THE STORY OF KALAVATI

                                                       KALAVATI'S STORY

                WHEN I WAS SMALL, THERE WAS A WOMAN WHO LIVED AT THE FAR END OF OUR STREET WITH HER FOUR CHILDREN. HER HUSBAND HAD HELD A GOVERNMENT JOB, BUT HE DIED WHEN HER ELDEST DAUGHTER WAS ABOUT SEVEN YEARS OLD. THERE WAS A PROVISION IN HER HANBAND'S DEPARTMENT THAT IN CASE AN EMPLOYEE DIED WHILE STILL IN SERVICE, SOMEONE FROM THE FAMILY WOULD GET A JOB IN THEIR PLAC. BUT WITH KALAVATI BEING ILLITERATE AND CHILDREN SMALL, NONE OF THEM COULD GET A JOB. SHE TOOK TO WASHING DISHES AND CLEANING PEOPLE'S HOMES, WHICH WAS THE ONLY WORK SHE COULD DO TO FEED HER FAMILY, WHICH WAS THE ONLY WORK SHE COULD DO TO FEED HER FAMILY. KALAVATI HAD GREAT FAITH IN SHIVA, AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE MANTRA THAT SHE CHANTED ALL THE TIME, OM NAMA SHIVAYA. THIS SIMPLE MANTRA WAS THE MANTRA OF HER LIFE.

                I WAS QUITE YOUNG, NOT EVEN FOUR YEARS OLD, WHEN KALAVATI WAS WIDOWED. IT DID NOT EVEN OCCUR TO ME SHE MIGHT HAVE HAD A  HUSBAND AT SOME POINT IN TIME. I THOUGHT SHE HAD ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY, JUST HER WITH FOUR CHILDREN, DOING DISHES IN PEOPLE'S HOMES.

            MY MOTHER SAID TO HER ONCE, "I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO DO DISHES IN MY HOME BECAUSE YOU ARE A VERY SPIRITUAL PERSON, AND I CANNOT LIVE WITH THE BURDEN THAT YOU DO DISHES AND CLEAN HOMES. SO I WILL JUST PAY YOU SOMETHING - WE'LL GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO THE WORK."

           OVER THE YEARS, SOMETHING REMARKABLE HAPPENED TO KALAVATI. HER FACE STARTED TO SHINE LIKE THE SUN. SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON WHOM I SAW WHO HAD NOT JUST A SOFT GLOW TO HER SKIN, BUT A RADIANCE SO STRIKING, AS IF IT WAS JUST FLOWING FROM HER - AND SHE WAS SOMEBODY WHO DID NOT EVEN HAVE MONEY TO BUY SOAP. HER HEELS WERE BADLY CRACKED TOO, GIFTED HER SPIPPERS - ANY TIME SOMEBODY GIFTED HER SLIPPERS, SHE WOULD SIMPLY GIVE THEM TO ONE OF HER DAUGHTERS OR SONS. SHE WOULD SAY, "MY CHILDREN NEED SLIPPERS MORE THAN I DO". SO HER HEEL WERE CRACKED, BUT HER FACE GLOWED MIGHTILY.

            BY THE TIME SHE TURNED SIXTY, NOT EVEN ONE WRINKLE FORMED ON HER SKIN, THERE WAS JUST HER LARGE, GLOWING FACE, WITH HER GIANT FOREHEAD FRAMED BY MATTED LOCKS, BECAUSE SHE WAS VERY POOR.

           AT FIRSTM, SHE AND HER CHILDREN LIVED IN ONLY ONE ROOM. WITH SOME HELP, THEY MANAGED TO GET ANOTHER ROOM FOR TWO OF HER CHILDREN, THEN ONE OF HER SONS GOT MARRIED AND THE OTHER ONE STARTED RIDING A LITTLE RICKSHAW. SHE PUT A TIN ROOF OVER THEM, AND THAT'S WHERE SHE WOULD LIVE. IN THAT LITTLE PLACE, THERE WAS A BED AND A LARGE PICTURE OF SHIVA, AND SHE WOULD SPEND ALL OF HER TIME THERE.

         ONE DAY, WHEN MY PARENTS WERE LOOKING FOR A MATCH FOR MY SISTER, SHE CAME TO OUR HOME AND SAID TO MY SISTER, TOMORROW , SOME PEOPLE ARE COMING TO SEE YOU, MY MOTHER WAS THERE, AS WAS. I WAS NOW 16 YEARS OLD. WE WERE ALL SURPRISED. BECAUSE INDEED SOMEONE WAS COMING TO SEE IF THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF A MARITAL ALLIANCE, BUT WE HADN'T TOLD ANYBOD. KALAVATI SAID, "THEY WILL COME IN A WHITE CAR, HIGH CAR, THE BOY WILL BE WEARING A SHIRT WITH STRIPES". AND FOR SOME REASON, AND YOU WILL GET MARRIED HERE. AND OH SHE SAID, "THE BOY IS FAIR-SKINNED".

          THE NEXT DAY, SOME PEOPLE SHOWED UP IN A WHITE TATA SIERRA - A BOY WITH A FAIR COMPLEXION, ALONG WITH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER. HE WAS WEARING A SKIRT WITH STRIPES. CAN YOU IMAGINE? AND HE ACCIDENTALLY LOCKED HIS IGNITION KEY IN THE CAR, WHICH DELAYED THEM. THEY CALLED SOMEBODY  TO HELP, BUT THEY COULDN'T OPEN THE DOOR LOCK. FINALLY, THEY BROKE THE WINDOW OF THE CAR SO THEY COULD GET INTO IT. EVERYTHING SHE SAID CAME TO PASS, WORD FOR WORD, EXCEPT THAT MY SISTER NEVER GOT MARRIED THERE. AND THE ALLIANCE NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

            THERE WAS A FUNNY REASON FOR THAT

          WHEN THEY HAD A BREAK THE WINDOW OF THE CAR, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSPECTIVE GROOM BECAME CONCERNED. SHE WAS A WINDOW FROM A VERY WELL - OFF FAMILY, SHE THOUGHT THE EPISODE WITH WINDOW TO BE A BAD OMEN. I AM WORRIED, SHE SAID, "IF THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING BEFORE THE WEDDING THEN AFTERWARDS, GOD KNOWS WHAT ALL WE WILL HAVE TO BEAR".

             WHEN YOU CHANT A MANTRA WITH DEVOTION AND FAITH, YOU DEVELOP VERY SHARP INTUITION - BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN EVERYTHING YOU SAY WILL COME TRUE. IT CAN, PROVIDED YOU REMAIN EMOTIONALLY UNATTACHED. KALAVATI LOVED OUR FAMILY, SHE CAME ON HER OWN VOLITION TO MAKE THOSE PREDICTIONS, AND SHE WANTED MY SISTER TO GET MARRIED THERE.

          HERE IN LIES TWO OF YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGES AS A SADHAK:

             1. TO NOT SAY THINGS THAT ARE NOT PART OF YOUR INTUITION , AND

             2. TO KNOW WHAT ISN'T PART OF YOUR INTUITION. YOU MUST ASK                                  YOURSELF, IS WHAT I AM SAYING COLOURED BY MY EMOTIONS?

            FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MIGHT SAY TO SOMEONE, "DON'T WORRY, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO WORK OUT," ARE YOU SAYING THIS BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT THAT PERSON AND YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO GO THROUGH ANY TROUBLE, OR ARE YOU SAYING THIS BECAUSE YOU ARE HEARING, FEELING OR PERCEIVING IT THAT WAY?

         WHEN YOU DO MUDRAS AND WHEN YOU DO NYASA CORRECTLY, THE CHANCES OF SUCH ERRORS LESSEN SIGNIFICANTLY, BECAUSE YOU ARE IN DEVI BHAVA - YOU ARE IN THE SENTIMENT OF YOUR DEITY. YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO JUST BLABBE OUT OF A SENSE OF ATTACHMENT, TO SAY THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN. INSTEAD, YOU WOULD SAY THINGS OBJECTIVELY, LIKE A RADIOLOGIST READING A REPORT OR SCAN. THERE COMES A DISCERNING WISDOM WHEN YOU CHANT A MANTRA CORRECTLY.

                                                                      ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤