Category: AshramDiary
life at the Amritapuri ashram
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A moving ashram of 700
As we started doing registrations for the present 2-week tour, we expected the number of registrants to be similar to the recent tours. But with the crowd of westerners in Amritapuri not having reduced much since the New Year (coming down just from 1600 to 1200), we suspected that we could be facing a new situation… Still we never expected the numbers to get close to 400 registrants… When we finalized the buses and departure time came, 420 westerners had joined the tour!! All past records were clearly broken. With an additional 300 Indian ashramites, the tour’s vehicle-caravan consisted of…
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Happy Amritapuri
Just like 2 years back, no major tours have been scheduled for the December-March period and the ever growing number of visitors and residents have been enjoying a blessed and stretched extended period near Amma, right here in Amritapuri… where it all began 40 years ago. The darshan days are busier than ever with large number of seekers and devotees from all over the world reaching Amritapuri on daily basis. There are the old-timers, the regulars and an increasing number of groups and new comers. Free from the time constraining tours, Amma welcomes all with her usual extremely generous disposition,…
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Pongal at Amritapuri
Sankranti is a solar festival; Sun changes his path to northward (solstice). The day is celebrated by different cultures differently all over India. In South India it is also called Pongal as it is associated with the harvest. The day is dedicated to worship of Nature. Amma often remembers this festival from her childhood as one that shows us how our ancients revered Mother Nature. Three days were exclusive pongal days: the first day was the ritualist beginning with cleaning up and white washing of houses, and worship of the family deity; as special food offerings are made to the…
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Devi who loves the Names
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 got up, the more people tried to squeeze into that space near Amma. Soon it was the end of Darshan. Swami had come to take a place next to Amma to help lead the pada puja conducted by some devotees. After half hour or so,…
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Fulfiller of wishes
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 and what else. The kid chatted loudly with Amma. With little brother and they were singing simple lines in broken Tamil with Amma. Amma was also talking back to them asking them to sing a few joy-focusing bhajans. Taking things to another extreme, from afar,…
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Supreme Consciousness Arrives at Amritapuri
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 their mantra peacefully! We began to get updates. Mobiles have some advantages. She’s left airport. She’s at Attingal. She passed Parippally (did not stop). She is at Kollam. Now she is at Karunagappally!!!!! She’s on the beach road!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone is smiling. Hands folded in prayer…
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Seva by Amrita Vidyalayam students
More people arrived today at Amritapuri. There were thousands of people moving around and the lines for lunch were long. To help make the lines move faster, Amrita Vidyalayam student volunteers helped by collecting the dirty dishes, washed them and distributed them to the people. This helped in conserving water too.
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My most beautiful moment in Amritavarsham60 Amritapadam stall
The most beautiful moment though, for me, in this birthday was going to the ‘Amritapadam’ stall- where there were kept a series of paintings that depicted Amma’s life. This was the most beautiful sublime moment- when i saw a painting depicting Amma’s childhood -Amma, as a little girl, sweeping her courtyard, outside a small hut, immersed in thoughts of Lord Krishna, ostracized by society as a crazy girl…. and when i was seeing this picture, outside there were 5 lakh people who had gathered for this girls’ darshan -and the president, the prime minister of the country had sent messages,…
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Always giving giving giving…
Tuesday is ‘normally’ a day for the residents. A meditation day with Amma giving lunch plates to everyone. Of course, considering the present circumstances, nobody was thinking of meditation and the word was that Amma will give darshan to those who just came. A standing darshan?? So Amma arrives. Lakshmi the elephant was waiting for her. Amma went to feed her, with kilos of bananas and love. Amma then walked to the stage, did pranam and sat on the pitham…in lotus posture! Which is not the usual position she holds for giving darshan. So its meditation. In the midst of…