Ashram Diary

Question 224:

Amma says: “The attitude ‘I will only accept success’ is wrong. Learn to also accept the responsibility of failures.” How do you understand this?
Please make your answer brief and clear (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

Ma, I know not why the nature has three Gunas,
Bound to these fetters, a Jiva roams in varied wombs.
But I know, Thou art there everywhere to carry us,
Helping to rejoice and celebrate all days of our lives.

Ma, I know not why there are the Sun, the Earth and planets,
Bound by the Universal Force, Prana, held safely in Thy arms.
But I know, Thou art there always everywhere to care us,
Helping to rejoice and celebrate even in the midst of sorrows.

Ma, I know not why there are countless Universes,
Confounding the little human intellect that counts.
But I know, Thou art there to teach us in humble ways,
Helping ever to love, serve and celebrate all our days.

– Sridhar

Amongst the flowers offered by chants at thy feet,
I hear sounds of a weeping flower.
It cries out of sheer ecstasy,
being a flower chosen for holy worship.

Every mantra vibrates on each petal.
Feels your vibes of love and compassion.
Oh! Mother of universe how blessed are they,
to be offered at thy holy feet.

Even a grain of sand is blessed,
to receive your foot fall on it…

As you trot; a chant of AUM reverberate.
Nature stands still in meditation.
A sweet breeze smears a fragrance of jasmine.
your pure whiteness percolates around.
Oh! Mother let me be a grain under your feet,
a blade of grass, just to feel your grace.
Let me be an insignificant creature,
who always significantly captures thy caress

by Sateeshan Rangonath

Sunday the 3^rd of March saw the arrival of twelve new members of four families into the existing fold of cows in Amrita Gokula, the ashram cowshed by Amma’s cottage.

The cows came travelling a long distance from Mysore Amrita Vidyalaya, where they were being tended till now. When Amma was in Mysore last, may be the cows pleaded with Her that they want to come and live in Amritapuri, in Her Presence. Just like many of Her householder children.

They are all of pure indigenous breeds. Three of the most attractive, fat brown ones (mother, son and daughter by names Ganga, Govinda and Tunga respectively), you may have seen such cows in Krishna’s company in pictures, are from the Gir forests of Gujarat. They are shimmering brown in colour with stunted horns and downward hanging big ears. The huge twosome with huge horns and frankly opened big ears, (mother and child with names Sharada and Ambika), that appear like Shiva’s bull, also hail from Gujarat, are from Kankrej breed. Though they look robust and wild, these are very calm beings. The very white ones, Durgamba, Maheshwari and Gauri are from a Karnataka breed called Hallikaar. Chamundi Lakshmi is from the Karnataka native Amritamahal breed favourite of the Mysore royalty. Kenchi, and her children, Hamsini and Manjunatha are a cross breed of the two native Karnataka breeds mentioned above, and have varied colours.

- Sandhya

Now a days, the naked banyan tree by the kayal has special bloom all over its body. See the picture. They are not its regular foliage but, but… birds! Birds that roost every night. The black birds and the white birds.

Soon after archana, when the ether is still gray, go to the juice stall area and look up. The early white birds are stretching and beating wings even on the perch. At one point `phew!’ these egrets take to wings and go in an unmistakable direction.

The black cormorants are early to bed but late to rise. The sun has to shine on them and stir them from slumber. However, since they are not pretending to be asleep, reminding us of one of Amma’s oft repeated precepts, they do eventually wake up. They stretch and haggle a little before deciding to take to wings. But they all eventually do. Birds obey all natural laws.

And the mynas go on chirping in shrill voice, living in their own world of din and noise, till it is time for the dapple winged little mynas to go their way.

It is worth missing your morning chai one day, i tell you.

PS: There are not many crows here now, you know? Their cawing is heard under the screeches of kingfisher or kuhukuhu of the noisiest-of-the-season, koel, or the hysteric laughter of the woodpecker.

- Sandhya

Question 223:

Amma says: “Surrender and living in the present are one and the same.”
How do you understand this?
Please make your answer brief and clear (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

Any confluence of rivers is holy for an Indian.

Three Triveni Sangamas became blessed by Amma this India Tour time. How is that?

Some of our river- sisters had cherished a dream for a long time. When Amma comes on tours Amma blesses different landscapes with Her presence, Her touch, Her sight and so on. River Kaveri was the luckiest of them all; on Her annual south India tour Amma mostly always stops by the Bhavani with Her children and spends the evening. Each time She has stopped, myths and legends abound the incident. You could browse on the web. The fact is that Bhavani is historically a very holy spot where River Kaveri joins Her tributary Bhavani. Amma’s first evening stop during this year’s North India tour was at Bhavani.

Kaveri meets Amma regularly on yet another spot. That is at Gosai Ghat, off Mysore city. Kaveri playfully becomes two before the historical city of Srirangapatna, and soon joins as before, making the town an island. The latter spot is one of Amma’s favourite stops.(Kaveri plays a similar game at Sirangam in Tamil Nadu, and both these island towns have temples for Sri Ranganatha in reclining position, as Anantasayana.) This time, unlike other times, Amma was travelling from Bangalore to Mysore, and She didn’t forget to meet Her friends, birds, trees, plants, rocks and waters of the confluence. Amma sang several songs. Amma saw the water birds returning to roost, in groups of dozens at a time, lined up like children. Amma said, “Just as we are going homeward, these birds also are flying to their homes. This was last but one stop with Amma on the tour. Also, after Mysore, about a third of the ashram children were returning since their turns ended.

Last time around, when the holy river-sisters met in the heavens, discussions came up. Kaveri really didn’t mention the social turmoil caused among her children in the states she flows; but she remembered to recount the pleasantness Amma granted to her serene surroundings by stopping by her, along with white clad hundreds of Her world children, singing God’s glory, distributing Prasad, praising Mother Nature for her bounteous gifts in Satsang etc.

Ganga and Yamuna, the glory of ancient India, had indeed many stories to exchange with fellow river- sisters. But this time they felt ‘left out’ when they heard Amma’s early visit to Bhavani. ‘Amma comes to North India as well. Amma passes by the two rivers several times as She travels on road from Delhi to Kolkata. But well, Amma has not stopped by us.’ Why, the two sisters even have seen Amma’s caravan of two dozen vehicles driving fast on the fly-over bridge overlooking the Prayag at Allahabad. “But, never has She come down to meet us,” wailed the two some.(Prayag is the north Indian term for Sangama in South India, both meaning confluence of rivers.)

Someone said, “Amma regards all and everything as holy. Even the backwaters She regards them as Devi. She bypasses Vrindavan, She bypasses Kashi, what to say of other places! She preaches to make one’s heart Vrindavan or Kashi…. But She accepts everything and rejects nothing.”

“In that case She will not refuse to come to us,” the two sisters felt comforted.

Ganga and Yamuna took vows. They prayed that Amma visits them and bathe in them and makes them holier. Their prayer consummated during the grand Maha Kumbha Mela celebration, in 2013, Jan.

Amma was invited to visit the place; Amma’s feet touched the land of Kumbha Mela. Amma bathed at the confluence. Amma dipped hundreds of Her world children in the waters of the confluence. And the whole world celebrated it.

- Sandhya, Bharata Yatra 2013