i have come to give light to this world. Nothing can escape my hold. I will ever remain the same.
July 1963″
In every age and time, the Divine Super Power takes human form and lives with the common man to share joys and sufferings. This Divine is a Realised Soul who can guide, direct, inspire and lead. Such a Divinity has a mission-to improve the quality of human life, to give light to the groping, to offer solace to those suffering and to alleviate miseries all around.
Such an incandescent Divine Power is Sri Tara Ma, who is the embodiment of Love, Compassion and Knowledge. Sri Tara Ma or Sri Ma, affectionately called Mataji, descended to earth in human form on 13th February 1944. Mataji was born in Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA, to a devout and pious couple, Shri P.S. Vaidyanath Iyer and Smt. Shardambal. She was named ‘Tara’ as She was to become a Guiding Star of humanity to Everlasting Bliss.
At the age of 19, the year 1963, Sri Tara Ma revealed Her divinity, declaring in a state of ecstasy, “I am Kamakshi Devi, the Divine Mother.
I have come to live in this house (World). Love is overflowing from my heart. I have come to give light to this world. Nothing can escape my hold. I will ever remain the same.” It was from then that people began to worship young Tara and reverently address Her as ‘Mataji’. However, Mataji always maintained: “I just want to be a Mother and not a Goddess or anything else.”
Many are the devotees who have had personal experiences of Sri Tara Ma’s Divinity while on the other hand Mataji constantly showers Her Grace and Blessings on all in equal measure, without any discrimination or prejudice. She considers ‘Service to Humanity is Service to God’ and exhorts every individual to love the creations of God and make their mind pure.
Sri Tara Ma instils pure love, devotion, spirit of service and other divine virtues, in young and old alike, through captivating parables, stories, anecdotes and sayings. Sri Tara Ma’s words are simple and effective. Her discourses and talks are heard with rapt attention. Since they are meant for everyone even the highest philosophy is couched in simple and sweet everyday language. Nectarous words overflowing from within Her come through Her lips and go straight into the mind and heart of the listener thereby implanting and nourishing the seeds of eternal wisdom. Every word Mataji utters is invested with a special significance – even apparently casual words. Her style of correcting wrong doers is unique. She smilingly chides them and not only points out their mistakes, but also shows them the right path. She guides each person in a manner suited to his or her capacity to absorb and assimilate and also according to the extent of the individual’s devotion and faith.
Sri Tara Ma is Divine – a Goddess who is a Mother in every sense and Her Ashrams are veritable temples to which devotees pining for Her Darshan (Sanctifying Glimpse) flock. Nevertheless, Sri Tara Ma is not a Goddess who sits in splendid isolation from all. She mingles among Her children (the devotees) as a friend, philosopher and guide, to whom they come running whenever they want to share their joys or sorrows or need solutions to their multifarious problems.
Anyone can approach Sri Tara Ma and confide in Her their innermost secrets. However, it would not be out of place to realise that Sri Tara Ma is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent and knows what one has in mind leaving absolutely no need for any words to be uttered. Nothing is hidden from Her even though at times, it might appear as if She does not know. To the devoted She presents the right solutions at the right time and thus clears the molasses of worldly affairs from their lives. Sri Tara Ma is truly an Incarnation of the All-Pervading Divinity.
Sri Tara Ma infuses strength and gives courage to walk the spiritual path. Her Divine Grace protects the devout even as they wade through the ocean of life with the one thought of realising God in their minds. Sri Tara Ma showers Infinite Love on those whose minds are deluded by worldly pleasures and attractions and by the power of which She transforms them slowly and steadily establishing them firmly and permanently on the path to the Supreme Goal.
Sri Tara Ma thus leads one and all to the Spiritual Path walking on which by Her Divine Grace one’s inner effulgence is seen and the Supreme Truth realised; one is easily transmuted into the realm of Eternal Bliss, which is the Ultimate Goal of all embodied beings. May one and all attain the Divine Lotus Feet of Sri Tara Ma.
“I have come to light the lamp of Prema (Divine Love) in Every heart”
Within a few months of Sri Tara Ma’s birth, Her parents, Shri P.S. Vaidyanath Iyer and Smt. Shardambal, moved to Hardwar, in the state of Uttarakhand, North India. The pristine and ever pure River Ganga (Ganges), evoked in the couple great devotion and they gave Sri Tara Ma Her first name: ‘Ganga Bhagirathi’. However, Mataji was later given the name ‘Tara’-the guiding star to the whole of humanity for everlasting bliss.
Young Tara grew up as a normal child, having Her share of schooling as the other children. Her childhood saw no spectacular episodes of Her Divinity. However, Tara was very special in Her way of living and approach to life. This and an overflowing love in Her for God’s creations drew the attention of all making them wonder whether She was just an ordinary girl or some Goddess in human form. Like how the brilliance of a diamond cannot be confined in one’s palms, however tight the grip may be, Young Tara’s divine splendour too did not stay hidden and before long the time arrived when She declared that She was in reality the incarnation of the Divine Mother Kamakshi.
The Divine Revelation
Tara always evinced a very strong leaning towards prayer and contemplation. The proclivity to meditate kept on growing in Her. She often instructed those around not to disturb Her whilst She meditated for hours on end. She also often lay under a cot, meditating, so as to not disturb Her parents and others in Her house by coming in their way. Smt. Shardambal’s (Sri Tara Ma’s mother) accounts of those days when she witnessed Tara several times in Samadhi are enchanting.
Sri Tara Ma’s parents, though aware that there was something different, something divine about their child, were nevertheless concerned for Her health from Her unusual way of living. This natural love of a parent for a child continued unabated even when they got introduced to Sri Tara Ma’s spiritual magnitude, in the coming years, that She is veritably the Divine Mother Herself, come to earth to alleviate the sufferings of the multitudes Years passed on. and one day the appointed moment finally arrived. The flame that was ablaze was waiting to unravel its dazzling brilliance. Finally, the appointed moment arrived. Sri Tara Ma’s divinity came to light in a very unique manner. She was barely nineteen then.
It was a certain Friday of July 1963 and a Bhagavati Pooja was going on in the house. As usual, Tara, draped in a sparkling white Saree, was sitting beside the idol during the Pooja. All on a sudden, a brilliant speck of light was seen playing on Her supremely serene face.
Barely a moment later, She gave a glimpse of the Divine Mother and declared that She is Goddess Shakti. One and all beheld this divine spectacle and shed tears of joy. Even as they gathered themselves from the wave of uncontainable joy that just swept them Tara lay flat on the floor and remained in a state of ecstasy for quite some time. The Pooja was completed and Aarti performed. Songs in praise of the Divine Mother were sung by the devout ladies present. All the while, Tara radiated an effulgent, brilliant light. A divine aura had encircled Her. While still in the state of ecstasy, She suddenly asked each one present to try lifting Her head. One by one all tried. And lo! Wonder of wonders! No one could lift it even a fraction of a measure. So, heavy it felt. Tears spontaneously flowed from the eyes of many who beheld the happenings. At last, Tara called on a certain devotee and asked him to touch Her with his foot. The devotee hesitated for a moment but then did as he was instructed realising that it was a divine order. Tara then asked him to lift Her head. He obeyed and lifted Her head without any effort. It had become as light as a flower now. No trace of doubt about Tara’s divinity lurked anymore in the minds of those present .
From that day onwards people began to worship Tara and reverently address Her as Sri Tara Ma or Mataji. They looked upon Her for solace, guidance and spiritual instructions. At the same time, Sri Tara Ma, the all compassionate Divine Mother cured the ailing, i.e., freed people of mental, physical and spiritual maladies, charmed everyone by Her pure, divine love, made everyone feel as members of one family, instilled a sense of unity of religions and bestowed peace on one and all.
Sri Tara Ma’s instructions are simple age-old truths, oft delivered through the medium of parables and anecdotes. Nama Smaran, Bhajan, Japa, Dhyana, Seva, performance of noble work and the harmonisation of thoughts, words and actions till date form the edifice of Her teachings.
Sri Tara Ma often says, “Everybody and everything, infact the whole world is our Guru. We should be ready to learn from everything with quiet acceptance.”
Sri Tara Ma is the embodiment of divine wisdom and knowledge. She leads a simple and pure life. She often veils Her Divine nature in order to enable people to mingle with Her freely and to think of Her as their own mother. She captivates people of all walks of life by pure love,compassion, kindness, peace, truth and righteousness. She vividly puts forth the meaning of a divine life by showing that nothing worthwhile lies in caste, creed, colour, race, class, status etc. but everything beautiful and eternal is derived from truth, sincerity and devotion. She observes everyone very closely and moulds their life and thinking in a way that they find themselves climbing effortlessly along the incalculably steep slopes of purity and divinity. This very clearly shows that walking the spiritual path without the grace of the Guru is impossible. However, if the Guru’s grace is invoked then even the sturdiest of barriers will be removed with ease and one will advance undeterred on the path of spirituality towards the Ultimate Goal. Sri Tara Ma emphasises Self-effort and self-confidence to know the ULTIMATE REALITY.
Children and Sri Tara Ma
Right from the beginning, children have been visiting Sri Tara Ma’s Ashrams regularly. Children form a special part of Sri Tara Ma’s life. She considers them as a special gift of Providence and Her normally radiant face lights up with a special smile, when She is in their midst. When one witnesses this scene of the Divine Mother with Her innumerable children, one realises what “Embodiment of Love” really means. For, one verily sees Sri Tara Ma losing Herself with them. Time comes to a standstill. The childlike laughter, the admonitions, the simple narratives, the words of wisdom, the feigned anger, all these mingle in an interplay of emotions, giving the beholder a treat and an experience that he/she will surely treasure for a lifetime.
Sri Tara Ma’s play with children itself becomes a mode of education for them. She teaches children all about love, service, devotion, discipline and all qualities that befit an ideal man.
Sri Tara Ma’s love for children has taken the shape of the Sri Ma Group of Institutions – a combine of schools, colleges, institutes and academies-the primary aim of which is to disseminate value-based, character enriching education. From Sri Tara Ma’s infinite love for children have also sprung forth numerous programs for the development of nascent minds in the form of workshops and camps