Curious to know more, I asked my sister to describe the appearance of Divine Mother.
“Her presence was absolutely radiant, indescribable. No artist, no poet, could ever capture Her beauty. It transcends all imagination.” She continued, “She wore rich red robes, and Her jewelry gleamed with a divine brilliance. Her tejas (radiance) was as bright as the sun, yet soothing and gentle. When She raised Her hands in blessing, I noticed how small and delicate they were. Her words, spoken in shuddh (pure) Hindi.”
Intrigued, I asked for an example. My sister shared one of Mother's statements: “Bina vishwas ke prarthna, pooja nirarthak hai” (Without faith, prayers and worship are meaningless).
She further shared that what truly captured her attention was the majestic lion seated behind the Divine Mother. “He was a striking figure—regal, fierce, yet utterly tranquil, as if guarding Her with quiet devotion. His eyes..” she said, “glowed with an almost otherworldly brilliance.”
The purpose of sharing this story isn't simply to recount a dream; rather, it is to highlight a mystical interaction between the Divine and an ordinary person. We often think of God as distant, elusive, but through my studies of spiritual phenomena, I've encountered many accounts where the Divine reaches out to humans in deeply personal ways.
Naturally, I wondered why such a vision had come to her.
When I asked my sister if she had done anything to invoke this blessing, she admitted that for many years now, she experiences a special darshan (divine vision) after Navratri. Usually, it is Swami who appears, but this time it was the Divine Mother. Interestingly, she confessed that she doesn't follow the traditional Navratri rituals as closely as others in our family. She once prayed to Swami, asking not to observe rituals just for the sake of it but only when she felt truly inspired. As a result, she was uncertain why this grace was bestowed upon her.
She went on to mention that her daughter, T (my niece), while not particularly religious or spiritual, yet has a profound and personal connection with Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati. Every Monday, without prompting from anyone in the family, she makes it a point to visit a nearby Shiva temple to offer her prayers.
She shared another incident.
When T was little, she fell gravely ill, suffering from a jaundice-related ailment that left her weak and unable to keep any food or water down. Her stomach was in constant pain, and sleep was nearly impossible. The doctors were concerned and advised my sister to take great care. One night, as my sister was tending to her, my niece asked her mother to rest, promising to wake her if she needed anything. Reluctantly, my sister fell asleep.
Late at night, my niece awakened needing to go to the restroom, but she didn’t want to disturb her mother. As she turned to get up, she was astonished to see a regal woman, whom she instantly recognized as Mata (Divine Mother), sitting by her bedside in a red saree, gently massaging her stomach. Thinking her illness was playing tricks on her mind, she made her way to the restroom, drank some water, and returned to the room, still leaning against the walls for support due to her weakness. To her astonishment, the Mother was still there, sitting in the same place. Too tired to process what she was seeing, she thought of lying down first and then gazing at Mothers form. Remarkably, the moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep; for the first time in days.
It is natural to question the authenticity of such experiences— but the test of such an event lies in its effect. My sister’s dream wasn’t just about seeing the Divine Mother; it was about the wisdom imparted. What was shared with her resonates deeply with the teachings of our scriptures. My sister, ever self-reflective, admits that the insights she received were not something she had previously considered or meditated on herself, and she experienced the deep wisdom of those words even as Mother spoke them.
A sevadal friend, Santosh, once shared an intriguing experience with me. He had been asked to escort a sadhu for darshan at Ramesh Hall in Brindavan. After the darshan, Santosh found the Sadhu looking perplexed. Sensing something was amiss, Santosh inquired if all was well? The sadhu, with a tone of awe, replied that he could not see the Her clearly during the darshan. Curious, Santosh inquired further, and the sadhu explained that the Divine Mother’s jewelry shone with such overwhelming brilliance that it obscured Her form from him.
Now thoroughly confused, Santosh asked, “But did you see Swami?” The sadhu pointed to a nearby photograph of Swami and asked, “Is this the form you see when you have darshan?”
“Of course,” Santosh replied, “What did you see?”
The sadhu, with quiet reverence, responded, “I saw Ma Bhagwati walking among us. Her presence - beyond majestic, Her aabhushans (ornaments) gleaming with such intensity, as if each one held the light of many suns.”
This statement compliments the narrative of the above dream.
