Category: AshramDiary
life at the Amritapuri ashram
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Sita Show
The flow of people coming to the ashram seems to be endless at the moment. Working in the International Office has taken up most of my time lately, so there hasn’t been time to write blogs that much.The bhajans with Amma are like an Oasis amidst the hectic schedule.Today there was quite some entertainment as a little girl called Sita was up on stage performing all kinds of antics. She was quite a mischievous little package. When bhajans started she would stand between Ramakrishna Swamiji and Amma – one moment she would steal Amma’s hand cymbals and the next she…
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The Pure Stream
Amma arrived here in Amritapuri around 5 pm yesterday. The roadsides were lined as usual with Amma’s children expectantly waiting for Her. She drove in through the back gate, past the C-building and then towards the temple building all the way touching people’s hands through the window. At Her house she got out and made Her way to the staircase from where she looked lovingly at the gathering of Her ashram children. This was no web-cast, She was really back in all Her radiance. And so much love was resonating from her that it felt instantly purifying, after being separated…
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Finale in Michigan
This evening we watched the ending of the Devi-bhava in Michigan. It was Amma’s final program for this tour. She was wearing a blue sari.At the end Amma was again in a very playful mood while connecting with her children here in Amritapuri. First there was the by now traditional shouting competition. It was quite a show I must say and even Amma seemed to be very amused by the antics of Ashram children as they vied with each other for Her attention. Then it was Amma’s turn to tease us by waving some food in front of the camera.…
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Gita Jayanti
Today is Gita Jayanti day, the day on which the message of the Gita was given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna, and recounted by Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra. Jayanti is celebrated all over India by performing arati, by reciting the Gita, by distribution of copies of the Gita and by holding discourses on it greatness and its eternal message. Mahatma Gandhi said: “When doubt haunts me, when disappointments stare at me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me, and I…
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Finger of Grace
The other night we were again watching Amma via web-cam, this time in Her ashram in San Ramon. Okay, I’ll go straight to the point – that is the babies. What babies? At the end of the Devi-bhava Amma often does baby feeding, that is blesses them by giving them some food with Her own hand. So this time also there was a cavalcade of those little fluffy creatures brought to Amma one after the other, one sweeter than the other. Being a brahmachari myself I never had the urge to get one those troublemakers myself, but I cannot help…
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Silent dance of Bliss
The roof of the flats offers much solace after a long days work of seva. As the sun begins to set, I often head up there and lie on my back just looking up at the clouds and out into the infinite. The other evening while resting in Savasana, I looked up to find about dozen or so eagles circling overhead. Their wings outstretched, floating effortlessly on an invisible air current, they drifted high above – crisscrossing in a silent dance of bliss. I wanted to join them. Alas, the mind kept drifting back to body consciousness – and the…
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Mother was on vacation
After being on the European Tour and seeing quite a few Devi Bhavas live and also witnessing the web-casts back to Amritapuri, now that I am back in the Ashram, I have been eagerly looking forward to watching everything from this end. So around breakfast time this morning (Saturday in India) I joined the Brahmacharis on the stage in the Main Hall and waited for the connection from San Ramon to be established. Though there was some initial delay, the connection was made just as the Satsang finished and the Devi Bhava puja was starting. I could clearly hear Swamiji’s…
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Elephant cast
Amma again blessed the residents of Amritapuri with another web-cast – this time from the San Ramon Ashram where the third evening of programmes were beginning. After satsang, bhajans, and arati, Amma began giving darshan. The computer with the web-cast was brought near Amma who occasionally glanced over at us to everyone’s delight. After sometime Amma was asking to see Ram and Lakshmy – the Ashram elephants! In no time, Ram and Lakshmy were standing in front of the stage – camera pointed at them to give Amma a clear view. We positioned the TV screen so that they could…
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Mosaic Darshan
Today Amma’s European tour ended in Dublin, Ireland. The Internet connection was poor, but hopefully the connection of the heart all the more strong. Amma was wearing a green sari. I like the green sari, because the first time I saw Amma in Devi-bhava, She was wearing a green sari. The picture kept breaking into a surreal pixilated mosaic reminiscent of modern art. At one point Brachmacharini Chitra said to Amma that the picture was not clear. Amma was quick to respond and said that her (Chitra’s) mind is not clear. I guess that’s what it comes down to, making…