Monday, June 26, 2006

SHRI M.B. REGE'S RARE LETTER ON RADHAKRISHNA AYEE

Sri Gurudev

28, South Tukoganj,
Indore,
3rd September 1968


Dear Brother Sridhar,

Your letter of the 30th th reached me yesterday afternoon. I have
wired you this morning, as this letter will not reach you on 4th inst.,
as desired by you.

Now regarding my Divine mother Radhakrishna Ayee. I shall relate
some incidents which will show her worth and what the master
thought of her.

You are aware that I went to Shirdi for the first time in December
1910 consequent on a vision in which I saw my Kula Devi Shanta
Durga of Kareta (Goa) with Shri Maha Vishnu and my Master, and
Shri Maha Vishnu said that the three were in fact one, and that
Shri Sai Baba would be my saviour. You may find some more
details in Sri Narasimha Swamiji's "Life of Sai Baba, Vol.III"
(Ankita Devotees).

In my first visit, the master asked me to go to mother Radhakrishna
whom He described as His mother and mine. My association with
her and I owe my spiritual life to her - left no doubt in my mind that
she was the Yoga Maya like the Yogini, who gave Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa his training in 'Tantra' Mother Ramakrishna, whom
the master always referred to as Ramakrishni, was to me an ideal
of the Madhura Bhakti of the Gopis. All her belongings in the world
were a durrie (cotton mat) a blanket, a pair of dhotis, Eknath
Maharaja's Bhagwat, abhangas of Sri Thukaram and a lota. She
had an idol of Lord Krishna - she called it 'Chahabi' and occasional

singing of Bhajans in which she would get unconscious in a deep
trance.

The devotee I met at Shirdi had views of their own regarding Bhakti
and each one or a group thought that His or its own way was the
right one; and very often there was intolerance of other views. Mother
Radhakrishna's view was that the master should, like the idols at
Thirupati, Mathura or Dwaraka and Pandarpur, have good clothes,
ornaments, Palki Rath, etc. Other devotees of note like Sri Dasganu
Maharaj, Sri Dabolkar thought that Baba was a Fakir and ostentation
was against His creed. Indeed when once velvet chhava (overcoat)
was being put on Baba, one of such devotees, when Baba in his own
way refused to have it put on, said 'Fix some nails to fix it'. The last
scandal completely alienated such persons and since the sketches

of Baba were mostly written by them, a reference to the mother in
them, cannot be expected.

BHARANIDHARAN
(SRIDHAR)
Chennai-600 017.
(Courtesy: Sai Sudha, Golden Jubilee Issue - June 1990, All India

Sai Samaj (Regd), Chennai-600004, India)

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