Go West Young Man

This young man lives in Toronto and is a devout devotee of Amma. He performs daily pujas at his tiny apartment, sings bhajans and recites mantras all in the name of Narayani Amma. Naturally, whenever Amma visits Toronto, he will be there to worship and serve Amma. He has a small job, which doesn't pay him well, but allows him ample free time to do Amma’s service.

Last May, he got word from Amma’s devotees in Toronto that Amma was going to visit Calgary for 15 days. Initially, it was believed by everyone that Amma would stop in Toronto on the way to Calgary, and he was pretty excited to be able to be with his beloved Amma. As the days for Amma’s visit approached, it was learned that Amma would not be stopping in Toronto but would go straight to Calgary.

He was crushed! His friends consoled him and suggested to him that he could go to Calgary and still be with his beloved Amma. But he had no money to travel! His meager paying job did not give him enough money for such luxuries. So, he intensified his praying. He would stand in front of Amma’s picture with tears blurring his vision and streaming down his cheeks, begging for Amma’s blessing so that he could go to Calgary to be with Amma. And he did not see any way to achieve his desired goal.

His friends would ask him often if he was getting ready for the trip, and he would reply with a heavy heart that he wasn't due to the lack of resources. One of his friends happens to be an Amma devotee. The day before Amma was going to arrive in Calgary, this friend called him and asked him if he wasn't packing his bags for the Calgary trip.

He thought that it was a cruel joke and told the caller so. But his friend only laughed and said to him, "My dear friend, don't worry about money. You are flying to Calgary at Amma’s expense. So pack your bags and be at my place ASAP to go to the airport!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thanked his friend, hung up the phone, and dashed towards Amma’s picture. Oh! that bewitching smile of Amma almost choked him.