H.H. Mrs. Sangeeta Jadhav guiding her daughter on a spiritual plane

‘None will believe that a mother-daughter of this kind exists but the two have proven it. The term ‘Matrudevo bhav (Obeisance to the mother)’ can be given to the ideal mother H.H. Mrs. Sangeeta Jadhav citing several examples here.

How her mother moulded her and how she learnt from childhood itself has been explained beautifully and exquisitely by Vaishnavi. It is indeed her merits from past births that she was born to parents who created excellent values of spiritual practice in her.

Hence getting children (Miss Vaishnavi and Mr. Prateek) involved in full time spiritual practice since childhood and despite being together as a family for very little time, closeness between them developing without getting entangled with each other she has made it an ideal family.

This article explains how a mother attained Sainthood speedily and how the daughter too will make fast progress in spiritual practice. I am sure their further progress will occur speedily.’

 

The ideal mother

1. An ideal mother creating values of spiritual practice in the daughter since childhood.

2. Even in a state of intense conflict of the mind a mother teaching the daughter to find her own path and becoming her first Guru in life in the true sense of the term.

3. Asking her daughter to contemplate on the meaning of a full time seeker a unique mother creating intense yearning for God realisation in her.

4. Uniting the daughter with God at every step by teaching her to ask what is right and wrong before performing an action thus giving her the joy of becoming independent.

5. With the faith that God Himself will take care despite being in company, remaining in communion with God.

6. Due to immense faith in Paratpar Guru remaining steady even in the most difficult circumstances.’

– Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale

Miss Vaishnavi Jadhav residing in Sanatan’s Ramnathi ashram at the age of 21 is one who forgetting her childishness can judge the outside world by mere contemplation. Her article shows how in comparison with children belonging to the same age group in the external world how children living under the protection of the Guru develop mature thinking with his grace. She has gradually unraveled in the article how her mother H.H. (Mrs.) Sangita Jadhav ingrained values in her and without her knowledge created an interest in spiritual practice in her, how she guides her in her youth now to prevent her from being affected by worldly life and how she taught her to sort out a conflict in the mind. We offer obeisance a million times at the Holy feet of the Guru who has created such parents ingraining such values in children. If the future generation is created in this way then  establishing a Hindu nation will be accomplished easily.

 

1. Creating a subconscious impression of
performing every household task to perfection at a young age

‘Since my childhood itself I hardly remained with my parents. I was at home only till I was about 6 years old. Thereafter I was at school in Pune and then at the Miraj ashram for 4 years. I would meet my parents only twice a year for about a fortnight, the rest of the time communication was only on the mobile phone. Despite that the values that they ingrained in me were commendable so much so that I was able to start spiritual practice and continue it. Since childhood my mother has educated me on little things such as putting a bedspread, handwriting, keeping the entrance to the home clean etc.  What little time I spent with her, she created values in me. When conversing on phone she would teach me little kitchen tips such as wash glass tumblers or mugs before other vessels to prevent breakage etc. In fact she could concentrate on both, seekers she was talking to and me on the phone simultaneously. She has maintained her 20 to 25 year old saris so well. She detests untidiness in the house. Irrespective of her state she tidies and cleans everything. After she commenced spiritual practice she would teach us to perform every seva at home as spiritual practice with spiritual emotion.

 

2. My mother who can detach herself from all who she loves
wholeheartedly and who can speak about Gurumauli tirelessly

Since my childhood there was always a crowd of seekers at home waiting to meet my parents.  Everyday there would be a satsang of seekers. She never feels tired in fact feels very happy to talk about Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale and spiritual practice to seekers. She is always eager to share or give to seekers. She makes it a point to serve a meal to each one. All from children to adults speak to mother freely and go ahead in spiritual practice as well. Now when I meet full time seekers they make it a point to tell me, “It is because of your mother that I have become a full time seeker.” Some even say “Vaishanavi I envy you if only she was my mother.” In reality she is more the mother of seekers than mine because I have seen how she loves seekers like a mother. When we go shopping she buys presents such as a purse, clothes, earrings as per their liking for seekers rendering seva with her. Though she loves them if seekers make mistakes then she also does not hesitate to point them out. Her specialty in pointing out mistakes is that even if she reprimands seekers they neither feel hurt and nor get angry with her though formerly I would get angry when she scolded me. They feel only love for her. I have actually experienced what Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale says that ‘Sanatan is one family’. Another unique virtue she has is ‘Despite loving all and being close to them she does not remain attached to anyone, instead views each one with dedication and the stance of a spectator. No matter what calamity one close to her is going through she remains steady. Though she is with each one with the feeling ‘Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale knows everything so God will take care’ yet she is also solitarily in communion with God.

 

3. Drowning herself in the ocean of devotion of
the Guru she also gives a daughter an experience of it

When the word mother is used we think of ‘Paratpar Guru, spiritual emotion and devotion. Whenever I have met or conversed with mother she has never asked ‘Do you remember me ? When will you meet me ? Her first question always is ‘What is Krushna saying to You ? Did you get any spiritual experiences with respect to Paratpar Gurudev ? As I am speaking to you I am experiencing the Divine Consciousness (Chaitanya) from Ramanthi.’ So speaking to her is actually a satsang (spiritual meeting). Since childhood instead of getting close to her at the psychological level she always connected me only to God. I went to the Miraj ashram at the age of 8 and resided there for 4 years. Not once did I contact her when I was there to tell her I remembered her. She would say “Vaishnavi what can I give you ? God who loves you immensely is with you. You are living in Vaikunth. We yearn to come there. Then tell me who is closer to God ?” Due to such conversations I developed the habit of conversing with Gurudev mentally.

 

4. Developing gratitude for Gurudev because the seed for
pure devotion unto the Guru was sown in me in childhood itself

Once when I was at school my mother happened to visit the Miraj ashram. She said “Vaishnavi acquiring eternal bliss is the objective of spiritual practice and of being born as a human. No matter how highly educated you are no one will be able to give you the bliss that Gurudev can. Everything is at the Holy feet of the Guru. Always remember this.” As at that time I was hardly 10 years old I did not understand the lesson I should take from this fully but God Himself imprinted these words in my subconscious for eternity. The truth is that the Guru does not take care of you or make impressions on your subconscious only after you commence spiritual practice. In childhood through the medium of parents God got various impressions of spiritual practice imprinted upon my mind and made me perform spiritual practice. Since when had Paratpar Gurudev been laying the foundation of my spiritual practice ? If I contemplate on this then my mind gets filled with gratitude.

 

5. Viewing even a task from the
material world from the perspective of spiritual
practice and perpetually remaining in the remembrance of God

Always remaining alert in spiritual practice, yearning and determination are the three main virtues of my mother. Whether at home among relatives or in the ashram with seekers she is always thinking about spiritual practice. She connects everything to spiritual practice and God. She tells even relatives who tell her about material matters how God takes care of everything or what He wants to teach thus connecting them all to spiritual practice. All these years no matter where she is, at home or elsewhere I have never seen her doing anything other than continuous seva, chanting, remembering Paratpar Gurudev, sharing spiritual experiences and loving seekers. When returning home after visiting a relative she would ask “What did you learn ? As spiritual practice what did you do of your own accord at their place ? How much did you remember God ? What did God teach you from what the relatives said ?” As these were her common questions whenever I visited a relative I would turn inwards spontaneously and turn the visit into one creating awareness of spiritual practice rather than of enjoyment.

 

6. My affectionate, unique mother making
me contemplate on ‘who is a full time seeker ?’
generated intense yearning for spiritual practice within me

After I became a full time seeker once there was some function at home. Though it was not necessary for me to be present at home I was throwing up a tantrum with mother that I wanted to go home. Though mother was explaining everything to me finally out of irritation I cried and said to her, “You are always like this. You never want to understand my perspective.” Yet she told me very firmly, “Vaishnavi you may feel hurt but remember the time you lose in spiritual practice will not be replenished. I have no problem in calling you home but none other than me will tell you what you will lose by doing so. You will feel bad for a few seconds but have you thought about how much spiritual practice will get depleted in the process ? Have you ever contemplated on what a full time seeker is ? The function will end in a few hours but what will you gain from it ? We do not know how long we will live to perform spiritual practice. The speed with which you realise God is directly proportional to your yearning. If there is no spiritual emotion then you will end up spending years in spiritual practice. You need to beckon God. So think about your target and then decide what you want to do.” Thus she allowed me to take my own decision. Then I wondered where would you find a mother who thinks about only the spiritual practice of her child and is prepared to take animosity from the child for it ?

 

7. Being able to remain steady in the most
difficult situations due to immense faith in Paratpar Gurudev

7 A. Remained steady due to immense
faith in God even when her son suffered an head injury

Formerly mother had an anxious personality. If father came home late her blood pressure would rise. She is an excellent example of how after commencing spiritual practice God moulds and keeps the mind steady. Once Prateekdada met with a vehicular accident and suffered a head injury. At that time I was schooling in Miraj and mother was rendering seva. After she learnt about brother’s accident she remained steady and had intense faith that ‘Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale would take care of everything’.

7 B. When mother lost her elder sister she remained positive and experienced
God and herself remained in spiritual emotion and also let others experience it

When mother lost her elder sister she remained steady. When she remembered her instead of becoming emotional she would pray to Paratpar Gurudev and converse with Him. When she visited her home she changed the atmosphere there too, played the chant continuously. She was supporting all relatives at a spiritual level. She was reminding them time and again how after her death God gave her soul a good momentum, how God got her final rites performed appropriately and how God is giving experiences in that regard. That is why for 13 days relatives remained in satsang and their faith too increased. In those 13 days instead of speaking about the sister with respect to memories and past incidents to relatives, she spoke on how many spiritual experiences God had given her and how despite being worldly God had taken care of her. In fact she was continuously in a state of gratitude. One speciality of mother is that she herself does not get entangled in the material world instead remains in spiritual emotion and also takes others into that state.

 

8. Not allowing involvement in any incident or obstacle in the family

As I perform full time seva in the ashram mother does not tell me any incidents occurring or obstacles faced at home. Sometimes if I come to know she tells me, “Vaishnavi these issues from worldly life are unending. So do not bother about them, just concentrate on your spiritual practice.” If it is a family matter then she says, “Each one expiates his destiny by experiencing it. So why worry about it ? We must concentrate only on God.”

 

9. A mother connecting me to God
by teaching me to perform every action
only after asking God what is right and wrong
and allowing me to enjoy the happiness of independence !

My parents have never refused me anything that I have desired from the material world but time and again they have taught me how the happiness derived from sacrifice and spiritual practice is far greater than happiness from sense objects. They never imposed anything on me because I practice Spirituality. All they told me was ‘the voice of God within your subconscious tells you what is right’ and taught me to contemplate on what God would like me to do. When parents try to impose restrictions on children they never accept wholeheartedly but when they realises that it is the God within who is doing it they accept it happily and act accordingly. My mother always makes me do this, to ask God and then convinces me how what God has told is appropriate. This not only gives the mind satisfaction but also the happiness of receiving the right answer from God.

 

10. Despite being a full time seeker
fulfilling all worldly duties as a householder

Despite being detached from worldly life and constantly doing Spiritual Practice, she fulfills all responsibilities of a householder such as emotionally supporting my grandparents by phoning them on alternate days, remaining in touch with relatives etc. When we all meet at home during vacation for a few days she cooks our favourite meals. Though since childhood we have been hardly together we are neither emotionally detached nor entangled in each other.

 

11. My mother teaching me to choose my path
even during the most intense conflict of my mind
and becoming my first Guru in life in the true sense of the term

The general description of a mother is ‘emotional, worrying’ but for me my mother has always been a guide, a Guru. Whenever my mind is in conflict or not in a good state she never made me dependent on her  or taught me to contact her. She taught me to stand on my own feet and find a solution to the problem. Her constant teaching is going home is certainly not the solution to this problem, it is just escapism and one who tries to run away from the situation is always a loser . When I look at other mothers I realise that their children are not progressing because these mothers have not taught them to fight and face problems. My parents have taught me to remain concentrated on my target even if I am engulfed with problems and this is God’s greatest grace upon me.

 

12. Spiritual emotion of gratitude
growing by taking every incident positively

Once I asked mother, “Mother do you never experience mental conflict ?” She replied, “Whenever conflicts arose in my mind God generated spiritual emotion and increased my gratitude.” No matter how undesirable the event she never thinks negatively instead thinks of how God has showered His grace which generates more gratitude for God in her.

 

13. I consider myself lucky to be able hear the
truth about the Guru which helps in building my faith in Him

Once mother said to me,”Vaishnavi, Gurudev is nurturing you. There are many embodied souls who expiate their destiny with resentment. A lot of time is wasted in conflict and even after that destiny is over the sorrow regarding that persists in their minds. But those who are blessed with the Guru’s grace are nurtured by Him. Though they too expiate destiny but the Guru just points out to them ‘look, this is your destiny’. ‘No matter what incident or calamity arises in your life you are in the protection of the Guru. You are experiencing just a trace of your destiny. You are not aware from what situations the Guru has actually saved you’. After I heard this from my mother several images appeared before my eyes. Are conflicts real ? There are embodied souls who have suffered far more than me. I am so lucky to be blessed with such a Guru. It is only then that you realise spontaneously how you are unnecessarily getting entangled in wrong thoughts.

 

14. Both parents praised by the Saint

Saint has told me several times, “Vaishnavi you are very lucky to be blessed with such parents. Parents of most people drag them into the material world but your parents stand in between you and the material world because of which you are practicing Spirituality and spiritual values have been inculcated in you.”

 

15. Immense gratitude unto Gurudev for granting me such
parents with a prayer charged with spiritual emotion at His holy feet

Gurudev though I was writing an article on my mother I was thinking of You more than her because in reality she is not my mother, she is the mother of all seekers and she is so virtuous because it is You who has created all these virtues in her ! You are the God who has made me her child. I shall certainly offer gratitude at the feet of my parents but God how to express gratitude unto You ? I do not know for how many births I was trapped in this Great Illusion (Maya) but in this birth You have come in the form of a Guru for me. At every step in this ocean of life you are ferrying me across. Due to my personality defects and ego Gurudev I am unable to experience Your unconditional love, also I am unable to utilise all that you have given me to make spiritual progress. O Gurudev make me aware of Your grace upon me. My earnest prayer unto Your Holy feet is ‘May the ego engulfing me be destroyed and may I get encompassed by the flow of your grace and every cell be filled with Your Name’.

– Miss Vaishnavi Vishnupant Jadhav, Sanatan ashram, Ramnathi, Goa

Reference : Dainik Sanatan Prabhat