Living With God
“Twamev Mata ch Pita twamev,
Twamev Bandhush ch Sakha Twamev.
Twamev Vidya ch dravinam twamev,
Twamev sarvam mam devdeva.”
This oft repeated and heard prayer has been a part of our school prayers throughout our growing up years. Just like nursery rhymes are parroted by toddlers without knowing their meaning, some songs and prayers are also just crammed up by children without understanding what they stand for.
It is much later in life that we understand what they signify. This prayer means that we extol God, saying that you are my mother, father, brother, friend … What is its significance?
Twamev Mata ch Pita twamev:
All worldly mothers and fathers do their best for their progeny; but sometimes even they do not have enough to give. As we grow older and our parents pass on, we feel orphaned. So at some time or the other in our lives, we feel the need for an eternal mother or father.
I lost my mother in 2011 and my father in 2015. One day my son caught me crying alone and questioned me. I said, “I am an orphan now.” He said sternly, “Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has given you so much love! Your saying so, is an insult to Him.”
How true! The Lord is my mother as well as father. He always was, is and always shall be. The mother and father of my physical body brought me into this world and I shall always be indebted to them. But my Lord and God is my Divine mother as well as father!
Twamev Bandhush ch Sakha Twamev:
The prayer goes on to say that you are my brother, as well as my friend. Yes! On a worldly front, when our parents die, we value our siblings more than ever. When we want to share our thoughts or problems with someone on an equal level, we seek a sibling or a friend. And who is a better sibling or friend than God? He is the eternal friend!
Twamev Vidya:
You are knowledge! When we reach a stage in life that we seek answers to questions like, ‘Who am I?’, ‘Why was I born?’, ‘What is the purpose of my life?’, ‘What happens after death?’, it makes us a seeker. We seek knowledge. This quest for knowledge may make us read the scriptures, go on pilgrimages, meditate, seek the company of Gurus or realized souls, introspect, do seva etc.
It is then that we realize that the knowledge of the absolute; the knowledge of the Brahman is the complete knowledge. We realize that the highest form of knowledge is the knowledge of God. It is the real Vidya! And it rests in God!
Ch dravinam twamev:
Dravinam means money/wealth. Oh God! You are my wealth! I feel that this line means that God or your connection or relationship with God is your true Dravinam; your real wealth! Can you take along the valuables you have acquired? No! Then are they really yours? Or are you just their caretaker for a period of time? Money keeps flowing, it does not stay put anywhere.
Bhagwan Baba says, “Money comes and goes; Morality comes and grows!” The wealth of the name of God or the love for God is what gives you real happiness in this life and it is the only wealth that you can take along! So, the Lord is my Dravinam too!
Twamev sarvam mam devdeva:
Finally … You are my everything! You are my Lord and Master!
This is a prayer that begins with extoling the Lord saying that you are my mother, father, brother and friend too. It goes on to say that God is supreme knowledge and supreme wealth! The entirety of the thoughts is so overwhelming that we exclaim in realization, “Oh Lord you are my everything! You are my Lord and Master!”
Bhagawan Baba, says ‘surrender’ means that you hand over everything to God and say, “Thou think of it.” The same thought is expounded in the Bhagwad Gita. Lord Krishna while singing the song celestial to Arjuna said – “Karma kar, Phal ki iccha na kar.”
This too means, leave everything to God and let Him think of it! It is His drama! He is the Lord and Master. We are mere puppets in His hands. He pulls the strings. He makes us dance!
Singing this prayer, reiterates the fact that God is everything. He is all in all. The realization of this is an extremely overwhelming experience; it is humbling yet empowering to know this. Living with this ideology is living with God.
Bhagwan Baba gave me the experience of ‘Living with God!’ Today April 24th, is the day when Baba took Mahasamadhi and moved on from the form to the formless. We call it Aradhna Day. He may not be physically with us but the memories are as poignant as ever.
This piece is published in The Daily World today, 24th April 2025. It can be viewed https://epaper.dailyworld.in/Details.aspx?id=166392&boxid=78121&uid=&dat=2025-04-24
Do share your thoughts.
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