PART ONE

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 1998. 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.

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