Friday, June 12, 2015

Your parents


I carried kavady until the age of 48, and when I was 50 I gave my kavady to Seelan. I didn’t just carry one kavady, I carried up to 10 a year – for my mother – all the way from Port Shepstone to Richard’s Bay. I used to pierce myself without being in a trance, but my faith in Muruga and my love for my mother allowed me to do that. My father died of a heart attack on a Tuesday morning, on the Wednesday we had the funeral, and that Sunday I carried kavady. Nobody spoke to me for months. My mother was still living at that time and I needed to fulfill my promise to her. Nobody came with me because it was against any principle they knew. They said I can’t do it and they disowned me for months. Nothing has happened to me since. If somebody died, I carried kavady.

When my mother died my brothers and I had a fall-out because they wanted to do 16 days but my teaching is against that. I don’t believe in it because I follow the Bhagavad Gita and there is no 16 days. So I didn’t do the 16 days. Right there, where our samadhi shrine is now, my mother’s body lay and I did the hawan there. I took the hawan to the crematorium, put it on my mother, pushed her into the burner and that’s all.

You know what happened? When we went to the beach with the ashes I could feel my mother around my leg. The ash came around my leg and wouldn’t leave. My brothers did the 16 days. But I’m fine. I’m happy. I know where my mother is. They don’t. So, therefore, do not follow what you are told by your parents 100%. They are also following in fear what they learned from their parents. I explained to you about the 16 days and 10 days. In the olden days the crematorium, or ghat, was not near the house so they had to carry the body all the way there. They could not eat boiled foods while travelling so they still tell us today that we should not eat boiled foods. Give your mother everything while she is living, not when she’s dead.

Vish and I went somewhere today and saw a beautiful hearse. I said, “What’s the point of putting a dead person into a beautiful hearse? He doesn’t know about it”. Give your parents everything you can now. My father-in-law used to like Mainstay cane. I would buy him a bottle and hide it away and tell him where it was so he wouldn’t get caught. When he died there was a whole bottle of Mainstay there at the funeral so I asked why. They said it was because he liked it so I said, “He can’t drink it now. You’re going to drink it”. And they said, “Ja, we’re waiting”.

If you have parents make sure you give them everything that you can give them. I only have 2 regrets, that I didn’t take my father to India and that I didn’t take my mother to India. Otherwise I gave them everything. That’s why today I’m happy, I don’t have any doubt or guilt. Your parents are 2 people you don’t ignore, no matter what the circumstance, because it’ll come back to bite you. Remember that. Your parents are the most important people in your life, then your husband or wife. If you’ve got that right then you have life right. So allow me to be the lamp at your feet and the light on your path.