8 Oct 2019, Navatrati Celebrations – Amritapuri Ashram
Since Pujavaippu, for the last 3 days, Amma has been leading all in special prayers and chants in the evenings infront of the new altar decorated the pics of different forms of Devi.
On Vijayadasami day, Amma initiated Vidyarambham – initiating into the alphabets. Amma said the mantra “Hari Sri Ganapathaye Namah” and instructed all to write this mantra on floor. Later the 3 years old babies were initiated one by one by Amma on rice in a plate.
Before the ceremony, Amma spoke about the importance of Shakti worship and reminded us to invoke the divine motherhood which is present in all. She said: “The Supreme Being has two bhavas. One of them is the attitude of Atma-nishta – established in the Self, still and unaffected. The other is the attitude of love, compassion and affection. When the latter attitude of love and compassion comes forward, and the Atmanishta bhava retreats to the back, we call that aspect Shakti, Jagadamba or Devi.”
“Amma always reiterates that it is not enough to just have faith. We should live according to that principle. We have to cultivate humility in our speech, humility in our look, and perform each action with the attitude of worship. Accept everything with the attitude of accepting blessed Prasad offered to God. Even if an ant has fallen into our prasad, we remove it and eat it with the same reverence. We never complain that our portion of prasad is less or more. This is the attitude of acceptance.
“We should cultivate the attitude of a beginner. Learn how to have the attitude of a beginner. Our body has grown in all directions, but our mind has not expanded. For the mind to become as expansive as the universe, one should become like a child first. Only a child can grow up. At present our body has grown. But it is our mind that should grow. Our mind is still stunted. Water poured into a full vessel will only flow out. Water poured into an overturned vessel will also flow out. To be able to receive it, the vessel should be open and empty. Thus, an open mind is desirable, not one with ego.
“An open mind is like a blank sheet of paper. This is being a beginner. The more one learns, the greater the humility one acquires. There is a saying- ‘the more the rice-head matures, the more it bends down to the ground’. To the point where it reaches the soil where the paddy seed was sown. If we throw a stone into a lake, the ripples go outward until they reach the edge of the lake and then they converge back to the same spot where the stone was dropped. Similarly, one should do all action ever remaining established in the central point, the bindu.
When one good quality was awakened, all other good qualities spontaneously arose. Even though a cot has four legs, the whole cot will move if we just pull one leg. Similarly, when we identify the goal as God, we will feel like sacrificing excessive food, and purifying our mind. But we should cultivate good qualities within us. Only then can we awaken to the Self within us, the path to Self-knowledge, the eternal light, Atmabodha.
“Whether humans or animals, it is the power of love that binds the mother to the child and the child to the mother. Devi is this loving mother, the Mother of the Universe, Jagadamba. It is not enough just to see the Mother; we should awaken this maternal instinct within us. Once this motherhood awakens, we will be able to forgive, forget and forbear, just as a biological mother is able to with her own children unconditionally and selflessly. The foundation of this is Love. Where there is real love, we will be able to forgive their mistakes, their anger, and so on. We will forbear and forgive.
“Love is what is fundamentally needed for this. And that Love is verily God. Love is what we have within us; but do not give to others. Love is what we are most miserly about. Love is what there is most poverty for. All the religious practices and observances are only to awaken this love which is already within us. When we realise the real nature of objects, the feeling of motherhood will rise within us naturally. Once it awakens, we will have the power to forbear and forgive others, with our look, word and deed. We will be able to nurture the world just as a mother nurtures her child” Amma reminded all.
Afterwards, Around 180 students of Tabla students of which 115 are females, offered Nadapuja before Amma by playing together three kaydas and four bhajans. It was an amazing event to see people which included kids, youngsters, middle-aged and old from around the world, aged between 10 and 60, are playing together for our Amma.
