Serve All

I am the mother of the wicked, as I am the mother of the virtuous. Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, say to yourself, 'I have a mother.

Sarada Devi

My mind travels back to my last visit to the first shrine at Sri Ramakrishna Math. It was about a month back. Don't recollect the exact date. Realize how important it's to document. Documentation is a buzz word in accounting circle. Also how true it was when a senior said, "Record, note down. ...your mind is not a computer.'  With reverence I quoted John F Kennedy, "Man is super computer'.  Sad fact is it fails to remember the chronology, though it can.

As I came down the stairs from the First floor sanctum, the first thing that fell on my eyes was the above quote of the Ma Sarada Devi. It was written on the girder backing the celing.

Mind has a wonder. It maps, connects dots.

The story, which I read leisurely this morning in Dinamalar, here has a resonance to the above quote of Ma Sarada Devi.

Well over to the article in Dinamalar today:

Maha Swamy always emphasizes how essential it is to live the way our Sastras codify.  Blaming practical life situation today, we aren't in a position to follow the same in its entirety.  This triggers some kind of lurking sense of guilt.

In 1962,, Maha Swamy was staying at Mundiyambakkam Village in Tiruvarur District. He stayed there for His satur madya vratam. That time, Dr Ramamurthy, resident of that village asked Maha Swamy, " Being born as a Bhramin, I wear my sacred thread, do Sandyavanthan.  But other dharmas which a Bhramin is supposed to do, I don't. What punishment will I get for this omission?".

Maha Swami is soul saver. Will one not get a remedy? Maha Swami answered the Doctor, "while rendering your medical service, never differentiate like poor, rich..a thief, dacoit. Let your service be akin to all types of patients. Never refuse your service based on caste, religious difference.  And just accept how much a patient can give."

What a sagely advice! Never give thrust for money. And service be your motto.

This conversation became life changer for the twenty eight old Doctor then in 1962.  Now Dr Ramamurthy is 88. Maha Swami's words were Maha Mantra. 

May we feel happy we are living contemporaries and wish and pray all good to Dr Ramamurthy and his family.

These days post 60, not a single day passes without reading a good thought, listening some soul enlivining good, all of Maha Swami and His Shresta devotees.  This softens and lightens any heaviness.

Hara Hara Sankara.