“Hariyuva nadiya kalaravadalli kelutaliruvudu ammanaama!” I heard a brahmachari singing to himself the above lines as we some of us Amma children were trekking along the Mandakini River in deeper Himalayas. When Amma is available in Amritapuri, all would throng there; but Her children posted in Himalayas have to complete as much of Her work […]
The Himalayas are the youngest mountain range on earth. That is both a good and a bad thing. They are prone to dramatic earthquakes, landslides, and devastating floods like we saw last summer. But the mountains also thrust up fresh, nutrient rich soil that makes this an extremely productive place to farm. When I first […]
19 March, Tuesday Birds did their usual din all morning, and around ten as we started chanting archana, they all fell silent. The archana was resounding in the entire ashram. It was followed by an intense silence, a special something that only Tuesdays have seen. Over 4000 people were in the big hall, doing meditation. […]
One wonders if seasonal changes matter to birds in Amritapuri at all. In connection with the establishment of the Sringeri mutt by Sri Sankara there is specific mention of his seeing a snake offering shelter to a frog from sun and on that spot he built the ashram. An ashram is a place where no […]
Warm weather is finally here in Chandrapuri, bringing with it a flurry of activity. The government seems to have realized that monsoon season is quickly approaching. Road construction is going on everywhere, finally with heavy equipment and an influx of new Indian workers. Our construction has picked up again too with the arrival of two […]
Amma always reminds us how important it is to have awareness in each and every action of ours. The following incident reminded me just how important it is to put Amma’s advice into practice in everyday life. It was during a spiritual programme with one of Amma’s disciples in Dublin, Ireland. It was my duty […]
Out of all of Amma’s relief programs in Uttarakhand, the Vocational Training Centers have been the instant success story. Standardized curriculum from Amachi Labs, delivered by laptop made it possible to implement the classes so quickly. This week I attended the final session of the Fabric Painting Class in Guptakashi. This was the second batch […]
Chandrapuri where we have started Amma’s housing projects, is actually two villages on opposite sides of the Mandakini River that were once connected by a beautiful cable bridge. Batwadi Village, where we are building houses, is on the east side and Chandrapuri Village is on the west bank. This week, a family has shared rare […]
After a full day of carrying sand and stones up the hill to the village pipal tree, our Japanese students postponed their bath and dinner to climb the hill once more for bhajans with our local ladies. The only word to describe the Batwadi Bhajan Band is “ecstatic”. They love any excuse to sing and […]