Mother: The Master has householder devotees too. Why do you worry?
In spite of these words I was still worried. After a while the Mother said, "My brothers too are married."
Disciple: Did they marry with your consent?
Mother: What is to be done? The Master used to say, "The worms seen in excreta thrive well there, but if kept in a pot of rice, they will simply die." These days nieces do not serve, their uncles as sincerely as we used to do.
Disciple: Things are changing gradually.
Mother: That's true. Don't you see? Formerly I couldn't kill even an ant, but these days I sometimes beat a cat! The Master used to say,
"Tuhu, Tuhu"-"Thou
, Thou!" He meant that only after terrible sufferings does a man resort finally to "Thou, Thou (Lord, Lord)." Selfishness-well, it persists as long as a person is self-assertive, but not when that is overcome. Why entertain any fear? All conditions can turn favourable by the will of the Master. Perhaps your wife has some good deeds to her credit. The Master used to say,
"Avidya is more powerful than
vidya." That is why
avidya maya1 has kept the world enchanted.
It was Sunday, 20 April 1919. The Holy Mother was staying at Jagadamba Ashrama at Koalpara in the district of Bankura. At about ten in the morning Manindra, Satu, Narayana Iyengar and others had come to salute the Holy Mother. The Mother had been staying here for more than a month. The male devotees were staying and taking their meals at the Koalpara monastery.
The son of the Holy Mother's niece Maku was seriously ill at Jayrambati; he was suffering from Diphtheria. The child was under the treatment of Vaikuntha Maharaj (Swami Mahadevananda). The Mother was terribly worried as to what might happen to the child. This topic came up for discussion as soon as the devotees took their seats after saluting the Mother. Narayana Iyengar said, "Mother, the child will be cured through your blessings." The Mother folded her palms and pointing to
—————
1 Avidya maya or the 'Maya of ignorance' which entangles man in worldliness. Vidya maya leads one to liberation. These are the two aspects of maya or ignorance obscuring the vision of God.