On 29 Dec I have left the relative comfort of Rishikesh to document the relief work of Mata Amritananda Math in the Kedar Valley of the Himalayas. The area was devastated by flooding in June of 2013 (All News). Amma immediately sent a medical van from Kerala and now is beginning construction of 500 houses […]
2 Jan 2014, Amritapuri Devi, the form of the Divine Mother is glorified in Hindu scriptures by various names attributing the formless and nameless Self in its compassionate form as the Mother. Yesterday was one such day of beautiful reminders. Amma had been giving Darshan for more than 10 hours. Hall was crowded. As someone […]
Yesterday was truly a wonderful day for many near Amma. Amma seemed ever fresh even at 10 pm after almost 12 hours of Darshan. I was sitting in the hall beside her. Amma was jokingly chatting on with a small kid who sat beside her after receiving Darshan. Amma asked him if he knew bhajans […]
Last weekend, i came to witness an expression of Amma, albeit in action. Amma says “To be able to see our own Self in every living thing with both our eyes open – that is Self-realization. We must see ourselves in others, and love and serve them. That is when spiritual practice achieves perfection.” After […]
2 Dec 2013, Amritapuri Archana was chanted an hour early at 4am. By shortly after 5am the whole ashram was lined up from the gate to Amma’s room for her expected arrival at 6-6:30am. Even people who will not normally spend 2 minutes in a Q without complaining or cutting it, patiently waited, even chanting […]
Back at Amritapuri, the Europe tour now becomes a beautiful memory and not a day to day adventure. Other lucky people are still on tour with Amma in the USA. However, it is also lucky to be at Amma’s ashram where there is construction everywhere for new housing. Looks like a lot more people are […]
After the massive Toulon program, Amma drove to her ashram near the historic town Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume where Mary Magdelene is said to be buried. The ashram building was once an old mill and a river flows behind it and a stream under it, which once powered the mill wheel. A small waterfall is within view down […]
Normally one would not write a post about bathrooms. But then, we aren’t usually talking about “Amma” bathrooms! The facilities at Amma’s programs are amazingly decorated. It is a joy to enter them. Each city and country has a different flavor. In Switzerland, the decorations were vines and autumn flowers. In Berlin, lovely paper hearts, […]
During Devi Bhava in Berlin a devotee brought Amma a traditional Indian sweet, kozhakatta. It is a healthy sweet made of steamed rice flour with coconut and sweetening inside. (Many of us were first introduced to this sweet in Calcutta, when Amma spontaneously made them herself for the tour group and local volunteers.) Amma showed […]