you can. By this all the rigid knots in your body will be loosened. But to laugh superficially is not enough: your whole being must be united in laughter, both inwardly and outwardly. Do you know how this is expressed? You literally shake with merriment from head to foot, so that it is impossible to tell which part of your body is most affected. What you usually do is laugh with your mouth, while your emotions are held in check. But I want you to laugh with your whole countenance, with your whole heart and with all the breath of your life. "Nothing has happened" - to be able to understand this is very fortunate. If you can understand that nothing has happened, you have indeed been blessed with inner vision. One morning at Hardwar in 1953, Anandamayi said: "Anger is also one of His beautiful modes of being."

QUESTION: Why then should anger be avoided? ANSWER:

reason. Because it is very painful for the one who gets angry and for no other

QUESTION:

So then if one could recognize anger as one of His beautiful modes of

being, there would thus be no need to overcome it? 27 | P a g e

ANSWE ER:
of anger.

Long before a man can rea b ach this sta age, he wil have bec ll come incap pable

QUESTION: ANSWE ER:

What about the ancient rishis? We are told that some of them did at t e r

times ge very ang et gry! That is on a diffe s erent level altogether One who has the p r. o power to cr reate

also wie elds the power to destroy. Besid des, the sta of a ris is also a stage. ate shi Be very careful whom you accept as your Guru Do not b in a hu y w a u. be urry. Take your time ov ver it and use your intelligence But onc you hav accepted a Guru, it is i e. ce ve d irrevoca able and yo must surrender completely. ou If you fa this, I maintain yo have not accepted your Guru ail m ou t u.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH SOME FOREIGN DEVOTEES

Several years ago, some Westerners came to Anandamayi and had a discussion with her, which throws an interesting sidelight on this question. One of them asked: "How can I achieve Self-realisation?" "He is Self-effulgent; it is not you who can bring it about." "Still, should we not make an effort?" "Yes, the Self is hidden by a veil; you have to wear it down by your own exertion. "What is the process by which this can be accomplished?" "Do you really want Self-realisation?" "Of course I do!" "Then you are prepared to do exactly as I tell you without letting your judgment interfere?" Here the gentleman became thoughtful and hesitated. He evidently was feeling uncomfortable. She smiled at him encouragingly. At last he said: "I regard Ramana Maharshi as my Guru, but I have not met him as yet. I intend going to Tiruvannamalai shortly." "Then you must do exactly as he instructs you, but do you really want Selfrealization?" "Certainly; have I not come all the way to India for this purpose?" "For this and nothing else?" "For this and nothing else." Three times she repeated the question and three times the response was the same. She became very serious. Her voice was definite and powerful when she spoke: "If this be so, if you want Self-Realisation and nothing else, it does not matter whether you do as I tell you. If you really want this one thing only you will find a way, there is no doubt about it."

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OTHER QUESTI RS IONS AND ANSWER RS

One ev vening a sannyasi told Anandamayi that some Punjabi women had i approac ched him and asked some questions. He wished to know whether she d d w approve of the replies he had given them. H said: 'th first qu ed n He he uestion wa as as follows, "What sho ould a wom man do in the case o f a family dispute? S t Should she side with her husband, her father or her fat r r ther-in-law w?" I told them tha it at was a wife's duty her to support husb band alw ways and under all circumstan nces. Was right?" "Well, yes, but on the o other hand her d fathe er-in-law is her s husb band's G Guru, and her own fa ather is h her elder and be to has cted. respec Therefore, hever side God which within the m man; t heart prompts her to t take, that is right for her." ..."th hen the wo oman told m me that they were so unfree, so depende o ent in ever respect. What wer they to do to imp ry re prove their lo ot? I expla ained to them that it could not be he t elped, that everyone as t e depende on som ent mething or other. We sann nyasi depe end on the Guru, on the Dharm moral c ma, code. Every human b y being is in bon ndage. Sur rely, this is correct, is it not?" s s "No, dependence is due to fear. As long as you are afraid you will be bound. But f d, . the mom ment you are fearless you will be indepe a s, endent and free. The household is der

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by rules an regulati nd ions, but the sannya t asi, who is not afraid of anyon or s d ne g, is free." ng Englishman, Coh Tumbul who su hn ll ubsequently became a celebr y rated pologist, vis sited India to study philosophy and to pr p y ractice sadhana. Abou to ut to Britain, he asked Anandam d mayi many questions One of them was as y s.

ION: ER:

When I get hom I shall no doubt b asked to give talks on India over n me n be o s

o, in clubs and societ ties. Should I respond to such r d requests or keep quie r et? Most certainly you should respond. y d .

your discourse, d mentally y starting te before God and pr G ray that yo may be ou e l instrument to be use by Him. Then tell t ed untrymen that, just as in the West many W y nd means have been devised to train s n in various professions so that they can t n livelihood so Ind d, dia has since time s e orial devoted her energies to the s e ry of the innumerabl paths th lead to le hat o preme Goa of human life, which is Selfal tion.

ION:
mself?

Will man ever destroy this world r d

ER: Man ha certainly not got th power t create, p as y he to preserve or destroy. r

, whose Pl lay all this is, all po s ossibilities are contained. The destructio of on wn self virt tually amou unts to the destructio of the universe. e on this self is, there the world exist ts. estroyed lies in the very natur of that w re which is of the world and there f d efore ble; it has ever be een destro oyed, it is being de s estroyed a and it will be ed. But wh here He is and He alone, who is to destroy whom? a y he question of destruction cannot arise. n s He who is That Self Find out! f?

age

The Self is not subject to destruction. The ceaseless endeavour to know That Self is man's bounded duty. Some men have gone to bathe in the sea. They have made up their minds to swim ahead of everyone else and, consequently, they will have to look back. He whose one and only goal is the ocean has nothing else to look at and nothing else to consider, and then, what is to be, will be. Give yourself up to the wave and you will be absorbed by the current - having dived into the sea you will not return. The Eternal Himself is the wave that floods the shore so that you may be immersed. Those, who can surrender themselves to this end will be accepted by Him. But, if your attention remains on the shore, you cannot proceed - after bathing you will return home. Aiming at the Supreme, at the ultimate, will lead you on through the movement of your true nature. There are waves that carry away and waves that bring back. Those who can give themselves up, will be taken by Him. In the guise of the wave, He holds out His hand and calls you: come, Come, COME. One night at Brindaban, a most animated discussion was in full swing when one of the bhaktas, a learned old sannyasi who as a rule took a very active part in all argument, fell fast asleep and was snoring peacefully, quite oblivious of what was going on around him. Anandamayi called out to him once or twice without any response. Everyone was highly amused. At last someone by way of a joke dropped a rasa gula, a juicy Bengali sweet, into the half-open mouth of the sleeping man. Even this did not have the desired effect, nor did the hilarious laughter that followed. But when the sweet syrup began to trickle down his throat, he could not help waking. As so often happens, Anandamayi made this playful episode an occasion for pointing out a moral. She spoke about rasa. It is difficult to translate what she said for the Sanskrit word Rasa means any juice from water to nectar, essence, pith, as well as delight of every kind, gross and subtle - also Supreme Delight.

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There is no equivalent in English. This is what she said: Unless bhagavat rasa is instilled into man, unless the nectar of the Divine penetrates deep within him, his trumbering soul does not awaken. Vedanta is also rasa, just as bhakti is rasa; why should Vedanta be described as dry? It is a well-known fact that poison neutralises poison. Similarly, when transcending nature's delights, which are fleeting man tastes the delicious flavour of his true being, Svabhava rasa, and of Supreme Delight, param rasa; then the excruciating anguish of the poison of mere worldly enjoyment is destroyed. Beyond bodily pleasures, such as eating, sleeping, moving about and so on, lies Joy Supreme. Don't you recite "Brabmanandam Paramasukhadarn", "Absolute Bliss, Supreme Happiness"- He is Happiness Itself. Happiness is His very essence. Earthly happiness has its opposite - sorrow. But where happiness is in its essential form, unconditioned, the opposites - joy and misery - find no place; where there is solely rasa, there can be no question of a-rasa - a sense of dryness or emptiness, of the anguish of God's absence. He is the Fountain of joy - Joy and Joy alone is His Being. A state exists in which there is only Bliss, Beatitude, Supreme Felicity. At your level, joy has its opposite; you speak of the joys of heaven and the torments of hell. But where there is Eternal Bliss - Bliss in its own right cannot be expressed. It is entirely beyond such words as "what is or what is not?" To speak means to float on the surface. What language can express that which is neither floating nor diving deep? Man's duty - especially for those who have made the Supreme Quest their one and only aim - is to work joyfully for the uplift of the world, with the conviction that all service is His service. Work done in such a spirit helps to purify the mind and heart. There was a young man who experienced various supernormal states and had many kinds of visions. He would, for example, prostrate before the deity and remain in that posture for hours without raising his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. He said he saw and heard Sri Krishna teaching Arjuna, as described in the Gita, and that he had many other visions and auditory experiences of the kind. This body told him that if a seeker could not maintain firm control over his mind, he would be liable to see and hear many things, both illusory and genuine, all mixed up. He might even fall a victim to the influence of some 'spirit" or power. Such occurrences, far from intensifying pure divine aspiration, would hinder rather than help. 33 | P a g e

er, to see someone in a s n or to hear him addres h ss may well become a tisfaction or o of self-sat c enjoyme ent. To los se over one eself is no ot e. In the search afte s er one must not allow t to be over rpowered by b g, but must watc m ch y whateve er mena may supervene e, fully cons scious, wid de in fact retainin t ng te mast tery ove er Loss of o usness is never right. n ere is a state of e Knowled dge, likewis se a state of perfection at f n ith of the path of lov There ve. ds the nec ctar of per rfect love, identical with Supr reme Know wledge. In this here is no room fo emotional excite o or ement; ind deed, it w would mak it ke ble for Su upreme Love to shin forth. B mindfu of one t ne Be ul thing: if w when g a particular line of approach, one doe not att o es tain to tha which is the at s na, namely the final Goal, it means tha one has not y l at s mation of all sadhan the Stream. At th suprem summit of Love, exuberan he me t , nce, exces ssive n and the like canno possibly occur. Em ot y motional e excitement and Supr reme e not to be compared at all, the are tota lly differen from one another. e d ey nt e absorbed in meditat tion, whet ther one i conscious of the body or not, is r there be a sense of identification with th physical or not - in any case, it is he n , tive to remain wide aw wake - unc consciousn ess must b strictly a be avoided. rceptively must be re m etained, wh hether one contempla ates the Se as elf enuine per any particular form. What is the purpose of this typ of medit pe tation?

s up one's being to th Light, to that whic is Eterna Suppose the body had he o ch al. e y uffering so ome pain or stiffness - lo and behold, after med o d ditation it feels y healthy, with not a trace of fatigue or debility. It is as if a long perio of f t od ad elapsed in betwe d een, as if there ha d never b been a qu uestion of any age

discomfort. This would be a good sign. But if tempted, at the first touch of Bliss, to allow oneself to be drowned in it and later declare: "Where I was I could not say, I do not know", this is not desirable. As one becomes capable of real meditation and to the extent that one contacts Reality - one discovers the ineffable joy that lies hidden even in all outer objects. On the other hand, when in the course of meditation one loses oneself, as it were, and lapses into a kind of stupor and afterwards claims to have been steeped in intense bliss, this sort of bliss is a hindrance. If the life-force seems to have been in abeyance -just as one has a sense of great happiness after sound sleep this indicates stagnation. It is a sign of attachment and this attachment stands in the way of true meditation, since one will be apt to revert to this state again and again, although from the standpoint of the world, which is altogether different, this state would seem to be a source of profound inward joy and therefore an indication of spiritual progress. To be held up at any stage is obstructive; it simply means one has stopped advancing. When engaging in meditation one should think of oneself as a purely spiritual being, without any touch of materiality, as Self-luminous, poised in the Bliss of the Self. And, according to the Guru's instructions, try to concentrate on one's Chosen Deity. The young man who had many visions was intelligent and therefore able to understand this sort of reasoning. As a result, the spectacular experiences ceased and he attends now to his meditation and other spiritual exercises in a very quiet and unobtrusive manner. A state of being exists where it is immaterial whether He assumes a form or not what is, is He. In this case what is there to express in words? Furthermore, at a certain level the Self may reveal Itself to Itself. At the same time He does not reveal Himself at all: to whom is He to reveal Himself? When there is neither form nor quality, what is to be put into language? Where nothing is excluded, how can Oneness be obstructed? In this state of complete poise nothing at all is any longer apart from Him, what is, is the Thing Itself. So what can be said or left unsaid, since it is entirely beyond words? Obviously each individual speaks from the level at which he finds himself and whatever is uttered are His words, His song, addressed to Him. In the Supreme State nothing whatsoever can possibly be an obstacle: if it is, then ignorance has survived. In Reality there is only He - He alone and nothing but He.

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Mas Qu uotes s
1. He alone kn H nows to wh hom He will reveal H Himself und der which form. By w what path and in what ma n anner He attracts an particular man to Himself with ny o great force is incomprehensible to the human intellect. Th Path di he iffers ndeed for different pilgrims. d in 2. People have various visions of gods and go e v oddesses ( me) acc (in cording to their own predile ections. Wh I was before, I am now, and shall be h hat m d hereafter. I am also whatev you or anybody may think I am why don't you look at it ver m t th way: the yearnin his t ngs (of se eekers afte Truth) h er have brought about this body. All of you have wanted it and so you have foun it. That is all you n a u nd need to know. o

Y w, p r ow. This b body 3. Your sorrow your pain, your agony is indeed my sorro understands everything. You may want to leave t s m this body. But this b body won't leave you for a single day - it does not and never will le w y eave you. One, who has on w nce been attracted to this bo dy, even though he may make a t e th housand at ttempts, will not be able to eff w face or blot out the m t memory of this f body. It will remain an persist in his mem nd i mory for all time. 4. You should kindle fire by an means either w Y d f ny s, with clarif fied butter or sandalwood or even straw. Once alight the fire burns on all wor d t, e n; rries, a y ar. The fire will bu urn to ash all h darkness and gloom gradually disappea obstacles.

ust e way all dro oss and ru ubbish, so the three fold suffe e ering 5. Ju as fire burns aw purges man's heart from all impurity and resul lts in a g growing single mindedness in his sea m s arch after Truth. Whe he beco T en omes deeply consciou of us his weaknes and torm ss mented by the thoug hts of his u undesirable impulses and e s istics, whe afflictio en ons like poverty, be ereavemen or nt distressing characteri m s tile, then and then only does he humiliation make him feel his life is fut al s and becom mes anxious to surre ender develop rea faith and religious fervor, a o preme Bei ng. Suffer ring should therefore be d e himself at the feet of the Sup welcomed. Never doe the soft moonlight appear m w es t more sooth hing than after th scorchin heat of a summer day. he ng 36 | P a g e

6. Always bear this in mind: Everything is in God's hands, and you are His tool to be used by Him as He pleases. Try to grasp the significance of 'all is His'. and you will immediately feel free from all burdens. What will be the result of your surrender to Him? None will seem alien; all will be your very own Self.

7. To believe in Him under any particular form is not enough. Accept Him in His numberless forms, shapes and modes of being, in everything that exists. Aim at the whole and all your actions will be whole. 8. Enquire: 'Who am I?' and you will find the answer. Look at a tree: from one seed arises a huge tree; from it comes numerous seeds, each one of which in its turn grows into a tree. No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree. So, it is the same Atman everywhere. 9. All creation is that. There is beauty in the birds and in the animals. They too eat and drink like us, mate and multiply; but there is this difference: we can realize our true nature, the Atman. Having been born as human beings, we must not waste this opportunity. At least for a few seconds every day, we must enquire as to who we are. It is no use taking a return ticket over and over again. From birth to death, and death to birth is samsara. But really we have no birth and death. We must realize that. 10.Suffering is sent to remind you to turn your thoughts towards That which is real - to God who will give you solace. 11.Joys and sorrows are time-born and cannot last. Therefore, do not be perturbed by these. The greater the difficulties and obstructions, the more intense will be your endeavor to cling to His feet and the more will your prayer increase from within. And when the time is ripe, you will gain mastery over this power. 12.Whenever you possibly can, sustain the flow of a sacred Name. To repeat His name is to be in His presence. If you associate with the Supreme Friend, He will reveal His true being to you. 13.As you love your own body, so regard everyone as equal to your own body. When the Supreme Experience supervenes, everyone's service is revealed as one's own service. Call it a bird, an insect, an animal or a man, call it by any name you please, one serves one's own Self in every one of them.

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14.God is within everyone, but man goes out in search of Him. This is what constitutes God's Play and God's Creation." 15.A wealthy merchant went on a business trip. A thief in the disguise of a businessman joined him, intent on robbing him at the earliest suitable occasion. Every morning, before leaving the inn which they happened to have put up for the night, the merchant would count his money quite openly and then put it into his pocket. At night the merchant went to sleep seemingly without suspicion. While he was asleep the thief would frantically search through all the belongings of the merchant without being able to find the money. After several nights of frustrating searching, the thief finally in resignation confessed to the merchant his true intention and pleaded with him to tell him how he was able to hide his money so successfully. The merchant replied casually: "I knew from the very beginning what you were up to. So, every night I placed the money under YOUR pillow. I could safely sleep, knowing full well that that would be the one place where you would never look.

16.God is within everyone, but man goes out in search of Him. This is what constitutes God's Play and God's Creation. 17.If God is the Lord of the world, He can do with it as he pleases. Suppose you have grown beautiful flowers in your garden, but decide to plant fruit trees in their place, won't you have to remove the flowers? If you have a fine house, but wish to build a larger and better one on the same plot, you demolish the old one. The freedom that is yours in small things, God exercises in great ones. In both is He, in destruction as well as in construction. The history of nations, families and individuals is the great Lila (divine sport) that He stages with Himself. 18.Widen your shriveled heart, make the interests of others your own and serve them as much as you can by sympathy, kindness, presents and so forth. So long as one enjoys the things of this world and has needs and wants, it is necessary to minister to the needs of one's fellow men. Otherwise one cannot be called a human being. Whenever you have the opportunity, give to the poor, feed the hungry, nurse the sick - do service as a religious duty and you will come to know by direct perception that the person served, the one who serves and the act of service are separate only in appearance. 19.God is without form, without quality as well as with form and quality. Watch and see with what endless variety of beautiful forms. He plays the play of his 38 | P a g e

maya with Himself alone. The lila of the all-pervading One goes on and on in this way in infinite diversity. He is without beginning and without end. He is the whole and also the part. The whole and part together make up real Perfection.

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Disclaim mer
The only aim of this magaz t zine is to spread aw areness ab s bout Anandamayi Ma In a. e h ly s rmation of this maga azine absolute sense this would happen onl by Mas wish. For has not been to infringe on anybody literary work. All the infor t ys y l rmation in this magazin is already availab on internet. My w ne ble work has b been to pr resent som of me that info ormation in a forma which people may like to rea This is absolutely free nto at ad. magazin I do no aim to receive an donation or mone out of it Neither do I ne. ot ny n ey t. believe anyone else would aim to do with this magazine. I give the rights of this a e f work to be freely circulated in its e-m o y d magazine f format. I am not su ure about legal aspect of this being printed hence I advise rea o d, aders not t take print outs of the to f magazin If Anan ne. ndamayi Mas ashram is intere M m ested, they can print this maga y azine after contacting me. I may help them by providin further editions of this maga m h ng f azine at no ch harges. Jai Ma. Please bless this effort. e s

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