Question 153:
“Sincerely: How many people do you ‘dislike’? Could they become less?”
Please reflect deeply and sincerely on the matter before answering. Please make your answer clear and brief (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

When Amma sends her emissary, it is as though a very special messenger had come directly from her heart.  You sense her presence, her purpose, her commitment to her work,but most of all, you sense her love.

A year and a half ago in August of 2008, Br. Shantamrita Chaitanya came to Manila to teach the Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique, and those students have happily kept his efforts and Amma alive in their hearts.  We met weekly at a private residence (actually, my living room), week in and week out for the next 18 months. So, when he returned this time in mid-January, although still in diapers, I think we were able to crawl a little bit out of our playpen and respond to him with greater receptivity and more understanding.  The chants were no longer so foreign, and at our satsang we hosted a large group with confidence — regular attendance had doubled.

But what is it to grow in practice and in purpose?  What was initially a divine romance with Amma had blossomed for Lucy and me into, I think, a life-long commitment…You know, the prayer “Amma, don’t ever let go of me, keep me in the grip of your love.”  Somehow, I think that has become our prayer too.

Seeing Shantamrita-ji on the stage addressing the devotees and guests and leading the chants lent so much validity to our efforts. I mean, the days when it was just the two of us chanting, reinforcing each other and often wondering, “What are we doing?”  Some satsangs were better than others, but the whole point was just to persevere and find strength in other staunch devotees.  For us, Tana and Jamby Madrigal were the pillars and creators of our little group and dedicated, tireless Shantamrita-ji, even if he came for so little time and was gone for so long.

But always it is Amma, from beginning to end, it is Amma.

That is how I felt too, in Tagaytay some 100 kilometers from Metro Manila, where we had organized some 48 families, and the mothers came for their first Satsang.  What a priviledge to have Shantamrita-ji speak and with such clarity, about goodness and faith, and making tangible the illusive concept of God.  The women, almost all uneducated, were able to grasp the whys and wherefores of Amma, because, she was there.  She loved them enough, poor though they were, unschooled, with narry a clue as to the greatness that was before them, to send them Shantamrita-ji.

Of course, when presenting Shantamrita Chaitanya to my poor neighbors in the countryside I cried. I cried because I could not believe what a little love on my part could awaken in my Amma.  I cried because I knew she loved me as she loved my poor friends, and she loved me for loving them.  And what is love but Amma. Tears are a litmus test indicative of the points in our journey when the heart unknots the hard coil of skepticism and begins to feel again.  Embraced by Amma, awakened by her touch to the truth of her message; the impact of her actions, the magnitude of her love elevates us, makes us weep.  We cannot but see, all that can be, because of all that she is.

Tomorrow, Shantaji will be leaving Manila, Philippines for Tokyo, Japan.  I cannot believe all that is in store for him to do, but he has Amma.  And that is more than enough.  He left us many good memories; an example of service to Amma that is terribly difficult to emulate; and quite unusual rainfall, in January, for Manila.  The Maha Sudharshan Homa and the Maja Ganapathy Homa were almost too effective, so powerful, that even the heavens responded, with rain.  But who can resist the supplications of Amma for the disciples who cannot but love, such a Goddess of Compassion?

What can we say, Amma, except:  THANK YOU!

Grace

Question 152:
“What for you would be real surrender?”
Please reflect deeply on the matter before answering, and make your answer clear and brief (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

15 Jan 2010
Barely a week after the New Year celebration with Amma at Amritapuri, I was blessed to spend some more time with Amma at the Brahmasthanam, Nallapalayam, Kovai. My day started with the Lalita Sahasranam archana along with sixty more students from my college, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore. As we had been told earlier that puja participants would be the first in the darshan queue, we all had bought the puja tickets.

But to our dismay, one the brahmacharinis announced that student’s turn is after the public darshan only. We were left in a dilemma as my two friends and I had our end semester exams the next day and we couldn’t stay back overnight for darshan. Arguing there wouldn’t have been the right approach to the problem.

Silently, I murmured, “Won’t you bless us with your embrace Amma?” Amma looked straight into my eyes amidst the bhajans. In a flash of a second, there was another brahmacharini standing right beside me. I told her our story and she directed us to another person who was distributing gents token. Within minutes, three of us had the darshan tokens in our hands.

-Shikha

Solar eclipse seen at the Amritapuri Ashram

Question 151:
“What does Goddess Devi represent for you? Why?”
Please reflect deeply on the matter before answering, and make your answer clear and brief (maximum 5 or 6 lines).

I was in Amritapuri for New year’s even and had wonderful Darshan with my parents and my brother’s family. The oldest member of our family my Dad and the youngest, my 2 year old niece both had their first Darshan. Amma was radiating grace as always. Her talk at midnight and the international cultural festival to celebrate the New Year by devotees from around the world was fantastic. I also spoke to the MBA students at Amrita University in Amritapuri on Innovation at Google.

I wound my way through Singapore to Tokyo. And today I went for Satang to the Tokyo MA center led by Bhramachari Shanta Amrita Chaitnya. Many of you know that he has a gift for languages and speaks fluent Japanese and Malayalam and his Sanskrit pronunciation is impeccable. I also met two Japanese women (both sisters) who spoke very little English but knew Malayalam because of their time in Amritapuri.

So in a telling power of globalism I had the surreal experience of sitting on Tatami mats in a Tokyo ashram under Amma’s photos and over dinner speaking in Malayalam to a white swami and two Japanese women!

- Gopi Kallayil