we pray to that mother, the eyes will be closed, it will be dark to us. Who and what there is, none of that we will know. Then in our body a feeling will arise. Like a trembling, all the nerves will convulse. Only after that will we be aware that our whole body is trembling. If we try to stand up, we will not know how. It seems that it is flying of its own accord. Then our feet dance by themselves, circling round. She is creating a dance in our bodies. It is she who comes and dances, her power it is. When she comes and dances, then in whoever’s family is whatever evil, whoever has whatever trouble, whatever illness, whatever they want to take place, then in the person of that feeling, she will come and tell it. We cannot tell it. In that time, her wisdom is in our place. She will speak with our voice. Her voice cannot speak, can it? Our voice cannot speak at all. With her voice she comes and speaks to us. For three and three-quarters nāṛi43 only she will be in our place. As long as she is there, that feeling is in our body. When she is gone, that feeling will subside. Then we will have our feeling. What happens after that, what has to happen now, we do not know. That is her power.
[What happens when a ghost possesses somebody?]
Ordinarily, if someone is seized by a ghost, a dead person, someone who has died leaving many children, that spirit will circle around in that family. It will not go out. Then, whoever it likes very much, in whomever’s person it has much desire, that spirit will seize that person. The way the feeling of the mother seizes one, in the same way the feeling of the dead person will seize someone. When it seizes, it is wind. It has no form at all. But in that child’s person day by day pain in the arms and legs, pain in the body, dizziness, it will not take food, it will take no responsibility in the family, it will dislike everybody, it will have no affection. It has so many characteristics. However she died, that feeling will dance in her person. Then her name, her address, how she died, how she lived, what she died of, how many days her sickness lasted, she will come in her own form and give word of all that. Then the feeling of this mother will come in my person, and will ask that dead spirit for a detailed explanation.
Now if in my person the mother comes, and in your person that spirit is attacking, as soon as the mother comes, that spirit of its own accord will come into your person. In the same way it will dance. When, in the same way, that feeling dances, the mother will ask you, “Who are you? How did you die? Of what did you die? Why have you come into this child’s person?”
When she asks like that, you will answer, “I had this same kind of desire. When she came to a certain place, I, my spirit attacked her.” So speaking, that which is in your person will give an answer to the mother.
Then the mother will say, “What is the matter with you? You have been here for so long. For you to go, what food do you want? Whatever you like, take it and eat it. You come with me.”
Thus that mother will invite it away. It will take it. That is the power of that mother. It is true that ghosts exist. It is wrong to say that they do not. The disease in the body that the doctor cannot cure, the mother has the power to cure. The doctor is second to Māriamman.
In this religion … for all religions there is a deity. Ordinarily for you, you are Christians, that is that Jesus’s thing, isn’t it? In the same way, Christians have three kinds, seven kinds. Those people who say hallelujah, who don’t wear jewels or anything, they too have belief in our deity. In your religion or in the Christian religion, however many mistakes you make, there is a husband. You follow your desires and make love with him and marry him. For ten years or five years they lie with him. If they write that they don’t want him, they can take on the next husband. You must know that well. They can take another on, can’t they? Then to your god you say, everything I have done is wrong. Creator, you forgive me. You take on all that sin. If you say that, your deity will take it on. Our god too takes it on.
At a small age, a child was married. Her husband failed and died. That child must be just like that to the very end. She must not wear kumkum again, she must not wear flowers, she must not wear beautiful clothes and jewels. The custom of that time. She must be just like that. Now even that widow can marry. One who is a small child can go to the next man’s place, her life must not be ruined, an ugly name should not come to her, for her too they make a life. Whatever deity made that wrong, it is wrong. If there is a husband, to follow one’s desire and want another husband, and be like that, is wrong. Our god does not like that.
For our god, we must make a prayer. For our god, if a child is sick, for that sickness to become well, for Māriamman I take a child’s skirt and place it [before her idol], and place kumkum, and I put a garland there, and I pray. That child will get better. After it becomes well, we must go and do as we said in that prayer. If we do not, the same kind of thing will happen again. Our god has that power. For our god you must light a candle, mustn’t you? A candle and roses. Just that, flowers and a candle for your god. For our god, we can do whatever we want. Every god has its way. For Māriamman, cuṇḍal [a kind of bean dish], sugar poṅgal [rice cooked in milk], they sacrifice a goat, they kill a chicken, they do all that. For your god there is none of that. For your god, killing a chicken and all, and coming as feeling into someone’s person, does not exist. Does it? Your Jesus does not come into anybody’s person. Only in that Bible, his birth in truth, in truth his coming and disappearing in light, because of that you put a cross [before his image] and pray.
This mother is not like that. In a town, when they put up an image of a mother, and perform a great ceremony, and make oblations, and perform worship for a god, the power of that mother will come into that place. That is a great temple.
[What people will Māriamman enter into?]
That mother will not come and celebrate in everybody’s person. She has a desire. The heart must be clean. Lies, thievery, a lack of charity toward people, if you have these qualities, she will not come. There must be charity. If there is hunger, for that mother you must do good. Mustn’t you? In a family, you must not cause any harm. Into the place of that kind of heart only, that mother will come and she will stay. If Māriamman comes, if that mother has come bringing pearls [pox], we must not call a doctor. We must not use a needle, we must not give medicine, we must not take pills. We must think of that mother, grind turmeric and neem leaves and apply them, and give good, cool substances. Coconut water, milk, buttermilk, varieties of fruit, we must give all this. We must not give hot spices. We should not give meat and all. Like that, for the mother. That mother makes pearls [causes pox]. In the person of a child, or in the person of an adult, following her desire she comes, because she feels attracted to someone she comes. She will not enter everyone’s person. Ordinarily, the kind of person she likes most is someone of an untouchable group. In such a person she has much desire. Into them she will come very often. She will come in a Muslim’s person. Christians—she recognizes no caste or religion. She will come in every kind of caste. But, only in your religion she will not come. Will she come in your religion? Has the mother come to you? In your religion she will not come at all. In all the other religions she will come. In your one religion only she will not come. Because … desire. We have a belief that in your heart is a god. Nevertheless, you will not use it. You will not use her power.
Now you are doing research to see what she is. Does she have a form? Does she have a power? What all can that power accomplish? This whole world, that is her power, isn’t it? The creation of man is her power. She has a power to create. The saying that the harvest of her life is peace, that is a power. Everything is her power only. Therefore, we are unable to accomplish anything. By our own efforts we can do nothing.
Those who do not have the devotion of Māriamman, they do not know belief in her at all. They do not know what she is or what her belief is. To those who have her belief, “If we make even a small mistake, it is just because we made this mistake that we must be like this?” So saying we must pray to that mother. Mustn’t we? When much trouble comes, when there is a torment that we cannot change, that will not go away, “O mother, you will end my sorrow.” But she will not come directly and
