Tag: Bhajan
-
Is there logic in devotion?
25 August 2006 — Amritapuri Amma was singing “You Have Come to Sacrifice,” a relatively new bhajan written by her attendant, Brahmacharini Lakshmi. Written in English and tuned in a Western style, the song is quite different than a traditional raga-based bhajan. When it was finished, Swami Amritaswarupananda—who sits to Amma’s left during bhajans, singing…
-
Lost in the bhava of the song
21 December 2004–Amritapuri After answering the questions of the ashram residents, Amma told one of the brahmacharis to bring the harmonium. She then called for a new bhajan in Hindi that she has been singing lately in the evenings: Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah. Before beginning, Amma asked that the lyrics be translated into English so that…
-
Celebrating the glory that is Amma
Tuesday, 28 September 2004 — Amritapuri It was nearing three o’clock in the morning, and Amma had been giving darshan for 14 hours straight. “They are not singing in all the languages,” Amma suddenly said, referring to the brahmacharis and brahmacharinis sitting on the stage behind Her. “Get the microphone. I will sing, and they…
-
Deep inside there is a bond
Wednesday, 24 March 2004 — En route to Durgapur, West Bengal It was dark, but Amma’s face shone clearly in the glow of the portable lamps. She had been singing bhajans in Bengali, but now She wanted a story with a moral, a frequent request of Hers when sitting with Her children. One of Amma’s…
-
Bhajans in the Dark
Bharata Yatra 2004 Tuesday, 24 February 2004 — On the road to Hyderabad There was a second stop for Amma and Her tour group on the long road from Davanagere to Hyderabad, and as many anticipated, this one was for tea and practicing bhajans. The sun had just set when Amma’s six buses pulled over…
-
Celebration of Amma’s birth star
30 January 2004 — Amritapuri Tonight is Kartika. As always on the night of Amma’s birth star, the ashram was alit with various lights and candles, in particular, the pathway Amma follows from Her room to the bhajan hall. Towards the end of the night’s set of bhajans, Amma surprised everyone by practicing a new…
-
She just won’t leave!
24 September 2000, Amritapuri Amma’s last scheduled darshan at the ashram for the next two months. Crowds of devotees, eager to have Amma’s darshan before Her long absence, have been arriving in the ashram since the previous night. By 11 a.m. the temple is packed to capacity. Amma comes at 11:15 a.m., bows to the…