Category: WithAmma
travelling with amma
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encounter with elephants
13 feb, enroute Talassery to bangalore, Bharata yatra 2008 after kannur, we all stayed in talassery for another 2 days. the brahmasthanam ground is so small to hold the crowd thats coming for amma’s program. one could see many old faces coming for amma’s darshan. they have been coming to amma for the last two decades. the love and faith of north keralites is very special. all these innocent ones holds amma in their hearts. the travel to bangalore started in the afternoon. we drove through the Western ghats, said bye bye to kerala’s green lush landscapes and people. the…
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nail biting experience
9 feb, kannur, bharata yatra 2008 prasad giving is a big process in itself. the volunteers will be placing 2 or 3 prasad packets at a time to amma which she gives to the devotees while giving darshan. the sevaks train the volunteers for this one minute that they get to sit with amma. how to hold the prasad, how to place it in amma’s hand, how attentive you should be near amma… all this is given in instruction and with hands training. all this time you are slowly slowly moving towards amma in a line. if amma sits for…
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Program in Kannur
8 Feb, Kannur, Bharata yatra 2008 Last night we arrived at the Talassery Amrita Vidyalayam which will be our accommodation for both the public and the Brahmasthanam programs. I’ve always liked the northern parts of Kerala for retaining a great deal of tradition, Kannur especially, so the bus ride was an enjoyment rather than tiring. I especially like the traditional Keralan houses and architecture and wonder why people decided to abandon that type of dwellings for modern concrete boxes that are mostly so uninspiring. I guess the reasons are economic. The program is being held at the Kannur stadium and…
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and the yatra continues
7 feb 2008, amritapuri to kannur we were already 6 days in amritapuri? and the yatra continues.. amma left amritapuri at 12.30 for kannur which is a the northern district of kerala. now for the next two months amma will be traveling across this sacred land on india. – dhyanamrita
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An offering with devotion…
Amma’s eyes rolled back slightly, and there She was, Devi in all her glory. So beautiful Her form, so bright Her radiance, so vast Her benevolence. It was during bhajans on the evening of the Tirunelveli program that Amma granted this brief but penetrating glance of Devi. ” Whosoever offers with devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I shall accept it.” So states a verse in the 7th chapter of the bhagavad gita. Filled with gratitude and devotion, my mind went to a bright, perfectly ripe orange I had brought with me. “I’ll offer it to Devi!”…
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miracles after miracles
29 Jan, enroute kumbhakonam to tiruvananthapuram — bharata yatra 2008 the drive from kumbhakonam to tirunelveli was nice. kumbhakonam is not only home to hundreds of famous temples, but also for its rice production. either side of the road was filled with rice fields, spread across far beyond your eyes can catch. or you see sugarcane or corn fields. the greenery was very nice, soothing for the eyes. one pays taxes. and with that tax, the gov’t makes roads. so one has to share for the road right? if you don’t have any vehicle what will you use the road…
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Where the other guys stayed
29 Jan 2008, Tirunelveli In Tirunelveli, most of the men stayed at a hostel school just down the road from the Sarada Devi college where Amma and the women (and some Swamis and Brahmacharis stayed). We had arrived early in the morning (around 3am) and we had the next day off until the evening program. There were beautiful white swans or very big white ducks that were wandering around the grounds quacking all day long. Though it was a school day, the principal had arranged for the students to take field trips to local places of interest. I was amazed…
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A Colorful and Sonorous Welcome
27 Jan, Tirunelveli We arrived in Tirunelveli at about 3am. The women were staying at the Sri Sarada Devi Woman’s College and Hostel – a school founded by Vivekananda and inspired by Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi. The students here typically go to bed at 9:30pm and wake up between 3 and 4am for morning meditation. But this night, many had been up since 11:30pm so that they could be awake and greet us when we arrived. A beautiful mandala, artfully drawn with colored powders adorned the sidewalk at the entrance to the hostel where we were staying. Beneath it…
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Bathroom Break
On the long bus journey from Kumbokanam to Tirunelveli, we stopped for a bathroom break. The bathroom consisted of a large field with some bushes and trees. What a laughable scene it must have been to see hoards of women in white saris and Punjabis spreading out across this green and golden landscape in search of a hopefully secluded and private spot, and then squatting here, there, everywhere. It was only after we had re-boarded the buses and started to slowly drive away that we noticed the small crowds of local people who had been watching the whole time from…