This Amma season in Amritapuri was much more than what i wrote last time.
Last Tuesday, from the memorable quick darshan, in which Amma didn’t miss to see each one in the eye and whisper our exclusive love code word in our ears, up to the Prasad distribution was one flow of the grace. Next bout of Grace was when Amma came down for evening bhajans. Amma sang songs in many languages of the country, reaching and touching many many hearts.
Meantime all over the ashram two questions were heard floating about: At what time is Amma leaving? Is Amma coming to the swimming pool?
Nobody knew the right answer. Only speculations filled the air.
It was past ten pm. Many had walked to the pool straight from bhajan, and sat waiting for Amma. They were spending the waiting time talking about the number of things that Amma did during the day, including Amma’s instruction in Sadhana for the season when Amma on Europe tour. Some were singing the bhajans Amma sang that evening, or that season.
One was saying: “Many things resemble the time when Krishna left Vrindavan, but major things don’t resemble that situation. For example we don’t need to grieve like the gopis, for Amma is not leaving Amritapuri for ever; Kind Amma leaves a place only to arrive in another.”
There Amma arrived, to push her daughters into the pool, and have good fun. Many of us don’t know swimming but still don’t mind entering the water just because Amma will push us into the water. Amma is the one who will save us from the ocean of samsara, so where is the fear! They say.
At one point Amma wanted to enter the pool Herself. In her deep red and white swim dress, Amma jumped in on the deep side, and swam among the roaring children to the other end. Amma made them dip in water with mantra. Amma then decided to do something very special. She folded Her legs in Padmasana and went on Her back floating in the water.
On seeing this, the noisy pool went all silent with awe! Till Amma came up the pool, there was pin drop silence, with only some aspirated exclamations like, “Oh Amma!” ” Ah Amma!”
During the turn with boys too Amma did the padmasana floating. But we heard uproars this time: the boys roared and cheered Amma for Her feat, with Matarani ki jai! and Amma ki Jai!
After more than two hours at the pool, Amma, on Her way back to the room visited Damayanti Amma.
Following morning was just a few hours away. We started archana at 4, and sat waiting for Amma to appear. Imagine hundreds of Ashram children lining up from Her room up to the exit gate near the Amrita setu… only to catch a glimpse of Amma, the one which will last on the screen of memory till the next glimpse two months hence.
Oh, i forgot to mention something. The sunset on the eve of Her departure was a most beautiful one as i witnessed it from Amritadarshan top.The western horizon was all shining golden. The sea had on it, a shimmering golden path leading from the shore to the Sun. It felt as if the very direction in which AMMA would go the next day was all made golden by the sun, as preparation.
– Sandhya