"The Saadhaka must have as his objective the state of mental
preparation, for the realisation of Godhead at any moment. That is to say, his
heart must be cleansed of despair, free from hesitation and doubt, and open to
the waves of bliss that surge in from all sides, in God's universe. Love brings
the waves in, ever expansive as they are! Follow the directives, with faith and
sincerity. That will help you to realise the purpose of life. Since every act
has its appropriate reaction, beware of evil intentions, wicked words, acts
that harm others and therefore harm you, and so live that you revere all as
moving temples of the divine.
Narasamma, who passed away recently, is a good example for you. She
was a pure devotee. She came to Parthi, 30 years ago; and once having come, she
never turned back to Madras, with any longing for her home, her belongings or
her kith and kin! She was friendly with all and put up gladly with all sorts of
people. I used to reprimand her often, "Narasamma, why do you welcome all these
people into your room and allow them to disturb the Saadhana and silence you
need?" But, her heart was large and it was difficult to restrain her. She spent
all these years, happily here; and, now she has settled here, as her eternal
home.
I wrote a letter to her from Goa. I did not write to any one else
from there. I wrote only to her. I wrote, "Narasamma, I am with you, beside,
before, behind; and I am guarding you as the lids guard the eye. Do not be
worried in the least, that I am not there. Since your body is getting weaker
and weaker, be ready for any eventuality. Avoid thoughts of the body, be ever
full of thoughts of God. Carry on in that manner". When the body gets overripe,
it rots, it is thrown away. Her body became ripe, overripe and it even suffered
due to over- ripeness. So it had to be disposed away. But, her Seva and
Saadhana - these do survive.
Perhaps you wondered why I did not come to give her Dharshan , even
though she was praying for it so long! Her fortune was not this kind of
Dharshan, standing before you, as I do now. But, I certainly stuck to my
promise to her, that I shall give Dharshan to her, during her last moments. I
came, I stood before her, I gave her the blessing Prasaadha (consecrated gift),
I asked her to put into her mouth the Vibhuuthi (sacred ash) I created and gave
her; and, some persons round her bed at the time came to know about it. For
they asked Narasamma, "What is it you are putting into your mouth? and
Narasamma told them, "Swaami came just now and gave me Vibhuuthi Prasaadham."
Until the last breath, she was fully conscious.
Narasamma died at seven minutes past eleven in the morning here at
Prashaanthi Nilayam, and there at Whitefield, I mentioned to Peddhabottu (who
has come there and is staying there), at seven minutes past eleven, "Your
Narasamma has gone!"
Her nature, her heart that corresponded with her nature, her
achievement which was characteristic of her heart and its purity - all bore
fruit. It is difficult to understand the beauty of such a life and to find
analogies by which one can explain it.
The path depends on the principle, they say. Follow good
principles,you are led along to the good fruits. So, tread the path of goodness
and achieve good results. That is My advice.
- From Swami's Divine Discourse in Prashanthi Nilayam, 18th April
1971
Om Sai Ram
