THAKURS

June 2  1992

A friend of mine possessed a  marble 'Krishna' which was ever so exquisite. I had always heard that Krishna was blue. And I wondered how a 'Blue Krishna' could be beautiful? But the 'Krishna' that my friend owned had a bluish hue and was gorgeous! 

I wanted to have one, sculptured by the same artist. So I enquired. 

They told me that they had acquired 'Blue Krishna' from Jaipur. 

So the next time I visited Jaipur, I visited most studios with no luck. 

Some time later, a friend of mine called saying that he had a 'Radha Krishna' sculpted by the artist I was looking for. 

I promised that I would pass by and see Them.

However Ma was in Mumbai and as, I was going to visit her, most of my free time, I was unable to go and see the 'Thakurs'.

My friend called to enquire when I was going to see the 'Thakurs' as he was holding on to them for me.  Since I was not sure when I would be able to go, and I figured that it was not fair, that I ask him to wait, I said "You show Them to anyone who might be interested in Them, if They are meant for me They will come to me.

A few days later, as I went to visit Ma, someone said that Ma was presenting me with the Thakurs that I had wanted. I was confused, how did that happen? 

I was explained that someone had presented the Thakurs to Ma, and had told her: "Shakun was very keen on having them". So Ma had said "These are for Shakun!"

I had tears in my eyes. Those tears were of joy, love, gratitude and the strange ways of God!

I felt so fortunate. Others receive a mantra from their Guru, and I was being given My Thakurs!

Ma asked me to bring a silk cloth piece during the evening, so that she could give Them to me. She prayed, performed Puja and Aarti and   placed Them in my receiving arms.

Today They are in my temple and in my heart. And They constantly remind me of my Ma.

Someone asked me: "Don't you already own a pair of  Thakurs of marble Radha Krishna?"

I answered: "Do you stop at one diamond, if you are offered another exquisite pair?

13 July 1992

Came to Pune, to Hari-Krishna Mandir and to Ma.

Ma said "Come and be welcome. My little mother, my little sister, my child, my friend.

Before that, she had wiped the 'Samaadhi' of Dadaji. She then touched my forehead and head.

I asked her about the fact that someone connected to me had said that he had incurred some losses… she said: " That is a falsehood"

Later, I asked Ma: "Are the Thakurs happy?

Ma said: "Yes, they are very happy. You did the right thing. You took them in the right spirit! ..They hold our life….I am glad They are with you.

Some time back I had asked Ma how come she had so many Thakurs in her Mandir. She had laughed and said "people bring me their Thakurs to show me. Then they have a dream where they hear Krishna telling them that He wants to stay on in Harikrishna Mandir. 

That is why I am surrounded by so many Krishnas!"

Thinking of the above incident I said to Ma: "I was afraid that I would get a dream and my Thakurs would say that They wanted to go to Ma!

Ma  laughingly replied: No! I am with Them!"

Then I said to Ma that I made so many mistakes, so to forgive me.

Ma sometimes would tease me and say to me that I was so wise. I  would wince and say: "No Ma, don't say that". This time I added: "Think of me sometimes."

Ma said: "I think of you very often and very intensely."

AT THE LECTURE

14 July 1992

At  the main Mandir hall of Hari Krishna Ma said: "To me a guru is not a god, not the Creator of the Universe…My Guru said that he was a sincere seeker…He was ahead of me…to me a guru is one who is on the way, who can show me the light…" That is exactly how I felt when I asked Ma to lead me. 

Later Ma sang on the tune of one of her favourite Bhajan 'Giridhar Naagar aajaa..' the following song:

Satguru pyaarey aajaa, phir gaajaa
Geet Hari Key Prem key
Aa mil Satguru gaa
Guru charnan sang pyaar hai, eitbaar hai
Bhav saagar mein naiyaa, tuhee paar laga

CHOICEST JEWELS

11 Sept 1992

Talking about other Spiritual leaders Ma said: "Some have to go out (Out of India) and meet…to me those will come who are destined to (come to) my darbaar" Then pointing at me and at Aunty Sushila (Vishnu Priya)  she continued: "and these two are the Maharanis-Presiding Deities"

12 Sept 1992

Ma said to someone else: "You are really nice".

I said to Ma: "Ma do you find anyone not nice?"

Ma said: "No! I believe in people…People expect the guru to be according to their needs, and they give also accordingly…People go to the jewelers. If the salesman knows that they are not really interested in buying, he will not show much interest, but if a real connoisseur comes, the salesman will bring out his choicest jewels…" ,then she hit my knee affectionately and said: "Like when she comes I take out my choicest jewels…but then now I have such few left."

I told Ma that I had been asked by another 'Spiritual person' to do something which I was not very comfortable with, even though it seemed like a good thing.

I asked Ma what to do.  She said: "Be natural!, For a 'saadhak' like you, it may be good to follow that 'Spiritual man's advice, but I do not want you getting an ego, if you do what he says!"

Later Ma told us a story. Raman Maharishi never really spoke with his disciples. Yet once Maharishiji admonished his disciples by saying: "Don't ask stupid questions".

The disciples questions had been:

1. Will my sister-in-law get a son or daughter?

2. Will my nephew pass in his examination?

3. Will I get Enlightenment?

Ma would often tease me affectionately. She would say: "You are so clever!"

Once when I flinched at that remark, she said: "You are not cunning clever"

Another time I asked her whether I should do something about it, and she said: "NO!"

Shardaji said: "Ma says, 'most people are dumb' it is good to have clever disciples!"

Sapna said: "Shakun has intuition."

I said: "Yes Ma, I may be intuitive but I am not impulsive. That is not much fun!"

Ma seemed to agree to that. Yet, she said to me affectionately: "Next time, come and stay with me."

Whenever I meet a doctor or a spiritual person I know, I generally ask: "How am I, and how is my family?" Rather than how are you, and how are your own?"

So when once Ma affectionately asked about my younger daughter Anuja, and remarked about what a sweet letter the latter had written to her, I asked Ma: "Is Anuja alright?"

And Ma replied: "She is very well."  

I told Ma that once I had 'seen' a kind of scene in which were present all the  Spiritual Masters that I had come in contact with during this life of mine. In that scene obviously I felt that I was not as evolved as all the Great Beings present, and yet there was a desire in me to incarnate and be contemporaries of these Great Souls.

I 'felt' these Masters encouraging me to take the journey with them, promising me that they would help me along the way. Needless to say, one of the Masters was my own Ma Indira Devi.

So I told Ma that I was glad that I have been so guided, yet sad that I had not accomplished enough.

Shardaji volunteered: "It is like a glass half empty, half full."

I asked Ma if she believed that my vision was real?

Ma smiled and jokingly quipped: "It is nice to believe that you have come to be helped. Most people feel, they have come to help!"

Ma was reading out her last chapter of 'Fragrant Memories'. Ma told us about how someone had told Dadaji that though he had made Aurobindoji, his guru, a girl who had already been born would come to the Aashram, and after that Dadaji would get his enlightenment.

I am quite sure that the 'girl' that the 'guru' was referring to was 'Ma'

I told Ma that maybe I shall also write about my 'fragrant memories', to which Ma replied: " Not so fragrant" (I think that what Ma meant was that her Guru's memories would be more fragrant than mine!)

It so happens that I am writing about 'My fragrant memories,' Only I am calling it 'Remembering Ma'.