~~OM~~

Question: What do you think contributed to the birth of Shree Maa, who is regarded today as a Divine Mother? Did you perform spiritual practices, austerity, tapasya, or did you pray for a spiritual child? Did you know that you would give birth to a spiritual child?

Bara Maa: Yes, I prayed, I did puja, and my Guru said that my child would make a major spiritual contribution to this world. So I knew. But I am sure every mother prays that her child will be happy and lead a productive life. The difference with Shree Maa was that she radiated light from the time she entered into the womb. And my Guru specifically said that she was a divine child. I had total faith that he would not tell me that if it wasn’t true.

Question: Did you know Shree Maa would become recognized as a Divine Mother?

Bara Maa: Yes, I understood completely that something special was to come from her.

Question: Do you believe it was God’s grace that brought Shree Maa into your family?

Bara Maa: Of course. A pure soul chooses where he or she will take birth according to the karma to be fulfilled. We cannot force a soul to take birth in our home. The soul will choose. That is Grace.

Question: Did you have to make any special arrangements to care for Shree Maa as a child, that were different from the other siblings?

Bara Maa: She was my first, so everything I did was special. Every child is special. They all require something unique.

We came from a big family. Can anyone actually know who they really are, and what they have come to do? Can they know how big they are, how important they are, how important they are destined to become? Who am I, will only be known through our karma.

Shree Maa often sat with her eyes closed. Wherever she sat, a crowd gathered. Our house was always full of people.

So many people came to test her. She would sit with her eyes closed. One time a tantrik sadhu came with a bag hung from his shoulder. He ordered Shree Maa to sit beside him. She did not move from her meditation. He called to her again and again, but she did not move. Suddenly he got up and left in a hurry, afraid that he would be discovered to be a fraud.

Many other sadhus visited; even government officials. They were all amazed. Shree Maa knew the most intimate details of Sarada Devi’s life, even told stories about Ramakrishna that no one else knew, but everyone recognized to be authentic.

One Kalika Sadhika came and said she is a fraud. She tied some mustard seeds in a cloth and put it under Shree Maa’s pillow, while Shree Maa was sitting in meditation. She said that this would “cure” her from the obvious affliction from which she was suffering. When Shree Maa awoke from her meditation, everyone had left, and she immediately went into her room and threw her pillow out from the window. How did she know that something was done? How did she know what to do to remedy the matter?

One time on Amamashya we were celebrating Kali Puja. We were all complaining that Shree Maa continued fasting. She didn’t eat anything. We had prepared a big pot of rice. Nobody wanted to eat until Shree Maa ate, so we all complained again and again. Then she went into the kitchen, picked up the pot, and ate the entire contents. She ate all the rice prepared for so many people!

I always observed Akshar Tritiyam Vrat, the Vow of Worship for the third day. I worshipped Mangala Chandi, and I offered whatever I had to give. I wrote my own songs, and offered them as an appropriate gift to the Goddess.

~~OM~~

Bara Maa: When Shree Maa was sitting for the class ten examinations, she would always fall into meditation. She would close the books and sit with her eyes closed for hours together. My brothers would scold me: “It’s all your fault! You used to take her to sing kirtan and visit saints and have sat sangh. That is why she isn’t paying attention to her studies now!”

I would reply: Who can say what God has planned for each of us? I don’t know if it is best for her to keep her eyes open in the book or to keep her eyes shut with God inside.

Now that I am here in America to see what she has done with her life, I think she made the right decision.

~~OM~~

One couple told Shree Maa that even though they loved each other very dearly, they sometimes had arguments and fights. Shree Maa looked at the husband and said, “You are so simple. Why do you let duality enter and cause trouble? Don’t give room for duality. Always think, “I belong to God, God belongs to me.” When any other thought comes, remember this.”