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Swami is actually the embodiment of Chothanikkara Bagavathi

   On our return journey to Bombay I was reflecting on all the events that happened and was convinced that Swami was not a mere siddhar who could materialize anything from thin air, but is actually the embodiment of Chothanikkara Bagavathi. My inner voice went on urging me to call him Ambal instead of Swamiji. So when I met him, I asked him for the permission to call him Ambal. I felt that the concept of guru as a mother is by far the most appropriate and advantageous to a disciple. As said by Sri Ramakrishna — "only a mother can forebear with patience all the pain and misery caused to her by her child yet thinking all the while of trying to provide for the child's comfort and happiness. The concept of guru as a spiritual mother instills within us the feelings of love, reverence and surrender which are the main pillars of spiritual life". So I felt that it was most appropriate to call Swami "Ambal".

   At this point I would like to mention that when we were in Bhilai five years later for my daughter's engagement, my prospective son-in-law Deepak took us to the Balaji temple in Bhilai. The thrilling events that happened there have been narrated in another chapter. Immediately after my daughter's marriage, they went to Tambaram to worship Kalyana Bagavathi and then proceeded to Tirupathi. They had good darshan and on the very next day they returned to Bombay. All this was accomplished in a single day due to Swami's grace and blessings. Swami had himself made all the arrangements for this trip.

   Swami showers profound compassion and sympathy on his devotees. His grace is beyond time and space. If his blessings are there, even if one has to face innumerable obstacles, they would be washed away with ease and one attains the goals desired without much difficulty. He preordains the actions of his devotees. When I address him as Ambal, I feel that he is like a mother to whom a crying child tries to cling to for security and protection. This was one more turning point in my ever-maturing attitude and relationship towards Swami.

   Let me narrate yet another memorable incident in connection with the worship of Lord Balaji by which one can realize that Swami is none other than Ambal. It was the time when my son had just finished his twelfth standard exams and was awaiting the results. Like every other normal anxious mother, I had also prayed that my son and myself would climb the Tirumalai hills by loot and worship the Lord if he comes out with flying colours in his exams. It was the second week of June and Swami's weekly morning poojas were to be held in Chembur. At the time, we also had to attend a few functions in the evenings in Chembur. To avoid unnecessary travel and for convenience we decided to stay with my sister in Chembur. About a fortnight earlier, I had conveyed my desire to Swami for climbing the Tirumalai hills after the announcement of my son's results.

   It was Friday, 9^th June. Swami decided to stay on the previous night in another devotee's house nearby and arrived by walk at 6 am to the house where the pooja was to be held. As he arrived, there was a loud broadcast of Venkateshwara suprabatham (sacred verses about Lord Balaji to wake up and bless the whole world) from a nearby school where some festivities were going on. Swami was welcomed with mangala aarathi by the residents of the house. After entering, Swami told all of us that Lord Balaji would be coming for the pooja. When the pooja was about to end, a devotee by name Mr. Venkatesh stepped inside. After Swami took amudhu (a sweet preparation of rice with jaggery and ghee, always offered as neivedyam to Devi in all the temples of Kerala) and gave arulvakku to the members of the family, he came out and sat in the front room. After we all did namaskarams, he called my son and myself and asked us to go around him in a circle seven times and asked us to chant Govinda Govinda while doing so. As we completed the pradhakshanams, Venkatesh came forward to Swami and handed over two big laddoos to him and said that he had been to Tirupathi for performing Kalyana Utsavam and had just returned to Bombay in the morning, hence the delay in attending the pooja. Thus, the arrival of Lord Balaji was confirmed. Swami told me that my prayer to Balaji was fulfilled and that we need not climb by foot to Tirumalai. I was bewildered at his words since the results were not yet declared but I kept quiet. I became very emotional and both of us fell at his lotus feet.

   After a while, Swami left for Bandra and we went to my sister's house, next door. My son's friend called him over phone and informed him that their results would be declared by evening on that day. When I called my college principal to confirm, he immediately congratulated me over phone on my son's great success in obtaining the 9^th merit rank in the Maharashtra state board. I was overjoyed and asked him how he knew the results of my son who studied in a different college. He replied that all the colleges receive a booklet with the names of merit holders. I again clarified with him the exam seat number of my son. Later, when I rang up the principal of Ruparel college, he confirmed ihe same and congratulated us saying that they had been trying lo call us at our residence and could not get us on phone. I told him about our staying in Chembur. He asked us to come for the felicitation party to be held at 2 pm on that day for the rank holders in their college. Our joy knew no bounds and we were all brimful with happiness. We realized why Swami asked us to do pradakshanam to him. Inspite of our not knowing the results, he being Devi knew everything about the past, present and future of the devotees with his divine vision. We immediately called Swami over phone to convey the happy news and thanked him.

   At this point, I leave it to the readers to feel and cherish the marvellous experience we had with Swami. He always used to say jokingly that he had only written the exams and not the individuals and so he knows the results in advance. Each experience myself and my family had with Swami is a divine and unique one that left a deep impression in our minds. Even today, when I write about those divine interactions with Swami, my eyes get filled with tears of joy and emotion thinking about Ambal's immense love and concern for her children. Swami's care and love for his devotees are beyond mere words. No human language can do full justification in describing the miraculous deeds of Swami.

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