Narayani Amma's messages - The Path of Light

Full Moon Puja – Discourse 23.05.2005

There are thousands of living beings in the world. Of all the living begins, the Human form is different and blessed. Humans are different, as only they can feel things with the heart, think and make decisions, good or bad.

Man learns good and bad from his religion. There are different religions in the world depending on the climatic conditions and the geographical structure. All religions teach man what is good and bad.

Every religion has a book to guide them. These religious books have laid down certain paths and principles which one has to follow to live one’s life. Most of these religions have one head or prophet to lead, teach and tell the people the rules of the religion.

For the Hindus, the Vedas is their book. These Vedas were not written but formed from the vibrations heard during deep penance by the yogis and rishis. The vibrations that created the Vedas came from the breath of the Parasakthi (Durga).

In the modern age the decline in charity and the incorrect chanting of the mantras have caused a lot of damage to the human world. There were no devastating natural disasters 1000’s of years ago, because the people in those days followed the path of Vedas and performed the rituals in the correct manner.

In Vedic Mantras the vibrations are very important even more than their meaning. The vibrations are so powerful that man gets the grace and blessings from the divine. There are vibrations even when one does charity.

Kumbabishekam or Kalasam abhishekam is performed in most temples. The Kalasam is God’s form. The kumbam or kalasam is the body, the coconut is the head, the mango leaves are the hair, the threads around the kalasam are the nerves and the theertam inside the kalasam is the blood.

When the theertam is poured and the abhishekam is performed with the chanting of the Vedas the holy water inside the kalasam absorbs the powerful vibrations and becomes sacred. The Vedas say attending one Kumbabhishekam is equal to going and visiting 1000 temples.

There is always a meaning behind every act in Hinduism. There is wind and vibrations everywhere but humans cannot hear these vibrations. They can experience the vibrations when they participate in the rituals, visit temples and attend prayer functions for the well being of mankind.

Like the copper or silver kalasam, the body has the ability to absorb the vibrations and energy from these places. So man should not wait for this opportunity, instead he should go to the temples and get the best of everything, thinking good and doing good.

Amma blesses all

Guru

In Sanskrit language there are many golden words and sentences. One such sentence which is apt in this age is "DAIVAM- MANISHA- ROOPANAE" Meaning "God in Human Form".

God manifests himself from time to time to destroy evil and bring about righteousness. In this kaliyuga, God has manifested himself in human form. Siddhars, Yogis and Rishis can realize God only through self realization and so continue to pray and do penance for years and years. Human beings are blessed to see God in human form.

To realize this, understand and receive maximum benefit in seeing God in human form, one should have a Guru (spiritual teacher & guide). This Guru will increase the maturity of mind to understand, realize and attain complete joy in seeing God.

When we have found a Guru, it is like having found God. Human beings are blessed because they can choose a Guru who can lead them on a path to God realization You generally see God in a form of a Guru, but those who seek 'AMMA's’ blessings are very fortunate to see God taking the form of a Guru!

In Lalitha Sahasranamam there are several names for Divine Mother - Om Matre Namah - Salutations to the Divine Mother, Om Maha Rajnyai Namah -Salutations to the Great Empress of the whole Universe, Om Parameshvaryai Namah - Salutations to Sovereign Supreme.

There is so much power in these words when you chant them and the same power exists when you say- Om Gurumurtayae Namah - Salutations to one who assumes the form of Guru.

“Amma blesses you to follow the path of your Guru and to realize God”.

Spirituality – The Guru

Spirituality is important for everyone, however to avoid confusion, a person must genuinely appreciate the path he or she follows. Take the food in any given country, different produce may be native to different cities, depending on their environments. Regardless of the types of food available in different cities in any country, everywhere the people have the same goal: To acquire food for survival, to feed their stomachs. Similarly, spirituality may take different paths, but the end goal of every spiritual seeker is the same: To reach God.

Some people like prayer (Pujas), some like hymns (Bhajans) some prefer Yoga and others, Meditation. One might ask which one path is right or which one is wrong among all these paths. All paths are right. Choose what your heart desires and then follow it. Sometimes, people go to a teacher (Guru) and follow his path.

However when another Guru comes along, they go to him, leaving the first Guru. By changing Gurus frequently, confusion arises and people fail to progress on any path. The mind is very fickle. We should not jump from Guru to Guru and we should not compare Gurus. If another Guru comes along, go and get his blessings. Listen to his teachings as if it is coming from your Guru. See your Guru in him. In this way, there will be no confusion. If you see your Guru in other Gurus, you will hear the message in the right way and you will stay on the spiritual path.

In this world, all Gurus are good, no method is wrong. All Gurus are Kalki Avatars (a divine being that descends from heaven to earth in human form and lives as a human being), who have come to teach about principles and truth. Different Gurus show different paths, but all lead to one goal – “God”.
In spirituality, stay on the path and don’t misuse devotion.

Don’t say nasty things about other Gurus. Each Guru is special. Guru is God. God is Guru. The God to whom we pray comes in the form of a Guru. If we bad-mouth Gurus, we are bad-mouthing God. We travel the spiritual path for peace and enjoyment. We should look at Gurus as different forms of God, leading us on different paths toward the same goal. There are different bulbs with different watts, but the electric current that flows through all of them is the same.

So, choose the path and teachings of the Guru to your liking and interest. Follow the path you can appreciate and stay on it till the end. Don’t do what your friends tell you, listen to your heart and follow the path of your Guru till the end. Only then will you progress on the divine path (Sadhana).

“Amma blesses everyone to follow the spiritual path of your liking and to stay on it until you reach your goal”.

Bhakti

What is Bhakti? Bhakti is Devotion. There are many ways of showing devotion to God i.e. Pujas (Prayers), Yagams (Offerings to the Fire), Bhajans (Singing praises to God) etc. What is the purpose of Bhakti? This is for our satisfaction and peace of mind to remove to worry and stress. There are always worry and stress and everyone has his share. The mind is always asking for something or needing something. Only when we get rid of these thoughts can we experience peace.

A new car nowadays is old in two years. Today we may own a small home. Soon we desire more children and when they come, we need a bigger home and our desires become more and more. There is no permanent peace. An unsteady mind leads to unending desires and we seek to accumulate more and more.

We have to look at people who are less fortunate than us and see how satisfied they are. We always want something the other person has, either because it is bigger or prettier. This unsteady mind makes us shift focus to several things, creating desires. If we don’t get what we want we may hate the other person who has it.

Prayer is a method of calming the mind. When praying, we turn our mind to good and more peaceful things. Sins first start as thoughts then become physical actions. We have to unwind the rope of sins and set ourselves free. When we pray we focus on God and doing Good deeds.

People go to Durga temple on Fridays. At least on that day they want to control and discipline their minds and focus on the Goddess. All rituals we do are for our self-satisfaction only and satisfaction brings peace to our minds. We don’t do prayers for God; we do it for our own benefit.

God always gives selflessly. In communist countries where worshiping God is not encouraged people still get everything like in any other part of the world. For our own self-discipline and attaining peace of mind we pray.

A vehicle stops with one depression of the brake. Similarly, we can instantly put an end to our flow of negative thoughts and begin to prayer. Bhakti has to come from deep down in us. Anything we do, we must do it with sincerity; especially prayers, which is effective only when it is done from the bottom of the heart.

It is very important that our prayers come from our inner depths. There is no big or small prayer. There is only one prayer, which has to be done with sincerity. The form that impresses each individual is the form he/she would choose to worship.

"Amma blesses you to pray, simply concentrating on the form of the image that is dear to you. May everyone be happy and blissful”.

Dharma

Once upon a time there was a good businessman who conducted business by the rules of Dharma, truthfully and sincerely. He was regular in doing prayers to attain God’s grace. He had a flourishing business. One day, he contemplated a change in business. He wanted to market salt in the neighbouring villages by buying salt from the manufacturers. He planned for this and decided to do Vinayaka prayer by breaking 108 coconuts.

The designated day came and after appropriate prayers, he started the business. Many other businessmen dealing with other items like steel, utensils etc. were travelling with him. Suddenly, there was a downpour of rain. Alas! All the salt he procured got destroyed and dissolved in the rainwaters.

This event disillusioned the trader and made him very angry with God. He stayed in the forest highly discouraged; cried and angrily shouted that God does not exist. Evening came and his friends urged him to return home with them. He refused. Darkness descended, night came and robbers arrived at the scene.

Looking at the salt trader, they shouted, “It seems that you sold all your salt! Where is your money? Let us have it”! He had nothing to offer them. The robbers angrily threatened him and one among them was ordered to shoot the trader.

When the robber attempted to fire the pistol, it would not work because the gunpowder was wet due to the rain. One after the other, they attempted without success, and finally they receded back into the thick of the forest. If the trader had sold the stock of salt and if there was no rain, surely he would have been a victim in the scene. God saved his life.

We all plan for different things. If we do not achieve what we want we have a tendency to get very angry. Patience is the rule. We must have patience. For every incident there is a reason. We should never get flustered with small difficulties. Difficulties and happiness are all repetitions. They alternate in the game of life.

For each flower there is always a stem. Life’s difficulties teach us humility, the impermanence of us and everything seemingly stands stolid around us. Every difficulty should be entertained positively and gotten rid of with patience. We have to experience the actions of Karma.

Difficulties reduce our Karma. We all should be glad and delighted to wash off our Karmas. Our souls are never bound; therefore we should not allow ourselves to be bound by anything. God has given difficulties only to make us good and perfect. Every experience in life should be welcomed. All of us have difficulties in varied degrees.

“Amma blesses everyone to have peace of mind without any difficulties”.

Categories of Life

Hinduism is a very ancient religion. As per Hindu beliefs, God created three categories of life in the universe. They are:

1. Deva Ganam --Angelic
2. Manitha Ganam -- Human
3. Bootha Ganam -- Other lower forms

Men have knowledge (6th sense or intellect). Animals have instincts. All of the qualities inherent in other forms of life are fully represented by the Devas. What is the duty of the Devas? The Devas are the administrators of the set Rules on behaviour and resulting repercussions as ordained by God. They make sure that the Dharmic life and conduct is maintained in the universe.

The Devas’ nourishment comes from the oblations we offer in the Holy fire in the Yagnas. Where there is regularity in prayer we will see regularity of seasons, rain, crops etc. Where there is disrespect to nature and indifference toward worship or where Dharmic life is not followed Adharma prevails and the basic necessities for human existance are restricted by the Devas, resulting in rampant drought, famine, disease etc.

You may ask how the offerings in the fire reach the Devas. Only a portion of the offering goes to the Devas. For example, a Mayor’s salary is not determined or directly paid by us as citizens, but we do pay taxes to the government that determines and pays the Mayor’s salary.

Subtle vibrations of the consummated offerings made in the fire, goes to God and a portion goes to the Devas. We have to keep Devas happy in order to get salvation or Moksha. In order to see a government officer or a Minister, we must first make an appointment through the secretaries. A proper dignified approach is a must to the lower officers in order for us to meet their superiors early. Similarly, we have to do Yagnas in a sincere and thorough fashion, following every rule set meticulously.

All the essence of our offerings (rice, ghee etc.) in the Holy fire is taken by the Devas. This pleases them. We have several Homas to invoke the rain God, the wealth God, health God etc. If Lakshmi Homa is performed (for wealth and prosperity) properly with devotion and discipline, the Devas start giving even before the Goddess of wealth decides to bless.

The Devas function on behalf of God. Hence, man has the greatest privilege of offering oblations in the Holy fire, which go towards the sustenance of the Devas. They lay the road or show us the right path to Mukthi. They require us to understand and perform. They act subtly. All the rituals laid out in the Hindu Dharma if followed thoroughly lead us to Mukthi.

Bad thoughts vanish. Good intentions and thoughts manifest in us. Thus whatever we do, we should do it with happiness and faith. The Devas are our Guide. We should seek their blessings.

“With the Devas happiness, Amma also blesses everyone with an abundance of health and happiness”.

Thazham Poo – Rare Flower

Among many flower plants in the world, there is in India an extremely and pleasantly fragrant flower and its plant called Thazham Poo. These plants grow naturally in the slushy and mucky areas. They have severe thorns as well; its fragrance attracts poisonous cobras, which sit coiled around the flower pod.

Irrespective of all the danger, the people in the area get the flowers, clean them and string them in garlands to adorn the Lords images in the temples and at home. The fragrance is celestial and anything extraordinary we always have the tendency to obtain and offer for prayer to the Lord Almighty.

However bad a person is considered to be and however many bad habits he may have, just one good quality in him could slowly but surely help him to leave all the negative qualities behind.

Though the flower is surrounded by so much risky obstacles, its unmatched fragrance make it the most desirable among all flowers and compels us to get it, for honouring and adorning the Lord Almighty.

Same as no matter how bad a person is, if he has Bhakti, this good quality will help him grow out of all his misconceptions and ignorance with glory. Sincere Bhakti will take away all unwanted beliefs, like Kama, Krodha, Mada, Mathsarya etc. and make us pure with time, paving for us the grand highway for Mukthi or merging with the Lord.

It is difficult for everyone to assume that he or she is born perfect. We as human beings have several bad qualities. These qualities are visible only to those who move close with that person. We do not know whether we are good or not. Only Bhakti will take us away from all the bad and negative qualities.

The fragrant flower growing in the wild lost all its bad qualities and adores the Lord, forming a part of the garland around the neck of his image. Only the beautiful fragrance of that flower remains. Bhakti will eradicate all our bad qualities and give us Mukthi. Bhakti will eliminate mistakes we do knowingly or unknowingly. Mukthi is permanent happiness.

“Amma blesses everyone to keep the instrument of Bhakti in their hearts to attain peace”.

Surrender

Among the scriptures in the Hindu Religion, the Epic “Mahabharatha” is considered very important. The following were the main characters on which the whole Mahabharatha revolved around: Sri Krishna, Arjuna and Duryodhana.

Krishna was very helpful to Arjuna by doing several favours for him. Krishna as the Charioteer and mentor offered advice on anything and everything to Arjuna. This made Duryodhana very unhappy.

Duryodhana said to Krishna, that he is also related to Krishna yet Krishna always ignores him and takes Arjuna’s side only. Further he asked, “Why are you fighting a war against me, joining Arjuna”? He also claimed that he was the first to seek help from Krishna.

Krishna replied to Duryodhana, “Where there is absolute faith I am more there”. Krishna asked Duryodhana to come to the forest the following day to test his faith. Duryodhana agreed. The next morning, both Arjuna and Duryodhana meet Sri Krishna in the forest.

Krishna started asking Arjuna questions. There was a crow perched on top of a tree close by. Krishna tells Arjuna, “How beautiful is the parrot perched above”! Arjuna is looking at Krishna and answers instantly, “Yes my lord it is really beautiful, the parrot is really pretty”.

Next Krishna spots a monkey but tells Arjuna, “Look how beautiful the tiger is”! Arjuna replied, “Yes Lord, it is really majestic and beautiful”. Thereafter, Krishna spots a wild forest buffalo and tells Arjuna, “How big and beautiful the elephant is at a distance”. Arjuna agrees with him absolutely.

These replies from Arjuna confuses and angers Duryodhana. He asks Krishna: “How foolish a person could be? You are pointing to a crow, secondly to a monkey and finally to a wild Buffalo, but you are telling Arjuna how beautiful is the parrot instead of the crow and how majestic the monkey instead of the tiger. And, you are calling a Buffalo a beautiful elephant and Arjuna without any hesitation or effort agrees with you. Why is this?

Krishna turns towards Arjuna and asked, “Why would you give such answers”? Arjuna with great reverence replied, “I know you would change anything to something different at your own will, Oh! Lord in an instance. Also, I have no ability or strength to disagree with you.”

Krishna addresses Duryodhana explaining to him that this is the faith that Arjuna has for Krishna. Krishna further explained that anger and a big ego couldn't be appreciated by Krishna.

When we offer food and other things to the Lord as ‘Naivedhya’, we ask ourselves, would God really partake in our offering? We are doubtful. Such questions doubt faith. Faith with doubt is no faith at all. Temples have stone images that we pray to. We do not pray to the stone but to the God in the image. All the blessings are granted by God.

We look at a cow. One says, “Gho-Matha”, in a worshipful manner. Someone else sees the same cow and chases it. In the first instance, Gho-Matha, as the Holy Mother blesses and grants boons as asked. In the second instance, the cow runs away. Gho-Matha goes away!

In order to get anything from God, we must surrender ourselves and pray with total faith. We have to take hold of God with absolute and complete faith. The image of God can be of copper, silver or stone but only faith propels God. Prayer with faith to any form of God will grant us our wishes.

“Amma blesses you all to have complete faith in God”.

Faith

Once upon a time, there was a king ruling a small kingdom. He was very pious and ruled his subjects honestly and truthfully. However, his neighboring kingdom’s hostile manner disturbed him. He cared for his subjects sincerely and was worried for their safety. Both his state and his army were very small. This made him consult a Mahatma. He paid his due respects and placed before the Mahatma his dilemma.

The Mahatma gave him a talisman advising him to wear it always around his wrist whenever he is forced to confront the invading army from the neighboring kingdoms. He further blessed him with strength and victory.

Soon enough his state was attacked and the king valiantly defended himself with his small army and successfully destroyed half of the intruding army. On the following day he went back to the battlefield and further damaged and crippled the opponents’ army. The intruding army was decimated and reduced to a very insignificant size.

Before the third day of the war, his curiosity compelled him to rip open the talisman and find out what it had in it. Hence, he opened it and found within ‘Om Namo Narayana’ inscribed. He said to himself, “Is that all, a small mantra which I hear and recite so often!". So he came to the conclusion that whatever had transpired in the war so far was due to his strategies and valor, and it had nothing to do with the mantra.

His strong success bloated his ego to the extent that he went to war the third day without the talisman. Within no time, his army was defeated and conquered. The king returned to the Mahatma distressed, and sadly reported what had happened. Mahatma told him that it was unwise of him to rip open the talisman. This amounted to lack of respect for the Guru and loss of faith. Hence he was made to face the humiliating defeat.

In material as well as spiritual life we have to have faith in whatever we do. Only then only we can achieve our goals. Science is by experiment first and experience later; whereas in ‘Gyana’ belief comes first and experience after. With absolute faith in God we will certainly achieve everything we need.

“Amma blesses one and all to have lots of faith, peace of mind and success”.

Ganesha

In the Hindu Sampradaya (Tradition) whether it be a new job, business, school, yagnas or marriage we always do prayers to Ganapathi first. Lord Ganapathi is also called Ganesha, Vinayaka, Vigneshwara, Gajamuka, Pilliar and many other names.

Why the name Ganapathi? Ganesha is gana’s adhipati -ganadhipati- Ganapati. Ganas’ are celestial beings. Why should we worship him first? Why this first respect to him? Why we make his representation in turmeric, mud, sugar, dough etc.?

Ganesha is a very simple and easily satiable God. Whichever way we make his representation and worship him, he gets easily invoked and showers his blessings. Pilliar, his other name denotes that he is the son of Shiva.

Soldiers used to carry big shields in order to protect themselves from the oncoming spears and arrows in the event of a war. Similarly, Sri Ganesha acts as a shield for the devotees. In image representation he is very big. He has the head of an elephant. The big elephant when worshipped as Ganesha first, stays in front and protects the devotees who are behind.

Ganesha is big in size as well as very big at heart. He is dayalu. He is also very heavy. However, his vehicle is very small, in fact, a little mouse is his vahana. How big he is but how light he has to make himself to ride a mouse!!

He is a personification of humility and love. Sri Ganesha blesses devotees easily and profusely. Lord Ganapathi’s heart is full of tyaga (renunciation). He broke his own ivory tusk to kill a demon and used the same as a pen to write the Mahabharata.

In any puja, whether it is Lakshmi Puja or Saraswathi Puja, we always perform prayers to Lord Ganesha first and our prayers to him; is to remove all obstructions so that we may complete our puja without blemishes or interruption.

He is offered very simple things as Naivaidya - like puffed rice, peanuts, grass, etc. Very simple is his prayer. Ganesha made with jaggery (unrefined sugar - direct from the sugarcane) is worshipped and if we have nothing to offer we can break a piece of jaggery from his image and offer him. Thus, he is very easily pleased and blesses abundantly.

Ganesha stands ahead with his big body and stops obstructions to our prayers irrespective of the fact whether they are Karmic (reaction to our past actions) or not, enabling us to complete the prayer.

Lord Ganapathi is very easily invoked. His only requirement is Bhakti from a pure and sincere heart. Vinayaka thus worshipped becomes Vigneshwara (Lord blocking obstructions towards good deeds) and blesses each and everyone.

“Amma showers her blessings on everyone”.

Jyothi

In our society, whatever is the crime, murder, robbery etc., they happen mainly at night. Darkness of the night favours these types of activities. It is easier to move unnoticed and commit crimes in the black hours of the night. Darkness blinds our vision and favours wrongful activities. Due to darkness, we are unable to find the good things that may be right in front of us.

In life, real darkness is the lack of knowledqe (Agyana). Very easy and simple things for our normal ethical conduct are blocked from us due to this inner darkness. We light the lamp to remove darkness. In our heart as well, we have to light the lamp of Gyana. We should also get involved in Bhakti (Devotion) activities.

No one does wrong knowingly. We do it unknowingly since we are unable to discriminate between good and the bad. When we are blessed with Gyana we have the power to understand what is good and what is bad.

Some of us light a Holy lamp before our altar in our prayer room everyday. To remove Agyana (lack of knowledge) and get Gyana (knowledge) we should light the Holy lamp everyday. Amma as Jyothi Swaroopini blesses us with Jyothi (light).

It is very easy to see the Goddess in the Jyothi form. Hence, we light the lamp in the morning and evening to invoke the Goddess, who removes inner darkness and ushers in wisdom. Our homes get purified and cleansed by the Jyothi. Jyothi removes darkness and evil disappears.

To have peace of mind, our living quarters should be clean. Darkness favours evil that hinder our thinking process. Light in the Jyothi form removes evil energies from our homes and also removes physical and inner darkness surrounding the Atma.

Interruptions and sickness occur preventing us from doing good activities. The Jyothi removes such hindrances. Jyothi makes our Atma shine brighter. As you notice, the lamp is in three tiers, i.e., the base (represents Brahma), the middle stem (represents Vishnu) and the upper hold (represents Shiva) where we put oil and wick. Furthermore, the Jyothi or flame is Amma or Jyothi Swaroopini.

Without Peace, being homeless or lack of education many of us are not able to differentiate right from wrong and unknowingly get involved in activities which makes our lives more difficult.

Jyothi if lit regularly helps us in gaining Gyana (knowledge). Vallallar, a Mahan (Self realized) said that, Jyothi is enough to achieve everything good in life. Therefore it is important that we light the lamp everyday around 6 p.m. at least for 6 minutes. If we light the lamp with ghee, Mahalakshmi is invoked and blesses us abundantly with all everyday requirements.

Always recite a mantra you know, after lighting the lamp. Maybe, OM NAMO NARAYANI at least 21 times, staying in front of the lamp. This will take away darkness and give us a bright and satisfied existence. We will receive Gyana Prakasha (blessed with the light of knowledge).

“Amma blesses everyone with prosperity and peace”.

Remembering God

When a baby is born in a person’s life, one of the very first ritual is choosing a name for the baby. Friends and relatives are invited and there is a celebration in which the child is given a good name. Why the name is given, especially the name of God? A name of God is given so whenever we call the person’s name, we remember God. Hence the names Rama, Krishna, Lakshmi etc. are given to our children.

Once upon a time there was a good businessman who had two children by the name of Rama and Krishna. This man did not believe in God. He would never remember God, and would tease and insult people who prayed to God. His family cautioned him not to hurt people this way, especially those who keep God dear in their hearts.

He never listened to anyone. He would always preach that there should be no prayers and no temples built for God. In his village, the people worshipped often and this businessman was not popular among them. People disliked him for his attitude and said when he dies; he will surely go to Naraka (hell).

His time to go arrived. He suffered a heart attack. His plea for water was ignored. He called his sons desperately, “Rama”, Krishna, please bring me some water”? No help arrived and he collapsed and died. Just before he died, he imagined going to hell, due to his attitude towards people and God.

When his soul separated from his mortal body, he could see a chariot and the Devas waiting to receive him and take him to Heaven. Then he realized that there is really Heaven and Hell, and he asked the Devas, “How come I am being so lovingly received with pomp and taken to Heaven”? He further stated that, “I also committed a lot of sins”.

Thereafter, the Devas replied with a lot of love that, “You called upon God numerous times everyday, by calling your children Rama and Krishna. Indirectly, you were remembering God several times a day. Therefore we are pleased and welcomed you to Heaven”.

Many people are of the opinion that they have no time to pray. In order not to forget the Lord we give the Lord’s name to children and by calling kids by their name, we remember God indirectly. Today the fashion is to give nick names such as Jimmy, Andy etc. to kids, but God’s names are Vatsala, Nirmala, Saraswathi etc.

When a girl is given a name Lakshmi and is called, she will come. At the same time when that pleasing name is called, Gopala also comes to bless. Thus the practice of giving deities’ names to children is to constantly remember God. When calling them, we gather Punya (merits) for our upliftment.

Nowadays, unfortunately, even older persons when leaving the homeland change their names as well, imagining a better acceptance in the new land. Original names were given with a purpose. Our elders have followed the age old method of remembering God by giving their siblings the many names of God. To be accepted, we should not shy away form our Dharmic beliefs. We will greatly benefit in our lives if we follow our Dharma wherever we are.

“Amma blesses you to follow the path of Dharma”.

Self-Realization

Each and everyone’s happiness and sorrow is directly attributed to the respective individual’s merits and demerits (past and present actions -- Karma). Whatever you do in this life will determine the good or bad you will reap in the life to follow.

Human beings have the highest privilege offered by the Lord among his creations to attain self-realization. If we live a Dharmic life, we will dissipate our karma rapidly and attain God Realization.

Bhakthi, Sadhana, Puja, Japam, Yagna, Bhajans, Meditation are all different methods of purifying our mind. We can do any kind of simple ritual or one of the above to discipline and purify our minds. Purification of mind can be achieved by good actions and love for everyone.

“Amma blesses and encourages everyone to do Dharma for their own upliftment”.

Importance of a Guru

In our lives, at every stage, each and every one of us requires assistance or help.
For the little baby, its mother nourishes and helps child through infancy. As the child grows older, the school teacher helps the child. As Grahastha (householder), the wife is the help. Aged, the individual relies on his/her children for comfort and assistance.

In this Kaliyuga (age of darkness), each and every one requires a lot of help. A little, tender child neither knows how to declare hunger nor how to feed itself. Therefore, the mother is required. As the child grows older, the respective path the child chooses to educate his/her self, will be assessed and guided by the teacher. Similarly, in the maturity of our lives, for peace of mind and emancipation from bondage, we all need a Guru as a guide.

We can argue that we can pray to God ourselves. Why do we need a Guru? In every field of life, by listening and by training from experienced people we learn. For example, a mother who is an experienced cook will teach her child to cook. An experienced engineer will guide a junior engineer in executing a project. In the same way, to acquire Gyana (knowledge), a Guru is very essential.

If one wants to go to the Ganga and Kashi (river Ganges and Benares city - places of pilgrimage in India) that person needs to seek directions from a person who already visited those places. Similarly, a person who has attained Gyana (self-realization), if sought, will gladly part with his knowledge and explain in simple terms the path to Gyana. Such a person is called a Guru.

For mankind, a Guru is important. Kaliyuga (the present time) is full of difficulties. Since we do not know how to live well, we have problems. A Guru always gives good advice and the right directions to us to help us on the spiritual path and live a good life. When we live a good life, then we can have a happy existence.

Even Lord Rama and Lord Krishna had Gurus. They really did not require one, but all the same, to set an example to the general population they had Gurus. In order to stress the importance of having a Guru, and the definite need of advice and guidance from a Guru, they submitted to the tradition and stayed with their respective Gurus for a certain period in their childhood.

With a Guru’s advice, we can correct ourselves. How can we attain a good and qualified Guru? Such doubts should not spring up in our minds. If your heart accepts a person as a Guru, then submit to him. If he has to be tested and certified, then we do not require a Guru. Faith and belief should propel us in accepting a Guru. We will certainly reap the benefits.

All the unlimited desires we have are the cause for our unhappiness and difficulties. What is contentment? Guru has the answer. Accept any guru of any religion and follow his teaching and personal advice. This will allow you a life of symmetry, decency and happiness.

“Amma blesses you all”

Religions

There are several ways to attain God. All religions in the world aim at only attaining God. Allah, Jesus, Krishna, Hanuman and Budha - are they all different Gods? No. God is only one. God is omnipresent. God is the grand nature. God is the attributeless Sakthi (energy) in the nature. Sakthi is fire, air, water, space and earth combined. Sakthi is God.

What is the difference between religions? ln the middle of a large field there is a fruit tree laden with fruits ripe and ready. Several people want the fruits but everyone cannot just go to the tree at once. There are several paths in the field leading to the fruit tree, so each one can choose his own path to the tree to obtain the fruit.

The fruit tree is the example of God. It is easy to attain God even if you tread a different path. Come through any path or believe in any one religion and attain the fruit - attain God.

Following your own chosen path, you will attain God and will easily attain the ULTIMATE. Some paths are straight and some winding. Still the destination is the same. All these paths lead to the same goal - God.

We chant different mantras (prayer) before different idols and get the satisfaction and peace of witnessing God through those forms. In ancient times Seers while meditating and chanting different mantras got these forms and names in their imaginations.

We travel by bus to distant places. The driver halts the bus for certain periods of time to allow the passengers to relax and have tea, lunch and supper. There are different restaurants at the stop. Passengers go to the different restaurants and have their lunch. When the passengers return to the bus the driver asks the passengers if they all had a good lunch and they all said yes. It does not matter to him where they ate. It is the satisfaction of the passengers he cared about not which restaurant they ate at.

Similar, is the experience with God. There are numerous methods to worship God - satisfaction is achieved when God is attained. Some religions favor image worship and some do not. However when we worship, we are all striving for only one penultimate Goal - GOD. You will definitely attain realization whichever way you choose to pray.

“May everyone attain the Lord and his blessings”.

Accumulation of Wealth

Once upon a time there lived in a city two brothers. They were very good brothers maintaining great love and respect for each other. Both of them were in different trades altogether. They were both very different when it came to likes and dislikes. The older brother was content with whatever he had whereas the younger one wanted to make more and more money. The older boy would contribute towards charity and the other liked to keep his wealth.

One day, there were very heavy rains an inundation occurred, sending flood waters everywhere. A MAHATMA (saintly person) who was living in the area wanted a place to stay. Due to this unprecedented rain and chose the dwelling of the brothers. They welcomed the Mahatma very graciously and with reverence made his stay very comfortable. Irrespective of their nature, both of them served the Mahatma with Bhakthi and respect.

The Mahatma, very happy, thanked and blessed the boys for their hospitality and gave two seeds as his gift to them. He explained that the seeds were very unique in that when sowed would sprout into fruit bearing trees within a day. He informed them that one of the trees will give the required number of Golden Mangoes and the other when asked will give a continuous supply of Golden Mangoes with a condition that whosoever owns it should collect them and put them away nonstop. Failing to do so will result in his demise.

The older brother chose the first tree and as expected the younger one chose the second tree. They chose an auspicious day and planted the seeds in the adjacent fields behind their homes. As ordained, the trees were ready within a day.

The older boy had some money in reserve and he waited to ask the tree for the required number of golden mangoes. Thus he reserved the tree for a day when he really needed it.

Younger one quickly asked for the golden mangoes and soon the fruits arrived requiring him to collect immediately without pause. The supply was unending and due to the characteristics of the chosen tree he had no choice but to collect and collect no matter how tired he was.

The older boy needed money and asked for only five mangoes from his tree which he easily disposed of for a reasonable price, making use of the money to obtain his needs.

The younger one collected and collected without respite, due to fear of loosing his life and has no chance of using the golden mangoes for his enjoyment. After a while as he was busy collecting the fruits his sons and family members took away the golden mangoes sold them for lots of money and enjoyed a lavish living.

The Mahatma came back to find out how the brothers were doing. Surprisingly he could see only one house and where the second house was he could see only a heap of golden mangoes. As soon as the younger brother caught the sight of the Mahatma he pleaded to him to stop the supply immediately.

The Mahatma fulfilled his wishes and stopped the tree from giving any more mangoes and stated that whatever was the boy’s wish was, it was only getting fulfilled.

What we learn from this story is that when wealth exceeds our needs it becomes a nuisance and causes harm to our peaceful existence. Don’t we all appreciate the shade of a tree when it is very hot on a sunny day? None of us can eat money or satisfy our hunger for food with gold as the diet. It is never wise to collect and hoard wealth.

Every one of us needs just enough money to satisfy our reasonable necessities in life. When we hide our excessive income it becomes black money. Moreover, a peaceful life can be taken over by constant worrying about how to protect the wealth.

If we do not have money then we have problems too. Just enough will do. If we have too much we have a tendency to hide it from our relatives and also from income tax officers. We get sick with high blood pressure, stress, diabetes and all the possible physical ailments set in due to constant worrying.

When one cannot have and enjoy regular food and is restricted to a tasteless, diet just to survive, where is the joy of living? When one has wealth more than his needs then that person should be glad to part with the excessive wealth for charities.

When a person earns only one thousand dollars he can pay his debt if he receives ten thousand dollars. When a person earns a million dollars then he needs ten million to solve his dilemmas. Money is clearly not useful beyond a certain amount. We have to retain sufficient wealth and the rest we should spend on good and charitable causes.

“Amma Blesses you with Joy and Contentment”.

Path of Prayer

For us human beings peace of mind is essential in order to function and to conduct our day to day activities normally and effectively. To attain peace we resort to different exercises like Yoga, Bhakthi, Dhyana (Meditation) etc. For the sake of our heart, for peace in our soul, we resort to different methods to consistently discipline our lives. Every method is good but which is the easiest way.

In the present day life, it is really difficult to allocate two hours for Sadhana. Bhakthi Marga (prayer path) is the best, easiest and the most convenient method. The only requirement is our heart and total faith. Amma might be doing four hours of prayers, but four minutes of prayer from the bottom of the heart is enough. What we do in our prayer and how many people we feed are not important. Our devotion is what’s important.

Yoga method requires strenuous discipline and one has to go from stage to stage. Only in the last stage does one realize the ultimate - God. Bhakthi Marga gives you results immediately. Dhyana Marga is like climbing a steep mountain as absolute concentration is a must in Meditation. One year, two years, it is difficult to estimate the required time. Set timings and set place to practice meditation is a must. A small irregularity will make us tumble backwards and will force us to start from the beginning all over again. Lots of patience, time, and discipline are absolutely necessary.

Since none of us have acquired peace in our minds we should practice at least one of these ancient methods. Of all the methods, Bhakthi (devotion) is the easiest. There are two types of Bhakthi, Para Bhakthi and Apara Bhakthi.

Para Bhakthi is always remembering God. This is easier said than done. A farmer cannot cultivate if he continuously worries about praying neither an Engineer. Activities like cultivation and engineering require meticulous attention to attain efficiency and optimum production.

Apara Bhakthi is deciding to pray and it is the first step towards praying. One can choose small and easy methods. Light a lamp in the morning before the altar or at a place assigned for prayer at your home.

Bhakthi leads to Gyana (knowledge). Gyana leads to the light of knowledge. By praying you remove Agyana (ignorance). Girls should light lamps everyday in their homes. Light or fire cleans and illumines everything.

Thus Amma as Jyothi Swaroopini (Amma as light) can be easily seen. Therefore the light should be lit consistently in our lives everyday without fail. Blessings from the Goddess of wealth (Lakshmi Kataksha) will be received along with strength and knowledge. One should recite at least a short prayer after the lamp is lit.

Siva Purana, Mahabaratha, Ramayana (epics from the Hindu faith) or any other holy book out of which at least a chapter should be read attentively assimilating the Dharma (righteousness) stated in them. A prayer should be said for the well being of all the living forms in nature’s creation. Before we retire in the night every one of us should think of the Lord and thank Him for the day. Therefore in Bhakthi, Amma should be held dear and close to everyone.

There are two ways of doing Bhakthi, one is cat like and the other monkey like. A mother cat worries for her kittens and keeps shifting them from place to place by grabbing them at the neck, concerned for their safety and feeds them regularly. Here kittens leave themselves at the mercy of the mother cat. Total surrender to God and he will look after us and grant us what we need and not necessarily everything we may desire.

The baby monkey puts a strangle hold on the mother monkey’s belly till such time it becomes strong and can cut loose. The Mother monkey cannot release the grip of its baby monkey. In a similar manner, we should hold on to God and trust whatever he puts us through in our existence.

“AMMA blesses each and everyone with peace of mind and happiness”.

Mantras

Whenever we pray we recite mantras (prayers in the Sanskrit language) either inwardly, outwardly by yourself or in a group. This stream of words from the mantras when overlapped with similar vibrations of sound already existing in the universe, gives way to different forms (Rupas) which naturally manifest themselves.

The sound of mantras and the already existing sound in the nature of similar wavelength with the gravitational force of the earth, uniting in the form of positive and negative forces permit different forms to emanate (due to different intonations of the mantras).

How do we know that Mahalakshmi portrayed in the pictures with four hands, sitting in a lotus is surely Mahalakshmi. All the forms of God are manifested by the different sounds of different mantras. When we are by ourselves in a quiet room, we sometimes hear sound emanating from within us like a little hum (so-hum). This is because of the movement of the air (Prana) within us.

Adi Shankara (incarnation of Lord Shiva) in Soundarya Lahari (a collection of verses) has described the beautiful form of the Devi. He attained the form and visualized it by reciting Beejakshara Mantras. Through mantras and their sounds, we experience, see and bring Daiva Sakthi (Divine energy) here on this level.

What does Sakthi have to do with a stone idol? When we bathe any idol with the water fortified with the chanting of different mantras, the Sakthi (energy) absorbed by the water, gets transferred to the idol.

“Amma blesses everyone”.

Four Stages of Life

Discourse given after Kalyani or mass weddings

Four Stages in Human Life (discourse given after Kalyani – mass weddings)

In the human life there are four stages:

(1) GURUKULAM from birth to 25years
(2) GRIHASTASHRAM from 25-40 years
(3) VANARAPRASTHA from 40-60 years
(4) SANYASI from 60 years onwards

In the first stage a child undergoes education and learns values that help him to develop into an individual. In the second stage he is busy getting married and having family and settling down. In the third stage he is completing his responsibilities of his family. In the fourth stage he learns to detach himself from the materialistic world and turns his mind and thoughts on God.

Among all the stages, the most important one is the first stage, the stage of Gurukulam. This is because the education, the values, the situations, all develop him and pave way for the next three stages. In this Gurukulam stage, a child has no problems. Parents take care of everything, minor or major. A child must learn to follow the path shown by parents and he will be happy. This is the foundation stone and it has to be strong.

In stage two, Grihastashram, responsibilities set in. A man has to take on the responsibilities and complete them. All seem like problems. This leads to anger and to committing sins, and so on. It is his duty to complete these responsibilities without doing wrong things. If in the first stage, a child is taught God fearing and Bhakthi (devotion). In stage two, he will be able to bear these responsibilities with ease as the fear of God and the devotion will give him the strength and faith to face everything. Without this devotion and faith a man commits sin and when a sin is committed once, it is easy to do it again. So, stage one is very important and bhakthi is the foundation.

For each one of you gathered here today, Bhakthi is necessary. If one feels that there are no problems right now therefore no need for Bhakthi, then that is the wrong thought. Having Bhakthi and learning right and wrong is very important and this will pave the way for all the other three stages. You can face and bear all that arises in other three stages.

Everyday prayers are necessary. Light a lamp in the morning and evening and see God in that light. There are many names for Amma and Jyothi Swaroopini is one of them. Amma loves that name. We have given a lamp to all the newly married couples. Light the lamp everyday and start the day with prayers. Each one should say prayers and have Bhakthi. This will bring light into your house in the form of love, happiness and comfort. Having Bhakthi and offering prayers will also teach you to serve others.

"With this light, Amma blesses each and everyone to pray and have Bhakthi and to serve mankind".

Faith and Devotion

Hundreds of years ago there were hardly any temples, but people would make an attempt to go to those few temples with great devotion and would be contended and happy. Nowadays we have temples everywhere, almost one for a street, but people hardly go and they are also not experiencing peace and happiness. So what is the reason for this?

Earlier people believed that God existed everywhere. Some would believe that Amma existed in a “Neem” tree and would offer prayers to that tree, while some would believe that Amma exists in a particular “Stone” in their lands or fields and would pray to that Stone. Such was the extent of their devotion and this gave them happiness. Nowadays people hardly go to the temples saying that they have no time and they also lack faith and devotion and this leads to lack of peace and happiness. This shows that Amma is where faith is.

Faith is a form of God. In the present day there are temples according to caste and religion, but count how many actually go there. People go to temples only on occasions and other times ignore it. Those who believed that God existed everywhere and in everything experienced tremendous amount of peace and happiness. All this is due to their faith.

The belief that Amma exists only in big temples is false. Amma exists wherever there is faith. Stone or Tree worship, it doesn’t matter. Worshipping with faith and devotion is what matters and it is important to carry on this at all times. If you believe that Amma exists where you think Amma does, then Amma will definitely be there, be it a tree, stone or anything else for that matter. Amma can move from a big temple to a person praying to a tree depending on his faith and devotion. Prestige or grandeur is not important. It is faith and devotion that are of utmost importance.

The question is to how many items should I offer for abhishekam, what mantra should I recite, how many times should I recite are of no value at all if you have no faith and are doing it for the sake of doing it.

Offer what you can but only if you are offering it with faith and devotion. Each and everyone has a heart .So develop faith in it. Even offering mere turmeric water combined with faith is more important than those things offered without faith. Many would then ask why are so many huge yagas being performed here at the peedam. These yagas and homas are being performed for the benefit of mankind.

Amma has so many names and forms. So any form of devotion to any name and form is accepted when offered with faith and devotion. Many of you have some time to spare. Don’t waste it. Cultivate it to develop a habit or service that will be useful for survival the Mother in turn will serve the world. eg. Plant a tree, take care of it and when it flowers, offer the flowers to the temple. This itself, is sufficient and this paves way for other services which will benefit mankind at large.

“Amma blesses all to develop faith and devotion and pave the way for the service to mankind”.

Amma's Words of Wisdom

At a discussion about digging deeper bore wells (1200 ft vs 400ft) on peedam lands in order to address the acute water shortage situation.

Below is Amma’s words of wisdom…..to us.

“How sad ….1000 ft and below why does one want the hurt and pain the earth so much ….it is very sad”. It is not that there is a shortage of water. This earth is millions of years old and so is the air and water.
It is this very same earth that has supported so many billion forms of lives on this earth over this period of time. When so much was supported over so many millions of years …does the earth not know how to take care of the present day life forms too??!

It’s not that there is shortage of water. The only reason is that water has moved back closer to where it comes from.! It is getting further away from the reach of man. It is this and nothing else. The pure element ‘water’ has been created for man for two purposes.

1) To wash and cleanse the physical body.

2) It was also created so that man may drink it and cleanse the inside. So that one’s thoughts remain pure and good actions follow.

However, in this age this is not so. There is impurity in thought and action, the agitations in the mind creates a negative energy and nature responds accordingly. There has been great misuse of this pure element in the form of wastage and pollution and that people now never really respect this nature’s divine gift to mankind.

When respect is lost and man’s thoughts and actions are not pure, nature has responded by moving the water element further away from man’s reach. There is no shortage it is just not within easy reach. Only when there is harmony, purity in thought, action and respect for natures gift that water will resurface and be within very easy reach of man. This world is like a giant mirror reflecting and reacting to all of man’s thoughts.’

“Amma blesses you to create harmony, purity in thoughts and actions and to respect nature’s Gifts.”

Wisdom Can Win Over Destiny

What is destiny? It is very often said that based on the wrong past actions of man, man will have to endure pain and suffering as a result of these actions. This is termed as Destiny. There are many people who lead a normal and prosperous life and when they encounter a difficult situation or a mishap occurs; when asked they will say, it is so because of their destiny.

If destiny always has a powerful influence and governs one’s life, why then should man pray and worship God? If they were to worship God then, that act too would be under the control of destiny, is it not? So what then is the benefit in worship when every thing is shaped by destiny? What then is the use of going to places of worship?

‘Wisdom can win over destiny’. Wisdom is knowledge and devotion. When these two are present in man, it is possible to win over destiny. Take for example a person - a businessman, because of the nature of his business, he sails across the ocean often. It is destined that on a particular date the boat in which he sails will sink into the sea.

The sinking of the boat is destined to happen. If he were a person who says everything is determined by destiny hence there is no need to worship or pray, with such a mindset he embarks on the trip on that particular day as destiny has it -- the boat does sink.

Where does the boat sink? It happens far from the shore from where a drowning person will not be able swim back and save himself, nor can the collective efforts of people save him because the mishap has taken place mid sea. This then is destiny. How can this be changed with devotion and wisdom?

If that very same individual had faith in God and there is prayer in his mind and he has carried out righteous work in his life he will for sure earn God’s grace. Now, how does God’s grace help or protect him? As destined on that particular date the boat does sink but in this case it will happen at a place close to the shore where it's possible for him to save himself or could be easily rescued by people near the shore.

When there is no devotion and wisdom, destiny rules. But with devotion and wisdom it is possible to alter the impact of destiny. The Grace of God has that power to alter destiny. Every human being is bound to face difficulties and problems in life. There is no human being who is free from encountering these difficulties and problems for they arise as a result of one’s wrong actions in their past life.

One may ponder - how is it that even though I now do a lot of good deeds. I still encounter difficulties? This is a concern in every individual’s mind. Do not be disappointed; all the good actions will do you good in the future. With devotion one will gain the strength and enthusiasm to face the situations.

If one does not have faith in god they would be moving around getting their future forecasted, horoscope checked, palms being read etc: More than all this, it’s essential to have faith in God for it is the greatest power. Destiny can impact man in many ways, difficulties and problems, mental disquiet and so on.

Just as in the case when one has problems with health they visit a hospital to see a doctor.
So to, when man encounters difficulties, anxiety, depression it is very essential that man turn the mind towards God, for it is this, which will yield greatest benefit. It will help man win over destiny. If a person is destined to suffer let’s say for twenty days, God has the power to alter this to be limited to two days or even erase the suffering that this person has to endure.

On this auspicious day take that small step, develop faith in God and let you mind indulge in prayer, for God can give you the strength to face hardships and has the power to shape and alter your destiny.

Amma blesses all life forms on this earth with peace and happiness.

Human Life is a Great Life

Human life is a great life. Why? There are many other forms of life, why is the human life so great? The reason is that while all other life forms can have happiness, only humans can experience joy.

Animals only know how to get things for themselves. They are able to get food only for themselves and to find shelter only for themselves. On the other hand, humans have the ability to share. Because we know how to share things that brings us joy. That is why it is only possible for humans to know joy. Animals don’t have the urge or the desire to share.

What is the goal in our life? Our only goal is to go back to God. We can achieve this through kindness, love and generosity to other humans. We should share. That we should share is an easy thing to say; it is a difficult thing to do. How can we share? We can start by sharing our devotion, our love of God. When we share that, we will have the desire to share.

Most people think that devotion is to sit in a place of worship and ask God for things. This is not devotion. Devotion is to think about God. Thinking about God, even for a few minutes a day, will help us learn to share everything we acquire and this will bring us back to God.

Amma blesses you all.

Prayer and Surrender

Devotion is important and essential for every being. It can be approached from two paths: through prayer or through surrender. What is the difference between prayer and surrender? Prayer is what we say or offer to God when we want something from God. Surrender is when we offer love to God, without expecting anything in return. A person should follow the second path and surrender to God.

If you take the first path, and pray daily, there will be no end to your prayers. You will never be able to pray for all the things you need in life because nothing is permanent. Even when one problem is solved or one desire fulfilled, new ones will appear.

In order to have peace and happiness one must surrender. To surrender is to hand over everything to God: your thoughts, words, deeds, everything you own. In this way, everything becomes and belongs to God. People have limited abilities in facing life and its challenges. Imagine how much easier it would be if we surrendered everything to God. The Divine Mother’s knowledge is unlimited. If you think everything you have is yours, then every aspect of life becomes a huge burden. On the other hand, if everything you have belongs to the Divine Mother, then you have absolutely no problems.

What is the benefit of prayer? It lasts as long as we have faith. We might get what we ask for when we pray, but will we get happiness? It all depends, at times we might and at times we might not. We might ask for something that we might not get; then, we are not happy. We are disappointed and every thing seems difficult. We do not have peace.

If we surrender, then whether we get what we want (or even whether we are happy or not) doesn’t matter because we are always at peace. This is because we accept that everything that happens, happens for the good. We don’t need to ask for anything. Everything we need is satisfied. In surrendering we get all we need, not necessarily all that we want. There is more peace and joy through surrendering.

In times of difficulty we pray to God and expect solutions to our problems. In contrast, when we surrender we offer love and, in return, we receive unlimited love and peace which in turn brings us joy. To experience this love and peace we must always surrender. Through prayers, you expect that all your desires will be satisfied. If they are not, then you are disappointed. When you surrender, the Divine Mother will take care of everything.

Amma blesses you to follow the path of devotion through surrender.

Tsunami & Other Natural Disasters

When people deviate from dharma (righteousness; path of good thoughts, good words and good deeds) its opposite, adharma, increases. (As with light and darkness; when there is less light there is more darkness). At this time, there are already a lot of bad energies in the human world. That is why this time is called the Kaliyuga,(the Age when sin is at its peak). It is a time when negative forces dominate this world. You need more dharma - righteousness - if you want to lessen the negative forces and if you want protection from these negative forces. .

Dharma can protect people from these negative forces. When people leave this dharmic path; for example, if they just lead their lives the way they want - with materialism and greed, it is like opening the door for the negative forces to come in. Because of these things, once this negative influence comes in, then their thoughts, words, actions, everything will be negative. This creates bad karmas and bad energies in the world. This leads to the creation of things like natural disasters. So, is there is any solution to stop the disasters like the tsunami? Yes~ How? Dharma.

The more good deeds that you do, the more good energies and joy will be created. So once you are filled with joy and love, you will be the representative of the good forces and the positive energies. What is God? God is love, unconditional love. Once you have created the unconditional love by doing good deeds, you can absorb Divine energy because your physical body will then be suitable to do that. It will be able to absorb the Divine in you. When there are more Divine forms, more love beings in the world; you yourself can create good energy for the world. So good energy to the world means people, your neighbours and friends will feel the energy from you. It will help them change their lifestyle. As the world changes onto the path of spirituality and dharma, it can control the disasters. This is because human sin and bad deeds are creating them in the first place.


The solution is this: today is the day. You cannot do anything about yesterday and you cannot do anything about tomorrow. Yesterday is like a broken pot: you can’t do anything with it. It is finished. Tomorrow is like a cat on a fence: you are not sure where it will jump. A cat may jump off to one side or to the other side. Like the future, you don’t know whether it will be one way (good) or the other way (bad). So, what you know is this; today is the day. Today you have the chance and the opportunity: only do good things, so that your future is good.

When you start to worry about the future, it brings fear and it uses up your time. Instead of thinking about good things and good deeds, when you start to worry about yourself, then there is no time to think about the world or to do service. To remove your fears and worries, just do good deeds. Whatever your problems are, whatever your worries are, whatever your sufferings are, just do good deeds. It will change today’s life and it will bring you a good life in the future. So, the future is in your hands. You do not need to worry about the future. The things you do now will determine your future, so just have good thoughts and just do good deeds.

Amma blesses you all.

Self Control

One must pray and be one with God in order to experience peace and joy. If one probes into this question, and searches within for the answers, one soon realizes the following: in life, one can experience moments of happiness from worldly things, but not inner peace, which is what the soul desires.

A person who desires inner peace must get rid of all bad thoughts and feelings. What bad thoughts and feelings? Anger, jealousy and greed in the material world; these kind of thoughts and feelings cause the mind to fret. So, redirect your mind to God and start to pray, you should also surrender to God. This, in itself, will get rid of all the bad feelings and thoughts. Hence, a person must devote him or herself to a greater being, an external source. The best external source is God.

Take a bull, f or example. You won’t be able to make a bull do anything you want if you allow it to roam about freely; it could cause a great deal of damage. Whereas, if you were to properly harness and restrain it, you could put the bull to good use. In the same manner, the harness of prayer must be used to regulate our thoughts and feelings.

In essence, a controlled bull will do a lot of good things compared to a bull that is left free to roam about doing damage. In a similar manner, every self-controlled human being is very important. If your life is out of control, you could harm yourself and the people around you; consequently, your community could also suffer.

When you harness a bull in order to control it, you can train it to do constructive work. In a similar manner, prayer can act as a harness for human beings, with ensuing positive results. In order for each and every one of us to attain peace and joy, self-control is essential. The control you seek now is prayer.

It’s only through prayer that you will find out how to do good things and how to improve your life. If we do not have any self- control, the mind will roam freely and it will determine all actions to be right. If one embarks on the path of prayer, one will realize what is right and what is wrong from within. One will not need to depend on another person to point this out.

So each and everyone here should adopt the path of prayer and surrender. Let God’s prayer flow through us. Let prayer control our actions and help grant us wisdom. Let prayer bring us a good life with joy and peace.

Amma blesses us all to allow prayer to control our actions and grant us wisdom, joy and peace.

Deepavali

Deepavali cleanses the body and mind. Out of the several billions of life forms that call Mother Earth 'home', the human life form is considered far more precious and blessed. The reason for this is, humans have a purpose and a definite goal in their existence while other life forms do not. The goal of every human is to attain salvation. Humans invest their time and effort heavily on Dharma, which would ultimately lead them to God and liberate them from the cycle of life.

Religious festivals like Deepavali help to keep humans on their spiritual path allowing them to continue performing Dharma. Celebrating a festival does not mean that we should spend lots of money; it means that we should learn the truths and the meaning behind its celebration. Generally, most functions teach us the need to live harmoniously with nature and the importance of being devotional.

Deepavali is celebrated as a very happy occasion where we rejoice in the death of a demon called Narahasuran. Why should we still be rejoicing in the destruction of a demon that happened millions of years ago? We should, because, millions of years ago (when the yugas were called dhuwara and thretha), people lived with pure hearts and dharmic convictions while evil lurked on the outside as demons.

However, in this Kali Yuga period, most people live with little or no faith in divinity thus giving way to evil thoughts like lust, greed, jealousy, anger, etc. to grow within their hearts. In the past, when people lived with pure hearts, demons existed solely on the outside and bothered from the outside. Whereas now, evil thoughts are dwelling within peoples' minds and steer them on paths that are detrimental to their spiritual growth.

Celebrating Deepavali helps to reinforce the conviction that everyone should cleanse their minds of impure thoughts and work towards attaining the human goal of salvation. Early in the morning on Deepavali day, everyone should take a cleansing bath after anointing their bodies with oil. Rubbing oil on our skins signifies purification; purification of the body as well as the mind. With a thoroughly cleansed body and a pure mind one should conduct himself/herself on the righteous path.

Every year, we celebrate it rejoicing in the death of a demon. These annual celebrations keep the Hindu culture alive. Whenever the culture is alive, good habits are undisputed and followed. And, when the society dwells in good habits, it lives happily, harmoniously and peacefully.

Amma blesses everyone so that all will happily celebrate Deepavali in its proper fashion by rubbing the skin with oil and taking a bath to purify the body and the mind, by praying at a temple and by receiving blessings from respected elders.

Annual Celebrations

Tamil New Year's Day Discourse - April 14th, 2001

In this world, the greatest number of festivals is celebrated in India. Many look at it as expenditure but fail to look at the reason behind why they are celebrated. For example, Deepavali, the festival of lights, is celebrated because of the slaying of a demon. Many might ask if the demon was killed ages ago why we still celebrate it. It is not just a celebration of the demon’s end, but the destruction of evil in all of us. It is the essence of “good over evil” where we celebrate the destruction of evil and welcome good into our lives.

Pongal (Harvest Festival) is another celebration, which is not just cleaning inside and outside of your home or cleaning outside the physical body, it is the cleansing of one’s inner self, getting rid of the negativity within us. Don’t look at these festivals as expenditure but a way of teaching our young ones the reason for celebrating them. They would learn good moral lessons if they were taught the reasons why these festivals are celebrated.

Many ask why celebrate the New Year every year. The reason is to encourage new, good thoughts to come into each one of us and for us to practice them. It is important to teach the children what good there are in these festivals so that they learn at a young age. Life is not a bed of roses. It is a mixture of various emotions and moods. The children must be taught to face life with all these moods; so it is necessary to learn the moral values of our festivals. When the children learn this at a young age they will also learn to live and work for a peaceful society.

In fact our Hindu religion preaches, LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU (may the whole world be filled with peace and happiness). For world peace, each and everyone has a part to play. It is not the duty of a few good Samaritans or leaders; everyone has a part to play.

When a good person prays sincerely God answers his prayers. If God should appear before this individual and ask what he wants, the individual will definitely ask for the welfare of the society. Likewise each and everyone should pray for the welfare of the society. Taking part in Yagams and mere listening to the mantras will cleanse you and good thoughts, words, and actions will take its place.

Animals think of themselves but humans have the ability and capacity to pray for the welfare of the world. You should have faith and bhakthi in your religion. I am asking you to have good thoughts words and deeds in your daily life.

“AMMA blesses each and everyone to have many more New Years with new, good thoughts and actions for the welfare of the society.”

Utilize Your Capabilities

Amma's discourse at a temple in Vellore

Among all living beings, human beings are the most gifted. It is because they have the intellect and are able to set goals and work towards them. But only a few are able to reach their goals, like, for e.g. Mother Teresa, who grew up with a positive attitude and had set her heart, mind and soul to serve mankind.

All of us have the capabilities and skills to reach our goals but, the situations, circumstances and environment we live in, have tremendous influence on us and prevent us from fully utilizing these skills for the benefit of mankind. A well-read person will have a vast vocabulary and will be able to speak and communicate effectively and if this individual grows up in a positive atmosphere - i.e. always exposed to good people and things, taught to distinguish between right and wrong and taught moral values, - then he will grow up to speak good words and think good thoughts for the welfare of society.

On the other hand if the individual, be it a writer or speaker grows up in a negative atmosphere, with bad company and influences, then he will always say or write negative things which may aggravate society. So to avoid these negative influences man should choose the spiritual path with devotion as the highest quality.

Then all his words, actions and deeds will be of a high order in serving mankind. Individuals on this path will be able to distinguish between right and wrong and will make the change to move forward in serving mankind. All of us have the capabilities and skills but how we utilize them for the benefit of mankind is most important.

A thief misuses his skills to break the law and get what he desires. The police use their skills to protect the society. A knife by itself is not harmful or dangerous. But a knife in the hands of a butcher is dangerous because he ends life, whereas, a knife in the hands of a doctor is a welcome sign because he saves life.

On similar lines there is nothing wrong with this world but the people and circumstances are to be blamed when things go wrong. The world is a beautiful place to live in and how we utilize our stay in this world is most important.

AMMA blesses each and everyone to fully utilize their capabilities in following the spiritual path with devotion and for the welfare of mankind and society.

God is in All and God is One

Once again the pious divine soul, popularly known as Amma, from South India has graced the Canadian soil. Last year, when Amma visited Toronto, many people marveled at Amma’s miraculous powers. Hundreds flocked to the homes and other places where Amma visited to get blessings and possibly a private interview with Amma. Amma is also known as the Goddess Sri Narayani Amma.

Amma says this form of Goddess is considered as Mother Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi all combined in one as Sri Narayani Amma, the Mother of Kaliyuga. Those who received gifts such as murtis, vibhuthi, kum kum, etc. expressed great sentiments of joy and temporary bliss, and as each individual shares their experience upon their encounter with Amma, some people's realization is that they have met with God. Time and time again many Hindu priests have confirmed to devotees from the scriptures that "one never knows what form God will take and when God will come."

A Publisher conducted an interview with Amma and on an audio recording asked many questions.

Publisher:- "Amma, why are you called Amma?

Amma:- "I do not address myself as Amma, but I would like to ask you, 'why do you call me Amma?'"

Publisher:- "In a previous article that I've read, you were addressed in this manner, and whenever I associate myself with your followers they, too, call you Amma. (Amma laughs very happily)"

Amma:- "It is my mission in life to take care of everyone. I see and love them as a Mother. Therefore, it is for this reason everyone calls me 'Amma'."

Publisher:- "Why have you taken this Mother form and as Sri Narayani Amma in this Kaliyuga age?"

Amma:- "To promote peace and love. It is a must at this time. Everyone needs it that is why I have taken this form."

Publisher:- "Who is Sri Narayani Amma and where did Amma originate? We have Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswathi and other Goddesses, tell us about Sri Narayani Amma?”

Amma:- "What is the difference between naan, chapathi, pouri, roti, bread and cakes?"

Publisher:- "They are all made with the same ingredients."

Amma:- "Haa! The basic is one--wheat! Likewise, there is only one power and that is the Supreme Power who is called Brahman. For that power there is no form. To satisfy us, God takes many forms but all are the same. There is no limit to the Supreme Power. Can you find the limit of air? Can you find the limit of sun? Absolutely not! Likewise, we cannot find the limit of God. He is everywhere and therefore forms will always come. We cannot give the age of nature. Without form it is called Brahman. With form it is called Sakthi."

Publisher:- "But, there are no murtis of Goddess Narayani? All the other deities have representations except Goddess Narayani, what is the reason for that?"

Amma:- "It is the first incarnation of Goddess Narayani in the world, therefore Goddess Narayani is special. When we look at Maha-Lakshmi She has the four hands. Two hands have the lotus flowers and one hand has the Abaya Hara. She also carries the Conch and the Chakra. Goddess Narayani adds a special sign to this Kaliyuga that is why there are no idols of her."

Publisher:- "What can be done in this Kaliyuga age for all the people to get upliftment in their lives. Why are people suffering? What causes suffering?"

Amma:- "They must follow their culture and practice good habits so that they can follow the right path. There are many ways humans can obtain this. Suffering is common to all; it is the nature of man to suffer. We all suffer because of our karma, but we should not worry about that.

Everyone in the world has some suffering. Even a doctor, lawyer, mason and even the prime minister must learn to adjust our lives so that they can find peace and ask themselves “why are we suffering?” When we are not satisfied, we always crave for material things, even if it is not a need. It is just the feeling of desire, therefore this causes problems."

Publisher:- "Is it because of greed?"

Amma:- "Haa! Amma says greed maybe! We are never satisfied with the things that we have. For example, if we have 10 rupees, we want to make it 100 rupees, then 1000. Greed causes sins. Therefore, we create bad karma. It continues so sins become a constant in our lives."

Publisher:- "Are you saying we should only indulge in constant prayer to the Lord at all times and be content, so that we will not become greedy and commit sins?"

Amma:- "Yes! Everyone must pray in whatever form he or she so desires. Prayer will lead you to the right path in life. Even though there are various forms of manifestations they all are one and same. It is very important to help poor people; this gives good thoughts and real joy to the soul.

One can only realize real joy when they do good to others. You can buy a car for your self-happiness, but it is only temporary. We need the real permanent joy in our souls. This means we must give something to someone, only then can we realize the real joy. That is called dharma."

Publisher: - "But there are four types of Dharma?"

Amma:- "Yes. Haa! See, in all the dharmas, there are some limits. Our Hindu Religion tells us that there are basically four Dharmas.

Gurukulum... Time for studying.
Grihastasram... Time to marry and fulfill one's wishes.
Vanaprastham... Time to settle the children.
Sanyas... Time to renounce and prepare oneself for mukti.

Gurukulum is the most important stage. This is the time to concentrate on setting the stage for one's entire life. However, we still need continuous guidance in the other stages."

Publisher:- "Where and how can a person find the true guru one that will teach the children and give the right information. It is rather difficult to obtain a true guru in this age?"

Amma:- "There are many gurus, but one should not worry about the Guru, but place your faith in the Almighty God. We get results only from our true faith, even if the guru is not there to exercise his duties as a guru. Don't worry about that. If one has real faith, he gets real results. Faith is the main concern."

Publisher: - "Are you saying that if one has no faith he or she will not gain anything?"

Amma: - "Absolutely true."

Publisher: - "How can one obtain faith, especially the young children?"

Amma: - "Faith is a built feature that nature has provided. It is automatically there. Without faith we cannot live. For example, suppose a mother says to her child, 'This man is your father.' Immediately the child looks up at the man and acknowledges him as the father based upon what the mother said--no questions asked. Likewise, faith resides in every heart."

Publisher: - "Amma, What are your final comments? What message can you convey to the people here in Canada and the rest of the world?"

Amma:- "Everyone must have faith in God, no matter what form he or she desires.
For example, Jesus Christ, Allah, Maha-Ganapati, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Lord
Shiva, Krishna, Rama.etc..

The forms and religious paths may be different, but every path takes us to the same destination that is to mingle with God, the end point is one. Be sincere and devoted in all your endeavors, and then there is no need to worry. It is called Total Surrender. In this Kaliyuga, man has no control of his life and this is creating the problem. Therefore, we need a higher force to guide us.

We need to have some sort of fear, believing that someone who is greater is watching and we must be careful. Then only we can have control. For example, the teacher says to the child, 'If you do not listen, I will punish you!' Therefore, the child becomes scared and listens. If there is a need the teacher (GOD) will have to discipline the child. Discipline is also important for adults, with discipline only then we can follow the good path, set good examples and live happily. Peace and love resides with God and God is everywhere. We create our destiny when we choose our path. God is in all and God is one.

Amma blesses all.

Mother's Day Message from Amma - 08-05-2005

Man enters this world and gets into a web of relationships and emotions. He goes through various phases and paths experiencing many different emotions; the most common being the joy of receiving. At times the act of receiving becomes an expectation which sometimes lead to disappointment.

The only one who derives true joy in giving is The Mother. Her giving is unconditional and her joy in doing so is boundless. Today on Mother's Day we shall pause for a moment to realize the value of our Mothers. Let us thank and respect them for all that they have done over the years.

If natural Mothers are such a gift to families, then imagine what the Divine Mother is to the Universe. The Divine Mother (Narayani Amma) derives great joy in giving unconditionally for the upliftment of the needy and for leading us on the spiritual path.

A Pathway to Joy

Every human being in this world wants to live a life of joy without any difficulties. However, this is not possible for all. It does not matter how much one tries, some difficulty or the other will be encountered resulting in displeasure and unhappiness.

One may then ask…Is it not at all possible for man to lead a life without encountering difficulties and setbacks? Yes, it’s is certainly possible for man to lead a life without difficulty! How can this be accomplished? Only when man has full faith and there is total surrender to God, he is free from worries and difficulties.

Difficulties arise for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is man’s desire. What the mind desires- when it is not fulfilled - difficulties start to arise. We desire to have an article when it’s not within reach displeasure starts to set in. We desire to have a positive outcome from our actions, when this is not so, again displeasure descends into our minds. This way everyone has a wide variety of desires and an equal variety of reasons as to why difficulties /displeasure set in and all are unhappy. The root cause of all mental disquiet is because of desires. So what then is the way to lead a life without difficulties?

The only way is total devotion and faith in God. When there is unshakable faith, such a person can lead a life in Joy without difficulties. When the outcome does not happen in the expected /anticipated manner, the one who has firm belief in God would state that this is what I need and God knows what’s best for me, so saying; man accepts it and is happy with the result. When there is firm belief, these desires will not arise.

Full faith means total surrender to God. When one is in this state one does not need to pray for desires to be fulfilled. They have totally entrusted their lives in the hands of God, in such a state what should happen - would and what should not happen - would not .The outcome is in the hands of God. So for man to lead a life without difficulties, it is first necessary to cut down on desires. The less desires the more the joy. Desires leads to expectations and when an outcome falls short there is displeasure. The mind laments on this and more displeasure arises, and from this more desires will generate.

Entrust everything to God-- totally surrender and pray that you receive what God wishes to give to you; any outcome in this state will not cause displeasure. One would view everything as Gods gift and would accept it with joy. This is because we accept everything that happens to be good. We don’t need to ask for anything. Everything we need is satisfied. When there is so much trust and faith placed in God one does not need to cultivate desires. In a state of complete faith one can lead a life of total joy.

So in order to lead a life without difficulties it’s necessary to first surrender to God. As long as there is no surrender to God all that happens is experienced as my difficulty, my loss, and my pain. When there is surrender the word ‘my’ will disappear, it will all be attributed to God. When everything is God’s; how can one experience difficulties and suffering? Everything that happens must be good. When this is so, there will be no agitations in the mind and devotion and faith will become deeper.

Amma blesses all living forms on this earth to live a life of peace and joy and to follow the path of devotion through surrender.

Amma's Wish

Amma: Every human being has a wish. Amma also has a wish, do you know what it is? What could it be? Can anyone guess?
Devotee: “Peace”?
Amma: To that ... (Amma points to the fire puja — the yagam). This is Amma’s wish... Amma’s wish is to do pujas —‘till Amma’s last day in this lifetime.

Amma wants to do all the pujas and yagams. As Amma already told you, the purpose of the pujas is to bring peace, joy and love. This peace, joy and love then create the path to the ultimate goal. This is all for humans.

Does this mean that Amma needs the peace and joy? As Amma already said, the purpose of the puja is that it brings peace and joy. Does it mean that the purpose of Amma’s pujas is to bring the peace and joy to Amma? No, whatever Amma is doing —whether it is the yagam, gho puja or other ritual, it is on behalf of the whole world. Amma is doing pujas on behalf of each and every creation.

So, it creates the positive energy in the world. A person’s mind changes: from thinking negative thoughts to thinking positive thoughts. As Amma already said, this specific Age is called the “Kaliyuga”. In this Age, humans attract negative thoughts very easily. To get good or positive thoughts in the mind will be very hard. It will be very easy to let in the bad or negative thoughts; very, very easy!


What the world needs now is the positive energy, good vibrations, and good thoughts. These are all the things that the world needs in the present time.

How can all this come about? As Amma explained in Calgary, when creation started in this world, it was pure because it came from the Divine. Each and every soul was pure. Later, because of situations and circumstances, it was diverted. It began to question about what to do or where to go.

So, the first thing you need during this Kaliyuga is for you to divert the bad thoughts. You need protection from negative energies. So, for that, the world needs good energies, positive energies, Divine energy. From where are they created? They are created from Amma’s pujas.

Sometimes, on a cloudy day, you can’t even see the sun. Even without the sun, there will still be Amma’s pujas. Sometimes the sun and the moon rest. The moon rests at the time of the New Moon. We can’t see the moon then. As when it is cloudy, you cannot see the sun. But there is no day without Amma’s pujas. This is Amma’s wish in this lifetime.

Hence, that is the purpose of Amma’s pujas; to create positive energy for the world. Whatever Amma does, it is on behalf of the whole world. On behalf of each and everyone, it doesn’t matter where they are. For example, let’s say that there is a fire somewhere. If it is a small fire, the chief will send the firemen to fight it. But if the fire is big; if it is out of control, then the fire chief himself will have to go and pick up the hose to put out the fire.

In the same manner, now in Kaliyuga, we are out of control!! ! I There are negative energies everywhere and they are out of control. So you won’t see the boss sitting around. In fact, you will see all the bosses out in the field and no one is left in the office, it’s empty now!

So Amma does pujas. . .and, out of that, love comes to the world. So, when Amma does these things it is for the world. This does not mean that you do not have to do puja anymore! It is for those who don’t have the opportunity, for those who do not know. So it does not mean that doing puja is not necessary - those who have this opportunity, they are blessed. But there are still lots of people, millions of people, no trillions.., who don’t have this opportunity. So for them, they need that energy. For them and on behalf of them, Amma is doing puja.

Amma blesses you all.

CeilingOnDesires

Every human being would like to live a peaceful and happy life. However no matter how hard one tries one does encounter difficulties at some point through one's life. Why is this so?
It is because of the actions in one's past life one will need to face these difficulties in the present life. For one not to have difficulties it's necessary that one should not commit sins. How then can man live a life without committing sin?

The single most important factor to committing sin is driven by selfish desire. When this is so, man lives in a state of constant dissatisfaction. When man exists in this state even if there was abundance he will deem it to be insufficient. In order to satisfy or fulfil one's selfish desires or greed man continues to put a great deal of energy in search of material things.

In this situation to attain satisfaction one will often deviate from performing righteous or dharmic actions. Situations will arise when truth and honesty is pushed aside and sins are committed. If man wants to lead a life without sin and live on the path of truth he must first be satisfied and contented with what he has and peace will follow with certainty.

Everyone has a certain capacity; and must put in effort to do this at the fullest. If one's capacity is only to earn say Rs 100/- one must work with sincerity to achieve this. If one does this, it does not signify greed. If one's capacity for example is limited to Rs100/- and the selfish desire is to earn Rs 100,000/- this desire could drive one to do wrong deeds to acquire this amount. It is not incorrect to have desires, but it is greed that will drive one to do wrong deeds.

If one is contented with what he already has this will create less agitation in his mind and he will experience happiness and peace of mind. If man, in order to please the mind just goes on doing actions that the mind generates without control; he could commit wrong acts. In doing so, he will neither have happiness nor peace in this life or in the next life. Therefore it is very important for everyone to have a ceiling on desires. Seek goals based on capacity and put in the effort to achieve them. It's important for every one to have discipline and ceiling on ones desire in order to lead a life in happiness and peace.

On this auspicious day Amma blesses all the life forms that exists on earth live in harmony and peace.

Conversations with the Divine Mother

Devotee: Amma you said that surrender, what word do you use to say that I surrender, not using I?

Amma: But you can when you surrender, because when you surrender you can use the word I. Yes, because you are going to surrender, so in that case you can use the word I. When you do something and you think ‘I did this’ then this is not using it properly , but when you want to surrender then you can use the word ‘I’. I want to surrender, I need to go.

Devotee: So just say you do something, and you say I do, so what word do you use?

Amma: Normally what they are doing, Saints and Big People when they do something they don’t use ‘I’ they use ‘we’ (Laughter).

Devotee: Amma can you speak to us of Enlightenment, because I’ve been Practicing Buddhism for some time and they are always talking about Enlightenment. It would be amazing for someone like you to speak of that.

Amma: Enlightenment okay, Enlightenment is nothing. You are already enlightened. What is meant by enlightenment? Just understanding, that’s enlightenment. Just realizing the truth; realizing the secret of the life is enlightenment. So Amma thinks in this trip you understand what the purpose of your birth is isn’t it? So this means that you are enlightened.

Devotee: If faith and devotion lead to reducing your stress and worry and reducing your Karma is it because of Karma that you find faith and devotion difficult? Is it because you have a lot of bad Karma that you find it difficult to be devoted and have faith?

Amma: Even the desires are a result of your Karma, you know if someone in the past is spiritual then this is their Karma, and if in the past someone is not, then this is also their Karma. So once you are aware of this then it has served its lesson, you need not worry that you are not having faith. Anyway you are aware of that, you know of that so you are blessed. So if you do not get awareness today then you will definitely get it tomorrow. So just hoping that you will become aware and it will come.

Devotee: Amma you have talked about the 14 worlds can you give service to the 14 worlds here. In what form?

Amma: Yes yes, the service that you are doing for Amma, because of the puja, the yagam, is not just for the people who are in the front, it is not for the place where it was happening, it is for every creation in every place. So that is why Amma told you at Peedam that you are all very blessed. You are getting a bigger opportunity than anyone. Just with the small things you can make a great contribution.

Devotee: Is it possible to back and forth between the 14 worlds?

Amma: In the 14 worlds the human world is the best, because in all other 13 worlds they need to go and find the divine. Only in this Kalyuga the divine will come to you. The divine will come in human form.
In the other worlds, e.g the world of Snakes, Sages, etc.; the divine does not come in human form. Even though we talk about the Kalyuga as being bad, still it is blessed. It is not that you always need to be bad. In the other worlds there in no opportunity to experience joy, to be doing service because everyone is a millionaire; no one needs anything from anyone. Only the human world is blessed to realize and to feel the joy.

Devotee: Why is it that all religious leaders are men and not women, in the religions all over the world, it is always the men at the top why is that?

Amma: It is not like that, there are lots of women who lead the world in the spiritual path, maybe you know about the men, but there are lots of women. Like there was one old saint, one very old lady who is very famous. There are lots of women, not just men.

Devotee: It still feels like it is ruled by men.

Amma: Its not, its not. Maybe it feels like that, but its not. So let’s say then even in your faith you see the power, it is a man. Once you say power that is Shakti.

Devotee: What about chakras- how do they function?

Amma: Before just knowing about the chakra you need to know lots before that, chakra is not just a name to understand. It is the power of the human body. What is the main thing that the human has? It is Love. Chakras and whatever, yoga, everything else there is, out of everything the humans need is love, unconditional love. So all these chakras, it is in humans, it is in the six stages, so when someone follows meditation, through the concentration you can wake up and you can activate those chakras. The joy you will get from that is not the same joy you will get just by loving once, because you give everything.

Devotee: What is the best way to generate love and compassion?

Amma: Try to see you in everything. Just see every creation as yourself. Try to see everything in yourself. So once you start to see that, then you know how much everyone needs that.

Devotee: I am wondering about nature- what I am wondering about is, did Amma create nature and then nature continued to grow or if Amma continues each individual aspect of nature?

Amma: No, nature is the Divine, it was not created it was already there, only from nature we are have the forms, it need not be created, it was already there.

Devotee: How does the using of the drugs affect the Karma of the person?

Amma: What it means is that some actions will bring direct Karma and some actions will bring indirect Karma. Here is a story: There was a good man, but he was caught by some bad friends they said to this man: ‘We are giving you three options, you need to choose one. The three options are: 1- you can murder, 2- you can rape, 3- you can drink alcohol. You have to do one of those things. So he thinks killing and raping are bad, so it’s better if I drink the alcohol; because he wants to escape from these bad people, he chooses to drink. After he drinks the alcohol, the other things that seemed like a bad idea before, he does them as well. So it will disturb your mind. It will disturb your thoughts and create the different types of actions.

Devotee: Sometimes I am thinking and I lose track of my thoughts. What can I do with that, how can I go back to what I was thinking?

Amma: It depends on what you were thinking. If it was bad, you need not go back to that (laughs). If it is good, Amma will help (laughter).

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) So how is India?

Devotee: It is good; it is an experience for me.

Devotee: Amma, they are all surfers.

Devotee: We have a surfing magazine to show you, it has one of our friends in it.

Amma: What is surfing?

Devotee: Going in the wave- its nature, it’s all nature.

Amma: Amma is doing that everyday with the humans. It is very powerful and wild and big, like a tsunami.

Amma: (addresses another Devotee) So how are you?

Devotee: Your food is the best food I have ever tasted, but it makes me grumpy.

Amma: Don’t worry; just think it is taking all the Karma out.

Devotee: I believe you if you say so. I am working things out.

Amma: Sometimes we think we need more attention from Amma. So you just think that everything that Amma is doing from morning to night, Amma is doing just for you. You need not think it is for all, just think it is for me. It will bring great joy.

Devotee: Why do I feel sad from day to night for Amma?

Amma: It is not sad; it is love, thinking, why does Amma have to sit so long from day to night. It is thoughts like that that bring tears, but it is not the sadness it is the love.

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) Are you also a surfer?

Devotee: One of my friends I am going to bring to India or if you come to Australia you will meet him, is one of the most popular surfers in the world. He is very famous for surfing and I know he wants to come here. We have been talking via the telephone. I think Amma has always been in his heart. I have grown up with him and he is naturally connected by his heart to the Divine. And in the surfing world, they have been showing a movie that went around the world showing him surfing, and his connection to Mother Nature and the ocean; like a connection to the Divine and it shows a contrast to those who surf for money and those who surf for the love of it. He aggressively encourages younger people to be like this. Like the three of us are surfing worshipping the ocean. I call the ocean “the mother”. You know when you go in, it encompasses you, it cleans you like abisheikam, it also gives you a lot of joy. We get a lot of joy from it, it is a beautiful thing.

Amma: Perhaps when Amma comes to Australia, Amma can join you. You know that there is nothing in the world like something you love to do just like a profession. There is nothing in the world you need to do just for money. Everything is connected to the Divine, so you can see that thing that you love as the Divine. For the rest of the world they think some things are done just for fun. The feeling that you are having, just going into the mother, is a great thing. It is a great blessing to be able to do something like that. From this you can understand everything in the world; if you are connected to it you can see the Divine in it. You will never feel that this is just my job.

Devotee: My friend and I were talking about that, just this evening. He was saying that surfing could be a selfish thing, just for fun. But also it can be a spiritual practice depending on your mind. And the biggest thing about surfing in big waves it that it teaches you to surrender. It holds you down and have to surrender. So you are surfing and you are surrendering.

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) So, how are you?

Devotee: I am grumpy?

Amma: What is grumpy? (laughs) Sometimes it happens, the things that you are experiencing are new. The energy, the love, it is very new to you, but it is good for you. What is useful is that you want it to come out. What you are accepting now once it settles then it will come out. It brings all those emotions and everything. It cleans and it will wipe out all those emotions. Like in a glass, at the bottom there is some poison. If you need to take the poison out you need to pour out some water. So when you pour out some of the water; from the bottom the poison now will come to the top. It will look like it is poison but keep on trying and it will just continue to come out until it is all out and then there will be just the fresh and good stuff.

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) How was abisheikam yesterday?

Devotee: It looks heavy, such a lot of honey, so heavy.

Amma: It looks like a lot, but when you offer it, it just disappears.

Devotee: With abisheikam, is that like purification, like washing away Karma for the world?

Amma: One it is like washing and the second it is with love. All the things you feel is very auspicious for you so when you give these things to the Divine it is love. So if someone has apples, they will choose the best to offer in puja at the temple. All the things that you are using in puja are all the things that you like. The other things are very holy like tumeric, sandalwood, these are all the gifts from nature, so these are considered as very special and rare and they are the best for offering. It exposes your love secondly it will give a special energy to clean.

Devotee : With the Ganesh that you manifested for me I have been doing abisheikam using green coconut everyday and I think he is liking it, because when I first got it after a few days it started to tarnish very quickly. Then I was talking to my friend and he said that he had done abisheikam on his statue a few times and it became very shiny straight away, with out polishing only using water or milk. So I decided to try this using coconut and straight away it became shiny and golden again. So every day now I do that. Is it helping to purify my negative Karma?

Amma: Yes. It is purifying, the divine knows it is love and at the same time it is purifying the souls of the humans.

Devotee: Then after like with the prasadam I am drinking and also sharing this with my friends. Is that OK? Like when I go to Australia with my clients with the really sick ones is it good to offer them some?

Amma: Yes just make sure that the plate that you are using is silver, then it is ok.

Devotee: I am using stainless steel right now

Amma: OK that is ok

Devotee: Should I buy silver?

Amma: yes that is best.

Devotee: Are there other things you can recommend for sick people?

Amma: Just give them Amma’s photo and ask them to chant the mantra “Om Namo Narayani” and give them some holy ash and you can pray for them. So you asked what the best way to accomplish love is. It is by having the devotion to God. You know it is the key you need to find whether you have that love.
So if you start with the divine then it is very easy because there will not be any conditions. You know having devotion to the divine you will find joy and from that joy you will find love.

Devotee: Then after that you can go to your neighbour.

Devotee: My brother and his wife are going to have triplets and I am wondering if Amma will protect.

Amma: Yes

Devotee: A little Saraswati, Durga & Lakshmi

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) So is this the first trip to India for you?

Devotee: Yes, India is good. I have been here for just over 3 months. I went to Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Rishikesh

Amma: Did you go to Kashi?

Devotee: I can see a big change in him since he has been in India.

Amma: When coming to India it is not like a tour, it is more like a teaching. It is a lesson. You can learn lots of things. You can learn some lessons.

Devotee: I saw a lot of suffering.

Amma: Actually it is not suffering, suffering for you but not for them, it is a way of life. For them they don’t take it as suffering, because what you think is that they are coming asking for money from us so they are suffering. For them it is fun. For them it is a lifestyle. So still there are some people thinking it is suffering. Amma was talking to someone about this. Amma was saying can you see any beggar in the street waiting in the dark and not sleeping? No. But you can see lots of air conditioned rooms with the light on at 2 or 3 am. So the beggar is having more sleep than the billionaire. When the beggar goes to the bed, he is finished for the day and he sleeps till morning. But the billionaire he can go to the bed but still he is not sleeping; so which is the real suffering.

You can see this even in Varanasi there are lots of Sadhhus, you can see them on roadside and everyone is having a good sleep, you will hear them snoring. But if you look at the offices; the light will always be on. So suffering is not just outside it is inside also. You cannot draw a conclusion on people from how they are on the outside.

Devotee: You think that some of the beggars in India have better Karma than those born in the west.

Amma: It is not like that, it depends. It depends there are lots of people. It is not like there are bad people in India and good people in the west. The lifestyles may be different from one place to the another. Here it is like this, in western world it has to be like that so it is like that.

Devotee: I am having a lot of very wealthy people coming to me in Australia who are like you say suffering so I see this a lot. Just because I see people who are poor it doesn’t mean that they are suffering. It is like you say these people are working till 2 am making lots of money and then they come to me because they are sick because they have worked so much.

Devotee: Amma if we have a dream about you is that you visiting us?

Amma: It does not mean that if you do not dream of Amma that Amma is not blessing you. So it is not that you have a dream with Amma that Amma is blessing you. Amma is always with you. If you have a dream means something special.

Devotee: Is that any dreams with Amma is for blessing?

Amma: It depends some dreams can be like violence, some blessings and some protection it depends. Not all the dreams are the same.

Devotee: Amma I had a dream that you were skiing with me.

Amma: So it means Amma is always with you. You are skiing Amma is with you, so when you are surfing if you have a dream that Amma is surfing it means that Amma is with you.

Devotee: Is surfing as good as puja

Amma: It can’t be as good as puja. For however much a person loves what he is doing. Puja is everyone and everyone gets joy from it. With surfing the person who loves it only he can experience the joy from it. The person who is watching it from the outside see it just as fun. For Puja the person doing it gets the joy and the people seeing also experiences joy.

Ok take rest, Amma Bless you all.

Gho Puja

What is the significance of Gho (Cow) puja? The cow is a creature just like many others in Creation. Why does it deserve respect and the special treatment?

The reason is: take humans; while all humans have a lot of friends and relatives around to take care of each other, no one’s service can compete with the mother’s service. An uncle might buy his nephew a gift or an auntie might make dessert for her niece or friends might gift the child money. All these types of service are very nice but cannot compare to a mother’s service to her child. A mother’s service is Divine.

If a child is sick, the mother takes care of the child. The mother gives the child medicine and love. Daily, the mother cares, protects and ensures a full life for her child. So even though there are a lot of relatives around, no one can replace the service of the mother. Everyone in the world celebrates Mother’s Day - in recognition of the Mother’s service and of her love.

A mother may provide milk to her child for the first two years (or in America, maybe for the first six months) of the child’s life. This is very special milk as it comes from the mother’s blood. The mother’s blood transforms into milk in order for her to feed her child. She is providing life itself. A father, by contrast, might take care of the child for a few hours a day. If asked to care for the child for a whole day.. ..well, forget it! He would probably run away!

The nature and beauty of women is to be a mother. That is why whole world celebrates, honours and respects the mother. A mother may provide her children with milk for a year or two. Then, from the day she stops through the rest of their lives, it is the cow that provides the milk for them to drink. This is a great service to humanity.

In Hinduism, the cow is sacred and holy. In fact, because of this sacred aspect, angels choose to live in cows. There are hundreds of thousands even millions of angels living in cows.

The purpose of Gho puja is to honour and respect both the cow’s service to the whole world as well as the sacred aspect of the cow. In India, there are milk trucks that have “life line” written on them suggesting that the trucks are acting as the vehicle of life through which a vital ingredient (milk) is supplied to all of humanity.

In Hinduism, people learn and know that holy beings, angels, live in cows and it is easy for them to respect the sacred nature of cows. What about people from other religions? You can see the cow’s service to humanity. So, even if you can’t see the cow as a Divine being, you can respect the service she provides to all of humanity.

Consider this: if a cow gives 10 litres of milk a day to humans, a bigger animal such as an elephant, should provide 100 litres and a horse might provide 20 litres. Does this happen? No. All other creatures in creation only provide enough milk for their own babies. The only being that creates more than enough for her own calf is the cow. Once we understand this gift and the nature of the cow, we can honour this aspect.

While we think that food comes from the farmer who cultivates the land or from the bakery, it doesn’t. In nature, the Divine is in the cow and in the crops. The cow is the only creature to give life to all humans. For this reason there is great respect to this Divine being. Even if you cannot understand that angels live in cows —for this notion may take time to understand; for now, you can see that the cow feeds humans. With love, it will become easier to understand the Divine in the cow.

Amma blesses you all.

Devotee: What about coconut and goat’s milk? Are coconut trees and goats honoured like cows?

Amma: No, coconut milk and goat milk are different. First of all there would not be enough coconut or goat’s milk for everyone. Secondly, they are medicinal and not really meant as staple foods, like the cow’s milk. Also, a person wouldn’t drink coconut milk or goat milk, everyday; you wouldn’t like it the way you like cow’s milk.

Joy of Service

Things like suffering, worry and sadness disrupt human joy. As Amma already explained, only humans can experience joy in life. What is the definition of joy? Joy is experienced when you share your happiness with others, those who are unhappy. This brings joy; which only humans can experience. Nonetheless, worry, suffering and sadness tend to disrupt your joy, or at least some of that joy.

Is there any way to get rid of these feelings? Is it possible for anyone to live without suffering? Yes, it is possible. But before getting into that, you should understand the reason for this suffering, the reason for this sadness, the reason for this worry. The ultimate reasons for all these difficulties are: desire and greed. Desire and Greed - desire is also sometimes greed. Greed is the dangerous one as all it brings is misery.

Let’s say, for example, you wish for something and pray to the Divine to grant it to you. If the Divine does not grant it to you, there may be a good reason. Still, the human mind cannot grasp this and it starts to worry. Even though the Divine may be waiting for good reasons, because you don’t understand, you start to worry about it. For example, after praying for something and not getting it you might complain about how long it is taking, ie. “Look how many candles I lit... “or you might wonder about how much effort you’ve put into making it happen, “I’ve worked so hard” or you might simply despair: “I give up”. Such thinking upset us.

When prayers and wishes are not granted or goals — either personal or professional — are not achieved, it upsets us. It causes worry and suffering. So, it is the expectation that causes all the stress. Is it possible for humans to live without expectations and desires? Yes, it is possible. How? When you surrender, only then is it possible. Otherwise, you task your mind with the work.

The mind always wants something: today it wants one thing, tomorrow it wants something else and the day after it wants a different thing altogether. It will never say, “Enough”. So, in addition to wanting all these things, it creates worries about how it will get them. Furthermore, because it is not possible to have everything, more worry sets in.
Sometimes and for good reasons, prayers are not answered. Still, the human mind will worry about it. The best way to live in joy, without all this suffering and stress, is to surrender.

When you surrender to the Divine, then you need not worry about anything. So, you don’t worry or even think about how things will happen or not happen. At this point, you will be happy. Through this process, you will mature. You will know that if your get your wish then you’ll be happy and thank the Divine for granting it to you. If your wish is not granted, you will still be happy because you have surrendered and you will accept the situation. Your heart will know that for some reason, the Divine did not grant your wish. You will be happy because when you are on the path of surrender and when you try to surrender, you will always be happy.

But, when you pray for something and do not surrender, then you are happy only if your prayers are answered. If, for some good reason it is not answered, then you will start to worry. Your devotion may even wane. But, when you surrender, no one can upset you. You’ll accept everything — whatever comes, you will be ready. You will have happiness and joy forever. So, the thing you need to do is surrender. This is easy to say and hard to do.

If Amma was to ask, ‘How many of you want to surrender?’ all of you would raise your hands saying it is easy. Still, this is good. Perhaps the first time you try to surrender, it will seem difficult. However, when you start to surrender, it won’t be that hard. You’ll be very relaxed. You know why? Because when you don’t surrender, it is your problem and you’ll worry. When you surrender, then it becomes Amma’s problem and so it is for Amma to worry — you don’t have any more worries. That is the difference.

So you need to begin on the path of surrendering. But, before that, you may have to struggle; you may face some obstacles. If you try, with Amma’s blessings, it is possible. It will bring more joy and peace. In this way, you will, have more time to think positive thoughts and do good deeds. When you are always worried about yourself, your mind is occupied and there is no time to think about the world or about service. So, with surrendering comes opportunity.

When you surrender yourself, then there will be lots of time, time will be there and you will learn to replace the time spent worrying with good deeds. You’ll have positive thoughts and your soul will develop. In order to have a peaceful and joyful life forever —just surrender.

What is the best way to surrender? “Om Namo Narayani”. That is the best way to surrender. It is like a multi-purpose medicine. You can take if for anything and everything. You can take it anytime, anywhere you want. There are no restrictions. The meaning of “Om Namo Narayani” is “I surrender to you”. Just do it. Do it for everything. No need to ask whether you can surrender this or that, for business or personal, it is for everything. It is the ultimate.


Being born a human is a big gift. As a human, you can find the path for peace and joy. This is a rare opportunity. In this big world, how many people are aware of peace and joy? There are still a lot of people running after the material things. Only a few are entering onto the spiritual path. Even among these people, many do not understand the spiritual path; they do not know how to use this path. These people just pray for themselves, they ask the Divine to give them this and to given them that.

If they get it, they are happy; if not, they are unhappy. In this way they are happy, unhappy, very unhappy, then happy again. They miss the opportunity of doing service to the world. If you want to do service, it should start from here (pointing to Amma’s head). -. And here (pointing to Amma’s heart)....

If you have your own problems on your mind and in your heart and if you carry the rest of your problems in your two hands, then how can you help the world? When can you think about the world? So, it is best to surrender and out of that process you will get time and joy.

Amma blesses you all.

Karma

Amma: So on this day Amma is talking about Karma. Each and everything that ever happens in human life is because of Karma. You cannot wipe out Karma. No one can just get rid of the Karma for which they have done in the past. Everyone has to pay for the deeds they’ve done in the past.

In this case, why do humans need devotion? If you have to pay for the Karma this means you cannot do anything with your Karma. So then why do you need devotion, prayers, service or things like that? Why do humans need devotion? As Amma already said you can’t wipe it out, but you can reduce the intensity of those actions, so you can reduce the intensity of the Karma. So what will help reduce the intensity? The devotion will help to reduce the intensity because Karma is very strict and strong.

Sometimes it seems why, if God, the Divine gives unconditional love from Amma, why is God so strict with Karma? Why can’t there be some relaxation or an exemption. Why; because it is good for the human world. If there are some exemptions or relaxation, humans will not take Karma seriously and they will commit more sins. So this is why there is Karma, to have the fear of doing wrong things and bad things. Karma is like very strong glue and no one can wipe the Karma away. Your actions and deeds can help to reduce the Karma. You can reduce the Karma through devotion and through faith.

How can you reduce Karma, the Karma you have now; the suffering you are experiencing now? If it is from the past how can you reduce it through devotion or faith? How is it possible? When you are on the path of devotion, it will not just help only for the present but it will help to reduce the intensity of the past Karma and not create Karma for the present and the future.

When you are devoted, first you will be prevented from committing bad acts because with the devotion means you will engage yourself with activities of the divine, either Bhajans, Puja, Yagam, Meditation or things like that; anything that will connect you with the divine in some way. So the time you spend in doing good things, is the time you are prevented from committing bad deeds. The first benefit is, due to the devotion there is prevention of doing bad things and having bad thoughts.

The second benefit is, if there is no present bad Karma, this means there will be no bad Karma for the future. So what you do today is going to be the Karma for tomorrow. So if there is no Karma for today then there is no Karma for the future. When you are devoted to the divine, you engage yourself in good actions, and you are prevented from the bad activities; because of this you will have good thoughts and you won’t create any bad Karma in the present or in the future. Ok this is for present and for future Karma.

Now the topic is what is the solution for the past, how can we get rid of the Karma and suffering of the past? So because of your devotion and because of your thoughts you will have that love, the love will be created in you; and out of that you’ll start to do the service, the good deeds. This will create the good karma and that good Karma will also reduce previous bad Karma.

The good deeds you are doing out of love and what you have done through your spiritual life, through devotion will allow you to think good thoughts and to do good deeds. So out of that it will create good Karma and that good Karma, if it is bigger than the past Karma, will have returns. The Karma that you have done in the past will have its returns, if the Karma you are doing today is bigger than your previous Karma. You will get a bigger result.

So maybe from the Karma from the past is small and for that you have suffering, and the deed that you have done today creates a big Karma; it will bring the bigger result which will help to reduce that past Karma. So devotion is the solution to get rid of the Karma of past, present and future.

Devotee: ‘Can humans live with their own freedom, can’t they live without the Divine?’ Why is it a must that everyone should follow the spiritual path? Why everyone should be devoted to God? Why can’t they live how they want?

Amma: Yes. You can live how want, but it is not how you are living, it is how much joy you are getting out of life and how much sufferings you are experiencing. Those are the things to consider in human life. If someone leads their life as they wish without Divine faith or trust, what will happen?

Each and every human birth will have suffering because of Karma and due to this one might say ‘I don’t believe in Karma’. Even though you may say you don’t believe in Karma that doesn’t mean that the Karma is not following you, whether you want it to or not. It will be ahead of you, you cannot say ‘I am not going to believe in Karma; therefore I’m not going to have any suffering’. Whether you believe, whether you trust in it or not, it follows, in fact it does not follow, because this means behind, no. It is always just ahead of you; therefore every human has Karma.

Ok, if someone lives without devotion, what will happen? They will have to live without any remedy, solution, courage or faith. Whatever they have to face; someone out there will tell them this, this or this happened because of this and that happened because of that, but they are still going to have to suffer because of those actions. There will be no possibility to reduce the suffering, they have to suffer the whole thing.

So what is someone is devoted? What if someone is God fearing or if someone has faith? What will happen? If someone accepts God in their life what will happen to them? Even for them there will be problems, but now the trust that you now have will make you tell all your problems to the Divine and that itself will lessen your suffering, because just by sharing instead of keeping everything in you, just by sharing the feelings you are having, just by sharing the suffering with someone, that itself will help take away the frustration.

If you keep everything inside of you, even though you know sharing it with someone will help, if you just keep it in your heart and make your heart tight, it will cause frustration, it creates inner tightness. Isn’t it true? It creates frustration, but if we share our suffering with our friends or with our parents that itself will bring some relaxation.

So the first is by having trust in the Divine, by accepting the Divine in your life you are not going to lose faith. You are going to lose worry. You are going to lose suffering; because once you accept the Divine you will just convey all your feelings and thoughts you will expose everything to the Divine. That itself will bring relaxation and secondly you will get courage just by conveying your suffering and worry to the Divine. You will get confidence because you already told everything to Amma. So Amma will take care; and half of the problem disappears because of the sharing and courage.

So for the rest of the problem, the second half, you already have courage because you have faith and you have trust and because you already told the problem to Amma, you already prayed to Amma, so Amma will take care. Knowing that Amma will take care brings more courage and strength. So with courage and strength, the rest of the problem will be very easy to handle. To get rid of it will be very easy because you know you will have the strength, you will have the energy because of the faith and trust.

Accepting that human life is a gift you are not going to lose anything, physically or psychologically; you are going to get benefits. You are going to be more relaxed. If your problem is not shared then it remains your problem, since you are not ready to share it. Your problem will stay in your heart and that one problem will create another problem.

So just by sharing, just by sharing in the way of prayer, whatever it is, it will first bring relaxation and secondly faith. The trust we develop will bring courage and confidence. So with faith, courage and confidence you can handle the problem very easily. By having the Divine in human life, it helps to accept pain very easily, to reduce the suffering. This is the necessity of the Divine in the life of mankind.

Amma bless you all.

New Year's Eve Discourses

1. Festivals

What is the purpose of celebrating the festivals like New Year’s or Christmas? There are a lot of festivals, what is the purpose of those festivals? Why do we celebrate the same event every year? Shouldn’t it be sufficient to celebrate them once in your life?

There is always a lesson behind a festival. It is an occasion to teach you about values, for instance, love or peace. Let’s take, for example, Amma’s Birthday. The significance of that day is to teach us about unconditional love. So why do you need to celebrate this every year? Wouldn’t it be enough if you celebrated Amma’s birthday once in your life? No. The reason to celebrate the festivals each and every year is to see your personal growth. When you celebrate it again and again, year after year, you can monitor your development.

For example, think about last year. Did you experience unconditional love or were you caught up in greed, desire, or anger? On Amma’s birthday ask yourself whether you have any less greed, desire and anger now than you had a year ago. Think of it as a day to learn about unconditional love. So, if you still experience these negative traits, you should take an oath, from this day forward, to work hard to remove them. Then, once again, on Amma’s birthday next year, you can ask yourself whether these traits are still there. If they are, then you can use that special day as an opportunity to once again take an oath to remove them.

If you don’t succeed totally in one year, you can start over in your efforts to improve for the next year. In this way, we measure just how much we have improved over the previous year. It is like opportunity so that if you slipped up during the previous year, you can start again. Or, if you did something really bad in the previous year, you can end that cycle and start to do good things from this day forward. These are the real reasons for all the festivals.


Questions & Answers

Devotee: Amma, I can’t remember how angry I was last year at this time, so how do I change? How do I know whether I have changed?

Amma: You can compare your reactions from last year to this year. Take some incident, for example, if you got upset over something last year, think about that incident again and see whether this year you would respond the same way. If you do, then you probably need to keep working on the anger so it goes away. If the anger is gone, then you know you’re better. In that case, you can keep working to be your best.

2. Service

You all are blessed because the purpose of human birth is to give joy. When will you get joy? Whenever you give service to humanity, it brings joy; furthermore, the bigger the service, the bigger the joy.

As Amma has said, the purpose of the human birth is to do service. Out of service to humanity comes joy in life. Now everyone usually asks, “What is the best way to do service”? Knowing that the more service you do, the more joy you will get; then it follows that the best way to do service is to serve the whole world. Is there a way to do service for the whole world? Clearly, that would be considered great service. All Amma’ s devotees are blessed with that service.

Amma’s devotees can do service for the whole world. Sometimes this would not even be possible for the billionaires. Because billionaires may have billions and may be willing and able to help to their country or maybe a few countries, but still, even with their billions there is not enough to do service for the whole world. At times, not even trillions are enough to do service for the whole world.

Yet, when you are Amma’s devotee, even if you have a penny, with that penny, you can help the whole world. That is the great blessing of what you have. How is it possible? If someone wants to do service for the whole world, and they look into what that would cost, they might find that they need 10 or 20 trillion and even billionaires can’t afford that much. Even trillionaires would not be able to do service for the whole world because the world needs so much help. There are so many people who need service, who need help. So you see, it is not possible for most people to do service for the world, but you can.

Opportunities are open to you. For example, you can buy one kilo of ghee. That ghee will be for pujas or yagam. As Amma explained, Amma’s yagam is not just for the local place or for those people attending the yagam. What is the purpose of Amma’s havan? It is for the whole world, and not just this human world, all the fourteen (14) worlds. So, your one kilo of ghee it is a great service, it is for all the universes, for the whole universe. So, the joy you will get will also be that big! Whatever the service that you are doing, it is great. No one can compete with you!

Sometimes when people first come to Peedam to see Amma, they have an idea about doing service for their town, their city or even their country. But once they are here, they don’t need to worry about their town, city or country because everything that Amma does is for the whole world. And because whatever is done here is for the whole world, it fulfills their wish for their country. Their country is included in this service for the whole world. Furthermore, service for the whole world will bring a world full of joy. That is why Amma told you that you all are blessed.

All of you are very blessed because it is not possible for others, even very rich billionaires. What you are doing is not the same. Sometimes their service will stop or slow down. You can measure their services, but service that is done with spiritual institutions, creates great joy. It is a very big deed. You know, if you just buy camphor, or any small thing for Amma’s puja, then it is used for the world, the whole world.

It is not possible for the billionaire to create such joy with that same dollar, but you can. So, in that way, you all are blessed. So, starting today, everyone should take this oath. The opportunity you have is a great blessing. It will fulfill all the wishes to do service wherever you want. It can happen by doing service to Peedam; because, whatever you do for the Peedam, it is for the world. So your wish for your town, city or country is included in the benefits to the world.

Amma bless you all to continue your good service for humanity.

3. Divine Management

Another thing that Amma wants to say: As Amma mentioned, you are all Amma’s angels. You should know this because people in the western world, sometimes talk about wanting to help, and they don’t know how. Sometimes they will say, “I want to do something for the school” or “I just want to do something for the hospital”. Actually, Peedam is managed like an ocean. In an ocean, if water is poured in, that water cannot be labeled. It mixes into the body of water and becomes part of the ocean.

If it were otherwise, where everyone decided themselves where they wanted to give, then you wouldn’t see a hospital today; because, here no one devotee built that hospital. Devotees came out of love and offered service and then Amma said, OK, let’s build a hospital. In the same way, Amma decided to build the schools and all the other buildings. If it were any other way, you would need to wait another 5 years to see this hospital. You wouldn’t see the hospital and you wouldn’t see the school. What you do see now, the hospital, schools and other facilities are all run by “Divine’ Management.

Therefore, when you talk to people about service they might do, if they are from the western world, they might think that health is the issue for India. The building of the temple is the big service for you. You should be ready, and if someone says that they want to do this or that, explain to them that it will be Amma’s decision. This will be helpful for them and helpful for Amma. Sometimes this is how it works on the Administration side as well. It is good.

Questions & Answers:

Devotee: Amma, have you ever been cut or bruised or has anything ever happened to you?
Amma: It used to happen when Amma was in school.

Devotee: Will Amma explain why a coconut is used in pujas? What is the significance of breaking the coconuts in puja?
Amma: The shell of the coconut is like a head. In that shell, the water it is like the ego. Once you take out the water, then you’ll have the purity like that white skin. So that is the significance of the coconut. So it’s not necessary to break all your heads to remove the ego. Better to break coconuts. So you can try to remove your ego with devotion, don’t try to take it out of your head.

Another Devotee: “What does the acronym “ego” stand for? Answer: E, G, 0= Evict God Out”. He added that Amma also uses lemon, beetle leaves and mangos in pujas because they all have the power to attract good vibrations and to bring them into the pujas. This is why Amma uses them in pujas.

4. A Test for Amma

In this world, there are a lot of creations. Of all those creations, the human birth is blessed in many ways. For example, if you take a dog or a donkey, if it gets hurt it has to suffer. There is no other way for those animals. Even if their lives are threatened, they cannot go to anyone for help and protection. Except for humans, all other creations have to face whatever trouble and problems alone. They cannot get rid of them and there is no way for them to solve them. Only for humans, if they have a problem, there is a solution. It is devotion.

For all other creations there are no solutions. If they have problems, they have to face them and bear them. There is no other way for them. They have to cry, they suffer, they worry. Only humans can pray and receive blessings. That is their solution for problems. But even so, how many humans are blessed in this way? How many humans are aware of the Divine? Very few. So, people — those who are already on the spiritual path should feel that blessed because first of all, having the human birth is a big gift, and then, knowing the Divine is another big gift.

There are still a lot of people who are not aware of the Divine. There are still a lot of people who don’t want to listen to spiritual things. So, first of all, the human birth is a big gift. Within that, having the opportunities to do good deeds is one of the greatest blessings.

You should realize that you have a treasure because the spiritual path is not possible for everyone. If anyone wants to, they can make money. If anyone wants to, they can find trouble. But it’s not possible, even if someone wants to, to find peace. This is only possible for those people who are on a spiritual path. So being on a spiritual path, you have a great opportunity and you should feel blessed.

Once you know that you are blessed, you should be a good model for Amma. Generally, the world thinks that only children have exams. But really, the children’s exams are also the teacher’s exam. They are not just for the teacher. To illustrate: In a class of fifty students, if thirty students fail their exam, you can say either, “Oh, these kids are not studying well” or you can wonder, “What is with this teacher? Does the teacher not know how to teach”?

The fulfillment that you are experiencing now, the joy that you are having now, the happiness that you are having now, it is not just for this moment. All these things should be used to make you a model student for this world. That is what will bring Amma real joy. So for you the joy of doing the good deeds, means joy for Amma. Amma experiences joy by seeing how the devotees are doing, what they are doing in the world, and how they are changing the world. Remember, it is not only a test for you; it is also a test for Amma. Like the student and the teacher, it is up to you, to ensure that Amma gets good marks.

Devotee: It is very easy to sit here in this beautiful place, but we’ve been traveling around India and have seen thousands of people living in such terrible circumstances. It’s very hard to understand.
Amma: Sometimes while sitting on a bus, you might see a person riding a bicycle and think, oh poor guy, why don’t you come on the bus with me? You know what he will probably say? No thanks I enjoy riding my bicycle. It’s true. Even if we think they are suffering, they don’t think they are.

Many of these same people regularly buy lottery tickets. Sometimes they win. But, if anyone asks, “What are you going to do with the money”, they will say “I just want to change roads”, they don’t want to sell their bicycle. So maybe we feel sorry for them and pity them, but for them, they are comfortable and very happy and don’t want to change their lives, it happens in all kinds of ways.

Other people win the lottery and they don’t think of building new homes. They want to continue with their life the way it is because even though they might suffer, even though they work hard, they find joy and happiness with their situation. For them, life is comfortable. Of course, some might want change their lives, even if they are happy. In these cases, as Amma already explained, sometimes there is karma in the way.

Here is another story: there are two devotees, very staunch devotees. One is the president of a nation and the other one is a beggar. They are both very devoted to God and they pray and they pray. One day, God decides to grant their prayers. God appears before them and asks what each one wants. They both felt that their prayers to be very confidential matters, so they privately whispered their wish to God. First the president told God what he wanted, then the beggar. God thought about their wishes for a minute and finally said, “Okay, I’ll grant your wishes by allowing you to continue to live just the way you do”.

The president and the beggar were very confused as to why God would respond in this way. “We are asking for big changes in our lives, and God agrees to hear our prayer and then changes nothing. God tells us to stay as we are.” Thoroughly confused, they finally they go back to God and ask for an explanation. “We were both expecting a big change since You said that You’d grant our wishes, but nothing has happened. You said that the president will remain the president and the beggar will remain the beggar. We prayed and prayed. So what’s going on”?

God replied, “You want to know why I did this? Okay, whenever the beggar sees the president’s car go by, the beggar thinks, Oh, the president is such a lucky man. He has such a luxurious life. He has a nice car, security, everything”. At the same time, whenever the president drives by the beggar’s home and sees the beggar, the president thinks, “Oh, what a lucky man the beggar is, he gets eight hours of sleep every night, he can come and go where ever he wants, he can do whatever he likes, he can do all the things I can’t do. It seemed to Me as though you just wanted to change your problems, not your joy. So, it is better for you stay as you are. While you think the other one has a better life, that other one wants your life. While we think someone is suffering, but if we were in their place, then we would feel their joy.

Devotee: For young devotees, the kids... how are we to carry Amma’s message that we want to change the world.

Amma: If you read, you can learn something; if you listen, you can learn something else, but the real learning is when you walk the walk. When you really accept the lesson and make changes in your life. So, to carry Amma’s message, you just have to do what you’ve learned. This will change you and others will want to change too. Just spreading the message is one way, but that is not your duty. It’s good to want to spread the message though you need to practice what you preach.

It’s like the discussion earlier about the people who are suffering. It is good to have mercy on them. It’s good to have mercy and love it shows a good heart. It is better than saying, “This is their karma, forget about them”; even where that is the reason. So, what your heart is feeling is good. It is your duty wherever you find people that need service to help. But it is not necessary for you to change everything. You just do your best. This is good for you, it will open the door of love and joy. It is good.

Devotee: Coming from America where so much of our country is promoting war, how do we reconcile that?
Amma: Once you have created the divine sanctity in you and once you have the divine sanctity in you, it will create the good energy in and around where you are. So, it will change peoples’ minds.

Devotee: One of the great wonders of being here every year is to watch the transformations in individuals and in all of us. And, as a human being, it is really almost impossible to describe why the Divine Grace does to an individual. Is there any way that Amma can address what happens to us when we meet You? What is the yearning that Amma reaches in us?
Amma: It is the joy of what you are experiencing now. You are feeling blessed. That is why you feel happiness. Definitely, you get this with Amma’s blessings.

Amma continues the story of the beggar and the president:
If the beggar wants to be the president and if the president wants to be the beggar because it appears to him that the beggar has lots of free time and can do whatever he wants. So, God says, “Okay, but before I grant you a permanent birth as the president and as the beggar, first you can trade places for a day. What happens?

The beggar can’t wait for the next day to come so he can go anywhere and whenever he wants. He discovers that when you are the president, you have to wait for everything. You have to wait for security, even to go to next door, you have to wait for your secretary, you have to wait for someone to finalize your schedule. You even have to wait for security if you want to take a shower or use the bathroom. They will tell you, “Just give us another three minutes to clear the security for you”.

Similarly, when the president becomes a beggar; for him, he used to think, “Oh, this will be the good life, sleeping a full eight hours”, but when he is the beggar for a day, he misses the royal life. So, even though he can’t sleep in the president’s chair, he still likes to be in the president’s chair. So, both were used to their lives and would miss them if things were otherwise. That is why God granted their prayers by doing nothing.
More Questions and Answers
Devotee: Amma, with all the good energy that there is at Peedam, does it attract evil or does it push evil away? When we go back to our lives outside of Peedam, does it mean bad energy will attract us or will the good energy in us push the bad energy away?

Amma: The Divine, is like Mother. For a Mother, all the kids are good kids. So even if it is something is bad, the Divine will try to change it -its thoughts, its aspects. If there is no way to do that, only then do you need to push it away. Before that, it may also try to change you. It will attract you and it will try to change you, suggesting that you join them on their path. If it is not able to change to the good path, then you need to push it back.

All those in the presence of Amma, all those who are doing good deeds, all those following Amma’ s messages will have a circle of power around them. Once you start to do these things, the circle of power will be created around you and it will protect you from all those evil things. Sometimes, if the being has good karma, it will change. But, if not, you will be protected. So, there is always, there will always be a circle created around all Amma’s devotees. It protects you against the bad forces entering you.

Devotee #1: So when I watch you Amma doing lamp puja or Abishekam, I see Amma doing the puja and Narayani, doing it. What is the difference between Amma and Narayani
Devotee #2: No difference, they are the same.

Amma: As Amma already told, the reason Amma is doing puja is on behalf of the whole world. Before Amma starts the puja, whatever puja, there is one ritual. It is called the ‘Sangkalpam”. It is to think about why you are doing this puja. So, when Amma starts any puja, Amma will bring the whole world into this physical body. Then, the whole world is doing puja. So, the puja is not for Amma, but for the world.


Sometimes, as a devotee suggested, the negative forces control the energy. In Peedam, good energy is very concentrated, so the negative forces can’t come in. But if that energy goes to places that are fully influenced by negative forces, then, good energy will be disturbed. The bad forces won’t like the good energy. They will try to disturb it. Still, devotion and prayers will protect the good energy. If your prayers and pujas continue, more and more good energy will be created and eventually it will control the energy from the negatives forces.

Devotee: So if the negative forces somehow have influence, is that because devotion has fallen?
Amma: Sometimes. It is not just because of devotion, but because of karma also. That’s what Amma has already mentioned. Now you have the opportunity to create more good energy, so just do it. In this way, you can create more and more good energy, so the good energy level won’t come down. But, if you say, oh, I’ll just wait for tomorrow to do good deeds, you may not have this opportunity tomorrow. Amma just said, consider your spiritual path a treasure. Start now, start this second to do good deeds. From the moment you create good deeds, your good karma will stay with you. If you wait, and say let me do it when the time comes, then you’ll lose even the good karma you already have.

Devotee: Mother is it all right for a devotee to feel when Mother is doing puja on Indrani or on Narayani, that Mother is also doing puja on the devotee?
Amma: As the song goes: “We’re all in this together”.

Devotee: Whenever we pray, we don’t know whether our prayers have been received or what the results will be.
Amma: It is better to pray for blessings. You need not ask for this or for that because you do not know whether you are going to need it. Sometimes you may feel everything will be better if you get this or that. But, if you do get it, it might create another problem for you. So, let’s say someone prays like this, “If I win a million, then I will pay off all my problems. I’ll be very free.
Then, once he wins the million, he will have new problems: like, how to save his million, where to invest that million, what to buy with that million. So, the human mind cannot tell you what to do. It is better for you to surrender and ask for blessings. In
asking for blessings, you know that blessings will bring everything. Everything that you need will come. Everything that is not necessary won’t come. So, you should pray just like that.

Devotee: Is it also true that when Amma says, “Amma take care”, that means that Amma will take care in the way in which that we need and not in the way that we might be thinking?
Amma: Yes.

Devotee: Is faith, the same as free will?
Amma: Once you enter into the spiritual path, once you feel that you are filled with joy and unconditional love; then, having the freewill is good. Before that, if you try to exercise free will, you are not sure what you really want. So you need to know where you are. Only then can you decide whether you need to take that free will or not.

Devotee: Do you ever feel like dancing?
Amma: Everyday. You know, once you see joy, it’s a dance. That’s why Shiva is always dancing. Even the name of that dance is the “Dance of Joy.”

Devotee: What do the names “Vaishnavi” and “Indrani” mean?
Amma: Vaishanavi comes from Krishna, Vishnu, Rama. So it is the male form. The power of the male form is Vaishnavi.
Indrani, is from the name of the king of the angels, Indran. So his power, in the female form, is Indrani.
Amma: You know to change the world into a better place what you need to do as devotees, you just need to spread the message. But to just spread the message in words is not enough. The world will look to see what you are doing, how you are changing. So, in addition to spreading the message, you need to follow the message in what you are doing. It’s too easy also, to say, hey do this, don’t do this, better to just do it also.

Amma blesses you all.

Pongal Festival (Harvest) Message

“This Pongal is a Holy day when people convey their gratitude to Mother Nature for her grace in blessing the people with abundant Natural resources. Today, Science and Technology have advanced a great deal. In spite of this, for peace and well-being, people have to rely only on Nature and not necessarily on Science and Technology.

The light & heat from the Sun, the luminous rays of the Moon, the greenery of trees, the fragrance of flowers, the musical chirping of birds, the ceaseless sound of the waves in the Oceans, the beauty of sedate streams – all these are offered by Nature to man. All of which Science cannot provide man, with such richness and beauty are present in Nature.
It’s only man who can see, enjoy and derive immense pleasure from these gifts of Nature. If these Natural resources are available in a country, that country will automatically enjoy other resources too. Essentials like food grains, vegetables, greens, fruits and other resources that make human existence possible are provided to us by Mother Nature.

Today is the first day of our Tamil New year as well. This is very auspicious as we are ready to realize gifts from Mother Nature. Everything is ready for our harvest. While everyone accept these gifts from Mother Nature you should also realize how much good nature bestows on each of us. Just as Mother Nature helps us, we too should in turn HELP others. ‘Helping Others’ should be our resolution on this auspicious day.

Our lives totally depend on Agriculture. Without the hard work of the poor farmers agriculture cannot thrive. Cattle and other living beings also help cultivation and other processes. For all this to happen Nature is the fundamental contributor. So we should be ever grateful to Mother Nature, farmers, cattle and other living beings that support this life system.

Mother Nature is always providing us with all her resources. Take the cue from her. One must also learn to be happy by giving to others, who do not have, what we have.

Amma’s blesses all and wishes all a happy, prosperous and joyful life.

Puja is the Key to Love

As Amma already mentioned in the discourse about pujas, there are many benefits in doing puja. One of the main benefits is that puja is the key to the door of love.

The Sanskrit words, “Najabam Gulambum” literally translates as the “Human Birth” and “Rare”. This means that as humans, we have a rare opportunity that no other life forms have. Human birth is rare and in that we have been given a big gift, big fortune.

What is so rare about the human birth? Why is it so special?
It looks like other creatures live like us: they eat, they sleep and otherwise attend to their needs. What makes human forms “rare”? It is the ability to make others happy. Other creatures can’t do that. Elephants don’t try to make other elephants happy. Nor do tigers or other great animals. They can’t. It is only possible in human birth to do service, to share the love and in doing so, make others happy. The basic qualification to do this is with love. Only if you have love can you share it.

How do you create love? The answer is: by doing puja. First you start loving the Divine. Once you feel that love in you, you will be ready to share it. It must be Divine love. Human love can sometimes be selfish, but when you connect to the divine, you feel joy and peace and that is the key to opening the door to love.

Take an example: when you throw a ball against a wall, it bounces back. Same with love: you throw love and it comes back with great speed, it is transformed into divine love. Once you have that love, you won’t be limited to only looking to your friends to love. With that love when you see anyone suffering, your heart will want to help.

Another purpose of pujas is that when you do pujas, you are engaged with the divine. Now in this world during the time of Kaliyuga, negative energies are high. It is the age of great sin and suffering. So, if you have bad thoughts it is because they come to you, they are all around. But bad thoughts are the foundations of sins. Whatever thought you have in your mind will create action. Good thought creates good action, bad thoughts create bad actions. Bad actions lead to bad karma and bad karma leads to suffering. So, what you have to do during Kaliyuga is to find protection from bad thoughts through devotion. The actions and deeds that you do will prevent bad thoughts and negative forces from coming to you.

So, when you are in puja for half and hour you will have a half an hour of protection from bad thoughts.

It is, not possible for everyone to do pujas. It depends. If you don’t have time to do a puja, think about God. Pujas are not the only rituals available. You can still connect to the Divine through listening to chanting or by singing bhajans, etc. All these things help prevent bad thoughts.

Secondly, the time spent in puja creates Divine sanctity. It brings you the strength and energy to run your whole day with Divine guidance. Like cooking: if you are cooking for a half hour and then turn off the flame, the warmth in the food remains. Depending on the thickness of your pot, the food may stay warm for a long time. Similarly, if you pray for a half hour, from the depths of your heart, that divine energy will stay with you for days.
The ultimate purpose of puja is that it brings joy and love. Devotion includes pujas, bhajans, helping the poor, listening to good things, etc.

Human birth is a rare opportunity. Only in this birth can you make others happy. Even very strong animals like elephants and tigers can’t bring happiness to small creatures. If you want to protect yourself (from the negative energy of Kaliyuga, you must engage yourself in devotion. So, this is the purpose of devotion. Of course, there are other purposes. You’ll get everything from devotion; there will be nothing else you need if you are devoted.

Some may feel like they are just learning about devotion. Remember that you had to go through kindergarten to get to high school and that there was probably more joy in kindergarten!! That is because the child is pure and there is joy. Whereas in high school and college, the mind engages and there is trouble.

If anyone tells you that you are a beginner in devotion, say thanks. In kindergarten, there are no sins, only in college!

Pujas bring you everything. Puja brings the connection to the Divine. Even if you are having trouble with puja, stick with it as it will help you mature. It will bring you the capacity to reach the next stage. Start your devotion with joy. Don’t worry about when anything will come just enjoy devotion. Once you enter the path of devotion, it brings everything: surrender.

Daily, in every 24hours, take time for devotion. You must take time for your soul. Everyone is busy so for good things, you have to create the time. The time you take is necessary for your soul, for peace and joy.

Another thing: Theertum, This is holy water. Amma asks: How did the ordinary water become holy water? Devotee: “By Amma praying into it,” Amma continues: Just as Amma explained in the discourse about how temples serve as a place to collect energy from nature and then distribute energy to the world. And how statues, once charged with chantings, can retain divine energy, so too with water.

When Amma pours water on top of the statues, the water absorbs the energy. Like electricity. If you touch an electric wire while in water, the body will absorb power from the current. Water collects vibrations and energy from statues and becomes holy water. This is normal and humans can do this. When Amma does it, the energy multiplies several thousand times.

The water has power and can conduct energy more than many other things. So, chanting, vibrations and love can transform ordinary water into holy water. Those are the spiritual properties of holy water. The physical properties of holy water include many herbs: cardamom, camphor, tulasi leaves and all these things are antibiotics; so even if someone understands the physical properties they can be healed from it. As the name implies: Theertum: literally translates as: “It clears”. So, it clears away everything. Furthermore, it brings everything: vibrations, energy, love. So, it has everything in it.

For pujas at home, you only need to chant: “Om Namo Narayani” which means, “I surrender to you”. You don’t need anything else. It may be good to learn other pujas, but this one is enough.

How blessed you are among all humans, there are several trillion people on earth running after material things, on a path of illusion. It is not truth. They don’t know the purpose of life. You are all blessed you know the purpose of life.

Amma: “Any questions?”
Devotee: What is sin?
Amma: Any deed that hurts others is a sin; if it hurts anyone or anything in creation. Devotee: Even killing a mosquito?
Amma: That would be Narayani Seva (Amma jokes). An exception is that if in carrying out one’s duty, someone is hurt, then that is not a sin. For example, if a judge makes a decision that hurts someone, the judge did not sin as it was his/her duty to make that decision.


Devotee: Will sin ever end?
Amma: Yes. The reason for sin is greed. Greed creates sin. If there is no greed, then there is no sin. If you have Divine love you will want to do a good deed. In doing the good deed you will find joy and once you experience joy, you will want to do another good deed to experience more joy.

Take for example, feeding people. You notice the change in their faces. After they have eaten, there is happiness in their faces. That happiness brings you joy and you want to feed more people. There are two types of happiness: one in receiving and one in giving. So, when you have experienced this happiness and are ready to give again, you won’t worry what others have. You will not experience greed and you will not sin.

You might notice someone has a diamond ring. You want it and may hurt the person to get the ring. This greed leads to sin. The desire is okay, but not the greed, it leads to sin. Where there is no greed there is no sin and that is the end of sin.

Another question:
Devotee: If I am in puja and someone calls for help, shall I stop puja to help them?
Amma: The purpose of puja is to do good deeds. So a call for help may be an opportunity to do a good deed. If the call is to do a good thing then it’is okay to leave puja to help.

Devotee: Sometimes during puja I still have bad thoughts, what shall I do to stop the thoughts?
Amma: If bad thoughts come, leave them alone. Don’t try to control it, focus again on your connection to the divine.

Devotee: Before we met Amma and became more aware, some of us may have hurt people, even sometimes without knowing it or unintentionally. What can we do anything about those past sins? Should we go back and try to fix them?

Amma: Ignorance is no excuse. Even though you may have done something out of ignorance, you will pay for the karma. However, once you are on a spiritual path, you can do good deeds to reduce the bad karma that you have accumulated.
Amma: Any more questions?

Then. ... Amma blesses you all.

Pujas

Amma asks: “What is puja”? Devotees respond: “Offerings to God”. Amma agrees and invites the devotees to wonder: Isn’t that odd that we are making offerings to God since God provides us with everything we have? It is God’s duty to provide humans with the necessities like food, water and clothing. So, since God provides us with everything, we can’t really say, “This is mine and I give it to you God, as an offering”. Besides, God does not need anything from us. Why then do we bother giving God offerings like food and milk in the puja? In fact, why do we do puja? It is for the soul. The purpose of puja is to bring joy to the soul.

The world prays for things all the time. People are constantly asking for things, they want things. When, for example, devotees pray that Amma will come to their home so they can cook for Amma, this is an offering of love, it brings joy to the soul. These are offerings in the form of love. Many devotees have had the opportunity to cook for Amma at Kamala Nivaas, they have made pizza for Amma. These are offerings in the form of love and bring devotees joy.

Another example is when you see a parent dress their child. If you take a three year old child to shop for clothes, that child may decide the colour he or she wants to wear. If, however, a mother takes her six month old infant to shop, that baby can not say whether it wants a red or green outfit. So, in this situation, the mother is the one to make the decision. She will choose her favourite color. Of course, as it is the mother’s favourite colour, the mother will take great joy in seeing her child in this new outfit. The mother did something for herself and felt joy.

In the same way, when you do puja it brings joy. This is the real purpose of puja. In making the offerings, you’ll get real joy. Have you ever wondered why Narayani has such beautiful jewels? Like dressing the infant; does it make the infant happy? Does the child care? No, whether or not the child wants a new outfit, the mother buys it and it makes her happy. In the same way, devotees dress Narayani and it makes them happy and brings them joy.

As Amma mentioned in the discourse about temples, chanting creates a vibration and the temple statues hold the vibration. In the temples, the Divine is in the form of Statues. In one’s home, the Divine may be in the form of a photo. Your Faith is what creates Amma in your home. (Amma jokes: when you have Amma in your home, you may not sleep!).

When you have faith, it will bring you strength and energy. Further, because you can feel the Divine within you, you will want to serve. For this, look to your customs and traditions and do what others do. For example, some choose to serve God by offering food and flowers. Having the Divine in your home brings joy and serving the Divine brings joy. All this is for humans; it is not for the Divine. It brings joy to you and, in this way it develops love between you and the Divine.

Once there is this love, the Divine will begin to feel close to you. The Divine will begin to feel like a family member. Whereas when the Divine is thought of as “God”, then there will necessarily be rituals and protocols and these rituals and protocols will create a distance between you and God. However, when you start to offer love, you will connect with the Divine in the form of mother. With this thought and feeling, you will feel very close to the mother. When this happens, then our thoughts are always pure. To connect the soul to the Divine you’ll feel Amma is your family, the mother.

For this to happen, start with pujas. This is necessary for the soul. This will connect you to the Divine and you will feel close to the mother, to your family. Any form of puja is good. It need only be five minutes of chanting, “Om Namo Narayani”. This will create a feeling for the Divine as in the example of the feeling the mother gets when she dresses her child in the mother’s favourite colours. Puja takes you closer to the Divine. That is why everyone needs puja.

Amma blesses you all.

Significance of Pongal

Amma: (addresses a Devotee) So, how are you ?

Devotee: Very good thank you.

Amma: (laughs) Very good.

Amma: (addresses another Devotee) So, did you tell everyone about the significance of Pongal?

Devotee: A little bit and we all talked about it.

Amma: It is like the thanks giving for nature, first day of the celebration is for the sun, for agriculture and for everything that needs the sun. So first day of the celebration is for nature and the second day of the celebration is for paying homage and giving honour to other creations like cows and bulls. Today we use the tractor and other types of machines but in the olden days they use the bull and other animals to do the work and help them provide for themselves. . The human being is dependant on other creations. The third day of the celebration is for showing respect to the older people and on this day, the older people give gifts to the younger people. This celebration is called Pongal.

It is like coming out, fresh and new. It is a very, very old festival celebrated in the villages; some cities celebrate it too, but mostly villages. These days there are more things to do to pass the time, but in those days they didn’t have as many things like we have now. So what did they do? They had bull chasing, it was lots of fun, there were games and things like that. All these activities would happen three or four days. So it is a very major event in the villages.

NOTE: There are four days of Pongal. (The first day is not usually celebrated; it is a day of cleaning and preparing the home).

Devotee: Why did Amma give us the ten rupees?

Amma: (laughs) To make it into ten million. You know it is a custom on the third day of the celebration to get the blessing from the elders, they will bless you and with that blessing they will give a gift. So for the kids and elders it is a special day, where the elders will be happy because they are shown the respect and the kids will get blessings and a gift.

Devotee: So the elders give gift to the younger, but Amma is only 29

Sri Puram

Why is Amma creating Sri Puram? What is its purpose? There are a lot of needs in the world, so why is Amma creating this Sri Puram? What is the reason?

As Amma has already mentioned, the human birth is the only birth in which beings are blessed to do good things for others and to make others happy. So that is the purpose of the human birth and it is possible only in that birth. You know, you cannot do these things in any other form of creation. Only in the human form can you do good things and make others happy. So this is the secret of this human life. But, how many people in the world understand this? Very few; very, very few, very few.

So, will the world change? There are some good people in the world who are saying that they want to change the world, to make it a better place for everyone to live. Is it possible to do that now with the present energies? No, it is impossible because the world is on a materialistic path. How can you make this world better when everyone is worried only about themselves and living only for themselves? You need to change the perception of the world and you need to change the human mindset. How can you do this? The world is so materialistic — it is stuck in materialism - things like power, wealth, important people, and other things like that.

In this context, how can you bring wisdom to the world? Just by talking about the idea that we are here to do good things and not just live to survive? In fact, that is the reality: the purpose of the human birth is not just to survive. All other creations can live just to survive. But the gift of being born as a human being, is that you have the ability not just to survive in the world, but to do good things, to create good things. Yet, 90% of the people in the world are unaware of any of this. They think that they are here for themselves - the head of the family thinks he is to care only for his family. When people live their lives according to these morals, you cannot change the world even with a lot of churches, temples and mosques.

If you want to change the world, you need to change human nature. You need to change people’s minds. How can you do this? It is not just people in Vellore, in Chennai, or in India who need this wisdom — people all. over the world need to know the purpose of human birth. If you want to spread this message, it must reach every human being in the world. You need to do something for everyone; something which will either take the message to the people, or which will bring the people to the message.

Given that people are stuck in materialism, that something must also be materialistic. Any other approach, like talking to people about why you are doing good deeds or why the money we have is meant to be spent on other people by doing good things or by giving it to them, won’t work. Today, people in this world won’t listen. They think that what they have belongs to them. This is how they think. In this environment, if you want to bring a big message to the whole world, how can you do it? You need to find a path to convey this message to the world and that is why Amma is creating the Sri Puram.

The core of the Sri Puram will be the Mahalakshmi temple. It will be the centre of attraction for the world. As explained, the world is stuck in materialism. So, if you have something which appears to be materialistic, the world will want it. People will go to see it. That is why Amma is building the Mahalakshmi Temple in gold. It will be the only Golden Temple in the world. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. There are other things, but not built entirely of gold. People - thousands of people - from all over the world, will come to see such a creation, with its art work and fine detail. Most of these people will come to Sri Puram just to see it. Their curiosity and excitement will bring them only to see the temple and the gold. They will not be coming for blessings or guidance. So where is the message that we want to give the world? Where is the wisdom for the world?

Okay, now there is a bit of a trick, it is as if you have a sick child. If you try to give the child a pill, the child will not take it because the child is not aware that he needs to get better. Even though the child suffers from an illness, because he is not aware that the pills are necessary for him to regain his health, he won’t want to take the pill. However, because it is the mother’s prime duty to take care of the child, she sugarcoats the pill. Now if you give the pill to the child, the child will take it, as soon as he sees it. You don’t even have to ask him to take it; the child will just take it because it is sugar coated. So for the child, he can’t see the bitter pill anymore — he sees only a sweet. In this way, both people are satisfied: the mother is happy because the child has taken the pill and the child is happy because he got a sweet.

In that story, the pill is inside and the sugarcoating is on the outside. It is like this with the Sri Puram and the Mahalakshmi temple except, in this case, the sweet is on the inside of the pill. Since mankind is stuck in the material world, the sweet is the Golden temple and the everyone will come for this attraction. However, it will be coated on the outside with what we need, the medicine.

How is this done? Amma explains: when people come to Sri Puram in order to see the golden temple — the Mahalakshmi temple, they won’t be able to just walk directly from the road to the temple. They will have to follow a pathway which is laid out in the shape of a star. Why did Amma choose tile shape of a star for the path? As Amma already explained with sounds, for example chanting, create good energy and good vibrations. In the same way, certain lines absorb good energy from nature — like the shape of a star. Star shapes absorb good energy from nature. That is the reason why the pathways through Sri Puram will be in the form of a star.

The width of the pathway won’t be very wide (between nine to twelve feet) to prevent people from running. So people will have to walk slowly. While they are walking they will notice Amma’s messages on both sides of the pathways. These messages are the medicine on the outside of the pill. So as the people go for the sweet, they will be given the medicine.

There will be many messages posted. For example, messages about the purpose of human birth and human life; the things humans should do and should not do; the meaning of Dharma and of Righteousness; why people need devotion; and other basic information. So, even though the world comes to see the temple, before they reach the temple, they will see Amma’s messages. There may be a few hundred messages; even if someone grasps only two messages, it will be enough to change his heart. It will bring changes to his life.

If they learn more, it will help them even more. Even if they learn only one message, it will help. In fact it will change their lives. If a person understands the purpose of their birth, why they are here, or what they need to do, their life will be better. If people understand things like that only then will they be able to change things. Those who have, up until now, been thinking that they are here only for their families, will realize that they are here for the world. Now they will be able to change things.

The world is not a group of people. Each individual is a world. You know, if there is a change in you, it changes the world. If you want to change the world, first you have to change yourself. Once you know this, it can change the world. You need not change the world; first you change yourself. Just change your heart. It will change the world.

So, while people are walking on this pathway to the Mahalakshmi temple, they will see and read these messages. There will also be an audio system which will repeat the message in multi-languages. In this way, people from all over the world can hear Amma’s messages even if they can’t read them. When they enter Sri Puram, their focus is just on seeing the magnificent golden temple, but when they leave, there is no way they can leave without taking some wisdom, some message. This is the concept behind Sri Puram.

There may be doubts and questions such as why do we have to spend so much money on this? Why can’t we build a hospital or an educational institution? Yes, we could do that. However, by creating a hospital, you can treat maybe one thousand people in and around the area. By creating the place which will bring wisdom to the world, it is equal to creating several thousand hospitals. Until a person enters Sri Puram, he may live thinking that he wants everything that the wealthy have. But after he has been through Sri Puram, if he absorbs some of the messages and wisdom, he will realize that what we have is not just for us — it provides us with an opportunity to do something for others.

If he gets this wisdom, when he goes back to his home, whether to another country or another town and if he starts to do good things, the message will spread. If one person gets the wisdom and builds one small hospital, this means that when the whole world gets this wisdom through understanding these messages, then everyone will want to change their lives. Everyone will start to do good deeds. This means that this one place, Sri Puram, will create several million hospitals. So that is the purpose of Sri Puram. It is unique and nothing like it exists in the world, so far.

To create this, what do you need? Just money? No. If that were the case, India’s wealthy kings would have come up with the idea. No one has ever created anything like this. You need the Divine Blessings: you can’t do these things with just money, you need more than that. The world, the present world, needs Divine guidance more than it needs dollars. It is the duty of Amma to give the Divine guidance in the way people can understand.

Amma can’t sit and say, “Okay sit and learn”. If Amma said this, ten or twenty devotees would do so, but that would not be enough to change the world. The world is huge, the world is big. So, if you want to change the world, you need to give guidance in a way people can accept. So that’s why Amma planned to create this Sri Puram. Amma started it four years ago. Amma hopes to finish it by 2006. So, it is a very rare opportunity for everyone — for all those who are here, to be here and to participate in these things. Maybe it will be finished this year. Then, it will be for the whole world. But still, you all are special. So this is the concept of the Sri Puram. This is the reason and why Amma has created it.

Devotee: How can we help?
Amma: Anyway, anyway at all; Service. As Amma already said, help means doing things for other people who can’t do things for themselves. Service is doing what needs to be done. Service is not just wealth; if you are wealthy, you can contribute that way. Or, if you have talent, you can share it. Anything like that is service.

Devotee: Will the world get better?
Amma: Yes, that is why Amma is doing this. It needs to change, it needs to be changed. Why are there things like natural disasters? There is one word in the Vedas: which means “if you live a truth, that truth triumphs, truth and righteousness come from you; nothing else exists”. For example, the sun just stays where it is. Does anyone hold the sun? No, it just stays because of righteousness. If it fell, it would not be good. Imagine what would happen if it fell - the whole world would end in a second.

So, sometimes a disaster happens when Mother Nature gets upset with the world and the way in which the world is going. Sometimes it happens to teach the world. It is not necessary to think of it as a punishment, sometimes, it is just a lesson. You need to understand by such things the true value of your wealth. What is the value for your material things in such cases? Nothing.


Devotee: You’ve explained how you convey messages to people in the way they want. How can we convey and give people guidance in the way they want?
Amma: Just convey Amma’s message to the world. That is enough. Just share the peace you have with the world and that is enough.

Devotee: How can we get the leaders of the world to come?
Amma: When every individual comes, then the leaders will come because they can’t be leaders without people. So, they need to come; but if you know people in positions of leadership, then if you convey this message, it will help them to have that wisdom as soon as possible. Otherwise if it goes through one person to another person — it takes more time. But if you know someone, you can just convey the message.

Amma has said it is not a park. A park is a place just to relax and to be relaxed. But this is the place you can relax and get the wisdom that will heal you spiritually and physically in every way. It is like a Divine School. You know, if you go to school you will learn a lot of things; so it is not really a park, it is more than that.

Devotee: As we start to love the world unconditionally and have more compassion and see the oneness, how do we not feel the pain when disasters and tragedies happen to the rest of the world?
Amma: In the family, if anyone passes, let’s say a grandfather, or anyone. You will cry but you will not stop all your actions. You need to do things for others. So the past is past. Will anything change by talking about it and crying about it for a week? No. You still need to have the love and prayers for the person who has died, but you have responsibilities for the rest of the world. There are still lots of people who have needs, so focus on them.

Devotee: Can the Divine stop disasters, like the tidal wave?
Amma: It is the Divine who is doing them in the first place! As Amma said, it is not a punishment. You know, sometimes it is a warning. Sometimes it looks very harsh but you know, sometimes if you have ten children and if you sacrifice one son, you can make things better for the nine others. Sometimes you have to do it. Because comparing one to nine, still you have to save the nine. It is not what the Mother wants, no way. It is because of karma and energy that is created that causes things like that to happen. It is not that Amma wants that to happen. It is the situation — to warn the rest of the world. It brings peace to some and wisdom to some. Still, sometimes in cases like this, when it happens, sometimes some souls find peace. Sometimes it is very hard. Still, as Amma has said, ignorance is not an excuse. So even if you did some deed without knowing it, it will have its consequences. Actions will follow. What happens yesterday or today is because of the world’s actions.

So if mistakes are made, the responses will be bad. It does not mean that you should turn your back on the situation. No mother will ever say that her son did something wrong or that he made a mistake. She will try to protect him by insisting that he won’t do it again. Like that, the Divine tries Her best, but there is no way to prevent disasters. In the case of the recent tsunami, only the very minimum disaster occurred. Today, Amma sent holy water... theertum with a devotee to pour into the ocean... it will help.

Amma blesses you all.

Temples

Amma begins this discourse with a question:
What is the purpose of temples?
Devotees respond that a temple is where we go to think about God and to find peace.

Amma agrees and describes a temple as the place that will collect energy from nature and from chanting. This energy brings peace and wisdom. It creates strength and energy. A place that can do all this is a temple.

How it works is best explained by example. Today, when we wash our clothes we put them into a dryer to dry. In the past, we used to hang clothes outside to dry. The sun dried the clothes and then we’d fold them and put them away. But, what if, the next day, we took a magnifying glass outside and held it over the clothes. What would happen? The cloth would burn. Why? It’s the same sun that dried the clothes the day before. . .why did they burn this time? The magnifying lens was the instrument that caused the clothes to burn. It collected the sun’s rays and concentrated the energy though the lens onto one small point of the cloth. This concentration of energy caused the clothes to burn.

In a similar way to the lens, black stone statues used in temples absorb energy. Certain materials are able to collect energy and retain power. For example, the black stone is able to absorb the vibrations from the chanting and from pujas. Once collected, the energy is retained for a long time. When Amma does pujas, the vibrations are multiplied several thousand times and million types of rays are collected. The statues collect all the vibrations and then concentrate them in a way that people can feel them.


First the statues collect the vibrations from the chanting and the pujas and this energy is then distributed to the world. This energy mingles with nature and goes out to the world so that even people who do not come to the temples will benefit.

There is a tradition when a new temple is consecrated: the consecration is done in the presence of swamis, sages and saints. These holy beings carry vibrations that will be transferred into the statues. This is what humans must do. Amma’s divine presence is enough to do the same thing. However, as Amma has taken form as a human being Amma has to follow their rules. Human time is short and after Amma leaves this world, it will need energy for a long time. That is why Amma performs rituals to energize the world. When a human performs the daily rituals in puja, energy is still collected in the statues. When Amma is present the energy collected in the statues is the equivalent of 10,000 human pujas.

Amma’s rituals give energy that is absorbed and retained in statues for several hundred and thousands of years. Like a battery; Amma is charging the battery to run for several thousands of years. This energy will bring peace and joy. It will guide the world on the path of dharma by collecting divine energy in the statues through doing puja rituals and chanting.

Chanting itself comes from nature. First, it was in the form of air and water. The sages heard these sounds in nature and collected the sounds. These sounds became the mantras, the Vedas. So, the Vedas were not created but where discovered in nature. At the human level, we can sometimes hear sounds in nature. We can even distinguish between different sounds. Only the sages through deep focus and concentration could feel and hear chanting.

Amma asked: Any scientists here’? The scientists look at the relationship between movement and vibration. When air moves as a breeze this creates a vibration. The vibration creates sound and humans hear something. Sages hear chants and collect them and use them in pujas. The vibration from these chants are then collected and absorbed in the black stone statues. This concludes the spiritual purpose of pujas.

Now, there are other benefits associated with temples. Temples create unity in society. When people go to the temple, they have the opportunity to meet their neighbours. Events are held which require people to do service. In doing service, everyone works together regardless of status. Rich and poor people work side by side, without protocols and without social barriers. In this way, the temple creates unity. Through its rituals, the temples maintain cultural practices and values. Hinduism and other religions act to maintain culture and tradition, While the cultures and traditions are different, the purpose is the same: to bring peace, strength and energy to us all.

Amma blesses you all.

The Devas

A person, however intelligent he may be, how ever knowledgeable he may be, how ever big he may be, if he does not possess physical strength along with his knowledge and size, he will not be able to perform any activity in this world. If a person wants to work, even to do a small job, he will need strength or energy. Having a lot of intelligence and knowledge will be of little help if there is no energy in the human frame. This fact is not confined to just people.

There is a life form above humans known as “Devas” (angels); even they need their strength. Deva or angel is the form that is between the Divine and Humans~ Humans have a form and a physical body and, in the case of the Devas, they have a form but they do not have a physical body like that of a person.

Who are these Devas and why do they exist? Their duty is to carry out the instructions of the Divine. For this purpose, they have been bestowed with certain powers. They have the power to grant nature’s gifts to humans in order for us to lead a good life. They provide rain, sunlight and air. When the Devas are pleased, their blessings come as rainfall and sunlight, resulting in good crops and blessing people with a comfortable life. So when the Devas are pleased, then the world will be happy.

As Amma mentioned earlier, however knowledgeable a person may be, he will need to have the energy to carry out any physical activity. Take a healthy person - if he does not have food for say 10 days, he cannot do anything with just his knowledge. He will need energy to carry out physical activity. In a similar manner, though the Devas have more power than humans, they too require strength or energy. In the world today, when a person is hungry, they prepare and partake in food. In a similar manner, the Devas also need food.

How do the Devas get their food and energy? Humans in their physical frame consist of blood, flesh, bone and water. They require food in physical form: rice, vegetables, fruits, lentils, etc. In the case of Devas, they have form, but no physical frame. How do they get their food? In this creation, from an ant to an elephant, the Divine has provided for a wide variety of foods. Is it possible that the same Creator who created both humans with their life form and Devas with their life form would provide food only for the physical frame? Is this possible?

There is way for the Devas to get food and energy as well. Whenever and wherever a yagam (fire offering) is conducted, offerings - consisting of fruit, vegetables, other food items and ghee - are made to the Divine. Where is all that food going? Is it merely charred and turned into ash? No, no. This is all going as food to the Devas. That is why it is said that when you conduct a yagam you will see rain. Why should you see rain when a yagam is conducted? When you conduct a yagam, the Devas receive food - from which they get energy and so they express their gratitude by providing us with rain. They bestow many times more than what they have received. They will gift this back to us. In what way will this gift come? It will take the form of rainfall and good crops. This is the way that they express gratitude.

At the present moment, water is very important. Great shortages are being experienced. When there is rain, there will be a good supply of crops. Humans and other animals will be happy. Many aspects of happiness come from rain alone. Nowadays, many people are suffering due to water shortages. What is the reason for this? In the past, many yagams were conducted whereas nowadays this does not happen. Many say that this was something done in the past. They feel that they can’t be bothered to do them now.


This is a mistake. Whatever is offered into the yagam yields and benefits humans much more. There is another name for a yagam; it can also be called a “Kama-dhenu”. This means “one who bestows”, someone who grants you what you need.

It is often said that life is a struggle. But a person must realize that only he is capable of providing for the Devas. When there is no yagam, it simply means that there is no food for Devas. When they do not have this food, they do not have the energy to carry out the work that they are supposed to do. Hence, you will see that there is little rain. But, whenever and wherever a yagam takes place, the Devas will converge at that place and accept the offerings. This makes them happy and they bless men with nature’s gifts. This is the sole purpose of a yagam. It is not just a small ritual or a custom. This is an eternal truth. Hence it should be performed with great care.

In the past, during functions such as marriages, housewarmings, etc. yagams were important events and were conducted with great enthusiasm. Today, yagams consists of a small prayer and are all done in a great hurry. It should not be done like this. Whenever you have an opportunity and you know a yagam is being conducted, you should go and participate. Temples and communities of people can organize yagams as it may not be possible for individuals to arrange them.

Still, each and everyone should conduct a small prayer at home in their own way. For whom are these prayers? Are they to benefit the Divine? Prayer is for humans... for their benefit, for their happiness. Take for example a 10 year old girl. When she is taken to a shop, she buys the clothes and chooses the colours she likes. But if you take a six month old baby, she will not be able to make any selections. Hence, the mother buys the clothes and chooses the colours she likes. She dresses the baby and experiences the happiness and joy in seeing her infant dressed up so nicely.


In a similar manner, when prayer is conducted, it will bring joy and peace of mind to humans. Many people have many problems. Some find relief by sharing their difficulties with friends. By conducting prayers in your home, you will feel that the Divine resides in your home. By sharing your thoughts, you will experience less stress. You will feel relief and peace of mind. In this way, prayer is not meant to benefit the Divine - it is for your benefit.

Just spend a small amount of time, say 10 minutes a day. In a 24 hour period, 10 minutes is a small amount of time considering that many minutes of a day are simply wasted away. Just 10 minutes per day. Set it aside for prayer to a picture or to a statue. Offer a small flower from you garden and a small prayer. Make this a habit. It will give you plenty of comfort, it will dispel fears and it will bring you confidence.

Some people pray on one day of the week. Would it be acceptable if the sun were to rise one day a week? We need the sun and stars daily, don’t we?! In the same manner, we need the Divine’s grace and blessings each day. Everyday - say a small, prayer, light a small candle, offer a small flower, do this everyday. You do not need to know elaborate chanting or prayers. The food that you cook for yourselves will suffice as Prasad (blessed food). Use it to make a small offering to the Divine before you eat it. By doing this, you will gain the strong feeling that the Divine resides in your home. This thought will dispel fear and give you confidence. It will bring happiness and joy.

On this auspicious day, Amma blesses all living beings on this earth to live a peaceful and happy life.

The Greatest Devotion is the one with Love

There was once a town in India that had a very large temple. Many people went to this temple to pray and to do pujas. In particular, there were two men in this town who would go to the temple daily. They were so devoted and so spiritual that they had never missed a single day. Other people went to the temple once in a week, once a month or maybe only on special occasions. But these two men went to the temple every day. In fact, they would be at the temple, even before the doors opened in the mornings! They were so committed to their routine, that while they might forget to eat, they would never forget to go to the temple. Their devotion and connection to God was so strong that everyone in the town knew of them.

As in all of India, these men took gifts with them when they went to the temple. Throughout India, whenever you visit either God or children, you can’t go empty handed. There is a custom by which you need to bring a gift. It is considered a way in which to show your love. It does not matter what type of gift you bring, since it is really all about showing your love. So, when people go to temples to see God, they bring fruits and flowers to offer; and when they go to see a child, they may take them sweets. In India, there is even a saying which states that God and a child are one and the same. This is because there are many similarities between the two: Both God’s heart and a child’s heart are the same; both are full of unconditional love. Furthermore, you can never really understand either God or a child and, thirdly, you certainly don’t know what either will do next. You may think you have plans, but they might have some other plan for you. God and children are seen as similar for these reasons.

With respect to this custom of bringing offerings to the temple, the two men in this town were no exception. They also took gifts on their daily visits to the temple. As it happened, one of these men was a very rich man, a big businessman and the other man was a very poor person. So, whenever the very rich- man went to the temple he took a big garland, full of beautiful flowers. Because he was so wealthy, he could afford them. The poor man however, could not afford to buy a garland everyday, so he would just bring one flower to offer to God.

For many years, the wealthy man saw the poor man and the poor man saw the wealthy man. In this way, they recognized each other and knew that the other was attending the temple regularly. Over the years, they had never had occasion to talk to each other. But one day, an opportunity came up and they had a chance to meet each other. They introduced themselves and gradually started to chat about various things of a general nature. Gradually, they became very close friends.

Then, one day, after prayers, they were sitting outside the temple talking about God. The rich man posed a question to the poor man: “Do you think the Divine blesses us equally”? The poor man replied: “Of course, it would have to be equal.” The rich man disagreed, “I don’t think so, because everyday I offer a big garland and you offer only one small flower. So, I think that I get more blessings than you”. The poor man explained that from all his reading of spiritual texts and scriptures, he knew that God didn’t favour those who just came with expensive gifts. His understanding was that God always looked to the one who had the love for God.

The rich man was not satisfied with that answer and continued to argue. He claimed that because what he was offering was more than anything the poor man could offer, the rich man’s blessings would also be much bigger; otherwise, why should the rich man not also just bring one flower? This poor man was a very strong devotee with a great connection to God. For these reasons, he was very confident and very persuasive with his views. He maintained that God would see them as equals — that God would see their love, not just their offerings. So the men continued to argue all day.

This rich man also had a big ego and after awhile, he found himself getting upset and angry that this poor man could possibly think that God would bless them as equals. At last, at the end of the day, they agreed that they’d have to continue their discussion the next day. They shook hands and went home.

Later that night, God appeared to each of them in their dreams. God said to them both, “I know about your discussion and, if you want the answer to your question, be at the temple tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock. I will be there. After you make your offerings, you will
know which man has offered the greater gift. Then the vision of God vanished.

When the rich man woke the next morning, he started to plan. He thought, “I normally bring a three foot garland to the temple, but since this is a special day, I’ll buy a much bigger garland. The poor man will surely only bring one flower, so when I bring my ten foot garland, he will learn why I should receive so many more blessings”. With these thoughts, the rich man arrived at the temple carrying a ten foot long garland. As usual, the poor man arrived with a single flower in his hands.

Both went and stood at the entrance to the temple. At precisely 9 o’clock, God appeared before them. Both men were very happy because they had wondered whether their dream would really come true. They also didn’t know what they would have done about their dispute if their dreams didn’t come true. So, when God appeared, they were both very happy. As God appeared in front of the two men, God said, “I am here. Now, both of you can make your offerings”.

The rich man spoke first. He said, “God, I must go first because I have a big garland.” It was obvious that this rich man’s ego was a problem. So the poor man simply waited for his turn. When the rich man approached God to put the garland around God’s neck, God grew to almost twice the size. Where God had been only about seven feet tall, now God stood fifteen feet tall. Because the garland was only ten feet long, the rich man had to think. He quickly decided that because he had lots of money, he would find a solution. He yelled at the crowd for someone to bring him a ladder. When it arrived, the rich man started to climb the ladder in order to put the garland around God’s neck.

However, by the time he reached God’s neck again, God grew even taller. This time God grew another 20 feet. Still, the rich man did not give up. He figured that he could arrange for another ladder and would just have to climb higher. Once again, by that time the rich man reached God’s neck, God grew another 20 feet. This cycle continued: each time the rich man got close to putting the garland around God’s neck, God would grow another 20 feet. Finally, the rich man was very tired from all the climbing and he stopped.


At that point, God asked, “Okay, is it time to give the poor man a chance to make his offering?” The rich man thought to himself: “Well, if I can’t make an offering with a 10 foot garland, that poor man will never be able to offer a single flower. I will wait to see what happens.” Out loud, he replied to God, “Oh, yes, God. Yes, it is now his turn, so I’ll let him make his offerings”. With that, God directed the poor man, “Okay it is now your turn, come and make your offering.” So, the poor man approached God with the flower and put it to rest on God’s feet.

This action reflects another custom in India. In India, it is considered good manners to bow to a person, as a way to show respect. The proper response of the one accepting this sign of respect is to reach down and lift the person who is bowing. So, the moment the poor man bowed to offer his flower to God, God reached down from a great height to lift the poor man. At the same time, God whispered: “I will take care”.

Then God spoke to both of them and asked, “Now do you understand who has the greatest devotion? The greatest devotion is the one with love, the devotion with surrender. To the rich man God said, “You wanted to see My head, but the poor man wanted to see My feet. This also demonstrates his willingness to surrender”. God continued, “It’s not possible to measure God with your wealth or with your power. You cannot ever know God through your wisdom or your knowledge. You can only surrender to God. You need nothing in order to surrender. You don’t even need to know how to surrender. In fact, this is the easiest way: for as long as you think, “I can surrender”, you can’t, because there is still an “I” in there. Only when you know that God can do it for you, then it will come easily. So the best kind of devotion is to surrender. To surrender you do not need material things. You just need love, unconditional love of God. This pleases God.

Really, if you think about it, what else could it be? Does it make sense to think that you could ever offer God something special? When in actuality, everything you have was created and given to you by God. You didn’t invent it. So, what would make you think that you can ever offer God anything, even a garland? When, the fact is, that garland — its flowers, its thread, even its fragrance all came from God? It would be like taking God’s things and then giving them back to God, and saying that it was your offering.

So you receive God’s blessings for the love that accompanies your offering, not for the gift itself. Since we now know that people aren’t blessed for offering God any of God’s own creations, we might ask, why would God bless people at all when they bring offerings? You might even wonder how anyone gets blessings when they make such offerings.

God is blessing people for their love, for the thoughts behind the offerings. When people bring offerings, it is because they created the thought of wanting to bring the offering. So, God blesses them for the thinking behind the deed, not for the offerings themselves. The thinking is the love. For example, let say that you had ten apples and, in looking them over, you chose the best one of the ten to offer to God. So the blessings you’ll receive are not for the apple, because God made that apple and gave it to you in the first place, but for the thought and your love. You must have been thinking something like this: “Because this is the best apple of the bunch, I will offer it to God”. You’ll be blessed for that love, for that devotion.

In India, whenever there is a “if you do this, then I’ll do that” type of deal, you need a contract. Not with God, once you understand the meaning of surrender, then your life will be very easy. You don’t even need a contract! You can’t measure God’s greatness with material things. You can only measure it with love. So great is God’s love that, once you surrender, you do not even need to search for God, God will come to you. This reminds Amma of a story that Amma told in Calgary:
It is another story about surrendering: it is about a mother and her child.

There is a mother who is always taking good care of her child. She feed him and bathes him and treats him very nicely. Then, one day, she decided to play a game of hide-and-seek with her child. They live in a very big home and so she leaves her child in the main hallway and she hides behind one of the walls. The child is doesn’t realize that the mother is watching. He is feeling pretty good, lots of strength, energy and power. So, the child starts to look around the house for his mother. First, he goes to the kitchen and asks the cook, “Where is my mother”?


The cook doesn’t know. Then, the child goes out to the garden and asks the gardeners, “Where is my mother?” They respond, “We haven’t seen her”. So, the child walks around to the garage and asks the driver, where is my mother”? The driver doesn’t know. Finally, the child goes back into the house and looks in the study. No one has seen his mother. By this time, the child is getting tired of looking. All the energy and strength he had initially has been spent. He’s looked everywhere for his mother and knows that there is no place left for him to search. So, what next? As with all children, this child starts to cry. He just stands in the middle of the hall and cries for his mother.

Meanwhile, the mother has been watching the child all along. She remained hidden, but watched him run from room to room, inside and outside, looking for her. She was happy to see him search for her. She enjoyed his excitement and energy. But finally, when her child started to cry, she came out from behind the wall and hugged her baby. In the same way, once the child started to cry, it is like us when we surrender. Like the child, when we realize that there is no where else to look and that we have no more energy to search, we surrender.

When we look for God with our ego and power, it is like the child running around the house with energy to burn. But once the child stops or when we let go of the ego, then the mother will come and hug the child. When you look for God with ego and power, it’s like the Child’s strength, like the child we run around. Like the mother, God just sits back and watches with amusement. But, when you surrender it’s like God gets your message and says, “Oh that one has had enough”. At that moment, God will come to you. So, you can decide what you want to do. To surrender, once you understand it will help you in many ways. It is a great blessing: it is having that faith.

Note too that it is impossible for other creations to surrender. If you take a dog, for example, maybe a dog can surrender to its owner. It will listen and do what it’s told. But, in general, faith and confidence is possible only for humans. Other creations can’t have faith or confidence. They have to worry, they have to live in fear, they have to live their life in sadness. While humans, once they surrender, can stop worrying, can stop being sad, can surrender everything. Other creations cannot do this. If you take a lion, an animal that we consider so powerful, even that lion, after he hunts, can it eat its food in a relaxed state? No, it must hurry, it has to eat fast because another lion or maybe even some people will come along and take his food. So there are no possibilities for other creations to relax and have peace in their lives. They cannot trust anyone. The lion can’t say, “Ok, I’m going to trust on so and so to watch my food for me”. It has to live it’s life with sorrow and sufferings, fear and sadness. It is only possible for humans, once they surrender, to get rid of all their suffering. Amma bless you all.

Amma: So what is the way to surrender?
Devotees: Om Namo Narayani

Amma blesses you all.

Today is the Solution for the Future

There are a lot of people in the world who are worried about the future. Oh, they ask, what is my future? Will it be pleasant or will it be unpleasant? But, these mere thoughts are the reason for the problems. How? When you start to worry about the future, the uncertainty causes worry and then the worry may actually causes something bad to happen, like depression. So, having the worry creates the problems. For example, when you’re worried about things which haven’t even happened yet, it means that you are creating problems for yourself. Lots of people do this. What’s the way to get rid of this? How can one live without fear of the future?

Before answering that question, you should understand the reason for the problems you are experiencing today. If you understand that, then it will help. Today’s problems come from yesterday’s karma. What you have done in the past creates the deed and the deed follows you. If it was a good deed, then today will be good for you. And if we did something bad yesterday, then today, you will have to accept a bad situation. All the things you are experiencing today are due to yesterday.

In the same way, all the things that you are going experience tomorrow will come out of what you do today. So, does worrying prevent anything from happening? No. You can’t prevent, anything and you can’t stop anything. So, now you can ask, “What is the way to stop those worries, to stop those fears?” Just do good deeds today. Because what you experience today, is from yesterday and what you are going to experience tomorrow, is from today. So the deeds, whatever you do today, will bring the returns for tomorrow. So now you understand that the future is in your hands. You don’t need to worry about the future.

You don’t need to seek out fortune tellers to tell you your future. Now you have the seeds, you can choose which you want to sow: good or bad. If you do good deeds, then your future will be good, if you do bad things, then you’ll have to explain. When you do the good things today, it will bring two returns: one is for the future and one is for the past. By doing the good deed now, it creates the good karma for the future and it will balance the past bad karma.

The solution is this: today is the day. You cannot do anything about yesterday and you cannot do anything about tomorrow. Yesterday is like a broken pot: you can’t do anything with it, it is finished. Tomorrow is like a cat on a fence: you are not sure where it will jump. A cat may jump off to one side or to the other side. Like the future, you don’t know whether it will be one way (good) or the other way (bad). So, what you know is this: today is the day. Today you have the chance and the opportunity: only do good things, so that your future is good.

As Amma already mentioned, when you start to worry about the future, it brings fear and it uses up your time. Instead of thinking about good things and good deeds, when you start to worry about yourself, then there is no time to think about the world or to do service. To remove your fears and worries, just do good deeds. Whatever your problems are, whatever your worries are, whatever your sufferings are, just do good deeds. . It will change today’s life and it will bring you a good life in the future. So, the future is in your hands. You do not need to worry about the future. The things you do now will determine your future, so just have good thoughts and just do good deeds.

Amma blesses you all.

July 2005 Full Moon Puja Discourse

There was a man who was a great devotee, who did all the rituals and payers to God. He did not stop doing his pujas even if he did not have money for food. One day in praise of his prayer and devotion, God appeared in front of him, blessed him for his sincere prayers and told him from now on everything that happens to him will be good. The man was speechless with happiness on seeing the almighty.

When God was about to disappear from in front of him, he remembered a wish he always wanted to ask God if God ever appeared in front of him. The wish was that everything he asked for should come true. However, he could not ask God for this and instead God granted him a boon (gift) that whenever he wished to see God, God would appear in front of him. After the boon was granted, God disappeared.

The man was very happy and from that day onwards everything that happened in his life was good. If he wanted one hundred, thousand rupees he got ten thousand rupees which was sufficient for him. All that he wished for was not fully granted; but what was good and necessary was happening. Nothing bad happened to him at all. For many years the man had a happy and a peaceful life.

In spite of this, the man is also a human being and he was getting frustrated that everything he wished for was not happening the way he wanted, even though he had a peaceful and happy life. So, thinking about his boon given by God, he decided to ask God for his desire.

On an auspicious day he did his prayers to see God. As per the boon given by God, God appeared in front of him and asked him what he wanted. The man asked God to bless him so that anything he wished for would come true. God asked him if he had any problems in his present life and whether he was sure of what he was asking. The man asked God why God was hesitating to bless him and told God that he was clever too. God told the man that he was hesitating to bless him because after all he was only a human being. However, God blessed the man’s wish to be fulfilled.

As soon as he received the blessing, the man wanted to experiment with it. He was living in a small house and wished that it would turn into a palace. It happened immediately. Then he wished that in such a big palace there should be 50 people to work and the palace to be fully decorated. This also happened. He wanted 100 varieties of food. The food appeared and he ate. He was tired after eating so many varieties of food; he wanted to relax and wished to have a cozy cot. Then he wished for a few maids to massage him.

This all happened and the man was very happy that God granted his long time wish. Suddenly the man thought; what if all the 10 maids strangled him. The very moment he thought this the 10 women strangled him and he was unable to think or wish for anything. He saw his body lying on the floor and did not understand what had happened. God came to him and told him that he was dead and his soul needs to go. The man was shocked and he asked God why this happened to him.

God told him this happened because he was only a human being. Humans can think and know what they need only for the a few days or the next week, year or probably for a particular period; but cannot analyze what they require for their entire lives. Moreover since man’s mind is not steady he cannot think through everything well in advance. It is God who created us; will know man’s needs and gives us what is required for our existence.

So humans can pray and ask God for all that he wants, but God will analyze and bless him with what he requires. God only will know what is good or bad for him. Man should pray to God sincerely and with complete faith. He can ask God for everything; but should not worry or get angry with God if his wishes are not fully granted.

When man worries he loses his faith in God and in turn he loses his happiness and peace of mind. If he is happy with what God has blessed him with; then his faith in God increases and in turn happiness and peace will fill his life. We should do our sincere prayers and express our wishes to God. God will know which is good or bad and bless everyone with what is required.

Amma blesses everyone!

Nama Smaranam

Once upon a time there lived a great sage who travelled far and wide spreading the message of God. He spoke on topics such as spirituality, pujas, prayers, bhajans, meditation, seva etc. The nearby villagers heard about this great sage and invited him over to their village. The sage graciously accepted the invitation and he spoke on the topic of Bhakthi.

“Each and every one of you should think and pray to God everyday and not just when you have worries or trouble. Thinking of God only during the troubled times is wrong. Even then worries or agitation will be on the foremost in the mind and not God. But if you pray and think of God everyday you will be able to handle your worries in a calmer mind. There is no special day or time to pray or go to the temple. Any day is a good day and you should also make a sincere effort to pray everyday.

Everyone was engrossed in his speech but there was one man who did not accept this and felt that the sage was not making any sense. He felt that there was nothing wrong in praying only when you are worried because during the calmer times you can use your time and mind for more productive things. He decided to stay back and question the sage.

Everyone left after the discourse, except this man. He then approached the sage and told him that there is nothing wrong in thinking or praying to God only when you are agitated. The sage asked him to come nearer to him and gave a forceful slap on his cheek. The man screamed saying “Ouch!” The sage asked him, “You are in pain so why did you not say God’s name, instead you screamed”. The man replied, “It hurt and I was in pain so I screamed”.

The sage gave him another slap on the other cheek and the man screamed even louder. Again the sage asked him, “Why didn’t you scream out God’s name”. The man replied, “All I could feel is the pain”. The sage then told him, “You see now, when you are in pain all you can feel is the pain and not the thoughts of God”. But if you pray everyday, God will be upper most on your mind; you will be able to handle the problems with more courage and will believe that God will take care of you. When in pain, the pain seems to be in the fore front and not God. But by praying everyday you will face pain and difficult times like the passing clouds”.

Prayers are the foundation stones for removing our sins of previous birth karma. We do not know what sins we had committed in the previous birth but by praying and going to the temple in this life we will be able to reduce these sins. Bhakthi is thinking and praying to God everyday; and this should be done wholeheartedly. Not with any desires or wishes. Bhakthi will lead to Punya.

Just as we need air, sunlight, food everyday we need to think of God everyday. If we can’t go to the temple everyday, pray at home. Whatever way you want to think and pray to God; like doing pujas, reciting slokas, do it whole-heartedly and not because you want some materialistic desire to be fulfilled or a wish to be granted. Pray only for the Divine’s blessings. Only a mother knows what a child needs. So it is Amma’s responsibility to grant Amma’s children who offer prayers, what they need.

Nama Smaranam (Chanting of God’s name) is very important to each and everyone. Chanting the name of God constantly in your mind will give you the courage to face everything in life and also give you the peace you need. This will in turn help you to understand Divinity and will involve yourself in charitable activities. In this Kali Yuga, the mere chanting of God’s name will give you the bliss. All chant together OM NAMO NARAYANI.

Reciting the 108 or 1008 names of the Divine will definitely reach God. There is a saying, “Yad Bhavo Tad Bhavati “– “What you think is what you are”. You think of negative thing, you will end up doing all the negative things. But if you think of The Divine always; your words thoughts and actions will all be good. They will always be clean and good and will definitely benefit the society at large.

Amma blesses you all to start Nama Smaranam and continue it, everyday of your life.

Full Moon Puja Discourse (17.10.2005)

Of all the religions in this world, the Hindu religion is a special one. We are all specially blessed to have been born as Hindus. There are so many rituals and disciplinary procedures in this religion in order to make mankind walk on the righteous path. Due to this, there are many festivals in the Hindu religion.

There will be some festival or the other every month like Vinayagar Chathurthy, Krishna Jayanthi, Deepavali and so on. For every festival there are thousands of meanings, justifications and reasons. When we celebrate Navarathiri, Goddess Parasakthi celebrates it in memory of the destruction of Mahishasuran and other demons. Vinayagar Chathurthy is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Vinayagar. Like wise, Deepavali is one of the important festivals.

Why Deepavali is celebrated? Once upon a time, there was a dreaded demon by name Naragasuran. Lord Krishna fought Naragasuran and destroyed him. It was Naragasuran’s wish that the day of his death be celebrated with pomp and galore, hence we celebrate Deepavali.

In this same way, every festival has a story and truth behind it. We may ask; “Naragasuran was destroyed long ago; and it might have been reasonable to celebrate his death at that time. But why we keep on celebrating it continuously every year”? The people who lived during the time of Naragasuran were suffering because his torture, and by the death of Naragasuran they had been relieved; and for this reason they celebrated his death. But for the destruction of demons like Naragasuran and Mahishasuran so long ago, why we have to celebrate them every year, till now?

We celebrate these festivals for keeping faith and trust in God. In those days, sages, men and other life beings were tortured by demons like Naragasuran. There was nobody to stand against them. That is why all the suffering beings approached Lord Krishna for help and Lord Krishna fought the demon and destroyed him.

Even now, people have a lot of problems, worries and difficulties caused by the sins they committed in their previous births or caused by negative forces. So, we approach God and ask for help. In order to remember that God will help us, we continue to celebrate these festivals.

We celebrate these festivals to strengthen our faith and trust in our Mother Goddess Parasakthi. We believe that Ambal will bless us with the same peace and happiness as She bestowed upon the people who approached Her to free them from the clutches of demons in those days. At the same time, every family receives peace and happiness.

What happens when we celebrate these festivals? We cook delicious food and sweets and share with our neighbors and friends. If these festivals are not observed, we will be living like strangers in spite of the fact that we live in the same locality or in the next house. Celebration creates unity in the society because we meet each other, communicate with each other and thus succeed in creating a smooth and happy home and neighbourhood.

Festivals are also ways to follow and sustain the long inherited culture of our fore fathers which have a lot of meaning behind them. Festivals inculcate faithful trust in God, promote unity in the society, help develop healthy feelings towards each other and help to extend peace and the blessings for a harmonious life.

Now a day, any one can take up any profession; but in olden days, it was not like that. According to Varuna Dharma, different professions were allotted to different sections of people. For example, a section of people would be engaged in making mud pots. Some other people will be engaged in some thing else like agriculture. If the profession allotted to each section of the people is executed properly, their lives will be complete and contented.

During festival times, like Pongal, we buy new pots etc. As a result, selling their products benefits the people who make pots, and subsequently, their profession is developed and enhanced. We make Pongal with grains and vegetables, which are produced by the farmers and they are encouraged to produce more and they benefited.

Hence, festivals are not only meant for making sweets and food dishes for sharing. There are thousands of deeper meanings through the stories in the Puranas. If someone should read these stories, he will develop a strong faith in God’s power. For example, if God can deliver a man from his difficulties, as he has done to so many others, he could also make it possible for us too.

In the times of Naragasuran and Mahishasuran, these demons were not able to go near people and trouble them because of the power these people obtained through the faith they had in God and the strength and devotion they had in God’s power. These demons could not enter the souls of the people and torture them. They were given all the troubles from outside the souls. This was possible because of the power the people of that time gained through their faith and devotion to God.

For example, even if a good bearing fruit tree withers away, its seeds will grow underneath and become yet another set of good bearing fruit trees. In the same way, under a tree with thorns, another set of plants with thorns will grow. People in those days had strong faith and the negative forces could not enter their hearts, But now, the strength of faith has decreased and the negative forces enjoy their dwelling place in the hearts of today’s people.

If there is an enemy outside, we can see. If there is an enemy within, we have to see. The enemies within are anger, jealousy and lust. Until such enemies are destroyed we can never attain peace and happiness. That is why we celebrate festivals during the auspicious time when the world is full of sound and light.

Vedas are healthy sounds. That is why we see God as masses of light. We worship God by lighting different kinds of lamps in the Temples. When a good sound is heard, the soul receives peace. If a good music is played, the soul receives peace and happiness. Every body knows it.

Body reacts according to the sound. If a slow melody is played, the body moves accordingly. If a sound is heard with a high volume and speed, the movements of the body changes accordingly. These are happenings through sound. In the same way, light affects soul and changes the body movements accordingly. If someone happens to see a bright light, his soul receives peace in the same way as when he hears good music. That is why, in order to worship God in the shape of light, we have the custom of lighting the lamps in our homes. Now a day, we only use the electric bulbs for illumination. In the olden days, there were only oil lamps shining in the Moolasthanams reflecting the glorious Dharshan on the face of the Deity. That vision gives a great amount of peace to the souls.

Listening to a melodious music and staring at a bright light will have the impact on the souls who happen to be present there. That is the reason why we light the lamps at home.
Deepavali is a special festival. It means a row of light. Deepam means light. Vali means row. If one wants to go somewhere during the night, he needs a light to show him the way, no matter how clever and brave he may be or even if he might have been there before. He can never reach that place safely without a light. If a man wants to achieve a good, happy and peaceful life, he needs a path, illuminated with light all the way through his life. Lights are arranged on every Deepavali, just to depict the idea that God’s grace lights the path way of every living being.

At the Sri Narayani Peedam, as usual every year, the Sree Chakra is going to be arranged with 10,008 lamps filled with ghee on Deepavali Day. What is Sree Chakra? Man has a home. In the same way God has a home. They are called Enthrams. If an Enthram is drawn properly it becomes the house of God. The Sree Chakra is special because all the powers of Sere Ambal are present in Sree Chakra. If a single lamp lights up a considerable distance, 10,008 lamps will illuminate the whole Universe.

Amma invites all of you to come and offer a lamp on the Sree Chakra with your own hands. Amma blesses all living beings of all the worlds to be happy, contented and graced.

Patience for the Grace of God - 14.11.2005

This enlightening discourse was delivered from the Divinity - Arul Thiru Sakthi Amma.

“There are millions of flowers on this earth but all of them do not have the honour and uniqueness to be offered to the Almighty. Some flowers are presented as bouquet at parties and functions. Some flowers are exchanged between lovers as a token of their love to each other. Other flowers are used for decorating coffins. Only a few varieties of flowers are used for offering to the Sacred Divinity.

All flowers are not accepted with readiness. For example, if someone offers a flower taken from a coffin, the receiver will not feel comfortable to accept it as he would feel that something bad may happen to him. But everyone will accept a flower, which is taken from a bunch offered to the Divine. Likewise, only those lives which are blessed by Amma, reach the heavenly abode with completeness.

People expect that God will grant whatever they pray for immediately. We cannot fix a time span for God. God plans perfectly and lets things happen at the most appropriate time. For example, with a case of milk, it takes one day to turn into curd. It takes two days to extract butter from the curd and four days to finally convert the butter into ghee. Therefore, in the same way, people should have the patience to wait for the grace of the Supreme Power.”

Amma blesses you all.

Sound - 20.12.2005

Sound is very important for the human life. The moment you come from your Mother, the sound that you hear directs you. Without sound it is very hard. For example, if you want to communicate with someone you need to raise that sound or if you want to act on something then you need sound. There are different levels of sound at work.

Sound has a very important role in the human life. Without sound you cannot do anything. To create action from the thoughts you are having requires communication. If you want to create action with people you need sound. If you want to learn something, you need sound.

In the human life, during the first stage of life, sound has different roles from different people. For example, if there is sound from your mother it is about kindness and it is about your care. When sound is from friends it is for your support and your courage. If sound is from your relatives it is encouraging and it will praise you. So sound from who and where, is per that. It has different roles.

For a person, if he needs to go forward in a good way then he needs to hear sound from good people; good sound which leads them to do good things. Sound is the ultimate. It is necessary for human life. All sound, whether it is from the parents, friends or relatives, (doesn’t matter), all sound connects to the physical body.

Each and every sound can create different types of emotions in the physical body. When you listen to some sounds it makes you feel happy. When you listen to some sounds it makes you cry. When you listen to some sounds it makes you dance. When you listen to some sounds it takes you back before you were 20 years old. Depending upon the sound, the physical body can create the emotions.

The body is so related to sound that if someone wants peace they just listen to such sounds. For example, when you sit in meditation and you listen to very melodious music, as per something which will help to create peace and concentration, you receive peace. When you need energy you listen to that type of music. Sound can create so many things in the physical body.

Each and every sound is related so deeply in your heart and in your mind that if you need to convey something, you need to convey it through sound. Sound is very important. All sounds, whether it’s from music or other things, is all for the physical body; emotion in the physical body. Is this enough for the human life? No Apart from the physical body, you have a soul.

For the soul, is there anything to help awaken it? To awaken your physical body there are many things and many sounds. To awaken the soul there is something called chanting.

When mother raises sound it is about care and out of kindness and love. When friends raise sound it is about courage and support. Each and every sound can help the physical form for certain reasons. For the soul, there is sound which can connect you to the divine. That sound is called chanting. It can connect you to the divine because it was raised by the divine. That is why it connects directly to the soul. Whatever the chants, and there are many chants from the Vedas and from other holy texts, when you listen to those chants it awakens your soul.

It is not really necessary for you to know the meaning of the chants. Even if you can’t understand the meaning, the vibration of the chants and the energy from the chants can communicate to your soul. It doesn’t need religion or to be in the language that you speak. The energy from the chants can communicate to your soul and it will awaken your soul, helping you to connect to the divine.

To fulfill this human birth, just the physical body and physical intelligence is not enough. Still there is something apart from that called the soul. The soul needs to connect to the divine. Then your purpose will be fulfilled. From the divine, the world is blessed to have these chants. It is a gift from the divine. There are many other gifts from the divine such as nature. Everything, each and every plant, the air, the water, all the things we are using in our day to day life, is from nature.

It is all a divine gift for the physical body. In addition to that, the chants are one of the biggest gifts for the human birth, to connect to the divine. As for the things that are for the human’s physical life, because it is from nature, it is also a path to the divine but the chants are especially for the soul.

Humans alone are blessed to hear and to feel the chants. It is first good to listen to chants. You need not listen to chants and immediately repeat the chants. Just listen. The energy of the chanting, the vibration of the chanting alone will bring all the things that you need. Later, you can choose small versions of chants to repeat, and do it in your regular practice.

When you do the chants it helps in several ways. One, for the person who is doing the chanting it will physically help them to have good health. When you say each and every word as per the vibration, there will be a reaction in the physical body. In the olden days when they did the havaan (fire prayer) when someone was sick, they would do a particular chant with the fire rituals so the vibrations of those chants would react on the physical body and in the person who listened, and would bring healing. So there are chants for each and everything including the physical body, the mind and the soul. Chants are the words and the voice of the divine.

When the mother raises the words, it is out of love. Through chanting you are hearing the words of the divine, given to the world with love and joy. You are alone blessed to listen to chanting. The meaning doesn’t matter. Each and every chant will have a meaning but just listen. The second step is then to choose a simple chant and do it in your regular prayers.

Chanting first helps the person who is chanting. Then it helps the place where you are chanting because you are creating that energy. For example, if you are chanting at your altar in your home, you will be creating energy at that altar, and the place will be filled with positive energy; divine energy. Once you have raised enough energy, you will raise it in the form of air.

Once you raise it in the form of air it becomes part of nature and you can’t control nature, so it moves to the neighbour, to the street, and beyond. So when you do chanting, it’s not just for one person or one place. It is for the world. Then, when you do the chanting with deep love and faith, you can feel the vibration of that in your soul.

Each and every chant will have a meaning and as per that meaning, as per that energy, it starts to react in the physical body and your soul, then allowing you to feel the divine in you. It is a blessing to hear those things. Other creations cannot hear them. Humans alone are blessed to listen to them. It is a gift. Apart form all the chants, slokas and suktams the best, simplest and easiest is “Om Namo Narayani”.

This is the ultimate. The meaning of the chant is, “I surrender to the Divine Mother”. Once you know the meaning, it will bring change in you and as Amma told, each and every chant can react in the physical body and bring goodness and help. It takes away tension, depression, frustration, and things of that nature. Chanting isn’t just for one thing. It is for the physical and the spiritual. It is for blessings. Humans are alone blessed. Even in that, how many of them are aware of these things? Very few, so you are all blessed. Enjoy the world; enjoy the gift that was given by the divine.

Conversions with Amma:

Devotee: Amma you say we should make the sound which can be external, I find even just thinking the mantra….

Amma: Yes, still you will connect with the divine. It is not necessary that you need to chant externally. To chant internally, still it will help. It is more powerful than chanting externally.

Devotee: Many of us have CD’s of singers doing chants. Just as we were talking earlier, with someone who does acupuncture, anyone can put a needle in but it depends upon who is putting the needle in, in terms of the effect. If we buy various recordings that have chants on them is it important that we know who is doing those chants?

Amma: In the chants the meaning is not important. The way, in how they are chanted, the pronunciation and the grammar they have; that is important for the chants. You cannot do chants like a song. There are lots of chants that are like songs. As per that, if it possible to get the proper pronunciation and grammar, it’s good. The sound is very important. The pronunciation is very important. These days there are many CD’s; each with their own style. In one way it’s good. They have lots of music and things behind them. If you want to experience the real joy in the chants it should be in the proper pronunciation and grammar.

Devotee: Can Amma speak about the chanting we do during the fire puja. I know it’s an old prayer that many Hindus do.

Amma: Very soon it is going to be in the form of a book with translations and very soon you will get that.

Devotee: Amma, I often feel like there are voices and sounds or vibrations coming from other places not necessarily coming from friends or family and not coming from chanting. How does that affect us and what are we supposed to do with those sounds and those vibrations. Sometime they come from within me, sometimes I hear them, not necessarily negative, and they don’t always come from a person or a voice and I don’t always hear them with an ear.

Amma: It’s not possible to hear all those sound. One in a million can hear those sounds from nature. You need not worry about that. Sometimes the spirit, other spirits, can raise those things. Sometimes it is meant for you and sometimes it’s not so you need not worry about it. Just leave it. Sometimes they are good. When you hear the good things you take it. When it’s not good you leave it.

Devotee: When we write new songs that are sort of like chants and put in all of our intention, how does it compare to the Vedic chanting?

Amma: Vedic chant is a big topic. It was not written by anyone. It is the breath of Amma. It was not written, it was not created, it was just found. When you write a song for Amma, or whatever you are doing, and you have surrendered to Amma, then the actions and everything will be from Amma, so it is good. You need not compare the Vedas because they were not composed or created by anyone. It was from nature. It was already there. The sages found it. It is the breath of nature.

Devotee: A bird just a moment ago was chanting. Is that chanting? Are the sounds of nature the same as a chant?

Amma: Yes, because it is one stage of seeing the divine in everything. It is love. If one reaches that stage it is their blessings; instead of closing their ears. When you love that thing, you are blessed to see the divine in everything.

Devotee: The loud bell at the time that Amma is rotating the fire in front of Narayani… what is the purpose of that?

Amma: It’s one way of creating good vibrations which are suitable for puja and it will keep the negative forces back. What do we mean by negative forces? Ignorance is the negative force. It is a form of darkness. They don’t like the lights from the lamps. They don’t like the fragrances. They don’t like the nice sounds. All of these things keep them away.

Devotee: Is there a reason why you have the animals that you, have like the elephant?

Amma: In the Vedas, in the chants it talks about Ganesha having an elephant face and Hanuman having a monkey face. The reason is to help people to see the divine in everything. That is why it’s created like that. So that everyone can love these creations, not just love themselves; but love other creations also. If it is in the name of the divine they can have more love for that. Otherwise they are just animals.

(Side Comment)
Amma: In the past when people got a snake bite they would chant and from the chants themselves they would take the poison out. Even the God of Creation called Brahma does his creating with chants.

Devotee: With the chanting, is it different for different people? It would seem that to do the fire puja with Amma’s CD would be more powerful because it is coming form Amma yet are there some people who get more from it because they are doing it themselves? Say, I was doing fire puja at home by myself, not in a group, and I have a little havaan and I am going to do the chants. I could say them myself and do the chants or I could put on Amma’s CD and do them with Amma’s CD. It would seem that it is much more powerful to use Amma’s CD than my own chants.

Amma: Yes, that is correct. Once you learn the chants with all the correct pronunciations you can do them with Amma’s CD’s. Be with the Mother.

Devotee: When you need extra support and find it hard to be joyful what do you do?

Amma: That is the time you need “Om Namo Narayani”. When there is no one for you and you feel you are alone, when you feel you need help is when you need that strength. That is when you chant. This is not just a word. It is a code of the divine which will connect to your soul. Just do that.

Amma blesses you all.

Two Types of Wishes- 12.12.2005

There are people with two types of wishes. Number one, there are people who wish to satisfy the divine and number two, there are people who expect that the divine should satisfy them. So what are these two types? Even though both have good wishes, of the two types, number one is better. If you think that the divine should satisfy all of your desires and needs, and only then you would be able to attain peace and joy, it is impossible. It is impossible because your mind will never say ENOUGH, even if the divine starts to give.

For example, if you wish for something and you buy it, your wish has been granted by the divine because your wish is that the divine should satisfy your needs and grant all of your wishes. Then, you pray for something else. It too gets granted. Again, your mind will wish for another thing and again it will be granted and again your mind will wish for another thing and again it is granted. The mind will never say enough. It will never feel it has enough because it is a human mind. Even though divine grace is with you, your wish, which is based on desire and greed, will not allow you to ever have peace or joy because it will never allow you to say enough.

There is another type of wish which is that you want to satisfy the divine. The second type of wish is significant of greed and desire, and the first type of wish is surrender; you want to satisfy the divine. This means that whatever the divine grants, you will just accept it. You will not worry about anything, you will just accept it. Once you want to fulfill the divine and once you want to satisfy the divine you are on a path of surrender. You will accept everything that is granted by the divine. In this way if you have a wish and it comes true you will be happy.

If it does not come, you will still be happy because your only wish was to satisfy the divine. Whatever comes from the divine, you will just accept. In this first type of devotion, there aren’t any upsets or sadness. You are ready to accept anything. You have surrendered your life to the divine and the divine is guiding your life. There will not be any self-wishes such as, “I need this or I need that” You may have wishes but you will not worry about the result. In this type of devotion you will always be happy, free from worry, and you will have peace and joy.

In the second type, if you expect that the divine should satisfy your wishes you are putting the divine behind in your mind, which is running; your mind is guiding, your mind is leading. When your mind leads, where is the limit? Where is the end point when it says stop? It will never say stop. It will keep running, “More. More. More”. So, on one path, even though you are receiving things, you are not satisfied. Greed is leading and desire is leading. You cannot find joy in this.

In the first path you are giving your whole life to the divine and you are putting the divine in front of you. Now the divine is leading your life. When the divine leads, you will have great joy because you are experiencing the blessings of satisfaction. This is one of the biggest blessings in the world. If someone is satisfied with what they have they then can start to give things to others. If there is a person without satisfaction, even if he has many things, he is still poor. He still needs something from someone. So satisfaction is very important in this. That is the blessing.

So in these two ways, you need to decide if you want the divine to satisfy your wish or you want to live as the divine wishes. Both happen, both are possible, but when you want the divine to satisfy your wish you will not feel satisfaction, real satisfaction, because your heart and your mind will never say enough. For this reason it is best to live as the divine wishes. This is SURRENDER. With the other type, you are leading by your desire. With this type, you are leading by the divine. In this you will have more peace and more joy. It is possible only in the human life.

Other creations have to live only with the thought of, “What way?” They can’t give their life to the divine. They don’t have those abilities. They can’t realize the divine. Those creations can’t live for their satisfaction. They may have the wish that the divine should fulfill their wishes but humans are blessed to have the capacity of realizing the divine in their life. So it is a blessing just to know that it is possible to have joy just by having the divine. You need to choose the path to wish that whatever the divine wishes is good; it’s the best. Then you will have great joy and peace.

Amma blesses you all.

Acceptance- 18.12.2005

In one village, there was a business man who was really devoted. Every day before he started his business he would go to the temple and do all of his prayers. Only then would he start all of his regular routines and business things. No matter how busy his schedule was, he never missed his prayers. So far, everything in his life was perfect.

One day, he needed to go on a business trip to another town, so, as usual, he visited the temple and asked for blessings that everything would be good for his new business venture. His business was selling salt. He would get salt from small business people and then make a deal selling the salt in wholesale. When he traveled, he carried lots of salt in big bags on bull carts.

On this day, he left early, following his morning prayers, in order to avoid the hot sun. He almost crossed half way on his journey to the new town when it started to rain very heavily. The rain was never expected. There wasn’t any symptom of the rain when he left his town but now, there was very heavy rain.

So, his business is selling salt. What will happen if the salt gets wet? At first he thought the rain would stop after an hour or two but it continued to rain. Because of the heavy downpour of rain, all of the salt that he was carrying to sell dissolved. Then his mind started to work. He started to hail on the divine, “What are you doing? I am praying so hard and you give me this? Why did you do it?”

So he went on and on throwing all of his words at the divine until he got tired. By that time it was almost evening and he then decided that it was a waste of time to pray, believing that all of his prayers did not come true. His business was now ruined because of the rain and the divine allowed the rain to dissolve all of his salts. The business man packed up all of his bags and turned his bull carts around and began to make his journey home.

He then realized that it was night and it would take too long to go to his small town so he decided that because he was nearly halfway to the new town he would stay in that town and go to his town in the morning. After crossing some distance, he saw some business people with lots of food and bull carts and things and it appeared that they had been beaten. It almost looked like they had fainted. When he saw them he was shocked. He got up from his vehicle and went over to them and asked, “What happened to you all?”

Then they asked him if he was safe. He replied that he was safe and that just his salts were dissolved because of the divine. After that the other people told him, ”Oh, you are so blessed. Just your salts are dissolved, but for us, we have come back from the town after selling all of our goods and on the way a group of robbers came and took all of our money, beat and injured us. So for you, you are better off. Just your salts are dissolved. You’re safe, but for us, we have lost our goods, are beaten and injured and we have lost all of our money. Everything is gone. You are blessed. The divine that you pray to has helped you.”

Then he realized what a stupid thing he had done. So actually, what happened to him was good. You may not know what is really going on when things happen to you. There will always be a reason behind it. Just know that and follow and accept that. When you lose faith it is very hard to get back to the same place that you were because of the guilt we feel.

If you lose faith and scold the divine it is harder to come back to the same place with the divine. It is better to be patient with whatever happens. Each and every thing will have a reason. It is not possible and not necessary to find what the meaning is for all occurrences. Just be patient when you are on the spiritual path. Be patient and accept whatever comes. The end point will always be good. Hope and have strong faith on this so that you don’t worry about all things in between. Leave it and accept it. This will allow you to have more peace and joy.

Sometimes when you expect ten, the divine may give 100. Don’t worry about things; be patient, be calm, just accept whatever comes. Wait. Wait so you don’t try to justify why it has happened. Don’t give the work to the mind. Just listen. It will help to have more peace and joy.

Amma blesses you all.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: Is it our karma that makes it happen that way Amma?

Amma: Yes, yes, yes, each and everything from the small cut in the nail to something big in the head, everything is based on karma. Your devotion and your deeds will help to reduce the concentration of the karma. So if you say that everything is going to happen as per karma then you may question; what is the point of praying? What is the point of devotion? What is the point for faith? The point of faith is, it will reduce the concentration of the karma.

Devotee: So if we stay on the spiritual path we protect ourselves; we lessen the karma so it doesn’t hurt us too much?

Amma: Yes, yes the devotion will help in many ways on the subject of karma. The main thing is that it will help in reducing the concentration of the karma and even for a small part, you will get strength and courage from your devotion and faith. All of those things you will get from devotion.

Devotee: That’s the free will?

Amma: Yes, you can say that it is free will by that time. You can just accept it like that.

Devotee: If you just say Om Namo Narayani every day is that enough or do you have to pray on top that?

Amma: That is enough. It seems that it’s very easy but it should be your breath.

Devotee: What do you mean your breath?

Amma: Whenever you breathe the air in and out, you should have the thought of chanting Om Namo Narayani, all of the time. Try your best. It doesn’t mean you stop your duties to do it. Whenever you get time you just do it.

Devotee: My second question is about orbs. When I was taking pictures at full moon puja I got these orbs. Some of them were quite large and I just wanted to hear from you and not some other people, what they are.

Amma: Amma already told, it is the energy of the chants.

Devotee: Why do they show up on some cameras and not others?

Amma: Again, karma, karma, blessings.

Devotee: I was wondering, I have heard a lot of things about Narayani, about three Goddesses in one; if you could explain a bit more. I want to hear it from you.

Amma: Why does Amma take the form, the name of Narayani? What’s the necessity? What’s the meaning of that? As everyone knows, this is the age of sin which is called Kali Yuga. Kali means sin so this is called the age of sin. When you look at the reasons for creating sin, it is humans which are creating sin in this age because of three things. One is the lack of knowledge. They don’t know what to do, which one is right, so they are creating sin by lacking in knowledge. The second is for wealth. Everyone wants the happiest life with wealth and lots of things and if they can’t achieve this they try to achieve things through other means and they create sins. The third is lack of strength.

Everyone is able to work, everyone is able to create things but everyone wants a big position or big wealth or big power without working. They don’t want to put in the effort necessary to achieve all those things. So, if someone wants all those things without putting in the effort it means he will need to do something bad, to get those things. If he doesn’t make an effort, how can he achieve the things he wants? He will go another way. The present world is creating sin in these three ways, these three reasons; lack of wisdom, lack of wealth, and lack of strength.

If the divine visits to lead the world on the path of peace and joy then the world needs to fulfill all of these three things. This is why Amma has taken the form of Narayani which is Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. As Saraswati, Amma is blessing the world with wisdom and knowledge. As Lakshmi, Amma is blessing the world with prosperity and wealth. As Durga, Amma is giving strength and energy. So that’s why Amma has taken this form in this way. Narayani means the energy or the power which exists in everything. That is what Narayani means.

Devotee: Amma last night we talked about good and bad, good people, bad people, but it seems to me that in the majority of cases it’s a combination of good and bad that people aren’t all bad and often not all good. The question that I have is, if you believe that people are basically good but you experience them as bad what is the spiritual way to approach that situation when that person does things to hurt people yet you know that person is trying to spiritually work through his or her problem.

Amma: First you just try to communicate with them what they are expecting. If they think “I am a spiritual person and what I am doing is right,” if they think like that, then try to explain to them that what they are doing isn’t exactly what you should do as a spiritual person. Instead you are creating more sin and bad karma. Try to explain this to them. If they are not listening you just leave it knowing it is their karma. At the same time, you can pray for them which will help them.

Devotee: Does it mean that once you have tried the first approach then you just go on with your life?

Amma: Yes, yes, then you leave it because you have your own duty to do.

Devotee: Amma. When you say pray for them is it our own personal concept of what prayer is or is there a structure to prayer?

Amma: Prayers. To pray mean’s that it is not really for you. When you say prayers you need not pray for yourself. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen as per karma. So what is the point of prayer? It is that you can pray for others, which will be considered a service out of unconditional love. It is not really necessary to pray for your things. When you have the time just think of the divine. This can be taken as a prayer.

Devotee: And Amma if you pray for the whole world you don’t forget anyone.

Amma: Yes, yes that is the best.

Devotee: Is Om Namo Narayani a prayer for the world as well?

Amma: Yes, because you are bring the energy into yourself and you can pass the energy into the world.

Devotee: What is the purpose of the drums and the sounds of puja?

Amma: To create good energy and, for certain sounds, the negative forces don’t like the sounds. Like the sound of the conch, the sound of the bell, and the sound of drums. The negative forces don’t like those sounds. It’s like a police siren for bad people (Lots of laughter).

Devotee: So if you feel there is bad energy in a place you just ring a bell?

Amma: Just ring and play drums until the neighbour comes and knocks on the door. (laughter)

Devotee: Amma, when we pray and we pray to God or pray to Amma and we have sort of a communication at that time, is the sound... is the vibration the communication?

Amma: Yes, it has the vibration and also the communication between your soul to the divine will also help, not just the sound. Even when you say the prayer internally it will create the energy in you.

Devotee: Is it better to pray for the world or for all beings?

Amma: Just pray for the world. That is good.

Devotee: When Amma does aarti, and spirals and circles, what is the significance?

Amma: What Amma does is the form of OM. OM is the eternal sound which exists in the world that exists in nature so that is the shape of the OM.

Devotee: Amma. As a young person, how did the intricacies of Amma’s puja’s develop? I remember going to visit Amma’s Amma’s home and seeing on Amma’s bedroom wall the drawings. I don’t know how young you were at the time but the intricacies that is Amma, how did that develop?

Amma: Whatever children have, it is from the parents. It is their karma. If you did something good then it follows to the children in the way of everything such as their intelligence, talent and things and also, it is their own karma. It is their blessings.

Devotee: Amma, what do you say to young children or some not so young, about education.

Amma: For elders, as Amma told, if they want the ultimate, the goal of the human life is doing good deeds because it is possible only in the human life. If you want to do good deeds you need to be in a good position. Only then can you do good things. What will give the good position? Recommendations? Other wealth? No. Your own intelligence, your own wisdom and knowledge will give a good position in life. You can gain all of those things through education. That is why education is there. At present everyone should concentrate on their education so then they can succeed in life by doing good deeds.

Devotee: Amma when we say Om Namo Narayani in Canada do you still hear us?

Amma: If it is not, then you wouldn’t be here today. (Laughter)

Devotee: Amma, why do you wash Narayani?

Amma: It is out of the love that you are feeling that you want to give the things that you are using for yourself. It is coming out of love that you want to express that the divine is also like you. Spiritually, it is not that when you see Narayani being washed that you are cleaning Narayani, but rather it is for love… you are conveying your love through those services.

Devotee: Amma is there some significance to the number of lamps that you do?

Amma: It doesn’t matter. Each and every lamp has significance, not numbers

Devotee: Amma some people have said that they have seen Narayani take a bite of a banana or move a hand or something. Is this true? Is Narayani alive?

Amma: As Amma told yesterday, it is their faith. It’s not that taking a piece of banana is for everyone. But at the same time, is doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened. It depends upon the faith.

Devotee: But when you see it…I remember when we were in New York you came and showed me the banana and there was a little bite out of the banana and you told me that Narayani took that little bite so, it is faith but there is a reality to it.

Amma: Yes, but only once you have the faith; with those eyes you cannot see any other things. With faith you can see only the divine accepted things. There is no second thought of how we accept it.

Everyone can go and have a good rest. Amma blesses you all.

No Need to Worry - 24.12.2005

If the divine decides to give, no one can stop it. If our wish is not in the divine’s plan, no one can change it. So, you need not to worry about the things which are not in the materialized form.

Lots of people have plans, that they need this or they need that. If it does not happen, most people get upset. Everyone will find a reason for why it isn’t happening such as, “This is the reason. He is the reason. She is the reason.” When you think like that, it creates unwanted results like jealousy and anger. It disturbs you. It is best if you can put in the efforts for your wishes and your needs but not worry about the results.

If it is in the divine’s plan, if Amma wants to give something to you, no one can stop it. It is not possible to stop it, even if someone tries to. It will not stop. It will come in front of your door. If it is not good for you, the divine does not want to give it to you. Therefore, you cannot have it. When things that you wish for do not materialize for you, don’t worry about it. Just understand it as the divine’s wish for you. That way you will have more peace.

If you start to try and find a reason for these outcomes it will disturb your soul and it will create things in you like jealousy and anger. With these types of emotions you may then find the need to take revenge in some way. That is why it is better to accept what is happening. Know it is because of your karma. All the things that come are from the divine so there is no need to worry about anything.

The problems that humans face are not really coming to the humans by way of nature’s will. It is created by the human. If there is something small that is encountered, just by worrying about it, it grows into something very big. If you keep worrying about this thing, just the worry itself will create another problem. When you say, “I am surrendered,” just live by it. This is a quality of surrender. You should not worry about anything no matter what the result.

At first, this might seem hard but when you are closer to the divine, more and more you will feel that it is very easy and very comfortable. You will have peace and you will not lose any joy in your life. So, accept whatever may come and at the same time put in the effort for your needs without worrying about the result. Sometimes, by searching for why something is not happening, the exercise of searching may help you to reconnect on the path of doing good. Just don’t worry about anything in the process.

Amma blesses you all.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: When we’re in puja, we know how to sit in puja, we know what to wear in puja, but when we’re in puja, what should we be thinking. I don’t know if I should be thinking Om Namo Narayani over and over again trying to control my mind from going back and forth on different issues. What should I be thinking?

Amma: Just, Om Namo Narayani. It should be like the CD playing…non stop. At first it seems hard but once you’ve put effort into that then you can feel the bliss in that.

Devotee: What would happen if everyone in the world chanted Om Namo Narayani… everybody… at the same time?

Amma: The world would become heaven.

Devotee: When we were in the Ghoshala last night, did you know? Did you hear us in the Ghoshala?

Amma: In your question itself, there is the answer.

Devotee: What is the relationship between the different energies, the forms that God takes in that… Amma’s energy, Christ’s energy? I know about the paths of the religion but how do the actual energies work together in the world to help people to change?

Amma: It is cyclical, the guidance for the human world. On and off there will be some energy in the form of the divine that will be in this world. Sometimes it may happen continuously and sometimes there will be little gaps. When you talk about Christ or Amma it is not to say this is the only energy. This energy is with each and every person who has become realized about themselves. They will be the medium of the divine. It need not be just an incarnation. If someone realizes the purpose of their birth, if someone is filled with and full of unconditional love, they can be the medium. They can be the instrument of the divine.

Devotee: Amma, why did Jesus say he was the only way to God?

Amma: Where is the proof of that? Did Jesus say that?

Devotee: Where’s the proof that he said that? Just the Bible.

Amma: One reason is that normally, the human mind is not very strong. It is very weak. It is in one place and if it sees something shining in another place it jumps there and from there it wants to go to another place. It keeps on jumping like that and it is unable to learn good things from any one place. In this way, sometimes it is helpful to say that you have to be here. So out of care for the human, for example, if Jesus said that, it is to focus on one path so that in this way it is easier to understand the purpose of this birth. If you are on this path forever, it means that it is easy to understand ones life. It’s easy to understand your purpose. It will give life more meaning. If you change your path every six years then, what can you learn? You can’t learn anything from many paths. You will learn a little bit from here, a little part form there, and when it’s all mixed together, and you try to understand, it will be very hard because each and every path will have different techniques.

The ultimate goal may be one, but the way of handling it may differ. Take for example, doctors. There are different types of doctors with different ways of giving care. Even though they are giving the same pills and medicine, there are different ways of administering it. Some doctors will say that they never give shots and some doctors will give shots straight away. It’s like that.

So, you still need to check whether the words are from Jesus, and if it is like that, the reason is to help the human to focus on one path. If a human says that if you are on the path of Jesus then you have to be here, then you may not go there. If the message is delivered in this way, the human may say he wants to choose but, if it is said to be the word from Jesus, then he believes that he should be there because it came from the divine. So, in this way it helps him to focus on one path. That is the reason for it.

Devotee: In Catholicism we hear a lot about hell and Amma has spoken about hell in the past too, but in my adult life I have imagined that hell didn’t actually exist. Could you speak to us a little bit about what hell is and if it is true? Does it exist?

Amma: Once the soul leaves the physical body, as per its karma, it needs to take birth again. So, until the next birth, during the in-between time, the place where you are is called hell or heaven. If you did something good during your life time then, until you take the next birth, you will be in heaven. If you did some things that were bad, until you take the next birth, you will be in hell. Hell really has no meaning. It is your thoughts and your negative energy that you have created here. It will walk ahead of you and wait for you there and you will feel those things. So that is hell and heaven.

Devotee: I think that the three religions like Hinduism, Judaism and Islam were probably born more or less at the same time. They all speak of different gods so is it the same god and just to a different form because there wasn’t organized religion back then?

Amma: There is just one, just like there is one sun and one moon. God is one energy; but this energy takes different forms based on nature. With religion; what’s the purpose of religion? Religion helps people to do good things. It leads the people on a path of peace and joy. Each and every religion, along with giving messages, will also have it own rituals and the rituals are based on nature in that part of the world.

Rituals in different places are not always possible to do elsewhere, such as in America. For example, in Hinduism, you need to get up early in the morning at four o’clock and have a bath in the cold water. Then you have to sit and do your meditation. It is not possible to have this as a practice for the whole world. First of all it’s very hard for many to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning. This is the biggest problem. Taking a bath in cold water is also not so desirable to those who are living in the United States. So the rituals of the religion depend upon nature. The divine, itself, creates different forms and, as per that form, religion is formed and, through this method, guides the world.

Devotee: Does divinity reincarnate as divinity?

Amma: It depends. If you need the divine again and again… if you have not changed (laughter) it depends. Normally, it doesn’t happen in continuation for each and every age, each and every Yuga. There will be one form.

Devotee: So, is it part of the same energy?

Amma: Same, same, same, as per the need. Why Amma has taken this incarnation, in the name, Narayani, is because there are three main qualities lacking in the world. Because of that, Amma has taken this form. It depends upon the need of the world and what things are being created, that the same energy takes different forms.

Devotee: If Narayani is a goddess, why not take the form of a woman rather than a man, because, when you meet Amma for the first time it’s a bit confusing.

Amma: Incarnation is very familiar in Hinduism. In other religions, it is not in their system. In Hinduism it is very familiar so there are many incarnations that have come to save the world over the time period of several Yuga’s. Because of this familiarity, it is easy to incarnate in this religion so that, straight away, you can start your work for the world. If the incarnation was to occur in America or Australia, just to give proof that this is an incarnation, would take a whole life time. Just to explain and bring that understanding would take lots of time. If it is in this culture, it is easy, because the people are use to this. Straight away, once you arrive, you can start your work.

The reason why Narayani is in this form is because this particular religion is within a traditional culture so, if Amma was in the female form then, as per the Hindu culture, it would be very difficult to be alone. You would need to be dependent on someone and it would be very difficult to leave. In India, if you are a girl, you need to be dependent on someone, as dictated by the culture. If Amma had taken that form and Amma then become exposed as Narayani, it would be difficult for Amma to do what is needed. Amma would always need to get permission from the home for all things. If Amma wanted to go to the United States Amma would need to get two visas, one from the embassy and one from home. (Laughter)

Devotee: When we are praying to you in our home countries can you explain how you receive those prayers or how you experience those prayers and how we communicate with you when we are away from you?

Amma: There are words in the Vedas that state that the thing that you are thinking: you will become like that. When you think about Amma, which is nature, and the place where you are doing the prayer, which is also part of nature, Amma will be there in the form of nature. When you do the prayers from the depth of your heart, the nature in that place itself, takes the form of Amma and it will bless you.

Amma blesses you all.

The Rusty Iron - 27.12.2005

There are people who are doing bad things. Why are they doing bad things even though they know it is bad? You can’t say that everyone is doing bad things out of ignorance. Few do this out of ignorance but many people do bad things even though they know it is bad. What is the reason? Why are they doing that? Even when they know it is bad why are they doing bad things? The bad things they are doing, they feel, are for others. They feel that it is not hurting or bringing harm to them so they don’t feel any hurt or harm from their deeds.

What they feel is that if they have done something bad to others, the other people are the ones who are getting hurt and feeling the pain. Because of this, they don’t feel any pain. They think, “What’s wrong with doing bad? It is not creating anything bad for me. It’s not creating any pain for me. If I am bad, someone else is going to suffer.” Because of this concept, people are continue to do bad things.

Is this way of thinking correct when you have bad habits or when you do bad things? Does it really hurt only others? No. This is not true. Take for example, rust which is created from iron. It is bad. Gradually when you leave the rust as it is, the rust itself will eat away the iron. It is created from the iron. When you are not taking care and you find that there is rust, the same rust will eat the rest of the iron. Likewise, when you have bad qualities, these characteristics will create a path of action that, if you do not change, will not only hurt or harm others but, like the rust, will destroy the iron from where it started. The same bad qualities will destroy the person who was the creator of them.

There is a saying in Tamil; if someone takes a knife in his hand, he will have a stake in that knife itself or be tempted to use it. Bad qualities will create a bad path for that person also. It is not just bad for others. It is also bad for the person. When you have good qualities it works in reverse; it is good for you. When you have bad actions, it is bad for others and it is bad for you. This is the nature of bad qualities. Whether it is bad or good, if you throw a ball on the wall it will bounce back. Whatever you are creating, it will come back to you.

Many people are not aware of this. They think that if they do something bad they will remain happy and only others will get hurt and experience pain. What is the problem with that? It will come back in another way, in another form.

Keep the mind filled with good qualities, good thoughts. This is very important to human life. A spiritual life is the best way. Do good. Be good.

Amma blesses you all.

Two Types of People - 17.12.2005

Generally when we talk about people, we split them into two categories. First, we say they are good people, otherwise, we say they are bad people. What are the cues we see that give recognition of good or bad?

First, what does it mean to be a good person? When someone creates happiness for others, it is good. Then what is bad? When someone hurts others for their happiness, then it is bad. So this is how the world sees people and gives people the name of good or bad. What about the person who is in the middle? These people are saying that they don’t want to do good things and at the same time they don’t want to do bad things. So what does this mean?

The present world is full of negative forces so when you are not trying to be good, even if you don’t have the intention to do something bad, the negative energy will welcome you to its spot. There isn’t any option to be good without doing good. You should have the intention that you want to be good. Only then can you be good.

Why is it necessary that every human should be a good person? Why is there that condition? Why can’t we live how we want? Like humans, there are so many creations in the world; animals, birds and many creations, yet when we talk about animals we are not saying that this is a good animal or this is a bad animal. It is just an animal. That is it. There aren’t any qualities of good and bad attributed to it. So, to be an animal means to be an animal. It has the same character and will continue to have the same character always. It can’t think about being gentle or being merciful or being pious.

There is no ability or possibility of being good. The nature of the creation itself is like this. All of those creations in the world are just for survival. There isn’t any goal for those things. They are here just for survival. Because we are not expecting any good qualities from those creations and they can’t do anything different from what they are, they don’t have the ability to do something good because they cannot think about good. They don’t have such wisdom. Animals are animals, whatever the creation.

When you talk about humans there is the expectation that he be good or bad. Why is there that expectation? Why can’t we live like other creations? Why does the world expect that everyone should be good? This is because humans alone are blessed to be good. Humans alone are blessed to create happiness for others. Out of that you can have joy. For example, if we have a cow then definitely we have the expectation to have milk because we know that the cow gives milk.

Like this, out of all creations, humans can be good. That is why there is the expectation that he should be good. Not only that, it is the blessings of the human birth. Because of these expectations, on and off there will be an incarnation into the world to lead the people on the path of peace and joy and to show them how to be good. When you say you are good, it means that you should have the capacity to create happiness for someone.

So, what are the qualifications to know ourselves? How do you come to know that you are doing good or bad? Good is the happiness that you have created for others. That is the good. You need to do this because it is only possible for you. It is not possible for any other creation. It is only possible in the human life. If we want to be good, why is it not possible to just live as a good person? Why does everyone need a spiritual path? What is the necessity of that?

Is it not possible to be good without a spiritual life? Sometimes, when you have lots of good karma, it is possible. Generally, it is very hard to be good because you will then become the middle man. You are not in the ‘good’ you are not in the ‘bad’. You are in the middle. This means that you will then definitely be in the bad because of the energy around you. The world is full of the negative and it wants you there. It will divert you.

So, the necessity of the spiritual path is to engage oneself in good thoughts and out of that to create good actions, and out of that to feel joy which is divine love. Then it is easiest to be good. Lots of people think spirituality is full of strict laws which will not allow us to enjoy the world. It’s not true. Spirituality is something which will teach about real life, real joy and real happiness. That is the blessing. That is the gift.

If someone is on the spiritual path it is the gift of their life. Once you are there you can forget about everything. When you surrender, the force of what you have surrendered in itself leads your life onto the path of peace and joy. The spiritual life will create a commitment between you and the divine. Spirituality is about having good thoughts. Once you say you are on the spiritual path it means that the first thing you are doing is starting to think about the divine. The moment you start to think about the divine is the moment you are leaving the bad thoughts behind. Thought is the main cause for all actions.

If you have good thoughts then you will have good actions. If you have bad thoughts then you will have bad actions. Thoughts are the main thing. Gaining wisdom about life, learning about the divine, knowing about the purpose of this life… the mixture of all of these things is having a spiritual life. Just by entering into that, your life will have more meaning. Having a spiritual life has the most worth. It is a blessing.

So, there are three main things. One is; what is good? When you create happiness for others that is good and when you hurt others for your happiness that is bad. Second thing is; why do you want to be good? Why is it necessary to be good? The answer is because only you (humans) can be good. For other creations, even if it thinks that it wants to be good, it is not possible. For the tiger for example, with the face and the structure of the physical body, even if the tiger thinks, “From today onwards I want to be gentle with everyone“, who will be ready to be with the gentle tiger? No one will be ready.

It’s possible only for humans to be good so that is why there is the expectation. Once you have said you are a human you must be good. The third thing is that; it is really important to be on a spiritual path to be a good person. It is guidance for you. The spiritual path will lead you to the divine. It will teach you things. You will know about reality. When people are not on a spiritual path the things they think are reality, are not really reality.

When you say ‘reality’ it means it should follow you wherever you go. It should follow you forever. Then it is reality. For example if you take the person who is not on the spiritual path, for him, what is reality? What will be his reality? His power and wealth will be the reality for him. Will it follow him wherever he goes? No. Either he will leave it one day or it will leave him. What is the point of that reality? What is the point of thinking, ‘That is mine.’ If it’s yours, it should be with you forever. It should follow you wherever you go. Either it’s sending to you or you are losing it. So what is the reality here?

It is the joy that you will have and the happiness that you are making. All the things you will learn from a spiritual life will make life more worthwhile. Many people think that if they enter into a spiritual life that they will not be a good boss. They will not be strict enough. It is not true. You will know the righteousness of the business, the righteousness of the duty. It will create more purpose in your life. Your life will have more worth. So, it is a blessing to do good things and it is possible only in the human life.

So there are three main things:
• First, you need to be good so you know what goodness is
• Second, you need to be good because only you (human) alone can be good.
• Third, to be good you need some process.

Let’s take for example, some wheat flour. With wheat flour, the thing that you are creating with it depends on the person who is working with the wheat flour. For example, if she has the wheat flour, she can make a nice pizza. For the same flour, if he has the flour, he can make a doll out of it. If the purpose of the wheat flour is to make something to satisfy their need to fill their stomach; then when it reaches to the person who doesn’t know how to handle that flour; the whole thing becomes a mess. If it goes to the right person then he will know how to utilize the wheat flour and he will creates things to fill the need.

Humans are like wheat flour or clay. It depends upon where you are. If it is with nice artists’ hands, the clay will be made into a beautiful form. The same clay if sent to a factory, would make a brick; just one brick among a million bricks. You need to hand yourself over to the one who which will create more worth and purpose to your life. This should be the divine because the divine is the most talented one. The divine is the biggest artist.

So when you give this clay or this flour to the divine it will create more joy, peace and happiness to the world. That is the purpose of why one should lead a spiritual life. You will have more meaning to your life. Without it you will live but you won’t know how to live. That is not the purpose of the human life. It should be different from other creations. It should create joy. This is possible when you are in the right place to the right person.

So in that way you are all blessed. Amma thinks that you are all with the right artist! Enjoy yourself. Think about the blessings that you have. Know that there are other people searching for their reality, fighting for the things which are not true. Still, there are other people who are searching for the quench their thirst and fulfill their hunger for wisdom. They will be there when the karma comes. You are all blessed. From 6 to 60 are here. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy yourself. Not just by listening but by trying to follow.

Listening to things creates knowledge so that when you do the implementation; the experience of the implementation becomes wisdom. Just knowledge alone is not enough. Wisdom is the practical experience. If someone said something is like a sweet you can just imagine the sweet but you’re really not sure that you have had the sweet. You try to have the sweet by practically experiencing it. This is what you do with all of the messages that you learn from Amma. It is not just to hear but to follow. Then you will feel the next step which is the joy in doing. Just listening is a blessing but don’t stop there. Go further. Try to find more joy; try to find the real purpose of this life.

Amma blesses you all.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: This conversation came up at Peedam today actually, and some of us were talking about good and bad and about people who appear to be very good and on a very high spiritual path and people where something happens to them and some crack in their faith and the demons come in and take over that person.

Amma: When you think that demons come and spoil people, you will have fear and the rest of the people will also have fear. Take it in this way. After you enter into a spiritual life, many people will come with different wishes. For some people their wish will be granted. For someone else it would bring change and for some it would seem like the worst has happened. But it is not the worst that happened. Think of it as a transformation. Whatever happens, it is for the good. Accept it like that; it will help to stay on the path and to have more faith. If you think something is going to happen and demons are going to come and disturb you it will create fear. Don’t think like that. Accept whatever happens.

Normally the human mind feels that if their wish is granted they have received a blessing and when it doesn’t come true they think they are not blessed. This is not true. You are still blessed even if it is not the outcome your desire. You don’t know what would have happened to you if your wish had been granted. There may have been something bad that was avoided. Just accept whatever comes; accept it as good so you can be very comfortable on your path. It helps to have more energy and strength in your faith.

Devotee: What is our responsibility though, when you see this happening to someone else?

Amma: Just pass on the message that whatever happens, happens for the good. Just three months back Amma gave a discourse about prayers. There is a person who is a very great devotee and who does many good things but he has one small thing on his mind, He is praying from the depth of his heart but still feels things are not coming true for him. Whenever he wishes for one thing, something happens.” He has not realized so far that whatever happens happens to him for good.

So, to teach the lesson, the divine appears in front of him and the divine says, “Whatever you think, it will now happen.” He was not a very rich man, he was in the middle, so the moment he received the blessing he wanted to test the blessing so he said,” I need a big bungalow, a big mansion” So, a minute later there was a big bungalow. The house that he lived in changed into a big bungalow with many rooms filled with many things.

So then he said, “Before it was a small house and I alone was able to maintain it. Now the house is very big. I need some people to maintain and do the cleaning.” So after that, there were 20 people in their uniforms saying, “Sir, we are here at your service.” He was very happy. He used to eat simple food. So he said, “I have a big mansion with lots of people why can’t I have some nice food?” Suddenly there were different types and varieties of foods on the table and he had a very nice meal.

Normally he slept on the floor and now he had double cushions on the bed and everything. When he went to bed he was lying there thinking about how much his life had changed. He was thinking of all of the things of the past and things of the present and finally had a thought. “What would happen if suddenly five or six demons come and they kill me?” The moment he had the thought, the demons came and they killed him.

After that his soul left his body and went to the divine and said “Divine, what you have done? You gave me everything and then finally you gave this!” The divine answered that there was truth in his words. “I have given everything that you need but you have asked for the things that you want. What you wanted is this. This is why you are here. If you had left your life to me, in your small house, then you would have had more peace and joy. You thought that your prayers were not being granted and your wishes were not being granted. I followed you for a little while and it created this scene.”

So life is like that. You don’t know if the things you wish for are definitely necessary for you. The mind says, “I need this. I need that” but it is not sure how much of it is really necessary. It is better to not try to justify all things. Do the best you can and don’t worry about the result. You can have good thoughts. You can have wishes and good prayers but whatever comes, accept it. Don’t worry about everything. Just accept them so that you will have peace forever. The human mind cannot be satisfied with its needs until it has the thought of satisfaction; until it has the thought of ‘enough’. This means you will never be in peace. Leave your life to the divine; then you will have more peace and joy.

Devotee: Amma, what about with surrender, when you want to surrender more. You say leave it to the divine and just accept what you have but with surrender and wanting to open your heart.

Amma: People have said that just by saying the words, “Oh Amma”, that is surrender but it is when you follow, that the struggle begins. It seems to be a problem yet it is not. It is a process. In the first stage it seems like it is very hard but once you enter into that, once you have strong faith in the karma or you realize that whatever comes, you are responsible for, that in itself will reduce the concentration of the pain. Then you will have the second thought. What do I need to do to overcome this?

Once you feel that your bad deeds have created bad things you will want to do good and you will have the thought that if I need to do good then I should do good. In addition to that, the best way to create the energy of positive thoughts in whatever happens, and the best way to accept things in a positive way is to have positive energy. How is it possible? Just three words (group responds) “Om Namo Narayani”. Just three words! Just do it!

Devotee: Sometimes, very often in the world, you see people who are either neutral or bad but they are successful and have continuous success.

Amma: They have a past account that is good. They have lots of balance there. Once it is finished then the new book will open (laughter).

Devotee: In this life or in another life?

Amma: It depends on how much balance they have in their account and how much they are spending.

Devotee: I heard someone say that you had said years ago that Amma’s 30th birthday will be a big turning point. I’m wondering if that is true and what is the significance of turning 30?

Amma: Turning point is a dimension.

Devotee: I think it was someone who said that after thirty there will a turning point.

Amma: So if Amma’s devotees are all having a turning point it means then that it is the turning point for Amma. (laughter)

Devotee: So is it our tuning point?

Amma: Actually, maybe Amma may have mentioned that by the 30th the Sripuram will be ready which can give the message of peace and joy to the world in a big way.

Devotee: I think that what also happens is that for humans 30 means something.

Amma: You are getting older (laughter)

Devotee: It means even more than that for a human. For a human all kinds of responsibilities take place. So the human values what we put on the age of 30.

Amma: But for the human you are having the responsibility at 30 only. Amma has already started this responsibility from the age of 16 itself. It’s not really necessary that Amma needs to take something new from 30. What Amma has now is already lots.

Devotee: Amma is it true that we are coming out of Kali Yuga and maybe into a golden age or a spiritual age amongst humans. Is it a birth of a new world on earth?

Amma: For example, in the home if there are five kids, all the four are doing good but the younger one is very weak in the studies and other things. So the nature of the mother is to always worry about the kid who is not having enough and who needs more. So, in all of the Yuga’s, Kali Yuga seems very weak. Why some say that it is the golden age means that because of it is a weak time it attracts the divine to the world in the form of incarnations so that out of that it can receive guidance. You are having this privilege more than others. This means that sometimes being bad is good.

Devotee: Are things going to change a lot?

Amma: Yes, yes.

Devotee: People will be kinder to each other?

Amma: If you want to change the world you need not to look for the group of people. If you start, if you change, the world will change because every individual is the world.

Devotee: Amma, is love and good the same thing?

Amma: Once you have the good then you will have the love. It is collective. Good is something which will create happiness for others. Once you want to do something to help others, means you are experiencing love. Both are the same.

Devotee: Is Amma the first and only incarnation of Narayani. My question really is…this is really so hard to express…do avatars incarnate as other avatars prior to this avatar? Do you know what I mean? Divine lineage.

Amma: Answer is… you want to know if there is any other avatar in the world that any other came as or are going to come as?

Devotee: Not exactly, it is clear that many of us know Amma from other times and that there are family relationships, many different family relationships, people who have known Amma or people who have been with Amma, which tends to make the human mind believe that we must have known Amma at some other time.

Amma: In some other form. Yes, yes, yes. Not in the name of Narayani.

Devotee: So Amma was in some other form and we were with Amma in some other form.

Amma: Yes, yes, yes.

Devotee: We had another form too then?

Amma: Of course. That is why you are here.

Devotee: Amma, if I’m in kindergarten or maybe nursery school, on my spiritual path, so many things have changed in my life. I can only speak personally…

Amma: Do you think that kindergarten is a very low stage in the spiritual path? That is the best stage because there is no chance to create sin. That is the best stage.

Devotee: But when you start to experience some kind of joy and some kind of surrendering in the true way, the spiritual way, sometimes I get a little confused between having a new confidence in myself, knowing a little more of my truer self and my ego, because it’s new for me. How do I discern the difference? Sometimes I think it’s good to feel good about myself and then sometimes I wonder if I feel too good about myself or am I being too arrogant? I find it a little tricky every once in a while.

Amma: The answer is the same. When you want to make the right justification, when you want to make the right choice how is it possible? Which is the one the divine wants? The answer is, just create more of the energy of the divine in you so it will reflect in your words, your thoughts and your actions, which again is just three words, Om Namo Narayani.

Devotee: Amma, you do at least three or more puja’s a day. We do maybe one. Not always. The more puja’s we do, will it lead us into more of a spiritual path?

Amma: It will connect you closer to the divine, closer to Amma. In that way you can feel that Amma is not apart from you but that Amma is in you.

Devotee: Amma, is there a specific good that each of us is meant to be doing or is there free will to choose any path or is there some path that is destined for us or that we are meant to find?

Amma: Lots of people with this question will escape from doing good deeds by Saying, “I don’t know which is my path and I don’t know what to do”. You just do the thing from where you are. If you are the chairman of the company you do good things there if you an artist you try to bring a good message to the world, if you are a singer you try to give a good message to the world. So it doesn’t mean that you need to search. Just do the good deeds that you can from the position that you are in.

Devotee: Amma, when you make a choice and then, say that the choice turns out that it wasn’t the right choice, is that part of your karma; your destiny?

Amma: Yes, yes. As Amma told, if you accept the reaction, that in itself will reduce the pain. When you blame it on others, it seems you will have huge pain but when you feel that you are responsible for that, you will accept that as your karma and you will receive tolerance.

Devotee: Amma. I have a practical question which isn’t like me but, garden murtis, the marble garden murtis. Were they supposed to be brought inside for the winter?

Amma: It’s your love. For someone they feel it is crazy to take all of the statues in because it is too cold. For you it is your love so it is good. The divine is a form of faith. If you have faith in something and if you feel this is divine, that this is Amma then it is Amma. So it may be anything food, mud, gold, anything.

Devotee: How about everything.

Amma: That is best.

Devotee: Does karma also work for a whole country like in countries that are at war struggling in trying to reach peace?

Amma: It’s the energy of the country, the energy. All natural disasters and things are not just because of one. It is the energy of the whole place. Like if you throw a ball on the wall it will bounce back. It is the same. Karma that is being created will bounce. When lots of people leave the righteous path and are going the wrong way, their energy of ego, jealousy, anger, and lust will bounce back in the form of things like natural disasters.

Devotee: Amma the animal ‘dolphins’, sometime they do good deeds or save peoples lives. Is that a choice or is that something they do?

Amma: It is just doing. It is not out of the realization of doing good. It is their nature. It doesn’t feel that it is doing something good. It is just its nature.

Devotee: Don’t some sages take the form of animals?

Amma: Yes, angels and sages.

Devotee: Dolphins seem so joyous and happy all the time. Are they experiencing that or is that just their nature?

Amma: No. As Amma told, creations other than humans can have happiness. They cannot experience joy, only happiness.

Devotee: Is it more important to connect with the divine or do good action?

Amma: Is it necessary to take water when you are having a meal? You cannot take a meal without water. If you create one the other will be created. They are related to one another. You cannot focus on one. If you talk about wanting to give unconditional love the moment you said unconditional love it means you are sharing. So it means that you are helping. You cannot create unconditional love without helping or sharing so it’s related.

Devotee: Amma, do you create what you fear?

Amma: Your guilt is the fear. Yes. When you are on the right spiritual path there will be fear for different reasons. If you add fear on a spiritual path, sometimes out of this fear you will not do bad things. Mostly, when you are on the spiritual path, if you have fear, it is the fear of doing the bad things.

Devotee: So guilt would be for not doing good things?

Amma: The first is creating something bad or if you have not done your duty. Once you know this is wrong and you still do something, it will create guilt.

Devotee: Amma, in a discourse, Amma explained that the spiritual life helps us to really experience joy in this life, then, it feels like, as that surrender deepens the things that made us happy no longer makes us happy any more. Or fulfilling the desires as much, doesn’t make us as happy any more and then, when you look out at spiritual teachers and spiritual masters, you see the path of renunciation, is it an eventual process that everyone is going to have to renounce the material world and the physical world when taking on God consciousness?

Amma: Until you feel the reality, the materialistic world seems to give happiness and joy. Once you realize the real joy, which is the divine in you, then the rest of the things will disappear. So, the answer is, once you find the reality, your heart will always seek that joy. It will not worry about the other things. When you have this feeling you are in the process; you are on the right track.

Everyone can go and have a good rest.

Prayers - 22/12/05

Prayers, what does it mean?

There are different ways of praying. Usually when people pray they are in trouble. Another type is to pray when you need the divine to grant you things. There are different types of prayers. When you pray, you are usually not just asking for things; you are not just asking for help. Often there may be some rituals performed like chants or a song along with the prayers.

What is the point to all of this? What is the necessity? Why do you need to do these things? If you can get your grants fulfilled by the divine, if your wishes are fulfilled, why can’t you just ask the divine directly? Why do you need to go through the process of chanting and singing songs about the divine? If you can understand the meaning of the chants or the songs, you will see that the process is about praising the divine. It always praises. These rituals speak about how great the divine is; how grand and big and the best.

Typically, when something goes well or is fulfilled, or when something that is needed is given, then praise to God is given. Actually, praising the divine isn’t really like that. First, come to know about the divine; who is the divine? Who is Amma? What is the divine? First, come to know about that. Second, through the process of praising, you will have the confidence to know that you are in the right place and therefore you will definitely get help. When you praise the divine, you will get the confidence and the courage that, “Yes, I am in the right place.”

When you have a problem, when you are in trouble, and you seek help, you will go to the person who can satisfy your needs or who can solve your problems. If you have the confidence that, “Yes, I have this problem and this person can fix it”; you will only go there to fix it. It’s like this when you praise the divine.

First it will help you to realize the divine. You are not just asking for something from that which you cannot see and from that which you cannot hear. Just through praise, you come to know that there is a force that is beyond everything, which can help. In this way it will bring confidence. Each and every prayer contains praises to the divine. No matter what religion it may be; prayers always tell the divine: “You are the supreme. You are everything. You are nature”. This is to bring more confidence and faith.

Once you have faith you can succeed in everything. It does not matter if it is in business, in your job, in your spiritual life or in your personal life. It doesn’t matter what it is, you need faith. When you have faith, only then will it help you to have the necessary concentration for you to fulfill the things in your life. If there isn’t any faith then you cannot concentrate and if there isn’t any concentration then you cannot reach your goal.

To have concentration you need faith. If you need faith, you should know about: Who are you approaching? Who is that person? What kind of gift does he have to give to you? Knowing all of these things helps. That is why all of the chants end with Namostute, Namaha; words like that, which speak of surrender to the divine.

Before this, the chants always tell about the beauty of the divine, the mercy of the divine and the power of the divine. Then, at the end you have words such as, “I surrender to you so please take care of me.” This will create confidence. It will bring courage to you. Then it is easy to feel that you are in the right place and knowing definitely, that you will get what you need or definitely the problem will be solved.

This is the purpose of prayer. As Amma told, first there are several ways of praying. The best way is just offer your praises and not ask for anything. Does the elephant ask for its food? Does the mosquito ask for its food? No! All of creation is getting its food without asking, not aware of prayer to the divine but still receives everything it needs.

So in this way, it’s not really necessary to ask. It’s not bad to ask the divine; but the best is just your praise. Whatever you are experiencing is from your karmas and whatever you are going to experience is from your karmas. So when things are going to happen due to your karma means you need not worry about needing this or needing that.

The time that you have for prayers will probably be very short. It’s not possible for everyone to have a lot of time in their schedule, so utilize that time just to pray. It’s the Mother so you can ask. Gradually the faith must develop to the point of knowing that the divine can provide all that you need and it is really not necessary to ask the divine for anything. You need to come to that stage. This means that you have much more love for the divine. This is the purpose of prayers. Prayers are needed, not just to ask for things but to praise the divine and out of that you will have more strength, courage and confidence.

Amma blesses you all.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: Why do we get tested in our faith?

Amma: Sometimes there may be some interruptions on the spiritual path. Many people may think that they have faith and they already have strong feelings and are in a place of surrender, until they have a problem. They may have the thought “I have surrendered! I have surrendered!” When there is a problem only then do they realize that there is still a long way to go for them reach surrender.

So sometimes the tests will help to teach you where you are on the path of surrender. The test always helps, it’s not to harm or hurt. It will bring the lessons to you as to where you are on the path of surrender; whether the word of surrender is just in the form of the word or whether it’s really happening in your life. When these tests come you can understand these things; so it is good to have tests of faith.

Devotee: Is it always our thoughts and our intentions that set the test?

Amma: The first stage is when you say, “I surrender and I accept that the divine will take care of everything”. What are the things that cause these tests? One is impatience. If you need something immediately that you ask for, and you don’t have the patience to wait and see what the divine will give you. You create the test. The second thing is desires; desires which you can also sometimes call greed; but the main thing is impatience. You need patience the moment you say “I’ve surrendered”. You also need patience because whatever you need the divine knows what it is and when it is the right time for you to receive it. You just need patience. Sometimes qualities like impatience and desires in humans create the tests of faith.

Devotee: When you are dressing Goddess Narayani and the lovely cow (Indrani) and decorating them with flowers and jewels and clothes, what is it symbolizing and what are you feeling when you are doing it?

Amma: It’s love. It’s your love. If you keep on saying to someone I love you, I love you, I love you; means they will get bored one day. You are saying the same words for a long time. You need to show your love in some form. If you are giving a rose; it does not mean that the person can’t buy the rose. If you offer a sweet it does not mean that the person can’t buy the sweet. You are conveying your love in the form of these things, so it is your love.

The puja to the divine is done to convey your love and to offer your love. It does not mean that these are the things that are really necessary for you to get divine blessings but it brings joy for you when you show your love in the form of these offerings.

Devotee: Is the divine and all of nature and the universe infinite? Does it go on forever? Or are there boundaries?

Amma: There is no need to have even a small doubt in it. It is infinite. Even the scientists and the science talk about the world being this big and have so many planets; so many stars; it is still only a tiny part of it. There are still many things undiscovered; no one can measure. No one can measure the limit of the divine; so it’s always infinite.

Sanithiyam - Full Moon Discourse 12/02/06

In every town, village or city there are lots of temples and places of worship. We can almost say that there is hardly a place without a temple. It can be Lord Ganesh, Lord Vishnu or a Devi temple, but all the temples do not get the same number of devotees or the recognition. There are some temples that have a lot of devotees and grand rituals. These temples may not even have time to do their regular rituals like Nivedyam (Feeding of God) as there are always large crowds waiting for the deity’s dharshan (blessings).

At the same time there are temples without any devotees or even without the basic rituals being performed. It is only the temple and the deity. When all the Gods are the same, why is it that a few temples get a lot of recognition, become famous and get crowds of devotees and the others don’t? The reason for this difference is those temples where the devotee’s prayers are answered attract a larger number of devotees. People like to go to the temple where they get solutions to their problems and relief from their sufferings. Apart from that these temples have divine power and energy which increases the number of devotees and makes the temple become more recognized, grand and decorated.

In Sanskrit, this divine power and energy is called Sanithyam. A temple gets this Sanithyam when the temple follows all the rituals and procedures as per the Vedas (sacred Hindu, Sanskrit texts). The temple is cleaned everyday, Abhishekams (sacred baths of the Gods) and Nivedyams are performed regularly. The Vedas are chanted in a timely fashion and the yagams (fire prayers) are performed as per the vedic specification.

When this divine Sanithyam is present in the temple, there is Akarshanam (divine power to attract) in the temple. That is why the devotees come to the temple where there is this divine Akarshanam. The devotees are happy that their prayers are answered. They get relief from their suffering and a solution to their problems. They feel blessed as they enjoy the peace and happiness for having come to the temple and had dharshan from the deity. This in turn makes the temple crowded, famous and grand.

The divine energy is not restricted to temples only; the divine Sanithyam can also be present in our homes. In a temple, Sanithyam is present because of the regular cleaning, vedic chanting, abhishekams etc. In the same way this divine Sanithyam can be present in our homes too. Those homes where the ladies get up early in morning, clean the house, light a ghee or oil lamp in their puja room or on their altar, ring the divine bell, chant the Vedas or God’s name, sing songs or bhajans in praise of God and use good words; the divine power and energy fills that home. In other words the home is filled with the divine Sanithyam.

When we go to a temple we have peace of mind and a sense of happiness; in the same way a home with the divine power and energy; will have peace, happiness, good health, wealth and prosperity. It is not necessary for only the women of the home to do everything to bring Sanithyam. Any one or all the family members together can bring the divine power and energy and if done as a family it brings more benefits. Apart from the cleaning, chanting, etc. one must also do service and give donations to the needy to get further benefits.

There is a saying “Every action is the reflection of your thoughts”. If man has good thoughts, then those good thoughts by themselves will make him do good deeds and actions. There will be sakthi (divine energy) around him and every thing that happens to him will also be good. Nothing bad will happen to him.

If in any family or home, if there are some health problems or financial troubles or decline in business, delay in marriage or hindrance in good things happening, we say that there is some thing wrong in that family or in that home. This is because the home is filled with the energy of Jheshta Devi. Jheshta Devi is a form of Moodevi, which is the opposite form of Mahalakshmi.

A home is filled with the negative energy of Jheshta Devi, if the house is not cleaned daily or if there are unwashed clothes or where there is use of bad words in the family and where people have bad thoughts. When Jheshta Devi’s energy fills the home one will always want to sleep and be lazy or one will not like to do one’s duty, job or work.

To fill a home with peace, happiness and joy we should have the blessings of Mahalakshmi in our homes. To bring this blessing to our homes one must do regular puja and keep the homes clean. The homes should have auspicious sounds like the chants and songs of God. The homes should have good smell like flowers, incense etc. Our thoughts must be good and we must also go to the places where good deeds are performed; for example attend yagams.

If a yagam is performed in our homes it gives ten times the benefit. The same when performed in the puja room it gives one hundred times the benefit and if performed in a temple gives one thousand times the benefit. The temple gives us more benefits because the Sanithyam power and energy is greater there. This gives more blessings and strength to those attending the yagam.

A person must have all the three good aspects like good thoughts, good actions and good deeds. When he has the three, everything that happens around him will be good and all the negativity will be removed from around him. To have the good aspects he should have Amma’s divine blessings. To get divine blessings he should have the divine’s grace. And to get the divine’s grace he should do regular pujas, keep his place clean, chant God’s name and the place to start getting these blessings is from the home.

An individual’s thoughts will depend on the place where he is. For example if in the kitchen he thinks of food he wants to eat. In a bedroom he wants to sleep. When he attends a yagam he wants blessings and prasadam (sacred offerings) from God. In the same way if the home has good energy it makes the family members in that home think good and clear thoughts. So the place where we live is very important. If our homes are clean, have auspicious sounds and smell, good thoughts; then our homes will get good divine power and energy. This energy will bring peace, happiness and joy.

Amma blesses you all; that you increase your faith in God, do good deeds and share all your peace and joy with others.

The Fruit of Knowledge & Wisdom - 25/02/06

Discourse at the Saraswathi Yagam Gathering

In a village there was an old businessman. The businessman would start his day only after he does his pujas and the rituals to God. He was a very devoted and sincere man. This old man had three sons who helped their father in his business. The old man had a lot of good habits. One of those was that he would invite to his house, any new person or sadhu who came into the village. He will do all the necessary seva (selfless service) to that person. He will invite him to his house, make him comfortable, treat him to a grand meal and make him happy.

One day a Mahan (great man) came to his village and the old man invited the Mahan to his house. Having heard about the old businessman and how well he treats his guests, the Mahan accepted the invitation and came to the old man’s house. The old man made the Mahan very comfortable and treated him to a great meal and did all the required seva to get his blessings. The Mahan was pleased with what the old man did and blessed him too.

When the Mahan was about to leave the old man’s house, he called the old man and told him that he treated him very well, which made him happy and for this he would like to bless him with three wonderful fruits which were made out of his power. The auspiciousness of the fruits were such that one fruit gives wealth and prosperity, one gives energy and strength and the third gives knowledge and wisdom. The Mahan said that each fruit has to be eaten after performing a puja. The Mahan also said that he would visit them after one year.

Soon after the Mahan left his house, the old man called his sons and told them about the blessed fruits and the importance of each auspicious fruit. One fine day after performing the puja, the old businessman asked his sons to take one fruit each. The first one took the fruit for wealth and prosperity. The second took the fruit for energy and strength and the last one took the fruit for knowledge and wisdom and each one ate his fruit.

Not too long after eating the fruits, the sons started realizing some power coming to them. The first son, who ate the fruit for wealth, saw success and profit in every business he had. All his business ventures, turned out profitable and he started to accumulate a lot of wealth. The second son who ate the fruit for strength got enormous power in him, as much as one hundred elephants. The third son who had the fruit of knowledge started to think cleverly, his thoughts were good and with the wisdom he started to distinguish between the good and bad. The first son became extremely wealthy, the second became extremely strong and the third son extremely wise.

The days went by and there was an immense difference in the life style of the three sons. The first son who now had an abundance of wealth did not have any work to do. He had enough time to waste and fell into bad company who wanted to have fun with his money and wealth. When someone has a lot of wealth but does not have the knowledge to use it right he will attract bad company which in turn will lead to bad habits. The bad habits will ruin his health and strength. Finally the first son who had the blessings of wealth, got associated with a lot of bad company, lost his wealth, health and happiness because he did not know how to use his blessings wisely.

The second son was extremely strong but since he did not have knowledge as to when and on whom to use his strength. He got into unnecessary fights and quarrels with the villagers. One day the villagers lost their patience and got together and thrashed him. He became helpless and lost all his strength too.
The last son who gained knowledge and wisdom became very clever. His thoughts and actions were good. He did a lot of good service to the people around him. He grew in all walks of life. He became wealthier and got a lot of strength. When someone is blessed with knowledge and wisdom he thinks and does good deeds; which automatically bring all the essential wealth and strength.

If a person wants to be a successful professional in the society, he must have very high educational knowledge. He must score high grades in his academics. If he proves that he is knowledgeable and wise he will get a high position in the society which would immediately be accompanied by wealth and strength. In an office, an office boy has to do his duty in the office and all the work in his house. He cannot afford a helper, as his pay is less. He will not be paid more as he is not qualified. The office manager of the same office has a lot of assistants to help him in both the office and his house because he is academically qualified and makes more money.

When a person has knowledge and wisdom, he gets tremendous power (Balam). With this Balam he gets all his work done. He gets recognition in the society, becomes wealthy and strong. So wealth and strength without wisdom will lead man to destruction. Nowadays, students have a good opportunity to get knowledge and to plan their lives unlike their parents. Our parents have lost all the chances in their life so they cannot change their path of living. However, students can plan and change the lifestyle of their parents with their knowledge and hard work.

A farmer cannot change his life but the farmer’s son when he is well educated can get all the comforts for his father. When a person has good knowledge, education, wealth and strength he gets very high position in his life and is called a successful person. So knowledge and wisdom is very important in our lives. The future of your lives is in your hands only (i.e. the students). If one wants a happy tomorrow he has put in all his efforts and hard work today. But if one wants to be happy today with no hard work, then he will suffer in the later days.

In other words if a person lives for 70 years and he puts all his efforts and hard work to get a good education and knowledge in the first 20 years he will enjoy the other 50 years and live happily. If he wants to enjoy the first 20 years with no effort and hard work then he will suffer during the remaining 50 years. For the students the only concern in life should be to acquire education and nothing else. As students you do not have any responsibilities in life.

Today Amma has performed this Saraswathi Yagam for you students so that you are showered with the blessings of Goddess Saraswathi. You will have the ability to study hard and do well in your exams to get very high grades leading to a successful position in life.

Why is this Saraswathi Yagam performed? It is performed to bring the energy from nature and the five elements of the world through the Vedic chants to the yaga gundam (Havaan pit). The prasadam is offered to the energy and the energy and blessings of Goddess Saraswathi from the yaga gundam is transferred to the Kalasam – the form of Saraswathi. The coconut is the face, the Kodam (pot) is the body, the thread around is the nerves and the mango leaves is the hair. Then the sanctified water from the kalasam is poured (Abhisekham) on the pens.

Everyone here is going to be given one of the blessed pens. This pen now is not the usual pens available in the market but a pen with the divine blessings and the energy of Goddess Saraswathi. We cannot buy God with our money. Only when God wishes we can get God’s blessings. It is only with the divine blessings of Amma that today we are getting the pen with the Arul of Saraswathi.
Even though there are so many thousands of students who have to write their exams everyone is not as blessed as the few thousands of you who are going to get a blessed pen. This pen is not only a pen but has a concealed energy called the Sanithyam. So when you use the pen, all the required balam, wisdom, good memory and strength will come to you.

Our education is not limited for our family alone. It must also be of use to our society. Parents send their children to school not only for learning and eventually earning their living but also to know more good things and be useful to all. Goddess Saraswathi has a Vahanam (vehicle) – Annam (bird). This bird has a unique feature that when milk and water is mixed and given to it, the bird can separate and drink the milk leaving the water behind. Goddess Saraswathi likes the bird only because it takes the good and leaves the bad. In the same way if Saraswathi has to shower her blessings on us, we should do good deeds and leave the bad ones, as our society is filled with equal proportion of good and bad.

So on this auspicious day, the students gathered here have a wonderful opportunity to acquire the desired knowledge and wisdom by participating in this Saraswathi Yagam and receiving the blessings from Amma and the blessed pen with the grace of Goddess Saraswathi to give you the energy and power to write your exams and be successful.

”Your words and deeds must be the expressions of your good heart. Amma blesses everyone!”

The Vedas - 12/28/05

As Amma already told, chants are the voice of the divine. They are the breath of the divine. Where did the human world get these chants? Who wrote all of these chants? Is there any writer? Who created them? Who gave these chants to the world?

It was not created. It was found. Where was it found? The chants, all of the chants that the world is using to bring peace, joy and all such things, all of these chants are from the Vedas. What does ‘Vedas’ mean? Each and every religion has a holy text or guide. For example, Christianity has the Bible, for Islam there is the Koran. For each and every religion, there is a holy text which will help to lead the people on a path of peace and joy and on the path of spirituality. Like this, in Hinduism, the holy text is the Vedas.

If each and every religion has its holy text, does it mean that the Vedas are just for Hindus? No, it is for the Universe. It is for the whole world. It is for each and everyone because the Vedas are from nature. No one can say that nature is for me or nature is for this country. Nature is common. It is for everyone. Everyone owns nature. The Vedas are for each and everyone in the world.

The Bible was given by people who were with Christ. The Koran was given by those who were with the Prophet Muhammad. But the Vedas were found; where were they found? They were found from nature. In the olden days, when the sages were in deep meditation, they could hear the different sounds of nature. For example, as a human, when you are alone in a room, you can hear different sounds other than normal sounds. When you concentrate in the silence you can hear some different sounds. This is the human level.

For sages, their concentration level is much more than a human. When they are in deep meditation they can hear the sound from nature. The sages collected all of the sounds and combined them all together and these are called Chants. Once the sages received the chants they then taught them to their successors and then they taught them to their successors. So far, the Vedas came like that. There are no scriptures for the Vedas. There is one procedure called Carna Caturum. Carna means ear. Caturum means through. So far, the Vedas survived through passing from one pair of ears to the next, from one to one, one to one, one to one.

What are all of the things that are in the Vedas? What are all of the subjects in the Vedas? The Vedas are full of chants. They have formulas for everything. There are chants for peace, chants for happiness, chants to clear the pollution in nature, chants to take out poisons from the physical body if you have snake bites, etc. There is everything. There is nothing left incomplete in the Vedas. There are chants for everything.

From these chants only, we are having many divine forms. For example, many of them you know; Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. Did anyone take a picture of Lakshmi and Saraswati? How is it that the world knows that Lakshmi will sit on the lotus, and have a lotus in her hand? How is it that the world knows that Saraswati will have a veena in her hand? How did the world come to know all of these things? Again, it is through the Vedas.

Once the sages received the chants, they started to chant; creating vibrations (each and every sound has vibrations). So when the sages chanted what they received from nature, they created vibrations which already existed in nature. The vibrations from the sages and the vibrations which already existed from nature, when both were combined together, as per the meaning of the chant, the meaning of each and every chant then became clearly manifested.

For example, in the Sri Suktam, one sentence is, “Padhmadhane Padhmabhuru Padhmakshe Padhmasambhave” which means, “Oh Mother, who sits on the lotus, whose eyes are like the lotus, who is the colour of the lotus and who sits in the position of the lotus”. Through the chant itself you can see the form. In the chants, just by hearing the chant, just by understanding the meaning, you can visualize the form of how Goddess Mahalakshmi looks. In this sentence itself, you already know the colour, how she sits, what she’s holding and everything.

Each and every chant has meaning. When the sages did the chants they received from nature, the chants created the same vibrations that already exist in nature and these two sets of vibrations when mixed together, nature itself took the form, as in the meaning. That’s what they call Siddhi which means attained. Siddhi means “I got it.” When you do chants, the vibration of the chants must mingle with the chants of equal vibration which are already in nature. When they both mix, then, as per the meaning, nature itself takes the form of God or Goddess. It depends on the chant then it is blessed.

This is how they saw the form of the divine. They then created the chants on how she looked and everything. Then they taught the world about Goddess Mahalakshmi and how beautiful She is. So, through those vibrations, they created all the pictures in whatever the form the divine is in, it is not the imagination. It is in nature. Each and every form is in nature. It’s not the imagination. This is why we have so many forms of the divine. It is from the Vedas.

The Vedas are for everything. They have the formulas for all illnesses. In traditional medicine we have many things like Homeopathic. In the olden days you would have Allopathic and Siddha. All of these things are from the Vedas. They split the Vedas into several parts. Astrology is from the Vedas. Yoga is from the Vedas. All of the Shastras and all the things that scientists are now discovering, have already been told in the Vedas.

Very recently they have found that the planet Mars is red in colour. For millions and millions of years, there have been statues of the nine planets called Navagrahas. For the Navagrahas and the name of Mars, there is one God called Chavvia. It insists that you need to decorate the God of Mars with a red coloured dress. This is something which was very recently discovered by scientists yet was in practice for millions of years. There are many things like that. Sometimes people think that scientists are not accepting the divine and not accepting spirituality. This is not true. They are providing the proof for spirituality. It helps many people to understand certain things like vibrations.

Before science and technology, it was very hard to explain to people that when you chant it creates good vibrations. People could not understand that. After advances in technology, it is very easy to understand that it is possible. If you hear someone sing a song in one place, at the same moment, the whole country can hear that song through all of these waves; electrical waves, magnetic waves, etc.

At one time it was very hard to explain to the world that there are things in the Vedas called chants and when you do the chants; it creates energy for you and if you think of someone in need and when you do prayers for them, it will reach them. People think that this must be the imagination and that it’s not possible. Technology and science help to prove these things. When you are sitting in one place, you are sending vibrations all over the country and all over the world. All of these things that the world is now discovering are already in the Vedas.

The Vedas are not just one religion. They are not just for Hindus. They are for the whole world. The Vedas are very broad and very wise. They are for all religions. They are for everyone, not just for humans but for all creations and for all universes. From these Vedas alone, you have all of the chants. With all yogas, all the breathing exercises and everything are from the Vedas. The main concept of the Vedas is to lead the human life on a path of peace and joy through a spiritual life. This is the ultimate goal of the Vedas. This is the story of the Vedas and how they started.

When there is doubt or when some people have doubt as to how the sound was received from nature and how it was possible to receive the Vedas from nature; the proof is there through science. How are we receiving sound? What is needed to create sound? To create movement you need some force, then the movement will create vibration and that vibration will bring sound. The Vedas are from the breath of the divine. They are created from the air of the divine. You all must feel very blessed that you hear these chants. There are many people who do not have this chance, these opportunities, but you all are blessed to have this opportunity.

The Vedas are the divine breath, which is air. The sound starts from there with movement. When some object moves, it brings sound. If there is any movement it means that there must be a force, which is air. The Vedas are the breath of the divine. What you are hearing everyday, what you are breathing everyday, it is the breath of the divine. You are becoming one of the divine every day just by hearing, just by breathing. Feel that you are blessed to have this opportunity. Enjoy the moment. Just as Amma said, with chants the meaning is not important but the sound is very important. Just listen to those chants. The chants are for the world, any person in the world, any religion in the world, any community in the world can listen, can hear and can learn them. Only humans are blessed to have these opportunities. Enjoy the day. Amma blesses you all.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: Amma how long would you have to chant to start to see divine form?

Amma: It depends. When you see Tamil movies, they start by sitting in meditation, then they become very old. It takes a very long time. Suddenly, one day, the divine appears in front of them and says, “I am happy. I am please with your prayers. What do you want?” It’s not like that in terms of time.

Devotee: Amma, there are chants in other religions, and other people do chants. Are they similar to the Vedas? Are they related to the Vedas?

Amma: In some parts of the world, in some religions, it is similar to the Vedas. When you look at all of the Asian countries, there is Buddhism. For all of those religions, the Vedas are the Mother of all those religions. The world itself exists from that sound. When you chant all the chants, they first start with Om. Om is the eternal sound of this universe. It exists everywhere. If you take a cup and you cover your ear and listen, you can hear the sound of OM. Om is the eternal sound of the universe. You are in that energy. You are within that. You are that. It depends upon how you are living whether you are becoming that or something else.

Devotee: Amma what is the significance of 108?

Amma: It is related to these vibrations; just as was asked how much we need to chant to see the divine form. For the human body to receive a certain amount of the vibrations, it needs the minimum energy, which you will receive in the 108.

Devotee: What about the number 9? What does it represent?

Amma: It’s like the negative/positive. It’s balancing. It’s not this; it’s not that. It’s like the world. In the world you have the negative and the positive and it’s balancing from one to one. When you do the chanting 108, 1008… when you add these up it comes to 9. Also, around this human world there are many planets but the nine planets have a very big role in the human world. So this is also one of the reasons why the have the number 9.

Devotee: Does your mind have to be clear to get the benefits of chanting?

Amma: It’s like good, better, best. It’s like that. For example, if you are in the place where you are not aware of any chants, you don’t know the meaning, you are not interested but you are going to the place where the chanting is going on, your physical body will still accept the energy. That is good. Second, which is better; you are interested in it, you don’t know the meaning, but you are interested to hear the chants, this is good. Third is when you listen to the chants and know the meaning. This is best. That energy is always there. Depending upon how much you want, that much you will get. If you are closer, more connected, it will be much closer to you. If you are not interested then it will not be as close.

Devotee: What’s the story in the Vedas, like… in the Bible, Adam and Eve was the first human births, or their kids were the first human births. What’s the real story?

Amma: Your question is a problematic question. What’s the real story? (Laughter) Each and every religion has faith from a starting point. In this way you need not say which is real. Faith is God. If it says this in the Bible, it’s OK. In the Vedas, they really don’t have all of those things. Other Puranas and Shastras will have those things. The Vedas talk about morals and human values, the power of the human, and the strength of the human. It talks only about things like that.

Inside the religion, there is a story in which the first form is the form of the Goddess who is called Adi Parasakthi. From there, She creates three energies for creation; one to generate, one to sustain, and one to destroy, which are Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. Then, to balance those three energies, they created another three which are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and from there it starts. So you are the son of Lakshmi.

Devotee: When you are chanting by yourself does it make a difference if you say it out loud or silent?

Amma: It has a difference. When you do it internally it is far more powerful than externally. There are three types of chanting. One is internally which is considered to be the best and which has the most power. Then chanting just a little louder so that you can hear, and then chanting much louder. The third is also good. Step by step. You can choose any way you want.

Devotee: You said earlier about the power of chanting to heal and detoxify the body from poisons and chemicals. Can you speak about that a bit? Does the person who may have the toxicity have to do the chanting or can someone else do it?

Amma: Someone can do it. It is the vibration. It’s not something like magic. It is the vibrations. When you create the vibrations, and the people breathe those vibrations, it starts to react on the physical body. As per that reaction, it will start to make the poison disappear or it will create good energy into the physical body so in that way, the poison will be minimized.

Devotee: And are there particular Vedic chants to do that?

Amma: Yes, as Amma told, the Vedas are one but have been split into eighteen parts. The Vedas talk about medicines and the formulas. They talk about creating homes and building homes, and engineering. They talk about geography. The Vedas talk about three main things. They talk about the geographical, about all of the planets and all the stars and things, and about the formulas for healers. Other parts mostly talk about human values. They talk about righteousness and justice and they talk about the forms of the divine, and about the chants, and about astrology. They talk about the architecture of building temples, which are called the Shilpa Shastram, Agama Shastram, Artha Shastram, Garuda Purana, Mimamsa, Tharkum, etc.

Devotee: I’m asking about the number 27?

Amma: 27, yes. Even though there are many planets, the nine planets which are very much related to this world, which are around this world, the human world, as per that, there are 27 stars. In astrology, when you want to look at your chart, first they are going to ask, “What’s your star?” These nine planets each have three stars. The nine planets are related to 27 stars. That’s the meaning.

Devotee: Did humans originate from the stars?

Amma: No, no, no. Ultimately each and every soul in the human world is from the divine. No one will have their birth from a star. Everyone will start their birth from nature, from the divine, not particularly from the stars. The timing of when you take birth in the world, may be related or connected to one star, of the 27 stars. Your birth may connect with any one star of the 27. You may have a connection with a star but you’re not created from the star.

Devotee: Amma, the vibration that gets created in the chanting is related to the sound we’re making so how do we, when we’re not with you, make sure that the chanting has the right sounds to the words?

Amma: As Amma told, even though there are lots of chants, the most simple and best is “Om Namo Narayani”.

Devotee: Is that in the Vedas too? “Om Namo Narayani”?

Amma: Yes, yes, yes. Because the first word Om is the eternal sound of the universe.

Devotee: Amma, in the Vedas you refer to the 14 universes. When you said the Vedas were not just for human kind or this universe but all 14 can you just elaborate on the 14 universes and that the Vedas aren’t just for human kind but for other beings?

Amma: Only in this world, in the human world, are there forms with the physical. All the other worlds, there is still form, but they don’t have the physical form. The Vedas talk about Siddha Lokam, which is the world for sages, then there is Deva Lokam which is the world for angels, Badala Lokam which is the underwater world and then there are other worlds like Ashwa Lokam which is for another type of angel. There are 13 other worlds but only in this human world will you have this physical form.

In the rest of the worlds they do not have this physical form. How the Vedas help, how they bring strength and energy to the other worlds is through all of the rituals that you do in this physical world. This human world will help all other 13 worlds this way. For example, one ritual, of the many, is the ‘Havaan’ which is the ritual with fire that you do. You do the havaan with offerings of fruits, flowers, ghee and all of those things. In one way it is creating good for this world and in another way it is providing the food for another world. The other world is benefiting through the Vedas from this world. One of the very simple reasons for the havaan and why we need to do the havaan, which in Sanskrit is Yagam or Yagna meaning ‘offering’; you are offering with love to the divine. With that, certain parts go to the angels in the other world as food so they benefit in this way.

Devotee: Amma, so that means that if people on earth don’t do these yagams then the creation from the other world can’t exist?

Amma: Yes, yes, yes, not that they can’t exist, but they will suffer. They will have pain. For example, in the human world, when you feel hunger, you take physical food which is created by the divine from nature. You have fruits, rice and things. You are in a physical form so you need to have physical food. For the other worlds, they don’t have the physical form but they have the wish and have the feeling of hunger, etc.

The way that nature has been created, whatever you offer in this world, by way of the havaan into the fire, certain parts go to the angels and to the rest of the worlds as food, and if you are not doing this here then they don’t get fed. There is one phrase in the old tradition that says, “Let long live angels, priests, cows, kings, cities.” See the steps. First are angels, then priests and then cows. Why the cow? First are angels. When they feel healthy and happy they will bless this world with natural wealth. The angels are the authority for nature. Each and every angel will have the power to control nature; one part of nature.

When angels are happy then they will give natural wealth to this world and everyone in the world will be happy. So if angels have the need to be happy they should have the food and other things to create their happiness. Who needs to provide this food to the angels? The priests through chants and through the fire offerings into the havaan they provide the food for the angels. Though you will have many things into the havaan like fruits and rice, the main offering is ghee which is from cows. That is why the steps first say long live angels, priests, and cows. After that are kings, cities and other places.

Devotee: So since we are feeding the other thirteen worlds …

Amma: Yes you are blessed, very much blessed. The angels and others are more powerful than humans. They are on another level, but still, humans are blessed to feed them. You are blessed to feed them.

Devotee: These 14 worlds and the experience of the angels are connected to our karmic cycle and the progression of the human soul and our spiritual development. Are there other entire divine experiences that exist once that’s completed… mingling with nature… with Amma… these 14 worlds that were operating within right now?

Amma: Once you attain that which is called salvation that is beyond all of these things. You will be at the top of angels.

Devotee: How long do angels live?

Amma: There is no death or birth for angels. In the Vedas it mentions three hundred and thirty three million angels. They will be there. There is no birth and death for them. They have blessings called Surangi which means they will never die. They do not experience death.

Devotee: Can they attain salvation or not?

Amma: For them, no. Salvation is blessed only for the human. As Amma already told, for salvation, first you need to know what salvation is. To mingle with the divine is salvation. For example, if you want to see a person who is in a very big position, you need to create the qualities which will allow you to see them. If you want to mingle with the divine you need to create the qualities for that. What are the qualities to mingle with the divine? To mingle with the divine, the quality needed is the divine’s form of love. It is unconditional love. You need to create unconditional love through this process.

Then you will have the qualifications to mingle with the divine. When you are in this process, this world is very helpful to you, allowing you to have those experiences. In this world, you have the opportunity to be able to share your happiness. You can find peace and joy. That joy and peace, that unconditional love, is not possible in the world of angels. In their world, everyone is a millionaire or billionaire. No one needs anything from anyone. What they are doing for this world has become their duty, such as giving rain or blessing the people. Whatever it is, it is their duty. They don’t have the opportunity to share.

In their world everyone has everything. There is no need from anyone to anyone. Only in this human world is there the possibility to share. Just by sharing, you can create joy and unconditional love. When you create unconditional love, which is the path of the divine, it is the qualification for you to reach the divine. The angel’s world can’t create unconditional love so they have to remain there. At one stage you will reach beyond them.

Devotee: Amma could you say a bit about the aarti puja. The light, is that also a feeding?

Amma: Yes, light. What is the significance of the puja? The meaning of puja is you are giving your own soul to the divine. Why are they using lamps, light? As Amma told, the divine is in the form of nature. Just by doing that aarti, it’s like your soul. It is not a light or a lamp. You are taking your soul to the divine. To be one of the divine, that is the significance of the aarti.

Devotee: “Sarva mangala mangalye”, you say that chant before you speak to people at full moon puja. That is the chant that you say the most during puja. Why does that chant stand above the rest?

Amma: Normally, in this human life, you need to go through steps. The first step you need to go through is to satisfy the physical wishes. Then you can think about the soul and spirituality because in this world, you need both. You need to have a good life in the present life which is surrounding you, and at the same time you need to create something which is for the next life, which is concerning the soul and things like that. Therefore, there are chants. Some chants can give blessings just for physical things.
There are some chants which will guide just for wisdom. Sarva Mangala Mangalye … it has the blessings for both, in itself. When you chant “Om Sarva Mangala Mangalye Shive Sarvartha Shaadhike Sharanye Triambake Gauri Narayani Namostute”… “Sarva Mangala Mangalye” means “the Mother who gives all things auspicious”; “Shive Sarvartha Shaadhike” means “and who fulfills all of our needs”. In the first half you are getting all of your physical needs met which you require in this life. It fulfills all of our needs. In the second half; “Sharanye Triambake Gauri Narayani Namostute” ... “I surrender to that Mother”. In the second half you are booking for tomorrow’s flight. “Sharanye Triambake Gauri Narayani Namostute” ... “I surrender to the Mother. Let her accept my respect.” This is its meaning. In the first half you will receive the things that you need for this world and in the second half you are reserving your place for the future life.

The Diamond & the Mustard Seed - 25/12/05

The diamond is very famous. Everyone knows about diamonds. They are very precious and very rare. Imagine for example, if you were given a diamond the size of a brick. Imagine how you would feel? Imagine that everyone had a brick of diamond in their hands. The joy and happiness of that moment would be immense! To have even the tiniest piece of diamond itself, is a great thing because everyone knows and is aware that the diamond is very precious and you cannot get it very easily. Because of this, the value of the diamond always stays very high.

If a tiny diamond can give so much happiness and joy, imagine what a diamond the size of a brick could give. Everyone would be ecstatic! You would feel like you were in heaven because you would know the worth of the diamond, the importance of the diamond, and you would also know how rare and precious it is. This is for the person who is aware of the precious value of the diamond.

If you have a person who is not aware of diamonds, who doesn’t know anything about diamonds and who has never seen a diamond or heard about diamonds and by some chance he finds a big piece of diamond, how would he feel? For him it would feel like a heavy weight. He would wonder why he needed this and why he is burdened to carry this weight. He would be very anxious to get rid of the diamond because he doesn’t know how precious it is or the importance of it.

It wouldn’t bring any happiness or joy to him. For him it would be a burden. “Why should I carry this? Let me see if anyone can hold this.” Why can’t he have peace, happiness and joy like the first person? The first person is elated; he is so joyful to have the diamond. The second person, who also has the same piece of diamond, which is the same size and everything, is not experiencing any happiness. What is the reason for that?

The reason why the first person is experiencing joy is because he realizes the worth of the diamond. The second person does not realize the worth of the diamond. When you realize what you have, and you know its worth, it brings so much peace and joy, no matter what it may be. For example, if a carpenter finds a big piece of wood, it brings him great joy because he knows that through the piece of wood he can create many things. If a sculptor finds a big piece of rock which has a beautiful colour, it brings him much joy because he knows he can make beautiful statues with it. If a goldsmith finds gold, he will be very happy because he knows how to utilize the gold.

When it is reversed, however, and the carpenter finds a rock, to him it’s just a rock and he doesn’t care about it. For the sculptor who finds a piece of wood, it won’t matter, because he isn’t aware of the wood’s value. To experience happiness, it is necessary to realize the value of things. Only then will it bring happiness and joy.

So, the first person experiences great happiness yet it is not the same for the second person because he does not realize the worth of the diamond he holds. His place of awareness tells him it’s a weight because of his ignorance. The first person knows that there is great value in a tiny piece of diamond. He knows how many dollars a diamond is worth. He has already calculated the value of the diamond the size of a brick, and he is ecstatic just imagining that it will make him a billionaire! Whether it materializes or not, doesn’t matter. Just knowing the value and being aware of it, he is able to realize and experience so much happiness and joy.

What is the lesson in this? If you know and understand the necessity and worth of what you have, that alone will give joy. What is joy? What is peace? What is the way to happiness that everyone can have? It is being born a human. Once you know the purpose of your human birth you will be like the first person who had the diamond. He knew that the diamond was not an easy thing to find and he was aware of its value. He knew that if he had it, it meant that he was blessed.

It is the same when you realize the blessings of this human birth. When you feel that you are blessed it brings so much happiness and joy to your life. When you understand the real purpose of your life and when you understand the energy and the ability of what you can do for this world, when you understand all of these things, it brings great peace and happiness. If you don’t understand these things, your life will seem like a rock. For the second person, even though he had such a valuable gift, for him it seemed like a weight because of his ignorance.

If you don’t understand human birth, and you don’t understand this is the gift, then your own life will seem to be filled with many problems and struggles and you may wonder why you need to carry the weight of all of the struggles. When you understand the real purpose of human birth, it brings great joy and happiness to your life.

On this auspicious day, make sure you realize that you are all blessed. Having human birth in itself is a great blessing. It is not possible for angels to be like humans. Many people think that angels are the superior stage to the humans. Yes, this is true. However, the angels cannot have salvation. They cannot have mukti or moksha (salvation). This is possible only for humans. In the angel world there isn’t any chance or possibility of sharing their things because in their world, everyone is a billionaire! No one needs anything from anyone so there is no way of serving. Because there is no way of sharing, it is not possible to feel and realize joy. It is possible only in human life, only in this world, to share things.

When you talk about the other planets, there are many planets with many beings, but the human’s world is very blessed to have the divine in the form of an incarnation to provide direct guidance to the path of peace and joy. Make sure you all realize that you are blessed. When you see yourself in a big form you will get big energy and big strength. When you see yourself as just one who is there for your family, or for your two children, you will become very small. When you feel that you are small, your energy will also seem very small. You will not be able to do anything for others. Try to see yourself as “I am the world. I am big”; then you will have that much energy and that much strength.

Look at the people who have succeeded in the world and those who have done great deeds for the world. Each and every one is human. They were not born with something special. They had a normal human birth. What allows them achieve those things? What allows them do something great for the world? Is there anything special? There is karma, but in general, it’s what is in their hearts. If you think, “I am for my home,” then you will get that much energy and strength. If you think, “I am for the world. I am for the country,” then you will get that much energy and strength. You are the creator of this. You have everything you need.

There are words in the Vedas, “Ahum Brahmasmi.” It means, “I am that.” It is possible only for you. Other creations cannot realize this. Only humans can say, “Ahum Brahmasmi” which means “I am that, the formless divine”. So try to feel that you are not here just to take care of one family or to take care of three people. You have the strength and ability to do great things. For the normal human then, how is it possible for them to achieve great accomplishments? Is it just because of what’s in their hearts? How big they think, they can accomplish that much. Make sure you are all aware that the problems which you have at this moment are all because you think that you are all for your family or for yourself. Because of that, the problems that you have seem to be big problems.

It is better for you to think and grow to the size of the world, then you will see that the problems you have now aren’t problems anymore. Right now, your problems may seem like a huge stone the size of a mountain. When you think and grow as big as the mountain, the problems you have will become like a small mustard seed.

You are blessed. Human birth is a blessing but many still wonder, because of ignorance, why they need to carry the huge diamond. You are blessed to have the wisdom of your birth, which allows you to feel peace, happiness and joy. Enjoy life. Think that you are for the world. Try to do great things. Don’t worry about the four walls; just see the world as a family so you can create this energy from within you. You are the creator. Each and every creation has a soul and the divine is the soul. When you experience the divine; that in itself is a great quality that allows you to see yourself as divine. You don’t need anything more beyond that. You are all blessed.

It is possible for everyone to do good things, not just small things, but great things. Take a pledge. “I am here, not for me.” You will always need to do certain things as a duty for the family, but don’t just tuck into the family. Every creation can do that. All other creations are here just for that. You alone are blessed to do something different. You alone are blessed to think something different. Try to think that way. Try to understand that your life is for the world.

You are here to give, not just take. When you feel you can give, the very moment you have that feeling, you will feel that you are rich. If you feel that you need something, it doesn’t matter how much you have, you are always poor. Try to make sure that you can give. That is possible only for you.

Amma blesses you all on this good day, to be like that.

Conversations with Amma

Devotee: Sometimes on the path we experience pain from different hurts and it’s like they try to convince us that it’s not possible for us to move past it and even though we hear these things about karma and about what’s possible; it seems at the time like we might be the one that can’t do it. When you’re in that period it’s like a depression or an emotional cave. What’s the best method for getting through it?

Amma: When you are at that moment then it is a problem for you. When you are Amma at that moment then it’s not a problem for you. So again, just three words: “Om Namo Narayani.” Whenever you are in that stage, whenever you are in a crisis, don’t let your mind roam. When you think about the pain, try to think about the divine, then you will become divine.

Devotee: There is a certain group of people in the world who you deal with, who always criticize. All they have is a criticism or a better way in their mind to do something. The inclination is to say, “Just be quiet! What do you know?” and then get angry with them. How should we deal with them?

Amma: If someone tries to give some advice to you, first see whether it is real advice and if there are any corrections that you need to make in the way you do things. If there is, then you accept that. If there is criticism in the things that you are doing, even if they are good, don’t worry about it. Just leave it.

Devotee: And accept the person and say Ok fine. Just discard it?

Amma: Yes, just leave it.

Devotee: Sometimes I hear people or I hear things that make me feel like people are making fun of Amma and things like that and I know this must be the ultimate test for me to be put in that situation, because I find it so painful and disrespectful?

Amma: If everyone is good, if everyone is smart, there is no necessity for schools. Once you are in school it means that you are here for wisdom. So it doesn’t matter. It’s not possible for everyone to get 100%. Some get 100%, some 50%, some 40%, still they are learning. Just think like that.

Devotee: For my part, I didn’t hear any disrespect towards Amma but more like doubt.

Amma: Yes, it is nature. It’s nature.

Devotee: Is ignorance simply an energy of Kali Yuga?

Amma: Yes, but it’s not just ignorance, it is all the negative parts; jealousy, anger, lust. All of these things are very supportive to the Kali Yuga.

Devotee: You say we should grow to be like a mountain and think like that. How do you do that? When you try to good things there are always criticisms because of doubt or ignorance or whatever it might be. How do you do that? Do you just continue on that path or do you try to do it on your own and keep more positive people around you? How do you deal with that?

Amma: Just make sure that whatever you are doing, are for yourself. Try to do good things. You need not care or worry about criticism. If they don’t want what you are doing, then you leave. Do things for the people who are ready to accept those things. You need not worry about who is saying what. Once you feel it is good and it is helping others, just do it. You need not worry about what the neighbour says or what another one says.

Devotee: But let’s just say it’s a group that is supposed to do something, like a group of people trying to get something done, but it’s not going anywhere. How do you deal with it?

Amma: Just do it on your own. When you can’t be on the path of the group to express your thoughts, first be clear on what the reasons are why they don’t want to follow your ideas. There may be some good reasons. If you still find that your way is good, do it as an individual effort.

Devotee: They say, with regards to incarnation, that we’re blessed. How about reincarnation because, I think, once you talked about the fact that we have so many reincarnations, and sometimes I feel that in our reincarnation were not too happy about it. So could you explain what the evolution is of the incarnation of man?

Amma: It has to reach its final destination which is called salvation. Until then, incarnation has to come again and again and again. So once you have reached that final destination, which is called salvation, then it’s the end. You will be one with the divine.

Devotee: Is that karma or can you attain it in your life?

Amma: Its karma; the deeds that you are doing. It just follows. If the deeds are better, then your karma will get increasingly better.

Devotee: Does the soul have the karma or the mind?

Amma: The karma gives the birth, and when you have the birth it starts with the soul. The soul holds the karma from the past; and the karma that you create in the present is from your own mind.

Pournami Day (Full Moon - May 12, 2006)

“Sarva Mangala Mangalye Shive Sarvatha Sathike
Sharanye Thrayambage Gowri
Narayani Namosthuthe”

Every one of us expects only happiness in life without having to worry about any thing. The wish of the poor, the rich, the executives and every one without exception to caste creed or religion, is happiness. Is it possible to be happy all the time in this world? No, it is impossible. Every human being born will definitely have some problem or the other according to the misdeeds of his/her previous births. It is a rare and a remote possibility for any one to be without problem or difficulty.

A life without any problems or difficulties is a rare reality. Every person has his/her own share of problems and hardships. Knowing this, do we to live only with difficulties throughout our lives? Is there a remedy for all our difficulties? Yes, there is. Worry is caused by problems. In order to overcome the worries, one has to forget the problem which causes it. How do we forget the problem which causes the worry? Think of something else which brings and gives us a pleasant feeling. There is faith, prayer etc. to keep us out of problems and difficulties. Instead of always thinking of the problem which causes worry, we must try to think of something pleasant.

During difficult times what could give a person some peace? Let us take a family. Will the thought of mother-in-law give happiness to the daughter-in-law? Or, will the mother-in-law be too happy to think about her daughter-in-law? Or will the thought of the children cause happiness? Whoever you may think of is sure to cause one problem or the other. If you think of your child, you start worrying whether he/she is good at studies. If you think of the head of the family, your worries will be about his deteriorating health or about his business which is not doing well. If you think of your relatives, there too, you end up with some worries. The thought of one’s father and mother causes certain worries. Thus, the feeling of hardship is always there if you think of any one of your choice.

Only the thought which does not cause any problem or difficulty, will be the best alternative to gain happiness and peace of mind. Is there such thing, where the mere thought of it gives happiness? Yes, there is; and the name of Ambal (Godess Narayani). Whatever else you could think of, will certainly end up with some problem or hardship. There will be chain of problems or difficulties if you think of anything else other than the name of Ambal. Ambal is the power which provides peace and happiness.

Constant worry about a problem or difficulty will result in other problems. One has to forget the reason for the problem one faces and think of something else, something pleasant. A mind cannot think about two things at a time. If the mind is diverted to think of something new, the old thought will be forgotten.

Now, that you are sitting here, you could think of Amma, or you may think that what an amount of food that was thrown into the fire, which could have very well, be given to you, or you may think of the problem at home. But only one thought is possible at a time. If there is problem, certainly there will be worries. At such times, instead of thinking about the problem over and over again, one should think of Ambal, which is beneficial in two ways. First, when we remember and think about Amma, we forget all the problems that cause difficulty. Second, the thought of Amma will bring all the virtues. The sin, which is the cause of sufferings, will be taken away. So, only when we think of Amma, our difficulties will vanish and at