ON the 9th of December 1965, a sadhu came to see Mother. He was wearing saffron robes and was accompanied by a few of his followers.
It was quarter past nine in the morning by the time Mother finished her bath. She entered the hall and sat on her cot. The Baba placed a garland of flowers around her neck, prostrated before her and sat near her feet,
Minutes passed in perfect silence and even after a long while, only the sobs of the Baba could be heard as he wept un controllably, resting his head on Mother’s lap. Mother gently passed her hand over his head. Then he dobbed his tears with a towel, and gave her the fruits he brought, as an offering. Then he whispered something to Mother and left the hall in a hurry. Soon he returned, having finished his bath early. He again touched her feet in reverence. Then he waved his right hand in the air and opened his fist before Mother. It contained a bit of camphor! As the visitors looked on in wonder. he kept it in the centre of his palm and tried to light it as an offerring to Her. But the camphor did not burn. He tried to light it again but failed. He then laughed loudly, hid his face in Mother’s lap for a while and then rose up, his eyes filled with tears and said, “Mother! This is all your grace!” Then he lighted the camphor which readily burned. He waved his hand before Mother in the way in which burning camphor is usually waved before the deity in a temple. Then he showed it to everyone, transferred it from the ventre of his palm into a small container intended for the purpose. Again he rested in Mother’s lap, weeping and a few more minutes passed. Then he dobbed his eyes and whispered something to Mother. I could only guess what it was from Mother’s reply. Mother replied:
“Why do you ask me to come to Guntur? You have to take me there with you, yourself. When you are able to get such things as this (ie. camphor), you must be able to take me to Guntur! You said that it (ie the ability to materialise or transfer camphor) was my grace. Did you get it by asking me As you got it into your palm at will, you might get me too!!
After a minute’s silence. Baba left the hall to lunch and returned soon. Before taking leave of Mother, he requested Her to permit him to speak to her in private. Mother replied Why privacy? All right, those who are sitting here would go out for a while.”
When everyone had left the hall. the Baba told Mother that, in his hermitage at Guntur, there was an ant-hill in which a cobra was living. He said that it was Lord Subramanya himsel and said that though it was moving about his house even in the past, it was doing so much more frequently at that time, He asked Mother whether it is necessary to let the public know about it or not and whether the cobra would harm him in any way.
MOTHER: Why should the public know it?
BABA: How, if it’s not known… … … ?
MOTHER: You know it… that it is Lord Subramanya himself.
BABA: Yes.
MOTHER: Where is the need for others to know it? Listen
You can get a little camphor just for four annas. Then why should you get it the way you did? It only serves to surprise the common folk: what else is it useful for? So it is with everything The Supreme Power is not confined to that cobra only nor to anything else. Take a plastic bag for example. If it has to be haped like that, it needs the life-force (Prana Sakti). Our hands have the power to mould it into that shape; it has the power of ling moulded. There is nothing which is not the manifestation of Power. The matches have the quality of burning, camphor has the quality of being ignited; your mind has the desire to ignite it. Only when these three factors coincide can the camphor be ignited. There is nothing of our greatness in it. The Force that alone Is is the same everywhere. In that case, why should all this be exhibited!
If there is a rat in a house, if you feed it regularly it gets accustomed to coming out everyday. So is it with any creature. To prevent us from being cruel to the cobra, we are told that it is one of His forms. When we are not able to treat our neigh hours like ourselves. how can we treat a cobra with love and respect, otherwise! Therefore we are told that it is the form of Lord Subramanya. There is nothing more about it than this. BABA: Yes, Mother.
MOTHER: Atleast I do not feel that there’s anything unusual about it. I do not know what you intend to do about it. I don’t think you would like to destory its dwelling. Does he come everyday? Does he lie in your bed?
BABA: Yes, of late he has been coming out often. He lies in our beds and oven coils himself round the feet of my children.
MOTHER: It is quite natural that there should be some gentle ones among cobras also, as there are among human beings; more so because you treat it kindly. You can do anything you like about it. When it is the One Supreme Power that impels all our actions, our actions do not signify anything high or low in us whatever we do.
After a while, the Baba again bowed to Mother, took the fruits and Kumkum that She had given him and left the hall.