Shree Maa, a saint who considers Sri Ramakrishna as her guru in spirit, is drawing hundreds of seekers with her teachings on the wonderful power of puja and mantras

SHREE MAA ANSWERS

A Q&A with the mother

What is the mantra for peace?

Mantra comes from the Sanskrit ‘Man trayate’ or that which ‘takes away the mind’. When we repeat a mantra with full awareness, we give up our wandering minds. That is how we experience peace. Every mantra is a mantra for peace.

How should a working woman with family conduct herself in daily life? How should she live to attract grace for herself and her family?

A working woman with family has the same objective as any other woman or man, married or unmarried: to be an example of an individual fixed in dharma, seeking to demonstrate the ideals of perfection in every action performed by him or her. In Sanskrit, the term grace is called, kripa. ‘Kri’ means do and ‘pa’ means get. Grace is that which we receive as the fruit of our karma. When we do the right action, we get the right fruit, and set an excellent example for our families and friends.

How can we please the Divine Mother? What is the purpose of life?

Just like all mothers, the Divine Mother is extremely pleased when She sees Her children moving steadily towards their goals with joy and efficiency. The purpose of life is to become free from debt. We manifest in human birth because of outstanding debts of karma. We owe a debt to the devas, to all the gods and goddesses, which we discharge by making this world a better place. We discharge debt to the ancestors by respecting the elderly. We discharge our debt to the gurus by living in accordance with the wisdom they have imparted. All debts paid, we attain moksha.

Would you recommend any specific diet for well-being?

If our goal is to achieve stillness and to enter into meditation, then eating the food which produces abundant physical energy will not be appropriate. A simple vegetarian diet is most conducive for meditation.

How does chanting and puja help us?

Pu means punya, merit, and Ja means jata, to give birth. Puja is the action which gives birth to merit, the privilege to sit in the presence of God. Chanting and puja help us sit still and breathe according to the number of syllables in the mantras, and train our minds so we can focus our attention to the exclusion of delusion.

How can we cultivate love for God whom we have never seen?

Sadhana is the regular practice of spiritual disciplines designed to achieve union with God. Make a time, a place, a discipline, which can be practised with regularity, and through those actions and God’s kripa, you will be able to do and get. I send you all my blessings.