Category: WithAmma
travelling with amma
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Amma arrives in Milan
8 Oct 2011, Milan, Italy It was a bright sunny day in Milan and local organisers of Amma’s Italy program were excitedly busy. Amma was to reach the airport in a few minutes. Outside the arrival gate, devotees had waited with flowers in their hands. Some of them got ready to drive on. Meanwhile, being a busy airport, it was becoming tougher to get permission to wait for Amma right outside. Taxi drivers were arguing that the cars were blocking them. The argument became stronger and yet it only spurned the excitement. Suddenly, they see a spot of white. Murmurs…
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This is My Rest
19 May 2011, Amritapuri It is that time of the year… when Amma gives room darshan. Before taking off on Her world tour, Amma meets all the ashramites from Amritapuri and all branch ashrams, individually in her room. As one family finishes, she rings a bell and another walks in … one after another… Today was my room darshan. Accompanying my aged father and mother in law, we went in and sat near Amma . She gave us all darshan, strained to feed us prasad with her own hands, enquired about our welfare, about our health etc. At which point…
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Does this Love have no limits?
The story about the crow who put stones into the pot half filled with water, till the level of water rose enough for it to drink. These are Amma’s satsangs – who likens the story of the water and the crow to that ‘something’ that is already in you but needs effort – the stones – to be experienced. Who narrates stories from her childhood in such a fashion that the highest vedantic truths seem to shine so clearly out of homilies, you wonder how you missed them. Looking at the small child sitting at her side, Amma just turning…
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The arrival at Ernakulam
8 April 2011 – Ernakulam The Brahmasthanam area is abuzz with devotees, most of them are young and in uniforms – Amma’s college students from Ernakulam. Whether it is their love for Amma or Amma’s love for them, the scriptures have said in no uncertain terms, “Even a moment’s association with a mahatma can confer liberation… a mahatma can bestow blessings by a mere glance, thought, word or touch.” The only question making the rounds in the crowd, for a long time this evening (8th April) of Amma’s program eve is ” What time Amma will reach?’, for nobody knows…
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The Fullness of Life
Some people become devotees because of a strong devotional connection that gets built between them and their Guru or God. Some become spiritual in their beliefs and ideals because of the elevated words of wisdom and knowledge that they find in sacred texts or hear from their Guru. A smaller number have the rare Grace of combining both: devotion (purity of heart) and knowledge (clarity of mind)… For this to happen, interaction and sharing life events with a living Guru who embodies the practical aspects of both devotion and knowledge, is essential. Two beautiful events that took place in the…
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In Ammas world, there are many dimensions
It doesn’t matter whether the three dimensions are length, breadth and width as some say, or matter, time and space. We can discern the emergence of the fifth dimension, in the bigger world of Amma. It is so, now in Pune, at the end of program of Mar 2 and 3. In Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, it is 4.30 AM. Though Amma has just given darshan to the last person in the queue, and the curtain is about to be drawn, the hall is still magically full. With Her face and the whole demeanor radiating stunning beauty and…
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Laughing with the Universe
I remember a point in my life when I was about 20 when I realized that the laughter and innocent joy so often present through my youth was appearing less and less in my life. It seems like those days of magic and unlimited possibilities were far behind me. I remember with sadness that I had to accept this ‘adult’ life and this is what it would be like from now on. But I had not yet met Amma! Amma has shown me that this simple joy is not lost but is ever present. It is like there is beautiful…
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A Privileged Life
Our accommodation at Tuticorin was in one of Amma’s new schools, still under construction. It was quite clean and comfortable. The local hardworking and sweet devotees provided a constant supply of chai and delicious, non-spicy meals for the Western palate. However, neither the electrical nor the water supply could cope with the demands of our tour group. So, for most of our stay we had to use skillful means to come up with enough water for our basic needs. At our evening stop on the way to Ramanthapuram, in a sandy field under the full moon, Amma asked for jokes…
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Fruit of complaint
This happened a couple of weeks back. I was mentioning to some of my brothers at the ashram that in the 10 years since meeting Amma, She had not given me a fruit on any of the darshans that I had in all these years. More than mentioning it was a kind of complaining that other than me all those of my friends and my other brothers who met Amma around the same time as me and came to the ashram had got a fruit from Amma at least on one occasion. Following this I had the sweet opportunity of…