Barcelona, Spain – Europe Yatra 2014

Barcelona was the first stop on the 2014 Europe tour. The weather was warm and sunny, which was a boon for the many people who lined up in the early hours of the morning to try for an early token. The huge sports hall was packed with enthusiastic Spaniards, who despite lots of cheers and applause, also meditated with Amma and listened to her satsang in pin drop silence.

The University table where I worked was located next to the local seva table. The organization was amazing and the response to seva requests was equally so. The devotees had made heart shaped slates with a pink border, attached to a long pole. When a seva request came in, they roamed around the hall until someone volunteered. I was amazed at how quickly they wrote the new request on the heart and how quickly they returned. Request filled. 4 needed to dry plates. 8 needed for loading. 6 needed for puja setup. On it went, all day and half the night with undiminished enthusiasm. In fact, the enthusiasm of the Spanish devotees never seemed to diminish, whether singing or serving food, smiling and animated faces were the order of the day.

Music and dance are a big part of Spanish culture and several groups sang and performed for Amma. One memorable moment was during a children’s group which featured a special needs singer who did a rousing version of Nandalala. The entire hall was singing and clapping with him and Amma was enjoying it immensely. The music performed by local devotees was amazing. It was full of duende, an almost untranslatable word in Spanish that means passion, fire, magenetism… and is often used to describe music, dance and magical poetry and fiction. The flamenco influence and the local folk dance traditions were apparent and the hall was on fire many times during the afternoon and evening with the electric combination of passionate Spanish singing and dancing in front of Parashakti, the Supreme Divine energy, in the form of Amma. This was never more apparent than in Devi Bhava when the joy and devotion were at their height. Was the roof even slightly elevating off the rafters or was it the people levitating?

However, as the sun rose and the clock marched toward 9am, as darshan came to a close, the mood changed to a more inward and reflective mode. The “flower shower” was mixed with smiles and tears. And as the curtains closed, dense silence reigned, except for a few muffled tears. As Amma slowly walked through the hall to her camper, the devotees began softly singing, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Jai Jai Ma Jai Ma….a beautiful, sweet and classy ending to the first 3 days of the Europe tour.

Rta S