The Founder retired from Hubli in August 1945. The wonderful speed with which things were progressing was giving him greater and greater assurance about Mother’s Will. His heart was dancing with joy. He said to himself ,” if such people as poor Madrasis were ready to spare one- third of their pay, he was sure to have the personal assistance of thousands from Bombay [ Mumbai ] , Ahmedabad and Gujarat so very easily. ” The rich and religious and charity-minded Gujarat had known and tasted Mai-ism for over ten years.
The Founder had helped so many from so many hardships , such as none would like to be mentioned in public, most wonderfully and miraculously.
The Founder gets sickened when he reviews this question after his disillusionment about what the world in its natural constituency is. The less said the better. The Founder saw in one year what he had not dreamt of in over fifty-five years. The whole world changed as soon as he gave an utterance to his intension of expecting some financial help for doing Mother’s work, which he had been doing for so many years in the past and which the world had enjoyed at the Founder’s expense. People who had wept before him and whose tears he had wiped , began to talk to him as a house-master would speak to a door-beggar.
People began to talk about a trust and a committee. The Founder was agreeable to the proposal. Both proposals were placed before persons interested , but there was not a single man coming forth with any interest whatsoever, either to touch his purse or to move his hands and feet to go to another. Ahmedabad went one step further. Some-one with responsible life-status and education abroad argued , ” Where is the need of a building for doing Mother’s work ? Can it not be done on a Verandah ? ” Some one would say to him, ” If you had an idea of getting money from us to do the work , why did you not begin from very commencement to sell Mother’s Grace ? ” Some one would ask , ” Since what date Mother has taken to begging ? Is Mother for giving or receiving ? ” Some would say ,” Your powers you have lost. They are all consumed ; if not , why does not Mother Herself give you a lottery ? ” Some one will say ,” Come on , cheer up. I am helping you. I will give ten per cent of my gains for Mother’s work, on my getting money through your lips “. The master stroke was this , ” If you have no money to continue your fads, why don’t you be wise and sit silent in an un-known corner ? ” Some would say ,” Your egoism has not died. Who are you to say improve the world ? ” Some had heartlessness of questioning ,” What will happen when you die ? That is the most important question. ” Some one illumined him by suggesting to him to give an undertaking to the effect that none of his family members would ever step into the place .
The climax was there when one of the Founder’s relatives , on a Friday while going out for work, in his motor said in a threatening manner with the rights of an elderly relative to another,” There is nothing more to think about or to do regarding him. He has already turned mad. Confine him in a room and give him two meals a day and keep all necessary arrangements for his bodily requirement . ” This was said in the presence of the Founder and indirectly to him and both started out towards the city for their work. The Founder wept with an out burst of tears shouting to Mother, ” My own nearest relatives do not understand me and have not even an iota of love or respect for my work of Thine “.
The motor which carried the relatives had a severe accident, although they were saved. The motor had to be sent for immediate repairs. In the evening, while returning in the repaired motor , they had a second accident. The motor was sent back for repairs and they had to return in some friend’s car. On arriving home the younger relative informed the family of the accident details and with tears in his eyes , embraced the Founder and asked his apology, for the cruel words the eldest relative had addressed to the Founder. The elder relative indirectly joined the younger in his apology maintaining his status , but with every affectionate love.
The Founder would sit for nights , in the terrace of the place at Malad and would be gazing at the moon and praying to Mother. One night, he burst into such a loud laughter, that some of the family members come running to enquire why he was laughing. Founder said, ” This world, Mother has made funniest enough to nullify the highest serenity . I was temporarily unhappy because I left the Mother’s lap and too much trusted in the world and expected its sympathetic co-operation for my Mai’s work. I have seen now the world in its true colors. But now I laugh outright “.
” Yes Mother has promised me . My desire of constructing ‘ Mai Niwas ‘ shall not remain unfulfilled. I am given a tip. I will do nothing from now by way of troubling Mother for Mother’s Grace to remove the miseries of persons that approach me , without their promise to do something for Mother in return ; that something may be what they themselves decide. But nothing free from now except for the really poor. Mother has promised me . She will try best to give me prompt happy results in response to my prayers for the relief of people of individual cases.”
The fact that he did not get money from the public was now taken by him to mean no disqualification. In the matter of charities, he had a vivid picture . Most charities were out of fear of God, or for fame , or for some whitewashing some black spot or for catching opportunity to widen business or for removing burden of conscience-sting.
The world has to be tackled most diplomatically. To spread one’s religion , you should study other religions . Both these views look strange at first , as many saints have neither studied various philosophies nor been under the smallest shadow of wickedness.
When any saint is described as illiterate, that means , one : that he did not go through the regular schooling course; second : that those saints knew little about two penny matters .
The fact is this : if you believe in past lives , the saint has acquired those acquisitions through experiences in past lives. If you don’t, he is actually born with certain perfections , or say supremely high faculties. Either way , the thing which people think as absent , being invisible, is invisibly there.
Saints have known the Divine Law and the eternal truths. They have accepted them once for all. Every detail of their living is guided with that wisdom of those truths. So to say, every action of theirs originates from the conviction of those eternal truths. Saints have evolved all their wisdom into their instinctive or super-conscious faculties.
The Founder for years together did not know what ‘ L.B.W. ‘ in cricket means. Once the Founder was invited , in a club, to be a partner in bridge. He was so much pressed that he had to say it out, he did not know the A.B.C. of the game . Some mildly smiled, some loudly laughed. One of them, a distinguished officer, saved his humiliation by saying, ” He is not a bridge player, but a bridge builder for all of us to go to our God.”
One night he was in communion with Mother , when Mother cooled him down ,” Is it not what every religious man has stated that the world is full of wickedness ?” One educated man in Ahmedabad told the Founder in soothing manner,” Did you know it for the first time today, that the world is wicked ? ” Said the Founder ,” No, but the extent had remained unknown. And that I have realized only now at the fag end of my life “.
The Founder came to the conclusion that Mother wanted him to work single-handed and single pursed. The only change was that when the world had turned the deaf ear to his request, Founder became more practical and, now in a way, opened his religious – relief – hospital. The Founder with his powers went on relieving different varieties of miseries working hard day and night for the success of persons that came to him, with clear understanding about their having some-thing to do ( whatever they liked ) to help him to be in financial position to do Mother’s Work.
Founder experienced Mother’s Grace from stage to stage while Mai Niwas construction was undertaken and Founder entered Mai Niwas at the mid-night hour of 4 MARCH 1949, all alone , himself and his Mother.
The midnight hour of the Friday night of 4 MARCH 1949 was a memorable moment. The Founder had not informed a single soul about his desire to enter Mai Niwas on that particular night. He had a strong desire to enter it alone , because he did not know how he would pass that night. He was sure something would take place. At about 11 at night , some Mai-ist [ This was Bro. Himmat Bhai Mehta ] came to see him came off on the Grant Road Station. He insisted on accompanying him ; said he would leave him in Mai Niwas and return. The Founder declined his company courteously, but the other purchased two tickets and got into the train. On reaching Santa Cruz Station, the Founder had to make it clear,” You may go back. I want to enter Mai Niwas alone .” The man could not understand the mystic force behind the request and purely out of goodness beckoned a taxi-walla, saying he would leave the Founder and return in the same taxi. Before however the taxi came up , he had such an intense stomach-ache that he fell down. The taxi-walla seeing the miserable plight , turned and went away. The Founder most entreatingly said,” You speak out you are not going to accompany me ; Mother will remove your pain immediately.” The man said ,” Yes, if Mother and you are insistent on that point , I am surely returning.” Just at that moment the pain disappeared ; without any further words he ran to the station. The Founder was trembling within himself. This incident made him sure , something unusual was in store for him. It was two minutes to twelve when he reached the Mai Niwas door. He opened it. It was ground floor building with vast open lands on all sides , with the nearest building far away. It was a dark night. No street- lamp nearby. There was none to save if he was attacked. He reached for a candle packet and match-box packet at the spot where he had placed them when he last visited. They were not there. This made him his heart throb with fear. ” What ? Has Mother intended he be labored that night ? ” He stood on the Otta for nearly twenty minutes and then laughed outright at the idea how Mother extracts hymns and prayers from devotees. He made bold to get in the black dark near the Mother’s picture , allowing the outside faintest light to relieve his fear.
The first experience of his life . The Mother picture was Kali like. He began to sweat. For the first time he began to get a different picture of his beliefs, ” Was he all along under delusion ? Was the Mother Ideal only a making of his own brains ? In reality was Mother Kali ? Which was true , Mother appeared as Kali or Kali had allowed Herself to be worshipped and preached as Mother ? ” He prostrated. He mustered up enough courage. He decided to pray as Mother and then reconcile both conceptions. sang he to himself :
Karuna Sen Abataka Badha , Karunasen Mili Mai
Karunasen Dukh Marana Ho , Karoona Chooti Na Jai,
Jo kucha Kiya So Tune Kiya , Men Kachu Janata Nai
Teri Tuni Samla le, men Japa Rahahun Mai.
” I have grown old , fairing with Thy Mercy alone. With Thy Mercy alone , I have gained Thee Mother. It is out of pity for the suffering world that I have preached Thee even inviting misery and death. Now I only pray that my pity may not get relaxed and Your Mercy on me may not be at all be diminished. Whatever has been done is done by Thee. I know not a bit of it. Your matters you take charge . I am only for sitting in a corner at Thy Lotus Feet all the while repeating Jay Mai “.
As he went on repeating these couplets , his fear was getting vanished ; his conviction was coming up : ” Mother’s one aspect was Kali ” . More strange than both was the phosphorescent light Mother’s image was getting. The image was gaining in light by his alternative repetitions of ” Jay Mai Jay Markand Mai ” and couplets , spreading brightness of 5, 10, 15, 20, and higher watts electric bulbs. He had tears of joy and relief. Said he,” If you like , you be Kali to the wicked world . To me you remain Mother “.
Said he laughingly,” You won’t remain this phosphorescent light all the night. So I take you out. We shall be together on Otta.” He spread the carpet on the Otta and went to lift the image . As he thrust his hands behind the image , his hands felt some packets ; he pulled them out and the match box packet. The Founder’s suspicious nature did not leave him; he fell in the thought world of recollection to decide if it was not he who had by mistake put the packets behind the image . ” Might it be that some one who accompanied him the previous night , wisely thought , some one would take them away from the window , so better place them behind the image ? ”
As soon as that idea came , the last idea’s coming synchronized with the Mother’s light disappearing. He was sorry. He condemned himself for his suspicious nature. His brains began to recollect two previous experiences. Once there was light at one of the Bombay suburbs in a kitchen when he prayed ( referred to latter ). The other when in Vile Parle a blaze appeared from the altar. There were some more , as when he runningly passed through dark nights after mid-night , but there were lights which did not last longer than two to three minutes. This was in Ahmedabad , when one night he grew very desperate and left his house with, ” This is Thy world and its response to Thy work. Thou and Thy world, do whatever Thy likest. I have nothing to do with Thy world today.” As he went out in the streets , one after another, every fourth or fifth bungalow, right from Pritamnagar to Bhadra Kali, showed switching on off lights. His vexation turned to an outright laughter saying, ” Thy highest pleasure it seems , is vexing me. Instead of switching on electric lights why not switch on the true illumination lights of every one that can help Thy cause ? ” He got consoled and returned home. He also remembered and laughed at his folly, when he got wrathful in Ahmedabad hospital on Mother ceasing to attend on him, because he had suspicion.”
He accepted this time Mother’s decision. If after so much experience , I am nothing better than a street man, Mother is more than justified in withdrawing Her presence , or Her light’s presence.” He yielded biting his lips. Just as a child that has committed something wrong keeps complete silence and engages itself in some harmless occupation , wishing Mother also may forget or at least forgive , the Founder unmurmuringly lighted the candle and placed the candle on the nearest window and began to repeat ” Jay Mai Jay Markand Mai “.
The terribleness was not yet over. A wind blew out the candle ; he saw a black figure looking through the window. Was it an apparition, a ghost or some thief ? The figure was moving. The Founder with tremulous voice shouted ,’ Kon ‘ ; ‘ Who ‘ ? The reply was ‘ Kholo ‘ , ‘ Open ‘ The founder lighted another candle and opened the door.
The way which the stranger got in, gave the Founder reason to be sure , there was nothing like danger. The man got in, stood in front of him, salaamed him in a quick alert manner. When he salaamed , not only all the fear disappeared , but the Founder had a joy, he had perhaps a companion for the whole night.
The following conversation followed : ” Who are you, Sir ? ” Are you the owner ? ” ” No , The Owner is this Mother ( pointing to the image ). I am only Her worshipper and preacher. What is your name ? What have you been doing ? ” ” I am Gurkha. My name is Devasing. This open plot that adjoins your land is being built over. The Sheith has engaged me this evening , from next Monday. At about ten o’clock I decided, ” I can go to the place I can call mine with a right as a Gurkha of the place .” So I did not wait and I came over. Sir, were you with some man at Santa Cruz Station ? ” ” Yes, Did you see me ? ” ” Yes Sir, The man returned by the next train; he had some giddiness. So you called and dismissed a taxi. I came by the same train “.
The Founder was full of wonderfulness and gratitude. Mother has arranged for his guard , just on duty and immediately after him. ” Did you spend your time somewhere ? ” ” No , Sir, I was only following you. I was just lying in a corner of my own land. I saw first It was all dark. Then came a strong light. I thought there was electric light but some time after there was only candle light So I came to inquire “. ” Yes. Were are you sleeping ? You can sleep here “. The man preferred to sleep on Otta.
The Gurkha turned out to be religious. He was paid a small pay by the Founder. He served the Founder treating him as master and Guru, practically till May 1950 when the adjoining plot to the east was constructed and occupied.
A palace and a rose garden kept ready by Mother, for you. This book is for swans. Mother likes to be surrounded with swans whose hearts will overflow with love, cheerfulness and gratitude , on Her showing such playful proofs of acceptance by Her.
EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK : MAI – ISM, WRITTEN BY MAI SWARUP MAI MARKAND [ THE FOUNDER OF UNIVERSAL RELIGION MAI-ISM.
PUBLISHED BY : UNIVERSAL MAIISM TRUST, MAI NIWAS, SARASWATI ROAD END, SANTA CRUZ [ WEST ] , MUMBAI – 400054 INDIA.
God as Mother and Father in MAIISM AND HINDUISM 