SahajAfrica

Memories of a Crown made for Shri Mataji

^{Mother always surprises us!}

Shortly after the Maharastra Tour 2007,   my wife Arlene and I on December 24^th travelled to Nirmal Nagari, Bhukum in Pune to celebrate Christmas Puja with Mother.

Whilst waiting for my wife in the camp near to the pendal where the foreign women slept, I walked past all the kiosks in attendance regarding registration, accommodation and the Sangrahalaya Museum etc. I observed people entering and leaving a building and noticed a stone plaque on the wall which read “Sangrahalaya” and which was inaugurated by Sir C.P. on 20^TH May 2007.  At the entrance I asked a yogini in attendance what does Sangrahalaya mean, and she responded that it means museum.  It was here that an unexpected and gratifying surprise awaited me!

The museum is relatively small, but wonderful and filled with vibrations. Gifts and beautiful photos that were made and offered to Mother during the spreading of SY were displayed in cabinets.  Taking photos is not permitted, so a visit here is essential and makes it really worth your while to be here.   It really centers your attention in a place that, even though sacred with such magnitude and the capacity to easily disperse your attention away  from the reason - “why we are here”. This year they said there were about 30,000 yogis in attendance.

I enjoyed the museum from the moment I entered it moving to the left alongside the walls and saw gifts and beautiful photos of our Mother holding flowers in her hands, some of the gifts were hand-made by Sahajayogis.  On the wall facing the entrance there were more gifts and a big frame which displayed 108 photos of Mother with different facial expressions.  On the wall to the right were more cabinets with gifts and in one of them crowns from the past pujas offered to Mother.  It was then to my surprise, I immediately recognized one of the crowns that we offered, the Spanish collective to Mother for Buddha Puja in Barcelona in May 1989.

I was filled with tremendous joy, feeling gratitude towards our Mother, it was to me a real miracle seeing the crown displayed here…..feeling very emotional, my voice and heart only had one word “Thank you Mother”.  I have the sensation that we are entering in the history before the arrival of the many yogis who have no knowledge of how SY started. The museum surely has its true place in time.

My memory starts to remind me of the preparation and circumstances of when Mother offered us this puja in Barcelona.  A few months before at a national meeting with the collective, I presented the idea of making a crown for Mother for the puja and it was accepted by the group.  From my city Zaragoza I started working on the project with great anticipation.  It was for me an authentic and difficult task, as well as delicate, requiring lots of attention.  It was a crown that was carved from birch wood.

A friend of mine who is a carpenter assisted with the construction of cutting the pieces before I started molding and carving the shape of the crown with patience and love the work being very delicate, requiring much attention and the end result should be very light in weight.  Whilst working I said mantras and did not forget to put on my bandhan, so that all goes well!  I had a little experience in carving as I had made a base for an armchair for Mother for pujas before.  In that instance it was a collective collaboration.

Finally, on the day of the puja when it was time to offer the crown to Mother, I saw with surprise the yogis offering Mother a different crown, instead of the one that was made for the occasion….. (no one had mentioned that in Madrid another crown as well was  being prepared for this puja).  It was a big shock to me, and I felt frustrated and sad, because I had put so much love and energy in making it….. I lowered my head and asking myself “how did I fail, maybe my ego” and at the same time felt rejected at what I was seeing, but also at the same time, I slowly started accepting what was happening.  As I lifted my head to look toward Mother, she was wearing the crown, which I made with such love and devotion.   I immediately felt a change in me of immense emotion and joy and only the words of “thank you Mother” “forgive me Mother” was on my lips…..  those were moments of intense emotions, which can never be forgotten.  My eyes filled with tears.

The yogis later told me that the crown which was offered in the puja first was because of the size and fitting for Mother.  It was more appropriate at the time. This is true, because it was round and difficult to adapt comfortably to the head.  It lacked technique and professionalism, but not love.

If one could call this experience a miracle, I would call “it a miracle of appreciation”….a natural manifestation of the Divine essence of Mother’s love.  She knows when we put love into the things we do.

On leaving the museum I went away having reflected on that which formed the past, but whichever way one thinks, it’s an honor and once again you realize that Mother knows everything.

I am aware that if you have a desire to please, Mother presents us all opportunities to do whatever work, and so that our ego does not rise too much, we should recall phrases of our Mother, like this one “why should one boast of our progress? We should understand that anything we do is done by the power of God.  It is the work of Adi Shakti, and we are only witnesses to these miracles.  To reach this state you should ask “Mother please let the “I” ness in me dissolve”

Later, I discovered through relatives from Pune, family Malik that this place is historically related to Shri Rama during the episodes of Ramayana, which the yogis in India know as “the place where the horse of Shri Rama was destroyed”. This small detail also left me full of joy and satisfaction.

For Arlene this too was a wonderful experience, because together we shared this unforgettable and satisfying experience which was like a precious gift for us both.

Jai Shri Mataji

Joaquin Orus -  Spain