Jayrambati Series -25
Mother Sarada Devi on Mantra
The Mantra purifies the body. Man becomes pure by repeating the Mantra of God. Listen to a story. One day Narada went to Vaikuntha to see the Lord and had a long conversation with Him. Narada had not, at that time, been initiated. After Narada left the place, the Lord said to Lakshmi, “Purify the place with cow-dung.” “Why, Lord?” asked Lakshmi. “Narada is your great devotee. Why, then, do you say this?” The Lord said, “Narada has not, as yet, received his initiation. The body cannot be pure without initiation.”
One should accept the Mantra from a Guru at least for the purification of the body. The Vaishnava, after initiating the disciple, says to him, “Now all depends upon your mind.” It is said, “The human teacher utters the Mantra into the ear; but God “breathes the spirit into the soul.” Everything depends upon one’s mind. Nothing can be achieved without purity of mind. It is said, “The aspirant may have received the grace of the Guru, the Lord and the Vaishnava; but he comes to grief without the grace of ‘one’.” That ‘one’ is the mind. The mind of the aspirant should be gracious to him.
Continuing, the Holy Mother said, “When the Master passed away, I also wanted to leave my body. He appeared before me and said, ‘No, you must remain here. There are many things to be done.’ I myself realized later on that this was true; I had so many things to do. The Master used to say, ‘ The people of Calcutta live like worms squirming in darkness. You will guide them.’ He said that he would live for three hundred years in a subtle body, in the hearts of the devotees. He further said that he would have many devotees among white people.
“After the passing away of the Master, I was at first greatly frightened, for I used to put on a Sari with thin red borders and wear gold bangles on my wrist, which made me afraid of people’s criticism. I was then at Kamarpukur. Sri Ramakrishna started appearing often before me. Then I gradually got rid of that fear. One day the Master appeared before me and asked me to feed him with Khichuri. I cooked the dish and offered it before Raghuvir in the temple. Then I mentally fed the Master with it.
