Amma – Motherhood's Compassion Epitome

“Akhanda mandalaakaaram

Vyaaptam yena charaacharam
tat padam darshitam yena
tasmai shri gurave namah:”

The vision of the truth as an indivisible, infinite whole-encompassing the static and the dynamic, living and the non living - to that Master

my salutations.

The first time a person meets Mother, the experience changes so uniquely that one is so grateful to the reason that first led to that beautiful episode in Life. In my case, it was my father who had taken me to see Amma in the early 90's when She used to come to a school grounds in Coimbatore. I had been young and ignorant, like some other children, and used to sleep off while waiting for the Darshan. Every Darshan is characterized by the beautiful warm hug and Prasad- a toffee. My first Darshan was so fast and quick that all i remember now is Amma picking me up and giving me Her usual hug. Every hug is different the next time. I did not know that. My teen instincts forced a diversion away from Her for many years thereafter. I grew up to be a person wishing for high achievements and great successes. I had hoped for big success in my school and getting into one of the premier institutions in India. Amma's institutions were new at that time and hence had not been in my picture of “big institutions”! The admission choices were narrow and my father took me to see Amrita institutions. It was a huge place already but with incomplete buildings and magnificent space it failed to calm my arrogance. However, by what i believe was Grace, i managed to get a seat in this very same Engineering college. Once inside, the picture was totally different. I could see internationally acclaimed professors and dedication that was set by most people from kitchen staff to the Correspondent. We had then bought a supercomputer and there was a big function to inaugurate the same. As part of program arrangement, i decided to volunteer and then i had my lessons of humility. The Chief Operating Officer(then Correspondent) came to help us carrying chairs with us all simultaneously coordinating many such tasks. That attracted my attention back to Amma guessing perhaps if She could make such a significant change through Her words in people, it was time i open up to see who She was and what her teachings were. The next time at the Darshan, i was more careful but as usual it got over very quick. I was happy i could meet her but my heart wanted more.

Around 2000, I started talking to Her so i can get some more time. Amma would give few moments more expressing happiness that I had come and telling everyone around. That was a big treat compared to the large group of people coming to see Her. I was soon working as a young researcher in Amma's University and science had become a passion. The whole place was a family under Mother. There were no problems talking issues and discussing successes. Many of us wanted Amma to visit us in University campus. Amma had not come to the University for meeting us except perhaps once as a stop-over during the tours many years ago. However, frequent trips were arranged to see Amma if She was touring close by or to the Ashram. In 2004, i left for Italy for doing PhD having obtained Amma's blessing. One month later, Amma came there as part of Her European tour. The very same evening they reached, i was introduced to the Swamijis. Immediately, they told me, Amma had mentioned about me being there during the flight journey. All i had said to Amma before leaving was that i was in Italy and that happened amongst many other people waiting for their Darshan. During the Darshan time, Amma asked about personal life and cooking. She spent few hours teaching me cooking as She was giving Darshan. She taught me to cook beans and potatoes as side dishes. She assumed the role of Mother in its fullness and inquired about monetary and social problems, As She was finishing up the program at Milan, i wanted to offer her a small amount of money as Dakshina (an offering to One’s Guru or God). However, She refused even while i begged Her to accept it. Two weeks later, that same money which She had refused protected me as my stipend was delayed. She gave me Her family-the world. Past two years, She is giving me the chance to serve Her and Her disciple children when they tour around in Europe. Amma talks science through her simple words. She is most interested on finding simple cost effective solutions to big problems like epilepsy, cancer, AIDS etc. She talked about DNA based methods for diabetes with one of my friends-a DNA scientist who had come to see Her in Toulon, France. She starts by asking “Son, what is the status of this research?” and ends saying some core technological remarks. When re-questioned, Amma says “Oh! Amma is an illiterate”. Literacy is nothing compared to Amma's ways of talking. She speaks and understands Her children so much through her unique language of Love. Most of my friends in Italy are Catholic and they find no problem in understanding the same Love in Amma that Mahatmas like Christ had shown.

As a child i had wished to see many miracles. Around Amma, all one gets to see are Miracles. She does not perform something unnatural but when the happenings around are observed we get to see everything is supernatural in Her. Once in France, a person came to see Amma with a mountain herb. Since he was Italian, i was taking my eagerness to a higher step by telling Amma that this person grows Tulasi and does some Seva for the green friends, an activity started by Amma for protecting plant life. Amma immediately said “Oh, he is not bringing Tulasi but this herb is from the mountains and grows above 1800m in Alps”. I was stunned by the response and then waited to authenticate the statement. Lo, it was true. He had picked up this herb for Amma at an altitude of 2000m in the Italian Alps. She began to ask many questions on curative properties and then silently remarked that ancient medicine people in central Europe believed that the herb had magical properties. She twinkled at me with a silent gesture of the all knowing Mother. I can guess when One knows everything there is to know, they become the humblest of all. Sitting near Her for few hours is by itself Herculean. I can only imagine the Doer. Amma lives the emotions in total fullness. Her emotions change from person to person reflecting her children's mentality. As Amma's Swamijis would say, the best way to witness Amma is to sit near and observe Her. She would cry with one who had difficulties, laugh with another who had a comical incident, get angry with those who had knowingly committed mistakes and would not correct them, sulk with boasters, wipe the tears off a person with problems, be a mother with a child, a father with another, best friend to hear all what we want to say, closest relation supporting positive decisions, a life's lesson to be learned and to Her disciple children, She is Everything. To that Amma, i pay my humble pranams. May this life be a submission at Her lotus feet.

Namah Shivaya