Category: WithAmma
travelling with amma
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Sugar story
Nine buses were parked on the side of the road for a bathroom stop on the way from Nagapattanam to Madurai. We were about 300 people scattered along the roadside in the middle of nowhere. Open pastures, farmland and trees were around us. I was talking with a fellow devotee, recalling on how during the North Indian Tour last year, I had discovered the bliss of raw sugarcane. At that moment, I turned around and saw a few Brahmacharies scampering off the road up ahead. There was a field of sugarcane right there! I spotted one holding a three foot…
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Bat and Advaita
In Trichy, during darshan, in the wee hours of the night, a special darshan was there. He had 4 legs, but he didn’t walk. He could fly because he had wings. He was a small black bat, very tiny, like the size of a small mouse. Somehow it ended up on the stage – on the Women’s side – and there was a big freak out – everyone was afraid. A Westerner caught it and brought it to Amma. Amma stopped darshan, and put it on the back side of her hand, and started to caress it, brought it up…
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Stop. Rest With Amma
The other evening, on the way from Trichy to Chennai, our caravan stopped along the side of the road for dinner. Amma was still far behind us. It would be about two hours before Amma would arrive. The sun was setting. We were in the middle of nowhere. A small village lay about ½ km down the road. Otherwise there were open felds all around. A small pen of ducks was there. Villagers were walking their cows home from pasture. We were our own herd of people – scattering out among the grounds in groups. Some were, walking about, meditating,…
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shubaratri again
oh! there is amma. she is by the road side in a field distributing dosa… all children had gathered around her. some others are making tea little further away. by not far from amma, there is group of ducks inside a net-fence. both had similarity. the scene, the contrast stuck me. here one is there due to the bondage. No freedom to choose the life of their own. the other group- the children around amma, is for freedom from the bondage. they have chosen of their own. some one was taking photos. clicking , clicking. he does not belong to…
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good night
darshan in trichy went on till 8.30 am in the morning. people have so much faith in amma , so much love for amma. it was reflected in the words of mayor and the minister who spoke. you could see the police people in the uniform joining the line to give prasad to amma– usually only volunteers of the local area gets such a privilege. Amma stayed in a house next to the national college grounds. during the padapujaa, those family members put a kind of kingly turban on amma. it was very nice to see amma with the white…
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Badaga Inspiration
I love watching the Badaga dance in Coimabatore. Two years back when Amma last was here, and again during Amma’s 53rd birthday celebrations in Amritapuri, they also enchanted the crowd – inspiring westerners, students, and Ashramites to join in . The same happened again this year. Young and old, men and women. Their rhythmic movements, graceful flowing hands and bodies, the beating of drums and call and response voices calls to the dancer inside us. It’s so primal, so natural, and so beautiful. One wonders how long these people have been dancing like this – how far back in time?…
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amma in temple city
right after covai brahmasthanam, amma visited the amrita university campus in ettimadai. the sun has not yet risen in the horizon at that time. first amma blessed the new big swimming pool by touching the water. this is a newly constructed swimming pool of international standards situated under the shadow of the western ghats. she then visited cattle farm and went around the campus. you could see people running after amma’s car. some of them running behind amma were just coming out of the bath room — you could see that their wet hair was still dripping. some people who…
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may be a second thought?
the marriage held at the end of darshan in covai was little funny. a young brahmin couple were getting married. they had lot of special rituals. boy was from Orissa and girl is form Maduari, Tamil Nadu. the girl was asking the boy to tie the ‘mangalya sutra’ around her neck during the ceremony. amma was laughing so much seeing the strange custom. i dont know whether is a custom or bit of boldness (arrogance). they have put 3 malas to the bride and groom. then they exchange malas. then the girl will try to put the mala on the…
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last night in covai
night time in covai its more cold. by the 3rd day the dust was coming more off the ground. all the 3 nights the Badugas rocked the house. at one point Amma expressed that she wanted to dance with them. after sani puja amma made an announcement in tamil over the microphone asking people to give way for the devotees who did sani puja to go to the temple with kalasa brought cheer to the devotees and much clapping. Amma finished darshan in covai on the morning of 24. there were so many people to receive mantras and a padapuja…