4-5 March, Mysore, Karnataka – Bharata Yatra 2017
The drive from Mananthavady was a scenic one. The tour group took narrow two lane roads down through the forest towards Mysore. The dry heat of spring had caused most of the trees to shed their leaves, but there were patches of green foliage that resisted the parched climate.
When Amma arrived in Mysore, the sides of the road were lined with elated devotees and smiling students. Amma promptly made her way to the stage and began to serve prasad.
After all the plates had been distributed, there was a short satsang and story telling.
A variety of dignitaries were there to welcome Amma to Mysore with reverent speeches.
“We can explain the various relations individuals have to one another, but children do not require any explanation about a mother. Every child knows the special character of his mother. The mother’s love cannot be experienced through any material of the world. We cannot find anything equivalent to a mother. There is no alternative for the mother. The mother is the only source of inspiration. It is Amma who is filling the world with this special Chaitanya Shakti.” Said Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami of Suttur Math. “Today Amma is taking innumerable people who have faith in Her from the shore of Ignorance, Darkness and Sorrow to the shore of Eternal Peace.”
Maritibbe Gouda, Deputy Speaker of Karnataka, noted in his speech that “Amma is giving refuge to everybody in the field of spirituality. No government is able to offer the seva that Amma is giving to the world through Her charitable activities. Without any discrimination about caste, creed and nationality Amma is offering help to everyone. This kind of Spiritual power is lighting up the entire world.
“Amma is the Divine Mother who lovingly touches everyone and hugs every person, and thus, is eradicating untouchability. We pray to stone Gods, but Amma is the real walking God existing amongst us.”
Swami Vachanananda said in his speech, “I have heard about Chamundeswari, Anandamayi Ma, Akkamahadevi, Meera Bai, but I have not seen them, spoken to them, sat next to them. Today, I see all the goddesses’ presence in Amma’s feet. I feel She is the walking temple and the talking goddess of our times. You don’t need to go to temples, mosques, or churches. Everything is found in Amma’s feet. All our mothers gave birth to us and brought us from heaven to earth. It is only Amma who is taking us from earth to heaven.”
Go Madhusoodana, former Member of the Legislative Council for Karnataka, said of Amma, “Wherever we see divinity and purity, there we see Mother. That is India’s Samskara and Samskriti. We should see mother in every woman. Here we have Amma, who is the mother of all. Amma hasn’t kept anything for herself but everything is for the children. She is uniting the entire world. She doesn’t have any barrier of nationality, caste, creed, or language. She is the real Jaganmatha, the one who truly loves entire world and entire creation.”
Two long days of darshan followed. In addition to the thousands of hugs, Amma gifted saris, pensions, and educational scholarships to various residents of Mysore and the surrounding areas. She also donated sewing machines to the ladies of the AmritaSree self-help group from Nagara.
Speaking on the occasion, Amma said, “A computer is divided into two parts—hardware and software. Roughly speaking, we call the external part that we can see ‘the hardware’ and the internal part that we cannot see ‘the software.’ But these two are not really different, because neither can the hardware function without the software, nor the software without the hardware. So too it is with the visible world of name and form and its internal invisible power. The visible world around us is only the hardware. The indivisible consciousness and power that connects everything in the visible world and makes it work perfectly, like the software in a vast computer network, is called God, or the Supreme Consciousness. We need to maintain the awareness of this power when we perform each and every action.”
The two program days were filled with performances by students of all ages and grades. The spirit of celebration was in the air.
It was a festive occasion in Mysore, one that touched the hearts of all who attended and left them with a smile on their face.
-Kannadi
