Month: January 2002

  • Adi Sankaracharya: The Jagadguru of Advaita

    The guru-disciple paramparas1 of India are like malas2 strung with gems; each jewel is precious and invaluable. Still, some shine with an attention-commanding splendor. Sri Adi Sankaracarya was such a diamond. Sri Sankara’s accomplishments were many, but he is singled out because his brilliant commentaries on the prasthana-trayam—upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita and the Brahma Sutras—crystallized the…

  • Overlooking God

    Overlooking God

    16January 2002,En route to Madras Just at dusk, somewhere in Tamil Nadu, Amma’s South India Tour buses stopped at a countryside temple to Lord Ganesh. The pujari was there, anointing and garlanding the murthi; the local devotees gathered near, and the people travelling with Mother stood close by, respectfully. A temple houses a murthi, an…

  • The frog’s tail

    The frog’s tail

    16 January 2002, on the way from Madurai to Madras “Come close this side. Sun very hot,” Amma called to Her devotees. We had stopped for lunch and a chair had been set up for Her under the shade of a majestic, old, gnarly-branched tree. It couldn’t, however, shade all of Her children travelling with…

  • An ever-present Guru

    An ever-present Guru

    Even a yogi living in a Himalayas must listen to Satsang every day even if he has thoroughly studied the scriptures Otherwise, he can easily become deluded.

  • A chai stop

    A chai stop

    13 January 2002, Madurai Last night on our bus ride from Trivandrum to Madurai, Mother had the buses pull over. Earlier, She seemed to have orchestrated the perfect travelogue. She is quite a tour guide! We got to see elephants being lead down the road, water buffalos being bathed and scrubbed in rivers by their…

  • An ordinary lunch stop?

    An ordinary lunch stop?

    13 January 2002, Madurai Sometimes travel stops with Mother hold delightful surprises, precious and unique events — like the time last year when She sang under a full moon, and then practically danced, arms outstretched, to Her car. But much of the time these stops are what would pass for ordinary family outings were it…

  • Thousands of smiling and satisfied faces

    Thousands of smiling and satisfied faces

    30 January 2002, Thiruvnanthapuram When Amma arrived in Trivandrum for the 2002 Brahmasthanam programs, devotees flocked to catch a glimpse of Her as She drove by. She went to the balcony of the Ashram and personally rolled prasad of vibhuti and candy while brahmacharinis handed the packets out to devotees rushing forward. She spent at…

  • Matruvani Loading Seva

    Matruvani Loading Seva

    Students of Amrita Institute of Computer Technology who live on the Ashram campus engage themselves in various sevas in the Ashram. One among them is to help out in the loading of over 200,000 copies of Matruvani, the Ashram monthly magazine. The magazines are sent to the postal service for dispatch to waiting devotees. The…