(Above image: my beloved Ma)
One of Bhagavan’s[1] name is “Chintamani”[2]. At first people turn to Him because He fulfils all desires, eventually they become so absorbed in the contemplation of Him that there is no room left for any other thought, they become infused by the Divine Presence.
One must pine for Bhagavan similar to how a miser craves for wealth, or similar to how a childless woman desires for a child. Throughout life’s journey, He should be the Centre of all your thoughts, and He will become your Sole Aim. If one can thus enshrine Him in one’s heart, He will take all burdens off His devotee, and bless His devotee with the freedom to meditate exclusively on Him. There have been numerous instances of this, not only among sadhus[3] and sannyasis[4], but also among grihasthas[5]. Even beasts, birds, and plants are within the pale of His Mercy. Laying all cares to rest, take shelter in Him with a tranquil mind. Keep your kite flying with the string held firmly in your hand, the wind will, by itself, seize it, and carry it soaring to the sky[6].
[1] Bhagavan/Bhagavati, Shiva/Shakti, Narayana/Narayani, Brahma/Brahmani, Father-in-heaven/Mother-in-heart, Him/Her, God-beyond-form/God-within-Form, Impersonal-God/Personal-God, Guru - a Manifestation/Experience of the Absolute based on one’s innate nature.
[2] Chintamani means the One who fulfils desires - the Fulfiller of desires.
[3] The one who seeks Pure Goodness, and in the process, becomes Pure Goodness is a sadhu. In the Vedic culture, a true sadhu is the epitome of spiritual discipline, asceticism, renunciation, mysticism, integrity, loyalty, courage, truth, peace, love.
[4] Similar to a sadhu, a sannyasi is also a true renunciate. A sannyasi belongs to one of the sampradayas (traditions) in the Vedic culture. There are many sampradayas, for example, Nath Sampradaya, Giri Sampradaya, Puri Sampradaya, Saraswati Sampradaya, Bharati Sampradaya, Tirtha Sampradaya, etc. A sannyasi lives a life as per the teachings of the sampradaya. These teachings are imparted by a Guru (the Absolute in the Form of a Teacher/Master/Guide).
[5] The one who lives a life based on family values. Most people living in this world knowingly/unknowingly belong to this category.
[6] “Keep your kite flying with the string held firmly in your hand, the wind will, by itself, seize it, and carry it soaring to the sky”, this is a wonderful analogy used by Ma. Kite flying is a hobby and a sport in Bharat (India), it is quite popular not only amongst children and youth, but also amongst adults and elders; it cuts across various sections of the society, uniting people, making them forget their differences. Ma has wisely used this analogy to convey the meaning in an easy to understand way as people can relate to it.
Kite can be compared to desires pertaining to the materialistic world - desire for money, desire for sensual pleasures, desire for fame, desire for name, desire for respect, desire for family, desire for recognition, desire for materialistic success, desire for power, desire for status, etc. The string is the attachment (strong thoughts connected) to these desires (kite). The hand is the intelligence, which is supposed to control the desire (kite). The hand (intelligence) will not be able to control the kite (desires) through the string (attachments, thoughts) by its own efforts. If one believes one can control one’s desire by one’s own efforts, then it is an illusion; eventually, the person will deviate from the goal. But one needs to put in that effort to control the desires - this effort forms the core of this message. Ma expects Her children and devotees to put in the effort to control the desires, and be ‘firm’ in this effort, this is known as one-pointed devotion. Bhagavan’s[1] Grace is the wind that will seize the desire, and make it soar into the sky, which is the Kingdom of Bhagavan[1]; and in the process, the worldly desire (kite) will become the Divine Desire, the worldly attachment (string) will become the Divine Attachment, the worldly intelligence (hand) will become the Divine Intelligence, and the worldly kite flyer (unrealised being) will become the Divine Kite Flyer (Realised Being).
