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The law of Nature and of life is selflessness

27 Sep 2019 – AmritaVarsham 66 , Amritapuri
Excerpts from the message of Amma on the occasion of her 66th Birthday Celebrations

Children, seeing all of you gathered here today, united in love, Amma feels like she is looking at a garland made from many beautiful flowers of different colours. Although this is a time of celebration, when Amma thinks about the suffering people in the many parts of the world plagued by war, natural disasters, riots and violence, she feels a lot of pain. Extreme weather with severe summer heat and incessant rain, natural calamities and epidemics have affected Kerala and other states.

Human beings are like a child who looks at the sky through his window and says, “That is my sky.” We reduce Nature and life in general to something insignificant. If we could really understand life, we would appreciate its magnitude and see just how small we are in comparison.

Nature is our mother
Nature is our mother. We call her “Mother Nature.” The fisher folk, whose livelihood depends on the ocean, consider the ocean as their mother. For the forest-dweller, the forest is “Mother.” For the hill people, the hills and surrounding area are “Mother.” It is Nature that nurtures and raises not only humans but all beings in creation. If we really think about it, we will see that our existence is always dependent on Nature—even before our life was conceptualised as thought in the minds of our parents, even when we were born as an embryo within our mother’s womb, and even after the death of our body. Hence, Nature is mother and father to us; it is everything. We are the children of that revered Mother Nature. She only ever had love and compassion for us. We, on the other hand, have just stomped all over her and kicked her in the chest. Now that loving mother has fallen ill and is exhausted.

Four epidemics
In society, we see four things spreading like epidemics:
1. Wealth becoming more important than values.
2. Beauty becoming more important than goodness.
3. Speed becoming more important than direction.
4. Machines becoming more important than people.
If we stop giving moral values the place they deserve, our life will rot away like a log infested with termites. We will lack the courage to face problems in life. This is why the ancient rishis considered dharma-bodham—the awareness of what should and should not be done—as all-important. It is vital that we have this awareness in order to ensure that all of our social transactions are equally beneficial to us as to others.

Awareness of Dharma
Parents need to cultivate awareness of dharma in their children from a very young age. Many parents today just put a smart phone in their child’s hand as soon as it starts crying. This may momentarily help stop the child’s tantrum. But if the parents fail to cultivate spiritual values in the child as well, it may end up spending its entire life in tears. It is spiritual values that give children the strength to face and overcome all sorrows and hardships in life.

Humankind’s misunderstandings, misplaced ideas and the indiscriminate actions that arise from poor priorities have made the earth and environment what they are today. What is surprising is that in spite of all the hardships we have undergone, there’s still no change in our perspective or behaviour.

We all need food, but most of us are too lazy to grow our own grains and vegetables. We all need water, but we do not strive to conserve water or to harvest rainwater. We all know how important oxygen is, but we are too lazy to plant more trees. We all want to be loved, but we forget to give our loved ones our time and attention. We want peace, but we are not ready to rid ourselves of fault-finding.

The Self—our true essence
This universe keeps flowing, following its own rhythm, harmony and tune. Thus, human beings need to chart the path of their lives according to the tune and rhythm of Nature. Otherwise, life will automatically become a battle. When we exclusively chase sense pleasure, we won’t be able to attune to our inner self. The human body is just a single aspect of our existence. The ultimate truth of life is the Self—our true essence. Its dwelling place is within. To realise this, we need to develop a spiritual perspective, do spiritual practices and perform good actions. 

Because of our preconceived notions, we fail to view circumstances as they really are. We fail to understand the actual true motivations behind the people with whom we interact. As a result, we are unable to fully enjoy the present moment. When we develop an open mind that accepts every person and circumstance as they are, we begin to truly experience the sweetness of life.

Growing up is an inner process
There are two ways in which one can grow: old and up. Growing old happens naturally, without any effort. Human beings, animals and all living beings grow in this way. Growing up, however, is unique to human beings. Growing old is a journey towards death; growing up and gaining maturity is a journey towards immortality. It is an inner process. Spiritual knowledge illuminates the path of this journey.

The Law of Nature is selflessness
The more space we create for others within our heart, the more happiness we experience. The more our ego grows, the less happiness we experience. The law of Nature and of life is selflessness. This is why people who do not have control over their ego and selfishness cannot wholeheartedly enjoy life: they are trying to live against the law of Nature.

Festival are an occasion to awaken and instil values
What we need are not celebrations that disregard culture but celebrations that cultivate it. Every festival should become an occasion to awaken and instil values in society. On this occasion, Amma would like to mention a few things to my children from Kerala. How much liquor was consumed by the Malayali population this past Onam! Statistics show that alcohol worth approximately Rs. 500 crores was consumed in three or four days. There are numerous people in Kerala who are homeless. If this money had been used for building houses, more than 10,000 people would have had a place to live.

May my children’s eyes become tender with compassion. May your heads bow in humility. May your hands be ever engaged in selfless service. May your ears be ever willing to listen to the sorrows of the suffering. May your tongue speak words of truth and kindness. May your feet always walk the path of dharma.  In this way, may the lives of my children become a blessing for the world. Amma offers this prayer to the Paramatman.

Planting one lakh seed balls in the forest, in just 6 hours

2 Aug 2019, New Delhi
Delhi-NCR region has become highly populated with a fast-shrinking green cover and increasing air pollution. More than 200 volunteers, concerned with the alarming situation, took matters into their own hands. They conducted a massive seed-ball plantation drive, dispersing more than one lakh seed balls in Delhi’s forest areas.

People from different backgrounds and age groups, from school students to elders, came together. They spread out in various groups and spent more than six hours planting one lakh seed balls in the challenging terrain and wilderness of the Rajokri / Ghitorni forest area of the national capital.

Brahmachari Nijamrita Chaitanya of MAM Delhi said, “Seed balls are a mixture of soil, compost and plant seeds. They are an easy and sustainable way to cultivate plants and a step towards conserving the natural ecosystem. With the Monsoon set in, these planted seed balls will ultimately mature into trees, resulting in increased green cover in Delhi-NCR, providing much-needed oxygen, improving air quality and climate, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. This massive plantation drive organized by the followers of Mata Amritanandamayi created awareness among the residents of these cities about the importance of forests and the value of preserving and planting trees.”

The AYUDH Delhi volunteers organized seed ball workshops across various schools and organizations in Delhi-NCR over the past one month. They included Air India, Amrita Vidyalayam, Deep Public School, Alpine Convent School and Ankur School. Each group had taken the challenge of making a specified number of seed balls to contribute to the mission of greening Delhi.

As a member organization of the United Nations’ Trillion Trees Campaign, Mata Amritanandamayi Math is in the mission of planting of more than a million trees globally.

Let our land be full of birds, butterflies and flower groves

6 April 2019, Amritapuri

Upon the Vishuthaineettam campaign’s fifth year, a new facet “മുറ്റത്തൊരു പഴത്തോപ്പ് മുകളിലൊരു കിളിക്കൂട് Muttathoru Pazhathopp, Mukaliloru Kilikkootu—“An Orchard in the Yard, a Birdhouse in the Treetop” was launched by Amma in Amritapuri Ashram on Saturday.

Speaking about the importance of setting up birdhouses and feeders, Amma said, “On the plank, leave some water for the birds to drink and a handful of grain. In the heat of the summer, let the birds come and drink the water and eat the grain. Whether you are a university student or schoolchild, it is Amma’s dream and desire that all of you take part in this new initiative.” Amma launched these new projects by handing over the saplings and bird feeders to the AYUDH members at an event held today, just before Darshan.

After blessing thousands of fruit saplings prepared for distribution, Amma said, “Let our children plant and nurture these saplings. We must protect plants, trees and every other living being, understanding them be a part of ourself. Each year may Vishu mark the start of such worship. Our children should be taught to love and protect nature. This Vishu, may this culture be what we impart to them as the real Vishukaineettam.”

“How beautiful would our land be if it were full of birds, butterflies and flower groves!” Amma said. “If the land were to become rich, that richness will reflect in our individual lives as well. We will be full of joy and beauty, within and without.”

The campaign pushes to infuse the Vishu with a new green tradition: Elders gifting children not only Vishukaineettam—pocket change—but also Vishuthaineettam—saplings.

During the last five years, AYUDH volunteers have distributed more than 3.5 lakh saplings in Kerala through 230 Vishuthaineettam events, conducted in all 14 districts. And since 2000, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has planted more than 10 lakh trees as part of the United Nation’s Billion Tree Campaign.

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Give the same importance to nature and culture as we give to science and technology

19-20 Feb, Mysuru, Karnataka – Bharata Yatra 2019

Amma reached Mysore at 12.00 midnight. Many devotees including members of Amma’s youth group – AYUDH, greeted Amma with shouts of “Mata Rani Ki Jai!”

For the evening program, Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, Corporator Nirmala Harish, Savitha Suresh, Industrialist Jagannath Shenoy, and others were there on stage to welcome Amma to Mysore.

Mayor Pushpalata Jagannathan said, “It is my great fortune to be a part of today’s divine program.” She added, “I have learnt that what Amma has been doing selflessly is what a government is supposed to be doing in all areas. Recently, the government has organized a project to have a “thatched-house-less city” in Mysuru. But way back in 1994, Amma had constructed many houses here in Mysore. Amma has made tremendous contributions in all fields, including education. She is the living example of the word ‘Amma’. All of us can experience the feeling of Mother in her. Words fail to describe Amma.”

The Corporator Smt. Nirmala Harish also addressed Amma and the crowd. “When I told Amma that it is my great fortune to have Amma’s Darshan, Amma replied, ‘All of you are my children and I am your mother. There is nothing special about me meeting my children. I am a river of love which flows flawlessly both inwardly and outwardly.’ I myself had Goosebumps when I heard this from Amma.” Asking for more blessings Smt. Harish said, “It is a great fortune to have Amma’s Darshan in Mysuru – especially today being Poornima (full moon day).”

Amma gave away saris to AmritaSree self-help group members. Amma then gave satsang and sang bhajans.

During her satsang, Amma said, “We should give the same importance to nature and culture as we give to science and technology, In just one second, Nature can take back what she has given to us. If we understand this, we will be humble towards nature. In each and every natural disaster, there is a message for us.” Amma then led all in manasa puja (mental worship) and meditation – giving instructions in Kannada, the local language.

During darshan, Amrita Vidyalayam students and Students of Amrita Vishwa Vidya Peetham in Mysore presented different cultural programs.

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Be a Beginner with the Attitude of Gratitude

7 March, Bengaluru, Karnataka – Bharata Yatra 2017

It was a rainy night filled with lightning and thunder in Bengaluru. Amma, having just arrived from Mysore, was serving prasad to the tour group and all the local volunteers.
She asked if anyone had a question. One devotee from the tour group raised his hand and Amma passed him the microphone. He began to read a prayer of thanks and gratitude, acknowledging the hard work of all who contributed to each program: those who traveled from far, those whose town was hosting Amma, those who arranged all the equipment, those who cooked the food, those who provided transportation, all the various people and roles that helped to make each program a success. It was a heart-warming prayer that all enjoyed.

Attitude of Gratitude

Amma smiled as the prayer was translated to her. Then she began her response:
“The attitude that you have is very inspiring. It is important to have the attitude of an beginner, and to have respect for everyone. The beginner inherently has three crucial qualities: sradha, patience, and enthusiasm. With these qualities you will naturally bow down to everyone, and thus, you will have humility. Having the attitude of a beginner means embodying these three qualities (sradha, patience, and enthusiasm). When you become a zero, you become a hero.

“We should try to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. That will help us to earn God’s grace. Amma prays that this attitude grows more and more in you.

“Just as Amma’s programs are organized by many individuals, their co-operative effort, we must see the unity all around us. We need to cultivate that ability to perceive the unity around us.

“If we look at nature, we see that nature works in unison despite the immense amount of diversity. There is a uniting thread across all in this universe. We believe that the creator and the creation are not two, the creator has, himself, become the creation–that is why we respect each and every thing. When we enjoy the creation, we need to remember the creator, just as when we enjoy a delicious sweet, we look to see what producer manufactured the sweet.

Talking about the need for right knowledge in our action, Amma narrated an anecdote: “There were once four men working to plant a garden. The first would dig the rows, the second would place the seeds, the third would cover the seeds over with soil, and the fourth would water the freshly planted seeds. After some weeks no plants emerged. Someone who had been watching them work on the garden asked why there were no plants. The fourth man said he had watered the ground, the third said he had covered over the holes, and the first said he had dug the holes. They all said it was the fault of the second man, that he did not plant the seeds.

 “Like this, we need to have knowledge before we act in order to reap the fruits of our efforts, otherwise our actions will go to waste. Knowledge is essential for any action. If knowledge is not there, it is like pouring milk into a dirty vessel, it will spoil all our hard work. 

Ganga arati: worship of the river

Why We Worship Nature

“We need to teach children at a young age to respect nature. Love towards nature, that respect, turns our actions into worship.

“Amma travels to North America each year. When Amma was in Canada for her annual program there, she noticed an artificial waterfall at the hotel in which the program was being held. In the pool below the artificial waterfall, Amma saw many coins, and so she inquired as to the cause of these coins in the water. She found that some Indians from Tamil Nadu had visited the hotel. Indians worship rivers as Devi, this is their samskara, and as result they offered coins to the artificial waterfall as they would a river. Everything in nature is a divine, and so we offer something to it as a symbol of our gratitude.

“When Amma was a child, she would go to the river. When she would go to the river, her mother would instruct her not to urinate in the river. She should not do so because the river was Devi. Sometimes, when Amma would get into the water it would be very cold, and thus, she would have the strong urge to urinate. Despite this urge, she would restrain herself with the thought her mother’s words. This was a result of her samskara.

“These practices, such as not urinating in the river, are not for the benefit of the river, they are for our own benefit. We will be the ones who return to the river day after day for bathing and drinking water. This restraint keeps the river pure for our own use and benefit.
“This type of attitude leads to inner purity and outer purity. It is not enough that we only have gratitude to human beings, we also need to have gratitude to insentient objects as well.

“The tailor, before using his sewing needle, bows down to it, because without this instrument he could not perform his work. Similarly, the writer bows down to the pen before writing, because without the pen he could not write a single word. When we have that attitude of bowing down, we become receptive to the grace of God. This is the purpose of the Ayudha puja. It is a worship of all the instruments that we use in our daily life. That samskara is part of life in India.

Action, Attitude, Worship

“When we have the right attitude, every action becomes a worship.” Quoting an example from the Puranas, Amma relayed the story of Daksha, who egoistically performed a yagna1 that was the cause of a vicious war. Similarly, she cited how Arjuna fought in the war, and yet, his attitude of surrender to Lord Krishna transformed his warring into a yagna.
Amma concluded, saying, “Surrender creates a path that takes us to our own self. We have the infinite power source within, but to connect, we need surrender.”
The crowd was quiet after Amma spoke, humbled by her words.

Then Amma began a round of bhajans accompanied by the thundering sound of rain and the loud cracks of lightning.
It was an event all would remember, one filled with the contemplative attitude of devotion and the passion of nature’s storming.

-Sakshi

 

 

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[1]: Yagna means a confluence of many cooperative factors for the purpose of a common goal.

Joyous celebrations: Amma in Mumbai

26-27 March, Mumbai, Maharashtra – BharataYatra 2016

Amma came to Mumbai a few hours after celebrating Holi in Pune. Since its only a short drive from Pune to Mumbai and technically it was still Holi upon her arrival, Amma fulfilled the wishes of all the Mumbai devotees by playing Holi with them as well. After serving dinner to everyone, Amma sang a rocking new Holi song, ‘Holi Ye Ayi Rangoon’ that had the whole hall jumping. When the song reached its crescendo, everyone was chanting ‘Radhe Radhe Radhe!’ and all were swaying and dancing, lost in the spirit of love. Amma took everyone to a different realm. Then when the song ended she began to spray colored water and throw colored powder all around. Devotees were cheering and laughing as they got to play Holi with their krishna, surely making it the most memorable Holi for everyone present. For those traveling with Amma, they were amazed at their good fortune to get to play Holi twice with Amma in the same day!

Over the following two days, Amma conducted her normal Brahmastham programs of satsang, bhajans and darshan. During these days, so many dignitaries came to meet Amma while she was in the city, including: The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Phadnavis; Minister of heavy industries Anant Geete; Political leader Raj Thackeray several Judges of the Mumbai High Court; Bollywood actress Shriya Saran; Sudha Chandran; Navya Nayar film director Anjali Menon; and Singer Udit Narayan.

Sudhakar S Sonawane, the Mayor Navi Mumbai welcomed Amma officially to the stage and appreciated her effort in serving humanity. He mentioned that in every field: construction of free houses, education for poor, medical assistance to the needy, disaster relief, etc. Amma’s contributions are of a very high standard and that no government organization is able to provide such high standard facilities.

Mandatai Mhatre, MLA Belapur,  requested everyone present at the program to contribute their might and work for few hours each week with Amma in her endeavor of serving needy to make India a great country.

Vidya Thakur, Minister for Women & Child Welfare requested Amma to help to tackle problems in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha & Latur regions which were recently affected by severe draught. She also requested Amma to empower women in these regions.

Sanjay Kulkarni, Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University which is a 158 year old institution, told the audience that he was very much impressed with the achievements of Amrita University and its influence in the international arena, even though it is only 13 years old. He expressed his interest to work with Amrita University in specific areas which will help the humanity.

Amma gave 200 tree saplings to the villagers of Ransai which is one of the 101 villages adopted by MAM under AmritaSerVe project. Amma gave three keys of the houses built for the villagers and also distributed sarees to hundreds of villagers from Ransai. Upon receiving these gifts from Amma, they said, “We the villagers of Ransai are so grateful. Earlier there was no one for us. Now we know that we can go to Amma if we face problems. There have been so many changes in our lives after Amma adopted our village. Amma, you want us to become self-reliant. We promise you Amma that we will do our best.”

Finally when the last program ended early in the morning, the day after Amma came to the stage for darshan, Amma sang a new Punjabi bhajan. She brought an end to the Mumbai programs, the same way it all began when Amma arrived, with a joyous celebration.

– Kannadi

 

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Environmental conservation is not so much part of mankind’s dharma towards Nature

Excerpts form Amma’s Vishu message.

15 April 2015, Amritapuri

Vishu is an expression of our culture’s deep connection with Nature. The Kani Konna flower, the Kani Vellari vegetable and all the various fruits of Vishu are not only are associated with a successful harvest, they also symbolize the love and respect our ancestors had for Nature.

2015-konna

Sanatana Dharma teaches us that the creation and the Creator are not two but one. Nature is a visible form of God. Our birth-mother might carry us for two or three years, but Mother Earth allows us to tread on her our entire life. Our birth-mother might allow us to spit up on her during our childhood, but Mother Earth receives our waste throughout our life. She forgives our mistakes and continues to give and give.

In the past, Nature was like Kamadhenu—a wish-fulfilling cow. Today, that cow has become sick and old and is stumbling towards death. We alone are responsible for this. Our indiscriminate exploitation of Nature can be likened to sawing off a tree branch on which we are seated.

Along with festivity, every Vishu reminds us of our losses as well. Agriculture all but vanished from Kerala. Even the vegetables used in our Vishu decorations are imported from other states.

We need to regain the inner connection that we had with Nature. We need to protect Nature. We need to awaken from our inertia. A tree offers fruit and shelter. It also purifies water and air. It even gives shade to the one who cuts it. Educate our younger generation about the importance of tree planting. Usually, on Vishu, the elders in the family give the children Vishu-kaineetam [Vishu pocket money] and wish them a prosperous New Year. Along with the Vishu-kaineetam, from now onwards, please present children with a gift of a sapling,  Vishuthaineettam, as well. {news}

Some of the students from our college say, “Amma, we used to think of Nature as inert. Now, we feel life in it. Previously, we would pluck leaves unnecessarily. Now we don’t even feel like plucking even a single leaf. If we do, we feel a kind of electric shock within. We don’t harm Nature anymore.”

So, love for Nature can be awoken and cultivated.

Those who farm will continue farming wherever they go. Even if they stay in a small room, they will plant something in the corner. Because they have become habituated to loving Nature, the tendency to grow plants and vegetables will not leave them.

Without Nature, neither human beings nor human civilization can exist. Nature is our very life’s breath. Environmental conservation is not so much part of mankind’s dharma towards Nature, as it is a part of his dharma towards himself. Why? Because without Nature, human beings cannot survive.

May the Paramatman bless my children so that the right attitude awakens within them.