years later one of the the
who was part of that small group of
devotees around guru ji all the time
shared this little story that when once
she was driving
gorgey in the car and they were talking
about something to do with the work and
he he just turned to her and confided I
brought Fay and Ginny another that's how
they were known in those days Dai Amata
an anonymous I brought Fay and Ginny
back from the highest plains of heaven
to help me with this work as he also
said about a number of his other very
close disciples any of those great ones
that gorgey brought with him because of
their own spiritual consciousness their
own spiritual attainment any of them
could have been great teachers in their
own right but to me the pinnacle of our
beloved Ma's greatness and her priceless
gift to all of us was that she chose not
to try to put herself on a pedestal as a
guru rather she spent her life showing
what it means to be the perfect disciple
isn't that what we all took inspiration
still take inspiration from by her by
her example of of knowing this is how
you follow the teachings this is how you
follow in the footsteps of those divine
ones who have showed us the way to God
because think of it gorgey said even a
thousand Christ's sent to earth could
not save humanity unless people
themselves make the effort to become
christ-like or divine by purifying and
expanding their own individual
consciousness that's what it means to be
a perfect disciple and that's what
diameter lived and breathed then
exemplified for that incredible nearly
80 years of sodden AAHA following this
path and that's why gorgey said to her
those many years ago in the early years
of his work you are my nest egg you are
my nest egg when you came
knew that many other true devotees would
be drawn to this path diameters life in
the ashram under Parma hostages training
really epitomizes the path of the
successful devotee and one story I
always loved that we heard her recount
on numerous occasions was how when she
first came to the ashram she said first
to study gorgey gave me a book about the
life of Buddha and suggested that I read
it and learn from his life and when she
finished that and he gave her a life a
book about the Lord Krishna the yogi
Christ of India and then she said in
that in his life I saw how God was so
joyous and so loving and then Parma AG
gave me a book about the Divine Mother
that aspect of God that has been
worshipped for centuries in India and
then my heart was captured in other
words you see from this little story how
through gorgeous training through
gorgeous guidance she experienced God
she experienced the underlying
foundation of truth that lies under all
great religions and in the process she
truly became Universal as gorgeous
teachings are universal a few more
biographical facts about Diana in 1933
about two years after she entered the
ashram she was ordained as a minister of
self-realization fellowship by
paramountcy Yogananda one of the first
women to be so ordained in 1941 he
appointed her to the board of directors
of srf she served as the secretary of
the board of directors from 1944 to 45
and as treasurer of the work from 1945
to 1971 and of course as president and
Sangha Mata from 1955 until 2010 55
years
i I want to share with you one little
one little anecdote that a devotee sent
in remembering MA because yes she's our
president yes she's the she's the
worldwide head of this this vast work
but this really shows again the
greatness of what she was in a very
tangible way he said that this was in
1999 or 2000 in one of our convocations
and those of you who of course most of
you have been there and it was her
custom during those years to often come
at the closing program or the the last
second to last day right at the end of
the week
so this devotee said that he was outside
of the the Hall the California ballroom
where the main events take place and the
the talk was going on inside he was out
there with his he said my son who was
six or seven years old at the time and
the little boy was playing with six or
seven other little children all running
around and making noise and just having
having fun like children do and then he
said Dai Amato was escorted in and he
said like a force she entered the hotel
and all those kids became quiet and then
he says when ma took her place on the
stage I saw all the kids including my
son they stood like statues near the
California ballroom door their heads
bowed their hams folded and eyes closed
no one told them to do so I with some
volunteers was amazed to see how the
kids could stand there so silently I do
not recall now how long they were there
but I believe they were chanting with
the rest of the audience I very softly
Jai Mata Gemma that was Maz power of
love probably anyone that any of you who
are parents and have little children or
teach little children this qualifies as
a miracle
this devotee said that is the proof that
Shri Dai Amato was one with the mother
device but the path to that spiritual
state was not easy
it was an effortlessness it wasn't
effortless just as it isn't for any of
us
those early years that she's recounted
in her talks and her in her books
described the intention discipline the
intense effort the intense sadhana and
the tests and the trials and through
which her spiritual realization was was
formed was forged and she shared one
little story that I actually don't know
whether she ever told this in public so
ma forgive me if but now that I think
it's very appropriate on this occasion
and she said there was a time in her
after she'd been in the ashram with
Georgie for not very long a few years
probably she went through a time of a
very severe testing of her her
consciousness was being trying to be
pulled down by the influence of of the
evil force of of the negative force that
actively counters tries to counter any
spiritual efforts we made and gorgey was
aware of this she said that she was
meditating with him and he he was
concerned he was he was he called her
and they were meditating together and
then he told her he said in that
meditation I was deeply asking divine
mother about you and what what I could
do to help you and I saw over your left
shoulder I saw that evil dark force of
Satan that was trying to pull you away
from the spiritual path trying to drag
you down but then in the next instant
the most beautiful form of divine mother
appeared and instantly vanished that and
then I thought well perhaps I'm
imagining this gorgey said but then the
divine mother appeared again and this
time he said and she he told this to her
afterwards
she took the halo off of her own head
and placed it around daya Mata and
gorgey said this to her that divine
mother said to me she is safe she is
safe my halo is about her and then he
told her remember throughout your life
you will always have to fight that evil
force because it is in this world and in
your efforts to spread that divine love
there will be great obstacles in your
life but always remember the halo of the
divine beloved is around you history has
a way of repeating itself and an outward
echo you might say of this divine
experience happened in India with
anandamayi ma the great Indian woman
Saint - revered by millions in India as
a veritable embodiment of that mother
aspect of God par Mahanta G met her in
1935 and of course has that beautiful
chapter in his autobiography of a yogi'
about their meeting when diameter went
to India the first time in 1959 and had
a chance to to meet anandamayi ma this
great Saint
at one point Ananda muy mas so sweetly
devotee her devotees had come and had
offered flower garlands and floral
offerings to her and with diamas sitting
there first she took the flower garland
that had been offered and put it over
her own head and on des moines Maas head
just went within for a minute and then
so sweetly took it and put it on gaya
Mottershead with the sweetest motherly
divine love and she told diameter at
another time that same bhava
that same spirit that I beheld in your
master I see also in you
I know all of these monks and nuns all
of you all of the thousands around the
world you all have your own very
personally meaningful remembrances and
stories of experiences of how ma
inspired you and uplifted you in your
own spiritual search some of these we're
going to be sharing some of the other
speakers in a few moments and later of
course in our magazine and website and
so on but now at this time I I would
like to acknowledge her in a different
way maybe a little less personal but I
think very important and that is her
pivotal role in world history at this
particular time when our world
civilization is on the cusp of evolving
into this new higher spiritual age
please please think about it in this
context
remember all of you will who have read
autobiography of a yogi' will remember
the words that mahavatar babaji the
first in the lineage of SRF yss gurus
said to parma ham see Yogananda on the
eve of his departure for the united
states
he told Paramahansa gee you are the one
that I have chosen to spread the message
of Kriya yoga in the West and then he
went on and said Kriya yoga the
scientific technique of God realization
will ultimately spread in all lands and
aid in harmonizing the nation's through
man's personal transcendental perception
of the infinite father I bring this up
because we're here paying honor to this
divine soul
Sri Sri diamante and there is no one
there is no one apart from Parma Hansa
ji himself who has played a more
essential role than diamante in the
fulfillment of that prophecy that great
mission of uniting the nations and
giving a universal spirituality that can
ultimately unite all religions
in that direct personal experience of
God that yoga meditation business tells
and how did she accomplish that again
not by putting herself on a pedestal but
by never wavering throughout those 80
years from those words her soul spoke on
the day she first beheld her guru him I
shall follow and in that following she
forged a highway so wide that millions
will be able to follow it