The Complete Mother
By Dr. J.K. MEHTA & Mrs. Satya MEHTA
She is simply ‘Ma’ to those who reside at Madhuban…. some call Her ‘Param Pujya Ma’. Once when someone phoned and asked who was speaking, She replied, “People here call me Ma”. Today I ask of myself, “Who is Ma?”
She neither remembers Her bodily form, nor Her name. Having disassociated Herself from name and form for decades, having transcended the body idea, and completely devoid of attachment to self, She identifies with the inner need of whosoever calls Her by whatever name, much like a mirror reflects the image before it. She then adopts whatever name or form is required by that individual and responds in a manner that supports the other completely in his or her quest. When others choose to sever their relationship with this Compassionate Mother, She has never looked back or dwelt on any past associations – such is the Divinity of this extraordinary Mother Whom we have been privileged to watch and revere in our lifetime.
We have been witness to Her unique compassion, love, forgiveness… We have perceived the incessant flow of divine attributes through Her being… we have seen Her unvarying love for all… the rich, the poor, good, bad, friend or enemy. The incessant flow of these humane qualities from Her in a spirit of non differentiation, qualify Her as a Mother of all. No wonder She is the Self of all. Each one finds in Her a confidante par excellence – each one considers Her to be theirs – completely theirs in a way no one else can be. She is the well-wisher and friend of all. She bonds relationships – husband with wife, child with parents…. and this bonding is a direct result of their implicit faith in the selfless love of this Mother.
Yet, who belongs to Her? She sings with ecstasy, “maha sukhi hoon mein, mera jag mein koi nahi… I abide in complete happiness, none in the world belong to me….”
Wonderstruck, we watch Ma’s complete detachment and a purity of Self, devoid of the ego. Watching Her, one can gauge the truth defined in the scriptures , that Such a One transcends body, mind and intellect. Yet, Who is She who abides beyond this triad? We do not know.
Some call Such a One an Atmavaan, or one who abides in theAtma. Some call Such a One Brahmleen or one who dwells in the Self or in the Supreme State. Guru Nanak says, ‘It is only One who knows Brahm who can gauge the state of another Such Evolved Being.’ And the scriptures say, That Supreme IndestructibleBrahm, Who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss, cannot be known – one can only absorb oneself in That One…. become onewith That One.
Even though She is beyond the limits of our grasp and our thoughts and so completely extraordinary, Her life is utterly simple and ordinary. She identifies with whosoever comes before Her and takes him to his cherished goal without shattering his dreams or aspirations. Just as when the sun emerges, it illuminates every form that exists, impartially and without any distinction; it imparts as much warmth and radiance as the other seeks; so also it is with Ma. She gives of Herself as much as the other seeks from Her.
When the economically burdened approach Her with their material problems, they find in Her their compassionate Mother who dwells in shacks – jhuggi jhompri wali ma – who gives Her mite to assuage their misery. Those who dwell in Ma’s home at Arpana, gain much strength from this facet of their divine mother. Today, members of the Arpana family too are learning to give of themselves in the service of others in order to garner attributes that are humane and divine. Many have made this ethos of selfless service their life’s mission. Ma’s life is an ever inspiring Lighthouse that radiates energy, understanding and love to aid them in their endeavour. She is not merely a distant witness to their efforts – She holds their hand and guides them at every step – showing them their lacunae and eradicating their ignorance. She aids each one to infuse a prayerful attitude in the spirit of selfless service, thus helping them to progress and evolve spiritually as well.
When Her help is sought by those emotionally afflicted, where one human being is lost to another, where one’s own become inimical, where homes break and the individual experiences the trauma of extreme loneliness and emotional insecurity, there Ma is the epitome of identification and support. Receiving the reassuring balm of Her love, the individual slowly but surely discovers the path towards life again, deriving strength from Her as long as he is unable to stand on his own feet and take his own decisions. She is the affectionate Mother to each one, offering Her solace and comfort in these times of stress.
A third category of seekers approach Her – those in search of spirituality. Some researchers question Her on the profound mysteries of the scriptures. Identifying with their need, Ma responds to their repeated questions with the ease of One who has realized these truths in Her own life. She answers them in accordance with their capacity to imbibe this knowledge. As the questioner’s intellect is awakened, Ma’s answer reveals deeper facets of knowledge. We often marvel at the fact that the same question asked by the same questioner, draws such a wealth of meanings and nuances from Ma, yet the mainstream of knowledge remains the same. Ma’s answers – often in a beauteous flow of spontaneous verse sung out by Her – are unique inasmuch as they reveal the practical aspect of knowledge. They teach us how to imbibe that knowledge in life.
Several of Arpana’s publications are based on this unique ability of Ma to identify completely with the questioner. How often She proclaims that the resultant body of knowledge that flows forth from Her is not Her doing…. it is a consequence of the questioner’s quest and state of understanding. Thus, She attributes the knowledge that ensues to the instrument that sought that knowledge! Such is Her complete lack of attachment with Her own divine flow of knowledge that She has never claimed credit for the most beauteous scriptural elucidations that flow forth from Her. She has called it ‘Urvashi’ or one that captures the heart, and remains distanced from any vestige of credit to Her personal self because of it. Thus She unequivocally proclaims that the Shastras that have ensued from Her are in fact the outcome of someone else’s search.
- When Chhote Ma placed before Her the Bhagavad Gita and the nine principal Upanishads, supreme knowledge flowed forth from Ma’s lips which constitute the twenty oneShastras that form the basis of Arpana Trust.
- When Kamla Bhandari sought to know the significance of the Ganga and how She purifies the mind of the aspirant, a wondrous sequence of prayers addressed to Ganga ensued from Ma, which are contained today in the book Ganga. To read this book is in itself a blessing for the prayers are both pure and purifying.
- Param Pujya Ma’s own father, Late Mr. C. L Anand, Pitaji, former Principal of Law College, Lahore and a scholar of the Vedas and other Scriptures, asked his daughter many questions relating to spirituality. Thus, he is the cause of enriching the world with the spiritual literature that ensued – much of it published in the book Gyan Vigyan Vivek.
- Mrityu se Amrit ki Or is also a compilation of Pitaji’s questions asked of Ma during the last 13 days of his life on this earth. The resultant nectar of knowledge forms the contents of a book which reveals the true meaning of life and death – a book which makes death a phenomena which no longer needs to be feared.
- The revealing dialogue between Yamraj and Nachiketa, contained in the Kathopanishad has been elucidated by Ma in response to the quest of Vivek Kapur.
- Japu Ji Sahib emerged as a consequence of the quest of Mrs. Devi Vaswani – an ardent student of the Guru Granth Sahib who was keen to imbibe the spirit of this illuminating scripture. Ma’s devotional approach towards all religions is evident in this deeply moving elucidation.
- Srimad Bhagavad Gita was Ma’s gift of grace to a young and ignorant child. This elucidation is therefore both simple and extremely lucid in keeping with the understanding of the recipient.
A wealth of spiritual literature still remains unpublished – thousands of audio and video tapes with recordings of Ma’s revealing discourses are Arpana’s rich heritage. Arpana seeks to share this heritage with the largest number, but awaits aid in the form of human and monetary resources.
For those who seek to imbibe the spiritual Truth in their lives, Pujya Ma assumes the role of a Sadguru and endeavours to remove the veil of ignorance that hinders the seeker’s path. As a Guru, She often has to assume the role of a thunderbolt to break asunder the barriers created by egoistic tendencies. Thus does the Sadguru purify the aspirant’s mind stuff – an act of Supreme Grace.
Param Pujya Ma’s life is one of absolute identification at all three levels of existence. She identifies with total forgetfulness of self. She lives only for the happiness and welfare of others without claiming any authority over anyone. More than this, we do not know Her. ‘Who is this Ma?’
