5 March 2008

This past Wednesday, Sivaratri was celebrated literally all day long in Amritapuri. While our Beloved Amma was somewhere in Gujarat or Rajasthan, on Her way to Jaipur, Her children in Amritapuri were like Parvati doing penance for their beloved Siva who had suddenly disappeared. For a full 24 hours, the Brahmacharinis held a marathon of chanting, singing, and pujas in the Kali Temple which began 4:30am and ended just before Archana the next morning.

Sitting in the Kalari for one of the various scheduled pujas, one could hear the Brahmachrinis chanting either the Maha Mrityunjayan Mantra (Om Triyambakam….), 1000 names of Siva, Archana, or singing Om Namah Sivayah. And while one has probably heard Amma sing Om Namah Sivayah in perhaps one or two familiar tunes, the Brahmacharinis took it another step, borrowing melodies from dozens of other bhajans and replacing all the words with ‘Om Namah Sivayah…’

All day long, the Brahmacharinis continued, filling the Ashram with devotional energy. Elsewhere, individuals were chanting the Rudram or sitting at one of the pujas in the Kalari.

As the sun set, evening Bhajans started as usual at 6:30 pm. Afterwards, the Brahmacharinis continued their marathon, while on stage in the Main Hall, the Brahmacharis held their own night bhajan session which also lasted until 5am.

Even though Amma was physically far away, Amma apparently sensed our love; at about 9:30pm, much to the delight of everyone, Amma called the Ashram to acknowledge the efforts and devotion of the Ashramites. As the story goes, Siva eventually accepted Parvati’s penance and agreed to become her husband. Was Amma’s phone call a modern-day representation of that acceptance?

Amma’s phone call had further energized the Ashram. Around 10:30pm, the women were joined by village children who apparently rocked the house for over an hour. Their singing was quite powerful, beautiful and devotional. At one point, they sang Mata Rani which caused more than a few women to rise to their feet and dance and clap their hands. This happened again in the later hours of the night even after the village children had left.

After Archana, most retired to bed, trying to get a few hours rest before their morning seva.

Om Namah Sivayah

– Sri Pati