The day’s festivities began with the Go Puja, the traditional cow worship. This ceremony is done on this day because Sri Krishna was a cowherd in his youth. At the head of a procession, the Ashram cows made their way to the front of the ashram where the special puja was performed.
The afternoon saw the Shobayatra – a lively and beautiful procession including many dressed as Sri Krishna, Radha, as well as gopis and gopas – the procession included participants from all over the world.
When the procession reached the Ashram, it congregated around the Uriyadi games, wherein children attempt to break a pot which is suspended in the air, expertly pulled just out of reach until a particularly nimble child is able to break it. This game was played by Sri Krishna in his youth, and is replayed every year at Amritapuri to the joy and delight of all.
Amma joined in the festivities, observing the Uriyadi games, surrounded by countless little Krishnas and Radhas, including some very little ones who sat on Amma’s lap. During the games, a recording of Swami Avadhutendra singing Hare Rama, Hare Krishna was played. At the close of uriyadi, Amma sang ‘Radhe Govinda, Gopi Gopala; Chitta chorana Krishna; and Krishna Krishna Radha krishna..’ All were singing and swaying in time with the lilting bhajan.
Later, Amma sang many songs to Sri Krishna during the evening bhajans. Then, after the traditional reading of the Srimad Bhagavatam, as the clock struck midnight, amidst arati and the reverberations of gongs and drums, the moment of Sri Krishna’s birth was commemorated, and it was as if he was being born again in that very moment in the hearts of the assembled devotees.
Amma sang the triumphant bhajan announcing Sri Krishna’s birth ‘Agatanay agatanay vishnu devan..” and then gave her Sri Krishna Janmashti address, saying, “Each one of us is actually born into the darkness of a prison—the prison of ignorance and karmic bonds. We are born crying, live crying and die crying. However, Krishna was born with a smile, lived with a smile, and was smiling even when he cast off his mortal frame. Krishna was able to do this because he always saw the unchanging true face of Eternity behind the ever-changing masks of impermanence. Thus, when we are able to realise the Krishna-hood that is our true nature, we will likewise be able to look death in the face, thumb our nose at it and laugh.” {read more}
After her message, Amma sang, ‘Madhava gopala mana mohana gopala,’ and danced along with the devotees. Finally, Amma led all in a for a prayer for world peace and distributed prasad.
All went to bed with minds full of Sri Krishna, and with hearts full of gratitude for the blessing of being able to live in Amma’s presence, every moment of their lives drenched in love, just as the gopis and gopas lived with Sri Krishna.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma dominates the land, God incarnates to uphold dharmic values—this is the conviction of our culture. In order to uplift the world, the infinite God-consciousness assumes a body through its own cosmic illusion, Maya. Just as all the water in a tank is channeled through a pipe, God’s blessings flow out to the world through an Avatara.
Srimad Bhagavatam states that “Krishnastu Bhagavan svayam”—“Krishna was the Lord Himself.” Like a dark-coloured raincloud, the dark-complexioned Krishna showered truth, dharma and beauty upon the world. And he has continued to do so to this day. Bhagavan Sri Krishna is like a vast ocean. On that ocean’s infinite shore, we dig small ponds and lakes and believing each of them to be Sri Krishna.
For any ordinary person, life is a mixture of happiness and sorrow. But for the Lord, there was only one meaning to life: supreme bliss—bliss irrespective of the situation. Sri Krishna was a mahapurusha [a God-realised person] who celebrated every circumstance, remaining equally blissful in each. Therefore, in order to know the Lord, one must know bliss. Until then, it is impossible to know Krishna or to really comprehend his actions.
Krishna was born one dark, midnight within the walls of a prison. Regardless, it was as though the full moon had risen. The coolness of moonlight and the brilliance of a million suns shined through Lord Krishna’s life.
Each one of us is actually born into the darkness of a prison—the prison of ignorance and karmic bonds. We are born crying, live crying and die crying. However, Krishna was born with a smile, lived with a smile, and was smiling even when he cast off his mortal frame. Krishna was able to do this because he always saw the unchanging true face of Eternity behind the ever-changing masks of impermanence. Thus, when we are able to realise the Krishna-hood that is our true nature, we will likewise be able to look death in the face, thumb our nose at it and laugh.
Just because a light bulb fuses doesn’t mean the electricity gets destroyed. The True Self is eternal and never can be annihilated. It is only that the forms it expresses through may change. There is gold in golden ornaments and golden ornaments in gold. There is formless within the form and the form within the formless. Pure consciousness is eternal and never changes. The forms come and go, but the consciousness remains ever the same.
Everything that has taken birth will die. This body, which is comprised of the five elements, must succumb to its nature, one day or the other. However, for those who have developed the awareness that the True Self is eternal, death becomes is no different than the experience of moving from one room into another. Such individuals take death light-heartedly. That is why it is said that Sri Krishna’s life was one big laugh.
We see this in Sri Krishna’s life. Even when Gandhari cursed his whole clan to be destroyed, Krishna smiled. The Krishna we see in the Bhagavad-Gita always has a smile on his face. Spirituality teaches us how to face success and failure and, in fact, every situation, with equanimity. It helps us air-condition the inner realm. Air-conditioning the external world is not enough. There are people who live in air-conditioned rooms and yet have to take pills to fall asleep. Some even commit suicide in such rooms. Scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita teach us to air-condition the mind. We become adjustable to every situation. At times when we are driving, the roads may be fine, but there also may stretches full of potholes, bumps or hairpin curves. We may also have to drive up and down steep inclines. When this happens we have to shift gears according to the situation. Similarly, when facing the various situations in life, we must be able to patiently shift the gear called the mind. This is one of Krishna’s teachings.
Lord Krishna is a mass of contradictions. The same Krishna who could cool the devotee’s heart with a smile could also vanquish adharma with the fierce splendour of his sudarshana cakra [divine discus]. The same Krishna who played sweet melody through his flute could also mercilessly blow his Panchajanya conch to protect dharma. Completely still and established firmly in the True Self, Lord Krishna still displayed a life of intense action to the world. In Krishna’s life, one can see the majesty of a vast ocean combined with the rustic beauty of a small village stream.
Lord Krishna showed us how to face problems with discernment instead of running away from them. However, one has to perform actions with a sense of surrender, not with a sense of ego. That is when the attachment and burden of the action fall away from us. Sri Krishna’s life itself is the authority on several truths expounded by the Bhagavad-Gita, such as yogah karmasu kaushalam [“Yoga is skill in action”] and samatvam yoga ucyate [“Equanimity is said to be yoga”]. In fact, the Bhagavad-Gita can actually be called a commentary on the life of the Lord. In the same way, we can say that Lord Krishna’s life is a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita as well.
The sun of love that is Lord Krishna is ever-shining. If we choose to shut our doors and windows and stay inside, how will we ever experience that light of that love? We should open the closed doors of our ego and come out. That is when we will be able to experience the sweetness and coolness of Krishna’s love. May all my children have the strength to surrender the mind, with its selfishness and negativities, at the feet of the Lord, which will free us from the self-created jail of our ignorance.
Dhanyatman,
It is my great pleasure to invite you to the 64th Birthday Celebrations of Her Holiness Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi—our Beloved Amma. The celebrations will take place at the Amrita University Campus in Amritapuri, Kerala, on the evening- of Sunday, the 8th of October, and on the morning of Monday, the 9th of October 2017. We would be overjoyed if you would be with us on this auspicious occasion.
For 64 years now, Amma has been blessing the world with her compassion and selflessness. Holding the sick, the poor and the lonely directly to her heart… drying their tears with her own hands… doing everything she can to uplift them… Amma’s life is an expression of a Love we had heretofore only read about. Seeing only oneness and unity, it is a Love that cuts across all boundaries—those of nation, of politics, of religion, of language, of caste. It is a Love that embraces people of all ages, all backgrounds, all walks of life. It is a Love that inspires everyone it touches to strive to expand his or her heart and mind. It is a Love that makes people ask themselves, “What more could I be doing to help others?”
Each year the devotees and disciples of Amma come together on Amma’s birthday in order to celebrate the advent of this Love into their lives. The celebrations are joyous, drawing lakhs of people from all over the world. They are verily an expression of the mantra of which Amma’s entire life has been a manifestation: Om lokah samasthah sukhino bhavantu—”May everyone everywhere be happy!”
Ever in Amma’s Service,
Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri
Vice-Chairman, Board of Trustees
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!* Programme Highlights
Sunday, evening 8th October:
Cultural Programmes by Students of Amrita Educational Institutions
Monday, 9th October:
Sri Guru Padapuja.
Amma’s Birthday Address
Release of new Ashram Publications
Distribution of free Clothing to the poor,
Awarding of Amritakeerthi Puraskar
Launch and Inauguration of new Charitable Programes
Followed by AMMA’s Darshan
Cultural Programmes by Students of Amrita Educational Institutions
For the last ten days, as per the tradition of the Onam harvest festival, the entire state of Kerala has been ordained with lush, beautiful flower mandalas.
At Amritapuri, each day the floral decoration in front of Amma’s room was unique. Each day, the beautiful arrangement depicted a different scene from the life of Sri Krishna. Each one seemed more beautiful than the last, and yet in truth, none could be said to be the most beautiful – each day, in that moment, that mandala was the most beautiful, and the love with which it had been arranged shone through and lent it that much more beauty and luster.
Traditionally, one spends the final day of Onam at home with the family. But every year, countless families choose to spend the day with their spiritual family and the mother they all share at Amma’s Ashram. That morning, Amma gave a Satsang and led all in meditation and prayers for world peace to all those who had gathered to celebrate Onam with Amma. “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is the Indian concept that the whole world is one family. The celebration of Onam is closely aligned with this truth. The earth and the sky, the flowers, birds and animals—all of Nature come together as one family and participates in this celebration.” {read more from Amma’s Onam message}
Then, Amma led all the assembled devotees in blissful dance to the tune of ti thi tara th thi tai…
After giving a brief darshan for those who would not otherwise have a chance to receive her embrace, Amma began serving the traditional OnaSadya feast to one and all. Finally, she fed Lakshmi, the ashram elephant.
The ashramites played tug-of-war to the amusement of all. First with two groups of brahmacharis battling each other, then Amma called on the “Aachans” (elderly male devotees) to do the same and finally the brahmacharinis. Amma enjoyed the show along with all those assembled.
In the evening, Amma led bhajans which were followed by beautiful, entertaining and uplifting cultural programs, including many dances and skits, including riveting classical dance and a heartwarming play by the littlest residents of Amritapuri.
The program concluded only at 1:00 am that night. All went to bed with joy in their hearts, having been blessed to spend Onam with Amma and all their spiritual brothers and sisters in a celebration of unity and love.
After the Ganesha Chaturthi ceremony {news}, the beautiful, ornate clay idol of Ganesha was placed at the Kalari where special pujas were held every day. Every evening, devotees sang bhajans fervently to Lord Ganesha. After nine days, as per tradition, the Ganesha idol was taken to be immersed in the ocean.
Lakshmi, the ashram elephant, led the procession. The idol was carried towards the main hall, the procession singing bhajans all the way. One could see people of all ages and nationalities join the procession, each with an orange ribbon around their heads, dancing to the tune of the music and drums.
When the procession reached the darshan hall, Amma stopped darshan for a moment to greet Lakshmi as she reached the stage.
With the chants of “Ganapati Bappa Morayya,” the procession continued its way to the beach. (Moraya Gosavi was an ardent devotee of Lord Ganesha from the state of Maharashtra. This chant reminds the chanter and listener of the inseparable relations between the Lord and the devotee.)
Finally, the idol was carried to the edge of the pier where it was immersed in the ocean, to be dissolved back into formless clay. One of the most beautiful aspects of the celebration is that, despite the sheer beauty of the Ganesha idol and the love and care with which it was crafted, it is offered into the ocean with joy and celebration rather than sorrow or regret. This reminds us that every object in this world is temporary and it will perish one day. So, without clinging to them, be attached to the Creator.
This ritual is designed to remind us of the universal truth that all objects with name and form are a manifestation of the formless principle or that One Truth.
4 Sept 2017 — Amritapuri Ashram
Amma’s Message on Thiruvonam
Amma bows down to everyone, who are embodiments of divine love and supreme consciousness.
The festival of Onam brings with it a sweet sankalpa—an ideal whose sweetness and novelty never fade with time. Amma is happy when her children come together here on the occasion of Onam. Onam is a celebration of our native culture, arts and games. It symbolises a passage from the darkness of yesterday into the light of the better times of tomorrow.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is the Indian concept that the whole world is one family. The celebration of Onam is closely aligned with this truth. The earth and the sky, the flowers, birds and animals—all of Nature comes together as one family and participates in this celebration.
What is special about a family? Each member of a family supports and protects all the other members. The entire world is sustained through mutual dependency and nourishment. Just look at Nature. Flowers and fruits grow on plants and trees. Bees make honey. Do they make it only for themselves? No. It is also consumed by birds and other animals. Similarly, trees produce life-sustaining oxygen. In return, birds and animals help the trees and plants to germinate and grow. In this way, all of Nature carries the message of mutual assistance, sharing and cooperation. Our ancestors, who lived in harmony with Nature, were the same. Even as they protected their harvest, they left some behind for the birds. They did not destroy all the pests and upset the harmony of Nature like we do today. All they did was control the pests. Today, environmental protection remains only in our discussions. We rarely put it into practice.
Our life should not be just for ourselves. It should also be for the society and Nature surrounding us. Human beings are a higher form of creation; we should see it as our duty to protect the creatures that are weaker than us.
The story of Mahabali is connected to yajna samskara—the culture of sacrifice. In fact, when the young Vamana walks into Mahabali’scourt, a fire yajna is taking place. A yajna should benefit everyone in the world. It should be done without ego, with an attitude of surrender. Giving charity is an essential component of yajna. Charity is given great importance in Indian culture. Why? Because our ancients knew that it is what we give back that is most important. Onam serves as a reminder of the importance of compassion and sharing.
In Amma’s childhood, when rice grains would be brought home from the harvest, before they were stored in the granary, people from the neighbouring houses would be given a part of the harvest. Depending on the size of the family, three kgs to six kgs of rice would be distributed to them. Around 15 houses would receive a share like this. Before the grains would be measured and put in their vessels, Amma’s mother would first put a little in each vessel with her hands. Only then would she add the measured rice. Regardless, each measuring scoop was still filled to the brim. This was to make sure that the neighbours always received more—not less. In today’s world, this whole mentality of giving has changed. People have become more and more selfish. We have to change this attitude.
The festival of Onam and its celebrations give us the message that prosperity, peace and affluence result when ancient spiritual traditions and the modern world go hand in hand. Mahabali was a good ruler who governed the kingdom in accordance with his people’s wishes. Yet, he was also a perfect devotee. Hence, he gave equal importance to the material as well as to the spiritual growth of his people. He did not see spirituality and material life as separate; he gave them equal place. And it was with this outlook that he showed us how to live. As such, even though he was an Asura king, during his golden reign, love, friendship, equality, wealth, prosperity and honesty prevailed.
When man goes in search of “the modern,” he tends to forget that it is the “old” truths that serve as its foundation. Spiritual values never perish. They are needed equally in all places, at all times. The world becomes beautiful when we understand this truth and lead a modern life while standing firmly rooted in these ancient values. Spirituality should not be pushed away as “some old way of thinking.” It should be imbibed and practiced in our lives. We should never forget the truth that only if there is old will there be new. During the Independence struggles of different nations, many people sacrificed their lives for their countries. Do we call those people “old-fashioned” and criticise them? The foundation of today’s independence is the sacrifice and adversity faced by those people. When new songs and bhajans are composed, do we ever put down the old tunes? The foundation of today is yesterday.
In the same way, a nation’s native culture lies in the values that bind it together; it is these that are the reason for its growth and progress. Hence, without a spiritual outlook, material life will always be filled with conflict and agitation. Such a society will not be prosperous, peaceful or united.
Both God and demons are within man’s mind. When we unleash desires without any control, when we live only to satisfy our selfish victories and wants, man becomes an asura—a demon. But man is capable of progressing in the opposite direction as well—towards God. Although Mahabali was an Asura king, he possessed many divine qualities such as a charitable nature, kindness and compassion. Hence, even though he was born into the Asura clan, Mahabali was divine. It was his inherent divine qualities that made that period a time of peace, unity and equality.
Complete contentment is the highest mental state. This state is what we see in Mahabali. “I have attained all I need. I have seen all, experienced all. I have no likes or dislikes left. I have only one goal: “To return to my Self; to merge into God.” The constant flow of this thought, with deep intensity, is real contentment. This is what we see in Mahabali.
Today we see a human race that is madly running after material pleasure, name and fame—even when it has one foot in the grave. To those who live like this, wreaking havoc in their own lives as well as those of others, Mahabali’s life is the ultimate message.
Today’s Onam celebration has greatly diverged from its original fundamental values. Many people use this as an occasion to party with alcohol, eat meat and watch cheap programmes perverting our culture. Even our iconic Mahabali is now depicted as a comic potbellied character, holding a palm-leaf umbrella.
In reality, the annual return of Mahabali should symbolize our return to the values of Onam. Onam becomes meaningful only when love, friendship, sharing, love of Nature and other values overflow in our lives. Today, the God within us is in the form of Vamana—a dwarf. Through our innocence, sacrifice, austerity and compassion, this dwarf should grow into the giant Trivikrama. We should grow to see God in all the three worlds, and love and serve everyone and everything. Only then will our Onam become the real Onam.
May grace bless my children to have a heart filled with selflessness!
25 Aug 2017
At 7 am today at the Kalari, an idol of Ganesha made out of mud was installed after special pujas.
The idol at Kalari will be kept there for few days with special pujas and evening bhajans before its will be immersed in the ocean.
After the installation, a Gaja puja was performed at the Darshan hall honoring the ashram elephant Lakshmi.
The concept that the Creation and Creator is not two, but one is the idea behind the worship of the elephant as God.
Today is Raksha Bandan day. At the ashram, the little ones tied rakhis (simple handmade bracelets, usually made of thread) on the wrists of soldiers put thilak on their foreheads and offered them sweets.
This is traditionally a day when brothers and sisters and celebrate and honor their bond by tying a traditional rakhi bracelet around each others’ wrists. In this way, the sister expresses her love for her brother, and her brother pledges to look after her in all circumstances.
When most people talk about Christmas, they talk about the great time they had with their family, the delicious dishes and sweets they prepared, and the gifts they received. Hardly anyone speaks about the prayers they offered, the spiritual practices they did, or the efforts they put towards bringing Jesus’ teachings into action. In truth, these would comprise the real Christmas celebration. Amma is not saying that the other celebrations are not needed, just that Christmas only gains its true meaning when we use it to reflect on the life and teachings of Christ and to evaluate our spiritual progress. Real love for the Lord occurs when we imbibe these ideals for which he stood, for they help us to realize the Kingdom of Heaven within ourselves and transform our life into an offering of service to humanity.
Be it Sri Krishna, Sri Rama or Jesus Christ, they all had to undergo a lot of challenges in life. However, they boldly faced them without breaking down. Moreover, they converted every obstacle into a stepping stone. This was their greatness. They showed us through their lives that if we are putting sincere effort towards a higher goal, no force in this world can stop us. Even after thousands of years, their lives still inspire us and fill us with strength.
Holidays like Christmas create opportunities for us to practice the ideal of sharing and caring. All the blessings we have received in life are not only due to our own efforts. Our success is also due to the help, prayers and blessings given to us by all those who love us. We are indebted to them. We should always remember this. Christmas is a good opportunity to express our gratitude towards such people. As we progress on the spiritual path, we should occasionally remember with gratitude all those who have helped us along our journey. If there are people who have troubled us, we must develop the ability to forgive and forget. Such an attitude is like fuel that will take us a long way forward.
The Christmas tree is a symbol of the tree of life. Just as the Christmas tree has so many ornaments hung on it, this human life of ours has also been blessed with many gifts—such as the faculty of discrimination, love, compassion and the ability to forgive. It is up to us to make the best use of these gifts. On top of the Christmas tree is a big star. This star represents the goal of human life, which is to realize our oneness with God. Using our God-given faculties, we need to attain this goal.
The seeds of spirituality lying within start sprouting when we water them with the waters of compassion. Children, we should be able to find some space in our hearts for others as well. May my children be able to achieve this.
Amma offers her children to the Paramatma. Amma wishes all her children a very Merry Christmas!
As every year, Amma’s birthday was a day of giving. The Hon. Prime Minister of India, Sri. Narendra Modi, who participated in Amma’s birthday celebrations via video conference, announced the Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s completion of 2,000 toilets for the poor in Kerala, as part of a Rs. 100-crore pledge to build 15,000 toilets to help end open defecation throughout India. {news}
On the occasion of Amma’s 63rd, birthday, with the help of various cabinet ministers, religious figures and other dignitaries gracing the dais, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) also presented:
* 400 free surgeries for the poor at Amrita Hospital, including 200 open-heart surgeries, 25 renal transplants, 75 neurosurgeries and 100 oncology surgeries
* Provision of clean drinking water to all residents of 5 rural villages as part of the Amrita SeRVe 101 village project: Ratnapur and Bhojpur in Bihar; Danda and Uttarakashi in Uttarakhand; and Gudipavacheru in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
* Development and deployment of a method for sustainable income via a solar-thermal-based lemon-grass distillation unit for women in Mothakkara Village, Wayanad, Kerala.
* 100 newly constructed houses for the poor throughout Kerala
* 400,000 saris to women who are beneficiaries of various humanitarian initiatives of MAM
* Amma initiated weddings for 54 couples who could not afford to otherwise be married. MAM provided all the saris, dhotis, gold jewelry and feast required for a traditional wedding.
In addition to the Prime Minister, also gracing the dais were Justice Sri. P. Sathasivam, the Governor of Kerala; Sri. Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; Sri. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport, Highways & Shipping; Sri. Shripad Yashoo Naik, Minister of State for AYUSH; General Sri. V.K. Singh, Union Minister of State for External Affairs; Prof. P.J. Kurien, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; Sri. Amar Singh, MP (Uttar Pradesh), President Samajwadi Party; Sri. A Shanmugham, Coimbatore, MLA; Sri. MK Raghavan, MP; Sri. P.C. George, MLA; Sri. O. Rajagopal, MLA; Sri. Ganta Sreenivasa Rao, Minister of Human Resource Development (Andhra Pradesh); Sri. Kummanam Rajasekharan, State President for BJP; Sri. Vellapalli Natesan, General Secretary of the SNDP; among others; His Excellency Philippe, Janvier-Kamiyama, Consulate General of France in Pondicherry.
Then, Amma began to do what she does every day of her life – embrace people, one by one, for as long as it takes. In this case, it took until 10:30 am the following day, when Amma finally left the stage, 25 hours after she had arrived, her eyes and smile as bright as they were when she had arrived. Though the Amritavarsham celebrations had come to an end, they will continue in the hearts of Amma’s children forever.
When the procession reached the Ashram, it congregated around the Uriyadi games, wherein children attempt to break a pot which is suspended in the air, expertly pulled just out of reach until a particularly nimble child is able to break it. This game was played by Sri Krishna in his youth, and is replayed every year at Amritapuri to the joy and delight of all.
25 December 2016, Amritapuri Ashram
