What’s a Grandmother – A Privilege & Promotion in Life – Enjoy Shri Lakshmi symbol with Rainbow Story of God

A Sahaj view on GrandmasShri Mataji - grandmother in UK

Shri Mataji:

‘I want to be a real grandmother of very grand children,that’s a special privilege and real promotion and maturity.’

For quite sometime it was in my heart this theme of ‘grandmothers’, and not because of my own grandmothers but because of the ones I see around, wonderful grandmothers I personally know in various countries and various cultures, some of them coming to our Sahaja Yoga Meditation classes in Halton and sharing with us their joys,worries and responsibilities in such role and also because recently I had the immense gift to meet with the founder of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji, a grandmother and great-grand mother herself.

I say it was a gift because it was nothing arranged on my side, not even the desire was there. This time it was entirely a call from Shri Mataji and she made it happen to look and feel as a modern miracle.

But this in another story. Being in front of Shri Mataji, what was relevant for me was the  over-powerful even mythological feeling of what a Great Grandmother should represent in our society, what a sustenance force can and should be.

And here there is such an example coming from Ruth, a friend sahaja yogini, mother and grandmother that posted her comment to this article. She kindly had provided even ‘the proof’  that her blessing-experience is Real and for me this shows something more: that a ‘grand child’ (mentioned by Shri Mataji in her quote) can naturally become a ‘grandmother’ having the qualities that are described further on during our article.

Our Halton website and sahaj family have gained a new precious friend in Ruth.

Halton meet Ruth and her beautiful family!

Mother has blessed me with 7 grandchildren under the age of 6. They are happy, healthy, beautiful children and I know that She protects them in every way. Minutes before the birth of my first grandchild a cloud in the likeness of Shri Ganesha formed in the sky. At the naming ceremony of the youngest child we came out of the house and there was a rainbow stretching from one end of the sky to the other. I got my realisation after my children had grown up so it is a great privilege to be with young children again. Here is the rainbow picture the whole family with a few cousins in as well at the right hand side. I am in the purple jersey kneeling in front. Ruth (South-Africa!): Mother has blessed me with 7 grandchildren under the age of 6. They are happy, healthy, beautiful children and I know that She protects them in every way. Minutes before the birth of my first grandchild a cloud in the likeness of Shri Ganesha formed in the sky. At the naming ceremony of the youngest child we came out of the house and there was a rainbow stretching from one end of the sky to the other. I got my realization after my children had grown up so it is a great privilege to be with young children again. Here is the rainbow picture the whole family with a few cousins in as well at the right hand side. I am in the purple jersey kneeling in front.”

Below there is a collection of quotes from Shri Mataji’s lectures on this subject that I am very fond of. Hope you’ll find these words of wisdom useful and meaningful to you. Let me know.

Excerpt from Shri Mataji’s Speech on Diwali significance- 1992

Shri Mataji with her grandchildren “We are not actresses, we are mothers and you should be proud of being a mother and you should be proud of your children. Then you become grandmothers, I think this is a very great achievement and you should feel very proud of your age that you are a Grandmother.
If you will go on struggling for looking young you’ll look very old. You see your mother is seventy years of age and I don’t look my age, that’s what they say.
I have never bothered about my looks, I have no time, I have so many children and I am very proud of my age also.
With age you grow, you mature, you are wiser, then you have all the assets of your personality. If you really respect your age, people will come to you for advice, help.
 
On a Diwali day I don’t want to talk about that so I’ll try to tell you about the Lakshmi, the symbol of Lakshmi.
 
Shri Lakshmi (the divine principle that resides in the 3rd energy centre that is called Nabhi or Manipur chakra) is the symbol of the completeness of womanhood, she brings wealth, prosperity, auspiciousness, she brings in understanding, generosity, peace and joy, she is the giver of all the blessings.
 
The symbol of Lakshmi is that she stands on the lotus which is pink in color.
 
Pink color is the warmth of her Motherhood.Mythological representation of Shri Lakshmi-divine principle or subtle energy of Nabi chakra- painting by Ravi Varna
In India even a small girl is called as Mother.
 
So in the various aspects of Lakshmi, the symbol is that first she is a very warm person, also in one hand she has the lotus which is also pink in color, that also suggestive of her warmth.

Even a funny type of a moth with all kinds of thorns attached to his body enters into a lotus, he finds a place where he can rest, she makes all the guests to come in her house and have the best bed and the best food. Normally the men bring in a guest and the wife receives him and looks after him. So it is suggestive that we have to look after any type of a guest who comes to our house and should completely devote ourselves to the looking after of the guest who is from outside.
She is standing on the lotus and wearing also a pink sari, that is you have to have balance to stand on a thing like lotus because she is surrounded by water, and there are many animals around it, beast like people who try to entice her so she has to have a complete balance, also she has two hands with a lotus and with two other hands she is giving and with another hand she is blessing.
 
This one means that she should be generous, she should be giving always to others not for herself. She should not spend all the money on herself and nothing for the children or for the guests or for others.
 
So it is the Lakshmi who has to give, who has to be generous.
 
I have seen .. if the wife is generous she’s rewarded, the whole family is rewarded hundred times. Generosity is like this that you have one door open through which everything is coming in and you open another door by giving, so there’s a very good circulation.
I enjoy my generosity the most, if it is generosity, and you all should enjoy this generosity, and generosity is so rewarding, so rewarding that it is unbelievable how the Divine forces help a person who is generous.
 
So that in Sahaj culture we have to meditate, get our satisfaction about everything within ourselves and also we have to be like the Lakshmi children, the children of Lakshmi.
 
So there are two aspects of this thing we have understood is that Lakshmi fulfills all our monetary needs plus also she gives us all the balance, all the joy, all the bliss in the family.
 
Now the problem is with us that unless and until we meditate, unless and until we reach that state of satisfaction we cannot see the work of this Divine power.”

Excerpt of a speech on Guru/Master Principle in 1994 – Shri Mataji’s Childhood

“I must tell you about myself, that from my very childhood I was like a Grandmother.
 
I would not tolerate anything nonsense, any stupid jokes anything, like a grandmother. And now I am a grandmother also and this maturity has to come in you. To talk cheaply is all right. Some people have that habit. They are no Sahaja Yogis, but the ones who follow them and talk like that .. shows that they have no maturity. If they were mature they would change all these people.
 
Wherever there are mature people, they definitely transform others and their own behavior — people are surprised how they are.
 
This may be exceptional, may be very few like that, but only thing why I am pointing it out to you, that when you find somebody like that, then please try not to listen to such a person, not to follow such a person. But such a person is extremely forward type and everybody becomes sort of a follower .. So we have to mature.
 
Now how do we mature? Many ask me this question. We mature by Meditation, by Nirvicharita (thoughtless awareness state).
 
You have to be in Thoughtless Awareness to grow, otherwise you cannot grow.
 
Now, you should practice this thoughtless awareness, otherwise also, say you are walking on the road, suddenly you see a beautiful tree. You should become thoughtless (and realize): Creation of Divine, how beautiful it is!‘ You should become thoughtless.

In Thoughtless, the Sahaj works, otherwise it does not work. You plan everything, you do everything, it won’t work out. If you leave it to Sahaj (spontaneity, natural way that comes from connection), it will work out.

But that never means that you should be lazy about it, or also unsystematic. No.

You have to be alert, extremely alert because if you are not alert, you will not see how the Sahaj is helping you. I’ll give an example. Supposing you want to meet somebody. Now that person said I will meet you at eleven o’clock say for example. You have to be alert. He said he will meet you at eleven. By some chance you are late, supposing. So you should be alert that you are late for the gentleman. At that time you should give a bandhan or raise your Kundalini, do something so that you meet the person in any case whether you are late or not. But normally, you should not be late. If you just give a bandhan and say, `”I must be there at eleven o’clock,” you’ll be there. Sahaj will help you. But you even forget to give bandhans. You even forget to raise your Kundalini. You even forget to give vibrations.

So to mature, first of all you should know you are now Sahaja Yogis and that you can control the whole situation IF you are one with this all-pervading power. It’s very simple.

(for example) It was very hot. Everybody was saying it’s very hot. All right. I got up. I said, “I’ll make it—” Within fifteen minutes I made it cooler. I say I made it. “I”, but it’s not I.

So what you call is to mature through your meditation in Nirvicharita, in thoughtless awareness. Unless and until you enlarge the state of thoughtless awareness, you cannot mature because only in the Present you can mature and Present is Thoughtless Awareness.

And I have seen what is happening that people are only expecting all kinds of miracles from Sahaja Yoga, all kind of help from Sahaja Yoga, but they never think ‘What help are we doing?! What are we achieving? Where are we?!’

My connection with this all-pervading power has done the job.
 
But the connection has to be sincere, strong, honest and all the time in your mind you should know that you are connected.
 
This situation is very simple to achieve, this state where you all the time feel I am one with the Divine. Because you are not alert, you don’t want to see the miracles of this great power which you are in connection. You are busy with other things. Your attention is somewhere else. You’re looking at other things and then suddenly you say, “Mother, how is it I am such a Sahaja Yogi, I could not do this and that?”

Grandmother’s Story about God

Shri Mataji in 1988 – answering to questions in New York

“And what is God? I’ve told you the story about my father’s aunt. She told me once a story, a very nice story about God. She said that there was one gentleman who was going to see God.

I mean, it’s a grandmother’s story so you can understand.

And he was going on his way, he met a gentleman who was doing lots of tapasya  (‘penance’ in Sanskrit), standing on one leg, one foot, one head, like that he was going on and on. So he said, “You are going to see God?”

He said, “Yes.”

(the other one) “Will you tell God, ‘I want to take your darshan (see you in reality), when will you come? I’m working very hard, I’m doing all these things, I’ve done all the rituals, everything. When will I see you?’

” He said, “All right, I’ll tell him.”

So then he met a gentleman who was lying down near the tree on the way and he said, “Oh, come along, come along. You’re going to see God?”

“Yes.”

“Please tell him he has not sent my food so far, I’m waiting for it.”

He was quite amazed. Look at this lazy lump sitting there and ordering God. So he went to God and saw Him and then all his work was done, whatever it was.

While coming he said that, “Sir, I have a problem. There are two people. One is working very hard and he’s doing fasting and he’s doing all kinds of things and he wants to know when will you meet him?” He said, “Tell him still to work little more, still he needs working.'” And then he said, “I met another one, a lazy lump, you see. He just said he has not yet received the food and what about the food?” He said, “No, he hasn’t received? Oh God.'” He called people, “Come along, this, that. We must arrange, immediately. How is it he has not received the food?'”

He was quite amazed, this fellow.

God said, “Now you see why I was worried. You will not understand. But you do one thing. When you go down, you tell them one story. Tell them that when you went to God, you saw that he passed one camel through the eye of a needle, and see. You’ll get your answer.”

(The man) went down.

First he met this man who was doing all these exercises and this and that. He said, “What did God say to you?” He said, ‘Yes, you have to do some more and still work hard, you see, it’s still not all right.” So he said, “But what did you see? You have been there.” He said, “I saw a very great miracle, that God passed a camel through the eye of a needle.” “Passed a camel through the ete of a needle? How can it be? Is impossible. What was the needle size? Just normal size? How can that be? What was the size of the camel? Just normal size? How did He pass?”

(the man answered:) “He did.”

So he went to (the other) man, and he said, “What did you see?” He said, “I saw a miracle that a camel was passed through the eye of a needle.”

(the lazy man said:)  “What is there a miracle? Is God, you know He’s God. He’s God Almighty. What is there for one camel? He’s God. And He’s God Almighty, anything is possible.”

Excerpt from a talk given on Shri Mataji’s birthday in 1983 – Grandmothers too busy

“In this way modernism has created a whole generation of human beings who have ruined their own lives, ruined the lives of their families, ruined the lives of their children and of their parents. All those sources which traditionally provided the nourishment of love have been completely ruined. Nowadays, a grandmother is too busy to look after her grandchild, because she “has to go to the hairdresser’s” because she “must look young”. Because if she does not look young, she is considered to be “over the hill”, as good as a dead person.”

Excerpt from Philadelphia Public Program in 1993 – Detachment is within

“So the detachment is within. It’s not without. You don’t have to announce it. It is within. It’s something that you do everything as I knew,

I am a  grandmother, I’m a mother, I’m a wife, my husband was holding a very big position, all that. I did everything, but there’s a kind of a detachment about it and this detachment can only be possible if you develop your spiritual powers. When your spirit shines, you see everything is useless and fruitless, but by giving up things, by renouncing things, you’re just pampering your ego by saying, “I have given up this. I have given up that.”

The other day I met a Buddhist who was a seeker. He was all shaved off. His hair was shaved off. And he said, “Mother, I am not only shaved off, but I am now a bankrupt.” I said, “Why?” “Because I was giving all my money, everything to this Buddhist organization and now I’m bankrupt and I don’t know what to do with myself.” I said, how can you pay? God doesn’t understand money. No.” He doesn’t understand banking. It’s your headache. You have made money. You have made banks. You have made these houses. What is there if you give up or don’t give up? What difference does it make? It’s your doing. All right?

So the detachment must come from within and that is so automatic. It’s a state which we have to achieve in our evolution.”

Two “Grandma” Inspirational Stories

Click: Rebecca – I am a grandmother and I do Sahaja Yoga Meditation with my 2 grandchildren (My Spiritual journey)

Click: (video) 75-Year-Old Grandma Talks about Forgiveness, Meditation and The Third Eye – Agnya Chakra – “Bunica Mediteaza, face Yoga si Iarta”


Feel free to drop a comment …

This Post Has 15 Comments

  1. Chandra Sekhar

    Did Shri Mathaji Say this!!
    “My connection with this all-pervading power has done the job.
    But the connection has to be sincere, strong, honest and all the time in your mind you should know that you are connected.
    This situation is very simple to achieve, this state where you all the time feel I am one with the Divine. Because you are not alert, you don’t want to see the miracles of this great power which you are in connection. You are busy with other things. Your attention is somewhere else. You’re looking at other things and then suddenly you say, “Mother, how is it I am such a Sahaja Yogi, I could not do this and that?”

    Did SHE really say this?

    SHE touches the most appropriate sensitive part of our soul, just like a brain surgeon touches appropriate spot on our brain and stimulate corresponding actions in our body. SHE knows where to touch a soul to stimulate appropriate thoughts. SOUL SURGEON INDEED!!

    In my attempt, to make this connection sincere and honest seems tough for me. So, I am trying to make it strong and I know it ultimately becomes sincere and honest. Sri Mathaji taught me this trick long time back. Brain Surgeon, indeed.

    I have not completely read your this morning’s email attachment yet. As you said, I have to read it slowly to digest it.

    Thank you for your earnest efforts; we are all slowly becoming a single soul ultimately.

    -Chandra

    1. Tarraam s/o Chanti

      Beloved Brother Chandra Sekhar,

      Dear beloved brother,can you please guide me the exact meditation that the Great Divine Mother has taught u personally and take me to the state where she sincerely wants us to be as there is so many blogs,videos,audios that confuses me where to start and where to end.Based on my individual research,the highest relative goal that the mother wants us children to acheive is the pradhakshina point,to be the spirit,to always be with god and to be a leader(my personal devotion to the mother but really need your guidance for complete perfection as in a state that my hands,legs,head is always in constant free flowing vibration as in i m the guru myself.Please do help you seeking and responsibility brother.

  2. Ruth Mattison

    Mother has blessed me with 7 grandchildren under the age of 6. They are happy, healthy, beautiful children and I know that She protects them in every way. Minutes before the birth of my first grandchild a cloud in the likeness of Shri Ganesha formed in the sky. At the naming ceremony of the youngest child we came out of the house and there was a rainbow stretching from one end of the sky to the other. I got my realisation after my children had grown up so it is a great privilege to be with young children again.

  3. Antoinette Wells

    beautiful choice as usual… and I just married my first daughter (I have five children) so I might be a grand mother in a year or so!

  4. adrian kraayeveld

    “grandmothering”

    What a wonderful aspect of our Spirit…

    Nurturing with detachment…

    Giving without the expectation of anything in return…

    Yet understanding that the “receiving” always comes from within…

    What a wonderful gift.

    Gratefully…

    Love

    1. adrian kraayeveld

      “Great Grandmothering… The mythological feeling”…

      The Spirit is…

      She/He is…

      There is no separation…

      I am that feeling…

      I am that Being…

      All are One…

      In Being the Mother…

      And in that Being the Father…

      So the one is the All…

      There is no distinction…

      When you are realized…

      In nurturing and detachment.

      Enjoy

  5. paula

    Pampering your ego by saying “I gave up this, I gave up that, look what I did for you…” when we give we have to give from the heart, enlightened by the spirit, and rise above our petty ego…even if there are other egos in the room… we have to remind ourselves to rise above it. This is a perfect example of what the detachment principle is…a friend came to me, she had read that she has to be detached from her things-so she asked her friends, ok, what do you want from my things? One said, your computer! the other wanted her car! And she asked me, how to achieve this detachment? She needs her computer and car for work, so how can she give it up? Shri Mataji provides the perfect answer to the materialistic reality we all live in. The material is the unreality. The reality is the spirit and all the powers that pour in from the divine connection, literally it happens if you nourish it, you will discover what is real. And the detachment is not of the material world, it is our perception of what we are “giving” to someone…like in a marriage…I have looked around and said look what “I” did for you…and when we remind people what we gave up or did for them, it never goes in the right direction…just the resentment of “giving” brings out the ego in both, and then can escalate to misunderstandings of the egos…It goes nowwhere, just balloons up and blocks the connection with the divine…but if you’re in the higher place, that zone carries you and once we realize “we do nothing” the bitterness, the resentment disappears, and relationships are nurtured, there is room to grow, to rise above, to achieve great things in a spiritual sense…this is the real power when we are plugged in to the divine. We can’t unsay things, we can’t undo what we have done, but we can introspect, and NOT feel guilty, because we realize these are tests and if we desire to improve we can grow from the pursuit and achievement and maintenance of the spiritual connection through Sahaja Yoga. All the answers are here, simply put. Thank you for this wonderful article.

  6. maria ignez

    dears yoguinis I am from Brasil and grand mother and mother of yoguinis its a plesure ; joy all the blessings for Sri Mataji and Sadashiva .And this auspiciousus Divali ,my heart stay at lotus feet , there is nothing to worry ,and your atencion stay in your spirit , in the birds and the sky , cool vibrations and its is all. Jay and love for my truth father too…

  7. adrian kraayeveld

    On “thoughtless awareness…and flow”

    In meditation there IS
    … stillness
    … beauty and joy
    Yet in meditation we associate an act!
    … a walk in the woods… seeing, listening
    … a simple meal.. smelling, tasting
    … paddling a canoe on a misty lake
    … holding another’s hand in silence
    No endless planning and scurrying about
    … naturalness and balance
    … everything changes
    … magically
    Flow and awareness are “thoughtless”.

  8. Jolanta

    Great article! Thank you!

  9. Paula

    Just want to add, love the picture of Rebecca about to blow candles out on the cake with the help of her grandchildren and Oma, our Celli and Royal Botanical Gardens. Happy Mother’s Day, Grand Mother’s, Other Mother’s, Mother Earth’s and our Motherly guru’s Day with Shri Mataji’s teachings. It was lovely to meditate online and start the day with love and peace in my heart.

  10. Rebecca

    I feel so blessed to be a mother and a grandmother. I feel that it is the most challenging and yet the most rewarding role that a woman can take on. Being a mother is an ongoing process of life-long learning. It is so much easier when you feel Shri Mataji’s unconditional love for each of us and are able to pass it on so easily. I loved listening to Anjali and Kruti’s Mother this morning and hearing the love flowing back and forth from all of them. Their love and connectedness was truly inspiring to begin Mother’s Day, and my heart overflowed into sweet tears streaming down my cheeks as I connected that love with my own family. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

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