Category: AshramDiary
life at the Amritapuri ashram
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Monument of Compassion
I could not join the concreting seva at the bridge , as I had so much work to do. While working in the computer room, the phone rang. It was Jaya, who teaches hatha yoga in the ashram. She wanted to speak to someone. Recognizing my voice, she said, “Hey, what are you doing there?
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Amma’s Gopa
Some days ago (16Oct), Amma came online, late at night during Finland programme. She wanted to talk to all the ashram residents through the webcam. Amma’s online presence was announced by ringing the bell thrice. Like all others, Br. Murali, who works in the tailoring department, also rushed to the stage where the webcast was
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The Nobility of Motherhood!
Shyama, Amrita-krishna and Lakshmi now have another friend to play with, Sharan. Sharan is a newborn calf. He is a black beauty with white spots around his ankles and across his forehead. He was born this morning, at about 1 a.m. Yesterday evening, Lakshman who works in the cowshed told me that a pregnant cow
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Milanam Madhuram
Today we finally got a connection to the Devi-bhava in Milan, Italy. Yesterday it looked like it would not be happening at all because there seemed to be no wireless connections at the program. But it seems Amma was insisting to keep trying and finally somehow everything fell into place as usual around Her. When
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A Yogi
Today in class, Swami Kaivalyanandaji explained the 26th shloka of the 5th chapter, in the Gita. This is ‘yontarsukhontararama..’ Whoever finds inner happiness, who delights within, whose finds inner light, he is a Yogi, he attains the Nirvana of Brahman, and himself becomes Brahman.’ Actually, we only discussed in the whole class the first word,
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The Happy Person
Today, we discussed in class the 23rd shloka of the 5th chapter, Bhagavad Gita. This is, ‘shaknotihaiva ya sodhum…’ Whoever is able to withstand the turbulence of desire and anger, here in this body, he is a Yogi, and happy.’ Actually, desire and anger are caused from the samskaras within the mind, or antahkarana. These
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Om Kamasvarupinyai Namah
Today Swami Kaivalyananda spent the whole class in a long discussion about desire. This was sparked from the 22nd shloka of the 5th chapter in the Gita – Ye hi samsparshaja bhoga..’ Those enjoyments caused by contact with the sense-objects are the cause of suffering. They have a beginning and end, so the wise do
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Karma and the Class
Today some brahmacharis raised some questions to Swami Kaivalyananda. One was, ‘isn’t it true that some works are more difficult to perform as karma yoga than others, like a war?’ Swami said that for a karma yogi, he performs his svadharma. In the Gita, it is said, ‘para dharmamo bhayavaha,’ the dharma of another brings
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Concrete Devotion
Last night the webcam connection was set up as usual. This time to enable us to see the Paris Devi-bhava. The connection was a bit poor for some reason, but that didn’t prevent Amma from trying to connect with everyone here and even telling one fellow here that he has a “spring loose”. She was