Chennai to Kumbhakonam
25 jan, chennai to kumbhakonam, bharata yatra 2008
two days program in chennai is over. all of us started off to kumbhakonam in the afternoon.
for a long time we were travelling by the smooth seashore road. the beauty of the vast blue ocean was intercepted by the isolated palm trees. on the right side fields were empty where the villagers make salt from sea water. we drove past mahabali puram, a beautiful historic place. there are temples just by the sea built by the pallava kings. some of them are in a single stone. amazing work and architecture. it looks like some children were playing and were making temples just for fun. because nothing is in an organized way nor according to the standard measurements similar to other hindu temples. but its a beautiful piece of work. if you get a chance, you must see that. we drove past mahabali puram.
it was 7 p.m when amma pulled over and stopped in a garden by the road. it was not really a garden, amma sat in the corner of an L shaped road. on either side of the road were fields with little green grass. you could hear the sound of the cricket against the passing of the trucks on the highway. temporary lights were put up from a generator. soundsystem team put up a small speaker and the santsang stage was set. amma narrated some incidents form the programmes. she sang few bahjans. had question answers on awareness and desires. “how to be focussed on your goal in the middle of distractions and temptations” was the question asked by amma. ( you may post your answers in the comment, i shall try to pass it to amma). after listening to the answers amma said “all the pleasures in the end leads to pain. only viveka and viragya (discrimination and dispassion) will help you keep focussed on the goal. sri shankaracharya insists on these two values on every page of his work” amma added.
amma also wanted her children to share some stories and jokes. we all had supper -nice and soft iddaly and sambar- with amma. the oval shaped yellowish red moon was rising up in the horizon when amma got up. she asked every one to contemplate on the points discussed for the next 3 hours.
we set off to kumbhakonam. the roads became very bad. no no i am not true. the roads really dont exisit!! sitting inside the car you feel like you are inside a washing machine. i don’t know when we will reach kumbhakonam. 60 more kilometers to go. sure we have to reach. amma is with us.
– dhyanamrita
Question from Blessed Amma: “how to be focussed on your goal in the middle of distractions and temptations”
Answer: Look deep within yourself and smile when the outside of your body receives any impetus of external origin. Hold Blessed Amma in your Heart of Hearts, and witness any thoughts and do not think but of your Darling Beloved. O my Blessed Guru you are all and everything.
It is so nice to be with Amma in your journey! Thank you for these wonderful reports!
About the question: First, I should have the goal clear inside me so that I could always focus on it. For me having Amma and her continuous love towards all creation in my mind helps to find the great feeling in my heart, so the temptations and distractions begins to feel not so attractive. But I don´t say I always manage in this, but I am on the road towards it. I also try to choose such distractions that have good purpose and try to remember God also there.
Amma, We wait for you at Kannur!!!
Hold tightly on her feets. Do think it is her leela and she will guide to reach us the goal…
Thank you for your very beautiful descriptions of the countryside as you travel with Ammamother. It means so much to me because I learn more about Her and her wisdom. We are so blessed to have Her with us on this plane.
Gratefully,
Helen
I understand that its easy to move on through any situation if one surrender to his/her Guru. I do not know what’s good for me. Whether my actions are relevant or ought to happen.
So I am just trying to go along with the situations given by Amma. Or otherwise, I take all situations happening around me as Amma’s wish. Whenever desire arises, immediately, I give to Amma. Amma make it happen in case it is for my good; otherwise it won’t happen.
Aware that my distractions and temptations are reactions triggered by the sensations of what I see, smell, touch, taste, hear, and that awareness disengages me from indulging myself. Vijayasree
Replying to the question is VERY difficult. I had this experience last summer when I went to the world after nine years continuous stay in the ashram. I literally felt the tremendous iron like power of Illusion. Earlier when living there I could not feel it. But fortunately it was the crab season in my country at that moment and it reminded me every day of the story Mother tells of the crabs that are put in the cold water, and then slowly heating up the water, they don’t even realize that they are cooked up and ending up in the stomach – of Maya. Every day watching the news and seeing the poor crabs in the baskets in the market place, I prayed, ‘I don’t want that! I don’t want that! ’ But even to remember that I needed Mother’s Grace. I saw that without Her Grace everything remains at a superficial level, it comes and goes. And to get that Grace three most important things needed for it, are: 1) effort, 2) Effort, 3) EFFORT.
so happy listening to ammachi’s question….its as though she can read my mind….iam now at a crucial point of my life…iam forced to take decisions on my own…..whether to choose the spiritual path or opt for higher education and a rewarding career….i know my ultimate desination is ammachi…….all temptations are Her leela,her tests…..so,i try to anchor myself in the faith that the grace of the guru will keep me going at every step of my life……”jnana vairagya siddhyartham bhikshaam dehi cha parvathi..”
What immense grace this is! Thank you Swamiji for your time and effort. For people like us who are far far away physically, time and space disappear through this blog. We are travelling with Amma. Pranaams at HER lotus feet…..
To reach the goal, I rely on surrender. Then Amma makes sure distractions are overcome. Last paragraph says it all. Road to the goal is bumpy but with Amma all of us are sure that will get there.
How to stay focused? Realise that when anyone desires anything in the world what they really want is joy. If you keep the knowledge that even the joy you experience from these things actually comes from within and not from the object and that all joy and happiness comes from within and is always there your mind will become focused on that in gratitude instead of going outward to the numerous things that the world offers. When you know that the joy really is within you dispassion for worldly desires naturally arises. The whole world is looking for this joy and when we realise that it is within us we will start to let go of the world and begin to discover true bliss 🙂 May everyone in the world know ammas love
Amma, only Your Love can save us from distractions & temptations. If I can only remember your Love for us Amma, vairagya will hold steady.
“how to be focussed on your goal in the middle of distractions and temptations”
We should be a witness to distraction and temptations and not get involved in them. Further our Beloved AMMa will guide us.
my present goal after reading this article is to be near amma. but i know it won’t happen. so many problems to be overcome which are beyond me.
answer only amma knows.
Good question. I asked this myself yesterday in another context. So the answer to this must be similar in that one needs to be constantly aware of the goal. So effort needs to be put to cultivate constant awareness. For that grace of the Master like Amma is needed!