Shri Nimishananda Guruji called all the women devotees present one by one and gave all of them coconuts, bangles and fruits, and blessed them benevolently. For all those who were watching this traditional custom, which is normally practised very mechanically, seemed to take on new life and meaning. Shri Nimishananda Guruji also called two elderly widows who were present there. Usually widows do not participate in this traditional exchange and both ladies hesitated. But when they saw Pujya Guruji waiting for them, they prostrated before him to receive the offering. After all the women present had been blessed and everybody was comfortably settled, Shri Nimishananda Guruji smiled joyously and said, “It is a feast for the eyes to see entire families gathered here with so much devotion.”
Here we see grandparents, parents and teenagers. We look at the body and say, “This is a child, man, elderly lady and so on.” But when you do this, always remember that the soul as no age. It is immortal.
I can see that many of you are wondering why I gave this traditional offering, customarily not given to widows, to my two friends here. We must first understand that all these traditions and rituals are practised in order to strengthen the soul. Regardless of what happens to the body or how the circumstances in our life change, the soul remains pristine, divine, changeless and taintless. It remains absolutely unaffected by the turbulent storms of life. All women personify the divine mother herself and project Her grace and energy to the world regardless of their marital status. It is only the ignorance of society that has excluded widows from this tradition. I want both of you to remember this. You are embodiments of the divine mother.
"Never think that your presence is inauspicious or undesirable anywhere. Never cut yourselves off from any of the sacred rituals which is the divine birthright of all women.”
As Shri Nimishananda Guruji spoke, the faces of these two elderly women lit up and became radiant. One of them said, “Pujya Guruji, we were completely unaware of this till now. All of us follow so many religious customs, because our parents practised them. We ask our grand children also to follow them. But when they ask us why these traditions came into vogue and demand an explanation about why they should be practised we are unable to satisfy them,. Most of us don’t know the meaning and inner significance of these rituals and customs. Please enlighten us about this Pujya Guruji.”
This article has been taken from the book Wisdom Through the eyes of Shri Nimishananda by His Holiness Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji