Baba' Storytime - Devi's Compassion and Grace

 

Among the many lessons driven home to the students in Brindavan by Bhagavan Baba in His evening discourses in April, 1997, in Trayee Brindavan,  one was concerned with the need for firm determination on the part of a devotee to earn the grace of the Lord. Bhagavan related an episode from the life of Adi Shankara as a young lad.

"The great Acharya was barely four years old at the time. His father, a devout scholar, used to offer daily worship to Goddess Raajeshwari every morning. Meditating before the Goddess with closed eyes, he would offer a bowl of cow's milk to her. When he opened his eyes after meditation, he would find that bowl was only half-full, the other half having been accepted as an offering by the Goddess. 

One day, he had to go to a neighbouring village for three days. He told his wife to arrange worship of the Goddess in the customary manner with the offering of milk, with the young Shankara deputizing him in the worship. In accordance with his father's instructions, the young lad sat in front of the Goddess in the sanctum and performed the prescribed ritual. 

After meditation, when he opened his eyes, he was astonished to see that the bowl of milk offered to the Goddess remained full. He felt sad and cried out: 'Divine Mother! What wrong have I done? I cannot bear this punishment. Please show your grace on me as you did for my father.' He prayed intensely for some time with closed eyes. 

When he opened his eyes he saw that the bowl was now totally empty. All the milk had gone. He was in distress again and cried out: "Devi! You have consumed all the milk. Where is our share of the Prasadam? If we are denied this, what mother will say and what will others think? I will not leave this place till the bowl is refilled.' 

In response to fervent prayers, the Goddess spoke: "Dear child! When the river has joined the river, how can it be redirected? 

Shankara said: 'Nobody will believe me when I say that no milk was left in the bowl after my worship. They may think that I drank all of it. I cannot face them. Devi! Without your Prasad, I will not leave this place. I will lay down my life at your Feet.'' 

Swami concluded this moving account of the episode with the following finale: 

"Devi Raajeshwari's heart melted on hearing the young boy's appeal. She took the bowl and poured her Divine breast milk into it and gave it to the young devotee.' The compassion of the Divine, Swami said, has no limits." 

 (SS. 6/97, p. 153)