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Intense Love for God
On every spiritual and religious path, intense Love for God is the main ingredient for realizing the goal of that path, your oneness with the Absolute. Regardless of the name or label used to refer to Him, Love for God is the essential ingredient that causes one to know God.
Many saints have struggled and even fought for their right to cultivate and nurture this Love for God as expressed through their chosen deity. Mirabai (Meera) was one such person and Lalita Mauli was another. Their stories are a shining example of the kind of Bhakti that automatically attracts Gods Grace into our lives. Here are two such stories.
Mother Meera
Mirabai was the princess Chitore. Her family belonged to the warrior (Kshatria) class and worshipped the Goddess Durga. They believed in sacrifices and vigorous rituals. Although surrounded by wealth and power, Meera had only one desire in life; to leave off the worldly attachments of her kingdom and to spend her time basking in Love and Praise for Lord Krishna. Her family could not understand her Love and Devotion to Krishna, nor her practice of chanting his name and meditating on Him. Because their chosen deity was Durga and their mode of worship was ritualistic sacrifice, they harassed Mirabai for her devotion to Lord Krishna. Not even her husband could protect her from her family's wrath. Meera's devotion for Krishna was so intense that people were afraid to go near her. This was the case even with her husband. Every time he approached her, he found an intense white light being reflected from within her and he had to withdraw.
On Vijaydashmi Day (the culmination of the Navaratri festival in honor of the Goddess Durga), the royal family held a Mahapuja and Bhandara for the kingdom. A Buffalo was scheduled to be sacrificed at the end of the Puja. Just as the sword was lifted to slay the Buffalo, Mirabai stopped the Puja by catching the sword. No one could have dared to do this. The entire congregation stood on their feet, astonished by her act.
A family court was convened. The family honor and pride had been tarnished by Meera's act and the family decided that she must be executed so that no others would follow her example. Mirabai stated that she was only acting out of Love and Devotion for Lord Krishna who had a very high regard for the animal kingdom. It was decided that she must end her life by drinking poison. Because she was the daughter-in-law of the King and Queen, her husband, the royal couple's son, was told to deliver the poison to her. Mirabai accepted the poison with humility and, while gazing upon her statue of Lord Krishna, she drank the poison as she sang;
Even if you were to let me go, my Lord Krishna,
I would not break away from you.
If I abandon my love for you, my Krishna,
Who else can I call my love?
Meera's attendant saw that she was dying. But suddenly, the throat of Krishna’s statue turned blue and Meera revived. Lord Krishna saved her.
Mirabai's husband left her and thus all her bond with the royal family was broken. She left the palace saying;
O Hari (Krishna), I am mad with love for you,
Nobody understands my pain.
If I had known that love would bring such pain,
I would have stood in the village square with a drum and declared
"Nobody should ever love like this."
Thus began Mirabai's journey as she spread the message of Bhakti by her own shining example of intense Love for God. Through her Seva to the Lord, Meera synthesized the two paths of Bhakti and Karma Yoga and made them one in the same. In this way, she became a Siddha Guru.
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Lalita Mauli
Among Bhagawan Nityananda’s disciples, there was another person who synthesized these two paths into one, becoming another living example of Gurukripa Yoga. She was Lalita Mauli of Panvel, New Mumbai. Lalita Mauli considered herself to be Bhagawan Nityananda's adopted daughter (Manaskanya). Her life was a perfect example of how one can fulfill his/her householder and worldly life while also walking the spiritual path. During her lifetime, Lalita Mauli fulfilled all her family obligations and yet made her spiritual journey a success.
She Was Freed By Bhagawan Nityananda's Grace
It was July 14, 1956 and on this day, Lalita Mauli was poisoned by a sweet offered her by a villager who was practicing witchcraft. The poison caused her unbearable pain and suffering. Yet Mauli, through her Yoga Shakti, was moving about as if nothing had happened. She remained silent, communicating by writing on a piece of slate with a stick of chalk. She expressed her immediate desire to go to Ganeshpuri to see Bhagawan Nityananda. The poison was spreading and her body was becoming weak. A devotee named Leela Joshi, along with others, gathered to take Lalita to Ganeshpuri.
From Panvel, they caught a bus to Bhivandi and from there, another bus for Ambadi. In Ambadi they encountered heavy rains. The river was flooded, making it very difficult to cross the crude bridge. The bus could go no further. Mauli and the devotees got down from the bus and stood below a tree wondering what to do next.
Immediately Lalita Mauli began chanting "Shree Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda, Hare Krishna Hare Ram Radhe Govindha." With the chant on her lips, she started moving towards the flooded bridge at very rapid speed. The others could hardly keep space with her and all were drenched with rain. Filled with love for Gurudev Nityananda, Mauli fell into a state of ecstasy and was unmindful of the danger due to flooding.
Suddenly someone yelled "Stop Mother!" The voice came from a small truck that was blocking their path. Addressing Lalita Mauli, the driver said, "Mother dear! Do you wish to go to Vajreshwari? If so, I will take you there now." Without waiting for answer he opened the rear door of the truck. Now, in the back of that truck was a small room with a cot covered with a clean white bed spread. Mauli and her devotees climbed inside and Lalita sat on the cot. She took a pair of cymbals in her hands and began sweetly singing Bhajans. The truck began to move through the gushing water. From the window they could see water gushing from all the sides, rocking the entire truck. People became frightened and cried out that they would surely drown.
Lalita Mauli signaled them to keep quiet. In her sweet voice she called out to Lord Krishna singing, "Oh! There goes the boat called Krishna’s Love. The sinner, the sufferer and all else will be saved. Oh! There goes the boat called Krishna’s Love. There shall be no whirlpool in this ocean. Krishna Himself is the boatman of this boat called Krishna’s Love." Miraculously, the truck crossed the flooded bridge and reached the Vajreshwari temple on the other side. The truck driver dropped them at the foot of the temple and vanished. After making an offering to the Goddess at the Vajreshwari temple, they took a horse carriage into Ganeshpuri.
Shaktipat Diksha
Upon arriving at the ashram, Lalita Mauli fell at Bhagawan Nityananda's feet. With intense love she said, "Dear Deva! Are you aware that today we could have been offered up to God by drowning in the waters of that river!?" Bade Baba replied, "Is it not true that a vehicle was sent to your rescue?" Lalita Mauli was still in great pain from the poison that wracked her body. She cried out, "Dear God! How dare someone poison your own adopted daughter!" Baba assured her, "The effect shall go within few days. You will have to undergo this pain of black magic for five days more." Lalita still insisted, "Why was I poisoned? How did somebody dare to poison your very own goddaughter?" Bhagawan Nityananda replied, "That magician’s days are numbered. Your divinity will destroy his evil power. If you take the position that you are neutralizing the poison, you will be transforming the evil man into good." Bade Baba thus made Mauli understand her Divinity and its use for uplifting the evil and downtrodden.
Mother wanted to know more about her true nature. She asked Bade Baba "What is my status? You should merge into me to make me strong and empower me with your divinity. Dear Baba, you have appeared on this earth to transform evil into divinity and be a savior to your devotees." Bhagawan Nityananda nodded in agreement with her and blessed her. Lalita then asked "Can I offer you Puja?" Bhagawan said "Who will perform whose Puja?" Immediately Lalita asked "Does that mean that you have merged in me?" Baba just nodded and got into a sitting position. He told her to sit on the ground at his feet in padmasana. He then gave Lalita Mauli Shaktipat.
After giving her Shaktipat, Bhagawan Nityananda told her, "On Gurupurnima day at five in the morning you will vomit the poison inside you and you shall be cured and free from this witchcraft. You must celebrate Gurupurnima this year at Panvel. Do not come here." For several hours Lalita remained in a trance state. There was utter silence in the meditation hall. The devotees accompanying her marveled at what they saw.
After some time Baba uttered his typical "Humph" and Lalita came out of her deep state of samadhi. He said "There. You are given Shakti." He then asked her to stand up and instructed his attendant to give her Dhuni (burning wood) for waving a light to do Puja. Bhagawan then signaled everyone else to stand. The bells were rung and Lalita sang the prayer for Universal peace. Baba then announced, "Your body is now dedicated to the upliftment of humanity. Your form is that of aiding the needy and providing shelter under the tree of the Absolute. The diksha given to you is that of a Paramahamsa (highest class of sanyasins). Remain content in whatever you get. You shall henceforth settle in Panvel."
Lalita Mauli did not believe herself worthy or capable of such a responsibility. She said "Baba, this adopted daughter of yours is a worldly woman. Other than your divine blessings, I have no attainment, no spiritual merit from sadhana. Except for the chanting of your divine name, I have not done anything extraordinary. With this background of mine how could you place such a heavy responsibility on me who is so fragile?" Bhagawan Nityananda let her know that all his divine energy had been poured into her by instructing her, "All the Shakti is now in you. You must stay at Panvel fearlessly. You should bind yourself by Brahman. When you have a Sadguru as your savior, nobody can harm you." Lalita was thus transformed into Lalita Mauli, affectionately known as The Mother.
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