nail biting experience
9 feb, kannur, bharata yatra 2008
prasad giving is a big process in itself.
the volunteers will be placing 2 or 3 prasad packets at a time to amma which she gives to the devotees while giving darshan. the sevaks train the volunteers for this one minute that they get to sit with amma. how to hold the prasad, how to place it in amma’s hand, how attentive you should be near amma… all this is given in instruction and with hands training. all this time you are slowly slowly moving towards amma in a line. if amma sits for 10 hours for darshan, 600 volunteers would have chance to give prasad to amma. (remember darshan is for 2 or 3 seconds in the pubic programs)
a teenage girl joined the prasad line in kannur. the sevak denied permission for her to join the line. the girl was wondering why. the sevak politely told her since she has long nails she would be hurting amma’s hand. so it is not possible to go give prasad to Amma. So obviously the sevak was paying attention.
but the girl ignored her and moved forward in the line, asked another sevak for permission. she also looked at her fingers. the nails were at least 2 inches long. she was again denied permission to go forward. the girl started crying. her mother was sitting next in the prasad line. she tried to persuade the sevak. but the sevak was stubborn. “you may hurt amma’s soft hand. so it is not possible.”
the message was clear to them. to give prasad to amma is precious and a rare chance. she might have been caring, growing nails for at least one year. the girl was sobbing. now what to do. she turned around. hiding her face in her hands… should she started biting her nails off? she started removing her nails one by one from her fingers. her mother was crying and her little sister who also was in the line. in two or three minutes she had cut all her nails..
it was painful for her. no doubt. but she was courageous and had the discrimination. she sacrificed her nails, and she was allowed by the sevaks.
nearly at the end of darshan i saw her standing in front of amma. she was still blissful of being near amma.
i wish she had not cried for her sacrifice.. because any sacrifice is worth if it takes you to amma.
dhyanamrita
Touching… No wonder .. its around the Divine Mother
hope her Nail grows back fast and the bliss and happines she got from the act, ( both sacrificing her nails and being with AMMA ) stay with her …. and grow .
also !! she is an example for me……
Swamiji by telling us this true episode you have taught me a lesson that we should not cry or crib while doing good things, if we do so no significance is left. By our good deeds GOD is not benefitted but we get his grace. Whatever we do is for our own benefit and we should be happy in all circumstances.
What this girl did by removing her nails brings me to tears. I understand how the Guru gives all to this world. And we need to exercise some shradda in this, our dharma in this must be correct.
What Joy that this girl made the decision that she did!!!! – even though experiencing the pain she did – imagine the cleansing due to Amma’s grace!!!
Smart girl..Our love for Amma makes any amount of pain bearable. Thanks for this entry, I will be sure to trim my own nails before going to the prasad line next time!! Namahshivaya
i would definetly say that the girl is great, as she has proved her unconditional love towards Amma by biting off her nails.Its indeed a lesson to me that made me understand that sacrifies give us pain and pleasure!!.jai kali ma!!!
For an adult it may not seem like much but, for a teenager that is quite a sacrifice! When I was a teenager I was very selfish and many teenagers I see today (who have not been in the presence of a ‘great one’) are also very self centered. My question is to why her mother was crying. Surely it could not be because her daughter was cutting her nails. Maybe her mother and sister were crying simply because she was. Perhaps many of us care for and grow our egos for many years before Amma comes along to give us the courage to cut it off…and when our egos are being cut we all cry!~Aum Amriteshwaryai Namaha~