Amritapuri ashram

Category: WithAmma

travelling with amma

  • get married again

    amma stayed in the school building in kodungallur. after the morning darshan she stayed in the ashram building which is at the program site. the ashram building has only 3 small rooms. kodungalllur is the first brahmasthanam temple established by Amma. kodungallur is also home to the first amrita vidyalayam. it was nice to see the first ever enrolled student of amrita vidyalayam who had just became a doctor (Dr. Gokul) garlanding amma on the stage yesterday. all the school children and the devotees gave him a big applause.

    Amma has special connection with the devotees here. most of them are very very old devotees. they have been coming to amma for years. in the vintage scenes video you might see some of them.

    one incident… an old teacher came for darshan. she cannot walk properly. climbing steps? impossible.
    during darshan amma was looking at her face. pushing the woman’s grey hair back amma said, you look so young. you should get married again.
    i saw this old women after darshan sitting by the temple. narrating this incident to me, she was still laughing ‘getting married at this old age? Amma’s is joking with me!”.

    Dhyanamrita
    9 Jan 2007 Kodungallur, Kerala

  • Amma’s Vrindavan

    it was amazing to see the devotion of the kozhikode devotees. the crowd in kozhikode program was sooooooo huge. darshan began in the evening and continued till 3pm next day.

    in the morning people were still standing in line for amma’s darshan. most of them with families… mother, father, children, husband, wife… at night they were in the cold – mist and wind was flowing across the sports stadium. now they were standing in the sun. amma wanted to provide shade for them. some temporary shelters with shamiyana (decorative cloth) were made. but that was not enough. so they were moved first to the side of the stage where there was shade and then on to the stage. luckily the stage was soooo big.

    you should have seen them. looked at their faces. looked into their eyes … they had been awake all night. maybe some might have dozed a bit. still they were not tired. while standing in line for amma’s darshan you could see them chanting “amma amma amma amma” – their mouths opening and closing like a fish breathing in water…. so much devotion. tears filled my eyes seeing the faith and dedication of the gopis of kozhikode.
    yes it’s truly amma’s vrindavan.
    Dhyanamrita
    7 Jan 2006, Kozhikode, Kerala.

  • In Kodungallur

    Amma’s darshan fininsed at 3.p.m the next day. After the Kozhikode programme Amma got into her van and left the stage.
    Amma reached Kodungallur in the evening. 3 days Amma will be here.

    Kodungallur
    7 Jan 2007

  • Leaves for Kozhikode

    Amma left Amritapuri for Kozhikode (Calicut) today at 6:30 p.m. Although the majority of the ashramites accompanied her in buses, the several hundred people staying behind were lined up throughout the ashram to offer her a pranam. Amma’s one-night program in Kozhikode will begin tomorrow evening.

    5 January 2007
    Amritapuri

  • a little spark

    Friends
    We leave for Calicut and Kudungalore in about an hour. It is getting very quiet at the Ashram. The high season is ending and there are mixed feelings about. Some are going on tour with Amma. Others are heading home back to their jobs and their families. The 1000 or so westerners from all over the world who have been here for the past few weeks have been doing seva together, eating meals together, and sharing Amma experiences together. People who have become close friends are saying good bye – looking forward to their next meeting – whether it be at the Ashram again, or in the West during one of Amma’s upcoming tours. Where ever they head from here, may take back a little bit of Amma’s light and help kindle the spark of love and compassion in everyone they meet.
    Sri Pati
    USA
    5 January 2007

  • Hay is for Horses

    Once Amma left the hall in Dublin after Devi Bhava, most of the tour staff headed by bus to a location in Dublin where we would spend our last night in Europe before dispersing to either the US, home, or Amritapuri.

    We didn’t know much about the place where we were going, only that it was right in the center of Dublin. We were grateful that we would have a place to stay and ‘decompress’ for one last night after a long hard tour.

    It must have been mid afternoon when we arrived. It was quite cold outside – the coldest yet on tour, but the streets were bustling with activity. We unloaded our luggage, and headed up the stairs to the building where we were to stay.
    Those who were the first to ring the bell had quite a surprise. As the door opened, there stood a man holding a bale of hay in his hands. Now this was central Dublin, not the country or the outskirts of the city. Behind him were more bales of hay – stacked in the hallways and in the rooms where we were to rest. His first comment was, ‘Oh! We weren’t expecting you so early!”
    Turns out that the place is actually a multipurpose art house of sorts and the night before they hosted an event related to the release of a new book about two people who traveled by horse across some part of the globe. Hence the ‘hay’ theme.
    Shouts of ‘Hey’, and jokes about ‘Hay Fever’ broke out as we began the task of sweeping and clearing the rooms.
    Lunch and Dinner were to be served downstairs. Many of us expected carrots and apples (in keeping with the horse theme), but we were lovingly treated to a wonderful vegetarian meal.
    Many of us drifted off to sleep, others trotted out in search of laundry facilities or to explore the city. At three am, we were to leave for the airport – and the end of another European Tour.
    Sri Pati

  • share your experiences

    om namah sivaya

    this is a blog to write about the experiences of travelling with amma around the world.
    the things you have learned, the scenes touched your heart, the moments that inspired you..
    the stuggle, the touble, the wisdom, the stupidity, the effort, the grace… all share with amma’s children.

    you are welcome to contribute.

    write to me about your experiences…