Mata Rani Ki Jai!

One of the questions on many people’s mind during the Seattle programs was whether Amma would sing ‘Mata Rani’. Most everyone had heard about how Amma had been singing this new upbeat Punjabi song in India – especially during the end of the Brahmastanam Temple Festivals. Anticipation was high and palpable in the air. When would we hear this new bhajan?

Our first introduction to Mata Rani came during bhajans on the first night of the Retreat. It was the fourth bhajan in the set. During the bhajan, Amma would occasionally lift Her hands up in the air, fingers pointed upwards, and shout out ‘Mata Rani Ki…..’ and everyone would respond with a rousing ‘Jai!!!’. But it simply wasn’t the same as in India. In India, when Amma sang at the Brahmastanam Festivals, She was still giving darshan and would be surrounded by devotees standing close in. So seeing it with Amma, sitting virtually alone on stage, it was missing the intense intimacy and interaction of India.

Until….

At the end of the second night of darshan, around 1:45am, as the last people were lining up for darshan, Amma suddenly called for a harmonium. Within seconds, the musicians were on stage, a microphone was brought near Amma, and it began. It was beyond bliss. Amma kept singing and singing. Raising the intensity. Her arms occasionally raising in the air again, enticing everyone to shout out ‘Mata Rani Ki Jai!!!’

It went on for about 15 minutes. When Amma finally finished, She rose from Her chair, and walked out the hall. Calls of ‘Mata Rani Ki Jai!’ followed Her to Her car. As She drove away, blissed out devotees shared their excitement at finally hearing this new bhajan. It was a wonderful gift. We all hope that Amma will continue this on the rest of the tour stops.

There is something incredibly intimate when Amma sings Mata Rani. The way She interacts with Her children. For most other bhajans, we follow Amma as She either looses herself in internal bliss, or find ourselves uplifted by the rousing emotions. But with Mata Rani, Amma is pulling us along with immense love and joy, encouragingly, interactively, watching Her beam at us as we follow Her leads.

Sri Pati
Seattle, 3 June 2007