A musician is born

6.6.09

A musician is born

The noted bhajan singer Sanjay Talwar describes an early encounter with Shri Mataji:

My first musical encounter with the Adi Shakti happened in the car in which I drove Shri Mataji to the interior of Rajasthan. It was a cold December morning in 1986. Shri Mataji had woken up early at the residence of Mrs. Pardal, the Sahaja Yoga leader for Jaipur, and had sent word to me to get ready to drive Her through the heart of Rajasthan, as She had fixed appointments with various house owners to see their homes which had jharokas (artistically hand-crafted windows), that She wanted for making Her own home, Pratishthan in Pune. 

I had woken up that morning with a severe stomach ache. I did not want to miss the golden opportunity of driving Shri Mataji and so I did not disclose my problem to anyone. We left early morning with my wife, Aradhana, Manish Singh and Mrs. Pardal sitting at the back, and Shri Mataji opting to sit in the front seat next to me. I had a small Fiat car with two bucket seats in the front. It was not just an ordinary journey, but really the journey of my life had just begun. 

Remember, I had an upset stomach. As I started to drive, my stomach started rumbling and I was in pain. Shri Mataji immediately asked me to stop the car, although I wasn't complaining. She got out of the car and went across to a nearby medical shop and brought me some Ayurvadic tablets. She asked Manish to fetch me some buttermilk. As soon as I had it, I immediately felt better. 

“Now,” She said, “it is a long journey ahead, so why not have a song from you?" That was the first time ever I got to sing in front of Shri Mataji. I asked Her, “Mother, what would you like me to sing?” She said, “Sing any song you like.” So I started singing Hamein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna. It was a romantic song from an Indian film. 

She interrupted me briefly and told me to try changing the words a little so that it could be directed to the Devi. I could not fathom what She meant and I just stopped singing. She then gave me the words, which my wife started to jot down in the back seat. Thus started a journey where Shri Mataji continued to give the words and I continued to sing them. The meanings that came out were simply divine. She would stop in the middle and ask everyone in the car to check the vibrations. She then explained to me the meaning of the words. 

I shook my head and said, “Yes, Mother, this sounds great. Can I do more such songs?” “Yes,” She said. “Now you carry on making the songs as we drive along and make sure that what you are creating is what the seekers will listen to and take their Self Realization.”

I was thrilled at the prospect – all this, while Mother kept Her hand on my Vishuddhi from the back, sometimes massaging my shoulders and at times running Her hand over my back Agnya. She would occasionally ask me, “How does it feel? Don't you feel your voice opening up?” “Yes, Mother!” I exclaimed. “I cannot believe this is my voice.” 

Shri Mataji had worked on my Vishuddhi for hours as I drove. That day we travelled for twelve hours non-stop until we reached Makrana. Thus were born my very first Sahaj musical compositions.

With permission from SAHAJ A-Z

What is the meaning of Nirmala?

1. What is the meaning of Nirmala? 

It is the Name of the Goddess which means without impurity. Shri Mataji gave a comprehensive explanation of Her name in a conference in Marathi translated into English: (This was then translated into French, and back again into English)

Nirmala integrates the three gunas. NI for the right channel, LA for the left 
and MA for Sushumna. 

"The first part, NIH means negation. It is the negation. It is the 
negation of existence, which is illusion, maya (...) NIH shakti is the power of
Shri Brahmadeva, ie Shri Shakti Saraswati. NIH implies complete 
detachment. You must become completely detached. " 
"LA comes from Lalita which is a blessing and a weapon of the Goddess. When the Shakti 
becomes Lalita, meaning active, then the vibration increase in Her, these
are the vibrations you feel in the palm of your hands (...). When the 
power of love becomes active, it becomes LA Shakti. It is LA Shakti that does
all the work, it is thanks to Her that you have your Realisation. " 
"Shakti is the power of love. It is activated by NIH Shakti which is the 
power of action. " 
"The syllable MA is between NIH and LA. MA is the syllable of Mahalakshmi which is the 
power of the Dharma and the power of evolution. In MA Shakti, you must 
understand, assimilate and this requires mastery. 
For example, an artist conceives the idea of his creation with LA Shakti, he 
constructed with NIH Shakti and then uses MA Shakti to bring it to his original idea while improving it. This improvement is evolution and this implies an effort. 
The two powers (NIH and LA) only become active when you develop
by the power of evolution. You must fully understand and develop MA
Shakti. You must achieve a balance between the NIH and MA Shaktis." 
"MA is the first syllable of Mataji, Mother. This has been made possible only through
MA Shakti within me. This would not have been possible with only the LA
Shakti and Shakti NIH. I have come with these three powers but it is MA  Shakti
which is at the summit." 
(Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi) 
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