UNORTHODOX HEALING AND PSYCHIC PHENOMENA

 

Ernest Kirk, author of ” World’s need and Mai-ism ” had an accident in 1954. With his fractured arm in a sling he went to Calicut to meet the Founder Saint Mai Swarup Mai Markand ( Maiji ) who had gone there for the Sisters’ Social.

That night the Saint Mai Swarup bade the injured Englishman to sleep on a bare mat in the prayer room in front of Mother’s picture.

Next morning Bro Dalal who took tea and toast to the visitor was amazed to find there was no sling. Not only that.Mr Kirk joyfully shouted ,” I am cured “and moved the arm effortlessly all over the body. Please remember the fracture was only a few days old.  

Thereafter Ernest Kirk had written a book ” THE WORLD’S NEED AND MAI-ISM “.

In his book ” THE WORLD’S NEED AND MAI-ISM ” [1957], the author ERNEST KIRK ( Editor, “LIFE”, Coimbatore, India ) had said :-

I have written the above as a sort of introduction to these very remarkable cases of healing and equally remarkable super normal happenings that have taken place and that are constantly taking place in connection with the rise and progress of the Mai-ist movement in India, and of which I now propose to give samples. But, before doing so, I venture to suggest that much the same kind of thing is taking place in various parts of the world just now and for much the same purpose, namely, that of pointing the way to some Inner Reality, or, of constituting the vestibule to that “Living Temple of Reality.” It is this that is giving a jolt to orthodoxy in all its various aspects, religious and secular.

There are, for instance,the thousands of well-attested cases of healing that have taken place at Lourdes in France by the simple process of prayer and bathing in the healing waters of the Grotto there , made famous by the visions of the Maid Bernadette nearly one hundred years ago. Take one of them, given some prominence by the British newspaper ” The People”. (See also details in a article in “Readers’ Digest” January 1956).

It concerns Mrs.Sarah Slevin, a farmer’s wife living at Clough Jordon, Tipperary, Ireland, who was suffering from an advanced development of rheumatic fever which attacks the heart. Medical Science said that there was only one remedy – not a very hopeful one. That was an operation  on the heart. The doctor’s opinion was that  she was ” too weak for the operation.” Her condition was so bad that a priest was sent for to perform the last rites. As the result of a talk with a relative who had been to Lourdes and who had witnessed many wonderful cures, it was arranged that Mrs. Slevin should also go there. She did; she bathed in the waters and was healed.That was a year ago.Today, Mrs. Slevin does her share of the domestic and agricultural work connected with the farm. Her doctor, Dr. Franci Quigley says : ” She needs no more injections. It was a remarkable recovery.”

Here again, is an extract from a report of a very wonderful demonstration of healing that took place in the Royal Albert Hall, London, in the presence of about 6,000 people, and which demonstration was witnessed by 17 members of the Commission on Divine Healing set up by the Archbishops of Canterbury and of York, and also by special committee of four members set up by the British Medical Association, to gather evidence.The extract, taken from a report of the proceedings appearing in “News of the World” runs :

On the platform, stood 61-years-old silver haired Harry Edwards, a homely, short-sleeved figure.

One after another , men, women and children climbed painfully, or were carried on the stage. And the man who says that his mysterious power comes from Divine source placed in his hands on their stiff, swollen joints, their twisted limbs, their useless ears and eyes ….

As Harry Edward stepped forward on the platform, his hand was in his pocket.He slipped of his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, closed and laid his hands gently on the first subject – a man said to be crippled by the spinal curvature. After a time, the man stood upright, and when he climbed down, from the stage, he left behind his two walking sticks.

Then, an elderly New-Zealander who said he had not touched his toes for three years, bent down and touched them.

A man whose hands were twisted by arthritis, from which he said he had suffered for 30 years , clasped and unclasped his fingers.

As so, it went on throughout the evening until the vast crowd dispersed to the strains of the Albert Hall’s mighty organ.

Two well-established facts relative to super-normal happenings and the so-called “miraculous” healings , might be usefully noted here.   The first is , that they will be found to take place fairly frequently at a time of great expectation or change of direction in human history, such for instance, as that which took place round about the birth of Christianity 2000 years ago,and such as is taking place now in the expectation of a NEW MESSIAH or NEW ERA.

The second is, and that is a fairly well established fact concerning them, the extraordinary diversity of opinion with regard to the modus operandi of these happenings and who or what is that is responsible for them.Some of those closely associated with these usual phenomena rather vaguely and perhaps blindly, or at least trustfully, credit them either to the direct intervention of some Supreme Being or it may be to some particular aspect of that Deity to which they are most devoted – and perhaps also, in answer to some prayer, offering, rites and ceremonies performed, or, it may be, the uttering of some “mantra” or other. There is little or no understanding of the real modus operandi of what happens. Sometimes their prayers get answered , and sometimes they do not. When their prayers are not answered , they either conclude that this is due to some fault of their own or that in their case, ” God’s Will” is something different for them, and call for strength to  carry their “Cross”. That is the attitude of millions who know not who or what they worship.

There are others who are inclined to take the credit to themselves for anything that happens  of a super-normal kind. They will even make charges for the use of “occult” or clairvoyant gifts in this connection. Some spiritualists and mediums are to be found in this category. Others, a little less materialistic and egoistic, will give the credit to what happens to their particular “control” or “spirit guide” or “Master”, without having the slightest knowledge of the rationale of the phenomena or the laws governing the same.

In case of the Founder of MAI-ISM , super-normal happenings during his life divide themselves into two categories. The first has to do with his own inner preparation, as he passed from one stage and state of thought to another. Some of these  have already been mentioned. They relate to critical and often very trying and painful periods in his evolution and development. They are worth a careful study and might usefully be put in  book form themselves in this connection. The second category has more to do with the actual launching and building  up of the Mai-istic movement itself, as an immensely important connecting link between an age that has been noted for the clashing ideologies and theologies  of different systems of organised religion and an age that is earnestly seeking an underlying reality and a way of life  that is absolutely universal and rational.

And although there most certainly is a very clear and rational explanation for various remarkable psychic or occult phenomena that are taking place in the world , and in MAI-ISM, the Founder of MAI-ISM would appear not to bother his head unduly on this score.Having accepted the Infinite One Life Power as MOTHER, Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent and having put this to the test in numerous ways, he would appear to think not only that nothing is impossible to Mother, but that supernormal happenings that may bring relief and certain amount of happiness in certain conditions, may be permissible and helpful. On page 102 [ Note No. 142 ] of “MAI-ISM” , the Founder cites the following incident which in substantiation of this : –

Once the Founder was the guest of an atheist in South India . He was given a spacious room where he was conducting worship in a corner. Two days later, the pet son of the man fell dangerously ill ……
To the surprise of his parents , the boy said, ” I won’t be cured unless you worship MAI(MOTHER) that has come to us and repeat hymns and mantras which Baba dictates”. Strange and ridiculous. The man who had vehemently argued only just before, explained the situation to the Founder. Said the Founder : “It does not matter that you have no faith…. Your son has full faith, with the divine innocence of a child, and that is more than enough…..”. The boy began to be speedily cured, and the whole family became changed in the matter of their outlook about religion.

But, at the same time, while the Founder may be said to lay more stress on service, devotion and self-surrender to MAI as a means of accomplishing things than he does on the “miraculous” or “spectacular”, and while he does not concern himself much, if at all, with the modus operandi of the same, confident as he is that nothing is impossible to that one Universal and Almighty Power which he regards as MOTHER, he is nevertheless driven by experience to recognise not only that these unusual things do happen fairly regularly in the ambit of his influence and activities, but they also serve a useful purpose in the scheme of things.Certainly all sorts of unusual phenomena to all sorts of affairs of life, quite apart from what is sometimes called “unorthodox healing”, do happen – things that can not be accounted for by any known methods of orthodox science.

Take the following, as a means, let us say, of dispersing doubts and raising the spirits of a devotee, and recorded on pages 88-89 [ Notes 114 to 121 ] of the book ” MAI-ISM “. The Founder had been invited by a devotee to a big Navaratra celebration in Vile Parle, Bombay (Mumbai), which had been prepared on an elaborate scale, at great pains and cost, in the expectation of huge gathering. Owing, however, to an unusually heavy downpour of rain, just prior to the celebration, every thing was spoiled and the arrangements upset. Instead of the expected crowd of 500 or more , here were only 50 people. In consequence, the devotee concerned became much depressed and even thought it meant the Divine Mother’s displeasure in some way. ” I am afraid “, he said to the Founder, ” this means I have lost all Mai’s Grace.” He determined however to carry on and make the best of it. In this, he was encouraged by the Founder, who, going near to the water-drenched altar in the presence of 50 people prayed in a loud voice so the all could hear :

MOTHER !! Who will be Thy devotee if Thou dost not give encouragement and proof of Thy mercy in Kaliyuga, at every step of Thy devotees ? See, here is Thy devotee; he is out and out depressed. The world smashes us and Thou also dost not take heed … Does it befit the Divine Mother, the Most Merciful Mai ?

No sooner were these words addressed, than there was a blaze of fire as high as about seven feet above the altar, and that remained there for about ten or twelve minutes, until, in fact, the Arati was finished with Stotras, hymns etc.
All present went to the highest point of humility with saturation of their nothingness. Where from came this blaze from the altar which was entirely wet, watery and empty ?

Something like this also took place at Ahmadabad, at the usual Friday Mother’s Lodge meeting, when doubts had been expressed with regard to the genuineness of the presence on that occasion of some exquisite and powerful fragrance that suddenly pervaded the whole atmosphere during the Service, – itself a phenomenon of no mean kind . Turning his attention to this expressed doubt, the Founder asked : ” What evidence would you like ? What do you want to see ?” Someone responding to a thought, suggested : ” We would like to see MOTHER give her garland to you.”
It is then recorded that, after the Founder had prayed for a few minutes, standing as he did so at respectful distance from the altar, the garland, which was resting around the symbolic picture of the DIVINE MOTHER on the altar, ” gradually untied itself, flew into the air, and fell on the neck of the Founder.” Referring to this, the Founder writes :” All were thunderstruck, because a mere belief is after all an imaginary thing; what people actually see with their own eyes is most convincing.”

The following quotations from “MAI-ISM” relative to “miraculous” or unusual happenings of various kinds at Mai-istic meetings , will be found illuminating and instructive : (page 91 , note no. 124) –
The Founder does not give great importance to miracles, but there is surely a stage when the miracles do the ” eye-opening ” work for many people who are really of an atheistic mentality , but who courteously and not honestly assent to beliefs about the existence of the other world , or, life after death, or invisible spirits, deities and GOD. Their assent is mostly out of fear of being thrown out from society of God believers and for so many other reasons.

Saints do not count upon miracles to enlarge their influence , but these are casual happenings manage by the deities themselves to enhance the value of their devotees , so that they be heard with love, faith, sanctity and respect… How do miracles help you and me , if we do not make it a point of being of the deserving plane in the matter of our devotion, love , service and surrender ?
And , on page 94 of the same book, there is another useful reminder along the same lines thus :

It has been centuries old wrong notion and mentality to consider worldly-distress-relieving work to be a much inferior variety of religious work. The highest seat would be given to one who bombastically talks Gyana, Vedas, Geeta, discourses and explains different schools of various beliefs, “Darshanas” and philosophies and makes astounding professional exhibition. The next place would be given to the poor and humble Bhakta (devotee) who tries to serve opium of devotion to create forgetfulness.
The man who advises on practical-life-matters or helps or serves people in distress or helplessness, is only Mr. So and So….. nothing more than good and kind man.
There are innumerable instances in the Puranas where Rishis and Munis have helped and served the world and people in their most mundane matters and have been all the more been revered for their service and sacrifice …….. (and then follows various illustrations)….

Service and sacrifice have lost all religious recognition. Divine knowledge and devotion-talks and ceremonious functions and ritualistic performances , temple-going, pilgrimage-running, river-bathing, saints’-crowding etc.. have altogether ousted both public and private service and sacrifice …… Bankruptcy of inner richness is tried to be made up by creating inflated values for external, easily manageable actions. Stuff-less people are always extremely particular about handsome and costly dresses.Man-to-man relationship, conduct, character and behaviors, etc., have been thrown into the background,whereas talks of Man-to-God relationship, Divine knowledge and Devotion…. have become practically, items of highest importance in the matter of the definition and summation of Religion.

Who is dearer to you, if you are hungry – the one who prepares toilingly a dish for you and hold it before you, or, the one who sits in front of you reciting your praise to the skies ?

And it is on this background and in this spirit that the Founder would appear to regard all supernormal happenings – more in the light of little service rendered both to the individual MAI-ji and to the cause of MAI-ISM generally. In one place, he seems to think of these usual happenings, more especially perhaps when mantras are resorted to in connection with prayers offered, in terms of ” practical spiritual diplomacy.”

However that may be, it is certain that these supernormal happenings do take place in connection with rise and development of the Mai-ist movement. And not infrequently, they take place at a distance. Indeed, in this matters neither time nor space would seem to count very much, if at all. There are numerous cases on record of enquirers or devotees receiving very definite instructions and help in a dream or in a vision, or in some other occult way, – people living hundreds and perhaps over a thousand miles away from Bombay (Mumbai)- the headquarters of the movement.

The photograph of Earnest Kirk and Saint shri Mai Swarupa :

EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK : THE WORLD’S NEED AND MAI-ISM

AUTHOR : ERNEST KIRK ( EDITOR, “LIFE”, COIMBATORE, INDIA ) FIRST PUBLISHED ON 2 SEPTEMBER 1957
PUBLISHER :MAI SWARUP MAI MARKAND , MAI NIWAS, SANTA CRUZ (WEST), BOMBAY (MUMBAI-400054), INDIA.

FOR A PDF FILE OF MAI-ISM BOOK   EDITION 1952, PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK