Category: AshramDiary
life at the Amritapuri ashram
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How many New Years per year?
How many ‘New Years’ per year? A good question for a quiz competition. If this question needs good answer, ask this not anywhere else but in Amritapuri. Amritapuri is home to a number of peoples and communities from this land and foreign. Also Amritapuri celebrates every group’s ‘new year’ festivals. So no wonder you will get a near- complete picture of new years. Only four months ago, January first of the Gregorian calendar, was one New Years’ day. January 15th was the second new year’s day that some of our solar calendar based groups celebrated, calling it Pongal. March 16th…
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Thumbhans Bhava
11 April, Amritapuri It was a lovely evening yesterday. Amma’s Devi Bhava was going on in Australia. Devi Bhava is always a beautiful chance for the Ashramites to see and sometimes even talk to Amma as it is live telecasted to Amritapuri, albeit not always. It was almost 2 a.m. last night and Devi Bhava closing ceremony was about to start. Ashram’s halls were set and some brahmacharins were already there. In the main stage, just when the bell was rung to announce the showering of flowers, a surprise seemed attracting all those present. Thumbhan, our Ashram pet dog, had…
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Power of Globalism
I was in Amritapuri for New year’s even and had wonderful Darshan with my parents and my brother’s family. The oldest member of our family my Dad and the youngest, my 2 year old niece both had their first Darshan. Amma was radiating grace as always. Her talk at midnight and the international cultural festival to celebrate the New Year by devotees from around the world was fantastic. I also spoke to the MBA students at Amrita University in Amritapuri on Innovation at Google. I wound my way through Singapore to Tokyo. And today I went for Satang to the…
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take me, i will be there
3 jan 2010, amritapuri more than 1300 westerners were there in the ashram for celebrating christmas and the new year with amma. the festivities are over and it is time to go back and resume work. usually, they take amma’s darshan before they leave. today, one devotee from europe came for darshan. she tried to speak in malayalam with amma. she said that she is leaving next morning and asked whether amma will be with her. with a lovely mischievous smile amma said, “if you take me, i will be there.” ~ dhyanamrita
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88 Not out
16 Dec 2009, Amritapuri It was breakfast at Amritapuri. An old man clad in torn dirty rags was spotted sleeping at bramacharis dinning hall. As I neared him, I had to hold my breath as he was stinking badly. We found that he hailed from Kambam in Tamilnadu. He had bruises on his fore head. As we enquired, he said, “That is the mark of my prarabdha. He explained that his elder son angrily pushed him down and that had caused the bruises. We asked in one voice, “What?” and with tears he said, “It is all for the 3…
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Spring season begins
Although the December – February time is considered as winter season in India and many other parts of the world, for the residents of India and Amma’s devotees this is spring season (vasantha kaalam), a time of celeberation and joy. This year it started with Amma’s return from the Europe tour last Wednesday. It was hard to tell who was more eager to meet the other, Amma’s children waiting to get a glimpse of Amma or Amma waiting to see Her children gathered at the ashram. Amma had come to the front part of Her camper to see Her children…
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A unique seva of cleaning the septic tank
27 Nov 2009, Amritapuri Few days back, one ashramite asked the other, “Why do you smell bad?” the latter said, “I am back from my seva.” The former frowned, “I wonder when computers started stinking?” The latter said, “No! Today I got a chance to do a unique seva. You get a chance to do this seva once in 10 years.” And he started explaining. Yes! the bramacharin was referring to ashram septic tank cleaning seva. After 10 years all the 4 huge tanks are full and they needed immediate action. First, a contractor was approached and he demanded a…