Grace at the Time of Death
Sri Anandamayi Ma
Ma is There at the Time of Death
(From “As the Flower Sheds Its Fragrance” by Atmananda)
At the (Varanasi) Ashram I found Mataji seated in Her usual place in the hall. When I offered my garland, Mataji made signs for me to move out of Her line of vision. Surprised, I turned round; exactly opposite to Mataji at the west end of the hall I saw an emaciated old lady lying on her bedding that had been spread on the floor. She was very ill and had shifted to the Ashram a few weeks ago as she had wished to die in Mataji’s presence and in the sight of the Ganga (River Ganges). It was obvious that her last hour had come. Her son was sitting close by her chanting holy texts while her daughter was attending to her. The dying woman had her rosary in her hand. She was hardly breathing but evidently in full conscious. Matajji was watching her intently. Off and on she would say with a loud voice: “Mother, are you doing japa (repetition of mantra)?” The old lady could respond only by almost imperceptible gestures. Mataji suggested sprinkling some Ganga water on her chest and a few drops of the sacred liquid were instilled into her mouth with the help of a piece of cotton wool, since she was too weak to drink. Not for a moment did Mataiji let Her eyes off her. I was reminded of the sight of an eagle watching its prey from the air, ready to swoop down on it at the right moment. .Suddenly, Mataji left Her seat and walked straight to the dying woman. With great motherly affection She gazed at her, placed the garland on her chest and then with a swift and determined gesture passed both Her hands over the shriveled body from head to foot. The end had come. It was unforgettable—a most impressive moment. I thought to myself, “Surely this is not death; this is Liberation!”
“Call the girls to sing kirtan!” called out Mataji. The students of the Kanyapeeth came and sang—some of them children of nine or ten. What a beautiful idea it is to make children face death in this atmosphere of peace and serenity! Everyone felt moved, but there was no weeping, no lamenting, and no regret. On the contrary, there was a hush, a sense of quiet, pervading joy; of fulfillment. “Death means changing one’s apparel” one can often hear Mataji say. Fortunate is one who ends his days in this manner! Jai Ma!
Matri Vani (Words of Ma)
The mind that identifies itself with the body can be turned towards the Eternal and then the pain the body experiences will be a matter of indifference. Since the body is bound to get hurt at times, there must be suffering as long as one is identified with it. The world oscillates endlessly between happiness and sorrow; there can be no security, no stability here. These are to be found in God alone. How can there be both, the world and the ONE? One the way to the Goal, there seems to be two: God and the world; but when one has arrived, there is only the ONE. What worldly life is, you have seen. Who is yours? Only your Guru, your Ishta (beloved Deity). In Him you will find everything and everyone.
[Once during a satsang with Ma, an old sadhu fell asleep and begin snoring loudly with open mouth. Ma playfully went over to him and poured the juice of a rasagula (a famous juicy Bengali sweet) into his open mouth. When the sweet juice began to trickle down his throat, he awoke amidst peals of laughter from the onlookers. Mataji then joyfully said:]
Unless Bhagavad Rasa (Divine sweetness) is instilled into man; unless the nectar of the Divine penetrates deep into him, his slumbering soul does not awaken. It is a well-known fact that poison neutralizes poison. Similarly, when transcending nature’s delights, which are fleeting, man tastes of the delicious flavor of his true Being (Svabhaav rasa), of Supreme Delight (Param rasa), then the excruciating anguish of the poison of mere worldly enjoyments is destroyed. Beyond bodily pleasures lies Joy Supreme. But where happiness is in its essential unconditioned form, there the opposites—joy and sorrow—find no place; where solely Sva rasa is, there can be no question of arasa (the opposite). He is the Fountain of Joy—Joy and Joy alone is His being.
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