During the festival of Navarati Sri Swami Vishwananda told us the following story about a Swami, whose prayer were heard by the Divine Mother.
Once there was a great Swami. He used to do always pray for Devi. So in the early morning, he would go to the river, take his bath and chant a big, big Mantra for Ma. And then he would go back to his ashram, but one day as he was coming out of the water a fisherman approached him. The fisherman said “I have seen you everyday from my boat and everyday I see how joyful and happy you are by praying to Ma, to God. Please give me the same Mantra. I want to chant this Mantra also to be free, the same way. I want to become like you.” Then this Swami said “Well, I can’t give you this Mantra. This Mantra is only for Brahmans, not for Shudras, not for you low-cast people.” Then he insisted. So the Swami said to him “Go and kill yourself. Probably the next life you can take birth as a Brahmin. Then you can receive the grace of the sacred Mantra.” He was so simple, h
e was so humble, that he quickly took his boat, went to the deepest point of the river and jumped in the river. As he jumped, he said “Ma, If I can’t have you, if can’t get the Mantra, I wait for the next life.” But Ma was so happy with his simple devotion, his simplicity that at that moment the river dried out completely. Then he was so happy, that he said “Ma, look I don’t have any Mantra for you.” Then Ma just said “Well, it’s not that what matters. If you have intense love, simple and intense love, that’s what calls me. But if you try always to understand with the mind, you are still far away.” So Bhagavati Devi said “Tonight I will come and eat at your place.” He was very happy, went home and told his wife. So they cooked some simple, simple food and waited for Devi to come. Waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting; Devi didn’t come. All of a sudden they heard a knock on the door ‘Knock, knock’. An old lady came inside. She could not walk and asked “Could you please give me shelter?” The fisherman said “Yes, come in, come in”. He asked her “Where do you come from?” and she said “I come from very far away, from the mountain. I live on the mountain.” Then the wife said “Oh you must be very tired.” She said “Yes, I am very tired.” Then she said “ I am also very hungry. I would like to have some food. Do you ha
ve some food?” They answered “Well, we are waiting for Durga to come, but She did not turn up. We are still waiting for Her, but anyway we don’t think that She will come. We are so simple, you know? We have such a simple house and so simple food. For sure She is at the ashram there. She will have lot of food, lot of Prasad. Then the old Lady said “Now, give me food.” They said “Yes, it’s okay, if Ma is not coming, then you get.” They were so happy serving the old lady and she was so pleased to receive the simple food from then. That moment she transformed into Durga and said “I am so happy. You have not eaten, but yet you have fed somebody. I love this simplicity of your food.” Saying that, they asked her: “Ma, you know we don’t have much. This is just simple food. We are eating just so simple. But in the ashram they have nice food. Why you don’t go there? “ Maa Bhagavati said “Okay, I’ll bring you there. You will see why I am not there.” So She took them in the astral plane to the ashram, where everybody was sitting in the temple and eating like pigs, not wondering about the Mother. No one was thinking about Her. So Ma Bhagavati said to the fisherman “Look, this is why I am not here. I came to your house, which is simple, because even if they have all, their mind is not on me. Their mind is so much focussed on the material things, on what they are eating, but not on me. But whereas you, in your simplicity, you sincerely wanted me. You went everyday to the priest to receive a Mantra, but he refused you. I g
ive you the Mantra.” Then She gave him one of the greatest Mantras of Maha Devi, blessed him and said “Whenever you chant this Mantra, I shall be with you.” So in the absence of pride, you will see it is not only Bhagavati Devi, not only Durga, not only Krishna - it doesn’t matter which religion you go to- they will all tell you that only through this simplicity of your heart, only through humbleness of your heart, the Divine can be realised. It’s only through this, that you can really call Her, because humility, love, real love, are like a magnet that attracts. They attract Maha Devi, they attract the Divine, they attract the Deity that your concentration is on. So that is the killing of the great ego, Mahishasur.
Once there was a great Swami. He used to do always pray for Devi. So in the early morning, he would go to the river, take his bath and chant a big, big Mantra for Ma. And then he would go back to his ashram, but one day as he was coming out of the water a fisherman approached him. The fisherman said “I have seen you everyday from my boat and everyday I see how joyful and happy you are by praying to Ma, to God. Please give me the same Mantra. I want to chant this Mantra also to be free, the same way. I want to become like you.” Then this Swami said “Well, I can’t give you this Mantra. This Mantra is only for Brahmans, not for Shudras, not for you low-cast people.” Then he insisted. So the Swami said to him “Go and kill yourself. Probably the next life you can take birth as a Brahmin. Then you can receive the grace of the sacred Mantra.” He was so simple, h
e was so humble, that he quickly took his boat, went to the deepest point of the river and jumped in the river. As he jumped, he said “Ma, If I can’t have you, if can’t get the Mantra, I wait for the next life.” But Ma was so happy with his simple devotion, his simplicity that at that moment the river dried out completely. Then he was so happy, that he said “Ma, look I don’t have any Mantra for you.” Then Ma just said “Well, it’s not that what matters. If you have intense love, simple and intense love, that’s what calls me. But if you try always to understand with the mind, you are still far away.” So Bhagavati Devi said “Tonight I will come and eat at your place.” He was very happy, went home and told his wife. So they cooked some simple, simple food and waited for Devi to come. Waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting; Devi didn’t come. All of a sudden they heard a knock on the door ‘Knock, knock’. An old lady came inside. She could not walk and asked “Could you please give me shelter?” The fisherman said “Yes, come in, come in”. He asked her “Where do you come from?” and she said “I come from very far away, from the mountain. I live on the mountain.” Then the wife said “Oh you must be very tired.” She said “Yes, I am very tired.” Then she said “ I am also very hungry. I would like to have some food. Do you ha
ve some food?” They answered “Well, we are waiting for Durga to come, but She did not turn up. We are still waiting for Her, but anyway we don’t think that She will come. We are so simple, you know? We have such a simple house and so simple food. For sure She is at the ashram there. She will have lot of food, lot of Prasad. Then the old Lady said “Now, give me food.” They said “Yes, it’s okay, if Ma is not coming, then you get.” They were so happy serving the old lady and she was so pleased to receive the simple food from then. That moment she transformed into Durga and said “I am so happy. You have not eaten, but yet you have fed somebody. I love this simplicity of your food.” Saying that, they asked her: “Ma, you know we don’t have much. This is just simple food. We are eating just so simple. But in the ashram they have nice food. Why you don’t go there? “ Maa Bhagavati said “Okay, I’ll bring you there. You will see why I am not there.” So She took them in the astral plane to the ashram, where everybody was sitting in the temple and eating like pigs, not wondering about the Mother. No one was thinking about Her. So Ma Bhagavati said to the fisherman “Look, this is why I am not here. I came to your house, which is simple, because even if they have all, their mind is not on me. Their mind is so much focussed on the material things, on what they are eating, but not on me. But whereas you, in your simplicity, you sincerely wanted me. You went everyday to the priest to receive a Mantra, but he refused you. I g
ive you the Mantra.” Then She gave him one of the greatest Mantras of Maha Devi, blessed him and said “Whenever you chant this Mantra, I shall be with you.” So in the absence of pride, you will see it is not only Bhagavati Devi, not only Durga, not only Krishna - it doesn’t matter which religion you go to- they will all tell you that only through this simplicity of your heart, only through humbleness of your heart, the Divine can be realised. It’s only through this, that you can really call Her, because humility, love, real love, are like a magnet that attracts. They attract Maha Devi, they attract the Divine, they attract the Deity that your concentration is on. So that is the killing of the great ego, Mahishasur.
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