Category: WithAmma

travelling with amma

i saw the goddess alive

well known carnatic classical violinists, mysore nagaraj and mysore manjunath, also known as the ‘mysore brothers’ came to meet amma and performed for her near the end of darshan. they were sitting by her side for some time and as darshan ended, amma decided to sing. she sang two songs, they then took out their instruments and started playing along with amma. after two songs amma asked them to play alone. they played the famous song “raghupati raghava raja ram” while amma sat clapping and enjoying the music, especially the sound of the violin. the whole crowd joined amma in clapping along to the music. after the marvelous performance amma once again blessed them.

“this is the best and most memorable experience we have had in the last 40 years of career,” said arjun kumar, who was accompanying the mysore brothers on mridangam. he continued, “for me the mridangam has always been my goddess. but today i saw the goddess alive.”

this is the first time that i am watching professional artists who came to meet amma, then perform along with her and sit around her darshan chair and playing for her.

while leaving they were saying “we will come back, we will come back soon.”

yes, amma is so irresistible.

~ dhyanamrita
28 july 2016, amritapuri

30 Jul 2016
Waiting in Santa Fe

All year long a large group of devotees meet every Saturday at the Amma Center of New Mexcio in Santa Fe. They meet at a structure built on Amma’s instructions on the site where she conducted a program for 18 years in a white tent in the pinon studded granite foothills above Santa Fe. Every Sunday morning a faithful group of devotees meet at the Santa Fe ashram to make 108 delicious burrito lunches to take to the homeless and hungry in downtown Santa Fe, who have no other meal supplied that day. Throughout the year , the satsang holds various spiritual and fundraising events culminating in a “Bollywood” dance event that raises funds for the local Amma Center charities such as the Burritto Project, providing back to school clothing for poor children and a reading and literacy outreach, among others.

All year long the devotees wait for the annual Amma public programs and retreat, hosted by the Amma Center, which require 6 months of preparation and a mammoth outpouring of dedicated seva for days immediately before, during and after the program. This is a precious time to focus and recharge spiritually in Amma’s physical presence and to meet new and old friends from around the world. In the last weeks before the program, time seems to strangely speed up and the long wait is suddenly over in the blink of an eye.

Near the Rio Grande River and in the heart of Native American Pueblo country, the venue at Buffalo Thunder is spacious and picturesque. For two days before the program the volunteers set up the venue, removing truckloads of necessary items from storage and driving them through the hot June highways to the hotel. Then there were hundreds of chairs and tables to be set up, the national tour truck to be unloaded, stage and backdrop prepared, until finally the large ballrooms were transformed and ready for Amma and her devotees.

Finally after all the preparation and anticipation, Amma swept into the hotel welcomed by a handful of early risers on the morning of June 18^th. She had just driven 17 hours cross country after leaving directly at the end of the Los Angeles program, which had gone all night until 10 the next morning. The sun was just rising over the sandy tan hills, spotted with boulders, sagebrush, chamisa and juniper. Birds joined the celebration, chirping softly. Just as the soft light spilled into the bowl of the morning sky, the devotees’ hearts overflowed with love and gratitude that the long wait was over and Amma had come again. But as Amma often mentions, the real sunrise takes place in the heart when all differences are eliminated and supreme consciousness arises. That is what she is waiting for.

Rta
Santa Fe, NM USA

20 Jun 2016
Celebrating Amma- Milano and London

Although Amma had just finished the huge Toulon program and Devi Bhava had ended late that same morning, as soon as Amma arrived at the Milano venue, she headed for the dining room to serve food to everyone. It seemed Amma would never stop passing plates to the many sevites there preparing for the program, but Amma’s smiling face and the Baduga music made the long wait to finally eat one’s pasta a joyous time. Amma didn’t neglect to give a little satsang along with the food. Before we start eating, Amma always reminds us to think of those who couldn’t be here and to imagine the food going out to them and to all of humankind. This time she expanded on that thought and told us of the importance of not only saying the prayers, but that we should also really understand their meaning and put that meaning into action in our everyday lives. This being Italy, someone gave Amma a heart shaped pizza, delighting all and lightening the mood. At the end of the meal, Amma danced her way out of the dining room, stopping here and there to dance with a devotee. As soon as Amma left, all went back to work to prepare for crowds which would be arriving early in the morning to get a token.

There is no tour stop quite like the one in Italy. The Italian devotees are so enthusiastic and so present about everything around Amma, her every word, gesture, footstep…evokes rhythmic applause and cheers, spontaneously, from the heart. They truly celebrate her existence and presence among them for these days. In fact, the mayor of the town where the program is held announced that this was the spiritual capital for three days and indeed, the deep concentration during Amma’s satsangs, prayers and meditations was impressive.
Equally impressive was the focus on love and respect for the environment. Italian satsang groups are active throughout the year in tree planting, clean up and educational campaigns for environmental conservation. This was well reflected at the venue where the theme was definitely “green”. The exhibit of beautiful artwork illustrating the six points in the Indeed campaign had expanded and stretched the length of the long hallway where everyone lined up in long queues to receive their darshan tokens. Although the days were warm, the mornings were chilly, and enterprising sevites moved among the crowd with welcome hot chai and snacks, which quickly sold out.

In the Food Court, the Tisaneria was back with herbal teas by the glass or for bulk purchase of the ingredients. A Bio-bar with all organic food choices was available and a new idea was a green space for dining. A small area of tables was enclosed with plants and flowers and people were encouraged to eat there in relaxation and silence and at the end of the program to “adopt” one of the plants. Recycling areas were everywhere with explanatory signs and in the dining hall, sevites were on hand to explain and help you make the right choice. In the hall, the local Greenfriends booth offered information and had many interesting things for sale, including handmade heart shaped soap.
At the end of the first day’s all day and all evening marathon darshan session, Amma still wanted to give the devotees a special treat of singing a bhajan and dancing a little at the end. She sang “Aya He Sara”, one of the joyous bhajans she often sings at the end of darshan or serving food, creating a special festive atmosphere. These lyrics seemed particularly appropriate for the hard working Italian devotees who needed to do mega-seva to serve the huge crowd. “Tread the path of selfless service and karma yoga. Desire everyone’s well-being. Live in such a way that makes this heaven like a heaven. May all the beings in all the worlds be happy!” Amma seemed lost in the “Lokahas”, but came out of her absorption to lead the crowd in a rousing finale and dance her way out of the hall to the Baduga music. It was hard to get to sleep after all that Shakti, but the next day would be a long one surely going into the wee hours of the morning.
The next two days passed all too quickly until it was already Devi Bhava which went on til 10:30am. It was the largest crowd on the tour to stay through the night. There were many ceremonies at the end and the devotees watched attentively and applauded each one enthusiastically. The flower shower went on and on as the devotees passed by in smiles and tears. Meanwhile the tour group was watching the clock as many of us had an 11am departure to London. We were lucky and were able to see the end of Devi Bhava and grab a bit of breakfast, a snack for the road and be on our way, right on schedule.
From sunny Italy we encountered London fog and the spectacular view of the city from Alexandra Palace was obscured. The huge hall looked daunting to set up and it was interesting to see cars and trucks unload in the space that would soon be a darshan queue. But the efficient volunteers soon had all arranged and ready to welcome the large crowd the next morning. As the program unfolded, I paused to reflect on all the loving volunteers that had provided so much support for the devotees and the tour group during this European Yatra. Amma often mentioned the importance of an attitude of gratitude in her satsangs and that we should be aware of the amount of support we are given by so many beings and by nature, in both obvious and subtle forms. For months before the program in each city, volunteers were at work, and then set up and cleaned up the venue after working non-stop to provide services for all who came. Their cheerful attitude and loving service was so inspiring and made it possible for the tour group to serve and the devotees to experience Amma’s darshan.

As Devi Bhava ended in London, suddenly the hall was suffused with light. Everyone seemed to be glowing. Looking back toward the end of the hall I saw that the sun had come out and the huge rose window was channeling rays of light to the stage where Amma was standing after the flower shower and on all the devotees around it. Then, just on cue, as the curtains closed, clouds covered the sun and the brilliant light disappeared. Yet, the light lit in the hearts of all the attendees of these programs will surely remain.

– Rta S
Europe Yatra 2015

20 Nov 2015
Anything can happen- at Toulon

Around midnight during Devi Bhava in Toulon, I decided to take a tour of the venue, frankly hoping to find something interesting to write about. As I walked by the token distribution point, I saw a sign saying- Token distribution is finished. But who knows what can happen? What can happen? Only the Lord knows! I stood there pondering this and wondering how with this huge crowd someone without a token could get one.

At that moment a couple arrived and said they had to leave and mistaking me for a token official, they gave me their tokens. I took them, noticing they were for the very end of darshan, ZZZZZZ……I planned to put them in the returned token box at the entrance to the hall. Before I could move, I heard someone behind me say, “Oh no. No more tokens. What are we going to do?” I turned around and said, “Do you want tokens? It’s for the very end which will be tomorrow mid-morning.” “No problem. We want them!” They took the tokens and literally danced away. And so my question was answered and I was even the agent by which someone magically received a token!

People who came to meet Amma at Toulon

The huge program in this small seaside city is truly a mystery and a marvel. What force impels these thousands of people to make their way here? What force impels the hundreds of sevites to happily work so hard and so cheerfully? Some of them were at the venue for over a week, starting four days before the program to prepare, working the three days of the program and cleaning the venue until late the day Devi Bhava finally ended at 10:30am. How many thousands of dishes did they wash, singing happily and acting like they were at a party the whole time? How many hundreds of kilos of vegetables were cut every day with love and mantra? Amma encourages us to experience the joy of service in every satsang and we can see this advice taken to heart and the effect it has on people. Of course, none of us can serve to the extent that Amma does with her every breath, but we can see that a little effort on our part to help others leads to great joy, for both us and them. And surely it must be the force of love, and joy in service that attracts those thousands.

After Devi Bhava, having packed my lunch and taken my bag to the bus, I still had about 30 minutes before departure. I simply couldn’t resist joining the Toulon team in cleaning the venue and began collecting abandoned dishes, removing flyers from the wall and taking various items of trash to the recycling station. Despite being awake all night, I became so involved in this and so energized that I almost missed the bus. I suddenly thought to look at my watch and realized it was exactly departure time. Dashing out of the building, I jumped on the bus for the 7 hour journey to Milano. I felt a little teary as we waved goodbye to the Toulon devotees, but I knew that ahead of us would be another beautiful experience with open hearted and hard working sevites in Milano. We drove to the south through the terraced mountains, peering down at ancient towns perched on hills above the sparkling blue Mediterranean sea, and then turned inland. We arrived at the venue at Malpensa where the enthusiastic devotees lined up for Amma’s arrival gave us a VIP welcome also.

Rta S

Toulon, France, Europe Yatra 2015

11 Nov 2015
Seeing Amma in Everything

Soon after Devi Bhava ended at the MA Center in Germany, we began the drive to her program in Houten, Netherlands. We passed through charming small towns with their steeply roofed, two story houses with wooden shutters and window boxes and down through spectacularly beautiful forested hills to the flatter farming country below. Fields of yellow mustard, a symphony of greens, checkered with deep brown, rich soil in neatly plowed fields were a feast for the eye. Here and there a yellow tree had dropped its leaves like a yellow snow shower across a chocolate field. The landscape grew flatter and flatter until we began to see the canals and windmills of Holland. However, these were not the famous wooden windmills, but the modern silver metal ones that were the highest objects in the landscape.
Amma had also driven directly from the MA Center in Germany. Upon arrival she went directly to the dining hall to serve everyone a prasad dinner. Not surprisingly, the Baduga music came on and Amma began dancing in her chair, leading everyone in the movements, dancing in between plates and passing plates to the rhythm of the song. Soon she was unexpectedly joined by a small green parrot. The young bird was very excited and bounced around from Amma’s shoulder to her bun and even on top of her head at one point. Amma had a few conversations with the bird and when it came time to meditate she cupped the bird in her hand and whispered in its beak for some time. After that it sat calmly on her shoulder for the whole meditation and a final rousing song. We wondered if it was in avian samadhi. The bird came to the program every day and we could hear its happy chirps off and on in the hall.

The first night the Dutch ashram made a lovely display of the produce from their first garden near the stairs to Amma’s room. After the program, Amma stopped and looked at everything, appreciating their efforts very much. She picked up a small chili pepper and said that seeing it reminded her of a story from the Paris Devi Bhava. Someone had brought her a chili pepper during darshan which looked mild, as it was light pink in colour. She took a bite and discovered that it was unusually flaming hot. Amma covered it up so no one else would bite into it, but a brahmachari had seen Amma take a bite and also took a bite as prasad. Amma said that she turned around and he was panting and red as a tomato. She sent for water for him and stuffed chocolates in his mouth, but it took some time for him to recover. A lesson that we can’t emulate everything Amma does and need to use discrimination in what is within our capacity. And a reminder that all is Amma’s prasad and we can see her in everything: the song, the bird, the garden and even in the cappuccino! Indeed, at the express bar there was even a picture of Amma in the foam of the cappuccino, encouraging us to drink mindfully.
At my seva, the University Table, we meet many successful alumni of Amrita University who are pursuing higher degrees or who have found positions abroad. They come by to see what new exciting things are happening at the university and perhaps to see old friends working at the table. We also are a meeting and information point for local universities and for people interested in working with the university in various ways. At this program, the president and 15 representatives from VU Amsterdam, a very prestigious European university came to meet Amma and discuss collaboration with Amrita. During his meeting with Amma, the president humbly said that although their university was 135 years old, they still had things to learn from Amrita. He also said that Amrita’s example had inspired them to take a stand to include social values in their curriculum.
At the close of Devi Bhava, Amma stood for a long time beaming at her children and when she came out from behind the curtain to leave, she again stood beaming at them and said that she knew they had been working hard and still had a lot of work to do to clean the hall. She sweetly said that she would really like to help them clean up, but she had to soon leave to go to Finland. The devotees were really touched by Amma’s concern for them and said, “No, no. We are happy and have a lot of help to finish quickly.” Amma gave them one more glorious smile and made a gesture sweeping them into her heart and so finished the very successful Netherlands program.
Rta S
Houten, Netherlands, Europe Yatra 2015

2 Nov 2015
Hard work and a unified spirit- MA Center, Germany

There was great excitement when a program at the MA Center in Germany was listed in the schedule for the Europe tour. This beautiful ashram is a favourite with devotees and it would be the first time Amma would have a program in her own place in Europe. The anticipation was validated by the high level of organization and the good weather that added to the enjoyment of the beautiful outdoor surroundings, with colourful autumn foliage at its peak. Many of the services were offered in plastic tents, so the warmer temperatures were much appreciated.

The hall had been converted from a large training facility for horses which had been the former use of this property. However, one would never have known this as it seemed it had always been a program facility. Yellow pine was the main building material, giving it a light and natural look. Large windows and skylights were a welcome relief from the artificial lighting and windowless surroundings of most of the venues on tour, which are usually sports stadiums. Such facilities are the only ones large enough to hold the huge crowds in Europe.

Interestingly, all of Amma’s ashrams in Europe and the USA have or had some connection with horses on the property or as next door neighbours. Here, the horses are still in residence and even some of the staff were accommodated above the horse stable. In previous centuries, this housing of animals on the ground floor and the family above was the typical pattern on European farms. Perhaps this is why there is such a close connection with the natural world here in Europe. The ashram is keen on growing food, recycling, permaculture and harvesting rainwater, which is used for irrigation and toilet flushing.

At some point every day on the tour, Amma’s newest version of her early song, Omkara Divya Porule is played. The 45 minute song focuses on love, respect and preservation for nature and the dangers currently facing the planet. It seemed particularly apt to hear it played here at this ashram, where love and protection for nature are so much a part of the place.
The children’s play the last afternoon of the program showcased everything that earth gives us and how we should love, respect and celebrate the earth. In the finale, the sweet, enthusiastic children circled the symbolic globe, waving giant paper flowers and singing, “May there be peace on earth.” It was very moving, particularly as their generation is at great risk and it will be up to them to find the solutions to the myriad challenges faced by Planet Earth and its denizens.

The first night in the new facility, Amma created a joyous celebration at the end of the all day darshan. First she sang the bhajan- Aayaa he saaraa. The whole world has come here. Together, they are here. Let us chant this one mantra in chorus, ‘Let there be peace and harmony in the world. May all the beings in all the worlds be happy!’ Then she sang one of her “dancing songs”-Lille Lalle, which put her, and us, in an increasingly playful and joyous mood. And for the conclusion of the celebration, the irresistible Baduga music came on and Amma stood up and danced and then she made her way out of the hall, stopping in various places and dancing so that everyone could have the experience of seeing her in this mood. This was a special present for everyone there, as sort of inauguration, Amma style, for the new facility!

Navaratri, the 10 day festival of the Goddess, which encompasses ceremonies focusing on knowledge and the arts, plus spiritual and material wealth culminated on the second day of the program. Amma skyped Amritapuri to lead them in the closing ceremonies and the skype connection was kept open for a couple of hours for them to enjoy seeing Amma giving darshan in Germany. She would glance over at them occasionally and smile. So, indeed, the whole world was here! It was yet another auspicious event for the new facility and we felt very blessed to be with Amma during this festival.

That night the mayors of nearby towns were invited to come and meet Amma. It was due to their support that no major obstacles were put in the way of holding a program here. They offered their support to Amma and her ashram and one town gave Amma a replica of its official seal. The mayor of this town mentioned that he was following Amma’s example by initiating a program for refugees in the area. A large meet of European youth is held at the Center every summer and activities for young people take place throughout the year. The townspeople have expressed that they feel this has had a very positive effect on the all the youth of the area. There was a lot of cheering and applause at this show of unity among the local people.
At the end of a glorious Devi Bhava, Amma came out and standing on the stage, and symbolically swept the people standing below into her arms and blew them kiss after kiss. Then in her usual humble way, she said how much she appreciated the hard work done by her “children” to make this first program happen and be so successful. She said it was due to their hard work, done with a unified spirit that had made this possible and that she could only bow down before them. It was a very touching moment and there were many tears as Amma slowly made her way to the camper to start the drive to the next program in the Netherlands.

Rta S
MA Center, Germany
Europe Yatra 2015

28 Oct 2015
She who is without judgment

Paris! Just the name evokes impressions of sophistication, the Arts, vibrancy and glamour! Yet the people here are far from superficial. Their enthusiastic and heartfelt response to Amma and interest in meditation and service was truly moving. Even though we were not able to see any of the attractions of Paris, just being here gave a buzz and of course, we were here with the main attraction in Paris right now-Amma!

Looking up from our table the second night we saw a wall of cameras focused on a gregarious Frenchman. It was Claude Lelouch, one of the most celebrated film directors in the world and staunch devotee of Amma. He was quite at home, roaming around the venue followed by the press, before coming on stage with Amma for the evening program. Both he and Elsa Zylbersteinv, one of the stars of his about to be released feature film, Un plus Une (which features Amma) gave speeches. Both of them made the point in their talks that Amma has no judgments, loving and accepting all equally. This seemed to be a quality of Amma’s that made a huge impression on them. We see this reflected in the thousand names of the Goddess: Om nirbhedayai namah, Om bhedanashinyai namah. (She who is without differences/She who destroys differences.) Only if we feel different from others can we judge them. Her example helps us to transcend our own ego boundaries, judgments and likes and dislikes.

The programs were packed, darshans were long and time passed quickly. Before we knew it, we were already at our last day in Paris. After 13 hours of fast darshan and numerous ceremonies, Amma finally stood up to end Devi Bhava at 10am. It was the largest crowd ever at the end of a Devi Bhava and the hall was completely full. As Amma left the hall, she spotted a young boy and stopped to give him a hug and some attention. He had a bottle of bubbles and Amma took some time to blow bubbles with him. “It’s incredible, after everything she has done in the last 24 hours, she takes time to blow bubbles with a child”, said a local person next to me. “She’s so extraordinary. There is no one like her, never been anyone just like her.” Could one do anything but agree?

Extraordinary also were the sevites in Paris. They worked so hard, so long, often in inclement weather, and with great patience and joy. And as we climbed on the bus, they continued to work to clear the venue. An announcement was made at the end that volunteers were needed and anyone with a little time was invited to join the team and live out Amma’s teaching of selfless service. A crowd gathered in front of a man with microphone and he would announce what was needed and how many people were required to accomplish the task. “Two people to roll plastic”. Two hands went up. “Five people to clean tables”. Hands go up. “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq. Merci!” Soon an amazing amount of work had been accomplished. It was a good example of how teamwork and good organization can accomplish goals quickly.

The buses rolled past the fertile fields and autumn foliage of France, and soon we crossed into Germany and followed winding roads up to Amma’s ashram, Hof Herrenberg. It was abuzz with activity late in the night as this was the first time Amma would have a program here, and also for the first time in her own place in Europe. However, most of us went to bed in various picturesque locations, as the next day would bring early morning set up, cooking and a long all day program. Of course, it’s Amma who does the most work, and in fact, one could say, all the work!
Rta
Paris, France
Europe Yatra 2013

26 Oct 2015
The Center Point

The program in Wnterthur, Switzerland seems to be the Center Point of Europe. The crowd is very diverse. Four nearby countries are well represented: Italy, Germany, Austria and France. This was reflected in the backdrop which featured Amma’s motto, Love and Serve in 5 languages-German English, French, Spanish and Italian. The translation on the screen for Amma’s satsangs, bhajans and archana often included Tamil, as this area is the home to many Sri Lankans of Tamilian origin who took refuge here during the civil war in their native country and now are at home in Switzerland as citizens.

Amma often uses the term “center point”, saying the center point is love. She says that is where our seva should come from. We could see this reflected in the loving service offered by these diverse nationalities at the program, and in the unity in diversity.

The Europe Tour features a young crowd and many beautiful children are a prominent feature of the programs. These children are very open and loving. These beloved children were encouraged to do seva along with the adults, and the adults had the patience to show them how to do the tasks. Starting selfless service at this age gives them the habit of helping and they experience the satisfaction and joy of service. Thus, their lives are directed to a positive path from early on.

In Switzerland, a Downe’s Syndrome boy came for darshan and Amma had him sit with her on her chair. Amma encouraged him to help “give darshan” to the people in the queue, taking offerings and rubbing their backs as they came to Amma. Everyone took their “double darshan” happily, giving back a lot of love to the little boy. Despite the large crowd, Amma would stop from time to time and play little games with him. Amma shows us by her example, again and again, that no one and nothing is insignificant and we can never be “too busy” to take time to make others happy.

This is the venue where we can enjoy the beauty of nature just by stepping out the back door of the hall. A small mountain forested with towering trees and bisected with hiking trails beckons on the other side of a crystal clear gurgling river. There is not a piece of trash anywhere! Bright red and yellow leaves and last flowers of summer provided opportunities for contemplation and photo opportunities. We couldn’t help wishing that Amma could have enjoyed it as well, but her schedule did not allow for walks in the forest. We hoped she could enjoy it through our enjoyment and see the autumn beauty through our eyes.

On the night before the program, due to our early arrival, Amma had time to serve dinner to all the local sevites and tour staff. Amma checked each plate to make sure it had the right proportion of food. As we started to dine on our pasta, salad and sweet, Amma apologized as she said she felt the portions were a little small and that she was sorry there was not food for a second helping. Of course, all were thrilled to have Amma’s Prasad and we hadn’t noticed any lack, but Amma is attentive to every detail. She also mentioned that it only in terms of food that people say they have had enough, an interesting point to ponder. She also reminded us to think of those who were not there. Amma always reminds us not to just enjoy for ourselves, but provide joy for others and if we can’t do that, to at least appreciate what we are getting and remember those who are not as lucky as we are.

Once again, the three day program passed all too quickly and we were soon back in the buses for the trip to another Center Point of Love, Paris!

Rta S
Winterthur, Switzerland
Europe Yatra 2015

21 Oct 2015
The Dance continues…

One could say that Amma is always dancing. Her every movement is so graceful and captivating. Pondering that, is it because she is always completely relaxed? Or is it because she is always focused, always in meditation? For whatever reason, every movement evokes a delighted response from her devotees. A special treat at the Munich program was watching Amma come and go across a catwalk one story above the floor of the hall from her room to the stage. The moment she left her room, a different musical group each time, dressed in local traditional costumes began to play and a bower of roses was lifted for Amma to walk through. It was a unique and heartfelt welcome, different from any other place.

This year, when Amma left for her room at the end of the first day’s darshan, she danced all the way across the catwalk. The Baduga music, which has been a feature of the Europe tour this year, was playing and as she walked, she added a few movements and dance steps in her slow progression above the crowd. She seemed to be lost in the dance, in her own world. However, arriving at the door to her room, she seemed to come back to our world and leaned over the rail gazing at everyone lovingly.

On other occasions, she slowly walked, gracefully clapping her hands. At the door to her room, she chanted, “Maharani ki Jai” or sometimes just made a graceful gesture sweeping everyone into her heart and throwing kisses to the smiling faces below. The crowd would then disperse to await Amma’s arrival for the next joyful program.

Amma came and went 5 times from her room to the stage and the sixth time she left the stage for her camper to begin the drive to Winterthur, Switzerland. This was a bittersweet departure for those seeing Amma off, many with flower petals from the flower shower still in their hair. And some chanting their newly acquired mantras. Shortly afterward, the tour group boarded the buses and waved good-by to our many friends in Munich. We hoped to see them again somewhere on the tour, where Amma would surely again be dancing. In fact, isn’t Amma is always dancing, along with all creation?

Rta S.
Munich, Germany, Europe Yatra 2015

16 Oct 2015