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BABA'S PARENTS, PART 4 :- God's Grace:-
Due to her deep devotion to God, Mother never felt any fear
at all. Simply She used to keep singing the glory of God whether
She was working with her husband or at home alone. Once during
war time when Father was posted in a place called Tounjee,
his piles problem had become acute. Owing to his preoccupation
with the charity work which he often undertook, he had
ignored his own ailment for too long. Then some friends insisted
that he undergo an operation. As the town had become very
unsafe, Father wanted Baba's Mother to move to a safer place
with the child. Before Mother had never argued with him, but
that day, She used to recollect, that She was feeling very
strange, that day, unknown to her and perceived by a Divine
intuition perhaps, She was feeling that some danger may befall
on her husband. She became adamant and did not agree to go
alone and insisted that Father also move with her. Father
was surprised. Before that, Mother had never argued with him
or forced him to do anything against his will. Finally Father
managed to get ten days leave and left the place. There were
no proper railway stations and trains were the only mode of
transport available for public. There were no men to manage
any station, nobody knew which train was moving where. Some
times they had to wait for two or three days inside the train
before it would start moving. Danger of bombing raids was
always there. Nobody was sure of living to see the next moment.
Chaos and sufferings were all over. After two days of waiting
with some of their belongings, like clothes, biscuits as food,
finally a train came. After they got into that, it took another
two days before the train moved out. Father first thought
that he would leave Mother at a safer place in Rangoon and
then return to his duty. But, when they reached Rangoon, they
heard over Radio news, that the railway line on which they
had traveled for a long distance and also the town of Tounjee
was bombed heavily and destroyed immensely, the very next
day after they had left it. There was destruction and chaos
all over. Some unknown Superior Power had guided Father, Mother
,and their child to safety.
For his livelihood, Father had to work under the Japanese
but for three days in a week he continued his charity work.
They had lost all their belongings in the bombing of Tounjee.
Again they had to start a fresh. All along, with language
problems, Mother had to spend many lonely and
difficult days.
After the War was over, they came back to their Motherland
India in 1947 for the first time in fifteen years to see their
relatives and after staying for four months they went back
to Burma. Burma's economy was in ruins after the War. Father
wanted to work among the poor. Every few months they had to
shift with two little kids. Yes! after the loss of first female,
and birth of a male child, now, twins were born, a male and
a female. The male baby was destined to die this time. It
was suffering from a strange fever. Yet again Father was helping
some poor people in a remote
village.
Mother had become weak. It was a miracle that She and the
female child survived. The male baby died even before they
could name it. Later they named the female as Vijaya Lakshmi.
It was only after several weeks, when Father came back, he
got to know of the birth and death. He was sad that the baby
died before some medical attention could come even in the
absence of Father. But he was equally thankful to God that
his wife and the female child survived.
Finally in 1949, Father underwent piles operation in Rangoon
Hospital. For some time looking after two kids and Father,
all fell on Mother's head. She faced it boldly and prayed
to God to give her strength to face the moment. After Father
recovered from the illness, Mother expressed a wish to Father.
It was a timely thought that had come to her mind, perhaps
by the Divine inspiration. She wanted the Family to return
to India for sake of Children's education which she thought
would not be possible in such conditions as was there.
First, Father was unwilling and said he was destined to work
amongst poor of that place. But Father encouraged that Mother
should return to India with the children. Mother knew it was
futile trying to change his mind. She was torn between her
husband and children. But for children's sake She was willing
to sacrifice. Finally after taking a promise from Father that
he would return soon to India, She left Burma for the last
time in June, 1949. She prayed to God to inspire her husband
to return to India. She came and started living in the town
of Kolar, in the state of Karnataka, in South India.
Her prayers were answered. After her return, Father's health
failed considerably. It was a long negligence in his anxiousness
to help the poor and needy. He missed his wife and children.
He felt very lonely. In his diary he says how lonely he had
started feeling. Mother was his source of strength whenever
he had to go out on charitable tours. He had lost two children
there, when he could not attend on them because he was away
on charity tour. But he never have had any complaints about
destiny or God. He always considered that the survival of
the remainder of the family was God's enormous grace and gift.
Silently both the parents accepted this Truth and never grumbled.
Due to his ill health he had to resign the job he had there
and finally decided to return. Destiny brought him back to
India in 1950 August, to join his wife and two children.
Until his death in 1967 July, my Father, Dr.Shankara's first
consideration was the Poor. They were always welcome in to
his clinic which he had established in Kolar for his livelihood.
He gave the poor free medicines also. He did all this quietly,
unknown to the outside world. He never established any institution
for charity. He believed in work. Always he told us that if
money gets accumulated, such people get attracted who would
be tempted to misuse it. After the wicked had taken away the
family wealth, he had decided that he would not make any property
or money. He told us that Character and Education, Sincerity
and Charitable Temperament were the property he would like
to give us. His third amongst the survived children, a male
baby whom they named as Sathyanarayana, was born in September
1951. Baba Shivarudra Balayogi was born as the fourth child
named Shrinivasa on 20th September in 1954.
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Conclusion on Mother's Day
copyright 2002 SRBY all rights reserved.
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