3-5 March, Mumbai Brahmasthanam Festival, Maharashtra – Bharata Yatra 2019
After the programs in Pune, Amma and the tour group travelled to Mumbai. Amma was received with a traditional Maharashtra style greeting, with men in traditional dhotis and women in 9-meter saris and both wearing turbans. Musicians were blowing ‘Tutari’ – a Marathi trumpet shaped like a big bull horn in made of metal.
On the occasion, renowned Bollywood actress Vidya Balan joined Amma to distribute saris to women of Ransai village from Panvel District, which is one of the 101 villages adopted by Amma. Health kits and plants were also distributed to AYUDH members by the dignitaries.
Upon addressing the audience, Vidya Balan said, “When I was a little girl, I met Amma. I saw people crying and was wondering why do people cry in front of her? …when I got hugged, I also cried…We know why we cry. All we want is to be accepted and that is what this embrace is. Amma shows we are worthy of acceptance, we are worthy of love. That message for me is beyond religion, beyond politics. Amma is the embodiment of pure love.”
Also addressing the audience was Mr Nimrod Kalmar the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Consulate of Mumbai, who said, “As you can see I am smiling ever since I am here this morning. I have noticed that everybody around me is smiling. We all need to appreciate and come to this place of peace and tranquillity and smile at one another and show that we want to live in peace with one another. This is a very special kind of atmosphere attributed to Amma who spreads love and compassion.
Amma leads activities of community service and sustainable development. The idea of sharing one another’s ability for advancement and cooperation unites everybody together to create something larger. Amma has dedicated followers all over the world, people appreciate the way Amma is leading. There are many people like me in Israel who love the way Amma is leading.”
Inviting Amma to Israel, he added, “I would like to extend an invitation to Amma to come to Israel… I am sure the spiritual stretch of land in the Middle East will be happy to host Amma and talk about how to make the planet a better place to live in with our joint work headed by amazing figures like Amma.”
Amma was next welcomed by Anjali Menon, the renowned Bollywood scriptwriter, “This is the moment that I wait for every year… when Amma visits Mumbai, for that touch…like a little child waiting to see its mother, I too wait for the hug, wait for the kiss, wait for that touch.
“We are facing a lot of problems these days, a lot of discrimination, a lot of walls, and a lot of worries from all around. In that midst, unlimited unconditional love is what Amma offering. Even though we all crave for that love from everyone, we are only getting it from very few. This love is what we receive from Amma. Amma wants us to be like her, when we receive that love and energy from her we should be able to multiply and share it to others.”
During her address to the gathering, which spilled outside the ashram premises and on to the surrounding streets, Amma said, “Technology is a good servant but a dangerous master. For many people, relationships have become confined to the numbers on the phone. We no longer value seeing each other face to face. When our relationships with the world are defined solely through machines, we pawn our very consciousness to the unconscious machine. We should use machines and love people. We must never allow the hallmark of our society to become ‘Use people and love machines.’”
During both days of her programs there, Amma sang bhajans, conducted Satsang, guided people in mediation and prayers for world peace, along with her darshan. Amma guided both the meditation and Manasa puja in Hindi.
Mumbai got the chance to celebrate Shivaratri day with Amma. Speaking on the occasion, Amma said “Lord Shiva is the destroyer of time. He destroys the thought that ‘I was born, I am growing, and I will die’. In order to understand this principle, Lord Shiva was given a form of a deity. When we have a lot of problems and sorrow, then only we will turn towards the Lord. In that pitch darkness many a time one gets a glimpse of God but in order to understand that even in the midst of sorrow, you must not lose your awareness. Not only on Shivratri day but always may your mind be filled with sacrifice and surrender. May all your thoughts, words and actions spring forth from pure love. “
Showering her blessings upon Mumbai devotees, after 3 days Amma proceeded to Mangalore for the next program of Bharata Y
-Kannadi
