~ Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi - known as Amma
I've seen Amma now three times. Each & every time is serene. I have my father guru, Swami Niranjan Saraswati but, although not formally initiated with her Amma is my mother guru. She is soft, quick to come to me in need & ever compassionate. The first time I went to see Amma I was a single girl which meant I lined up in the regular queue. I didn't mind waiting one single bit. I went with a friend. We left Mangrove Mountain Ashram at 9pm, we didn't know where we were going, we drove west and eventually we found her. We ate, people watched, looked at Amma doll's in the shop , we sang kirtan & waited. At 4am I was shuffling on my knees toward Amma - a living saint - the mother - Goddess of Love & Compassasion - aahh, she took me into her arms & I was home. She smells like jasmine & rose, she is soft, she is warm & perfect.
The second visit & pregnant with Indira meant we could queue jump into the special line. We waited in that line, prayed for the safe arrival of our newborn, listened to the beautiful kirtans being sung continuously & watched Amma hugging thousands of people. Over time Amma has hugged 25 million people! This, I feel is a miracle in itself. (You can 'Meet Amma' by scrolling in the left hand side bar column). Once again we shuffled forward to be hugged together, Dazla, me & our unborn child. True to form Amma took us into her arms & held us. Breathing in her scent & soaking in her presence we stayed for what seemed like an eternity. Something strange was happening. Amma usually only hugs people for a moment. We were graciously held up by a devotee talking to Amma & asking for extended advice on an issue that was troubling him. Yes, we were sorry for his troubles but we were pleased to be held there for 4 or 5 minutes. She whispered mantras into our ears, rocked us back & forth, leaned back & showered us with rose petals, she pushed lollies into our palms, rubbed my rounded belly, smiled at us both & handed me an apple. Delirious we moved off to the side not talking for some time just absorbing the minutes that we shared with Amma. At the shop we bought an Amma doll. Every doll is hand-made with malas that Amma has blessed, they are dressed in fabric form her own white saris - looking after a doll is a sadhana in itself; playing with God.
Two years later Amma came back. Pregnant again & with an 18 month old we joined the special queue. Indira sat patiently, doll in lap clapping along in time to the kirtans. It was late this time, about 10:30pm. We ate divine sweets & drank cup after cup of milky sweet chai. We meditated, sang, shopped (Amma's devotees make an amazing blend of chai) & again we found ourselves shuffling forward towards the great mother. The feelings I experienced that night & most times I think of Amma are surrendered divine bliss. It is bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion. I am peaceful. The thoughts slow & almost completely stop when I'm in Amma's Divine presence. This time I was able to melt a whole lot more into my heart, uncovering, contentment, peace, joy & Love. She took us all into her arms & held us. I felt Indira let go. Dazla looked serene. Again she gave us lollies & this time roses. I had a white shirt on with her picture on it. She looked at it, laughed, rubbed my belly & gave me an apple. I held the apple tight. Prasad (blessed food) from a spiritual master. This was a gift for our new little unborn child. We shared that apple as a family, all of us. We are blessed.
Amma comes to Australia every second year. She is coming out this year! April 12 & 13th. Taking your children is not only a great idea for their spiritual development but you get to line up in a special quicker queue. Amma is well known for granting special requests. Sarah MacDonald tells an interesting story of this in her book Holy Cow. Initiation is also available on the day.
For more details on Amma's 2010 Australian tour go here.
