Guiding Light of The Month

O Lord, how ardently do I call and implore Thy love! Grant that my aspiration may be intense enough to awaken the same aspiration everywhere: oh, may good- ness, justice and peace reign as supreme masters, may ignorant egoism be overcome, darkness be suddenly illu- minated by Thy pure Light; may the blind see, the deaf hear, may Thy law be proclaimed in every place and, in a constantly progressive union, in an ever more perfect harmony, may all, like one single being, stretch out their arms towards Thee to identify themselves with Thee and manifest Thee upon earth. - The Mother

Dadaji TamhoNe Mara Shat Shat Pranam

Lord Krishna has several names; one of the most endearing is Nand-Lal - Krishna not as the mighty transcendent Purushotham in whom everything moves, but as loving child, an image more powerful for it reflects the redeeming power of LOVE that liberates us from ignorant mortal state to domains of Light and Ananada.

The day my dear Dadaji decided to venture again into shining realms of The Mother it dawned on me that he was truly the child at heart, Her Lal.

He always told me "you and Sushama have come to Singapore with special blessings of The Mother" - those who were embraced by him will agree that he had this knack of making us all feel special and that in some extraordinary way one had to accomplish something unique no other person could do. Well, we are extraordinary beings, a fact hitherto unknown to our minds, but his liberated self had the vision to see that in us. I am convinced he did not say that lightly with any motivation, but as a simple fact evident in his loving heart.

“What will be the liberated man’s view of the world around him, his attitude towards the cosmic manifestation of which he has now the central secret? He will have first the knowledge of the unity of existence and the regarding eye of that knowledge. He will see all around him as souls and forms and powers of the one divine Being. Henceforward that vision will be the starting-point of all the inward and outward operations of his consciousness; it will be the fundamental seeing, the spiritual basis of all his actions. He will see all things and every creature living, moving and acting in the One, contained in the divine and eternal Existence.”

This vision was sure and integral part of his consciousness and he delighted in passing the flame of this aspiration to us all. He worked tirelessly to bring the spiritual fragrance of Pondicherry Ashram to Singapore, spreading the love and vision of oneness and glorious future towards which the cosmos is unfolding. It was this love that brought him to Singapore again for a final goodbye.

During the magical era of my association with Singapore group, I recall on special occasions Dadaji invited Sharafat Khan-ji to play Sitar at Mother's feet. Well Dadaji was no less a musician, he was a master at playing on our heart strings while creating his own Divine Orchestra (our small group) at Her feet. Any discordant note used to bother him a lot and he worked hard to correct the imperfect notes. Sometimes the circumstances proved stronger but he worked tirelessly to create the wonderful melody that drove our aspiration.

I hold that real Faith cannot be given in church or temple, through repeated prayers or sermons. Faith is a potential in all living things that requires a spark to be discovered, nurtured and established firmly in the mortal frame. Only a blessed few can achieve a Faith so strong that can withstand turbulence of living in this complex materialistic world. Dadaji was instrumental in me experiencing that Love and Faith. Our communion continued even after I left Singapore. As we exchanged notes mundane and profound he was genuinely interested in all that happened in our lives.

When it was time for Dadaji to depart it seemed arranged that I happen to travel to Singapore on business. As I met him a week before his final farewell my heart experienced that same magic of the early days in Singapore. Through the physical challenges he was facing this time, his sharpness was still evident as he enquired about Sushama and the kids. I read him Sri Aurobindo's poem "The Lost Boat" - trying to draw him into conversation and explain my understanding of the lines, but he chose to remain silent. In this final meeting I recognize his parting message - why use words when our hearts are ONE - lets commune in silence for that is the only perfect way to truly "understand" and “know” each other.

Our true homage to Dadaji would be to imbibe his wonderful quality in our lives - lets make every person around us feel 'special', for The Divine is shaping that special quality in each individual personality, something unique that will manifest – it was for hastening that new creation that Dadaji worked tirelessly - lets all do the same.

- Hiren

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