Moments Eternal

The Pranam

Having bowed before Thee, to my worldly chores I go.

I am standing on the staircase. One after the other people are coming down with a flower-blessing from the Mother. I keep looking at their faces. A mere instant’s contact with the Mother and how changed everyone is! A divine glow has lit up their faces. Everyone looks so beautiful!

I had gone to the Mother at the end, after everybody had met Her, to enjoy watching this sight. Who dares say that we human beings will not be transformed? The change brought about by a moment’s touch of the Mother in each one was truly incredible! And it just goes to prove that one day man will surely be transformed.

Everyone had his own way of doing pranam. And the Mother accepted each one’s pranam with exceeding love. A soft mysterious smile lingered on the Mother’s face.

It was a girl’s birthday. She went in to see the Mother just before me. As soon as the Mother’s eye fell on the girl She joyously exclaimed Bonne Fête! and gave her many flowers and various books. She poured Her affection on her and kept repeating Bonne Fête! Bonne Fête! As I listened to the Mother’s melodious voice, I was deeply moved. The girl went down shyly with all those flowers and books. Now I entered the Mother’s room. I found Her standing, looking somewhat displeased. “What has happened to the Mother?” I thought to myself. As soon as the Mother saw me She said:

“Just see, she left without doing pranam and today is her birthday.”

I at once tried to explain it away:

“You gave her an armful of flowers and books. The poor girl probably didn’t want to put your gifts on the floor. That’s why she was unable to do pranam. You will see, when she comes back, she will bow down before You. Everybody wants to offer their pranam to You, especially those who wait in intense expectation for the whole year just for this one birthday pranam, this most sacred auspicious moment.”

The Mother was filled with joy like a little child, as if the Mother were Ashutosh or Mahadev, so easily pleased with so little.

After doing my pranam I immediately went out looking for the girl and found her in the Ashram main building itself. I told her:

“Next time when you go to the Mother, do not forget to do pranam.”

I told her what the Mother had said and the girl naturally was a little embarrassed.

From time immemorial men have unknowingly worshipped out of fear trees, mountains, the sun, the moon, the stars, fire, wind, whatever they felt had the presence of some strange, great, mysterious Power. Why, they have felt that same mysterious Power even in our earth. In the course of time that era gave way to the age of rishis and sages. They, by the light of their strong intelligence, consciously felt that there was indeed a great mystery behind the creation of the sun, moon, stars, fire, wind. Through their meditations they discovered and experienced the great, exalted Purusha who is at the heart of this mysterious creation. They also experienced the presence of different gods. It was during this period that the Vedas and the Upanishads came to be composed. It was also during this time that man learnt consciously to worship and bow before God or the Supreme Purusha. Man learnt spontaneously to offer his obeisance to the Lord and the Divine Mother.

The touching of the elders’ feet in our country is part of this same mystery. When we bow to somebody, we are bowing to the One who abides in him. Of course, we don’t always do this consciously. The human person is but a channel. This bowing to God from time immemorial was born in man quite spontaneously. Isn’t it incredible? Who taught him to bow in reverence? Bowing or emptying one’s body, mind and heart in order to fill them with devotion is an extraordinarily astonishing event of our creation. How many rishis and sages have composed verses to such a pantheon of gods and goddesses! They have composed verses, eulogies, invocations, performed yagnas. They have all bowed with the greatest devotion. And all these experiences have been compiled in the Vedas and the Upanishads.

And these pranams of man have not gone in vain. It is because he called out from his deepest being by emptying his body, mind and heart and filling himself with love and devotion in order to offer his pranam that the Supreme Purusha and the Divine Mother have themselves come down on to the lap of Mother earth.

The Mother prostrated Herself before Sri Aurobindo when She first saw Him. Very spontaneously She laid Her physical being at His Feet by offering all of Herself, mind, body and life. With this gesture, the Mother taught us that day how humanity should offer itself at the feet of the Divine.

The Mother told Nirod-da a lot of things about the pranam. Nirod-da and two other teachers from our School often went to see the Mother. The ‘Free Progress’ system had just been initiated in the School. The teachers were facing all kinds of problems and difficulties and the Mother would try to explain each problem to them and give Her view. If they had overstayed their time then both the teachers and Nirod-da would hasten to leave after taking the flower-blessings from the Mother’s hand. Once Nirod-da was the last to leave. As he was leaving after taking the flower-blessing from Her hand, the Mother called him back and asked:

“You haven’t offered your pranam today?”

Nirod-da was terribly embarrassed and tried to wriggle out of it.

“Oh, I didn’t want to trouble You.”

“Trouble me?” asked the Mother rather surprised, as if She were saying, “What a strange idea indeed! Is it a lot of trouble for me to lay my hand on your head!”

Nirod-da suddenly found the answer. He said: “Sometimes, You seem to be in a hurry. We try and take

our leave quickly so that you are not further delayed for dinner. This is why.”

The Mother was finally satisfied.

“In that case I have nothing to say,” She added.

The following day Nirod-da went to the Mother alone. He was to read out to Her one of his writings. Hardly had he sat down that the Mother remarked:

“Let me first finish yesterday’s discussion. Indians believe (or at least that is their experience) that the Divine resides in man. Westerners don’t believe this. They feel the Divine resides somewhere high above. Only Jesus Christ has come down once. That’s why they do not bow to any human being. But if someone bows to a man in whom one can say with unmistakable confidence that there has been a descent of the Divine consciousness, then this person can spread or inspire that same consciousness and experience more easily among others.”

A few days later the Mother explained the significance of the pranam in French to the Western teacher who normally did not do the pranam. The Mother said:

“When pranam is done with true faith, then it becomes symbolic of a self-offering to the Divine present in the whole creation. It is the Divine who is its principal inspiration and it expresses one’s acceptance and surrender to that Divine present in the creation.”

Not even one in a thousand might do pranam with this consciousness but that is its real significance.

This deeper meaning of the pranam is truly wondrous. And the Divine Mother Herself revealed its inner significance to us!

We human beings have received this golden privilege to offer our pranam to the Lord and the Divine Mother immanent in creation. Indeed, how very fortunate we are!

In the midst of this world I bow to Thee!

I bow to Thee in life’s activity!