Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

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They saw God and wanted to touch Her

16 December 2004–Kozhikode, Kerala

When Amma arrived at Her ashram in Kozhikode, thousands of devotees were waiting with the hopes of catching just a glimpse of Her. And when Amma stepped out from the back seat of Her car, they could not help themselves–they surged forward, all of them. Can you blame them? They saw God and wanted to touch Her.

It’s like this almost everywhere Amma goes, and it can be terrifying: 5,000 people trying to touch Amma as She walks–unbarricaded and barely five-feet tall–from point A to point B. Amma doesn’t help matters. She often seems as desperate to touch them as they are to touch Her, stretching out Her tiny hands to make contact, just like the bearded Old Man that Michelangelo painted on the celiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Some see a riot. Amma sees God struggling to touch God.

“All this–everything you see–should be covered with God.” It’s the first line of the first upanishad one learns. In that single mantra, everything is said: the Truth and the Goal. Has there ever been a moment when Amma’s actions haven’t shown this to be Her experience?

Once, when Amma was leaving a city in northern India, a similar incident to the one in Kozhikode took place. But to many, it was actually quite different, as it seemed utterly devoid of innocence and raging with ego. After waiting outside the place where Amma was staying for hours, these people made it clear: they were going to have Amma’s darshan, one way or another.

When Amma emerged from Her room, the people got wild. It was just short of something one sees at a football stadium. There was no policing it. Whatever was going to happen was to going happen. As the expression goes, “It was in God’s hands.”

The smile never left Amma’s face. She didn’t shy away from anyone. She moved into them, literally pulling the people towards Her body as She moved forward. A few minutes later, heading down the road in the car, Amma said only one thing–prema. To Amma, it was clear, what She had just experienced was love and love alone.

“God is love. But nobody has seen God. We should try to invoke that love in our hearts and be loving to everyone.” These were some of the words Amma chose to speak to the 30,000 or so devotees who’d gathered for Her darshan the second day of the 2004 Kozhikode Brahmasthanam Festival.

It’s true, we’ve never seen love the way Amma sees love–as pervading all things. This is the vision Amma and the upanishad are asking us to invoke. But in Amma we have at least seen proof of the vision’s possibility. And this in itself is the first step on that journey home.

–Kannadi

Manjeri had come to Amma

14 December, Manjeri, Kerala – Bharata Yatra 2004

The crowd surrounded the stage and spilled out onto the main road. There simply was not enough room for all the people. At one point, Amma even told the brahmachari running the kitchen to have buckets of food carried down to the street to insure that the devotees who still had not been able to make it into the programme grounds proper were served. Amma had come to Manjeri, and Manjeri had come to Amma.

Amma last came to this northern Kerala town in 1996. At that time there had also been a large crowd. That programme is well remembered by ashramites, as it was raining so hard that people picked up the blue plastic tarpaulins that were serving as carpets and used them to protect themselves from the unseasonal rain. That way—holding massive blue tarpaulins over their heads—they came for Amma’s darshan in groups, lest one of them get left behind in the downpoor.

See the pics of 1996 Manjeri program below:

 
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Joining Amma on the podium for the formal part of the programme were Sri. A.P. Anilkumar, Kerala’s Honourable Minister of Culture & Youth Affairs; Sri. Ishaak Kurikkal (Manjeri M.L.A.), Sri. Kuttikadan Mohamed Kutty (Municipal Chairman of Manjeri); Sri. M.P. Gangadharan (M.L.A.) and Mahakavi Sri. Akkittam Acchyutan Nambootiri.

Referring to Amma as “the essence of all religions,” Sri. Ishaak Kurikkal said in his welcoming address, “Amma is teaching the world the value of love. If there were people like Her all around, surely the world would be saved. … In the volatile world of religious intolerance, Amma is the hope. … Amma—who is building houses and places of worship for people of all castes, faiths and religions—is showing the path to goodness in today’s world. ”

The Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly ended his speech with a request. “Amma Your hospital in Cochin is helping poor people a lot. I request You to build a similar one here in Manjeri, laying the foundation stone with Your own lotus hands. There is no point in submitting this request to the government. That is why I am submitting the request to You. More efficiently than the government, You can execute it.”

Sainaba was a concrete worker until she broke her back falling from a roof. Her family lost everything in its attempts to pay for her treatment. Sajida, a mother of two girls, was divorced by her husband and left in squalor. During the Manjeri programme, both Muslim ladies received free homes as part of the Ashram’s Amrita Kuteeram housing project. Sri. A.P. Anilkumar inaugurated the programme, and all the dignitaries helped distribute the keys. In all, the Ashram gave away 21 such houses, as part of 500 it is building in the Malappuram District. Many of the recipients were in tears as they received the keys to their new homes.

At midnight, the massive crowd had not abated. They were sitting patiently through the night to get their chance with Amma.

—Sakshi

The return of Ram

1 December 2004 — Amritapuri

“Where’s Ram? Where’s Ram?” So many children, and adults, have been asking. The truth is for the past six months, he’s been away at school in Trishur. Learning to become a truly great temple elephant. Trishur is the Elephant Capital of Kerala, where dozens of elephants regularly come together for elaborate temple programs.

But now he’s back—on a little holiday to see his Mother. So now, each night, there are once again two elephants waiting for Amma when She returns from singing bhajans.

—Tulasi

Pray one minute for world peace

10 September 2004 — Cochin, Kerala

“God’s power is the only source in which humankind can take refuge when they realize that self effort and its results are limited. In today’s world, we have reached a point where peace is no longer attainable through human effort alone. In fact, the current condition is such that we must offer our heartfelt prayers for God’s grace,” Amma said. She was talking to the thousands of devotees who were anxiously waiting to receive her blessings at the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Kunnupuram, Edappally.

Amma continued, “It is difficult for human beings to admit that the power of ego is crumbling-but it is the truth. Although human effort is necessary, we must also have faith in the Universal Power. It is this Spiritual Power we must recognize and with which we must experiment.

“We took solace in believing that the sagas of Hitler and Kamsa would never repeat themselves. We wanted to believe that the world could never again fall so far. Nonetheless, today we find those same old stories renewing themselves right in front of our eyes.

“It was only last week that terrorists in Russia killed innocent children. Is there really so much cruelty and evil in the human mind? Incidents like this prove that there is. Where is the human race heading? What do we do now? What is the cause for the current situation and what is the way out? These questions are more relevant now than ever before.

“So far, we have been searching for answers to these questions in the outside world. However, we are slowly starting to realize that the answers we’re getting there are not sufficient. In fact, the time to be open and to sincerely search within is long overdue.

“Until now, humanity has searched externally for pathways to peace, trying and testing various methods. In this fashion, is there anything we haven’t tried? No. So, it is time to turn towards God.

“The United Nations has declared 21 September as the ‘Day to Pray for World Peace.’ No matter where you are on that day at 12 noon-whether you are at home, the office, in the bathroom, the market, the shopping center-irrespective of your faith and religion, stop what you are doing, close your eyes and pray for one minute for world peace,” Amma told her devotees.

When It Rains, It Pours

7-9 May 2004 — Palakkad, Kerala

The last Brahmasthanam Festival Amma held in Palakkad [April 2003] was brutally hot, with temperatures regularly hitting 43 degrees Celsius. The heat was so bad, it even prompted Amma to comment in Her satsang, “My children must be suffering — both from the heat outside and the heat inside.” The whole three days of the festival everyone was praying for rain.

This year, their prayers were different. Pre-monsoon rains hit Kerala the day before the festival began and refused to let up until it was over. The Saturn (Shani), Mars  (Chova) and Rahu mass pujas–which are typically done by devotees seated on the ground–had to be performed on chair tops, as the red Palakkad earth had turned to mud.

When Amma came to the stage to lead the Saturn puja on Saturday, She saw a group of about 50 devotees standing out in the rain. She immediately called them to come and sit under the protection of the stage. Thus, as Amma gave Her satsang and sang bhajans that night, She was surrounded by Her Palakkad children.

Despite the weather, thousands of Amma’s devotees attended the three-day festival, which ended around 5:30 Monday morning.

—Sakshi

Amma gives wheelchairs to Kerala’s poorest

4 May 2004 — Trissur, Kerala

During Amma’s programme in Trissur, Amma gave wheelchairs—or rather, hand-propelled adult-sized tricycles—to 10 poor handicapped people. Wheelchairs are rarely seen in India’s streets—even though so many are handicapped due to polio or birth defects. Wheelchairs like these cost around 5,000 rupees [roughly $115 U.S.D.]. That might not seem like a lot of money, but for many of India’s poor, it is half a year’s income. After Amma presented them with their wheelchairs, Amritapuri.org spoke to the recipients.

Devadas is a 28-year-old young man with a bright smile on his face. When we speak to him, his eyes are still glowing from his first-ever meeting with Amma. “I feel joy,” he says. Devadas contracted polio when he was just three years old. His legs never fully grew, and his back is deformed. “I can crawl a little… but not too far,” he says, smiling shyly. He is just over three-feet tall. “But now with the wheelchair, I can get around on my own. It is Amma’s grace that I got this. I live with my mother in a little house in Trissur’s outskirts, and now I can ride without anybody helping.”

Devadas and his mother live on a government pension that he receives due to his handicap. It is only 110 rupees [$2.50] a month—enough for one good meal a day. “My younger brother drives a lorry,” he explains, “and he tries to give whatever money he can spare, but he has a family of his own to support.”

Rajeev is 45 years old. Despite his handicap he is married and has two children—two boys of eight and nine. His wife is also slightly handicapped. “I think very well of Amma,” he says. “But it is mostly my wife. She does puja for Amma every day. We met Amma in Vallikkavu one time before.” When asked about his income, Rajeev is reluctant to answer. “We live on the mercy of the people,” he says. He means they have no choice but to beg. It is his hope that Amma’s wheelchair will help him find employment.

 

Sumesh is a 16-year-old boy. When he was very young, he had a strange accident, wherein a hard fall on his elbow paralysed the right side of his body. After that, Sumesh had no choice but to drop out of school. He lives with his parents and is the oldest of their three children. “I earn a little money selling lottery tickets,” he says. In the morning his brothers sit him down in a street corner. In the evening, they pick him up again. “I feel very happy now,” he says, after meeting Amma. “Maybe I can earn some more now because now I can go to different places in the wheelchair.”

 

Girija is 23. She was born handicapped—both her legs are not fully grown. She acts shy when asked about Amma, finally saying, “I feel happy. Amma is… love!” She says that due to her inability to transport herself, she spends most of her days sitting at home. “I hope I can learn something now so I can find a job.” It is her wish to make some money with which to start an STD/ISD telephone booth. “I am very grateful that Amma gave me the wheelchair,” she says.

—Tulasi

300 Hours, 8,500 kilometres & 700,000 hugs

Bharata Yatra 2004

28 March 2004 — Kolkata, West Bengal

When the brahmacharis finished unloading the buses and lorry holding all the sound-system and bookstall items this afternoon, there was a feeling of something coming to a close. It was the last unloading of the tour. Amma’s program in Kolkata tonight is the last of Bharata Yatra 2004.

Since 7 January, Amma and Her children have travelled throughout India—from cities in Kerala to Tamil Nadu to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. It’s been more than 8,500 kilometres and 300 hours on the bus, and—for Amma—more than 700,000 hugs.

But if this was somewhat of a grand finale for Amma’s children, it seemed to have no such impact on Amma, who went about giving Her program as always—full of laughter, energy and enthusiasm. Amma was welcomed by a number of dignitaries when She stepped onto the dais. Shri. Ashok Kumar Ganguly, the Honourable Justice of the Kolkata High Court, was there to give an address and to officially release a Bengali version of Jyotirgamaya Volume One, a collection of Amma’s teachings published by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math.

Shri. Ranjendra Kumar, IAS, Principle Secretary, Government of West Bengal, also spoke and released a Bengali version of Awaken Children! Volume Five .

Justice Ganguly said that for him meeting Amma has been “a lifetime achievement,” and that how any one who works for Amma’s charitable projects “is blessed in all respects.”

During Amma’s satsang, bhajans and darshan, Amma was the same Amma as on the first day of the tour back in Trivandrum—cracking jokes, wiping away tears and talking to the brahmacharis around Her about the many charitable projects She is planning or already has underway in West Bengal.

The program, which was held at Kolkata’s Eastern Railway Colony, continued on to the early morning.

Tomorrow, most of Amma’s children will board the buses for the long five-day ride back to Kerala. But Amma will fly on to Australia, Malaysia and Singapore to meet Her children there—for Her, the yatra never really ends.

—Sakshi

Amma in Kolkata

Bharata Yatra 2004

27 March 2004 — Kolkata, West Bengal

Amma’s first program in Kolkata was held in the middle of Richie Park, Maddox Square under a magnificently constructed temporary structure. The backdrop to the dais was done up in ochre and white and covered with purple orchids.

The two chief guests of the program were the Honourable Chief Justice Shri. A.K. Mathur of the Kolkata High Court and Shri. Rajendra Kumar, IAS, Principle Secretary, Urban Development. Both men delivered short addresses about Amma, and Chief Justice Mathur helped Amma distribute checks to destitute women, as part of the Amrita Nidhi pension program, which has now been extended to Kolkata.

The night grew cool and breezy about the time Amma began singing bhajans, including Bengali versions of “Ma Jagadambe Darshan Tere” and “Ananda Janani.”

—Sakshi

Amma in Durgapur

Bharata Yatra 2004

25 March 2004 — Durgapur, West Bengal

After a long drive from Varanasi, Amma and Her children reached Durgapur, West Bengal just after sunrise on the morning of March 25th. The program was held at the industrial city’s Amrita Vidyalayam School, which has been in operation for just under a year now.

By the time Amma took the dais at 6:30 p.m., more than 10,000 people had come to listen to Her satsang and bhajans and to have Her darshan.

The night’s chief guest was the Honourable Justice Shri. Tapan Sen of the Jharkhand High Court. He gave a touching speech, explaining how important Amma has become in his life, and presented pension certificates to 15 women, symbolic of the 500 destitute widows the Mata Amritanandamayi Math is now providing to the area’s poor as part of the Amrita Nidhi program.

Amma sang almost all of Her bhajans in the local language, including version of “Ma Jagadambe” and “Ishwari Jagadeeshwari,” thrilling Her Bengali-speaking children.

Upon the conclusion of the bhajans, an impressive display of fireworks were set off, burning in the form of two fruit-bearing trees.

Durgapur is a town built up around a steel plant. It is 40 minutes south of the birthplace of Jayadev, the poet who composed the Gita Govinda, and is also near Shantiniketan, the university founded by India’s most famous poet, Rabindranath Tagore.

—Sakshi

Embodiment of love blesses Varanasi

Bharata Yatra 2004

23 March 2004 — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

“Hara Hara Mahadeva! Hara Hara Mahadeva!” As Amma sang bhajans in Shiva’s city, this is how the thousands of assembled devotees responded. Varanasi, or Kashi, is considered by many to be India’s holiest city. It is said if you breathe your last here, Lord Shiva himself will come to initiate you in the taraka mantra, enabling you to finally cross the sea of transmigration. Shiva’s consort, Ganga Devi, courses through this ancient pilgrimage centre, washing away the sins of all who take a dip in Her, and Shiva has been worshipped for thousands of years in the city’s Viswanath temple.

“Ganga Devi is like Amma,” says one of Amma’s senior disciples. “She takes the dirt of all who come to Her and washes it away, leaving them pure and clean. All you need to do is take a dip. The only difference is you must come to the Ganga. Amma flows to you.”

This is actually the second time Amma has come to Varanasi. The first was in 1989. Then, Amma’s feet blessed the city’s legendary temple. The holy rivers, the holy temples, the holy cities—in truth, it is the Mahatmas who sanctify them. Thus it is said in the Narada Bhakti Sutras. This is why Kashi holds such a power, such an allure. Countless are the Mahatmas who’ve walked her streets, meditated in her burning ghats, bathed in her waters.

Shri. Shankarprasad Jaiswal, MP, was on the dais to welcome Amma to Kashi. After garlanding Her, he said, “More than 1,000 years ago, Adi Shankaracharya came from Kerala to bless Kashi as the embodiment of knowledge. Now, another Avatar has come from Kerala to bless this land as the embodiment of love.”

At the beginning of Amma’s one-night stay in Varanasi, She gave away pensions and houses to the city’s destitute, as part of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s Amrita Nidhi and Amrita Kuteeram programs. Three of the women who received free homes were unable to walk and had to be lifted to Amma’s arms to receive Her darshan. Amma’s program was held on the grounds of Kashi’s Town Hall, right in the centre of the city.

The night was full of bhajans in praise of Mahadeva. Amma sang “Om Namah Shivaya” and “Bhola Nathare Kashi Nathare,” and Amma’s swamis sang songs such as “Shiva Shiva Hara Hara” and “Pannaga Bhushana.”

Tomorrow Amma leaves the city of Shiva for the cities of Shakti—Durgarpur and then Kalighat (Calcutta).

—Sakshi