"NO GREATER LOVE"

The role Easwaramma plays and gives to Sai Women

In reading exerts on Easwaramma's Life, Sai Ladies are reminded of the true magnificence of womanhood and the ultimate gift of being a Mother.

The birth of a baby may be seen as "God's Opinion that the World should Continue" so we will all have very important roles to play, for some time yet !

Perhaps there is "no greater love" nor extraordinary priviledge, than the gift of a close relationship with a child. This relationship may be, as a friend or relative, as not everyone may choose to become, a parent.

With this, comes the opportunity to raise "Our Children of the World", as absolute gifts - Our responsibility is to assist them in appreciating and utilising the innate capacity to grow , give, learn ,love, and contribute, and then to be given back to our beloved Swami, when they reach the age of consent.

One Australian Sai mother, crying on the steps of the temple having been called for an interview with her three sons, was gently and lovingly told by Swami "Why are you crying, Bliss is when a Mother brings her sons back to God and a Father brings his daughters"

Easwaramma and Sathya Sai Baba, 1955

It is important for Sai Women to always remember Easwaramma, surely the most blessed of all mothers. Imagine having God for a Son and to have the sacred bond of mother and son intensified a million times by the Son being recognised from conception, as being extraordinary, and Divine. Perhaps the fine line of loving Sathya Sai as her son and accepting him as God and ultimately becoming his devotee, is a lesson and an example for us all, as parents.

The Tibetans have a wonderful word, NAMASTE

This can be roughly translated as "The Divine in Me, Welcomes the Divine in You." To see the Divine in our own children and to nurture and guide them, (through being the example ourselves,) provides the ultimate opportunity and also the ultimate gift.

Easwaramma's extraordinary life was certainly an inspiration and example to us all as Women of Sai, and in being Swami's mother, Easwaramma became the mother of millions.

The gift of parenting and how we can embrace such inspirational qualities as Easwaramma, in our own lives, is worthy of deep consideration. Perhaps in essence we must acknowledge Mothers in particular, but Fathers as well, and those intending to become parents in the future, as well as those who may not become parents, but will surely have the opportunity at some time to touch the life of a child in some wonderful way.

Parenting provides us with the leverage to make the most of ourselves and both enables and encourages us, to be the very best we can. We are given the opportunity to become teachers, protectors, providers, cheer leaders, disciplinarians, role models and very often, students.

Many Sai Mothers can think of an example of feeling very much like the student, when their child has taught them something.

Perhaps it is worth considering the possibility of celebrating Mothers' Day every day, in fact for all of us to celebrate everyday, the Gift of Life and the opportunity to think of ourselves as not only the "Givers of Life", but the "Custodians of Souls".

In doing this we can then ask ourselves, "Are we The Living Example of the values that we dream our child will hold Dear?"

"A tiny fragrant of the future", is moulded by our parenting or the contact we have with a child.

Sai Women are given the opportunity to sow the seeds of human values in the tender hearts of their children and to bring out the latent divinity from within each of them. Swami has given us the recipe in our Educare programme.

We are being called on…"To be the change we wish to see in the World" and to provide a physical and emotional environment that nurtures, teaches and inspires our children with values that cherish the gift of life as truly sacred, and acknowledges that" Love", must be the №1 priority .We all must do everything we possibly can, to be this example.

Bust of Easwaramma at Easwaramma High School, Puttaparthi

In studying Easwaramma's life we are told of the Growth she experienced as a mother, and many of us reading this, can also see the gifts of growth in ourselves, that children bring us.

Easwaramma confided to many, her own slow journey of ongoing growth, her initial struggles and fears as a mother first and finally as a devotee of her 8th child, giving place to wonder, wonder turning to awe, awe turning to acceptance, acceptance expressing as adoration and adoration yielding delight.

Easwaramma's ability to love unconditionally and to embrace the opportunities her life presented, was truly inspirational and extraordinary.

Sai Ladies' LIFE'S PURPOSE is surely, to also be, extraordinary . Let us ask ourselves now, and in the days to come, how we too can be even more extraordinary than we are already.

Swami says "Expansion is My Life", as Ladies of Sai, let us allow this to be the byline of our lives, also.

If we were to write our own story right now, what inspiring and extraordinary chapters would this book contain about our life ?

We are all in the process of living our own story, Right now, through the quality of the life we are choosing to live. Does our life touch others, and especially the children in our midst?

The decisions we make each day, shape our destiny.
In Not Deciding or Not taking Action, is a Decision in itself.
Just as Easwaramma made her life a Masterpiece,
let us also follow in her footsteps.

As someone once wrote...

In Life, each of us has a bank account called TIME Every morning it credits us with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, any of this we have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance, it allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for us. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If we fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is ours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the tomorrow. We must live in the present on to-day's deposits. Invest it, so as to get the utmost in health, contribution and happiness. The clock is running out, make the most of the day.

To realise the value of one year,
Ask a student who failed a year

To realise the value of one month
Ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby

To realise the value of one week
Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper

To realise the value of one hour
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet each other

To realise the value of one minute
Ask a person who just missed their train

To realise the value of one second
Ask a person who avoided a fatal accident

To realise the value of one millisecond
Ask a person who won a silver medal in an Olympics

Treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it even more, if you shared it with someone special, special enough to invest their time with you, in any one day

The daily choices we make for our children when they are young, becomes the launching pads for the rest of their lives.

It is only through our own awakening and our mindful connection with the essence of who we are, that we can share true wisdom with others, especially our children, and celebrate everyday as the real gift.

In final acknowledgment of Easwaramma, this piece written by Emmet Fox, encapsulates the essence of "No Greater Love".

Our Beloved Swami, THE MOTHER OF ALL MOTHERS is our Role Model for this:

There is no difficulty that enough Love will not conquer
No disease that enough Love will not heal
No door that enough Love will not open
No gulf that enough Love will not bridge
It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble
How hopeless the outlook
How muddled the tangle
How great the mistake
A simple realisation that if we can only Love enough,
this Love will dissolve it all.

Susan Lytton-Hitchins,
Joint National Coordinator, Ladies Wing
Ladies Day, 2003