Notes 1 to 28

                                                 

MAI-ISM

PART 1 CHAPTER 1

MAI from MATAJI

Jay Mai Jay Markand Mai

 1. The Founder of Mai-ism and President of the Mother's Lodge (Mai Mandal), MAI SWARUP MAI MARKAND ( Rao Saheb Markand Ratanlal Dholakia, L.C.E.) began his devotion of the Hindoo Mother since his tender age of twelve. He began his Sadhana from the very first rung of the ladder, with shouting in solitudes, "Mother! Tell me, dost Thou exist or not ?"  at that young age in Petlad, his native place in Gujarat, near Cambay. 

2. He had proof of Mother's existence by being saved from the attack of two robbers on his way home from that place of solitude to that of his home, one night, through the intervention of a tall fearful woman. She walked over between the boy and the robbers for a few furlongs till the boy was safe near the outskirts of his village. Most wonderfully, the same terrible black woman disappeared in the air immediately after the boy's safety.

 3. The incident did not go beyond creating a suspicion and a wonder, but at least the idea of the possibility of the existence of God, deities, angels, spirits, other worlds, etc., took its roots. It took three years of strong devotion of Jagadamba Kali and Chaamunda (one after another, in his own place, but more and more distant and desolate) to make the boy ripened enough to have an undoubtful belief about existence through the second incident mentioned here below.

 4. The boy in a busy crowd in Ahmedabad was shouting-ly warned by a dog-cart driving European pair, to be aside. The boy failing, the European took off his long whip, determined to beat the boy out. The merciless man, however, lost the grip of the whip, the whip encircled the foot of the horse and the dogcart fell to the ground. The boy, terribly afraid, ran away from the crowd and tremblingly concealed himself in Bhadra Kali temple corner, the nearest safest place. 

 5. With his whole frame shattered, the boy had the very night a dream in which the whole scene of accident repeated itself and ended with the daily repeated question, "Mother! dost Thou exist or not?". The Mother (The Bhadra Kali Image), in the dream, answered, "I DO NOT EXIST". The boy asked, "Who then is speaking?". Mother then smilingly asked, "Whom Then are you asking this question, tiring me and yourself for the last over three years?".

 6. The boy got confidence in the existence of God at the age of 15. He began to believe it was the intervention of Kali that had saved him from robbers. The boy was busy trying to secure God's grace and recognition as devotee through devotion to any of the usually worshipped Hindu deities, viz. Rama, Shiva, Krishna, and others. He was, however, as it were, passed on by one deity to another without retention till, with full despondency, he concluded, MATAJI alone would accept him, he is worthless for any of all other deities. To cheer himself up, he would say with a sorrowful laughter, "How can other deities misappropriate the property of a particular deity, if it has been owned for past so many lives?".

7. The conception of Hindu Devi or Matajee is that of sternness, terror, and destructive though united with benignity and mercifulness and everything-asked-giving-ness and all-desires-fulfilling-ness. Even today, it is more or less the same, with Hindus, who have not come in touch with Mai-ism. Matajee is Hinduistic (restricted to Hindus alone) and She is a personification of Power (all Powers of all types from the lowest to the highest). Mai or Maijee is Universal and a Personification of Mother, God Himself as Mother and not God's Power. With Hindu-Matajee, the relationship of the devotee and the deity is that of the demander and donor of powers leading to general happiness, success, rulership, controllership, victoriousness, infatuating ness, etc. The relationship with Mai is that of a mother and child. Maataajee is mostly a goddess of fear and power, whereas Maaijee is the Goddess of parental love and permanent welfare. Except for the common element of the feminine sex, the conception of Maataajee and Maaijee are entirely different and dis-similar, if not contradictory. To put it in the usual Hindu scriptural language, Maataajee, as most believed by Hindus, is the Taamasik aspect, whereas Maaijee is the purest Saattvik aspect. Mai-ism is working hard for the past over 18 years, (i.e. since 2-9-1932), to transform the Taamasik belief about the Mataji to the Saattwik, to change the idea of fear into that of love, to raise the notion of Maya, Power and Consort-ship, to that of Motherhood, to broaden the Hinduistic restricted notion and vision to the Universal one, and to reduce hundreds of things stated in the name of Religion to only six tenets of Mai-ism.

8. If Hindus today have modified their beliefs about the conception of Matajee and have begun to have the stabilized conception of a mother to the son instead of a Demon-destroyer (as Mahisha-Mardini), that is attributable in a large measure to Mai-ism. The improvement in the Hinduistic conception is the founder's heart-filling reward. The yet higher reward he has already attained from Mai, in the shape of Mai's Grace and Mercy and a fairly good success in establishing Mai-ism. 

9. The mention of this distinction becomes indispensable here as otherwise it would not be realised how much terror-stricken the boy was at the idea that none of the Sattvik deities as Shiva, Rama or Krishna had accepted him and that on the other hand he was so much favoured and cared for by Matajee, the most prominent feature of whose traditional mythology was the destruction of the Demons and terrible fighting in the battle-fields. Her appearance itself with so many life-destroying weapons would make one fully afraid, shuddered and terror-stricken. The boy had none of the requirements of a fearful sadhana. He was too tender and even timid for the worship and devotion of the deity that can be best propitiated in the cremation-grounds and in the darkest nights. As it is so very habitual with and true of the world with regard to every reform or discovery or invention in any matter, the world has not been grateful and has not appreciated or observed or noted the wholesome overhauling change of transformation from the conception of a "Power" to a "Mother" achieved on the preaching of Mai-ism at every possible opportunity, by the Founder, practically for his whole life.

10. The boy, then eighteen, was shuddering at the idea of being a devotee of a terrible deity on the one hand, but on the other he believed, he was only living the life of merely a two-footed animal of desires, impulses and chances, without the protection of any deity or God, especially after being convinced about the existence of God, deities, the other world, invisible help, etc., - a kind of life that was the greatest folly for any man.

11. He invented a way from this "Scylla and Charybdis" position. Said he, " Let me cast the gambler's throw. I will perform a hundred repetitions of Saptashati. If Matajee accepts me as Her son with no displeasure, no freaks, no fears, no terrible wrathfulness and no vengeance for consciously or unconsciously done offenses, I become Hers. Otherwise, I live my life as an atheist or an agnostic, with all goodness, morality, broad-mindedness, fellow-feeling, etc. : but thereafter, no "humbug" of religiosity and another goal of life except to be eating, drinking, and dying merrily, happily, indifferently and enjoying life in every possible moral and innocent manner. 

12. At eighteen, he began the experiment. On thirty repetitions, he had a telegram, at Poona, where he was studying in Engineering College, from his maternal uncle, who was the Revenue Collector of the Baroda State, at Mehsaanaa, near Ahmedabad. It was about his mother's illness and asking him to start immediately. On the very railway station, where his uncle had come to receive him, the former received a telegram from Baroda Government to immediately proceed to Bahucharaji Matajee (the Second most popular Goddess worshipped in Gujarat) as the Revenue Collector of the district and to do certain arrangements. The young lad was taken directly to the place, as his mother had become fairly all right, as soon as he had started from Poona, by Mother's Grace. The illness was a pretext utilized by mother to force him to come down, as he had determined not to leave Poona, although all students had left on their vacation. He had refused going home, as he was determined to finish the experiment in the same place, without any break or interruption. There, in the temple, the boy was given an assurance by Matajee in a dream that She would be to him purely and unadulteratedly a loving and living mother. He returned to Poona full of hair-erect bristling joys.

13. Since that day, the supernatural and occult powers of prediction and blessing which were inherent in him from the very childhood became more effective, intense and acute. He could bring two persons at daggers drawn going to a criminal court for cross suits, to be friends in a two hours' talk. Once he wanted 63 rupees (his M. O. not arriving at proper time from parents before the last date of college fees payment). He prayed at 9 P.M. and at 11 P.M. he had a heap of about Rs. 800 because the Bengali and Gujerati quarters took a fright at 10 P.M. - (there were some robbers preparing to loot the quarters from behind, seen gathered on the desolate railway lines). Though a big cipher in drawing (the most essential subject in Engineering), his drawings to be finally examined with marks-giving at the annual University examination would be prepared by the best students with the full permission and cognition of the very supervisors and even the Principal. Once Matajee dictated to him, the whole of the chemistry paper the previous night (preparation method of iodine, etc.).    

14. The dullest boy was the happiest. He was a voracious reader but he was more of a mathematician, a poet, a thinker, a philosopher and a songster than an engineer, by his very birth. What did he care, after he had Mother's protection? His repeated failures in spite of his hardest work trained him to realize nothingness of himself and life and left no drop of charmful-ness about life with all its varied pleasures. He ceased to be a responsible actor of the world and became a superficial spectator of his own life, allowing it to be drifted as Mother desired according to his past Karmas, with nothing as the goal of his life, at such a tender age, - usually full of follies and passions, spirits and storms. 

15. At twenty-two, he had the most calamitous, and yet the final hardest, hammer under which he would have succumbed, but for Mother's Grace. He happened to read Yoga-Vasistha and Vedantism, that terrible teaching of "AHAM BRAHMA ASMI", and his head turned. His intellect got clouded by the controversy of the new teaching. He thought he was all along under a delusion and pitiable victim of a huge cheat by MATAJI, the Maya deity. He threw away his deities, picture, scriptural Sapthasati, wooden seat, worshipping materials and vessels in the river Mula-Mutha-Sangam, behind his living place. He changed his course from devotion (Bhakti) to Divine Knowledge (Jnana). He began repeating "AHAM BRAHMA ASMI" day and night and interviewed so many religious teachers on the subject.

16. Although the world, or at any rate India, has been spiritually and religiously degenerating day-to-day, the greatest advantage of India's contact with the West was a much clearer understanding of Hindus' own religion and much broader intellectual and social vision. We now have remained no longer ignorant. We are what we are today or any moment, with full knowledge of what we are; negative illiteracy and ignorance have disappeared. Wherever positive wickedness has appeared, it is with fullest consciousness and understanding about the nature and result of every wicked thought, word, and action. People have been rather more rebellious against God, religion and divine laws, than ignorant about them. They have been too much trusting their scheming intellect and worldly efficiency and are determinedly busy over flouting the Divine laws. People are what they are, with their eyes open and their hearts and hands fully cognisant of everything connected with them. There is very little like ignorance now, even in distant-most village corners.

      

     I am referring to this to make people realize that some decades ago Divine knowledge and Devotion were at daggers drawn. It is now that things have changed and religious teachers have accepted the policy of harmonizing both. Past religious history surely testifies to this oft-repeated, standing perpetual conflict. The Jnana and Bhakti conflict has now disappeared because the mass has been indifferent to religion itself and the rich class people, who are mostly Vaishnavas, want devotional out-flowings of the Vaishnavic type, which are easier and more pleasant things for practical people, the less literate mass and especially ladies (who in this age are better financial helpers and more sympathetic to Religion) than sordid monotonous monistic talks. The Advaitists have seen that unless they equally appreciate and preach devotion, their popularity and maintenance of Ashrams would be an impossibility. For such among other reasons, began the commencement of the happy union of devotion and divine knowledge, very many years after the event under description (viz.. the boy's mental derangement). The huge horror of general irreligiosity accompanied with materialistic and individualistic tendencies was also responsible for bringing about the happy union under the fears of a common enemy. That deprecating manner of saying, "Devotion is just only a stepping stone", which has now disappeared, was then at its highest shouting pitch. It is only now very recently that Sanyaasees and Yogis and Karma Margis all have gradually pitched their tents in the open airy yellow lawns of devotion. That preaching of oneness of Atma and Paramaatma, that idea of inferiority of devotion and deities, that sophistry about the fruitlessness or unreality or the delusion of the Universe and all allied teachings, so very forceful than, were more than overpowering for the young boy of twenty-two who had seen nothing of the world, in its true natural colours.   

17. The young boy had never had to pass through a more terrible time. He experienced that, as a result of his faithless desertion of Mother, the whole world had changed to be worse or him. Even his best friends and relations disliked, displeased and deserted him. No solace, no consoling word, no happy night, no soothing idea, no kind relative, no pleasure, no relieving feature, no miraculous powers, no happy meditations, no devotional effusions, no good lucks. The whole world was, as it were, spitting on him with a contempt for dethronement. He could not bear, undergo and survive the punishments of the change. The disastrous results were much more terrible than can be described. His morality, goodness, character, religiosity all stood before him, threatening him with leaving him as a corpse. the fire of ill-treatment of the world, his own self-contempt on gold of his self-turning to base brass, and the scorching in the hot furnace of repentance as a result of having deserted Mother's protection, the contrast of his faculties before and after, all led him to the highest desperation. One day, in Petlad, he tore off his garments and sacred-thread, threw off his shirt and dhoti and cap in the street and ran away from the house as one determined to mend or end his life, to be a Sannyasin, or to commit suicide. What might have been the climax of his sorrow, disappointment, and disgust of life and world, at twenty-two, can be better imagined than described. He was however caught by his most revered father who ran after him with all the force he can command in the street, weeping and shouting on losing his son, and by his mother, weeping and madly running after the father. He was brought home and kept confined in a room for a week and greatly smoothened and solaced by the parents. After a promise not to be a Sannyasin, he was permitted to return to Poona for studies. His mother with tears in her eyes said, "You have never been telling a lie. You never break your promise. If you are determined to be a Sannyasin, first stab me and then go. If you wish that I may live, promise me, you will not leave home."

    It was this promise the remembrance of which, along with the whole scene and accident, was fresh in the Founder's mind for years together, which after so many oscillations, did not leave him undisturbed and easy, whenever he got the idea of taking Sannyasa, especially when he was possessed with the idea, that was necessary and perhaps indispensable for the intense propaganda of Mai-ism. That is so for the main reason that it is mostly the brown robe and the tonsured head that sets religious Hindus a-thinking most seriously, concentratedly, reverentially and sympathetically, on the subject of Religion and Religious Reformation. There was often such a violent tug and pull from both sides with their respective battalions of pros and cons, that he was unable to decide what was best, in the interest of his mission. The Founder then satisfied himself with leaving matters to take place as Mother finally willed and with the remembrance of the incident and the promise he had given to his dearest mother, years before.

18. One idea alone, about his greatest ungratefulness to the Mother who had been protecting him all along, and without whose protection what the world would be to him, he had experienced and realized, that one monomania seized him. This one idea acted like the most violent attack of an unbearable shock. He decided to drown in the very same river unless Mother reaccepted him. In the midst of the excruciating pains he got an imaginary idea like a lightning in the darkest cloudy night, "Will not Mother save me? Will She not tell me She has reaccepted me?". All this was a matter of few hours, before determination and preparation for action. He went to commit suicide in the river. He ran towards the river water depth with a speed which he had never before used. Just then, he was caught in the sweetest trans-heavenly Embrace of Mother - The Visible, The Infatuatingly Beautiful Mother. She admonished him strongly never to be so reckless and senseless in future and assured him he was never disowned by Her, although his head had turned. Not only that, but She told him, She was carrying him through certain experiences, which were indispensable. Mother knew his fickle-mindedness and did the preventive needful. Retracing to his room, he expressed to himself, though most stealthily, wishing none to know it, not even his own mind to hear him, his inmost suspicion, (the devil of a suspicion), which proved his greatest ungratefulness even after Mother had been merciful enough by saving him from committing suicide. He asked himself, "What did I see?, What did I hear?". Is this all not a mental derangement? Is this all not a false vision because of a mental despair? (This Maya-created doubting, though most temporary, does not leave even the highest man till he attains salvation). Mother had anticipated this and She had kept the answer ready to convince him of Her embrace and Her Word and Her Promise. 

19. Most surprisingly, on opening the room, he saw the very same deity picture, the very same scriptural book of Saptashati, the very same wooden seat, the very same worshipping articles at the very same place as they were and where they were before, the very same things which he had thrown away in the river with contempt, about six weeks before.

20. From this moment onwards, he linked himself with and rivetted himself to the Mother. His conception then was a Hinduistic one, viz., that of Power (Shakti) although with the additional personally secured concessional advantage of Mother's protection to him as Her son. That was however just as a lioness has her love for her cub though not without devouring ferocity. He had no special attachment to a particular aspect of Hindu Mataji as Amba, Kali, Bahucharajee, Chamunda or Bhawani. They were not different realities to him even then. As his final conclusion then went, these were only different names and forms of one and the same reality of MATAJI, Shakti (Power), the final most Power (Shakti), assuming different situations, different goals, and different purposes. The word " Mataji ", apparently meaning " Mother " was however to him, an honorific name for a feminine sex deity, with no conception of a mother-and-child relationship for one and all devotees. In a word, he had not risen above the centuries-old Hindu Shakti conception and had absolutely no conception of Mai. The form that he saw as embracing him had nothing special to characterize Her as any of these five aspects. She was not in any of Her above-adopted forms. She had human-like only two arms and no weapons. The dazzling light and the crown halo around the celestial face, with the forward spreading glamour (as of a searchlight) was there. She was in Her Natural form, of the whole Universe-running-Divine-Mother, a burnished gold-colored Divine fascinating Female Figure, which immediately convinced him about who She was.  

21. The period from the date of this event in 1907 up to 1932, say of about two dozens of years, was that of a common man's living with a gradual progressive development in the religiosity and learning of different sacred books. Two points of vast transformation, which makes Mai-ism  an entirely different thing from the Hindu Shaktism-cult are : - First, Mother is not Power, but as a Mother to Her child: Second No Amba, no Kali, no Durga of Hindus, but Mother of all in the Universe, of a particular Universe and of all Universes, conceivable in the Ocean of Perpetuity and Infinity.

22. It requires a truly religious man to see the difference. The desired change of the whole outlook on life, in its real most practical solid and unadulterated form, would require lives. Not an intellectual mere " Oh Yes", but a living of the smallest detail of life with the particular belief of Motherhood, Universality and " Mother and child relationship" between God and devotee. Hindu Mataji (Power) was gradually transforming Herself with him to be the Universal Mother " Mai ". Honest and subtle religious aspirants know well enough that the universalization of one's ideal is not merely a matter of a tongue-twist, but that it requires decades and decades and in some cases full lives of deep-thinking experience, hard sacrifice, religious practice, and realization. Let one apply the acid practical tests of life and actual living and he will be surprised to find how few prove themselves to be really of a universal mind. For every thousand of persons that prattle about Universality with their tongue, there is not one with the same in all its reality, in his heart. There would not have been such factions of our Bharatbhumi, as Hindusthan and Pakistan, if there had been even one true honest and sincere powerful religious universal-minded soul on each side, who had genuine simple and unadulterated Universality in his heart's deep-most and bottom-most layers. 

    By Universality, the Founder means its primary sense only, viz., a complete absence of the idea of one man being different from another exactly similar man on the mere ground of such two men's belonging to different religions. Universality to be effective must be the supreme quality of one's whole vision and entire integral outlook with a belief and a conviction about its highest value. Universality should not be an outcome of a policy, a temporary acceptance, or a delusion-creativeness, for some specific object in view. It should be an impossibility, to assume a different color after some attainment or after a lapse of some long time.  

    The differences, the superiority and inferiority complexes, prejudices and prepossessions, likes and dislikes, as a result of different persons following different religions, (to be universal-minded), require to be uprooted, wiped out, annihilated and completely forgotten as if they were never in existence, ever before. The Founder brought about a reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims over a mosque question at Nasik in a few hours, which was a standing cause of unrest for 12 to 15 years to the public and Government (vide page 134 of Volume I, Part II, Mai Sahasranam). That was possible only because the Founder was Universal-minded, in every moment of his living, after 1932, and because he was a Mai-ist, the Founder and a follower of a religion which has universal-minded-ness as its main-most commandment. 

    

    The subtle difference is to be noted here. It is not that some few Hindus or Muslims are not there that are universal-minded, but the presumption holding its sway in the minds of both communities in terms of millions of hearts is that a Hindu is a Hindu and a Muslim is a Muslim, during butchering riots.

    When the knife is raised to be plunged, it is not possible for one to know or inform that he is not an enemy, at that moment of life and death. Mai-ism emphasizes the need for a solid working through organizations, during peace periods.

    There the whole difference comes in. To be the known follower of a religion (or even a society) which makes no distinction of that nature, on one hand, and on the other, to be an exception to the usual beliefs about a religion (or a society) by the co-religionists or member of anti-religionists of outsiders, are poles asunder. That you are above such animosities must have been a proved fact known to the world at large, ere long and much before an event. Too subtle a point to be appreciated realized and admitted (!) 

    Mere shouting about brotherhood, without that moral religious and spiritual strength of the lived-life, is like the deafening of the shop-keepers in a market with loud gramophone records to sell their merchandise.

    We have all the imaginable space filled up with cries of brotherhood, and yet the atmosphere is experienced to have been saturated with bitterest poisons in the hearts of men and in the despicable dealings of man to man. Few have asked themselves this paradoxical question and still, fewer have got the answer.    The answer is simplest enough to the fewest who can understand truths without any perplexities and confusions created by worldly-mindedness. Words can have a vast progeny of words alone; cries, of cries alone. It is only true love and a true spirit of Universal brotherhood that can create love and Universal Brotherhood. Nature cannot be cheated or defrauded. 

    That supreme stage of Universal outlook, once attained, along with other sterling virtues, carries with it, its own wonderful silent super-natural power over the hearts of average men. By mere shouting, "We are all brothers. Let us live as brothers", one does not touch the inner chord nearest to the Divinity within every man. The man appealing to brotherhood must have actually lived in that spirit and with that belief as the maxim of his life, ere long and for many years before the circumstances arise for making the appeal and taking help of the Divine Truth.

    He must have lived above all social, communal and political factions and must have acquired an unseen authority as a result of his austerity and sacrifice on having lived that sort of life, much above the mundane plane of self-interest and struggle, and entanglement of " I " and " mine ".

    Reconciliation between two antagonistic forces becomes possible only when a much superior force, an overpowering force, makes each of them to be reminded of its comparative nothingness before all-governing and all-conquering Universal Final-Most Supreme Force of Divine Law and Nature, always working in the interest of the humanity, as a whole.

    Purse and Power may be successful in commanding obedience and co-operation, but that is no loving brotherhood of a true, real and permanent nature.

    The spiritual force of a Religious Universal-minded man is of a much stronger powerfulness than that of the Life-force or the Will-force or the Soul-force. It derives its strength from the Divinity itself as the recipient has already pledged himself to live his life in the highest interest of the noblest welfare of the whole humanity.

23. During the college sub-period (from 1908 to 1912), there were many convincing proofs of Matajee's grace.

    During his second-year-examination, one day he was in a devotional mood, which made him entirely un-composed to be able to attend the examination hall, in Bombay, at the appointed hour. When he could compose himself in his home, the examination hour had passed. he washed his face, dressed and took a tram. In hot haste, his Y-square which was shoved in the drawing-board the wrong way fell off on the ground. Some Seth picked it up and ran in a victoria after the tram, and caught it at the next halt. The boy was overwhelmed with the feeling of gratefulness. No time was to be lost. The Seth most abruptly said, "Mataji! (Mother), bless me with a son". Said the Founder, "Matajini Mehr Kripa Varso Kalyan" (Mother's Mercy, Grace, shower Welfare). The devotee ran to the hall and found that he was 40 minutes late. Soon after him, came the Registrar with the question-paper packets. He was admitted into the hall. (Please refer to page 150, Mai Sahasranama, Volume II, Part IV). The printing machinery unprecedentedly had gone wrong to give boy sufficient time to recover his normal plane and to reach the hall!

24. The second instance was in respect of the special train carrying the students on a geological tour in the final year. The students had encamped in Agra and were awaiting the arrival of a special train expected to arrive within an hour or so. The boy got a flying news that Mathura (the pilgrimage-place of Lord Krishna) was near. Said he, "I must go for the Darshan of my beloved Lord Krishna". The train time that day to Mathura had passed away. Like a madman, he said, "I will go to the station." Two friends (both later became known great Government-Engineers of Bombay Presidency) accompanied him. The first station, the station staff laughed at their ignorance of the scheduled timings. The second station, people called them mad. Here one friend got irritated when the boy proposed going to the third station. Said he to the other companion, "What? Are you also mad like this madman? I am returning home. If you like, you be mad with him". The third station, the engine was lying "sick". On purchase of tickets and hurried sitting in a coal wagon, the engine came to order and whistled. The despondency that had arisen on the booking-clerk advising them not to purchase the tickets as the engine had gone useless, turned to a cheerfulness with a joyful hurrah. However, the cause for standing suspense and anxiety did not altogether cease. They would be detected on the arrival of the special train as absconders and be even punished. They had not enough money to return to Bombay from Agra with fresh tickets. From 4 P.M. to 9 P.M. of the next day, the special could not be ready in spite of the repeated telegrams by the influential Professor-in-charge of the tourists, till they returned. Soon after the return of the boys from Mathura on the station itself, the special arrived in the midst of double joys by the students. The special did after all arrive, and the two absconding boys also had just arrived, not to be left to their lot. The in-charge was hot with the boy, our Founder, for having bolted away without permission, but his popularity came to his full aid.

25. From 1912 to 1932, there was nothing of catching importance to interest Mai-ists. The only remarkable factor of this period was that he was so often miraculously saved from embarrassing situations of life. He repeated Saptashati to which Lalitha Sahasranam was later added (since May 1909) both once every week, and he was devotedly performing his daily small worship at home and performing Chaitra and Ashvini Navratri with fasts, bhajans, sacrifices, pathas, worships, etc.  His reputation as a devotee of Matajee had become widespread and established.  In the direction of Divine knowledge, he took a very active part in all religious matters. He was in close touch with Theosophy both at Ahmedabad and Poona and wrote several thought-provoking and instructive articles in "Meher Message", such as, "Ignorant adverse criticism". "Misfortunes of the modern mumukshus", "Facts for the fatigued", "Divine Love:, "Happiness", etc., and "God and God-attainment Remedies", in "Kalyan" of Gorakhpur, and "Dharma Darshan" in Sharada-Peetha, etc. 

26. His worldly life was a tossing and a bumping from one wall to another. On one side, worldly harassment of every nature; and on the other, his extremely jovial disposition and spiritual pleasure and devotional ecstasy. However, during this periods, he had several occasions to have a personal eye-to-eye vision of the Divine Mother, in a waking state oftentimes in the most painful moods and moments. One of them may be narrated here as a specimen. To write all experiences would require volumes. 

27. His services as a municipal engineer in Surat were to be discharged as a result of a new fad of Government to lend engineers along with the Municipal Commissioners. He resigned, before a notice be served. He was anxious that he had an appointment somewhere, before his leaving; but nothing would come forth in reply to his applications. It was the Navratra 9th day. Brahmins were on the wooden seats for dinner after all the ceremony was over. The devotee went upstairs and wept in a half-frantic manner in solitude before Mother, "You are useless, go, eat like a hungry bitch with those Brahmins. They are waiting. I will be fasting". He sent word down to his wife and relatives that he had a stomachache, and he could not join Brahmins.   "Let them finish. Serve them with all heart and liberality" With all the recklessness, he told Mother,  "What more do you want? Should I break my head at Thy feet?" Just then the door was knocked. A telegram of appointment was there. The whole scene was changed. He ran up to weep out his gratitude to Mother.  And what did he see and hear?   "Will you not at least now come with me down for the dinner?" The form and the sound both disappeared in less than a second, leaving him again lost in a labyrinth, Divine meditation, and ecstasy.

28. The year 1932 was a turning point in his religious life. One should rather call it a sublimating or a culminating point. Till then, there was no remarkable change in what he had made himself to be all his life. The period from 1912 to 1932 was that of preparation with lots of troubles and sufferings to be fitted up religiously and spiritually for the work he was to be charged with. Till then, his belief consisted of increasing proportions of " Mother-element " in the " Power-Mother " - basic mixture, from time to time. It was reaching the culmination-point of the full Motherhood of God, to which universality became automatically a corollary. Said he to himself "If your God is Father or Mother of the whole Universe and if whoever resides and is worshipped in Hindu temples is not a mere Hindu God, but a Universal God of one and all, there can be absolutely no justification for "entry-refusal" to anyone, (Harijans or Mohamedans, etc). What Hindus alone can worship can only be a Hindu God, and not a Universal God."

Jay Mai Jay Mai Jay Mai

Prelude to the Maiism book edition 1952

 PROLOGUE

This writing was commenced on Mother's Day, Friday, the 6th day of Chaitra Navaratra, 24th March 1950, after communion with Mother, by the Founder, and for the specific purpose of Her Glorification. It is a passing picture of certain events, facts, and experiences, without the garmentation of exquisite emotions of poetic pleasant pedantry, scriptural quotations or philosophical controversies or religious technicalities. It is just a recapitulation, practical and brief, of a portion of what the Founder had gone through, in the relationship with His Mother "MAI"- Mother and Mother's work of Mai-ism-spreading. During the writing, as also during the printing stages, there has been all along an implied sincere prayer, that Mother be pleased to confer Her choicest spiritual and temporal blessings and benefits on them that go through the contents of this book, with a religious faith and reverence, and those that are moved with an ardent desire to live their life as far as possible in full rhyming with whatever they find acceptable, useful and elevating in this Book.

To start with, this compilation is only a matter between the Founder and the Mother, was intended to be merely a scribbling or jotting down of a few pages, without any idea at the beginning about its publication in this form. Soon however thereafter, the idea of a simple remembrance of what had passed between both, developed itself to that of making, as it were, a triple-quinquennium-report of the "Mai-movement", which had a standing of nearly 18 years then (i.e. since 2nd September 1932 when the installation of MAI took place). The idea of a "Report" meant a relaxation of the requirement of strict privacy, as it surely meant a reading thereof by all those that were sincerely interested.

The fish in the ocean began growing up larger and larger, by leaps and bounds. General worldly experiences, opinions, suggestions, primary and advanced teachings of all shades etc., made their way, gradually and stealthily, as intruders, in the selected solitary small place, meant for prayer, worship, meditation, and communion. Finally, the idea forced itself on me (the undersigned is the writer and is the very same person referred to throughout the book in the first person as "I", with "me", "my" etc., and also in the third person as "the Founder") that at least I should get my "tirade" typed and kept as a record.

Thanks to certain friends and devotees at Madras, who undertook the work, as a religious service, practically at no cost and with a rapid speed. The typing work went on at Madras simultaneously with my writing at "Mai-Nivas," Santa Cruz, Bombay. On 23rg December 1950 (the Founder's birth-date), he had (in other words, I had) the full-fledged typed volume in the form of a book of 12 chapters and 575 pages of foolscap-size-paper typed matter. Till then, there was no idea of "publication". I had continued writing the book for Mother and myself, and just for a record, in case someone, in the future years, by some chance, misses his way from a mere money-making or pleasure-hunting-life, and with a leisure and curiosity, makes a peeping enquiry about "What is this Mai-ism, what does it mean, and what does it teach, and what are its opinions, beliefs and tenets."

The "Neither-here-nor-there"- nature and "Take-things-as-they-come"- attitude, in this writing, is sure to be immediately perceptible to any intelligent reader. The reader will so often find in the same page, in the same paragraph, sometimes even in the next sentence and so on, expressions such as "the Founder says", as also "I", "me" and "mine". As already stated, they refer to the writer, the undersigned, who is himself "the Founder" of "MAI-ISM", and who is also the author of this book. There is no observance of any rigid or particular principle behind the one expression or the other. It is only as the pen and the mood, fancied from time to time, or in what may be called "language of devotion", just as Mother was dictating. The whole writing has been done after communion, and while sitting before Mother, day after day, during the calm and quiet night-hours. "Dictation" is only a poor word, as the person dictated to has his own full consciousness and some discretion. This writing has been the petrol-pouring from the pump to the motor-tank through a mere unclean corroded and leaky hose-pipe.

It is supposed that the readers have at least some religious experience and religious sense to understand the various expressions, and the required religious spirit and visual angle, with reference to the contents of this book. It is presumed that they have, in addition, serenity enough, not to leave their high plane during reading, to raise worldly-minded two-penny-worth silly questions of a dry, learned or literary critic.

The greatest idiotic blunder, that I am very much afraid of, and I am extremely nervous about, is that some of even the most broad-minded readers would likely slip into the error of thinking that the Founder has no great love or reverence for Hinduism, and for Hindu saints, because he is not for pampering and sky-raising. If I say "don't be sleeping and snoring, but unite, set up the strongest religious iron machinery, the enemy is dashing against and is breaking open your doors", fools (and I have found sometimes that the wisest men have been fools in this respect) are offended with my "imputation" (?), but they are unable to realise the burning-ness of my love for Hindus and Hinduism. I have simply to pity them for their blindness of religious self-pride and incapacity to realize the simplest truth, viz., that he is the best friend, nay, even a savior, who speaks about the forth-coming calamity and who forewarns. I can only tell them one thing. Study me personally by contact, to know me really and well in the matter of my love and reverence to Hinduism and Hindu Saints.

The subject of religion is so very vast, and all-pervading like the atmosphere enveloping us, and yet so very subtle, that it is hard to set up limits of relevancies and chronologies, etc., or to secure a strictly logical sequential order and arrangement. There are many paragraphs and sentences which were inserted and were sometimes amplified during the later stages while the typed matter was received and read, and in a few cases, also while the printing work was proceeding. The smallest seeming relevancy was considered enough to ascertain new places for insertion of the later ideas and thoughts.

As regards the language, style, grammar and literary expressions, English language has been used by the Founder merely as the widest medium of expression, although any English Scholar may find the language and style rather crude and wholly unsatisfactory.

The Founder is fond of writing at great length, and in involved and lengthy sentences, and of coining his own words, phrases and compound words for the purpose of expressing his ideas. He says "Language and words are only means to an end." He prefers prolixity to leave any chance whatsoever for the possibility of a misinterpretation in such a subtle and life-long-affecting important subject as "Religion" and self-illumination. Pronouns often mislead.

Readers of religious literature must be above worldly shallowness, with infinite patience, a general faith in Divine matters, and an approach and attitude of reverence and eagerness to assimilate whatever is valued, with a feeling of sanctity and gratitude. After all, religious writings are not novels, stories or histories or books of literature. Their greatness lies in that any page or chapter can be read with advantage, without any knowledge of the contents of the previous or the subsequent pages. A mango fruit sucked up either from the top, or the bottom, or the sides fills up one's mouth with the juice of the fruit.

Even while the book is in the Press, while I am writing these lines, my patent idea is that I am getting my writing printed, for the only main-most reason that Mother may not have to pull Her eyes to read it. It is not an unusual thing that all the most important appeals, petitions or memorials addressed to Emperors, Kings, Viceroys, Governors and Royal Highnesses, have to be or are in print. My own mind on the question of how the world would receive the book is extremely easy and ripples-less. Select what you (the reader) think best, reject that you are not interested in, or what you do not like; but, very subtly, succinctly and silently. As I have written this book principally for Mother and myself, no courtesies of thanks-givings to the helpers or apologies to the readers are required, and they are not indispensable.

Early in May 1951, at my native place Petlad (in Gujerat), a certain amount of money (as my wife's) due from a certain gentleman for over 39 years raised its head, to play its destined part of partly financing the publication. The gentleman who owned the money became fairly rich, on selling his fertile lands. To my greatest surprise, I received word from him. With an extremely high liberality, in an interview which lasted only 20 minutes, this gentleman asked me "how much should I pay". I said, "if you give me Rs.3500, that is my need of the moment, I will utilize that amount (which is a windfall to me) for the sacred cause of Religion in printing my last faddish production." Without a single word of higgle-haggle, he handed me over the cheque on the spot then and there.

I am not writing this book for them, whose outlook, in spite of an extremely keen intellect, has not matured itself to be truly religious. Where a devotional soul would be rolling on the ground in ecstasy, the worldly man will be ready to pounce, with a long list of questions. He calls them difficulties, with the usual religious hypocrisy, but sometimes he is carrying wounding bullets there under, though in a few cases, unconsciously. Goes the proverb, "A fool can ask a question, which forty wise men cannot answer." Some would be flared up or disgusted, on having to go through what they can neither realize nor imagine as a result of their inexperience nor even, by way of a courtesy, appreciate. In the absence of a subtle religious insight, they would be seeing only superfluities, repetitions and incongruities. Right approach and righteous attitude cannot be too much emphasized.

Most fortunate, and most unfortunate, are they (as goes the repeated history), that are nearest the centers of religiosity. Mother help them, Mother saves them and their victims!!

Who can imagine my joy and weeping in gratitude, on getting the substantial money-help, as aforesaid? Overnight in my terrace, while revelry and merrymaking of hundreds around a bride and a bridegroom were at its climax in the courtyard on the ground floor, the bridegroom's father was shedding hottest tears, and rolling on the ground in his solitary sacred place on the third floor. What did he care to know or think of (?), except his Mother, in the midst of all worldly joys and pleasures for all others around him?? The 5% lingering intention of publication rose to be 95%. There is not a single step in the spiritual ascension, which is without a temptation and a test, right up to the final salvation.

The Satan dropped his whisper: "have I any right over the money of my wife? Can I spend it on my fad?" (By the by, I have been always beset with the question "which devil is going to read or appreciate the book"). "Without the consent of my wife and children, in their already poor condition, have I any right to spend this money over my fad of printing and publishing this book?" Mother tests, Mother suggests, Mother strengthens, Mother plays; Mother blesses them all, whose money and labour and time go to such noblest religious purposes!!! Mother had, however, Her freaks. The cheque that I got was lost, in spite of care. I had lost the very consciousness that I had returned to Bombay "Mai-Nivas" with a cheque of what was no small amount for me. Mother pulled me up with every fright and anxiousness, for about a month until the intention of 95% rose to be a full cent per cent resolution. The cheque was stolen, and it was nothing but Mother's grace that I got cash on its duplicate before money was taken away on the lost cheque. I had quite a narrow escape. The mention of this event is neither for the irreligious nor for the rich man who ridicules poverty. Religious experience is the greatest of God's gifts. Eyes don't change so long as, as a result of God's and Guru's grace, Mother's mysteries do not reveal themselves to the average worldly people.

Madras again came forward, to help me out with regard to typing and printing work, as I had now a substantial sum enough to meet a great portion of the initial cost of printing. In July 1951, the printing work was commenced by the Hind Press Ltd., whose Directors and Staff is good and godly people. Were it not for the said Press, its Directors and its Staff, and the all along responsible care and work with worry of an extremely staunch Mai-devotee (an advocate in Madras) who all took up, so to say, the charge of the printing work, going through the proofs etc., this book would not have seen the light of day in September 1952, exactly 14 months since the printing work commenced. (In my experience, principally, Gujerat is for Commerce and Charity, Deccan is for Art and Learning and Madras is for Originality and high Religiosity). Those who handled the printing and proofs in Madras scrupulously avoided any correction of or alternation in my language of the writing- in their faith that the originality of "Mother's dictation" should be kept intact.

My great point of disappointment, when I place this book in the hands of the public and my beloved readers, is that few and fewest realize that I have to say something which is not the very same "ditto-ing" that has come down to us since centuries!!! Absolute Truths can never change, but other subsidiary things can be greatly improved with an immense advantage, from time to time. I am neither irreligious, nor, routinely religious, Being not "in the same boat", and "a bird of the very same feather," I have been all along most indifferently and most unsympathetically dealt with, by at least the routine-religious world, AS A FOREIGNER.

The gist of the whole Mai-istic teaching, in fewest words, is that our religious outlook is extremely narrow and that our preliminary religious grounding is extremely poor. Even the smallest Hindu child has heard everything about Religion. We have heard everything, understood nothing, exerted for a greater nothing, assimilated still greater nothing, and practised yet still greater nothing. Too much familiarity has only bred up contempt. We have suffered from overdoing externals and theories and neglecting (with belittling) the internals. We are more for theory and quantity than for practice and quality.

Our values for a man-to-man relationship, love, service, sacrifice, and morality, especially the business-morality, stand no proportion with our expressions of the same during religious talks, discourses, controversies, solitary or congregational studies, and scriptures-recommended religious undertakings for "Punyam". In the understanding of "Religion"- (cool-minded impartial and unfanatic)- psychological, rational and logical thinking is extremely rare. We want work to be done and gone through, for the attainment of true religiosity, to be shortened practically to the point of nothingness. Most of us have "penny-heaven-buying" desires, beliefs and mentalities. We have too great a belief of wonderful magic results in Saints' merely placing their hands over our heads. We have most of us a blind faith, mostly out of a fear. individualistic and restricted to self-serving, with almost a ridiculous expectation of someone placing, magically, morsels of ready-made food in our mouths.

Regarding the actual solid religious work, that can be undertaken, the present greatest difficulty is that religious and irreligious western-minded and eastern-minded elements have been huddled up together. Further, everybody's business has become nobody's business, and unlike other items of national progress, Religion has been left to take care of itself. Those that are capable of doing substantial work have run away either to sea-costs, mountains, or forests or have merged themselves in forming their individual folds. There is nothing like a standing constitutional arrangement, which has for its aim and object, the efficient tackling and handling of religious questions in a practical, instructive and guiding manner, to preserve and promote the cause of the general religions, social and moral culture of the Nation, as a whole- as a whole comprehensive unit, that takes within its embrace all the differences, of all places, all communities, all deities, and all philosophies.

What India wants today, is the establishment of a strong Religious Machinery, operating in an extremely general wide and universal spirit, covering all grounds and all corners and all men and women of the country. However capacious and strong individual may be, they have to yield and break under the crushing weight of universally-spread evils and calamities. Universal evils can never be eradicated except by universal remedies, measures and machinery, and that too, under the merciful guidance of THE UNIVERSAL MERCIFUL ALMIGHTY PARENT.

Mai-ism has only six terms: (1) GOD AS MOTHER, (2) MOTHER OF ALL, (PROPITIABLE ON LIVING THE LIFE OF) (3) LOVE, (4) SERVICE (5) DEVOTION AND (6) UNCONDITIONAL CHEERFUL SELF-SURRENDER. Under MAI-ISM, the very belief in the existence of God is not indispensable, provided one serves and loves all, to the best of one's capacity. Mother is the same Being as Father. Mother is the Mother of all Religious Founders, and a Mai-ist, in the sacred humble service of Mai Herself, is ten times the servant of any of the Mother's Illustrious Sons that have been the Recognised Incarnations, and the Founders of any Religion. How very trivial and tiny nothing, it becomes to bring in together several threads and shades of Hinduism, on broadcasting the Mai-istic faith spirit and theory?? Even on the rebellious-ness side, what greater conception can you have, regarding your personal liberty, in the matter of Religion (to whatever religion you may belong by birth or otherwise), than under Mai-ism, with full knowledge about what the Founder definitely proclaims?? "For all other religious questionings, my first and last answer is 'ASK YOUR MOTHER YOURSELF'" (Vide page 30 of MAI-SAHASRANAMA Vol.I, Part I).

In understanding Mai-ism, there are no frightful words of Brahma, Maya, Kali, Avatars, Shakti, Adwaitism, etc., which may be un-understandable, at any rate, often unacceptable, to the westernised Hindus, or to the followers of religions other than Hinduism, who may remain under the suspicion of "Proselytism". If all religions are the creations of someone or another of all Mother's Sons, where is the need of your transferring your own coin from one of your own pockets to another one of your own pockets?? None worth the name is unaware, either about God or about what "a Mother-and-child-relationship" is. Mai-ism says "Establish that relationship between a Mother and child, between yourself and your God, by whatever name you call your God". There are no incomprehensible religious technicalities of Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmasootras, Prasthana Traya, Gita, Shad-Darshans, etc., in Mai-ism.

On the higher religious plane, Mai-ism lays the highest stress on "Guru-Shishya-relationship". You can't proceed a single solid step after a certain stage, without the two chariot-wheels of (a) God's Grace and (b) Guru's grace. Let your Guru be, one whom you yourself select, who is nearest to and who is ever available to you, let him be only one step spiritually ahead of you. He must be one, who is heart and soul interested in your worldly and spiritual welfare. It is neither the Guru, nor the Shishya, but the Guru-Shishya relationship that is highest of the three elevating factors. If you succeed in establishing your unification full of Love, Service, Devotion, and Self-surrender, with one Master, you have mastered the art of unifying yourself with the whole Universe. Without God's and Guru's grace, you have only endless repetitions of "makes and breaks", "advances and retreats", "virtues and vices", "pleasures and pains", "infatuation and disgust", "love and hate", and you are perpetually linked up in a never-stopping endless chain of "actions and reactions".

In the field of different Deities, philosophies, and superiority of one's own Guru to another's Guru, etc., Mai-ism asks you to drown all differences, with its first and foremost commandment "Love all". Further, it says, everything has only a relative superiority or inferiority. Not only one man's meat another man's poison, but the meat itself of a man at one moment turns out to be the poison of the very same man at another moment. Your quarrelsomeness over petty matters, out of sheer ignorance, can only result in inviting Satan, to make you almost shattered and miserable. The highest power and highest happiness proceeds from "Loving all". Love is the final word of bliss and peace. The parent of Love is Mother. Don't lose your head and say "World does not exist at all", nor, in an idiotic manner try to usurp "Godship" ; but train your mind to see the temporariness, changefulness, deceitfulness and fruitlessness of worldliness, and with the raising up of the pictures of both past and future, simultaneously with the present, carry yourself to the conclusion, the world and its working is as unprofitable and worthless as not existing at all.

Take only an all-flinging bird's-eye view. Man is the enjoyer, a woman is a center, wealth is the means, and sense-pleasures are the different modifications during a man's effort to seek complete union. Happiness proceeds from union with the desired. For the inferior man, the objects sought to be unified with, are inferior. A little higher-mind is the enjoyer, peace and happiness are the centers, concentration and consolidation are the means, and the development of various dormant occult powers are the modifications. The higher man has begun to realize at this stage, that happiness proceeds from neither woman nor wealth, but from the mind. Later, the soul is the enjoyer, Mother or God is the center; the spirit is the means, and all universalistic and altruistic heart-yearnings and mental-activities of love, service, devotion, and self-surrender, are the modifications.

Higher and higher, the aspirant has to go with his own exertions, under God's and Guru's Grace. Do not be cheated by your mind, like a cook that makes your mouth to water, with various descriptions of dainties, but, in the end, keeps you starved. Don't pass away your whole night, in the fastidiousness about the cot, the bed, the pillow and the bed sheet, till the cock crows, and you are no longer your master. Begin with any spiritual exercise. Once you have secured God's and Guru's Grace, if you go wrong, at least, God is there to remunerate your sincerity, humility, and purity, and to guide you and to set you on right lines. The final stage is when the Soul and God are mutually the Enjoyer and the Enjoyed, with nothing between the two, till the Soul finally merges in Mother. There should not be the slightest feeling of droopingness, on a comparison of yourself with the highest saints, that have "realized". Judge your progress by how far and how much you have bettered yourself, and never, by how much still remains. There is no end to how much still remains, even for the highest of saints. The highest proof of the Mother's Mercifulness is, that for the smallest effort of any striving aspirant, he gets a permanent benefit, that helps him, not for one life alone, but for lives and lives. In fact, true Religion is a science of not only improving your externals, but also and mainly, your own internal instruments and faculties, and transferring and sublimating your mind, heart and your own very Self. Further, the most secret point of a guiding principle, in the serial arrangement of events, circumstances, and conditions in the chalked-out life for every being, has been that of the alternate following of opposites. Without this, life would have been unbearable and all exertion for progress would have been discouraging and tiresome. Pleasure and pain, success and failure, perspiring work and undisturbed peaceful rest, rise and fall, march and retreat, have been designedly made to fill up alternately the long decades of a period of each and every human life. There are extremely few cases of "no joy" and "misery" all alone at a long suicide-suggesting stretch. A little feasting has been always provided after every fasting.

The Founder buries the centuries-old quarrel of Dwaitism and Adwaitism, stating that on the strictest analysis, there is nothing intrinsically, and practically conflicting or contradictory between the two. Not only that, but Adwaitism is, as Founder believes, on strictest censorship, only the continuation, and extension of Dwaitism. Mai-ism says, it is much safer to teach "Thou art God" than "I am God", when you have to select a teaching for millions of people of all places for all times. As a matter of fact, "I am God" is not really a teaching, but the most spontaneous expression of the fewest of the few blessed, that have realized the final-most stage, and it is given to few to realize. Don't forget that, in your modern madness of equality. It is only a modesty and a pampering, when a high-placed man says "What one man can do, another can surely do". In fact, "one man may not be worth even to tie the laces of the shoes of another".   

The world is neither unreal nor real. It is an unreal reality and a real unreality. It is real at one stage, and temporarily an unreal at another stage, and again real at the final "Parabhakti-stage" of "Poorna-Prema", when everything becomes Mother. The unreality of the world is not an absolute fact, but a hypothesis of unflinching faith for Adwaitists, which, on the perfect training of the mind, permanently places them in undivided, undifferentiated, infallible, perfect unification with Almighty Mother. 

The world is physically and mentally and scientifically getting more consolidated and compacted. A time must come when either Religion altogether disappears, or there is only One Religion- assuredly, the latter though for the fewest of the few. The world is advancing towards simplest classifications, such as God or Nature, Religion or Science, Altruism or Individualism, Man or Woman, Selflessness or Selfishness, give or take, virtue or vice, love or hate, etc. 

Founder believes, in the changed circumstances, God has become Mother, who was till now Father; and Mother, with every mercifulness for Her children, has offered to the world, the simplest, surest and speediest Universal Religion of Mai-ism, having made its start with Mai-Swarupa Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who lived his whole life as Mother's Child. The element of Universality, so very convincingly taught by Paramahamsa during his Sadhana of identification with different religious Founders and Deities, was given a world-wide spread and application to include all men, one and all, by Swami Vivekanand, the Saint of Saints and the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The Founder further believes, Mother has declared The Universal One Religion of Mai-ism through the "nimitta" (nominal instrumentality) of his own humble little self, on 2nd September 1932. 

Regarding the success of any religious movement, Mother alone knows the future; but this much is certain, that the hopes of every originator are in most cases ever immortal. He leaves nothing undone that he can, within his possibilities; and if the originators' hearts were possible of being fathomed, one would find there, pictures of perpetuities and infinities, which need no basis for their existence, of any actualities and possibilities. Any religious movements originator's soul does not get satisfied and peaceful, on leaving his work half-done, and he continues his work sometimes with much greater powerfulness and promptness, in the disembodies state. During the lifetime of a worker, so many imperfections are there, with incongruencies, jealousies, enmities, adversities, poverties, obstructions, oppositions, etc. On the personal-prejudice-factors disappearing, on demise, the true worth of the spade-work done and the principles taught and laid down, gradually begin to advance, if both have their intrinsic worth, and if the foundations have been laid deep enough, beyond devastating time-effects. If the world continues to give a hearty response with nourishment and replenishment of men, money, and material, solid work more and more follows. Every plant may grow, or die as well, with no fault attachable to the seed-sower. The growth of a religious movement is extremely slow and has to be measured in terms of decades, in the cases of small sub-religions, or sects or "Sampradayas", and quarters and higher fractions of centuries, in the case of religions, possessing the potential magnitude of the major religions prevalent in this world of ours. The calculation of probabilities is outside the pale of human imagination, as would be seen from the history of every religion, large or small, as there are innumerable, indeterminate factors that play their wonderful part both ways, in the present as well as in the future. Anyway, the proportion that the full stature bears to the inception, great for great movements, and small for small ones, is surely unimaginable. It is all only Mother's Will, and no one knows what scenes are being arranged behind the curtains of the Unknown Future.

One surpriseful phenomenon, however, cannot escape the observation of serious and profound religious thinkers. If searching inquiries were made under the solemnity of oaths, to form the exact idea of what certain people or a certain society thought about a certain saint or a certain movement, during his lifetime, or in the commencement-period, strange revelations would meet our eyes and ears, sometimes under the brand-marks of madness and mischievousness. At least, the past history in this direction would amply justify the greatest claim to clemency, for the new workers, from time to time, if innocent ambition with a life-long sacrifice in the cause of world's wholesale welfare is not a crime.

This is an extremely interesting subject by itself, and, quite impersonally, I cannot withstand the inner urge of recording my views, because I have a mad passionateness about the psychological true understanding of Religion, although that is least attractive for the average Hindu mind, which loves Devotion and Divine knowledge, many times much more than the psychological analysis and synthesis. I record my views and beliefs, for the truest, and therefore, most automatically profitable understanding, and greatly indulge in dealing with details. I believe you can't have a perfect mastery over a whole, unless you have the same over the smallest piece-atoms, of a complicated complex whole.

We often find very little, or practically nothing, during the lifetime of a saint; and later, their places become centers of vast pilgrimages and fairs and festivals !!! Names of certain saints, practically unknown during their lifetime, or even spoken with ridicule, disgust, and blasphemy, are later in vogue as a sacred word for curing diseases and removing afflictions !!! Some saints had to pass days and days, without two happy meals, whereas their disciples got Rajahs and Kings to pull their cars. While Tukaram or Narasimha Mehta dies in poverty, and Meerabai in miseries, the stars, and cinema-owners, showing them on curtains only, moved in Rolls-Royce cars. Persons that were condemned as "unable to break a straw" during their lifetime, were later made "Saviours". The heart breaks when the two contrasts stand vividly before a deep devotee's eyes, and the heart chokes up as he tries to speak in broken words to the nearest friend-devotees. "It is all Her greatness and Her play. The Mother's Sportivity !! As if the world cannot be brought round except through miraculousness !!". "As if there is the Divine Plan to make the contrast as amazing as possible". Who would not be surprised if there were no history to learn, how few followers Christ or Mahommed had during their lifetime? And, while the life of Christ was full of highest miraculous experiences given to so many aggrieved, how fewest were they, that bore him out during his lifetime? There, there, there, is a triple alliance of Mother's Will, Maya-delusion and World's wickedness.

The world is always wise after the fair. We know hating the deserters or blaming the saints' relations, friends or followers, generations after. In revering and sky-raising the dead, the world has least to lose, as the contradicting, belittling tendency and the provability one way or the other go less and less, with the times. The World cautiously enough opens its mouth, only after every safety is there, after a certain time lapse, which can also be utilized to make out an ideal saint, selecting only the suitable living facts roundabout the saint when he was in flesh and blood.    

During the lifetime of a saint, even for honest appreciators, followers and disciples, the wickedness of the world prepare a hotbed, in the matter of an open declaration and a fearless free following. It looks, as if a Saint has not simply to make his life, a series of supreme virtues and sacrifices, but has also to win a victory over the world. And there, it is Mother's Will alone that decides the issue. Main-most thing is the consideration of the whole future of mankind, or of a certain nation, with its deservedness or its reverse. That consideration is supreme with Mother, in making final decisions.

But for Bhairavi Brahmini, who could have the most astonishing boldness of declaring Paramahamsa to be an Incarnation? Whose Incarnation? has not been clarified, as far as Founder's scanty knowledge goes. Mai-ism proclaims "He was UNIVERSAL MOTHER INCARNATE".

That is the secret of understanding the lives of saints. There is a superb supernatural courage, which God alone can give to such ones, as have lived their lives on the practically same plane as the saint. The worshipped is merely nothing without the worshippers; and the world knows one Shakespeare, although creating hundreds. For persons of the usual ordinary religious stuff, or of the still inferior selfish worldly stuff, a mere conviction about saintliness is not enough. It requires a crushing-resistance-strength of sacrifice, to be siding with a new unknown unaccepted star or planet in the Religious Firmament.

How much is really claimable by man, in the coming forth of any new religious movement, or a sub-religion or a religion?? It is all the making of Mother alone. The miraculousness of "nothing during a saint's life", and "an amazing huge blaze" thereafter, is not simply a freak or fancy of Almighty. That too has a deep meaning. It is a proclamation of Man's nothingness, even the highest saint's nothingness, and a working out of an Inviolable Divine Law. "The seed shall have to perfectly perish". To the extent any crushing is incomplete, the growing tree will lose in lusciousness, lustre, and longevity. There is nothing more complicated and incomprehensible, as the dealing of the World and Worldliness, with a Saint and his Saintliness.

The life and longevity of any religious movement depend on its Sacred Fire being kept up alive, by the further sacrifices of more and more high souls as disciples and faithful followers, and as the fire, light and spirit of the predecessors get dimmed, with the advent of times.

We know nothing. We see nothing. Who can understand the working of millions of waves, rising and falling every second, of every unimaginable and immeasurable variety, in the Infinite Ocean of Universal Consciousness, in the midst of which, and governing controlling and commanding every action thereof, stands the UNIVERSAL DIVINE MOTHER?? HERSELF!! ALL ALONE!!

Who is the Reader? And who is the Writer? Who is the Founder? And who is the Follower? Who is the Judge of and who is the Judge? Everything is only Mother, Mother and Mother alone. Mother dictates, and Mother writes. Mother reads and Mother thinks. Mother blames and Mother praises. Mother worships Herself, and Mother plays with Herself.

Where are you and I?? Mere reflections of the Mother Moon !!! In the lake of Maya !!! Either when the lake dries up, or when Mother-moon wills it so !!!

UNIVERSAL MOTHER MAI, BLESS US ALL.

JAY MAI     JAY MAI     JAY MAI

MAI-SWARUPA MAI-MARKAND  

Founder of MAI-ISM and President, 

"MOTHER'S LODGE".  Saraswathi Road,

Santa Cruz West,Bombay-23

Introduction to Mai-ism book edition 1952

  MAI-ISM 

JAY MAI JAY MARKAND MAI 

" IN APPRECIATION " 

(FROM N.S. LOKUR )

( Retired Judge of the Bombay High Court, President, Railway Rates Tribunal, Madras and Chairman, Air Transport Licensing Board, Delhi. )

It is indeed a pleasurable coincidence that I am writing this Appreciation of my friend Mai-Markand’s soul-stirring work, on the auspicious day of the 20th anniversary of the Mother’s Installation by him on the 2nd of September 1932. I had the good fortune to meet him six years later when we were both serving in Poona. He was then Rao Saheb M.R. Dholakia, L.C.E., Land Acquisition Officer. Even when he was still in Government service, he had long been convinced that his mission in life was to teach and preach Mai-ism, and he set about publishing brochures on the subject. One of the most eloquent brochures he gave to the world is “ Mother’s Message “ of Mai-ism, which was published in 1944. Mai-ism has its origin in the Motherhood conception of God Almighty and that conception has been elaborately developed in his present volume. This has necessarily involved a good deal of labour, but the author has succeeded in explaining every aspect of Mai-ism in great detail. He has developed the subject by citing his own personal experiences even when he was a mere schoolboy. In fact, the book is full of instances of personal experiences which go to convince the reader. He himself says in paragraph 727 (p. 642):-“The Founder has one peculiarity. He mostly writes or speaks his own experience only, because they are matters of his  own full conviction, regarding which, he can speak to others with self-confidence and penetrating-ness”.

His Motherhood conception of the Almighty is intended to be and is capable of being, adopted by everyone, whatever his creed, caste, nationality, or birth-religion. Even one who does not believe in the existence of any God may be a Mai-ist if he believes in the ideal of loving and serving all selflessly. Mai-ism lays emphasis on “love, service, devotion, and self-surrender”. The author says (p.456), “If you want a religion of only one word, it is that of SHARANAGATI (self-surrender)”, a very noble idea indeed!! On p. 570, he says:

 “Religion is to be seen in the life you live, and not in the words you speak or write or in some particular external ritualistic actions or observances, that people call as religion”.

This is the pith of Mai-ism. What is Emancipation or Salvation, according to Mai-ism, is dealt with in paragraph 677 (page 579), and the various ways to attain it, as laid down by different religions and different philosophers and saints, are described in the succeeding paragraphs. But the author’s message is contained in paragraph 773 (p. 729)

“For worldly man and woman, I recommend nothing so emphatically as Service and Surrender. If they don’t know even the A.B.C. of that most formidable thing spoken of as “Religion”,they need not droop in despondency. Serve your parents, serve  your Guru, serve your God, serve your wife, children, friends and  relations, serve your neighbors, serve all. No technique is required therein. Mother, Herself will lift you up. Mother has Herself  promised. And that is Mai-ism”.

To a casual reader, the book may appear to contain a frequent repetition of certain ideas, but the obvious object of the author is to impress those ideas on the mind of the reader, and make him imbibe the doctrines of Mai-ism and realize the truth of the precept given on page 690:-

 “Your rights and claims on your Mother are proportionate to and based on your love, service, devotion, and surrender to Her as your Mother”.

The author has brushed aside importance to, or the indispensability of, mere external methods or names or forms of worship, rituals, prayers, or need for any limited isolated groups or folds or any particular places or shrines and he has, in his broadest view and mind, deeply touched the Universally-needed essential of living in thought, word and deed, a life of “Love to all, Service to all”, “Devotion to and cheerful unconditional Self-Surrender to the Supreme” by whatever name one may call or conceive the Supreme for oneself. Not only that, he has throughout tried successfully to live such a life, in spite of severe ordeals, hardships and not by any means affluent and congenial circumstances in life as a worldly man. The author prescribes as the most practical ordinary and simple psychological conception of God and Religion- that of “Mother and Child”- with the minimum or practically no qualifications, requirements, or “Sadhana”, or rituals or ceremony needed, for this straight, simple and direct approach to the Highest Almighty. “Love and Mercy” attributes of God are deeply emphasized. “God is not to be feared, but loved”.

In particular, to the common worldly man, the author openly declares that, under Mai-ism, prayers for legitimate help and needs in one’s Samsaric (worldly) material or mundane life, and for relief from misery, calamity, dangers, fears, and sufferings, are quite proper and rational; and he declares that any theoretical theology or philosophy or religious talks which rule out prayers for Divine aid, or which do not take note of the actual problems of the human worldly life (individual or national) are unhelpful and irrational and cannot be convincing or appealing to the generality of mankind. Even the worst sinner and criminal have a right to look up to Mai for his reform and redemption. “The weakest child is the most cared for and dearest to its mother”.

The posterity (as in the case of all Saints and Incarnations, in the past) would decide how to profit by or how to receive and accept “Mai-ism” and the author’s sayings and his life’s work. Today, no one is known to have revolted against its tenets of quite Universal wide outlook and application. Several who look upon the author as a (Motherly) Saint or Sat-Purusha, (however with no Saintly robes), are his devotees, followers, and disciples; some there are who regard him as perhaps an Incarnation of Divine Mother, next to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and call him “Mai-Kaka”, “Mai-ji”, “Mai-Swarup” and “Mai-Markand”. But, unquestionably, most who regard him as a very good-natured, kind-hearted, generous friend and guide; they go to him for consolation, sympathy, words of cheer and hope, for blessings and for his prayers to Mai in their personal worldly troubles of various sorts- such as, sickness, unemployment, marriages, debts, poverty, calamities, troubles in family life, in their jobs, etc.

One can easily appreciate that the author is passionately thirsting for readers and listeners and has a plenty to narrate and impart for the “awakening” of, or for the benefit of, everyone who is interested. Perhaps, the tenets of “Mai-ism” are not entirely new or novel; but its particular one-pointed emphasis and concentration on the simple Mother-Child conception, on Universality, on love, mercy and service to all (in actual life, thought, word and deed), on the proper attitude towards worldly duties, women and wealth, amongst others, are quite distinct and unique, and are bound to be highly valuable to the modern conditions and times, in bringing about a greater measure of peace, goodwill, contentment, happiness and prosperity to the world, individuals, countries and nations.

This book is to be highly commended for its thought-provoking explanatory elucidation of the said tenets of Universal application, and for the inner revelation of the spiritual experiences of the author and is meant for the benefit of English-knowing persons of all creeds, communities, and nationalities.

Before concluding, I must express my gratitude to Shri: A.C.S. Chari, B.A., B.L., Advocate, for the pleasure he gave me in discussing some aspects of Mai-ism. The charm of Mai-ism lies in its simplicity, and the public owes a debt of gratitude to the author for expounding it in such an elaborate manner in this book.

May the Divine Supreme Mother bless this book, its saintly author, its readers and all of us.

(Sd.) N.S. LOKUR

“Adyar House”

MADRAS-20

2nd September 1952.  

Extract from the MAI-ISM book edition 1952.

                                                                      

CELEBRATION DAYS

 

JAYA MAAI JAYA MARKAND MAAI

CELEBRATION DAYS 

Mai-ism scripture is simple. It consists of Six words only: Mother, Love to Mother and Her Children, Universality, Service, Devotion and Self Surrender. (Please Part I). see pages 56, 57, of "Mai Sahasranama" Vol. 1,

The first word 'Mother' ' indirectly and implicitly Includes the principle or the word of spiritual co-equal status of man and woman.

Of course practice will take time but at least the scripture is over. In practical life the spirit of spiritual coequal status of man and woman in addition to the four concepts of love, service, devotion and self-surrender are also to be rigidly observed. In every thought, action and desire, keep these Six words before you. If the practice is observed with full austerity, your life is crowned with success by Mai's Grace resulting from your devotion to Her. Relief from misery, happiness and finally salvation are easily attained. Even if there is no conviction about God, Mai-ism has the broadest vision and the words of devotion and surrender should be applied to one's master husband, employer, guardian, parents, patrons etc.

Just practice for a year and you will find you are transformed. Practise it at least one day (Mai days being Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Sunday in the order of importance), or one day in a month say the full moon day, or once in a year, say your birthday or once in your life on your death-bed and mark the miraculous change.

As detailed in " Mai Sahasranama" (1940). Mother's Day is the day of practice. Do not be wrathful on this day. Do not utter lies. Do not cheat. Do not assume or abuse superiority. Do not exploit helplessness, ignorance or misunderstanding. Do not refuse possible service to the needy. Do not indulge in pleasure. Do not behave naughtily. Do not seek luxury. Do not pervert the truth. Do not misconstrue, misinterpret or take an uncharitable view. Do not think or believe or harbor bad thoughts. Do nothing bad Do not crush the poor and weak.

None needs being taught what should be done and what not. Be religious and truly religious on that day at least. Do fast to the extent your vitality permits. Keep silence as long as possible. What goes out of your mouth is often more dangerous than what goes inside through the mouth. All other days are again yours to lead a free life as your agitated mind chooses. Do what little you can. However little in good thing done is much higher than however great the work but only intended or merely desired to be done but actually not done at all. For a Mai-ist a little is better than nothing and it is a matter of satisfaction for himself and encouragement to and example for others. Don't trust the next occasion or moment for beginning any good and meritorious work. Done is done in spite of any imperfection and incompletion Not done is not done in spite of hundreds of justifications for not doing. Any good work once begun, increases in its goodness as time passes.

Temples are there;) scriptures are there, worships by hundreds are there, pandits are there. What is not there is the altruistic, benevolent, devotional spirit, the understanding, the outlook, the sincerity, the faith, the service, the sacrifice and selflessness or in one word, the perseverance and practice of living a self-controlled righteous, and goodness-dedicated life. The said improvement of the mentality itself takes place and progresses with religious and spiritual purest thinking, virtuous living moral environments, varied experiences, etc., although say with a snail or an ant's speed. The miraculous unbelievable transformation however, with an aeroplane's speed has however only one source and remedy and that is only the most sincere surrender to God and Guru which as well governs the said avenues of improvement.

The special days are to be observed as described above to the extent of one's increasing capacities, and the subject of celebration and celebration days has been described elementarily on Page 139 of "Mai Sahasranama" Vol. II under "Falashruthi" (Recollection of benefits arising from Mai Devotion). It is more than clear to all Mal-ists that in respect of observance, the same principle as explained in the case of sacraments holds good. (1) A Mai-ist must observe as far as possible the undermentioned days, (2) that such observance is more than enough, although (3) any Mai-ist is entirely free to make additions according to one's own personal wishes or the suggestions of one's family, society, community or religion, ancestral tradition or hereditary customs.

Very generally speaking, in addition to the days mentioned below, one should select a particular day representing the day of his individual select adoption and loved religion and similarly a day of his own personal religious initiation, Guru worship and any other day which one's society holds sacred or popular.

It need not be stated here that the most predominant humanity portion from which Mai-ism has drawn admirers, followers, devotees, votaries and adherents is that of Hindus, though Mai-ism has so many advocates and admirers belonging to other religions as well. One thing is true, viz. that Mai-ism has not any other religionists than Hindus who take full part in the worship and that is so very natural.

There should be no misunderstanding or any wrong conclusion or delusion arising from the statement of the stated Hindu predominance. Any Mai-ism literature reader can immediately see that, if there be sufficient minimum number of Mai-ists of any other religions, Mai-ism has so often proclaimed in writing its Willingness to accept any newly suggested or newly  composed prayer series, etc. of any other religion, a new method of worship to be followed by them as say Jain Mai-ists, Christian Mai-ists, Muslim Mai-ists, etc. (Please read "Mai Sahasranama" Vol. II page. 222 - 'Details of Mother Worship'.)

If we penetratingly analyze, the general religious mentality of the modernized Hindus, even though they have joined or taken part in Mai-ism, is interesting. (although the analysis has been subject to a rigid standard.) It is made clear hereunder.

As it is, the modern world is practically living quite a materialistic life. Most of the Hindus have very little interest in religion now. Naturally unless they are in need of any religious or divine help they would not like to be dislodged from their safe and silent saddle of living nominally but under the denomination of "Hindus". Full of lethargic inertia, especially in the matter of higher pursuits, they do not like to undergo any deviation from the trodden religious path, in virtue of the only reason of their association with Mai-ism, if that association is merely nominal, theoretical temporary or only as a need satisfying measure.

There is another class of 'religious' styled Hindus which has an academical, intellectual interest especially in scriptures and philosophers and they have not realised the internal ecstasies of devotion. Such ones agree to be appreciative of Mai-ism but nothing further thereafter.

Just on a little religious higher plane there is again the routinistic or self-centred orthodox class, some ones of which do actually feel the need of some reformation and change. However most of the religious persons of this class, while they covertly appreciate Mai-ism, have  all their enthusiasm evaporated under their self

pride with the inward feeling of "our own religion" of "Hinduism" is only the best, '"the highest best".

Some of their bear feeling of resentment against Maiism in as much as is surely and admittedly indebted to Hinduism, It is a decision as bureaucratic

under the ancestral roof, even though in the midst of all Illiteracies, poverty, and possibly all heterogeneities, for the only reason that he has been born in that family, They exclude all considerations except the parental birthright over the son,

There are others who are yet more aggressive, They desire that any healthy reform would be welcomed by them but they should be placed before the world, as approved and sanctioned by their own acknowledged religious authorities and under the name of "Hinduism'. And this they would expect without the smallest sympathy, encouragement, assistance or co-operation

Yet another class is that of the "lurking thief" which is Maiji's favourite expression. It is getting into a house either as a friend or a guest or a lurking thief during day-time, the thief concealing himself in the corner, observing every detail of possessions, etc, in the day-time and awaiting nightfall or moments of weakness when everything is to be shattered or snatched under the threat of the brutal knife.

All these classes of Hinduism deter the general Hindu mass from associating with Mai-ism, which would naturally create the idea of unification of Hinduism with Mai-ism.

Practically therefore only such fractions of the whole Hindu world have greatest attractions for Mai-ism as are from their full heart fully religious but whose conscience is not satisfied or constantly experiencing that the Hindu life lived actually and factually is entirely different from what is required to be as depicted in theory and speech.

The late Ernest Kirk, the author of "The World's Need and Mai-ism", under the Chapter 'Maiji', a Man of Destiny, has explained this very idea in these words:

"Maiji is born in the family of orthodox Nagar Brahmins, equivalent to, say a Namboodiri in Malabar, or an Acharyar in Madras. This gave Maiji a schooling in Hinduism (orthodox Hinduism), with all its rites, ceremonies and scriptural studies. He was however, brought face to face with the actual struggles and difficulties that confront those in Hinduism, and indeed in every religion, who are feeling the need for something more, real and satisfying than is being offered to them."

Thus even though the Hindu class is as large as an ocean, it is only a particular fraction therefrom which feels the constant need of Divine protections and religious joys and which has not been successful in finding their own joys and misery-relieving means that have rallied round Mai-ism. The greatest uniqueness of Mai-ism is that with only a small preliminary idea of the most important principles of life, it at once starts with the devotion, Mai-Worship, Guru-contact, Mantra repetitions etc. Thus the test of the pudding being in the eating thereof, almost everyone has been a staunch Mai-ist who has already tasted the fruits in solid form, of Mai-Devotion.

It is the only most practical way for general all round happiness and peace, which every human being is in search of and lives for. Mai-ism lays special emphasis not simply on so called arbitrary grounds of religion but even from the viewpoint of psychology, on the continued practice of day to day and hour to hour of maintaining the mental attitude and religious spirit of devotional attachment, in the midst of different moods through various modes of keeping oneself, as much engrossed and absorbed as possible during one's life, in occupations of daily programmes of devotion, benevolence, services wherever needed without any differences, and with universal outlooked love. The monotony of the daily programme needs being wiped out for renewal of enthusiasm and energy, and that is being done through the particular points of time and periods in the eternal run of one's lifetime.

The said celebration days to be observed with rigidity and self-control, self-purification etc. as described before, serve as bench-mark points of new refreshing on the long way. Each year, for a Mai-ist, is supposed to complete by the end of the victory day of Dusserah when as far as possible, the convening of a Mai convocation, large or small, royal or rare with a special day for a Sisters' Social for all women, of any religion is desirable. If unfortunately money, men, material etc. are not coming forth, let such Mai Convocations be held once in two, three, five or even ten years. But let it be most fixedly riveted in the minds of Mai-ists that Sisters' Socials and Mai Convocations, the former representing the Mai-ism principle of the spiritual co-equal status, and the latter the universality, are the two special unique unparalleled, unprecedented features as a Religion of the Universal Mai-ism.

It may be just casually noted here that a pair of Jain religionists who had so many proofs of Mai's Grace came down to Bombay from Saurashtra and took their Oath. Naturally enough they must have full freedom to follow their own religion so far as that does not conflict with the universal truths and they too must have the happiness of selecting their own day for their own God and religion. The same thing is true surely for every religionist and it has been so very clearly mentioned at different places in Mai-ism literature as well as during Convocations that Mai-ism is fully and ever prepared to permit quite a different programme and method of prayer, ceremony, devotion etc. whenever followers of any other religions beside Hinduism join Mai-ism and propose a certain uniform set for them to follow, as say Jain Mai-ists, Zoroastrian Mai-ists, Christian Mai-ists etc. On a smaller scale this freedom has been fully granted even for the sub-classes of Hinduism as will be seen from the full liberty given to every Hindu to repeat specific mantras of one's deity as also to worship one's own deity. The subtlest point one has always to bear in mind is that whereas one's religion is an individual religion most suited to oneself, Mai-ism is the Universal Religion with Universal God for Universal Purpose in order to bring all different religious persons and forces together.

So much introduction being considered enough for the present purpose, we next take up the details and description of celebration days all of which must be observed in the manner described as far as practicable.

(1) Mai was installed on 2-9-1932. This particular day is primarily important.

(2) Good Friday. Mai-ism has considered this Christian day as a special day and a select day for convening meetings, taking oaths etc.

(3) Due to Mai's command in a dream, the first Sisters' Social was convened in Poona on 9-10-1932, Dusserah Day. So many other Sisters' Socials were held on Mai's command on Dussera days in Poona, Madras, Calicut. Trichur, Trivandrum and Ernakulam. Thus Dusserah day is very important as the day of victory for the outspread of universal Mai-ism.

(4) After Dussehra day ranks 23rd December, the birthday of Maiji on full moon Poornima Day of Margashirsh, stated to be the best of all months according to the Bhagavad Gita. This is also the Dutta Jayanti day. It may easily be seen that this day almost immediately precedes Christmas which falls on 25th December, which also should naturally be a celebration day. In a word, if possible, all three days viz. 23rd, 24th and 25th of December, should be observed as special days.

(5) The next most important day is Gudi Padva or the first day of Chaitra Navaratri, the day on which Mother's Lodge was founded for the outspread of Universal Mai-ism. (27-3-1933). It then had the denomination of 'Mother's Lodge' which gave inspiration to the opening of several Mai Mandals (equivalent Gujarati denomination) in Gujarat, principally through the devotional exertions of Keshavlal Pandya in Nadiad (Gujarat) and Mai Kalapi in Rajkot (Saurashtra) who have been working for Mai devotion outspread, as in-charge of a temple in each place, constructed through their collections. There are in all more than one hundred and thirty Mai Mandals and some of them are also in Africa, Mombassa etc. Please read pages 60 to 66 of "Mai-ism" regarding the details of the first devotee, Keshavlal's initiation in Poona and the widest sublimation of the Hindu Mataji conception to the Universal Mai conception in Gujarat and Saurashtra.

All these Mai Mandals principally started and practically supervised and guided by devotee Keshavlal of Nadiad, are from the practical viewpoint and test, religious, devotional centers of Hindu Mai-istic nature, and represent the variety of the combination of the 

universal conception of Mai with all the rest of the devotional old mentality of the Hindu Mataji's devotion, with notions, beliefs, traditions and customs etc. of the ancestral type, principally including the notions of possession, quickest pleasing-ness or wrathfulness etc., with which every Hindu is quite familiar. In fact any impartial spectator of the working there will not be far from right if he concludes that except the change in the name of "Mataji" to "Mai'', and a theoretical acceptance of the truth viz. that Mai is the Mother not only of Hindus, but of the whole world, there is very little of modern rational outlook or actual sublimation of the traditional mentality to attain the higher plane as desired, required and preached under strictly clear, purest Mai-ism or say as visualized and understood by educated and religious persons of an entirely clean slate nature.

All the same, most doubtlessly, they are pieces and parcels of Mai-ism, as Mai-ism has a welcoming heart for Hindu Mai-ists as well. A subtle distinction however, is pointed out here, viz. that they represent the Hindu Mai-istic variety which Mai-ism fully welcomes and accepts.

A change in the religious mentality is the hardest task to achieve and the necessary time for its achievement has to be most patiently reckoned in terms of a century and its quarters. The seed once sown in a suitable land never dies. Mai-ism feels fully confident, with a certainty that the routinistic no-change Mai-ists of the said Mai Mandals, after some more decades and years, with greater spiritual development and experience and after much higher considerations, contacts and concentrations, will not fall back into the old marshy mud pools, but will especially hasten to sublimate their narrowed down mentalities and run up to declare themselves as most homogeneous parts and parcels of the parent whole of the unadulterated Universal Maiism. Nothing can be more clear on this subtlest issue as the constant expression of Maiji viz. that Mal-ism is surely Hinduism in its absolute aspect but not Hinduism alone.

After about a long period of say twenty-five years, the seeds of Mai-ism developed into much stronger roots with an unbelievable slow but steady invisible growth. The institutional conception of enlarged itself into the more disciplined advanced and staunchly devoted shape and organized form of Mai Adherents' Institute with the actual construction of Mai temples named 'Mai Viddyut' and 'Mai Kripa' at Trichur and Perintalmanna respectively, both in Kerala State. Mai-ism has Mai Adherents' Institutes in Trichur, Perintalmanna, Madras, Poona and Bombay. It is quite a happy memorable point of noting that Poona is the birthplace of Mai and Mai-ism and the first Sisters' Social. The province of Madras has its own unique reputation of staunch religiosity; and before it was subdivided with the creation of the states of Andhra and Kerala was the birth province of different Acharyas of scriptural profound learning. Bombay has been the central headquarters from where the founder transmits his spiritual messages for the propagation of Universal Mai-ism. The last but not the least is the last sweetest morsel of the mention of the Kerala State which is the real home of Mai's mother and child devotion. Kerala with its higher education and respected rights of the woman, wife and mother has been the natural home of Mai.

To return to the principal commonplace ordinary, straight route issue, wherefrom this bifurcation took place, viz. the enumeration of the celebration days. For reasons explained, Gudi Padva day is a celebration day. This day as also Dusserah day are important Hindu days as well and principal days of Chaitra and Ashvin Navaratra, Navratri being the nine days' period for the propitiation of the Hindu Mother. The former Navaratra has just after its end, the most popularly religious Ram Navami day and the latter is immediately followed by the victorious Dussehra day.

For Mai-ists, any year, for the purposes of Mai-ism devotion and activity may be generally taken from one Dusserah day to another or for them that are staunchly attached to Mai and Mai-ji both from the date of 23rd of December of one year to that of the other i. e. practically from Christmas to Christmas.

(6) As already referred to on Page 139 on "Falashruti" Friday, Saturday and Tuesday of every week and full moon days are important.

(7) Birthdays of oneself, one's parents and especially of one's mother and before one's marriage, the birthdays of one's sisters and brothers; and after marriage, the marriage day and the birthdays of one's husband or wife and children.

(8) From the viewpoint of spiritual success, the day of one's Diksha or also the day when there is spiritual illumination due to Guru Kripa or any wonderful experience, the day of the demise of one's parents, Guru, husband or wife are considered important.

(9) Days of prayers and thanks-giving for welfare and success or desire to be achieved or already achieved.

(10) Finally, most naturally enough, the days of illness and calamities, days of special grace for particular attainments, undertaken periods of Vrata or Anustan or Purashacharan i. e. vow devotional continuation period and determination to finish a certain number of mantras etc.

(11) As desired or decided by any Mai-ist, any special day with suitable programme calculated to be most welcome to, and expected to be fully participated in by all neighboring and nearest Mai-ists may also be included in the list of celebration days.

As said earlier, on all the celebration days one should remain religious, truly religious, and if one's vitality permits, observe fast, keep silence as long as possible, repeat Mai names and conduct especially in the night Mai worship. Particularly on the celebration days one must practice love, service, devotion and self-surrender.

Most religious persons, saints and sages have always repeated the truth viz., that there are times when the very same meritorious actions bear maximum fruits. There must be a fixed time, day and period for everything holy to gain the maximum benifit of self elevation, removal of calamity, poverty, misery, etc. There must be a fixed time for breaking the lethargic monotony, for refreshing and revitalising energy. There must be a place for everything to maintain orderliness and a time for increasing discipline and personal merit. It may be casually observed that leaflets have been often printed regarding the instructions as to how to observe NAVARATRA. In Trichur, the spiritual strength consolidated during NAVARATRI fast periods has always brought victory to Mai convocations.

The above stated celebration days should be observed on similar lines to the extent of one's practicability.

MAI BLESS ALL