I did not know Amma before coming here. I came here seven years back. My only source of income is a shop that was setup after I came here.

I would say that every day since then is an experience by itself in this sacred land. I feel that only people with the real seed of spirituality can come to this place, no amount of advertisements or any other external force can bring this much amount of people to the place.

It is my good fortune that has brought me to Amma. There seems to be a power that guides the whole process. The place in itself holds a lot of sanctity that retains the truth deep in the sands of the sea. It is the same power that links all the people together in this place, just like a thread that links all pearls together into a beautiful garland. I would call this extremely powerful power as Love. This power of love can be felt in the air of the ashram and this balances the life force around.

Amma has always played a very dynamic role in moulding true human beings. She has explored all possible ways by which she can contribute to humanity and the planet. She is building up some of the best quality students. Amma, through the institutions, infuses the capability into the students so that they can permeate into the lowest strata of society. I really aspire that I am able to contribute to the maximum of my effort to ensure that the love and service of Amma penetrates to the hearts of the whole humanity.

Living in this place, knowingly or unknowingly, makes one proud to say that he/she is a resident of the place where Amma was born. It gives me an immense pleasure and security to belong to such a place.

Every day since I came here is an experience. Though it is tough to pull out one out of miracles, I would like to share one experience of mine which was during Amma’s 50th birthday. As the function was at Cochin, everybody was going to the venue and the ashram was virtually empty. I could not go for the program as I could not shut down the shop. One of the days before Amma’s 50th birthday, I had the last group of visitors, who were foreigners, probing through the shop. On knowing that they were going for the program, I handed over to them a birthday gift for Amma, a small statue of Ganapathy.

The next day, the shop was opened, and the day was silent as there were not much customers. As I was whiling away the time, I saw an old man who was walking to the backwaters. I felt like calling him, and I did. As he approached me, I could see that he was in tattered clothes and that he was a wanderer. He came over and sat on the floor in front of my shop. Looking into my eyes, he uttered a few words that really shook me and filled me with awe. He spoke in a crisp and clear language that the Ganapathy was received. I was astonished by what he said, and my heart brimmed with gratitude and love. The person also told that he had to go Cochin, where the program was being held. I spoke to him for long and helped him get to Kayankulam, from where he could go to Cochin. My eyes filled with tears of happiness and joy as the ‘man’ went into the auto. It was an over-whelming experience that was deeply embedded into my memoirs to be treasured forever.

– Shyam

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