Whenever we feel grateful and blessed,
the Divine Mother is very happy

I would like to welcome you on this beautiful, auspicious evening. Navaratri is the reminder of the fact that the Divine Mother is everywhere.

The true worship of the Divine Mother is to be able to function as a group, as a samooh, with mindfulness. If we are not mindful, no matter how many years we spend praying or doing deep sitting in a cave, it really doesn't work. You have to be on your toes, because our mind is so conditioned to think a certain way, to be a certain way. All of our sensory organs are so undisciplined. So undisciplined. No matter how much we say, "I've got it under control," the moment we see our food, we forget all about it.

It reminds me of the story of a king. He was so proud of his trained cats that when he sat for dinner, he would put lamps on their heads, so he could have dinner by candlelight. He was boasting of this accomplishment to his minister. The minister said, "Oh, I'd love to join you for dinner and see this." He said, "Sure, come tomorrow." The minister brought a little mouse in his pocket. During the dinner all the cats were placed in a row, and they all looked very holy, calm, and peaceful. Lamps were placed on their heads. The dinner was served. All the cats were very still. In the middle of the dinner the minister unleashed the mouse from his pocket. The very moment the cats saw the mouse, they all jumped from their stillness and pounced on it.

Exactly such is the case with our senses, our sensory organs: taste, touch, see, hear, smell, all these. They seem disciplined as long as they are removed from their food. "Indriya dwar jharokha nana, japar sur kinha sthana" our sensory organs are like windows which are occupied by various demigods. As soon as they see the food for that sensory organ, they open the gate wide. So this is another reason we observe Navaratri. During Navaratri, with determination, we restrain their habits.

So particularly during Navaratri, when we engage ourselves in the cultivation of shakti to come closer to the Divine Mother, we have to be on our toes. We have to be in constant, focused remembrance. That's why we minimize the intake through our senses, so we let those demigods know that there is another way to live: you don't have to open the gate wide. There is definitely another way to live. With restrained sense organs, we find that shakti, the energy that we are trying to cultivate, is not outside of us. It is within. But when we take in too much through our sense organs, we spend all our energy in trying to process it all. Then we feel deprived, we feel empty, because we have wasted our precious shakti processing our overindulgence. That is why in yoga, we are taught to minimize our intake. No tradition teaches you to overindulge.

Particularly during Navaratri, it is so important to remember those divine virtues within us. What are those divine virtues? Love, forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance, contentment, austerity. We take this week and really focus on them. We are giving those divine virtues a chance to emerge.

We do our jap, repetition of our mantra. Doing jap cleanses our nadi system, the channels through which shakti flows in our body. It cleanses our mind, it cleanses our heart, and it changes the vibration of our body.

The Divine Mother is not only inside of us. She is outside, everywhere. Just like the air, all around us. Breath is within us and all around us; so is the Divine Mother all around us. If our heart and mind are in the right place, we feel Her touch and we hear Her song. We feel Her warmth, and we taste the sweetness of Her milk, if we take that time. Whenever you feel inspiration, that very moment is the emergence of the divine within.

Sadhana is like this; remembrance of the grace that is being bestowed on us constantly. How much more can our Mother give us? She is constantly giving to us. Navaratri is a reminder. This special time reminds us to call upon Her. But if you call Her the Mother, then you yourself have to be a child. If She is the perfect Mother, and you want to be next to Her, you have to be like that perfect child who has total trust in Her, and is not throwing tantrums all the time. At least there should be moments when the child is happy, happy-go-lucky, and mom looks at the child and feels joy in Her heart. It's our responsibility to give a little joy to our Mother, too.

Whenever we feel grateful, whenever we feel blessed, our Mother is very happy. May we give our Mother a chance, so that She may put down all those weapons that She is holding in Her hands, and hold us. Otherwise, as long as we are in fear, complaining about this and that, She has to hold all those weapons in Her hands to protect us. No hand is free to hold us. May we give Her a chance to put all those weapons down. And that happens when we give a chance to those divine virtues to manifest through us. Remember the good, remember the moments when the divine virtue arises within you. Feel blessed. And when we feel blessed, the only thing we can do at that time is to be of service. May we be of service; may we do something for the greater good without expecting thanks. If we expect thanks or appreciation, we still are not full.

Ma Kali is very kind, very giving. We rest in Her lap in the night. This darkness of the night is also Her lap. She is all around us in many different ways, giving us comfort in Her various forms and manifestations. During Navaratri, please remember this: treat your wife, your daughter, and your mother, with the utmost respect. And vice versa: your husband, your son, your father, brother, sister; treat everybody with the utmost respect. And that's the best puja for Navaratri. Because, if I see the Divine Mother present in everyone, what other choice is there? Be grateful that you have friends, family, and those who care about you.

When you begin to see Her presence all around you, when you begin to hear Her song in everything, all it can bring to you is joy. Whether it's frogs making sounds, a river flowing, some baby crying, or somebody singing, it's all Her expression. So Navaratri is observed on many levels. Please try to grasp what I am saying. If you are here with your heart and mind, I'm sure youêll understand what I am trying to say. This time is very precious; use it well. Do your jap, but keep your daily life going. Whatever is happening, keep it happening. If you can't put in all the time doing puja or jap, you donêt have to feel guilty, because your work is also worship. If you are established in your heart, if you are focused on your remembrance, it doesn't matter where you are.

Call the Mother from that pure place in your heart. Open your heart, and little things that you are taught about your sadhana will blossom into a big, shady tree.

You are taught to imagine the Divine Mother in your heart and the Guru in your forehead. Work on creating, on imprinting that image in your heart, on the lotus. If it doesn't come, it's fine. If there is no image, it's fine. At least visualize a little spark, a blue light. If you don't know what that spark looks like, just look at the flame of the lamp. Bring that into your heart. You may assign a form to the Divine Mother. She may look like your daughter, mother, or wife. Fine. Create a space for that image in your heart. Accept that image to be the image of the Divine Mother. As long as your heart-mind accepts that the Divine Mother is sitting in your heart in that shape, it will work. It is same thing with the Guru. Visualize the image of your Guru sitting on a white lotus or white light in your forehead.

Try to spend a little time sitting with this dhyan, concentration. Even a moment of such concentration daily is enough to change the whole course of your life. Nothing is sweeter than such a moment, sitting with your Guru and the Divine Mother.

This is just a reminder: Don't slack in your practice. Do whatever you can, yet remain alert. There will be hunger from the sensory organs. Discipline them a little bit. Conserve your energy, the shakti that is already within you. Spend a little time in solitude with yourself, opening your heart to the Divine Mother. Be kind with your words; use them as little as possible. Be kind with your ears; if you have to listen, listen to good about the other person. May our ears not be so eager to listen to somebody's criticism. If our eyes have to see someone, may they see only good in the other and not look for shortcomings in the other.

This is the preparation for Navaratri. I bow to that Mother in your heart, and I pray to Her. May She tap on your shoulders and say, "Look, I'm right here. I'm not far away."

Orphanage Update

In a recent letter to a devotee, Baba wrote regarding the project in India

I was able to accomplish much. There is a boundary wall with a gate, a well, a septic system, a temporary kitchen, a prayer hall, and three thatched-roof temporary structures for the caretakers to live in. The orphanage building is under construction and almost one third completed. I hope by July we can begin to admit children to live there.

The presence of the Orphanage Ashram is much appreciated by the local government and neighbors. There is an abundance of donated food coming from the locals. In the ashram compound, we have already started yoga and meditation classes for children from the neighborhood. This will help the children from the orphanage to mingle with the children from the neighborhood.

I am much pleased to inform you that we were able to accomplish what we had expected during the last year. The construction project is still going on. We have a good group of people managing the ashram there who are totally committed to the cause.

Once again, thank you for your encouragement and the help that you have provided. Please keep this project in mind for any further chance of generosity. Much still needs to be done to make it habitable.

Meet the faces at the Ashram:

Through this column we salute the special individuals at the Ashram: