Notes 29 to 82

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PART 1 CHAPTER 2

MAI  INSTALLATION, CELEBRATION AND CIRCULATION

JAY MAI JAY MARKAND MAI

29. The most important incident wherefrom the history of Mai movement starts took place in the later months of 1931 (September & October) in Poona. It has been referred to in "God as Mother" and in the Gujarati Sapta Shati edition edited by Revered Brother Keshavlal B. Pandya, in charge of Mai Mandir (Mother's temple) in Nadiad and editor of " Shakti ", after his initiation into Mai-ism by the Founder in Poona in Founder's Bungalow on Toddiwala Road. Space does not permit more than a sordid prosaic narration of the vital points of the incident, as under.

30. The wife of Founder's college-friend and boss (Late Revered Sister Taraben Soparkar) was on death-bed suffering from Septicemia. The friend got the Founder transferred from Ahmedabad to Poona to help him in the calamity. The wife was lying upstairs. She said to her husband, "I am hearing the Mantra repetitions of some Matajee's devotee. I am on-death-bed, so please find him out round about our bungalow streets and let me have his Darshan." The friend took the Founder and went round in search and assured her that there was none and that it was her mental weakness. She asserted she was right and requested him to seek out the devotee once more. The friend told her "Not only I but even 'Dholakia Kaka' accompanied me for the search". She exclaimed, "What! has he come? It must be then he. Please call him up". She repeated the same Shloka which the Founder was then repeating mentally unheard by anyone. [ दुर्गे स्मृता हरसि भितिमशेषजन्तोः स्वस्थैः स्मृता मतिमतीव शुभां ददासि ।दारिद्र्यदुःखभयहारिणी का त्वदन्या सर्वोपकारकरणाय सदाआर्द्रचित्ता ।।  ]

    The said Shloka of Saptashati in fourth Adhyaya (Durge Smrite etc.) means this.   "Oh, Mother Durga? On remembering Thee, Thou art removing all types of fears from all sources, and of all and from all persons. On remembering Thee, with an established mind, mood, and meditation, Thou art giving the discrimination and the deciding true intellect towards Righteousness. Who is there? anyone else? except Thee? to remove all misery and poverty, etc.? Thou art with Thy heart that is ever saturated with mercifulness to shower Thy Grace at beck and call, for the fulfillment of any demand of the right-type, of Thy devotees".

    This Shloka was repeated by her, to assure the Founder that he was a recognized devotee and that she was a worthy recipient of his Darshan and blessings. That was a happy wonder.

    A drawing professor was coaching the friend's daughter. He inquired of the future of the lady from a Pandharpur saint. The saint foretold, that her days were finished but added "There, however, is a Saint in his house, out of courtesy to whom she is not being taken away. The day he leaves the bungalow, she would expire" The friend enlightened by the first experience suspected that the saint in his bungalow was none else but the Founder and, as he was the head of the department, kept him all hours confined to his bungalow by way of precaution, asking him to do his official work at that place.

31. On 3-10-1931, the case was entirely serious. Three eminent doctors of Kirkee, Poona, and Bombay, declared she would die within an hour or so; and two left relinquishing their fees. The worst news was broken by the husband of his friend who tried to strengthen his courage to meet the calamity. The husband vociferated. "What a coward's talk? I am sure, if you heartily pray, she will at least live longer and give me sufficient time to prepare for the worst." The founder had very little of confidence in the efficacy of his prayers for the almost impossible change, but he had to follow him, upstairs. He prayed with his whole heart and devotion standing near the pillow of the lady in the midst of so many silently weeping children and relatives, (nearly ninety persons). The pulse, speech, and vision had left the body. In prayer, the Founder's tears fell in her mouth, the pulse speedily went up, vision and speech returned and the eyes opened. Her words were "How can I like to leave this world?? leaving behind me the uncared-for children"!!!.  "I see MATAJI standing before me. She says if you fast for a day she will give me a week's extension. Will you not promise to do that for me?" The promise was given hand in hand and the improvement began with almost unimaginable speed. Just half an hour after, she asked for milk, fruit juice, etc. It was an unprecedented family joy.  She was hale and hearty, as though she was never ill.

32. Some believed, and some did not, in God's hand in all these details. But almost everyone including the husband thought she was saved permanently. On the 7th day, the temperature, however, rose up from the morning. The husband was too shrewd to remain any longer under a delusion. The whole story looked true. She was to go that day. He had a hysteric fit from which he was made to recover to composure after consolation by his friend. At 3 p.m., there was a phone from the Secretariat asking the husband to send certain confidential files under lock and key. He could not possibly leave her. The Founder was given keys and motor-driver was ordered to drive fast and the Founder was given strict orders not to waste a single minute in the office. On reaching the office, the head clerk informed him that the lady had expired as soon as he had placed his foot outside the bungalow.

33. Although the Founder had so many experiences before, they were all scarce, scattered and few and far between. Here, there was a continued episode which baffled all human solutions: She was herself a great devotee of Matajee. She actually heard the Mantra which the Founder was simply mentally chanting. The prophecy of the Pandharpur saint and its fulfillment were wonders. She saw Mother and heard Her words. A fast of a particular devotee earned the Mother's Grace of the boon of a week's life extension. All these happenings began revolving in Founder's mind, finally resulting in an over-powering sense of his ingratitude to the Mother.

  Said he,  "Should I be simply living pleasure-dipped and fully ungrateful to my Mother? She has so often protected me all along and shown Herself to me and I have not breathed a single syllable to the world about Her mercifulness and Her dying for Her devotees". This one idea drove off all other ideas, even those required to sustain himself in daily routine. He became semi-lunatic, weeping day and night and beating his forehead, sometimes against walls, rolling on the ground, and saying only one thing, "I am a wretch, most ungrateful creature. Even such a simple thing as a glorification of Thyself, I have not done." (Please mark here with the subtle sense of a devotee. Mother fills up Her devotees with any one of various and different types of desires as one word of their life; in his case, the desire she germinated was that of the glorification of Mother.)

34. He had to go on a long leave. Doctors consulted diagnosed that he had no disease whatsoever. He had Divine madness. The best medicine was constant talk about Mother and Mother's occupation within his hearing and seeing. This was a furnace period, during which there was a wholesale over-hauling drastic change, in the Founder's religious outlook. All the pride of Hinduism, Vedas, Brahmins (he himself being a Nagar the highest Brahmin in Gujarat) and the belittling of other religions as mere pits compared to the vast ocean of Hinduism,- evaporated. He was seized with the desire of glorifying mother and reviving Hinduism in the light of his studies of different religions and an extremely minute observation as to the weak and strong points of Hinduism,-taking a practical view and studying Hindu life as to how people believed and behaved, thought and viewed. Strangely and wonderfully, Mother finally commanded him to install Her as "Mai"- " The Universal Divine Mother."

35.  "God as Mother, Mother of all, propitiable with universal love, service, devotion and unconditional cheerful self-surrender." These six words and expressions he would often hear in the air and would read written on walls and on the ceiling between joist-gaps and on closed doors and windows. (It is because of this supremely wonderful experience that these words are dearest to the Founder). He pleaded his full unworthiness for such an innovation and requested Mother to find out some efficient Shastri well versed in Sanskrit sacred lores, or a Brahmachari, or a rich Sheth, or a religious Gadi-pati with an overflowing treasury. The more he tried to evade, the more did Mother sit on his heart and head, until the sweet talk became artificially embittered and wrathful "What do you prefer? Installing me as Mai with the dictated 6 tenets, or, life-long present semi-lunacy?"

36. The Founder finally gave the promise to Mother, and so-to-say escaped, on giving a promise, in order to avert semi-lunacy. His recovery was marvelously quick after promise and he returned to Poona and rejoined his service. Since the day of the expiry of his friend's wife, he had left all religious pathas-reading, worshipping, reading religious literature, etc. as likely to augment his malady. He had after going to Poona a world of reminders from Mother almost every week not to be losing time regarding the fulfillment of his promise of installing Her and declaring Her as " Mai ". 

37. But he was too conscious of the crushing responsibility, to so easily yield. He went on procrastinating and giving adjournments to Mother. Mother could see the need for a more tangible and solid proof to convince him of the reality of Her command. She said to Herself, "He needs the proofs like the return of the image pictures, etc., at the time of his river initiation". Two persons one in Calcutta and the other in Mysore (Shimoga) were given the command in dreams to go over to the city of Poona and deliver Her Message of Installing Mother. Both were staunch devotees of full faith. Both of them found out the Founder and delivered the Mother's message. These things are unimaginable today. None would believe today that there can be such blind-faith persons as would start for Poona because of a simple dream, without knowing where to go and whom to meet. The founder was so struck in highest serenity he said to them, "You tell Mother, there are many much higher devotees than myself who would most easily carry out Mother's command, requiring Her merely to guide them and give them only broad instructions from time to time. It is they that are most fitted for being Her message-carriers."

38. It will be a bulky thing to give all details of conflicting emotions, although so very interesting. Two persons coming down for the only purpose of delivering the message was something too great to be taken lightly. That put Founder to an indescribable shame about his obstinacy and suspiciousness. In spite of so many eye-to-eye experiences of vision and audition, he was too hard a nut to crack.

39. One great advantage of these experiences was that his attitude towards persons who are too stubborn to believe things had become extremely liberal and charitable. Often he said to himself, "If a man of my experience with whole life-long personal contact is not ready to blindly follow Her as She dictates, out of a suspicious nature about the reality, and is not prepared to proceed one step without a thousand considerations, lest there be something wrong to befall him, how hard it should be for average persons to give implicit obedience to various religious commands and requirements, conflicting with their usual true beliefs and further with their immediate in-hand happiness and pleasure?" The Founder believes taking a long and solid view that unless there is the special God's or Guru's grace, and unless one exerts most determinedly and single-mindedly, every man is practically no better (perhaps often worse) religiously and spiritually, than what he was when born. Solid and substantial progress is an extremely slow matter. It is this truth that is conveyed by the Hindu tradition of eighty-four lacs of lives being required by an average man to pass through, for attaining salvation.

40. Anyway, he got ashamed of himself. Said he with a sigh, "I am sure a man without faith. In a way, I have faith in the reality of what I have seen and heard, but I have no faith in myself and no faith in Mother making me fully-fitted for the uphill unique task. Nor has my own self (I and mine) been so annihilated as to make me enabled for making the necessary sacrifice, large or small." He was extremely nervous and terribly afraid of how people would consider his actions, and of their defaming him by attributing highest impudence, hypocrisy, and blasphemy. He had no idea then of any opposition, obstruction, secret animosity, cold indifference, hypocrisy, temporary sweetness during the period of need, invariably followed with a callous and impudent goodbye, etc. He took it for granted that, the world was comprised of men, of whom those that were called and known as religious, were as much craving for spiritual progress as himself. His golden outlook showed him the society to be an ocean of milk with only 5 to 10 percent of bad persons and those too were easily knowable and known. He knew white things and black things as they appeared at the skin but had absolutely no idea of black things concealed in white ones. The worst result that he could then imagine was a ridiculing by the said 10 percent, black class, whereas he hoped 90 percent would hail him up as the opener of the spirituality door closed to the worldly men groping in the dark and would help him with all its might to establish a permanent way.

    His early thoughts were that the religious world was gasping for a much superior spiritual living but that religious preachers or custodians were too conservative, cold and uncompromising. If a via media were chalked out between and out-and-out orthodoxical interpretation of religion and the modern unbridled irreligiosity, the society would be most admirably religiously improved, and therefore really happy.

    His later experience (after 1945) however made him inclined to believe that the masters were simply to be pitied. The pupils were too strong for the masters, had absolutely no desire of improving, and had all along the cleverness of raising master-pretexts after pretexts, laying the whole blame on the masters and on the world for their and the world's spiritual deadlock and degeneration.

    He said, "Between a rich and a poor, an employer and an employee, an aristocrat and a servant, a guru and a shishya, a master and a pupil, a parent and a child, an elder and a youngster, a senior and a junior, somehow, our first modern democratic superficial judgment is always in disfavour of the former and most sympathetic favour of the latter. After quite a mature experience, we often come to a wonderful realization, that our former judgment was likely to have been one-sided and inexperienced."

    He stated "Opinions change, and they must change with new experiences, as they have changed in past. Tomorrow my views may change, but today my decision in the matter of the relationship between the teachers' world and taught's- the world is "Jaisa Lala, Vaisa Keeka". As is the father, so is the son, and as is the son, so is the father. The external defects are at once immediately visible to any passer-by. The internal shoe-pinch only the wearer knows."

    The Founder so often expressed himself thus: "I am standing on a pinpoint of suspense. I do not know which way Mother takes me further. Towards inaction or action? Towards "retirement and leaving the world to itself" or towards "do and die for the duty believed by me to have been entrusted to me"?. The most likely thing, however, is that the former mentality will pass away as a cloud and the latter will retain its possession till my death. "It seems, I will remain optimistic till the last moment, as my belief about 'no good action remains barren without its fruit' is too strongly implanted and too deep-rooted in me to dwindle under the severe-most frosts and hail-storms of the world."

    "I am waiting for further illumination by Mother. Which is the correct understanding? Or are both understandings true? At least, which one is leading to the way meant for me"?, "to leave the world to its own lot and not be foolishly wasting my own energy over an unimprovable hopeless condition and an unsuccessful effort" or "to be patiently continuing to do what, I believe, I am entrusted with, in spite of no tangible proofs and visible and provable results"?

    Nothing is done in a day and nothing with the solitary efforts of a single man, and yet, all the same, the man who evades a duty is a sinner.

    "Which people are the wiser? The Himalayan cave-residers? or The Religion-preachers of the mass, doing their best in the midst of common and cold and world-dipped men?? Perhaps, Mother needs them both. But then, what is the way Mother has selected for me?? From action to inaction, or to more vigorous action at least at this stage of Her intentions??

 "Mother alone knows. She is the Disposer, but all the same, the breath-holding suspense, though painless, does remain".

 "Is it not that it pleases our imaginative poetic and romantic brains, to say Action is for leading us to Inaction? Perhaps our childishness invites a thrill of a contrast of a wetness turning to dryness and a day turning to a night. The world and we feel a certain pleasure in glorifying failures. The truth only those that tread the spiritual path know and there too, one's experience and next step is not bound to be the same as the others. For some, an action may lead to inaction, for others, to still more vigorous action; and both may be right. The end of the range is no doubt 'inaction'. But how long is the range, Mother alone knows. Ours is to wait and watch and pray, for illumination as to the way individually selected and decided by Mother for each one of us."

 "When these questions 'what and how little does a man know about himself or even an atom of the universe and what is he capable of doing' stand before me, my heart as it were stops and my brains get bewildered and staggered, on seeing the world still revolving most speedily in larger and larger whirlpools, in darkest ignorance as to what it is busy with, to what purpose, to what end? and driven by what and whom??. My only prayer to the Mother is not to be illuminated on that unfathomable mysteriousness but to be exempted and set aside as useless for anything else except lying in Her Lotus Feet, wishing nothing and living as nothing."

The aforesaid fact of his lackness of faith and immaturity of his soul, he so often said then to his nearest Mai devotees. Said he then, "I love Mother most passionately, but I am too weak to undertake a risk requiring sacrifice; and as to my faith in Mother, the one that would give me a conviction, viz. "SHe would not remain silent when I would be unhappy", "I am still an immature and a Kachcha (weak) man, in spite of so many experiences."

41. He decided to be tricky with Mother and to get Her to agree to let Her fad go once for all, but he could not succeed. On the other hand, Mother directly repeated Her threat. " Tell Me in one word once for all, what do you prefer- "Installation" or "lunacy?"

42. The Founder had no go and with a sorrowful laughter he sat down to stipulate terms with Mother, as he had done before when he had begun a hundred repetitions of Sapta Shati. He made a Sankalpa (a resolution) pouring sacred water-offering to the Mother, " If there is an entirely new building of which the first indweller is myself, if I enter it on a Friday, if by evening there is a dazzling light, if there is a basket of  "mithai" fruits received that day, if three girls and two men knock my door at 9-30 P.M. (wintry night), if they press me to install Thee, if at 10-30 P.M. I find Mother's picture in any shop, if at 11 P.M. I find some shop open wherefrom I can purchase worshipping materials and lastly if at 11-30 P.M. some " Mali " (Garland hawker) brings me a most beautiful garland befitting Thee and the occasion, then I shall not hesitate and I shall not fail to install Thee and declare Thee and Thy religion."

43. Each and every condition was so very wonderfully and admirably fulfilled. He was getting surer and surer as one condition after another came up attaining fulfillment, and when finally a hawker shouted out " HAR " " HAR " (" garland ", "garland") he burst into tears on hearing that shout. He began to beat his breast and forehead " Mother, Thou hast finally caught me. Could you not find any other man, who is more worthy than me?" The five consoled him with the sweetest words. " SHe would do Her own work. Who is more blessed than yourself? Why should you lose heart and courage? Where is the question of your worthiness or unworthiness, at all, sir, when She Herself has chosen you??"

44. Mother was installed at 12 P.M. midnight on 2-9-1932. Said he to all that had gathered, " From today, I am a Mai-ist; from today, my religion is " God as Mother, Mother of all, propitiable on living the life of universal love and service, with devotion, and unconditional cheerful self-surrender". "Krishna, Mohamad, Christ, Jarthost, Buddha and every Founder of any religion is my Mother's (Mai's) illustrious son. From now, Bible or Koran is as venerable and worshippable to me as Geeta. A Mohamaden lady will find the same shelter in my home as a Hindu lady under the communal riot. (This actually happened). I will continue to pray God as I have prayed till now, with equal intensity of love and devotion, whether in a Hindu Mandir, or a Mohamedan Masjeed, or a Christian Church, or a Zarathustrian Agora, or an Israelite Synagogue. No more religious differences; the devotion of Mother is necessarily the devotion of Mother's children. I am a changed religious man from this moment." Said the Founder, "I install Mai today. I declare Mai-ism today". "Let it be known to one and all of my friends. Let the world if so minded now commence its work of ridiculing, defaming, censuring, suppressing, harassing and crushing me and the Mai movement."

45. News spread around. The nearest people were Theosophists and Harijans. Some educated Harijans who were taking a great interest in religion and who had joined Theosophical Lodge of which the Founder was a prominent figure, had the most reverential regard for the Founder, especially because of his rationalistic and universalistic outlook,- the man who was Love and Mercy, himself with an innocent childlikeness and who was happily blessed with the most intense devotion. People began calling him " Second Ramakrishna ", "Mother's CHild", "Mother" or "Maiji", actually addressing him as "Mother" or "Maiji". The Founder had a terrible exhaustion after the installation night, which lasted for three days. He was religiously different now. On the third night, he had a pleasant dream, in which he saw a vast open lawn in which there were innumerable ladies of all religions. He interpreted this to mean that Mother desired a congregation of ladies in strict purda (with no gents and boys) of all religions, in commemoration of Her Installation. In spite of so many difficulties, a sisters' social of over 300 sisters of all religions presided by Mrs. E.T. Choudhari of Bengal on Dashera day (9-10-1932) in Poona became a fait accompli, (a fact accomplished). By one and all that attended, it was called " Mother's Miracle".

46. The Founder attaches great religious importance to this novelistic idea of a congregation of all ladies, without distinction of caste creed and colour or age, in strict purda without any gents or (even) boys, meeting together in the spirit of religious sisters to have religious discourse and thought-exchanges, prayers, worships, refreshments, prasads, etc., on the Dashera Day. The requirement of the purda has a deep significance to provide a safety against any unusual custom or belief. If that provision is not there, Muslim sisters would stand precluded; so also the Hindu ladies of royal orthodoxies, as also the ladies whose husbands and relations are strictly against their womenfolk mixing freely with men.

47. The Founder has the highest intensity of faith and belief in that, the mere gathering of the said nature pleases Mai, the Universal Mother, most immeasurably and moves Her to shower Her blessings of prosperity peace and bliss on such meetings' attendants and their families. It is not merely an imagination of a religious mind, but a direct command and communication by Mai, in unambiguous words in dreams. To the Founder himself, it means a period of great penance and austerity during the immediately preceding Navaratra to move Mai to make the function glorious enough and to propitiate Her for the Grace-showers on the suffering humanity. The apparent inconvenience is there, as gents cannot accompany their wives, as easy frolicsome escorts. However, this preclusion itself is suggestive of the main idea, that the ladies are attending a religious function of sisters. The Founder wishes all ladies to meet as sisters, daughters and mothers to one another, mother and the children folk respectively, and not as wives, would-be-wives for a pets of men in the Mother's temple while meeting for a concentrated prayer, once a year, lasting for not more than three hours at a stretch. The meeting for its maximum efficacy is meant to be a gathering around the Universal Mother of Her softer and more religious-minded and more grace-needing and more home-happiness-responsible daughters, as far as possible temporarily deadened in respect of the sex-poison-mind running, at least for those few hours. The spiritual nectar that can flow and serve as an antidote against all bitterness of different communities and religions can flow only from Mother OF ALL, the Most Merciful Mai, and through propitiation by and intimate mutual relations of, human mothers alone. Such meetings represent the smallest manageable universally-minded sister-folk-world's miniatures and carry their remembrance for years after the event. 

    If you make one "brother" religious and righteous, he is by himself alone. He may discontinue if there is displeasure at home. If you make one "sister" to be righteous and religious, there follows an army of relations that are in oneness-bondage and blood-bondage with her.

    The right central pivot of any nation for the development of its religiosity, righteousness, culture and civilization, its virtuousness and piousness, is its womenfolk in general, and the mother-folk in particular. A woman is the maker and dictator of man, through her mysterious and wonderful powers of protection and infatuation.  

    The Founder wishes that there be sisters' social functions of the said type as there were at Poona on 9-10-1932 and at Madras on 1-10-1949, on Dasserah days, periodically, if not annually. 

48. Soon after the Installation on 2-9-1932 and the sisters' social on Dashera day on 9-10-1932, the Founder was deputed to go to Belgaum, Dharwar, etc., for his official duties. He became from now Mai's missionary. In the very train, Mother was worshipped at Belgaum by a huge number of ladies traveling in second class and others in the train, with garlands, sweet-offerings, and Arti. " Prasad " was carried away by people right up to Madras. The Founder was entirely joyful. For persons who can set a liberal value of divinity to religious ideas emotions and actions, worship by a large congregation of ladies in a train was surely an extraordinarily unprecedented event, in rhyming with the sportive and jolly nature of Mother. There is no precedent of the congregation of ladies of all different religions, uniting together to pray to Almighty God as Mother, as in The Poona Sisters' Social. One has never heard of an instance of a Divine worship on a railway station in the train in 2nd class in an unoccupied compartment by the varied (unknown-to-each-other) train-travellers, including especially ladies. 

49. At Belgaum, on return from Dharwar, Hubli, Gadag, the Founder was taken to a great Sannyasin who was a Ganapati-devotee and whose predictions were reported to be wonderfully correct. He would just move his eye from top to toe of the visitor and begin to say a few most meaningful sentences and then would say " Bhago ", (run away). Those few lines would be the sum and substance of the visitor's and questioner's past present and future. The Founder had his turn and the Sanyasin told him, "If you sit till all are finished, I have to tell you a lot, but in strict solitude. In one word, so that you may not remain in suspense, you are the Founder of a new Universal Hinduism-revised religion". The Founder was staggered as to how he knew these matters and he had full one hour's sitting in solitude with the Sanyasin during which he gave several predictions and instructions. In the end, he said, "Believe all of my words to be true if, within a month from now, you start a religious institution".

    It is Mother's most mysterious and fanciful Divine arrangement that when the last drop of faith and enthusiasm in the devotional-heart-lake is on the point of drying away, when the devotee throws off and cuts off all his cords except the main-most one, with Mai and Mai work, when he vociferates with deepest despondency "From this moment all my connections cease," then Mother moves, gives some convincing proofs of " he being Hers", with some wonderful experiences and fills up again the devotional-heart-lake to the brim. The summer heat of the worldliness makes the last drop to evaporate, but before its complete evaporation, the monsoon of Mother's Grace-showers runs a deluge.

50. On return to Poona, he was pressed by all that had seen Mother's miracle of the sisters' social, to start an institution for universal prayers and lectures on different religions and spreading Mother's conception and worship. In less than a month from the date of the meeting with the Mahatma of Belgaum, a Mother's lodge was started on Chaitra Suda Padva, Navratra Goodi Padva day (27-3-1933). Meetings were held every Sunday with printed hand-bills distributed all over the city and mention thereof in the local papers. It was attended by all religious people, and lectures were mainly about the principal tenets of Devotion, Love, Service, and Surrender, as emphasised supported and preached in different religions.

51. The Founder dealt with Harijans by various lectures and Mother-worship in the"Depressed-class-mission" and at his own place and gave religious teachings to so many youths who began to worship Mother in their own places. 

52. There are so many instances of Mother's Grace that would be read with interest and a few experiences may be narrated here because they go a great deal to show how Mother does help Her devotees-in-distress, most miraculously.

53. A Parsi lady who served as a chair-woman in sisters' social had one night a trouble. Her brother asked her for a sum of Rs. 500 as he was in difficulty. It was Friday night. She said, she would pay for him off his bills amounting to even more than Rs. 500 in arrears, but that she would not give any cash because he was sure to lose that in the race-course the next day. The brother got wrathful and ran in the street shouting, she may read in the papers the next day the result of her refusal. The lady was terrified. How could she run after him? So, in her despair, she shouted for the Founder "Oh my brother? Oh my Mother? Who can save me? Who would bring my brother back?" She decides to go to the Founder, when, in the bungalow itself she saw Mother who told her "My son is just now having a nap after a long exhaustion. Don't go and trouble him. I will bring your brother back within an hour and a half". The brother who had gone to Bund garden with a determination not to return home, returned. All of them in their happiest mood motored to the Founder and joined in Friday prayers. They narrated this experience to their friends and that added a lot to the popularity of Mai-ism.

54. One of the Mother's devotee's brother at Madras was in some great prosecution-difficulty though he was innocent. He was praying and worshipping as initiated. Once he was so much unnerved that he decided to run down to Poona to be blessed. He had a dream in which there was a room in which the Founder (whom he had not seen) was sleeping and Mother was patrolling and guarding the Founder. He entered the room. She asked him "Why are you here? WHat do you want?". He said, "I want the FOunder as I am in great difficulty". Said She, " Don't disturb my son. He is fast asleep after a bitter weeping for me. You want acquittal, is it not? Well, I promise you, you now walk off, let him sleep."

55. The man wrote about the dream to the Founder and asked its meaning and whether he should come down to Poona for blessings. The Founder, as we have already seen of him regarding suspicious nature, asked him the details of the room, direction, things lying, the posture of the Founder, etc., as he saw in the dream. The Founder said to himself, "There are many dreams which are result of one's own thinking, so let me get the details". Details came forth. The Founder had three pillows, under his head; he had a blanket which was brown with black squares. He was sleeping with Mai's picture by his side. These and other details equally tailed/ The Founder said, "You need not come down to Poona, but pray, pray and pray". He was later acquitted.

56. The funniest part of the whole Mai-grace history is that the Founder in spite of so many experiences always remains doubtful. The cause of that is the age in which he is born and the western education. He would say, "Is it not likely that these people create stories? just to please me and increase their own importance?" Two experiences were however very wonderful which his eyes cannot deny. One of them was this.

57. There was plague in Poona. People left the city. The Founder also lived on Toddiwala road. One lady came to him and told him that Mother appeared in Her dream and said, "Those who want to save their families should attend my Friday prayers." The Founder told her, "I have very small space here. Your own desire has materialized itself in the dream." With all reverence, she was a bit wrathful. She spoke words which showed she was severely distressed. "Do you think, Mai? (Mother)? that we are not fit and Mother will not talk to us in the dream and that you can alone have all the monopoly?" "However small we may be for Her Grace, there is no question of worthiness. I tell you, Mother is actually living in your house. If you like, you may test. She is going out at 5 a.m. and moves in the garden and returns within a few minutes."

58. The Founder gave the substance of this talk to his cook and his servant and asked them to keep a watch and shout him if they saw Mother. The next morning, both of them, the cook and the servant, were on the keenest watch. At about five, they heard a sound near the door as if someone was unloosing the chain and they saw the door opened and closed quite speedily and the chain swinging and hanging vertically. They ran out, looked all round outside but could see nothing and none. The next morning they reported Founder, "The door chain was loosened and we heard the sound but we could not see anything, so we did not wake you up." The Founder used a lock, kept the key with him. The next night, the cook and servant shouted. The lock was opened and there was the sound of the doors striking freely as if they were broken open most angrily. The Founder ran up. He saw the doors wide open and the lock opened, hanging loose on one side and the chain on the other. He ran in the garden and saw Her just before disappearing. He danced like a madman with joy and composed a poem which is sometimes sung in Mother's Lodge meetings. "Bagan me fool chunan ko jayre meri Maiya." "In the garden, flowers to pluck goes my Mother." Orders were issued not to close the doors by night or to open them off at 4 a.m. The preceding woman was obeyed. Friday prayers began in a spacious terrace and there was no case of a plague attack in the vast number of families that attended.

59. However, the most wonderful and interesting experience of the Founder was this. One young man who had lost his equilibrium due to his wife's death was in the spiritual service of the Founder, after he was restored to normality. One night he made a very strange statement. He said, "Mother just passed in front of our doors in a royal splendid car and She told me, "you come over with Kakaji (Founder) to the Globe Cinema (in Poona city). I am going there. Bring him without fail. He thinks a religious preacher loses all his austerity and Punya by seeing the Cinema. He needs a relief now. Don't fail." The Founder thought the young man's head had again turned. He thought all his labours of mental recovery on him were lost. He tried to make that man forget but the latter would not leave him. Both went to Globe Cinema. The picture was "Maya Machendra". The other man had absolutely no peace of mind. He would go out of the theatre leaving his seat and come in every five minutes till finally, he came in shouting "Mother came just now in the very same car." The Founder was getting nervous in case that man's head became turbulent and wild in the cinema theatre itself. Few minutes later, that man shouted, " See, See, See there. She is sitting just in that balcony all alone." The Founder was more than stupefied as he saw Mother there in the balcony all alone on a gem-bedecked easy chair. Both were steadily gazing at Her. After 4 to 5 minutes, they saw Mother getting up most hurriedly. Said the other man, "Kakaji, Mother is going away," and he ran out. The Founder also ran after him. They saw Mother getting into the car with a lightning speed and the car flew off. 

60. There will be no end to the narration of all the Founder's experiences. To those that have some mystic knowledge of occult religious nature, it is a known fact that visions and dreams are powerful avenues of divine communications. Deities and dead or distant Guru carry their work through dreams, regarding the interpretations of which the wisest are often at their wits' end.

Dreams themselves are often untrue, but sometimes true, sometimes a picture of own desires, imaginations and ambitions, and sometimes actually by way of a command, message or guidance, or even initiation by the higher souls. There is no seal of certainty about its source, and every dream has to be dealt with most cautiously, neither with blind faith, nor with nothing-caring-indifference. The best thing is to consult and take a decision from one in whom you believe and who is more advanced religious soul, higher than yourself.

In the case of the Founder ( Shri Markand Dholkia - the author of this book & the Founder of Universal Religion Mai-ism, popularly known as Mai Swarup Mai Markand or Maiji), dreamsand visions have played an extremely important part, as would be seen from so many instances narrated already and to be narrated hereafter.

The very belief in the existence of a Final most element beyond this visible world was the rich first fruit of the Divine dream given by Bhadrakali at Ahmadabad. His acceptance as a son by Bahucharaji Mother was through the dream in the temple.

His being permanently established as a devotee of Mother was the most invaluable Grace through the Direct Vision of Mother Herself,at the moment of his suicide leading to despair.

In the very installation of Mai, it was the dreams of Her two devotees, one from Calcutta and the other from Shimoga (Mysore) that had played the important part of convincing the Founder about Mother's determined Will.

Further, he convened the Sisters' Social at Poona (Pune), simply because he took the dream-command as realistically as a General's command to his humble servant. The Madras (Chennai) Sisters' Gathering on 1-10-1949 (Dusserah day) was also the result of a later command in a dream.

The activities in respect of the latter were enthusiastically taken up by leading Madras (Chennai) sister, (a resident of Mambalam) because she had a dream.

In Poona (Pune) Sisters' Social, one rich Parsi lady, eighty-one years of age, was actually carried by her grand-daughters to the meeting because she had a dream ( as narrated by her grand-daughter during the meeting) to the purport attendance in that meeting was the highest expiation of all sins, for anyone belonging to any religion.

61. Seeing dreams in which Mother and Founder would be seen  sitting together and sometimes playing some indoor or outdoor game and sometimes "hide and seek", was one variety. Mother teasing the Founder and the latter getting wrathful and running to catch Her and hit Her and Mother eluding the grip and laughing at his inability to cope with Her lighting speed - another variety.

In 1942 a lady from Karachi, and in 1944 a gent from Surat, came right down to Bombay (Mumbai) and Hubli respectively, simply because in their dreams they saw Mother sitting with an old devotee, who on the description to someone  knowing  the Founder, was believed to be he . On seeing the Founder in person, they expressed their happiest wonder and joyfully narrated their details of  identification, while talking about the "dream-devotee" and the devotee-before-their-eyes.

Someone, with open eyes while meditating on Mother saw Her in life-size behind the Mother's worship picture. Her heart opened slowly as a thin mist of cloud scatters away to show the moon behind, and in Her heart's cavity, that one saw a small size bust of the Founder. Few seconds after, the heart closed up, setting a seal, as it were, over the heart protecting its beloved treasure.

Someone from Belgaum, who had been the Founder's guest, once heard words like this inhis ears "Bachchako Jagaav. Bolo Do Niwaalaa Khaake So". -"My son, awaken; tell him two morsels having eaten, sleep". This was in his wonderful hearing on one of the Navaratri  nights, when the Founder had not taken his regular meal by the day and being tired with work and worry about the success of the Poona Sisters' Social (9-10-1932), he lay on his cot half-hungry but half-sleepy and tired.

 Someone would see the most graceful living slim figure of Mother as in the Maai picture, 

with the face of Founder. The Founder's face, in that case, would be quite young and beautiful, without wrinkles and grey hairs.

Someone would see  the beautiful Mother's face and body up to the waist from below in green sari and the upper body would be covered under the Founder's usual thin white shirt. 

Some would see half-Mother half-Founder.

62.  A layman in this matter may, for a time, argue, such dreams as are narrated above, maybe the creation of their own mental thoughts, but we can't explain away like that, when the Founder actually experienced a vast, striking change in the attitude of the persons before and after their experience.

I am referring to the dream experience of Mysore (Shimoga) devotee, who carried the Mother -Installing message, referred to before. This young man happened to come to the hotel as a casual visitor, like one of so many passers-by where the Founder was residing. The Founder also , by chance, just went to the dining -floor, at the time that man was dinning.

As soon as that man saw the Founder quickly returning to his place, he suddenly left his half-meal and ran after the Founder. Most abruptly, he talked to Founder," Are you a devotee of a Devi?" Founder also made no delay, " Yes, not only a devotee but a passionate, most uneasy devotee". Still more abruptly the man said, " I come from Mysore. I have a message to hand over to you from your Mother". The Founder got dumb-founded. "Yes, please come up to my room". The man followed. The message was communicated.

Said the man," I have come down so far. Would you not favor me with the spark of Love for Mother? I have enough of divine knowledge (Jnana) and Ritualistic Bhakti, just for my purposes ( this was only his modesty ). Said Founder," Are you prepared? Would you sit with me  on the bench of the Sheikh Sulla bridge (in Poona - Pune) during night hours?" He agreed. The Founder was sitting with him in exposure from 11 P.M. to 4 A.M. on a wooden bench. The man went to his place. He was at the highest  pitch of his desire that he may have a vision of Mother, at least in the dream. He had a dream, on sleeping. Mother appeared before him and said," You are now longing for my Darshan ( vision). Who was talking to you for hours on the bridge? That was me. You have not only seen me, but talked with me for hours." The man full of devotion and with tears in his eyes narrated the event forthwith to the Founder, at the early dawn.

The reader may feel inclined to know similarly about the Calcutta message-bearer. With the command to carry the message in a dream, he came over to Poona (Pune). Finding no place in any other hotel, he had come over to the hotel where Founder resided.

With greater despondency as to how to find the man in such a largely unknown city, he fell into sleep, at 10 P.M. He had a dream."Don't be afraid and losing heart. I have brought you to the man." Just at 12 mid-night, you see things through the slits of the common door between your room and the front room. You have to hand over the message  to the man there in the morning. Make a bold statement of what you see and the message."The man saw the Founder at the said hour in communion, full of solicitations to Mother" to find some other man to install etc." and in lamentation and in his part of unconsciousness and ground-falling in a swoon.In the morning, he delivered the message in a bold convincing manner and that evening he left for Nagpur.

63. Once a great yogi arrived at the Founder's, in Hubli, as a distinguished rare guest. He was a master of English and Sanskrit in his young days. He had relinquished the world and was moving from place to place. He lived on milk, fruit and wet gram pulse uncooked.

The Founder remained all the while in high humility with his two hands folded and attended him as a waiter. Like Totapuri in Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life, he was talking to the 

Founder, almost spurningly or at least belittlingly about Founder's devotional madness and the absence of regularity, looseness in daily routine trivial matters, over-kindness to undeserving, mental weakness, etc. It was in the manner of a Gyani or a Yogi with an extreme superiority complex, talking from the terrace to a foot-path man. All this took place during the daytime, on the first-arrival-day.

They slept that night at 2 A.M.Founder is a late riser. He usually sleeps after 3 A.M. and gets up between 8 and 9 in the morn. As soon as Founder woke up, the Yogi made a long prostration, and began to speak in humblest words,' Forgive me. Forgive my impudence, my folly, my swollen-headedness. For the first time in my life, I have a cause to repent. Even a householder can be a highest religious man. Thou art the Divine Mother, in human form".

The Founder was shocked at such a change in a few night hours. The Yogi told him, he had a  dream. "With his Yogic powers, he was soaring high along a big mountain and was standing near the edge of the plateau. Somehow his foot slipped and he rolled most hurtfully along the

slope. He was being crushed with ice-blocks falling on him. He came rolling at the foot of  the mount. He had got senseless. When he got consciousness, he saw that one most beautiful Mother was nursing him. She lifted him and carried him to a long deep cave and placed him lying just at the cave-mouth. The Mother shouted hard to someone in the cave, 'Come out quick, a great Yogi has slipped from the mount and is most seriously hurt.' Out came a simple dressed  quite an ordinary-looking man, witha childlike lustrous face."

The Yogi at this point began to ask the Founder" Who do you think or guess this Saviour man might be ?" The Founder gave some two or three names, Kali Kamaliwala, Lord Anand, etc. The Yogi impatiently said, " No. No" , and then with an outburst of lamentation frantically prostrated to the Founder and catching his feet said," Who else can he be ??? It was you, you, you with a merciful heart for anyone , even the worst sinners. You, human Merciful Mother." And he wept profusely.

64. There was one interesting instance of a lady. She was supposed to be the Maataaji. We have so many of them amongst Hindus, ladies in whose body some Devi would appear periodically. All will worship her, ask questions, advice and blessings, this was in a much earlier period. Whereas the Yogi incident was in 1944, this one was in 1936 in Poona (Pune). Somehow Founder was introduced to the lady, and she began to take him"right and left". She attacked him ruthlessly," Do you think mere knowledge is God's Grace ?? Does any Maataaji favour you with Her Grace by making you yourself the Maataaji ? Can you tell me now what is going on at a certain place and a certain hour ? Show me what you are capable of ." The Founder was more than "ground-dusted". He prostrated to her saying " I am simply a worthless nothing ". This took place at about 3 p.m. on a Sunday, at some common friend's house. The next day, she was found in her motor at the very door of the Founder's office. Founder was surprised. He took her in. There was no prostration, but full humility in her eyes. She asked pardon in the honorable manner that a lady, and one who was herself worshipped as Maataaji, can do.She explained herself. She had a dream in the night in which she saw her own living Guru in  Mount Abu. He was "red and hot" and telling her," What a foolish thing have you done !!! 

You have insulted and humiliated a great devotee whom I myself would consider a great privilege to meet. Find him out and immediately run to demand pardon ".She said she had no sleep for the rest of the night. She knew only the office address and she had been there to ask his pardon at the first available moment. 

65. On 15-9-1950, the Ganapati Installation day, a distinguished Swamiji of Madras 

(Chennai) city, who had seen the Founder only twice at Madras (Chennai)  when he went for the first time to Madras for Sister's gathering on Dusserah day (1-10-1949), had a dream at 4.30 A.M. ; he wrote it out to the Founder. It was nearly ten months since they had any correspondence whatsoever. The substance was: " I was sitting on a sea-shore. Something took place and I was hurled down into the sea - life itself being in danger and practically lost. 

I began to struggle hard with hands and feet and to repeat with the highest intense devotion, the most efficacious hymns and mantras of Shri Tripura Sundari, Ambika and Ganapati. All hope lost, but finally, Mother was pleased to save me. There was an upward push which brought me near up to the surface. I was over  joyful on being practically saved. I saw Mother Herself on the shore, with "one". That "one" jumped into the sea and clasped my hand and pulled me out on the shore ".

The Swamiji further wrote,"Who do you think that "one" was ?? I am myself so joyfully surprised to find who that "one" was. It was Mai-Swarup Mai Markand, Founder and President of Mother's Lodge. You are the most Beloved Soul of Mother. You are the replica , you are Her embodiment ", etc. etc. 

66. The above instances are those of dreams. There is one of a "vision", in the actual writing of the visualizer which may be referred to herein shortest words.

    It is a letter addressed to the Founder by an England-returned High official in Railways, dated 19th August 1949. A reference to Mother's Grace showered on this gentleman has been made in subsequent chapters. The repetition may, therefore, be observed later, but that may be excused, being inevitable to fully understand the facts. He is the gentleman who is further described in "The lady had a friend in Baroda, a high officer who was most severely devoted" and further, "The lady saw him at a Saint's place in the most humiliated plight regarding his standard of living, etc."

    This letter from him is after a long gap of years together, say, the first letter after over six years. The circumstance which led to the renewal was that the Founder accidentally came across an old letter of the man, which had predicted in 1943, that the Founder would be in a temple of his own, near a sea-coast on or about March or April of 1949. The founder was overjoyed on reading the old letter as he had entered "Mai Niwas" in Santa Cruz, near sea-coast, on Mother's Day, 4th March 1949, and Founder opened the correspondence by thanking him, congratulating him for the prediction and blessing him.

    The devotee's letter, abridged, stands as under:

                                                                19th August 1949,

My dear Mai (Markand Kaka),

    " Your letter dated 15th August 1949, reached me on 18th August 1949 at 17/20 hours. I have faith that you are endowed with miraculous supernatural Divine powers.

    " On the evening of 5th November 1942, I felt a strange feeling on finishing my chanting of Chandipatha (Saptashati) practically for the whole day. It was about 6 p.m. I went out for a walk and when I reached Mandvi (in Baroda), I felt I had nobody, even though I was conscious of myself. I felt I was floating in the air. I wonder how I walked over the distance back to my home. I went straight to the bed but could not get sleep.

    " After the middle of the night, at about 3-0 a.m., early morning, I saw a light, which was very bright advancing like a small ball getting bigger and bigger. It opened out and in it I saw a face covered up with long hair, black and shiny with lustrous and beautiful eyes, which I have never seen before or after. I was afraid and I began to pray. The sound came to my ears of the words "Do not worry; your anxieties will be over and your work is done from 23rd to 28th November 1942".

    "These were true words as was proved, from subsequent events. On Saturday, i.e., on the following day, 6-11-1942 being a Friday, I received a letter from her (the intermediary lady) about her having spoken to you at about 3-0 a.m., (the exact time when I got the vision), to pray to the Mother and you said, "She has already done it."

    "I experienced a similar phenomenon on 15th evening of August 1949 at about 8 p.m., while I was walking in the pitch dark on my way back from Ashapura Mataji's temple here. I became conscious of a very bright light following me so much so that I saw my shadow in it. When I turned back, I saw no light and yet I saw the shadow!! I have not yet fathomed what is meant. It will come to me someday".

    The time when this was being experienced, was the time when the Founder was writing the letter in "Mai Niwas" in presence of Mai, after a great devotional communion.

67. There are experiences of " messages " as well. Thus, Mother helps Her devotees in so many ways, dreams, visions, suggestions, and messages, which one would very clearly hear to the preciseness of being able to jot down and by way of a regular dictation, as it were. We are referring here to the instances of " Direct Personal Contacts " and not to so many altogether-unknown arrangements and disposal of matters, that Mai is managing, behind the back of Her devotees, for their protection and smooth-running, for their Yoga and Kshema-attainment and retention. As a matter of fact, devotees gradually get trained to believe they are under the constant care and supervision of their MAI and get more and more, at all hours grateful, for all the good that is conferred on them. The devotee who attributes the miseries that he has to pass through in life to Mother, without the gratefulness, is no devotee at all. He is a bargainer and a business-trader and an exploiter of Mother's Grace. He is a sucker, a leech.

68. There is an instance of a long message, stated to have been actually dictated by Mai, which is most encouraging and illuminating for devotees trying hard to struggle with their unfavorable circumstances and repeated discomforts and inconveniences. The substance may be gathered from the following brief extract:

                                                                                                           29th December 1949.

"Beloved and Revered Mai-Swarup Mai-Markand,

         " I beg to record the following. In fact, it is a copy of what I had, on the spot, recorded on Friday the 23rd instant, at midnight hour. It is not mere "wishful thinking", not " imagination ", not a hallucination, not a phantom. I was seeing with my own eyes, open and alert eyes, Mother-Mai, seated on a chair, next to my table, calmly convincing me of the Reality, and cool-mindedly and quietly giving me a resume of what She wanted to convey........."

    This night and this hour were one of the most important times of the Founder's life. It was his first birth-date night (23-12-1949) after he had entered " Mai Niwas ". The Founder had most intense heart-rending and yet most blissful communion with Mother in " Mai Niwas " at Santa Cruz, while a similar miraculous thing was happening in Madras, at the same hour, with a devotee at Madras. There was absolutely nothing like a postal communion before this synchronization, that can lead to the happenings.

    Although the devotee means and rightly means, it was a Mother's message to him personally, the Founder sees a good deal of most valuable teaching which is universally applicable and useful to so many of a certain cast and group of mentalities and circumstances, and the Founder interprets " you " in the message to mean "all like you, including you," and not " you " alone. There is a reference to this birth-day night hour, further on, in this compilation.

    The letter continues :

    "......What Mother said was this :

    " You are given all obstacles in smooth life, with a purpose. I have tried to bring you round, to suit my ways. You are often caught up in life's tangles and hence the progress I mean for you, becomes slow. But still, in spite of you, there has been and is a gradual progress. Don't think I can't give you, wealth, power and a brilliant career. I can do that very easily, but if you become any such one, entangled in those things, I cannot have you for my work. I want you for something, which is many times much more important.

    "Do realize this from now onwards, at least. Don't worry about how life passes and will pass for you. It is not without purpose, I bring you in contact with " Sat Purusha " (Saintly persons), all with deep purposes, and to train you. Worldly life (Samsara, income, expenses, joys, and sorrows, pleasures and pains, etc.) will always be one of the endless problems, and there is and will be no end to your prayers. Surely, I wish you are not going to use me only for this useless problems-solving, and surely I am not going to rest with just helping you only over your ever-repeating worries and problems.

    "What is the end of it all?? What is the purpose of life?? Just think deeply, most deeply, meditatively. Mai-Swarup was specially brought by me, to this house, not without the deep object. His repeated enlightenment about Mai-ism and Mai for one and all, the whole of humanity, is so crystal-clear, you have read and understood, and should be convincing. His present letter and elucidation of Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa is still more vivid. What more can I do for you?? It is so simple and yet you people wander here and there and ask for this and that, and such petty and unreal and ephemeral things, and waste time and valuable opportunities lying before, and even sometimes forced by me on you, as though, fulfilment of material wants has got any end, and will permanently solve all problems for all persons!!! Take things as they come, and do what you can. You should, as normal beings, be ever-remembering that your best and worst efforts, are controlled and guided by Me, unseen by you, and unknown to you.

    "I have been training you, all along, against all odds, though the progress is slow, slow, but never-the-less steady and permanent. There is a definite gradual improvement. You are meant for my purpose and to fulfil My Will. Have some sense of proportion, as to what is important and on what you should spend more thought and time, i.e., (a) looking after your material problems and getting yourself more and more entangled and (b) spiritual virtues of life and spreading to others all about ME.

    "You should not miss, at least hereafter, and you should not lose the valuable times ahead, and the rare opportunity of fully utilizing Mai-Swarup Mai-Markand and of serving him and ME. Every day and every opportunity lost and missed, can never be had. It is a loss to you and others and to ME. Don't worry about the rest. Leave things to ME, and leave them to ME absolutely.

              *                                             *                                              *                                        *

    "Such was the clear and correct enlightenment, such as I never had in such calm and endearing manner, all my life, from anyone and not even from Mother (here the writer means, either Mai-Image he worships or more likely, the Founder). My mind and brain was never so clear and calm and was never convinced so fully, as I became and as I was, on the 23rd night. From that time, my outlook on life and on my problems has changed so vitally, that I am now carefree and take things lightly, and know that my chief aim and purpose is to serve Mother, and that on the lines indicated by Mai-Swarup Mai-Markand and to be of service to him (Her through him), and to utilise him fully and not miss any opportunity for such service.

    "This is to be so, in daily life, thought, word and deed. All good that Mother confers on me is with a purpose, not for me to be foolishly enamored with and be lost in material glories but to be all the more realizing Mother's Great Glory. All for Her work and as per Her Will.

    " In fact, I had drafted a telegram: but I hesitated and I wanted to make sure that that was really Mother. Of course, I carry on; but the chief and most important work is, service to Mother and Mai-Swarup (both the same, as Mother Herself said). Mother will take my burdens on Herself, in some way or the other. I need not bother, any longer. The text of the telegram, I drafted, is as under:-

EXPRESS          

                                      " Mai-Swarup Mai-Markand,

                                      Saraswathi Road,

                                        Bombay-Santacruz"

                 " Mother tonight grants me calm and correct enlightenment. re: Mai, Mai-ism, Mother purpose of life, training me against odds with slow and delayed progress for the purpose, as per Her Will. Mother says I should not lose valuable time and miss rare life opportunity of utilizing Mai-Swarup and of serving him and Her. Assures that rest be left to Her- (Friday, 23-12-1949, midnight hour)."

    "I close. I pray I may be made a worthy servant and instrument of Mai and Mai-Swarup. I pray my " Moha " " attachments for Sansar ", greed and lust for money, power, pleasure, etc., may not take the upper hand and hinder me and Her work".

69. The Founder has an inward satisfaction when he knows Mother's Full Grace continuously showering on him. Mother gives dreams visions and messages to others and directly or indirectly informs others as if to say, Mai and Mai-Swarup are nearest, if not Mother and Son, or if not same and one, as some (Devotees or Adwaitins) may believe. But, then comes an extremely sorrowful wave of a lamentful and yet turbulent mood. He goes to Mother and talks to Her "What have I to do with my recognition!!! Is that my goal or happiness?? No. I want the world to come forth with whatever sacrifice each one can make, to work with me, to spread Thy Glory and to revise the world's understanding of true religiosity, or, in other words, to spread Thy simple and straight Religion, make people of a better moral caliber, infuse true religiosity, make man-to-man relationship of a much superior order. There, I find a great cipher. Don't cheat me with hollow words of people's praises and prostrations. I want substantial results in life, Morality, Religiosity, peacefulness, security, stability, smoothness and all that is most sublimely beautiful and blissful in the living of mankind in general. Raise the minimum, something showered freely and mercifully on all persons even though they have no qualification of theirs except that they have life, except that they breathe in and out, like a blacksmith's bellows. I don't mean dabbling with the Divine Law of give and take, and of more progress, bliss and happiness to more deserving. Let that remain unconstrained and unaltered. Though effortless and unearned, yet everyone lives most mechanically a better life than the present one. Raise the minimum smoothness and peacefulness of average life of mankind. Let the happiness and misery, at the two extremities be much more heightened if that is necessary and inevitable, for exceptional few. Let there be wars, epidemics devastation diseases destruction etc., if people lose their divine sense and brains and throw all solicitations of thy devotees to winds with indifference and ridicule, and if suffering is the only way of bringing men to their senses, but let the neutral man live a much better life, with Thy Grace of raising the minimum. Let at least Thy devotees not suffer, for no fault of theirs, a for the only reason that they happen to be in the midst of the world's self-invited destruction and misery all around them." If segregation or isolation is the only salvation remedy, if things can be made more smooth by a re-classification, do that. Do anything but let the world be much happier than now."

70. Some few more things before we turn from Poona to Ahmedabad to which the Founder was transferred. He was invited in June 1933 to speak on "God as Mother," by All Faiths Conference at Nasik, and in 1934 by the 9th Indian Philosophical Congress on "Modern world and Motherhood of God."

71. All the various details about the Founder had become so very popularly known that he was addressed as Mother and dear Mother or Mai or Mai-ji by all interested in Mai-ism. Even some college professors and others (like Suryanarayana Sastry of Madras) who took part in the conference and Congress addressed him as " mother ". In such a serious thing, as a printed address in a casket which was given to him while on transfer in a meeting convened by more than 8 small institutions, the Founder was addressed as " Dearest Most-Merciful Mother". This practice of addressing him as " mother " has continued till now.

72. The Founder's Mother-absorption is most interesting to know and thrilling. Some people who knew him would address him as Mother. If there be any letter which did not start with " Jai Mai " from a man who had a religious relation to him, he would tear it out and write to him " Your letter did not begin with Jay Mai, so it has been torn out". " Please write again". Even the greatest scoffers of his would say, "If you want any work from him, talk to him about the mercifulness of the Mother to the world. He would do anything, give you anything." If anyone, of course, initiated, finished his letter without a reference to Mai, he will be out of his mood and logic. "You want your son to recover, etc., you ungrateful mortals?, you have not even the courtesy to inquire about our Mother??" "Let love die but not even the barest courtesy?". And the suffering boy will not recover soon. If on the other hand, anyone wrote " Please tell Mother, the boy is suffering much," he will dance and immediately reply, or even wire, " Mother will cure your son before next Friday " and that would surely happen. Founder says I have seen so much bankruptcy that with full knowledge about insincerity I want Mother's remembrance and name-repetition. I am satisfied with even that much. At least, let the courtesy be there. Let it be even a lip-stated one. It is better than ungratefulness and absence of consciousness itself."

    It is the most frequent accusation, often sweetly flung in the face of the Founder. "You remove the miseries of them, who talk with an artificial sweetness about the Mother and cheat you, whereas one who is plain-minded and do not cheat you remain unheard and unaided". The Founder would reply "I am fully aware of the wholesale bankruptcy. But I prefer to be cheated for Mai's sake with Her lip-glorification rather than die thirsty in the dry and dreary desert of " NO MOTHER'S NAME."

73. When he went to Nasik, in 1933, he was carrying Mother's picture in his hands. On the way from station to the college quarters, there was a heavy rain which made it impossible for the motor to go further. Volunteers took away the bags and baggages. One of them said, "Please give that picture to me. I will carry it safely." Said the Founder, " That picture is my Mother, She is the most obstinate mother and most naughty child. She won't go in any hands. She will harass me to carry Her myself all the long way off, under rains; just take Her." The weight was so heavy. A young man of twenty himself half-bent down in water as if overloaded. None else dared trying, although Founder had to carry Her all the long way off, tired and under rains. Founder often says " Mother harasses me too much. I don't know whether She is Mother? or a pampered only-Daughter?"

74. He would misunderstand any talk as Mother's talk and be a fool when he would be disillusioned. Any word such as " other ", " further ", he would hear as " Mother."

      One very, interesting instance was this.

      One day, one girl, 24 years, entered his place saying " Is mother here?" Founder ran to her with every devotional overflow. " Yes, Yes, She is here, Come in." He took her to the picture, performed a small quick Arti and gave her Prasad. The fact was something else. The girl was given an address of the building and her own mother had come to the adjoining block. The girl was wise enough not to give a shock to Founder by telling the truth as she saw him overjoy-ful with supreme devotion. The girl went to the next block where her mother was seated and the mother with her daughter came to Founder for Founder's Darshan. The founder was so much ashamed when he knew facts. With tears, he said, " Excuse me, please excuse me. U am mad after my Mother and feel as if the whole world has no other business to do except to be occupied with Mother and Mother's work. Let my Mother, however, make amends for my folly. Have you any misery"?? Their eyes were wet. The mother said, " She, my daughter herself is unhappy." "Her husband has gone to Africa, does not send a single pie, not even a letter."  The Founder danced, blessed the girl by putting his hand over her head. "What a wise girl you are !! You did not spurn and laugh at me, an old devotional fool". "Within nine Fridays, you come here with your husband's letter and the money-payment information." This actually happened. The husband repented, wrote a letter and sent some money. They were reconciled.

    If one addresses him as Mother or Mother's son, faithfully and wholeheartedly, that means practically an end to his difficulties. Mother won't displease Mother's child, unless the recipient of the Grace does not deserve it, or is completely disentitled by Prarabdha.

75. The most important event which has led to the broadcasting of Mai-ism in masses of Gujerat and Sowrashtra was the initiation of Rev. brother Keshavlal B. Pandya alias Kanishta Keshao, editor of " Shakti " in Gujerat and in charge of Mai-mandal and Mai-Mandir in Nadiad. The spread of Mai-ism in poorer and less-learned classes, in Gujerat and Kathiawar, was mainly due to his untiring day and night hard work, with the dedication of his life to Mai-ism. His work can be imagined from the fact that there are not less than a hundred Mai Mandals (Mother's lodges) and over fifty different places and there are two Mai temples, one at Nadiad and the other at Rajkot, in charge of Rev. brother Keshavlal and Markandray Vasavda alias Mai Kalapi (Mother's peacock) respectively.

76. Keshavlal was a devotee of the old school of the Hindu Mother Mataji. He was an assisting clerk to the editor of " Jyoti ", a local paper in Nadiad. On hearing reports about Mai-ism, he took an appointment with the Founder residing at Toddiwala road in Poona. Keshavlal in the first place was sorely disappointed on a homely talk for about more than two hours. He had expected a Hindu Mahatma and a devotee with a temple management and he had expected a devotee's talk in which the praises of Hinduism and Mataji, the greatness of Geeta and ancestry, would be overflowing. He was surprised that in the Founder's place there was nothing like deity-grandeur and bathing-sanctity and a separate temple-like place for worshipping, etc. The Founder talked in the universal strain and especially on God as Mother and not as power, and without reference to Amba, Bahucharajee, Kali, Bhavani, etc. He did not eulogize the pilgrimage-places or past devotees. He talked of fundamental of Mai-ism, viz., service, love, devotion, and self-surrender. Both returned home from the Bund garden where they had been. Keshaolal was dejected. He had spent his time and money uselessly. Said the Founder, pointing out to a simple Mother's picture with nothing around it, "Shall we Pray and Worship?". The question was merely a confusing one as if praying was playing, with nothing done in readiness and nothing to be done. Keshaolal said dejectedly, "Yes. I don't mind." "What is to be done?" Founder replied, "Do whatever you like. Sling, dance, meditate, kneel, pray, prostrate. Do whatever you love best. There is no particular method with Mai. You know best what will make you most absorbed in Mai."

77. Keshavlal said he would perform Arti. The Arti was prepared. While he waved the light before he finished the first line of "Namo devyai Maha devyai shi", he had Mother's full vision- he could not utter the next word " Shivayai ". The arti dish fell off on the ground from his hand and he fell like a tall tree under a hurricane storm repeating " Oh ! Mother! I did not know Thee and recognize Thy devotee!!" He rolled on the ground and placed his head in the lap of the Founder crying him "Mother? Excuse me. I did not recognize Thee". He had to be consoled by pouring two buckets of water on his head in the cold night. When he came to normality, the Founder took meals with him, talking most sweetly. After dinner, the Founder asked him "Now let me know your religious difficulties or obstacles in your religious progress if any." Keshavlal said with great joy " What do I want more? When you have showered on me the grace of Pratyaksha Darshan ( Eye-to-eye vision of Mother)?." This is exactly like Paramahamsa and Vivekanand. Perhaps much more. You introduced me to Mother here and now alone, without my preparation taking its own time." The Founder told him, "That is because in a particular matter, viz., " Visualisation ", you were almost ready. You needed only a Guru to give the final stroke". Then the matters took the turn of worldly personal matters and he was asked what he proposed to do in life. The Founder was extremely surprised when Keshaolal said, "He would do Mai's work if he was blessed, as he was from his birth passionately devoted to Ambajee. The Founder blessed him with the most brilliant success in Mai's work. The

" Jyoti " was changed to be " Shakti " as per Founder's advice which was started in 1936 and for years together Founder wrote important articles introducing the name Mai and Mai conception and explaining Mai-ism. Keshaolal was given a sanctified picture of Mai which he installed in his home and which made him fortunate enough to construct a Mai-temple for Mother. Mai has now become almost an every home word in Gujerat and Sowrashtra. Surely the Founder gave all credit of spreading Mai-ism in Greater Gujerat to him. The Founder being in service (unlike many religious preachers who have little to sacrifice financially on accepting religious career and who are free to take up full-time religious work which again becomes an avenue of their support as well) did all contactual spark work, during all the available hours outside his office hours.

78. In a short period of 2 or 3 years, public opinion was developed and the people were trained to receive the new pure and unadulterated conception of Mai and Mai-ism. In 1937, Brother Keshavlal, in the preface of his Chandi path, printed the week-life-extension incident above described which led to the installation of Mai and starting of the Mother's Lodge. He also printed the Mai mantra " Jay Mai " with all necessary instructions by the Founder given to him dated Friday 29-1-1937. He openly expressed his gratitude in these words " As I am a principal member of the Mother's Lodge and as a result thereof, as in my heart the Motherly conception of God has been born, I have been able to attain a good deal of enlightenment and progress in my religious life." Regarding the Mai Mantra, he further wrote, "Pujya Markandbhai (Founder) has permitted me to put before the public this Mantra, acceding to my longstanding request. I as also many others have many miraculous experiences about the efficiency of this wonderful Mother's-Mantra."

79. Sometime after, in about 1938, Keshavlal got a strong wave of renouncing the world. He then ran down to Poona. On meeting the Founder, in his office, (being nearest to the Railway Station) Keshavlal could not contain himself and wept so bitterly that the Founder had immediately to leave the office and take him home. The Founder gave him the right understanding, assured him he had a glorious religious future and that the work that he was doing was as efficient a measure for his self-elevation as the Sanyas. Founder emphasized the point that Mai-ism believed more in service to others that are suffering for want of clear understanding and guidance and solid assistance in religious progress than in striving for one's own progress alone, leaving the world to his own fate. Somehow, Keshavlal was only half-pacified and it was on this occasion that the Founder had to explain to him the most subtle ways of thinking religious problems with their independent fundamental, intrinsic, rationalistic true values, without being guided or carried away by traditions or usually prevalent beliefs and conclusions. Keshavlal finally gave the Founder a promise to continue his Mai work and returned to Nadiad. The work was resumed and vigorously pursued. The popularity of Mai went on increasing especially by the new idea started by Keshavlal about the "Name Yagna of Mai." Thirteen and forty crores of "Mai" names were written by different devotees about 15 and 20 thousand in number in 1941 and 1947 respectively from about 500 cities, towns, and villages. In this undertaking Founder fully encouraged him and got Mai's Madrasi and Belgaum devotees to add to the names' number in terms of lacs. This propaganda of Keshavlal made it possible for him to raise funds for Mai-Mandir and a Mai temple was constructed in 1941 in Nadiad, (between Baroda and Ahmedabad.)

80. The spark of devotion and Mai service and Mai belief proceeded further from Keshavlal and several Mai Mandals (nearing hundred and each having nearly 100 to 125 members) were organized by him at different places. One important feature was the construction of a similar Mai temple at Rajkot, in 1943, in Kathiawar or Sourashtra. Outside India, Mai-ism has its followers and Mother's Lodges in Singapore, Malaya, Nairobi, Mombasa, Daresalem, and Aden etc.

81. Numerical strength is no small factor in judging about the merits if any Institution and therefore these facts rightly claim their due place here, in this publication, representing as they do the extremely widespread foundation of Mai-ism. These two Mai-devotees, Brother Kanishta Keshav and Mai Kalapi, have done numerically huge work in midst of the masses of Gujerat and Kathiawar, the former through " Shakti " paper and the latter through Bhajans and Kirtans, and devotional poems Gathas and Bhava-geets. These printed in booklets are popularly sung in Mai meetings and Mai worships. The basic work of changing the " power aspect " to the " Mother & child aspect " has been admirably done; and practically by now, the old conception of Mataji has been reformed and refined to be that of Mai. (Please read Keshavlal's letter to the Founder dated 17-6-1938, printed in Shakti-Prasad Part III, page 415, in support of this final brilliant achievement). That change in the very concept itself has resulted now in a general mass disbelief in the matter of past mal-practices and wrong harmful religious beliefs in the name of Mataji, which had made it a matter of ignominy, as admitted even by Mataji's followers themselves and in prints, for anyone to be known as a devotee of Mataji. "Devi Bhakta" had been a taunting and a ridiculous word for a drunkard, one with no morals and full of wrathfulness, resentment, and vindictivity, and secret powers of subjugating or ruining others that would hurt or insult him. People would altogether evade them, fear them and shun their company, with a constant fright of giving any unconscious offense and being ruined by them with their superior or inferior, white or black, super-powers.

82. Regarding this healthy improvement and a drastic and overhauling change in the mass mentality, brought over by Mai-ism and Mai-Swarup, the following observations made by a college professor in Bombay, a Mai-ist, while offering his prostrations to Mai-Swarup on the last Guru Poornima day, 28-7-1950, are recorded here, as from a responsible experienced keen observer for years of the mass mentality in Gujerat and Saurashtra, in this respect (printed in a Gujerati book).

    "The direct result and fruit of the Kali age is atheism. It was largely augmented by the so-called reformers of the society, who pulled the mass towards materialistic happiness and planted seeds of irreligion. The centuries-old current of the national religiosity survived all destructive efforts but has surely got extremely weakened. In such times of embarrassment on all sides and from all quarters, as the Saviour of mankind, Mai-Swarup Mai Markand has raised his finger to show us the most Merciful Mother Parent and has renewed Mother-worship under Mai-ism with an altogether new conception and new form and new belief. He has facilitated and made a-new the old, the centuries-old path, long forgotten, misunderstood and misinterpreted. In the past, villains have cheated the blind-faith mass, in the name of sainthood and Guru-dom. Mai-Swarupa has torn asunder the black and dark thick veils that intervened between the Merciful Mother and Her children, with right illumination and eye-opening through his personal teachings and writings. He has not only torn off the suffocating veils but has shown ways of Mother-worship that can be well followed conveniently in the changed circumstances of the modern world. The sacred teachings of Divine knowledge which were not merely simply kept concealed from the general public. but were utilized to strike fears, establish superiority, extract money, and get benefits, have been laid open by Mai-Swarup to all without the distinction of caste creed or color. The stagnant waters of religiosity have been made to flow smoothly all over the religious world. Whatever evil things (such as, superstitious black magic, and religious sanction to immorality in the name of religion) had crept in, in the true Mother-worship, have been all swept out and annihilated. Let people once decide and determine to give a trial to this religious remedy of removing their sufferings. All ye that have their faith in the assurance given by the writer of these words!! Do believe that, just as the writer has experienced himself, they too will have a miraculous relief of peace and bliss on commencing the repetition of Mother's most efficacious Mantra. " Jaya Mai, Jaya Markand Mai, Jaya Markand Rupa Mai, Jaya Markanda Rupa Markand Mai."

    Mother Be Blessed. Those old beliefs and religious mischiefs in Her name have been by now deep-buried, ash-burnt only live now in mere memories of the past.

        Jay Mai                 Jay Mai                          Jay Mai