The Mother: the Divine Shakti and the Personal Incarnation

1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:24,020
And then
good morning once again,

2
00:00:24,140 --> 00:00:25,540
everyone.
Welcome to the Cultural

3
00:00:25,540 --> 00:00:28,140
Integration Fellowship and thank
you for joining this morning.

4
00:00:28,140 --> 00:00:32,100
We were founded in 1951 by
Doctor Harry Das and Beena

5
00:00:32,100 --> 00:00:35,420
Choudhury in the center of
universal religion and virtual

6
00:00:35,420 --> 00:00:40,100
practice.
And in keeping with unity, or

7
00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:43,220
rather the spirit of unity and
diversity, we honor the

8
00:00:43,220 --> 00:00:46,140
spiritual traditions of diverse
cultures and religions.

9
00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,680
As many of you would know, we
have been celebrating Mother's

10
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,200
birthday in the month of
February.

11
00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:02,400
We begin the month with a talk
from our dear Santosh Krinsky,

12
00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,920
who is titled The Talk as The
Mother, The Divine Shakti and

13
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:13,240
Her Personal Incarnation.
Santosh has been studying

14
00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:19,840
Shirvinder's writings since 1971
and has a daily blog at

15
00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:29,960
shirvinderstudies.worldpress.com
and podcast at anchor dot FM

16
00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:35,800
slash Santosh Dash Krinsky.
The details are there in the

17
00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:37,880
announcement that I have sent
out to you.

18
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:46,840
Santosh resided at Shorebindo
Ashram from spring 1973 through

19
00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,200
winter 1974.
He is the author of 17 books and

20
00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,600
is editor in chief at Lotus
Press.

21
00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:59,480
He is the President of Institute
for Holistic Education, a non

22
00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,560
profit focused on integrating
spirituality into daily life.

23
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,520
He has spent more than 48 years
building and developing

24
00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:12,880
infrastructure for publishing,
distributing and educating about

25
00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,680
the spiritual path of
Shorebindo, as well as

26
00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,960
developing and guiding companies
at the forefront of publishing

27
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,840
books and distributing books and
podcasts to support the national

28
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,280
market as well as the
metaphysical market in North

29
00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,040
America.
For more information on the on

30
00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,960
the writings of Shorebindo and
the Mother, you can visit

31
00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:48,200
lotuspress.com as well as visit
thedailyblog.posting@shorbindostudies.wordpress.com

32
00:02:48,560 --> 00:03:01,240
and the web page orbindo.net.
I welcome Santosh to the podium

33
00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:06,120
of the Cultural Integration
Fellowship, and before I hand

34
00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:13,480
over the screen to him, I want
to read a few lines from this

35
00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:21,280
longish poem by Doctor Haydam
from this book titled The Rhythm

36
00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:28,480
of Truth.
The title of this poem is The

37
00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:38,280
Flame of Love, Radha's Longing.
The devoted wife Radha was

38
00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:45,400
minding her household duties
when suddenly the strange music,

39
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:51,000
the compelling melody of
Krishna's flute reached her

40
00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:58,200
ears, ravished her heart, made
her captive sound.

41
00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:05,440
Intoxicated, she forgot her work
in hand, forgot her family

42
00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:11,160
surroundings.
Suddenly cut adrift from secure

43
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:16,399
moorings, she set out in search
of Christian.

44
00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:24,820
As I said earlier, I'm not going
to read the entire poem, but

45
00:04:24,820 --> 00:04:29,860
what I'll do is that I will read
out this brief explanation of

46
00:04:30,580 --> 00:04:34,060
the poem that Doctor, Doctor
Choudhary himself has.

47
00:04:34,340 --> 00:04:38,600
He writes, this is what happens
to the human soul when one day

48
00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:44,120
at a psychological moment, comes
the call of the divine,

49
00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:53,680
penetrates the the inmost being,
unsettles life's settled order,

50
00:04:55,400 --> 00:05:02,440
leads with irresistible inner
compulsion toward the unknown

51
00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:11,160
and unseen.
Let's meditate on these words

52
00:05:11,160 --> 00:06:16,520
for a couple of minutes.
I welcome Santosh Krinsky to the

53
00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:18,720
Fellowship once again.
Over to you, Santosh.

54
00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,640
Thank you.
Greetings everybody.

55
00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:32,720
Now on's day to speak about the
Mother here today and I don't

56
00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,040
know of any more appropriate
topic.

57
00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:41,040
The divine Shakti is the power
of the universe.

58
00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:47,160
And so before we begin the
actual discussion, I wanted to

59
00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,720
make a brief tour of the
universe.

60
00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,280
Virtually everybody here has had
an opportunity at some point in

61
00:06:55,280 --> 00:07:02,360
life to look out, gaze out at
the stars and just see the

62
00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,640
thousands or millions of lights
out there at unimaginable

63
00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:13,880
distances.
And if we reflect on that, we're

64
00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,080
now advised by people who have
been studying these things

65
00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,880
intensely that there are
millions or 10s of millions or

66
00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:28,760
hundreds of millions of stars
out there, all with their own

67
00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,000
solar systems, their own
planets, their own movement,

68
00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,400
their own energies as part of
the Milky Way Galaxy.

69
00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,160
And we're further told that
beyond the Milky Way Galaxy,

70
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:48,320
they're untold millions of
galaxies in the universe.

71
00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:56,080
And we all believe that we here
on this small planet, these we

72
00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:02,880
as atoms in the endless universe
are the center of all creation,

73
00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:10,440
and that we can understand and
explain what it is the divine

74
00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,200
Shakti is creating here in this
miraculous universe.

75
00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:24,280
Now, if we drill down from that
universal scope into our little

76
00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:30,520
solar system in our little
Galaxy and come down to our

77
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:38,080
little planet, they're untold
beings, thousands, maybe

78
00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:45,040
millions of beings that live on
this planet, maybe inside

79
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,920
volcanic tubes or down in the
depths of the oceans that we

80
00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,440
will never interface with or
understand.

81
00:08:53,760 --> 00:09:00,520
Why has all this been created?
None of us, I believe, can say

82
00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:08,000
that this is something that the
Divine Shakti, in her power of

83
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:15,840
creation to carry out the Divine
Will, is doing for purposes far

84
00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:20,520
beyond what we as human beings
can even imagine.

85
00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:31,080
Sri Aurobindo has described the
Mother in his small book titled

86
00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:39,920
The Mother and the Passage That
most impressed me is the start

87
00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:45,480
of chapter 2 where he states in
all that is done in the

88
00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:53,400
universe, the Divine through his
Shakti is behind all action, but

89
00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,600
he is veiled by his Yoga Maya
and works through the ego of the

90
00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:05,760
Jiva in the lower nature.
Sri Aurobindo relates this

91
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:17,120
divine Shakti as the universal
Creatrix and we with our egos

92
00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:24,200
are part of that creation.
We are creating and think that

93
00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:29,920
we own it, that we are it, but
in reality it's that Divine

94
00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:35,120
Shakti acting through each and
every one of us, just as it acts

95
00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:40,200
through each and every being and
force in the entire universe to

96
00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:44,680
create something far beyond our
mental capacities.

97
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,320
There's no duality.
Human beings are part of the

98
00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:57,280
manifestation, and thus we too
are the Divine working through

99
00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,960
His Shakti.
We don't recognize this because

100
00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:06,280
we're fixated on the ego,
personality, the face of the

101
00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,200
Divine that we confuse as being
separate.

102
00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:16,520
And this brings us to how we can
appreciate and understand the

103
00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:25,520
Mother as a human individual,
those who identify most closely

104
00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:30,560
with the Divine Shakti, they
Pierce through the veil of the

105
00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:36,600
ego personality, and they can
then be seen as direct powers

106
00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,200
and emanations of this Shakti,
the Mother.

107
00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:49,760
So in the entire creation there
are a range of beings who come

108
00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:56,520
forth to propel the
manifestation forward, and those

109
00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,840
who are most conscious, who are
least attached to the ego

110
00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:09,880
personality, to that ego of the
Jiva experience, identify with

111
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:16,240
and act from the force of the
Shakti directly.

112
00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:25,080
Now Sri Aurobindo goes on in
Chapter 6 to describe the four

113
00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:33,360
powers of the Mother, and this
is really how we can understand

114
00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:41,360
the manifestation of the Mother
as a human embodiment at the

115
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:47,200
same time as relating to those
larger divine powers that create

116
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,000
that universe within which we
reside.

117
00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:59,160
Fioravindo states the four
powers of the Mother are four of

118
00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,320
Her outstanding personalities,
portions and embodiments of Her

119
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:10,000
divinity, through whom She acts
on Her creatures, orders and

120
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:15,800
harmonizes Her creations in the
world's and directs the working

121
00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:24,080
out of Her thousand forces.
Now the implication the divine

122
00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:29,800
Shakti works both impersonally
and personally in the vast

123
00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:35,240
forces of the universe and in
the smallest details of every

124
00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,800
atom and every being formed in
the creation and acting in the

125
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:46,720
world.
Siarobindo goes on to state for

126
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,920
the Mother is 1.
But she comes before us with

127
00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,680
differing aspects.
Many are her powers and

128
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:58,880
personalities, many her
emanations and vibutis that do

129
00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:04,800
her work in the universe.
So the divine Shakti takes

130
00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:10,480
innumerable forms.
It aren't incarnates to act in

131
00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:17,200
and upon the world with not only
the diffused power implied as

132
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,600
she works through the separate
beings and forces she is

133
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:25,960
created, but more directly
through incarnations that embody

134
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,520
more of this power in a
conscious and powerful manner.

135
00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:39,240
Shrioro Bindo then goes on to
state the one whom we adore as

136
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,720
the Mother is the divine
conscious force that dominates

137
00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:49,560
all existence. 1 And yet so many
sided that to follow her

138
00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:54,400
movement is impossible even for
the quickest mind and for the

139
00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,560
freest and most vast
intelligence.

140
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:03,960
The Mother is the consciousness
and force of the Supreme, and

141
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:10,640
far above all she creates.
The implication here is that the

142
00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:18,600
human mind, as brilliant as
anyone may be, can't judge,

143
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:25,120
interpret, or fully comprehend
the action of the divine Shakti

144
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,880
and the creation of the
universe.

145
00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:33,560
However much we try, we always
reach a limit beyond which we

146
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,360
cannot appreciate nor understand
the action.

147
00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:47,280
And that's absolutely a truth
that we experienced in the life

148
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,120
and teachings of the Mother at
the Sri Orabinda Ashram.

149
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,920
Many, many people over the years
tried to judge her based on a

150
00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:02,920
human standard, and her actions
and her motives and her ways

151
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:08,880
exceeded what they could follow.
And only looking back through

152
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:18,000
the lens of time and history can
we begin to see the power that

153
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:23,920
was at work and that is still at
work as part of the transition

154
00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:28,440
that humanity is undergoing.
As we move away from the

155
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:35,560
limitations of the vital and
mental framework that has

156
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:41,800
brought us to the place we are
today in the creation of the

157
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,560
human society.
But which has become a

158
00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:50,360
limitation and an obstacle to
where we need to go.

159
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:59,080
Trio Robindo goes on to to state
further in chapter 6.

160
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:03,400
But something of her ways can be
seen and felt through her

161
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:07,800
embodiments, and the more
seizable because more defined

162
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:11,839
and limited temperament and
action of the Goddess forms in

163
00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:15,000
whom she can sense to be
manifest to her creatures.

164
00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:23,359
And so people have somewhat of a
confusing relationship to the

165
00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:29,040
divine and the divine Shakti.
Some treat the divine as

166
00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:34,040
something totally separate from
us, which can only be worshipped

167
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,800
from afar.
And then some treat the divine

168
00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:44,080
as embodied in a particular
human being and only can be

169
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:49,600
worshipped from near.
And the difference between the

170
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:54,640
impersonal and the personal is
one that has created endless

171
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:59,800
amounts of confusion for
humanity in all of its religions

172
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,200
and philosophies and ideas about
life.

173
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:11,400
So the idea that the Divine is
both impersonal and personal,

174
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:19,600
and that the personal is not
limited by the human limitations

175
00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:29,440
that we all experience, simply
because that manifestation has

176
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:36,400
attenuated the veil and
therefore directly communicates,

177
00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,600
understands, and carries out the
will of the Divine much more

178
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:47,760
clearly and directly than the
rest of us do at this point in

179
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:55,920
our evolution, is something that
needs to be appreciated, even if

180
00:18:55,920 --> 00:19:03,160
not fully understood.
So Shriya Robindo continues,

181
00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,400
there are three ways of being of
the Mother of which you can

182
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,920
become aware when you enter into
touch of oneness with the

183
00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,320
conscious Force that upholds us
and the universe.

184
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:20,160
Transcendent, the original
Supreme Shakti.

185
00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:25,760
She stands above the world's and
links the creation to the ever

186
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:31,840
unmanifest mystery of the
Supreme Universal, the Cosmic

187
00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:36,560
Maha Shakti.
She creates all these beings and

188
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:41,720
contains and enters, supports
and conducts all these million

189
00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:48,520
processes and forces individual.
She embodies the power of these

190
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:53,240
two vaster ways of her
existence, makes them living and

191
00:19:53,240 --> 00:20:00,040
near to us, and mediates between
the human personality and the

192
00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:05,720
divine nature.
She sends her own emanations of

193
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:10,600
them into these lower worlds to
intervene, to govern, to battle

194
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:16,040
and conquer, to lead and turn
their cycles, to direct the

195
00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,920
total and the individual lines
of their forces.

196
00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,800
These emanations are the many
divine forms and personalities

197
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:29,240
in which men have worshipped Her
under different names throughout

198
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:33,840
the ages.
But also She prepares and shapes

199
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:38,400
through these powers and their
emanations the minds and bodies

200
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:43,880
of Her vibutis, even as She
prepares and shapes minds and

201
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:48,560
bodies for the vibutis of the
Ishwara, that She may manifest

202
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:53,040
in the physical world and in the
disguise of the human

203
00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,880
consciousness, some ray of Her
power and quality and presence.

204
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:07,680
So if we reflect on this, we can
see that the Divine not only

205
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:14,160
governs like a God up in heaven
somewhere in a cloud, who

206
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:21,160
creates the world and then lets
everything fly, but also,

207
00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,320
besides having the original
creation.

208
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:35,360
And the force that gets set
loose is able to embody and

209
00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:41,360
carry out that impulsion through
the ages, through the entire

210
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:51,440
universe, and at the same time
creates individual beings and

211
00:21:52,120 --> 00:22:00,160
humans who can carry forward
that process at the detail

212
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,840
level.
If you look at human beings in

213
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:08,920
the vast universe, at the atomic
level, if you will, we're

214
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,560
nothing more than atoms in that
universe.

215
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:18,080
And yet that guidance and that
force of direction is active

216
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:23,360
within us as well as everywhere
else in the universe.

217
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,840
Triara Window continues.
The Mother not only governs from

218
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:35,200
all from above, but she descends
into this lesser triple universe

219
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,640
impersonally.
All things here, even the

220
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:45,200
movements of the Ignorance, are
herself in veiled power and her

221
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,360
creations in diminished
substance.

222
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:54,640
Her nature body and nature
force, and they exist because,

223
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,920
moved by the mysterious Fiat of
the Supreme to work out

224
00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,360
something that was there in the
possibilities of the Infinite,

225
00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:08,160
she has consented to the great
Sacrifice, and has put on like a

226
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,480
mask the soul and forms of the
Ignorance.

227
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,920
But personally too, she has
stooped to descend here into the

228
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:24,360
darkness, that she may lead it
to the light, into the falsehood

229
00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:28,720
and error, that she may convert
it to the truth, into this death

230
00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:34,320
that she may turn it to God,
like life into this world, pain

231
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:40,400
and its obstinate sorrow and
suffering, that she may end it

232
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:45,120
in the transforming ecstasy of
her sublime Ananda.

233
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:55,600
So Trioro Bindo has described
for us the action of the Divine

234
00:23:55,600 --> 00:24:01,240
Shakti in its universal form,
laying down the lines of the

235
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:11,880
whole creation in its universal
form of actually manifesting the

236
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:17,400
vision and purpose of that
divine intention.

237
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:25,200
And in a personal form, in that
it can actually interact with

238
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:31,520
those beings that the Divine
Shakti has created to help us,

239
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:38,880
to guide us, to encourage us and
to support us as we grow and

240
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:44,160
widen our understanding and
ourselves begin to attenuate the

241
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:52,480
veil of the ego that masks the
divinity from us in our daily

242
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:56,680
lives.
Just as the daytime and the

243
00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:03,280
sunshine masks the wideness and
vastness of the universe that we

244
00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,640
can only see when the sun
withdraws for a while, and in

245
00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:12,800
the night we can look out and
see the countless stars and

246
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:18,560
recognize that something far
beyond our human intellect is at

247
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:27,960
work here.
So with this background, the

248
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:34,480
question of the action of the
mother becomes very relevant.

249
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:42,080
And people wonder, well, how do
we know?

250
00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,480
How do we see, How do we
understand?

251
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,920
And I say, well, each one of us
has certain experiences in our

252
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:57,840
lives that are inexplicable.
Other than that, we have

253
00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:06,280
received a guidance, we have
been granted A darshan, and we

254
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:11,760
have been motivated and put
forward on a path that we may

255
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:18,480
not have considered previously
through some event,

256
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,040
circumstance, experience,
whatever it may be.

257
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:33,640
The the Bible talks about the
experience of Saul on the road

258
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:39,680
to Damascus where he was struck
down with a a divine vision and

259
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:46,280
his entire life changed.
And I'm sure that many of us

260
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:53,320
have had, if not as dramatic an
experience I've had, turning

261
00:26:53,320 --> 00:27:00,920
points in our lives where we've
begun to recognize that working

262
00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:07,920
and reading and interacting and
eating and sleeping is just not

263
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,840
enough, that there is a greater
purpose for our lives.

264
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:19,160
In my own experience, I was in
college and blissfully ignorant

265
00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:25,600
of all these things, and after
undergoing a near death

266
00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:31,640
experience, I woke up and the
sun was shining through the

267
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:37,240
window and I knew there was a
divine Providence in the world

268
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:46,600
and that my life was not to be a
standard career in Western

269
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,760
society.
And a few weeks after that I

270
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:57,680
dropped out of college and
started studying yoga, which I

271
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,320
had never had any interest or
knowledge about.

272
00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:07,960
And it was in Europe at that
time that the life divine was

273
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:14,200
handed to me as a gift by a
German philosopher with whom I

274
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:19,560
was having regular meetings.
And when I opened the book

275
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:27,960
randomly to the chapter The Aim
of Life 4 Theories of Existence,

276
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:34,040
I immediately knew that this
spoke to my soul.

277
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:40,000
And that that's why I had
undergone the suffering of the

278
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:45,000
near death experience and the
difficulty of separating myself

279
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:51,800
from a totally Western career
and path forward, and undertook

280
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:58,960
the uncertain unknown path of
studying and taking up a yogic

281
00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:07,880
pursuit.
At some point after that I was

282
00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,600
back in the United States and I
was visiting the East West

283
00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:19,680
Center in Los Angeles.
And when I visited there one

284
00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:27,280
time, Udar Pinto from the ashram
came to visit and he gave a talk

285
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,640
and afterwards a number of us
went out to dinner with him.

286
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:37,560
And at the conclusion of the
dinner, Udar told me you should

287
00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,400
come to Pondicherry, to the
ashram.

288
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,960
And I laughed.
I said well that's a wonderful

289
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,440
thing, I'd love to do it.
I have no money.

290
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:55,000
I've got no even thought of how
I could make that happen or be

291
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,480
real.
And he said mother will provide.

292
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:06,040
That evening I went back to my
parents house where I was

293
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:11,520
staying at the time, and I was
confronted by my upset and angry

294
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:17,200
parents who had never reconciled
the idea that I had dropped out

295
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,920
of college and gone off on this
crazy search of yoga.

296
00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:30,040
And they confronted me and said
you really need a psychiatrist

297
00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:36,760
and we'd like you to agree to
have psychological counseling.

298
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:42,400
And I said, well, I'm not really
interested in doing that.

299
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:46,400
I don't think I need that.
I'm just fine where I am, thank

300
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,360
you.
And they said, well that's fine.

301
00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,400
If that isn't going to work.
The only other thing we can

302
00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:58,160
think of to cure you of this
insanity is we're going to give

303
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:03,600
you a one year round trip ticket
to Pondicherry and some fun so

304
00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,720
you can live there for a year
and you can get it out of your

305
00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:14,720
system.
Pure coincidence or the mother's

306
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,840
operation behind the scenes?
You decide.

307
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:24,200
For me it was very clear that
evening, Udar said.

308
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:31,320
Come, the mother will provide
and several hours later the

309
00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:39,040
ticket was provided.
So we, we try to judge these

310
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:43,120
things from our human standards.
And I'm sure that everybody will

311
00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:49,440
think of all kinds of different
excuses why this may or may not

312
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,480
have been the mother's
intervention.

313
00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:57,280
Because after all, who has that
power as a human being?

314
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:04,480
Who can manifest that?
Who can play the strings of the

315
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:10,960
divine orchestra at that level,
down to the atomic individual

316
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:18,200
level and make things happen?
But I know in my heart with my

317
00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:24,080
gratitude that the Mother
intervened in my life at that

318
00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:29,120
moment.
So I went to live at the ashram

319
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:38,280
and it was the spring of 1973,
and you all probably know that

320
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:45,520
1973 was a Seminole year in the
mother's manifestation in a

321
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:50,160
physical body.
When I got there in May, she was

322
00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:57,720
already retired from coming out
and her health was considered

323
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,120
declining.
Of course, some people were

324
00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:04,480
saying, well, she's doing inner
work on her cells and some

325
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:07,800
people will say, well, she's her
health is failing.

326
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:11,400
And again, who, who are we to
judge that?

327
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:19,520
Which human being can judge?
And so we got to August and

328
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:22,960
people were saying she's not
coming out for the, for the

329
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,640
darshan.
It's not going to happen.

330
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:29,360
She's just too weak and too
frail and it isn't going to

331
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,160
happen.
It'll be cancelled or it is

332
00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,680
cancelled.
And I went to bed on the night

333
00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:42,800
of the 14th of August knowing
from everything I'd heard from

334
00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,880
everybody that the darshan had
been canceled.

335
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:53,840
And around 3:00 in the morning,
I woke up to an electric shock,

336
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,520
and I felt like my body was 6
inches above the ground.

337
00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:08,000
I just had this force working
through me and I knew that the

338
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,800
darshan was on and that the
Mother would be coming out to

339
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:17,280
bless everybody.
Now we can have all kinds of

340
00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:21,880
explanations for this, but I
know in my heart with my

341
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:30,400
gratitude that the Mother was
acting in Pondicherry on the

342
00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:36,960
devotees to wake them up to the
upcoming darshan, which to her

343
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:40,920
was an important activity, an
important darshan.

344
00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:48,480
And I wasn't the only one.
When I went to the ashram that

345
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,360
morning, the sign was out.
There will be a darshan this

346
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,920
evening.
I think it was 615, something

347
00:34:55,920 --> 00:35:00,720
like that.
And people started gathering in

348
00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:07,120
the street as I also gathered in
the street and it was raining

349
00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,800
cats and dogs.
I mean, it was really raining

350
00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:15,520
and people were getting soaked
and they were standing there in

351
00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:20,480
devotion.
And then shortly before the

352
00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:28,600
darshan was to start, the rain
stopped, the clouds parted, the

353
00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:33,040
sun came out, and the mother
came out and appeared on the

354
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:38,520
balcony and graced everybody
with her darshan.

355
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:45,600
And afterwards she went back in
and the rain started up again.

356
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,880
And I think everybody went away
feeling like something

357
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:59,520
miraculous had happened.
Later she described to somebody

358
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:05,120
that the rain was a super mental
rain, that it was pouring down

359
00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:11,120
force on her devotees and that
those who were there, we're

360
00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:15,120
being blessed by that rain.
Now.

361
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,160
Many had complained about the
rain.

362
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:21,920
Umbrellas were out.
I had an umbrella, but I gave it

363
00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:27,160
away to somebody who was
complaining about the rain.

364
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:33,360
But it was very clear later that
there was intentionality there.

365
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:38,880
There was a force active there
that we could not appreciate or

366
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:47,920
understand.
So we then come to November

367
00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:56,280
17th, the day of Mothers Maha
Samadhi and I had been given the

368
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:59,320
message that morning from the
mother.

369
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:01,800
It was actually a birthday
message.

370
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:06,840
I, I didn't know the process and
I went in for my birthday on the

371
00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:12,040
16th of November to MP Pundit
and he said no, you have to come

372
00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:15,480
in the day before to get the
blessings on the birthday.

373
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,200
And he said well no problem,
we'll take it in, you'll get it

374
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:23,280
tomorrow 17th.
So I got the birthday blessings

375
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:31,680
the morning of the 17th and the
message was live within, be not

376
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:37,840
shaken by outward happenings.
And I was in a very abstracted

377
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:41,240
state that entire day.
It was almost like a walking

378
00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:46,840
trance everywhere I went.
It was just like live within, be

379
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:48,800
not shaken by awkward
happenings.

380
00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:58,160
And it's so went so deep into my
being that I was almost like non

381
00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,480
reactive.
I was almost like in a zombie

382
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:04,440
like mood, not really responding
to anybody or anything.

383
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:11,160
It was that intense.
And I went back to where I was

384
00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:15,880
staying that night and in my
sleep I had a dream.

385
00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:21,360
And the dream that there was
this tremendous darkness choking

386
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:27,760
everything on the planet.
And then there was a brilliant

387
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,960
light and the darkness was
dispelled.

388
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:37,360
And I was, I woke up from that
dream basically sweating.

389
00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,920
And I used to work in the fruit
room.

390
00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:45,320
So I had to get up early
morning, like 4:00 in the

391
00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:49,520
morning, and head over to the
fruit room on my cycle to the

392
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,800
ashram to distribute fruits for
the Sodex.

393
00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:59,560
And when I wrote wrote into the
ashram area there, what did I

394
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:01,920
see but a brilliant light
everywhere.

395
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:06,120
The whole ashram was lit up and
there were people everywhere.

396
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,800
And I asked innocently, what's
going on?

397
00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:14,800
And I was told the mother left
her body.

398
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:25,760
Now people were crying, but I
was still I was in this status

399
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:31,440
of live within, be not shaken by
outward happenings on the one

400
00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:36,880
side and this marvelous dream of
the darkness choking everything

401
00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:42,720
and then the light dispelling it
all that I had just had, that I

402
00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:48,760
was still shaking from.
And I thought, this is an

403
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:52,960
outward happening.
The mother is active, I'm not

404
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:58,720
going to cry.
And for the next few days,

405
00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:01,960
people streamed in from all over
the world.

406
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:09,600
They streamed in in grief.
They streamed in in tears.

407
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:17,680
They were heartbroken.
People who were devotees of long

408
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:23,600
standing nature.
And I was sitting, for those of

409
00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:27,840
you who have been to the ashram,
probably all of you by the

410
00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:30,480
samadhi.
There's some stairs that go up

411
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,920
and there's a little balcony
just over the samadhi.

412
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:37,320
And I went up there and I just
stayed there for several days

413
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:43,960
for the most part and watched
the people coming in and was

414
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:47,360
still in this very abstracted,
almost trance like state.

415
00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:53,320
And not really, I have to say.
I wasn't even emotionally

416
00:40:53,320 --> 00:40:56,760
affected because something was
preventing that from from

417
00:40:56,760 --> 00:41:01,440
happening.
And I watched as people came in

418
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,320
with their tears and their
grief.

419
00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:08,880
And it was interesting.
You have the samadhi.

420
00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,760
And then around the samadhi, the
elder sonics were all sitting in

421
00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:19,960
deep meditation, unmoving,
silent, powerful.

422
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:25,000
And then the mother's body was
laid in state back in the

423
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:30,400
meditation hall, around the back
behind MP Pundits office, over

424
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:36,120
by Nalini Da's office at the
time, and the children from the

425
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:38,240
International Center of
Education.

426
00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:43,200
The children of the ashram
formed a line holding hands,

427
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:49,520
guiding people in through the
entrance along the wall back to

428
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:52,760
the meditation hall so people
could have that last darshan.

429
00:41:54,560 --> 00:42:02,600
And the children were radiant.
And as people walked down there

430
00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:07,120
and went to the back and then
came back out, you could see

431
00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:09,040
they were relieved of their
grief.

432
00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:12,080
They were relieved of their
tears.

433
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,240
They were relieved of that
heartbroken feeling.

434
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:24,000
And they felt at peace.
And I thought, I've got to feel

435
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:27,600
what those kids are feeling
because, and I was a kid, too.

436
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:31,920
I mean, I was in my early 20s,
so it wasn't inappropriate, but

437
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:35,120
I went down there and joined
hands with some of the children

438
00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:39,000
for a while and there was an
electric force running through

439
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:45,720
them and it was taking away the
grief of the people coming in

440
00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:53,760
and people had peace.
So who knows?

441
00:42:55,280 --> 00:43:00,480
Human beings will find endless
intellectual reasons why all of

442
00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:05,160
this can be explained.
I know I'm, you know, I'm as

443
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:11,600
intellectual as the next person.
And I can tell you I have not

444
00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:16,560
found any explanation other than
that it's beyond the

445
00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:27,240
comprehension of the human mind.
And therefore I can only sit

446
00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:34,440
with gratitude and love and try
to in some way be worthy of the

447
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:42,080
blessings that have been
bestowed upon me and try to be

448
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:45,080
of some aid and comfort wherever
I can in the world.

449
00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:51,560
And that's really, you know,
what I have to say about that.

450
00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:56,760
Now, I want to add a couple
things about the action of the

451
00:43:56,760 --> 00:44:00,400
mother, because it's
extraordinary.

452
00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:06,000
Not just these personal actions,
not just the force, but the fact

453
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:11,480
that this individual could take
charge of an ashram that

454
00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:13,960
eventually grew to thousands of
people.

455
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,480
Set up departments that operated
to care for the needs of those

456
00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:22,720
people.
Set up an international center

457
00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:27,960
of education and educated
children with new ideas about

458
00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,720
education that has helped many,
many of these children to

459
00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:34,240
flourish in their lives and in
their work.

460
00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:40,200
And then founded the city of
Oroville as an experiment and

461
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:48,120
laboratory for the development
of new technologies to solve

462
00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:54,000
humanity's crisis problems, the
evolutionary crisis, as well as

463
00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:59,320
be a cauldron of human unity
where all of the different

464
00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:04,600
cultures, religions, languages,
viewpoints, social mores all

465
00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:09,120
came together and were thrown
together and said, figure it

466
00:45:09,120 --> 00:45:10,840
out, folks.
You've got to learn how to live

467
00:45:10,840 --> 00:45:12,880
together.
And they're struggling with

468
00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:16,240
that, but they're trying.
And that's wonderful.

469
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:23,280
And so who do we know, who can
we think of, who can do that

470
00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:27,320
kind of work and inspire 10s of
thousands people around the

471
00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:31,600
world to do work in their own
way, in their own fields, in

472
00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:36,160
their own place?
Such as the work of Doctor and

473
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:39,960
Veena Choudhury, whom I have a
great love and respect for

474
00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:44,440
having worked closely with them
at at various points in time,

475
00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:50,560
and many, many others, Robert
McDermott and, and Dave Ashish,

476
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:55,280
of course, and Kundan and and
Tara and Delhi.

477
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:59,000
I mean, there's so many
individuals that I have such a

478
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:01,440
deep respect for the work they
do.

479
00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:06,240
And it's all inspired by Shrioro
Bindo and the mother.

480
00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:14,280
And so I don't know if there's
any questions, but thank you for

481
00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:20,800
joining me in this exploration
of the divine Shakti and her

482
00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:26,040
transcendent, universal and
individual manifestations.

483
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:38,320
Thank you so very much, Santosh.
You know, I must say, ever since

484
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:41,680
I came here in the year 2000,
I've heard many talks.

485
00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:46,920
And if this was not the best, it
most certainly is one of the

486
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:51,640
best.
And I'm not saying this lightly.

487
00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:58,320
And I choose my words very
carefully to hear your

488
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:06,480
experiences with the mother.
I have no words to to describe.

489
00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:13,880
And therefore, I would say that
if we could take a couple of

490
00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:18,040
minutes, you know, to let this
experience actually sink in

491
00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:23,360
before we depart and have a
conversation, this experience

492
00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:27,840
that you have shared with us, it
must go into our beings in a

493
00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:33,280
state of silence.
I know that I'm wearing away

494
00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:37,920
from the normal practice that we
have been having over the years,

495
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,560
but let's do that and then we'll
come back and we'll have a

496
00:47:42,560 --> 00:47:46,000
conversation.
A couple of minutes, please.

497
00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:45,670
Ma ma, I open the floor for
discussions.

498
00:49:59,020 --> 00:50:03,260
Earl has his hand raised.
So I was just wonder, wondering

499
00:50:03,260 --> 00:50:08,580
if you could unmute himself and
pose this question.

500
00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:18,320
Thank you, Kundan.
I I am here in Lodi, Linda and I

501
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:23,360
live in San Francisco and we
have a here place here in Lodi

502
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:31,800
and close proximity to Sri
Rabindo Santona Eat them Santos.

503
00:50:32,440 --> 00:50:38,480
Thank you for reminding us so
deeply of of of the many ways of

504
00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:45,440
the divine and I, I have felt a
connection to you personally

505
00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:52,400
that I have always been curious
about and I'm delighted to share

506
00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:59,120
with with all here.
I, I was directed to you long

507
00:50:59,720 --> 00:51:07,640
ago when I was missing a volume
of, of mother pundits,

508
00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:15,400
commentaries on the mother.
And I've just felt this

509
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:23,480
connection and, and something
you said has enlivened that you,

510
00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:28,280
you, you, you mentioned this
point where your parents gave

511
00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:33,400
you this choice between
psychiatrist and Pondicherry.

512
00:51:36,240 --> 00:51:40,480
I have not been to Pondicherry.
I have not been to India.

513
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:46,160
But I was given and taken and
took that the choice of the

514
00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:52,200
psychiatrist in this yoga.
And that psychiatrist was

515
00:51:52,280 --> 00:51:58,960
Richard Stein, who many of you
may know, who was deeply, deeply

516
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:04,680
steeped in this yoga.
And he had, he would, he had an

517
00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:13,840
adesh to go to Pondicherry.
And he arrived there on the very

518
00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:21,480
day of the mother's Maha Mahdi.
So he was there and I, I studied

519
00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:24,920
and worked with Richard for, for
many years.

520
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:33,360
And and so through him, I, I was
there on that day as well,

521
00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:35,800
without ever having been to
Pondicherry.

522
00:52:36,560 --> 00:52:41,840
And I, I carry the, the, the
force of the mantra mandir.

523
00:52:41,840 --> 00:52:48,480
And I, I feel all this and feel
that in this yoga at its, at its

524
00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:54,120
present stage, we, we have SASP
here in Lodi, we have other

525
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:59,160
centers of force in this yoga
and, and we can all deeply

526
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:04,440
participate in it from from
where, wherever we are, it is a

527
00:53:04,480 --> 00:53:07,800
universal force.
So, so the, the path of the

528
00:53:07,800 --> 00:53:11,960
psychiatrist really was an
option if you found the right

529
00:53:11,960 --> 00:53:17,960
psychiatrist.
Thank you.

530
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:27,960
Thank you for sharing your I
think you know, the people who

531
00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:31,280
consider themselves as children
of the mother.

532
00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:33,840
She certainly is our
psychiatrist.

533
00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:42,720
You know, at least I can say for
myself, you know, my mental

534
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:47,040
health would be badly affected,
you know, if she's not around.

535
00:53:54,160 --> 00:53:57,440
More questions, comments,
shareings.

536
00:54:06,030 --> 00:54:09,830
I think Mira has her hand up.
Please unmute yourself and go

537
00:54:09,830 --> 00:54:12,350
ahead, Mira.
Hi, thank you, Santosh.

538
00:54:12,350 --> 00:54:18,870
That was just wonderful.
Yeah, the real experiences,

539
00:54:19,270 --> 00:54:21,390
that's what gives us
inspiration.

540
00:54:21,990 --> 00:54:25,430
And I was wondering if you would
mind sharing your near death

541
00:54:25,430 --> 00:54:28,630
experience if that is not too
personal.

542
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:34,800
It's not too personal.
I was, I was involved while I

543
00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:39,080
was in College in the movement
against the war in Vietnam.

544
00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:45,240
And I went to Washington, DC on
something they called the

545
00:54:45,240 --> 00:54:50,120
Mayday, and people from all over
the country went there, and

546
00:54:50,120 --> 00:54:52,440
thousands and thousands of
people were there.

547
00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:58,560
And I was a little too visible
there, I guess.

548
00:54:58,840 --> 00:55:05,520
But I was basically attacked
while I was down there with a

549
00:55:05,520 --> 00:55:09,720
plainclothes car came by and
threw some liquid onto me, into

550
00:55:09,720 --> 00:55:14,120
my eye, and I fell down on the
street.

551
00:55:14,240 --> 00:55:16,720
Some other people carried me to
a first aid tent.

552
00:55:17,120 --> 00:55:21,040
Probably saved my vision that
night.

553
00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:26,080
I came down with the worst blue
cold, whatever that I'd ever

554
00:55:26,080 --> 00:55:29,680
experienced in my life.
I couldn't move, which meant I

555
00:55:29,680 --> 00:55:34,320
didn't get arrested the next day
and get shuttled into the big

556
00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:38,600
stadium with the 10s of
thousands of others and didn't

557
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:40,320
get part of the financial
settlement.

558
00:55:41,200 --> 00:55:45,920
But I went back to Michigan and
a few weeks later I was

559
00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:50,520
basically poisoned again.
And that one stopped my

560
00:55:50,520 --> 00:55:57,000
breathing and I didn't know what
to do, but I heard a voice

561
00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,400
inside that says do yogic
breathing.

562
00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:03,920
And I had no idea what that was,
but something started breathing

563
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:07,160
me.
I was in excruciating pain.

564
00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:11,400
All my muscles in my whole body
were spasm tight.

565
00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:15,680
And it was only that process
that got me through it.

566
00:56:15,680 --> 00:56:19,200
And when it was over and
actually someone saw me and said

567
00:56:21,080 --> 00:56:24,040
you need a hospital.
And I was so paranoid at the

568
00:56:24,040 --> 00:56:27,640
time, I said I'm going into my
room if I don't come out in

569
00:56:27,640 --> 00:56:30,840
three days, do what you want
with the body, but I'm not going

570
00:56:30,840 --> 00:56:33,360
to a hospital.
I didn't trust anything at that

571
00:56:33,360 --> 00:56:37,960
point.
And after it was over and I woke

572
00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:41,640
up and I was looking out the
windows when I saw the sun

573
00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:45,720
shining and I knew there was a
divine Providence and my life

574
00:56:45,720 --> 00:56:50,480
changed, as I mentioned.
And a few weeks later, a friend

575
00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:53,800
of mine called me and said he
was leaving for Europe.

576
00:56:55,280 --> 00:56:57,200
And I said, well, give me a few
more weeks.

577
00:56:57,200 --> 00:57:01,560
Let me finish off the final
exams of the term so that I

578
00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:05,280
conclude my record cleanly and
then I'll come with you.

579
00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:10,280
And I knew that he was not going
to stay there.

580
00:57:10,280 --> 00:57:18,480
He was simply a vehicle to move
me out of my existing life into

581
00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:21,240
a new life, and then he would
return, which is what happened.

582
00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:41,640
Thank you.
She certainly has a ways in

583
00:57:41,720 --> 00:57:45,440
bringing us onto the path.
Kicking and screaming.

584
00:57:48,800 --> 00:57:51,360
Yeah, we don't take the path
very easily, you know.

585
00:57:55,080 --> 00:58:01,640
Yeah, and sometimes she takes
the the form of Kali as she did

586
00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:04,560
with me, but that's another
story for.

587
00:58:04,720 --> 00:58:14,160
Another time.
More comments.

588
00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:17,680
Hey Vishesh.
Hi.

589
00:58:17,720 --> 00:58:21,400
Hi, Devishita.
Where are you?

590
00:58:21,400 --> 00:58:25,920
Oh, hi.
Welcome.

591
00:58:26,840 --> 00:58:29,520
Thank you, thank you, Thank you,
Santosh.

592
00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:34,280
That was really very moving.
And I've known you for so many

593
00:58:34,280 --> 00:58:36,800
years.
I actually didn't know the story

594
00:58:36,920 --> 00:58:43,600
at all, particularly the whole
year in Pondicherry that you

595
00:58:43,600 --> 00:58:49,480
spent and your description of
that last day was so graphic.

596
00:58:49,600 --> 00:58:54,480
It really brought us there.
It made us experience in detail.

597
00:58:54,960 --> 00:58:56,080
What?
Happened.

598
00:58:56,480 --> 00:59:01,080
During the darshan and also and
on the day of the Maha samadhi.

599
00:59:01,760 --> 00:59:09,000
So I was, you know, basking in
that entire experience with you.

600
00:59:09,760 --> 00:59:16,160
But I wanted to ask you that
part, which we are also always

601
00:59:16,160 --> 00:59:21,160
the those who have never met the
mother in person, curious about

602
00:59:22,560 --> 00:59:26,520
you.
You, you know, detailed every

603
00:59:26,520 --> 00:59:30,320
aspect of that mahasama.
I mean, not the Mahasama the,

604
00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:34,480
the, the darshan day.
Can you tell us something about

605
00:59:34,480 --> 00:59:39,320
the darshan itself or what was
that like when she came out and

606
00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:44,560
she looked on the people and the
people looked on her?

607
00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:46,760
What was your experience of
that?

608
00:59:46,760 --> 00:59:55,040
Santosh, you know, everybody was
I think in a state of utmost

609
00:59:55,280 --> 01:00:00,800
devotion.
And so the whole atmosphere that

610
01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:06,480
we all experienced as a
community, as a collectivity was

611
01:00:06,480 --> 01:00:10,480
one of just absolute heart
opening devotion.

612
01:00:12,120 --> 01:00:15,720
I don't know that anybody, maybe
others, experienced other

613
01:00:15,720 --> 01:00:23,200
things, but that was really for
me, the overwhelming force of

614
01:00:23,200 --> 01:00:26,760
that day.
The mother later described the

615
01:00:26,760 --> 01:00:31,440
Super mental reign and all those
things, but I don't know that

616
01:00:31,440 --> 01:00:36,320
anybody that I've heard of or
know of actually experienced it

617
01:00:36,320 --> 01:00:38,480
that way.
They just experienced this

618
01:00:39,400 --> 01:00:45,240
outpouring of love and devotion
and surrender of the ego that

619
01:00:45,800 --> 01:00:51,600
that you feel in the presence of
a being who is so manifestly

620
01:00:52,320 --> 01:00:58,000
able to awaken those forces
within each individual.

621
01:00:58,120 --> 01:01:05,760
And of course, these were her
children, her devotees, her, the

622
01:01:05,760 --> 01:01:08,960
people she'd lived with and
guided for so many years.

623
01:01:09,320 --> 01:01:11,680
The the love and force that was
there.

624
01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:17,280
It was overwhelming.
And, and I have to say, you've

625
01:01:17,280 --> 01:01:20,360
never heard the story because I
don't tell the story.

626
01:01:22,080 --> 01:01:25,760
That's something that very, very
few people have ever heard.

627
01:01:27,400 --> 01:01:30,480
But when I was asked to speak
about the mother, I have to

628
01:01:30,480 --> 01:01:33,760
speak about my experience with
the mother.

629
01:01:33,760 --> 01:01:39,720
And so I decided it was an
appropriate time and place to do

630
01:01:39,720 --> 01:01:42,880
this.
Thank you.

631
01:01:42,880 --> 01:01:45,440
Thank you so much for sharing
that with us.

632
01:01:46,000 --> 01:01:48,640
And that that was the mother's
last person, was it?

633
01:01:48,640 --> 01:01:50,560
Not Santosh?
Yes.

634
01:01:52,680 --> 01:01:54,640
So it was very special, Very,
very.

635
01:01:54,880 --> 01:01:57,360
Special.
Thank you.

636
01:02:01,040 --> 01:02:04,200
We are definitely grateful to
you for sharing this experience.

637
01:02:04,320 --> 01:02:07,720
You know, I think it has
definitely enriched us at the

638
01:02:07,720 --> 01:02:12,440
fellowship.
So much Santosh, I really

639
01:02:12,440 --> 01:02:14,320
enjoyed hearing your
experiences.

640
01:02:14,320 --> 01:02:17,920
It was amazing, so beautiful.
I really enjoyed it.

641
01:02:17,920 --> 01:02:31,120
Thank you.
More comments, more sharings.

642
01:02:43,130 --> 01:02:48,210
Well, I just want to acknowledge
what's already been said, my

643
01:02:48,570 --> 01:02:50,410
appreciation for the
presentation.

644
01:02:50,410 --> 01:02:56,410
And, and I know sometimes that
stories that are very deeply

645
01:02:56,410 --> 01:03:02,720
important and personal to us, we
need not to share very often

646
01:03:02,720 --> 01:03:06,600
because it, it loses some of its
mojo.

647
01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:11,320
And so I appreciate that you
read this moment, whatever the

648
01:03:11,320 --> 01:03:16,520
elements were that came into it
here at the ashram and just

649
01:03:16,520 --> 01:03:20,240
really appreciating that it, it
just, it's not just an, another

650
01:03:20,240 --> 01:03:22,200
retelling.
It's a very special moment.

651
01:03:22,200 --> 01:03:25,480
And, and I and I'm grateful that
I got to participate with you

652
01:03:25,480 --> 01:03:27,840
and meet you today.
So thank you.

653
01:03:37,040 --> 01:03:44,000
I agree.
On that note, I think we should

654
01:03:44,240 --> 01:03:47,080
close today and thank you very
much.

655
01:03:49,520 --> 01:03:50,600
As I said, it was really
wonderful.

656
01:03:51,480 --> 01:03:53,920
Yeah.
Boys won't be able to express

657
01:03:53,920 --> 01:03:58,400
the gratitude that I feel for
this event today.

658
01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:03,400
Thank you very much and thank
you everyone for joining.

659
01:04:04,000 --> 01:04:04,560
Us, thank you.
Thank.

660
01:04:05,560 --> 01:04:06,520
You.
Thank you, Santosh.