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a rakhi from washim
16 aug 2008, amritapuri the children from washim send a rakhi for amma with a letter saying that “you came to washim, showered your love in our depressed life. on that day, we took bath in the divine light and love. we still very much remember that moment in our minds. we are very grateful to you. please keep your eyes on us. we send you this bondage of love in the form of rakhi. please accept our love.” a brahmachari tied the rakhi to amma’s hand and she was happy. ~ dhyanamrita
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The festival season
16 aug 2008, amritapuri the festival season has begun in amritapuri. actually it began two weeks ago when amma came back from the japan-usa tour. two days back, it was independence day. that night, after dinner, witnessed a lot of cultural programs. today is raksha bandan – the day sisters tie rakhi on the wrist of their brothers with a vow that they should protect them. sishya ties to their guru. today is also ‘avani avittam’ when the brahmins replace the old sacred thread with a new one. many were lining up in front of amma for the replacement of…
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Independence Day Bhajans
Last night the Independence Day of India was celebrated with plays and dances by students of Amrita University and of course the magnificent Bharata Mata Puja. I think everyone enjoyed one dance in particular where all the different costumes and style of India were paraded one after the other. Another highlight was when one of the student girls carried the flag on stage while others sang a beautiful rendition of Vande Mataram in chorus. Towards the end of the evening Amma gave a speech and sang Mata Rani. Excerpts of Amma’s speech, photos, and a video clip of the evening…
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Silent teaching
13 aug 2008, Amritapuri i was there with amma by her side during darshan. one foreigner asked me to translate his question to amma. for the past 16 years this man has been coming to amma. he asked: “my discrimination and self-will are propelled by the ego, not by the will of the self or amma. how can i go deep in my sadhana?” he was standing behind me. amma smiled at him, gave such a look above my shoulders. her eyes were glowing with light. she just kept looking askance at him. it was so beautiful. the man waited…
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Eco-Ashram
The other day I was struck by the opposites that can be found in the ashram; I struggled up to the 17th floor with my full bucket of washing, hand-scrubbed in dirty orange water resembling a shade of lucozade – ( I don’t know why the water has suddenly gone that colour), I fought my way through lines of wet washing slapping me in the face, to hang it in the hot breeze. In a corner on the roof were two students with what looked like a fan and electrical measuring devices. I asked them what they were doing. It…
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Q75: Dog-Cat fight?
Question 75: “A dog and a cat are fighting. On whose side are you? Do you think that you would intervene, or simply watch?” – To post your answer, click on ‘Add Comment’. If you are not yet registered and therefore don’t have access to post your answers and comments, simply follow the two easy steps after clicking on ‘Add Comment’ (First, click on ‘logged in’, then on ‘Register’). We are looking forward for your contribution! Remember to reflect on the question for a while, and make your answers brief and clear.
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No Barrier
Amma walked onto the stage hand in hand with one old lady who is a permanent resident in the ashram and with old age has become like a little child. It’s very sweet to watch her innocent approach towards Amma as she holds her hand and chats away about all kind of things without any kind of barrier between them. Amma was in a very sweet and playful mood tonight with love radiating from her every pore. She sang the following Bhajans: Manasa Chora Radha Krishna Prapanchamengum Kannilenkilum (Telugu) Kalindi Kalil Meri Jhoppiti Enu Madali Mano Buddhyahankara Amma Amma Taye 11.08.2008,…
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Milk of Love
The Amritapuri Ashram cowshed is blessed with three cuddly calves. Yesterday, as one of the calves was contentedly sucking milk from his mother’s udders, he seemed cute and happy enough. What was more striking, though, was the mother cow’s intense eagerness to feed the milk to the calf – and her extreme restlessness when she could not do so. My mind traveled back a few years to around the time I had just started going to school. I hated milk. I mean, I really hated milk. My evening milk time was a daily ‘family get-together’ time. The ‘family’ truly ‘got…
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Friends with similar values
The 4th European Youth Exchange was held in M.A. Center Germany, surrounded by beautiful hills, forests and fields. This year our Finnish group consisted of six participants: Outi and Riikka had attended the Youth Exchange before but for Meira, Paprika, Reeta and Wille it was a whole new experience. The camp began with a nice opening ceremony during which each national group presented their members and sang a song in their own native language. We chose to sing a popular Finnish children’s song and got a huge applause like every other group. I think it was great that we were…
