Reply to the Mother

At the outset, when Bhagavan left home, his family tried to trace him, but failed. Only some years later they discovered him at Tiruvannamalai. The Mother, not yet ripe to renounce the world and join him, went to persuade her son to return home. It was in December of 1898. At this time Bhagavan was not speaking and sat in apparent indifference to her pleas. One Pachaiappa Pillai who was nearby gave Bhagavan a paper and pencil and asked him to at least write a few words of consolation to his mother. He wrote briefly that whatever is destined to happen will happen.



The following poetic rendering by A. W. Chadwick (Sadhu Arunachala) was checked over by Sri Bhagavan.



The fates of souls are all by God ordained

According to the deeds that they have done.

That end that's destined ne'er to be attained

Will never be achieved by anyone

However hard they try.

All those things, too

That are destined must occur one day,

Will come to pass whatever you may do

To interfere and try their course to stay,

And this is certain.

At length we come to see

That it is best that we should silent be.

---