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DialogesWith
Srt Srt Man
Amritrr
ayi
VOLUMEV
SWAMI AMRITASVARUPANANDA
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
V01ume V
PUBLISHED BY:
i
,Kcrala
lNDIA 690542
C6pyright 1993 by Mato A itin damavi Centcr
Au ritthts reserved Printed in the United States of AInerica
NO part of thi,p
blicati ma'be
tranSinittedt reprOduced,transcribed Or tianSlated int9 any lan gulge i any form tt any publisher
9417
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118937
1SBN l 879410 58 3
I prostrate to thc Universal Teachcr,who is Satchidananda (Pure Being Knowledge Abs lite Bliss),Who is beyOnd an
differences, Who is eternal, an , attributeless, fOrmllss 1 1 i and ever cent red in the Sell
Sapttsmpa n" asninap aFain al l Gumpa Japar"h na as a
xtlnding
washed.
GURU GITA
Verses 157,87
BLE OF CO NTENTS
Vlll :. So Gs
:
INTRODUCTION
x :: :,
:
. ::
. 1
1lTl:itilt
...
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:
: . :
::
:......77 000000` CHAPTER III:..:::..:.. .:. .80 .l...: Sadhatta Attd DOstiny. 91 . Act With Discrimination. :.. :. .:..,.95 Penetrate:Below The Surface. .:.
.
. :
,.
`:
..:
CHAPTER IV
V
....:i:
.::.
CHAPTER
0'0
134
lil:.
CONTENTS
::
CHAPTER VI.
..... 0149 00 00 150 ..:. .. Be CourageOus. . Response As Opposgd To Reaction o..o.........o.......o... I55
. :
`
CHAPTER VII...
.6oO`
:L .::172 oooo00
0
'
CHAPTER
VIII.....?
00
,
Surre derl,g
::.
:`
'
CHAPTER
IX
'Necessit,OfThe Guru
....
CHAPTER X
0219 .:. 0000 GraCe. , . 219 .:228 :0....f A Curut Waming . 1 232 . :. Forget Tlle Past. The WondeFful Healing Touch OfAmma ..:. 242
:
:.
00
e:
:..
:. 254 . 1NDEX.
:
`.
SONGS
A[bhuta charitg ,... .... ..... .. ...o.. .. o. .. ... . o. . o...... .. ...,, 2 1 3 Adi parasakti o...r... o......... o. o...... o... o.................. o... 27 Aga*anta porule . o. ......,... . ... . .. o....... ............ ""1!1 Agatanlyili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .'. . . . . . . . . . . .... -rrt,... .....:.:
o
o o
'o""""''
..
o o o o
o o
Amma amma
tAyg
Arikil undgnkilum
.....
.. ..
....
.. . .. . ..
....
.. . o or . . ..
'
...f
.. . .. . . 24 7
Arikullil
Bandhamilla 218 Chtn/,/,kalkantyam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 0 Deui mahatmyam o.......o.........o.....,..................oo .. 758 DgqJi mah'gswariye ...........o.....o..................:..'...... ..104 El'lam ariyunnd ...............................:...:..::....... ,.,. ?05 Goqlardhana glri .. o. o........... r r.......,.............'.. 23t7 tl. Hariyute kaltl ......,.......... o.......... o......... o.............. 68 janmam Ini oru ................ rr i.......... . t..........,r....... 1 66
o o o o'o o o o o o
'........
148
o.o.....o........... ....
ll
Kamesha vamalcsht ...... . . ..... ....... ...... ..... r......'.. ..... i. .. 6 Kannadach,alum turannalum ....................o........ 1g3
Karunatnn latnmiri .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . r. . . . . rje..... .. . . . .. . ... 3 4 Katinnu l<aWyai .. ............ ..... . ........ ............ .. . o. . . .. . 7 I 5
o o
eo
o o o
Kerunnen mana,sam a,mma .....o........................'....; 90 Kodanukoti ...............'.....o... o. o...........r............... ... 7I Maname naTa jiuinmakkum ..........oo.,......ooooi..... 127
SONGS Ma Ob%ddh Mara y adukul,a hriday eswar a Mauna ghanamntnm patl a gana M Nilambtta
,,
IX
!'
Nilameghangal,e
Ved 77Lbi C
Vedanta venalilude
177 120
INTRODUCT10N
'
u ya ng
Mhn
nle rnanasr
pra
yli 1/rrma c r
r n n2e ya r pra
_OmI May m sttCCh be d 'mind, ma m mind bc r00ted in m specch; hman,Tc cal Th scrtO mel .
This is hOw the Upanishadic Rishi prays befOre he starts speaking abOut the Suprelmte Trutho This might be the praver of all CIreat Soulso Ever estabhshed in that Suprelmte State of Funness,they dO not want to speak. They knOw that speaking will distOrt Truth. Th refore,the Great Ones always prefer tO rettain in
silence.
Yet silnply out Of cOmpassion for those who are in search of God and fOr thOse whO are groping in dark ness,the Sage speakso He knows that he is going to try tO dO the impossible.TherefOre he prays, O Sel illu lnined Brahman,I am going to try to put my experi ence of the Truth into wordso lt is so fbll that wOrds
cannot express lny experience of the lninite Truth. Still,I am going to try.But when l speak,let me be able tO express and convey the Truth, the essential message,through my 6 Let me not distort Truth."
INTRODUCTION
Yes.
AmFitanandalmtavi E)evi mayialso have thought along these lines befOre speaki,go Amma says, Che camot speak when one is at rest in on et own Sell That is why Lord Dakshinalmurti,the irst Gluru,is always de picted as relmtaining in silen e." But beyond compare is Ammat coml sSiOn for Her children.Fr m that State
Of Perfection from which there is no return,where .mind and sleech cannOt ev n begin to reach,Amma came down to our level of underst Hxling so that She
JuSt like the heavenly Canges owing down lom ing all the peaks of the Himalaya bathing and pur
Sitting on the protective wings of Ammat univer sa1 love and cOmpassion,"e can liSten to Her nec tarous, thought provoking words of wisdom. Each wOrd,ca h glance and every t hought is a profound ex
INTRODUCTION
In Kerala the mOns00n wtt at its peak.The h avy rains ooded the intricate systel L Of the backwaters, occasion 1ly causing them t Overaow The gigantic waves of the ArabiarL Sea beat upOn the narrow strip of land iust Or the southwest coast of lndia.This is
To live with a M M like Amma is living in cOn sciousnes , living in 10ve. Each moment with Her leaves many fragrant memories,creating a chain 6f
unfOrgettable events and fond remembrances to cradle in the secret,silent chamber Of Onet hearto NO d6ubt
this chain Of divine inemori s win in tunl eVentualy
is
(1:::lilllllllll) i
iillii L
CHAPTER
MOnday,12 July,1984
By eight o'clock in the morning, the night'is rain had ibated somewhat, but daik cloudJ Stin hovered Overheado The Ashram grounds werl oOded frOm the early mOrning downpour. Except for the thunderous rOar from the O ean,the Ashralmt was quiet and Serenc,
Be ause of the rain,thc previous night'sE)c i Bha had not bcen as rowdd as usuttl and had ended by one O'cl ck instead of four Or five in th inOrningo A Inan
rslrn was sitting on the who had colme tO Bha ` was a small, ld wooden temlle verandao By his sidO
box which loOked like a cageo One Of the residents apr
proached him and asked if he needed any helpo The devotee,a Muslim,`repli d that he w6uld like tO see Amtta,even though he had iust had HeF darShan the night b fore. As they ttalked together acrOss the grOunds,the man told the rresideit that he was frOm Chertalla,a tOwn about 60 kllometers awayo He was in
the perfume business and earned his living by Selling
the perfume that he himSelf made,A week carlier he me to Karunagappa y, a town very near hc had
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Ashram,in order to sell his perfumeso There hc had heard about AInma and th lt vel,y salne day he had come to the Ashram for the Arst timeo Since it was a
Sunday,he received Alnn a's darshan during Dc i BhaqJla here he spent the and returned to Klarunagappany, night in a lnosque.Il the iniddle()fthe night he had an unusual experie,Cei whiCh he prOcceded to ten the resi dent. I was a wakened by the sound ofsomebody opening my perfulne box,this box l have right here by lny side. Startled,I jumped and silt up in bed.I was struck with wOnder as l beheld Amma 10oking through my perfllme o See box. She wasiust aSI had seen Herin De j Bha k on my face,Amma smiled and sald ing the startle 1
to me,`Son,Amma was searching for pure sandal, od extract`But there ls none hereo She then threw rne a
quick glance and an endearing s lile and disappeared.II was left feeling very sad that l could not give Alnma what She wantedo SO yesterday l came withithe sandal w00d extract and sprinkled it over Her during E)c .Amma seemed very happy and l t00 felt blissful Bha doing that. She even exclailned right during E) Bha , `Oh, you brOught it.I Fronl that remark it was
i :
The innocent perfume seller had a big smile On his oal haS been face.He continued,'I feel that my life's ful lledo Now before l go,I wollld like tO see Amma
k_: .
Dia\ogues
that moment the Holy Mo thel ppear d on the balcon,Of Her F00mtrThe MLl lim devotee stood up and bow d down in f nt of HeFiWith=all:humility.The MOthtr said to hilni Oh son,are y6u still herel Have yOu hadlsomething to eat7'I . : 'I ti He answered, I stayed behind to see you OnCe again before cOntinuing on my sales,ourney.By seeing Amma I have now had my food." Amma laughed and remarkedt "son, you are speakprofound words." ing tft" joyful man answered', "l 'am speaking the truth.tt
Ju tiat
.There is iOthingispecial.about pure dandalwoodiex tFaCt fOpla Mahat77La,Wh6 is beyond` nfdesires and wh61 tate of supreme dettichent.It is ig established in th nOt that the Mahatma wants to have an oblect hke that He does things like this to create a ircumstahce so that
we will.be inSpiredo Such experiences also iistill faithi
and de,otion in our lninds. Theyiservellas a laddeF fOr d his goJ. the devotee to ascend S16wly tow
hmachari71 apprO chedito tell'Mother that:he A`b
catse he had some im.portant"orklto do. : Okay,son,"Alinma said to himif`Go to the me&ta tiOn hall and explain to all the others the reason for
vour absence.Only after doing that can you go ind at tend to the work.If yot are absentiwithout explanation, Others will be tempted to break froll th disciphne. whatever you dO,,Ou should try to set an example for Others.ti You Should serve as an inspiFatiOn for your.
brOthers:Every aCtiOn of a Spllitual seeker should carFy
A
a ln ssage
N,CHILDREN!
and alless6n,lk)r Others.There sh uld be an ideal behind`each and every act Of a true seeker." : The l , lchar prostrated tO,MOther and.went tO
d eimeditati hall`MOther Once again xpresSed lHer " 10ve and affectiOn tO the Musliln devOtee and retraced
he app=Oachcd MOt
great astOnishment Amma exclaimed,'Wha 7!YOu fOrr ptrtO edithese p001 creatures thattcannot.speak to
eXprebSltheir,hunger and their thirst7 Do you,yourself,
=,he hung.his head and confessed that hc had simply forg6tten,tOifeed:the cOws ,With
ever fOrget tO tttOr drink:We humans cttt aSk rif00d. when we are hungry,but they can't,can they7 This is a
great,sin.,A spttFitttal seeker shO.uld be able tO know.th
feelings of others,nOt
but Of an creatures DOn't think that because.they are unttleitO.express themselvesiverbally as humans do,
other creattres dO nOt have feelings likc humans, : TO be able tO put Oneself in anOther's positiOA,to
be able to see and to feel as another persOn dOes,this liS,
the rare,gift of an earnest spiritual seeker,KnOw that these creatures also have feelings.TO prOvide )Odiand
__
Dialogue,s
the l,imal,mechanio11ly poni :19 it 1 t b994, it.lS l nlt lec9 e one Of t l jobS assign14 tO yOu, mOr91r9utiner Try tO S,e tttat :h91ife whi pulSate,in yOt lnd me is lheis, e 1 ::het,oWsi 1 11 Try:10 feel Cr and thirst,then,lhe,ork.willlleCO , a =hOiF sad hu, " ir l:
from a sack in the,tor r00m and started lreparing the = f00d and wateF. e itti 1, With groat hesitatio, =: approached Mlther and rer and fear,the brahmacha
qtediHer.9
1et him ife,ed:19" 4m rnOd tO hi :and sald, DOn't say anyt g 9wo M9th wan"
S
thc , . l The rd nextitOtr4_1119 ing gi=0 cont dlthe cws, 91Sly ple141 lFd llyf 4 .dtt th1119=k Wlholt ttving l,y:01tentiOn 1 m
foOd.F .
::
,I m
,ed and
faceo When thc ws ishe4: iXtu Water and feed,the Holy Mother walked over tO a nearby hay
e f
cOmpttsion.The a, shOWed their ttrati by ttbbmg eir . IS ShOd der.There tts a smi 114 ,01ntmo,t9 lMOther'S
tud
stack,and ptlling out some hay frl ei,P,She o red it tO the co mOr,. lbiig nd 9a =OnCo
was n
AW
,CHII EttRE]
!
loleis tL 6 16 1=tll IWeia 6 16ve in our ttctions,and thcreibr , 6 16ve.There " beauty in wttlat w d6. e arc always anticipating the
tiit Of 9ur lc,10 ,,and this results in
stllSSn ,S Of
l.
T
:
1 1 .
'
th
ll d in00
1 iV1lt
li
i thiS tttheritt WIS mldit 101:lalL.I ithe h M9tler,16uttFo led b' I d S holder ieo oF t ,41 exper , ingitthe
111
, I I
:
'
1 1
.:
1 CI
tl:
are
:Yo
::l
itr`,
,
Dialogscs Wirh
trkra Amnunandatwyi
You, tlw Ptlrie One, euen protcct Thp Lord of tln Ocean ,f Milk'(Vishnu).
Ttt CtreatOr esI His: o7 dtt to Yo ghncc: O came rorth BrahmM, sal" Ons tO Yoz
I As SaFaS
oJ,
S ed
Aftei the,songlthere was a meditative atmOsphere fOi hile:When MOth r loOked at Herichildren with an'i"iting S lle,lolne of ,I bFamaChanins askO hil,ly u We,,ding the 4mmai thi, ft 91
6ws,I
i plain7" =111ase l pliedi S A ,y,u:r ttOt wFOng,but the : : r oti een16 oPecCh Th, I :ind silenCer W Hen real coinecti6h is bettteen 16 e is real 16 a theFe ilISilen Thtt cannOt b any t li a perfectly alm til o 6141 Thlle111 017 J pples OF'avel Whe,real lJ e,thei cattnot b an dl i"19 lnd wav are a diSt tion, 10Ve experi ti6 , a disturbance in the mentll lak :11Love distr an ensues fr01 rstillie 6f mindi In that stillnessi on
CouldI.
healrd,6u t ll rie bra imhami4 not to speak, thlt yOt anted it9:do the wOrk with loO o that the animttls )ld feel it.I didn't understttnd the r al im pol,:6f what yo said,but it,ounded tO m that there must b sie coriliecti6 between lo,e and.spcech.
expOrienee silence.Th talking of the mind stoPS COm ple lyo R a1 lov iS ttlt'1 that 1lle I SilenCe,sile'Ce
a16ne;is'th langiag
f e19ve
:t:T
=:
AV EN, cHILDR
!
gl 0 a=atttelrordeL
Only,FoaSOn:II win even try tO rcaso out llV,a d c91 ploS19no SOn, Where thcre is t00 1nuch talking,ther is n6 19ve.One whO really lovOs iS COnstantly l a ieditat e=oOdi ThOul ltS Ceaoe t91 ettitt in thc preseneeirOf such lovo. T e true 19ver only ttdi tcS;:hc ,vel think,,All hi thOughtslie b6ut his bdOved,sO lthere are= t numer Oul th9ught Waves i hi i .0 ly ne lOught prel Vall, O that Sing .lh6ught is aboit h belovcd`
=:= =
Whenithe iS ly 3ei
ti tin pur 9 := Sel one ttnnlt. and reml Spea When eb 9o a:ie,ti 10n 19wniISOl := iS wl .LoFd Dakshinl ur the nrsr c::1lw , mained il silence.hi ,a i I Lordl Dakshm : aug hiS d CipleS 10ugh,ilencO. 1 4idi,9 ,p ak,
l :: := 4
But nOw nObOdv 4111 lerstan4 the,llel ,Ofl r911 a ge dr l a meditatOr.ly y lder bim aZy bec e.1 i sile=119f ed l 111: 9all. i fam .o ly:with words,and know,lto the .They
19ver
ndamay,
ence of onen ss with the be10ved,th re is no,"eCh: Y6u be Ome silent and stin.This state is k o"n as sa re,6t att inicO 3tantim ditatiiOn " maJAl,a ttat
. :_
"h
There is a story abOut LOrd shiVtt and ttis Hol,Con= ry well what is ch will lllistrate rt,Pawati,
meait by the sile,cl of oneness,ith the bellloved." uS Sh FOCeeded 0 late th` 1lowi ,tl T thei dev6t listneduttenti e . 1.
g PaWati alone on
teach Her hO t6e l itttO stat bfsa i so that She could lal ,s remain i GnenestiWithi Her LOrdi 6 oFd ed'and itttmcttdittis Ho Cmslut tO Sit lH in th kttus,Os , ld Hci tot10stt HlreyeS and Her gtt l ithin.As Parvati=editated, meditate, x shi atsked, What do,ou.See now:" ed I istali tr F :hm, ental ever an PaFVatit : : I Sh iva instmcted H ,1 rth TTranscendithat Fom. = at do"u seel 0'r i : `Ib iabrillhttt liJlt."
r:
10
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
11(3o beyond the ,Ound. What dO you.experienCe
now ''
inseparable uhiOn with H r Lord,where the mind with i"w6rds and intellcctual thinking cannot reachof 1
me paused at the end ofithO:,tory The,She continued, 1lWhether th story aCr any happend or
not ittportant.Try to 1 bibttithO esscntial mcs' "t is sage`that the stOry conveys. person who always thints
Oke
1 ::1:
. Son,try::o
unders,a= clearly.''M lher ettplained: Try to be very att tive,hel youilisten ,MotheF use theiherart inst ei llect. f RQttember t Children,MOther is nOt trying to say that the , tettect is entirely tseless,It is necded;it is,Ob6olutely necessary.But it has an apprOpriate phce of it o : Put it where it b110ngS.DQI 9t.1 e itlinapl=o,liately. To place in6rdinate empha o h intelLct ls danger ouse That Will sp11l theibeauty lf li ._Too uch intel
1
i IL
A Ll
11
will cause connilt,diSal lect and iot enough h pOint ent and fruStrati 11lere sk ld be a b lance,a
balance betWeen heart and intellett lf Wei penet te
deeply intO all aSpects and all area,9f life,we wi11
g is lole
nd
We will discover that hidden behind everyth /that love is the forcei the ptter ttnd in,pi= tion behind ll people, every word and every actiOno This appli irrespective of race,caste, creed,,sec , religio , 6r of
CientiSt. aking ettperimenlS in ,To an 6ttsidcria the labOratOry appear si 9 be doing solely intellectual
wOrk.Most people will sl,that hiS Woik takes brains and therefOre it is intellectual wOrt and nOt SOmething
1lv into the pro that in, lves the heart,But look carc
is l ve i
his ork,that hiS heart i 1 aged ine wOrk. h: ct,if and th :withOut you an really see,vou lwill unde 10v 9ne cannot do that tind of wa:=:In rea ty9:the cesso Whttt will be: vealLdti that th e
PerittettntiOn and in Lole givOs sharpne"=o l mtc ,Ct The more l,ve you h ,the l andll twiy"will h 01,ubtlo intl 9 ,bul,it have.You may call bv : woFk lbeh : l.Sha" ss Or
thc forc bchind all scicnli
1 1
liste,1 g lhOvghdully,but he bFaAm ti6 :: Aima,.Iu,dersta,4,but ntea further claH nor completely. Pleese be hind enough to slaborate a
little more."
12
AWACN,CHIIE REN!
Amma continl d, S, o, can be performed On nt iOniVttiatevcf the work isl m ntal "ithout. lrphysical,and eiher it i,tas,or dimctlt exciting
6F m 1 lanei c6n entration,is'rettiredi NOWi What i iCo concentratib ntFadOn is nOthi g bit'Stiniess 1'mittdi ConcentFatibn StOps the' d "1 6f thOtghtsi When th6ughts tOp,the restless mind o in its ac tivity andlstilineSs is pOSSiue`That stllin ss Ofithe mind comeS olly aS a r sult of love.F6r a scientist it'is the love t61 be in entive a 1 ,12S him d e deeplv intl h rkr Ho l ves t6,orkihard. "riment whic j iS d in rlelatiOn t6 this are`liter e c6 m6n te st'
:1
ll
Sh lrit Or intens d it l
11=tttT 1ll l . 1
lttn't that cOrrect7
:
Amma,in thtt casl:h lthiS dittFentiationl beL niveei heaFt and'hen ctl The rel al tr thL1 1, th 11 : : n9t th 7'111 ithe :is iO di 1 I th 1 ns at b ,at ill: Bit'i esen i[al. t the is'i d vour
= which you yourself impose dut td your ignOrantel You have n6ti vet lr acr d ittliLe SupFett ttate of o ess.
Y tt dielst l
ittithe
w6rldlofidtalit,:You aretStill in th
arl only to mak you understand that experience a16ne Cantev al Truth, nd th wOrdslmd pl o 111 : : 11 ot dol lch t06d` 1 1: A`thinkingiaidi 1 as6hing predOttli te in d = lr
:
is
iatt W ith
'
13
mOle 10Ve and compa,siOn,We call.it hearti Both heart andiintellect are need d.In fact,as far as intellect is erned,what we leall need is not iuSt thinking but c6 disciitninative thinking, or a discrilninative intellect. We need tO be able to think properly and d crilninate beti een g Od and bad,and we also need a good heart in Order t6.fecl and cxpress love.H art and intellect are nec ssl fOr bOth a sadha and a person whO leedS a usually,thisibalance between the heart and regular h
the intellect is hard to find. childreni love i 6tr real natureo we are ofthe na 6f Di in LOveo Ttat love is shining in eath and ever,6ne of us:As love is our inlate nature, there can
tile
He is mOre Or less b6und tO the laboratOry where he sits,oi to the SCientinc equipm nt which he usest lHle do 01 bt hink bf ial life.H is more interested in 16it iheth r th re is lifel on the oOn Or On in Mars:Hb i mor int rested in mventing nucleariarma
m nts
n anal ytic approach. of the lln Fical woild thi6 gh h6w thtt function.If he is 6a,alyz He di ctS thi giVe,1lrkitt ,he is more intertttel in uSingthe a imal
l tttist
hatt 6f
: 1
ice and th
s arch
14
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Xa l 9
In his search for the truth of lifer the scientist unwit tingly destroys life its,1l Strang
!
Life is love.To see and feel life i ever,thi g iS 10ve.Life is not on the in00n 6r in the sun.On the con trary,the mOon iSili ;the`u is ilife.Life is here.Life is
there.Life is everywhereo There is nothing but hfel So t00,loveo Wherever there is life,there is 10ve and vice d love ar nOt tw6.11hey are one ,Bit ig 0 versao Life ranCe about their onlneSS will prevail until RealittatiO, ol es`Until Reali atioi comes,the diffettnce between intellect and heart will continue." 'Sg ,was l ed There was a leep,ilenceo Eve 9 On Mother's faceo She was expou ding a p10fOund truth with the gFeatest ,ilnplicity. EVeryOne sat spellb9und until the isilence was broken by the ow of A m nectarous words as She continued. A sclentlst iS mOre concerned about the Outside :han the inside.Hci,iore interestcd in the partS tha, n the wlole.He is so engrossed in the world he perr.
s
tellect,but
:
`
:J=: i
=J
lo hi,
ttna
`ndamM
15
he sees nOthing butrlife and love.For him there is nOth ing but life and 10ve shi ing forth with spl ndOr and
Therefo ,I MOther would say he is`the real scientisti'He expcrilnehts in the inner lab9ratory of his own being.He never crca ,diviSion in.For him life is onerwhole.Hcl always dwells in
g16ry from all directiOn
The
entered
they,were iStin.Her body.didn't 1ove at all;it was so motiotte ithat One cOuld not e cn detect the ris and
tittLeo Wh lA na was absorbed i sam dhli,One Ofthe
rettc.
,
"isdO
lmyttingr.
16
AN
L N,CHILDREN!
11 ' Shb"[Yo'T Fcet ald ttcss me WhO ,falling iintO the occan ofmisC
STILLNESS OF
MIND
When She calmterdown toithe ttorinal state.Of cOnf eS scio sness,the saie brahm charin asked anOther Amma,you said that c6ncentrationi mtts tiOn. the
mittd`till.I ha e heard that scienti c research and ex
, rimeitation
trationt lf sO,scientis,s who spend hours end hours in the labOratoryl sOm time even dayS On eid, must expe ,7 1s that kind rience that stiliness of mind`Isn't that t Of stillness and the stilln ss you are speaking about oT :: andFthe same?If ndt1 1"hat is the difR renc 7" Amma replied, Thttt is a very intell ent qu,StiOnt
there is vattt di lence h their exper ncesi A ttitttist might oxpttience a certail kittd 6f Stil1/nlsS'Wihen he he is 6ncentrates'6n a,atti laF eXpeFiment Or: in the process of inveiting sOmething.Bttti whent he leaves the laboratory,he be9omes the.same man again: ContFOlled EventhOugh a scientist, he t o has by his old habits and vasatts,he lwill.:be ifO ed to act 't r main s mind attd d sire Hl c according to' there in that state of`nO thought'for longl The scien to the expeAlnce 6f stilhttss lor.any tist ca 't hold o great length of time.It simply begins when he eiters en he comesiout:It is true the laboratory and eidsl 6ierpoitteaness a ter in Still: that when a person h ness of mind is gained.Iticanihttpen even to a laylmtan at certain tiineso Mother will agree that the concentra
17
01:i,1 0 intOnsl:1
of tt le,man,The scicnt iS ,ubt19r thanll at lf the y .lThO Stillness 9f mindigeinOd `l iS by the on 16intedness Oftlhe,cie,tiSt iS a,pe,1 li gift, fS=il ess 4olS not iast lOng.It comes b t th kind.
h ,CaSe
e ttsei
and 30 It PP,T w o.
r
tube, 4: hines,v in hiS reaH .In rell 11 :he ht:be lotal fallure.. r
St he is the
9f test
._
g of theimi,d.In w t v9
t e 10,thl mind i,lalwl,S,,111,lirr,spcCliV1 91''Ce ' plac e gOes b9Ll a d: d St 41h, lteins 1
the stofln9 mind 1-The,9gQttdieS in_http,attdithttsihe
Cir,
1 idtti= 1 : I Still h
.Comple:ett e,pt,1 g
=r
1.:
l dis,wns atty,ling
o lmageS 6f ll,9,=IIf y91, 1,yi e,it y ati6,s d6 tb`16ig lo the re or 1 ThQ: ,1 ply. 419 `11 Cithlerl ow
.1
`IThe kind Of stinness that you were talking abOut ,ome times happens to a poet wttOn he w=iteS poetry or when he isl ,t in Ought lbolti a' cttO while looking atln,tuF, :Weav:hiS 611l agi n otill,ess can come .fa=erl he fan,aS12e, Out hi,Crop and the im 9nse harv"1 a,h iS,gO g tO reapl An Ordi naFy lovel wh9 contettplet hil loved Oa 41SO haVe the saml experience.But tteoe loOple arc all still egO
18
A ENI CHILDREN!
Ov iburdened:Their
heads aFe full Ofith6 ghts; ideasi and llais for the fu:ure.Onc th y ome 6ut,f thd=
s6
111d stilliess, hich does not:la,t10ng;they ate o again th same 61d small eg . O
wOrldo The shi iS inte 1 9f One s With the ttperi nallv ll,fu Of the Abs61ute.Th s ilntiSt Sees man :rJie ttshi Sul
anytther
it lik,,
The scientitt iS
ltttnall,ful
sees One.:The scientist is oily a partOfexistence,whie J l is theiwhOle Of etti t ice.Vhile the scientist th shtt COm,S tre,Ithe burdeis himselflwith fa ts d e lty s6 1hit ill ktt wled:e la"thi6 him b t cani6t attct his exp rienc 6fiGttenes Whilel e scil eitttt imits andlnatrOws his Vilibil tha hi10=pll
ntirl:utti erse.' and eibra es the
:11
MOther stOpped talking attd asked the bra macLiar oti.: rins t6 sing Kod_an i l
1
Ma s archlingfor ind has be . Fol :I::ons aid S: s of 'I11 ything, the mcient sarS I Renttn`i71g si,a"sT paS :Pclirformed e dl 1 O ma c thciFSelffb" F. 1.Int cS"` Th Yo" Di
agh me
tio
O Eternal TT th :
. ". :
ma i
ln ccssibl1 30
Gb ing" e
ln t
::,Yo 11 Si MI Flanc
dancing
ma Living dal ttn in th hut.one Of the de161 e,aSkedi l Am aI I:k 6,Only tt little ab6ut
,pirituality.I have faith in Mother and l want to lead a
de101 da dd dicated lifeo C6uld Ou
please ten me
soOthi,g abOlt
MOtheF g,ve hiln this lnsWei: SOn,first Of all,you should g e tp this id,a ab6ut becOming 6re sliritual.
==li
: th9 ght Can sometimeS bl a h drahce. and pray tO G c di Sing His g10ries.D6n't
:=
'or y6ur breath t6 meditate On His formI MeditatiOn is h01d rei embranc Of God,cOiStant and 10viig r membrance.
20
AWACN,CHILDREN!
ther or mOther or beloved.How does a lover relmtember ly inO:iby ollting in 19tuS pOSture. his beloved7 Cert The remembrande sittply httppcnS in lim ,hile he is lying down,walking 6r sitti,g On the banks ot a riVer, 6r it may happen while he is at wOrk.It does not matter wher he is or,what he is,dling LikewiSe, IImember yOuF belov d deit,whenever, u an,no matter"here _ you are or what you are dOing
Him With yodr heart;try to tel Hiorpresence,grace, compassion and love.op n yOur heart and pray to Him, `O Lord,my creator, OtectOr,and inal resting place,
guide lmte to Your light and love: Fill lny heart with
Your preseice.I've been told that l am Your child,but ost lam to lly ig rant of my eXistencc in You.,My blelo'ed LOrd,I do notitnO how tO o hip You,or
W
'
gr atcst sa mao No othersdMm will giVe yOu the bli,s iof divine 16vO as effeCtively as si 99=
prayer.You do 't hav tO undcrg91anv academlci ain ing to love God Y9u d nit have tO be a schOlar or a phi10,Opher tO wOrship Him( r tO Ca11 0ut lo Him.Just ca1l ou:,but 191 e,all,9me Om your arl:Jlt. Sa
child cries out for food ol 16 be fbndled or c ddl lb ,his mother,call,Out to Hitt with the satte inten
in 01encco
ity and
21
the goal.
: here
diSCipleS Of the arst sankaracharya was very proud.of his deVOtiOn tho .LoFd Hi i be10vedl daity Was
cager to Speak lt9 the slleping ttan,thal the Fest dweller came every dav and waited foF long hours, hOpr
ing that the devotee would open his eyes
his imeaitation.The simple foFeSt dWeller approached him with great respect and aSked,`Tambra, why do yOu alwayS sit anl Sleep:Why canlt y9u li dow 1'See
son. The term means 'reverend master.'
*The manner in which an upper caste penon is addressed by lower caste pr"
22
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
ing the innOcente Of the forest d"eller,the dttOtee lavghed and sall,`H y, 1ly man,I am Otgsleelin ,I am m ditating on the form.Of m,bebved deity ' _
``Of cOurse the fOrest d leller c6uld inOt inderstand anythi,g.Having livedlin theifOr st a111his life,he wis t6tally uttch001ed attdiilliterate.`M ditatingI Belev d deity7 What is that7'he exclaimedo The devotee said, `You do nOt understand this sOrt 6f thing.I am tryin.g to call and pray tO my LOrdF The fOirest dweller again wOn
de= d,`Whit!Calling de otee
lnto ineditatiOn.
let him re
t.Unable tO Ontr01 hiS urge tO knOw Ore aboit the persOn fOr wh he deVOtC was searching, .with great hOpe he Once again alproacheditle S he asked,`Tambra,whO is this lnan you are caning fbr7 C)an l help yOu find hiin7'The devOtee wa 'extreltttely pleased with this man inceri sinCe he knew lthat the fbrest dwen r would not understand anything abOut
said,`LoOk here,the person l anl calling is ndt a human
being but a peculiar kind of liO ,a supremely powerflill man liOn 'With thi ans erlthe fOFeSt dWeller was sat meditatiOn Or other techniques of s dhan i the devOte
isfied
The days rOned int nths and during this tilne = The fOrest dwelllrifelt the twO became c10s friendst
Ver
What
;
Diatogues
lVrth Maw
Anrtwrw,ndanayi
23
:m
:l r=
:
=:
1 i a ` S 1=l l
nt4
cav to cav ,fr6m bush toibush
24
AWAK=N,cHIttN!
slowly had burnt awaylhis prittitive iatur ald along with it all his as l The l d stufr slowly dissOl ed and all thoughts disappearedr eventually even the,ver bal c,1ls ceased.He becam totally silent.Only thc all
.T 11 IPT 1
``The fOttst dweller pulled out a creeper,ticd lit l d Him back tO the tambra whO was still.sitting on a 10ck with eyes elosed,trying tO see the fOrm Of his eloved deiity.The fOrest dweller called Oit, `O TambF ,.Op9 yOlr ey,S Here is yOur
a und the Lord's neck andl man lion.I brought him hcre fOr you.'Thc dcvltee
1 lSecing how amazed thc tam waS, the fOrest your 110A He dweller said,`Tamb ,cOme down.Take is all right.He is nOt danger)usi Come On dOwn.'The devotee scra led Or the rock like an insane man attd fell dOwn in front Of b6th the Lord and the fOrest
dwener,crying 10udly like a lchild seeking forgiveness The rest dweller was puzzled by thist Now the Lord
3it
Lmay,
25
spOke,19et up, w dear One.Do not feel disappoittted Remember that dear to Me are those who lovingly tte
placed His hand on th iforest dWellerls ad; giving hiln mohsha,the inal emancipatiOn.The Lord consoled the devotee,saving that he too'wo ld reach the ulti ate state during thit lifetime.,The devOtee became genuinely humbled: This forest dweller did not dtudy any SCriptu=es,but he had a heart to feel and expr bs lov .His search was
not eVen for hilnself but for someone else.This kind Of person ettdowed with such a loving and compassiOnate heart ls moreldear to the Lord than one WhO Ineditates sitting in the lotus posture,proudly contemplating his sariptural knowledge and techniques oF meditation'and ijapa t`Children,taking this story as an inspiration,try tO
pFav until your lea melts andows Wn as tears.It:is said that the water Of the Ganges purittes whoever takes a dip in ito The tears which the eyes while one is re
11
ndOus power to purify one's emberig God have trer mind.These teatt are more powerful than meditation. Such tears are verily the Canges." .The Mother always instructs pcOple dif rentlyo She according to each sees ach being clearly.and instruc
one's ln ntal caliber and inheritedi spiritual diSp6sition
MOther advises some tb continue on the path that thOy are fonowing,but oth rs She insttucts tO dO an entirely
26
LKEN,CHILDREN!
reitis`dhan .There are caSes in which MOther tells d a sadha tO dO the same saJAana,whiCh he is dOing bit
are instrtcted tO fOnOw the path Of devOtion,lovc and prayer.Few ar thOse whO are tOld tO f0110w the Ve ta path Of nOn duality.AccOrding to M6ther,mOstleople are not cOmpetent enough tOlpOrfOrm ve`hnta sad H r strong conviction isithatt vedanta sad wil1 0b
.
to s e
Hei
mature and incomp tent peolle:Mother believes that the number of peOpl wh6 really unde tand Ve`
and its i plicatiOnd in life is very sttan
l
tic d by
im
much in the head,and thcy destrOy an the teauty attd char f spiFituality attdi D iie LOVe by indulging in
legotistic talking and egoisti ways.:l
xperiencel, even though they have been riitt intense sadhana r several yeatt Mot r Per
had a real `
b liev s
deity:Instead,she insttucts hiln tO cry to the LOrdi. d pray with inn endeo MOtherr says lhat man,lc611 come to tter with the ,m laint that they have ever
innocence in their sJhana.TO really l e and tO attain real spiritual ettperienCe,one=nu,tideve10p the quali
of 10ve and innOcenceo Amma says lhlt"httte er.spiri tual path One ptrsuesI.itish6uld be built on the strOng base Of prema.In the case Ofthe devotee whO had.asked
the qu stiOn,th path Of devOtiOn must be the sadhan
L:
1081 4
Matt Am
ndamay'
27
which would helpthim lo.gFOW,piritually,since that is what Amma d d him.A real Master knows what is
The time lwtt nearly s rthirty i the evening. Amma got up and WalkedltoWaFd the temple veranda .It
wa timc tl begin the evening b
1l arn
the.residents
and the viS ing devoteeSi Calme and took their seats. ith the accomtpaniinent Of Soon the chanting bega
th
e Sang Adi har Onhm and the tabla, 4 p ti.`. cr,= O.Prima suprcc P I PI cb ss ls ,Fi4%S Ofas Ss. O Gttdlss ith cightec ms,
Whosc mO nt is`.liO , : rshippca c cn b Yo%T c CS Ca rl 5mi O Yo" lo L
l
tt
petalS,
L"haOc a diant ce
clcphanti
l.Yo"
Yo"angeF
" c OFSttpped
oF th
thalof a
ib thc go
c ttm: 1
0 0ba ss
Grantling mc all10o s.
The blissful
28
MCN,CHILDREN!
11 w
:
=WT
i
: ] iFttli
_ I
1 lf Wi 1 i=i :
:
::
the way.
Take,fOr amplel
the
Gopis of Brittda
n and
Dialngues
Vith Ma:a
Amriwnandamayi
Zg
Mirabai.*'Whit was their s 7HOw did the,be come KT,shnama s(fu11 6f Krishna)7 Was it thrOugh
lOng hburs of sttting in 10,us pOSture doing rigOroub did mcditat o They did c6nstant and intense lmteditatiOn, but not sitting with crossed legs.p votees lik th Gopis and Mirabai constantly relmtembered th g10ries Of the Lord,cherish ing His Divine FOrm within themsel es,irrespective of tilne or 1lac .The just Cried and cried until their tears
wtt
hed away their entire ind stul until all their thoughts were gone.
lChildre.,when"e Ory we cin fOrget everything ti Cryihg helps ls t6 stOp brOoding on th past and dreaming about tl futuie.It he b is t6:be in the present with the LOrd and]His lDivine l celao SuppO e sOmeOne tt ry dett t6 us dies say bur mother Or father, wife 6=husband,or a sOn oF datgttere We Will lam nt, hittkittg bfiltt or her,wOn't w071We for ct everything elsl.At hat m6ment nOthing ebe cOm ,tO dur minds
fOrtl sSl,
httVe o othei inter st than thinking about and c6n templating that pe 6no OuF minde become fully fOcused
: , t 1 i
,' 1 tiOn Tlat iS Wlat at levotCes *Q man,devom Kr blived h ttjttthan h
l
90 llet 1,OnO pointadi 7hy dO we meditatq7 To get coicentF 16 ,isn't that why7.Y .iSOi the best way tO
lik the Go
the 15
cen
She waS a princes who renOunced her rOyalty and wealth to seek her bebved
LOrdo
30
AWACN,CHIDREN!
::l
t616ve You.'They praved and Oried u,til their wh919 being was trenS rtted into e State of constant praveF
=T==
IFII: y:T e= cO":r lhd: = TttfT 1 :AR: ` Wttc 7 i = mtll 1 :L y : gl .rilrTI: l Ii i I 1 T :i i tt19 = lr= l== .= I tl
F
:
self of the
asal
li
*A name Krishna
31
ss ciea
one humble.Humility in turn win help one get God graceras well as human 10ve." i
Whil,l Nobody spoke fOr sOme timeo MOther asked fOr something tO drlnk,but when(3ayatri brought.it,She didn't drink.IttcOmprehensible are=Her wayso After a
long pausei one of the brahmactt
lini said,
4ma
dOes the prayer 6f a lnere behever diftr fF6m that Of a true devoteer"
Amma,hOw
Ammi answered Mere believeT as diStinguished frOm l truc devoteO,usuall,pray t6o ^They may use the sameiterms,and they mav engage in the same manner
of supplicatiOnb ln fact the wOrdstthey use canlbe iden ti,al.But they are jist uttering wOrds, meaningless
:= 1 :
. Ttft : 11 iF 11:= t
32
AWACN,CHILDREN!
around WhiCh hiS praver revolves. H6wever,a true devotee offers himself to the Lord when he praySo Praver lS an Offering,an offering of one's Own lifeo Real praver iS real surrender.In real praver e nhhg k,nO 1 Ti tiOn.A true devotee realizes
I I
:Ther, his egoo Why should one keep a uSeless thin slroy it fore,he pravs tO the Lord to remove it,tO de dei This kind of praver is real meditation,and:it Will ver th deVOte, nttely take oneito the goal.In real p go`He has no likres oF diShkes.He WantS tO givelup hisl of the Lord. tries to Se e erything es a lmtanifettlatio ll except to mergo in other desires to ful e has n
eternal union with hiS Lord
"
Another question was brought up: C:an,a peFSOn be i trati6n,devotion,and purel.resolve of the perso ,whO
:.:liDncen
ti l
ment of al desite, tOIISaVI:
cureta disease.
ia10rs wiith Ma
tattamay,
33
34
=N,iCIIILDREN!
dest=ovedo Such pFaver will totally chenge yOur o tlook toward life.Th old person dies aid a ne one is born. However,praving for the ful 1lment of pett,deSir s
do s
not involve any change in One's peisonttlit,,The person who pra o in thiS wav remains the same;his atti tude r lmtains unchanged: This is not to say that yOu should n6t b concerned -1 or who are l ss f rtunate than a out those Who ar yOu.Pray for them,foi th Lod to hell them.I This is
far superior than praving for little petty desires to satiS
the senses,But remelmber, if yOur goal is Selireah2a Sanas, that hatt o be re tion, it is your ego, your mOved:This needs seli l)rt and a Sattt 's guidance
:
After this discussi6n On prayeri the melancholy tine Of the song;Karanatan httmiFi, lled the atmOsphere:..
O Mo ther, kindlyicas t a compassionate glance at me That I may attain Peace of mind. I adoreYiw Holy Feetin the flower of m) ntirTd.
Day ond night, w&ves af sonow Rise in my mind, overwhelming it. You are the Ruler of the Eatth, Destroyer of somow and Giver of good' Thus, shour Yow mercY to me. O Mother, grq,e me a chance To adore Your Flawer-ltke FeetMay Your look of compassion fall on me That I may become filled with Bliss.
Di
IOrs 4
cr th
Mata A nattma
,
t i
35
lKlindly shO
nedttb"s dFOps
Or YOMT P :L c mi Whi ,s miserablc and help ss, Thtt lctJnglme ba" and suim ln,he coOI wa rs Of o ca lor BIiss:
THEN:TAKING UP
36
NttN,CHILDttN!
the Mahatm
peOple asked,`What iS thiSI We dOn't understand the meaning 'The Mahatma replied,`This is Spirituality, unbirdening the burden of y6ur egO 'The scholars Said,
again.But now it is'weightlessi ln other w6rds,1 calry it again until you feel that it is no longer a butl deno The ego is no mo=e an ego then,.but an apparcnt Of the egO It lis inter( ting t9 watCh ithe functioning apparent egO`It is iust a'lay The SelicFeatedlego is to
)nt
amuse yourself and those,who approach you.Thi6 Selfr e chi : created eg6 now contains toys andisweetS to am
dren
tahng back SpiritualityiS nothing but unburdening ev tttlne erything and then taking back the burden.But this the burden is no more a biuFden.:To put it in anothe
way,don't take up the burden until and unless you feel mpletely the weightlessness. Yes, when you havc you carr,` le it back ettptied the inner burden,vou l
37
us
amOunt Of)j springing forth m dOep within,,clen Whill Cattitt the burden Of the wbrldI PreviOuSly,it Wtt Feal Sureri ht nl the islno surettng: all be au ,our iS Llly at rest,and therfOrl:y6u do
not iel it tO be a bu ymoreo Even thgh,ou still,erfOm a tions,you are involved and at th same im e nOt inv01ved.You istart seei=g things frOm an ole,but You never tiFel,dif Fent angle.YOu enact a
get identi ed with it.You remain.6utside.Yiou cannOt but feel blissful,no matter what you ma,dO " :
si6n:``To
remain egOless without feeling the urden of it. ow di 9ult,o uttderstand!1 M ther continue d:`6M6ther has said thttt ltlS an ex
perienc ;that it can ieither be grasped nOr can it be explaincd or inteTT ted b,the intelllct The intelle
has an ex1lanatiOn fOr le single thhg,Pleople are not ready to accept anything without an explanatiOn They think that theie intlt be a 16gi al ettplanation for everythingo P00r things!They thittk they can cx,lain the nature of this iniverse ith all its myste eso Mod ern scientic thinking io responsible fOr imparting thi kind Of attitude to human minds.The inOdernlscientifi apprOach deals Only with things and obj cts that can be perdeiv d.It deals only with the empirical wOrld that
able. This cOncept of mOdem scicnce has damaged hu man faith.Love cannot bO percei ed,neither can faith
Ni CHILDREN!
heylaleinot tangttle.Thes,4ualities cttmp lbe put itolwords,vet they are the v ry mditionS Iofil thout them life is not litt but d ath`Theibeauty and tirely 6n love ad fai They ndOr oc life depend nnot be explained except in real life., It, is our experiea e: t without love and faith life becOme5: hchine or like a: Orpseo Just,as a COFpse dccompoSe b also starts decOmprosing in the absence of 10ve and ith. This is our daily experience.,,Every mqment is an
.
f this erienc li
Sa
O dark-colored clouds How did you get this bluish hue Tlw s:ame dsrk complexion As Bnndavan's Son of Nandn, Sii Knshna?
Did you go and maet Baby Krishna? ' Did He smile at you and talk to YouT Did He, with His blue lotus-like eyes, Squeet like honey, ,cclst a glance at you?
Dialosrres
39
The deep silence Of the night and the prOfOund 1: feeLng created by the sOng ttade everybOdyIS lis indeed wonderful mind glide intO a tranquil state
e ati,g
lt
to liSte,tO 14other's neOtarOus words and e 3,atiC Singl ing,fOr She fills bOth heart and sOul with 10ve and conl tent ent.But these intervals Of deep oilen e,whe
inncr
silence,are bfi
ir
and peacei l
Mother smiled misChievOusl, iShe might have b ei thinking how'silly we wlie to cOtttinuc tO ask the sam quesdon even after being t01d repeatedly that spiritu exp riences were indeScribable,that they CannOt be plained.However,thc MOstlCompasSionate On again bleOsed Her children by gi ing a few more hints: Sot befOre answering your question,let M6ther ten hOw the intenect keeps on raising obj ctions ind dOubtSo lt never lets us believe; it never lets us have undivided faitho Look at yOu no :Even after you have been tOld hOw spirituanty is inexplicable, yOur intellect dOeshlt a110w you tO accept ito ltldoes nOt,a1low yOu tO believe: It keeps on demanding proof inithe fo 1 0f mOre aid
, IDUN!
i fOr the intellect:Without doubts,woFaS and explanar .They canl tions, 0 mil and itttellett cannot su existence ot ex .The min 1 " tt knowll
i
mind.
``The saint st",fedmg the mind with knowledge world Once 6d foi the ego is stopped,the ttind f
d:imechanical functioningo The
saint itS:habitual becomes the sole =ops
Ontr ncr.The,sai t lives in the
art is
=l=
vlded`He becomes the unlverse. go isire OVed,vou are nl 9re a perr On the sOn`You become consciotsness:You become forml ,,.: The ego is the mat Fi41 WIhg es namc aid r g9nel Once the ego is destroyedi name and form are You may giVe a name tO the sainl a,d,ou mav attribute f a fOrm to hi ,.btttihe is neither.He becomesilike lhe ind.He becOmes tp e:n,thing ca,p,ss through 1l thei= t hi .The entire unill ew`ith all its obi ns and(ltars;mou,tams,valleys and fOrOstS; stn , Ocean ,r ers und streamsi all peOple,all animals a d
l ,Tl
41
he isi
H9re is anothe="ay of190king at ito While re ing under water,wC dO not tel the weight Ofthe things we caniy,no lnatter h9w laFge the tquatttity,may be.But come out of the waterland t,to Carry the same thingS. You may not ven be ttble to lnOve them an incho Like Wise,the Maha ma d e`deep into l whde Ofe st e,ce.He becomes existen c itselt and buOyant in thi SlaCe of existence,the`burden'he carriOs islweightless
ThuS,it iS not really a burden for him to carFy.He feels
iS the embOdiinent,of 19ve and COttpassion. I Seint pure love there is no burden.Nothing can be a burden to pure desireless 10ve.Rea1 love can carry the entir universe hout feelittgiany weighte COmpassiOn can shOuldeF the suttring Of the entire world withOut feel ing the,lightest bit of paino What we can th heavy b rden Of the entire world is wtightless fOr a Mahama. Hc CaFFieS this`burden'Out of sheer iOy and bliSs.But in fact,he does hOt carry it at all. He cannOt cttiry any' ing because i nOl a perSOn;he is not a fOm.He is S, itS lf and spac can cOntaitt enything:Anything and everything will t in spac ,and st_in theFe Will be plCELty 6f space.`in spac ' meaning,limitless spacej inr pace. e hatstible L `'Therelis no division in that state;one blecomes tO tally und idel.Itt factthere is only space.Division is created by uso As a res lt of Our Own karlnai the ego
cr ates
42
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
was cotttructed,there many=ooHIs.BefOre the hous was only space.After the wans were put up,the spacc was divided into separate rooms. But in reahty,even
when the entire house i built and chvision is created by
the wans,there is stil1 6nly space.The hOusc exists in ,paceo Now,if yOu demolish the walls,the house disap pears and again yOu have 6nly spacc.Likewise,the eg0 can be compar d to th walls that delineate the divi si6nso Remove the ego and you will again be ome space. i But son, what good does it do you if you silnply heaF all these words and ideas7 You should try to attain that state of being unburdenedo Only that is worth while." : Another b h77LaCh in feltivery moved to speak,'It
nOt last long;it dies away soon." , . Taking up this point,Mother elabOrated, NOw,the tide comes and goes.It comes in when YOu are in situa
tions silnilar to this,inspired by satsapng.The sum itotal
of such inspiri g Circulmstances ill culminate in an ur
gency
take the inal leap,the inal sOaring up,A real ttaster w l take you tO that point by creating inore ins,iring
and more intense chcumstances.As you become more and inOre ieceptive,ithe intenSity of the circumstances
win increase.That is how a true Gluru takes even the
Dialogucs Wtth
Maa Amrtwnandamayi
43
I Lo
FSSencl or ttC Agan , o :: C%hiocrsc, htts Yo O are 110f iS 0,IiSSfal.SC :ElcttMI B ing lid oF SC o O PttaI Pottr,sypremc P( er,prOtec11.mc
m71 _
Yo"ct D cIIcl, :I hc ts, 0"ingiall, Eager to ofrer.the blis Libetttib , I c n b ,cttd b t always sh ing h thc meditttio tha o"s. :
:
44
A\rAKEN, CHILDRENJ
O You who shine forth in fult In the form of Eternal Truth, O Devi, Eternal One, show the Path of Salvation, And shine in me, a dullard onnong martki
Clearly I rclI You, O Mother Deign to enter and shine in my heart. Choose me to praise Your stor) And liberate me from this maye.
At ten thirty in the eveningi it started to rainIIt seemed that 4 ma wiShed to be in the rain,fOr She did
not get up.As if in tune with Her,everyone relmtained cept Gavatri,who was extremely COnc lned seattd ds.Gayttri got about Mother's health and hySiCal n ul,fOr she could see thalithe drizzle would sooniturn intO heavy raino MOther did n6t movc,Gayatri pleaded for ttmma t6 get up l d move to the temple vetanda 01 gO tO Hler roomo Suddenly the drizzle becalmte a d6wn pOuro Everybody got drenc edo The moment the drizzle had begun,Gayatri had unfolded the umbr lla which
she httd erried along with her,and tried to hold i16ver
lr w 'd
Di loyes
With Mara A
may'
45
ln the Faln.'
: Anoth r
One said, 14don't knOw how to act 6n such occasionso For exaimple: Gayatri insisted that Mother shOtld go to lHer room,wher as nOne of uS uttered a S gll WOrd:We just sat here and kept quiet.Of'cottse
the ri ght
Or Ours7"
maChaF'
thittk
haOe asked Amma 't6 go to Her r it should rained so heatvil,.'' belbr "e
A bit of discussi6n followed and the brahmachattns sk Mother about it Wh n c6nclided that they ShOuld hance.Then the,l ent t,thCir rOoms. thty had th Th o ly sou,ds were th6se Of the wind blolwing,the ahifalhng and th ocean"a,es roaring
1 1
iCHA PTER:II
_l WHICH IS:T
= pFda,,7 July,1981_. 1
19 T
ATTITvDE::
11 i
11
:
._11.i _
L. 1 .1 _
46
:KEN,CHILDREN!
bOtheFing them the day before.One of thO aokcd, Amma l yesterday,While yQv were in the rain and it ,ta rted to pOur, Gayatri pleaded that yOu gO t9 your room,whereas,e did not say anythingo We luSt kept quieto Now,Amma,kindly telliuS whether OuF SilenCe
was alwrong
attitudei"
:Laugh g
loudl ,Amma
physi
1
Amma'siphysical leeds are wha,she think,and dreamo about ceaselessly,Hlr cOn rnifor Amm s b9dy atiScS frOm her puFe 10ve foF Amma That is h6wiit.ohou14 having attachment and deep cOncem for the be Guru's body,even thOugh the Guru is not at an both
ered about his bOdily needs.Attachment t6 the(3uru makes 9ne dctach 10m all w6rldly cOncerns a,d wor
ri
sI It'helps the spiFitual seeker forget abOut the wOrld and c9,cOntrate on Godo The spiritual pFOgiess 6f a disr
ciple 6r i devOtee dep nds 6 th
int isity
of his Or her
remembrance Of his Curu or God,which is alSO medita tion,and this will culminate in tOta1 0heness.Gttyatri's thoughts are always focused on v6ther and Her ndeds; r i there is 6thihJ Wr6ng in GayatFi's ttttitudc. th r
It'
all righ
. :
1,. _
__
._
11.=1
Diahgues WithMaror-
Amriurctrdanwyi
47
Children, have yOu heard the stOry of Krishna's headachel Lord Krishtta One day pretended tO have a sev re headacheo When the sage Narada came into the Lord's private chalmbersl he saw KriShna roning on the b d,unable to bear the terrible pain.ExpreSSing great sympathy,Narada ittquired f therc were anything he cOuld dO fOr the Lord if there were any remed,tO ease the paino Krishna,ls if undergoing severe pain,Inur ured in a barely atdible oice,`The only medicine is dust frOm My devotees'feet.This iunbearable peitt will
g00nly if the dust is applicd to My foFehead
'
But still he wanted to 6btain a cure fbr the Lord,So he went Out and search d for sOmeone who would give
the dust frOm his feet for th Lord to apply to His fore
the Holy Consort,of Krishnao They immediately re fused,nOt wantinL to ommit such a big si .Next
Narada Went tO s e matty saints and sages who were re nOwned fOr their devOtion and tappas,but nOne Ofthem was ready to commit a great sin l e that `:A disappointed ,Narada returned to lDwaraka,the abod of Sri Krishna.He told the Lord thatthose whom he had apploa9hed were attaid tO incur such a gloss sin and askediwhere he could gO tO,ind the relmtedyo Sleing Narada's hel,lesSness, the Lord, still feigning severe pain,smilingly replied,`Go to Brin van
'
48
KEN,CHILDREN! A
were thrined and excit d to see the great dl,otee Of Lord Sri Krishna..They SuriOunded himi eagerly a king questions about Krishna.After attswering thlir ques, tiOns,Narada inall,told them aboit the se ere head
ache and its sole remedy,that this was what he had oome to ask for th Lordo Without aimoment's thOught and as if th ,had gOne insane,th Gopis began illiig bags aid baLS OfSand frOm under eir feet, ShOcked,Narada exclaiined,`W7hat are yod doing7 D n't you knoW that this is the worst in,to make the
L6rd wear the dust fr lm y ur feet:Are you crazy7!' The Gopis in th ir intense love for the Lord cried oit,`lThen let us incur this sin, o Inatter how severO it
hettdache event was a diVine dralmta plavcd by.Sri Krishna to humbl him.He was c rtainl,huhbled as the Lord said to him,lM dear Narada,while you and all the others wtte only worried about inCutting si ,the COliS Were Only concerned about Me.They were not at all bothered about what greit sinlthey'ould incur;in
Ces fact,they were willing to accept whatevericottsc might befall thei for the sO called sinful ,t of g hg
ialo Mata
Amtttananda"i
49
nothing else,but Me.Their Krishna should be well.His pain shetld end. This was their sOle cOncern. Their is beyond cOmparet
it
His health lnd physical needs.The devotee's attach meit and cOnstant remembra,ce(or One pointedness)
=ises out Of this attitide,Which is vc,y g00d.
The braluTtaclwrin then asked, "Amlrra, in the beginning you said that our attitude was not wrong, but your explanation rnakes it sound as if Gayatri was,right and
we were wrong.tt
"Noi oo. Not so," Amma assured him. "Mother was just about to say that your attitude came from a place of being fully identified with that particular set of circurrrstances. You were in a state of forgetfulness. You didn't sge the rain coming; you had not seen the rain clouds gathering. Your mind was so concentrated on watching Amma at that particular moment that even when it started to rain, you did not notice the rain drops. You were living in the moment with Amma so that nothing
else mattered. However, since it is Gayatri's sadhana to take care of Amma's physical needs, she was rnore corrcerned about Amma's health. She saw the rain coming and , felt extremely concerned about Amma's getting drenched. Of course she wanted Amma to get out of the rain and go inside. So both her attitude and yours are correct.
50
AWACN,CHILDREN!
If Gayatri's attitude Can be 9mpared to tha of the 00piS,WhO un ompromisingly senl the dust fFOm under
that moment can bc cottparOd to that ofthe Gopi Who birned her fing rs whettphe saw Krishna. Children,do you k 0,that story:There was Once a cbpi who was told by her moth r in law t6 1ight th lamp in the house as dusk was lling,so she"ent t6 the neighbor's house to get fire. Bac in lhOSe da,s there were no electric lights, not eVen matches. To
light a fire you had tO Strik
ether,and
ifsOmebody did that,h would keep the ttre going sl otheFS COuld start their fires om his.It was a
btailil comlnon thing to g9 to a n ighbor's house to fire.Th Glopi t66k with her a cotton wick soak d in
6il in order to light it frOm th lamp at the neighbor',: JuSt aS She placed the oil SOaked wick in the firO,she
heard someone say,`Looki ther 's Krishna at the d06r!' She immediatel,turned and saw her Belov d Krishna ding right thereo Soislruck was she by the sight 6f st h r Lord that she silnply stood there gazing at Him,un aWar1 0fthe wick that was burning in her hando Totally Obhvi us to the outer cir umstances,she did ttot notice that her fingers were burningo She felt lo pain,for she was nOt at all c6nscious of her bodyo Mcan"hilei the mOther in law was waiting for her to retulmi With the Are; hen the daughter in law did ttot come back after su( h a long tilne,th lnother in law d cided to'searCh fOr hero When she arriv d at the heighbol's house,she found the Gopi standing entranced,lo9king at Ktishna. S6 n hanted was she by HiS preSence,she,did n6t even erS W r burning. knO"that her
TT
D h Mara Am ``BI
ian
51
Now, hildren,if yOu cOnsciouslv act in a sel sh Way,liat is wrO .For ttample,if Out Of anger or spite Ct,our iritual prOgress.AlsO;had you run Out ofthe iain withOut caring abott Amma; ithOut Seeking Her
plrmission to lea e Or without being asted by AmmatO
yOu leliberately let Amma stay in the rain,ithat w6ula be a t6 ally ha. 1l attitude which cOuld adversely
fOr pu.
The differnce is,while a d vOtee sees both the ex temal and the intemal aspect,Of the Lord,pcople whO believe that God is th Ab301ute BIahman se Only the internal.BOth for cayatri and for you,MOther is y6ur Be16ved Lord and all pOwerful God;She is verything
1 1`Children,M6ther knOws that both,Ou and Cayatri are very much cOncetted about MOthers physicaliwell being,but in that particular set of cirtumstances,you b talmte identi ed with that mOment and yOu(brgot ev erythingo whereasiCavatri,as it was her sad'` ,was more concemed about MOthe :phySiCal 16dy.Ho" ever,in both cases this fOrgetfuincs,and identi cati6n
52
: VA .CH )REN!
hapttns,only once in a whilet ttt shouldfbecom con stant.And that is the po t When 70u ettrm :a
taste of supremerlove,"
very happy to heartht they n6t mad a mistake in unw ingly al10wingiA
tO stay ln the rain by not tFglng Her tO g
linstr,cted b
"
1
_The hm s, e
1lLiS
eX
llanati61 relieVed thOm of any guilty cOnsciende,`As hanins lang Amma,One 6f=the bJm la hrli ara. cs M`
..
.Wlith
:
O most charming O c,Lord Or the Is.hcar the complexlo ofrai CIoOds, Bcaring thc GO` ess La shmi o His cLst,
.
.
T Yo""ho Tc
:We J
'
rmio
At about three o'c10ck in the afternOon Amlna was FOaming in the cocOnut grove. This seelmted norinal nough,ryet there was som thing unusual in Her inan iner. One could discern that She was reveling in the highe,planes,for the FeSidents had seen lHer d6 this before.It was a pttticular mood Of HerO, biding h:he bsolute stillness Of Her rell nature while Sh :mOved abOutijThis continued foF S6me tim
Dia10y
Mata
Am
53
ndimtt nettr a A fe mi ttel ilttter,Moth( ::was y9ing Oo6 re i ttt tFee an t 01 k g upll Owl,was being attac=ed b IF crows ITh angry.
crows screech d wildly aS rhev 1 4: thc 7 defenseless owlo lt seemed certaii that th clo, would
kin the owl IPicking up a s
ne,A ma
the crowS were not bothered and continued the attack. At this ploint M6 eripi ted uplttveral stones and shot them rapidly at the c wsI Thi3 tilme the cro,s accepted ng ttLe O l alonet Dnt sobl l at and ac,away,1 d 11 : 6 th tree:1 utt ring in 6r bird fell low the l 0f Mothero With wounds all er itS body,th owlllay tiOi,s.Amm t d6m ard t66k: On the ,und the bleedi,g biFd in Her handsi careSSi g it compaSsion IH lfac She gend plaC d ately: Withi aisad b6=6 the owlo Htt lapl cayatri:"Amma callediout, bring sOme h6t,ater i tOvrels.'' . : iOne}6f th a1 chattns ran tl (Gtayal i and re pOrted the matter tO her.In a fe hlttes G riicame d6wn with the hot water and sOmte t sI Seting the d,cayatri let M6ther's white skiFt COVer d ttith bl
:
iS CbVeFed"ith blood:Amma;the tkirt is ruined imw.1' threwia very sal Hearing this comment,Amm 10ok at Ga,atri Th love.andi,cOmpasSib .She had in yeS foF the O 1 ere 10t viS 1 : the look Sh Hei
:
as if tO Say,
Wait tin l inish teAding to thiS 16 and h01pless that bok and : turied palet
Using the hot water attd towel,Amma wiped
6ff the
,.
54
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
blood to clean the Owl's wounds witt gr at love md concerno She did this with grea carc,each time wash
ing out the blood4stained tOwel in a different container. The att ntion Amma pald to a seemingly insignificant
owl was such that everyone present felf that She was nuFSing one of Hler Own children.Mother did nOt speak a single. word as She treated the birdo When all the
blood was remoled and the wounds were all clean, Amma dried the Owl's bOdy using a fresh towel.Then
Amma asked Nealu to get sOtte turmeric Powdero Nealui quickly returned with turmeric from the kitchen.It was the iready made type Of lpackag d tuFmeriC Powder which had been purchased frOm ithe market.But`Amma had fresh ground turmenc in mind: Not this.Cet a
dried tuFl teric root,grind it and bring it."
turmer powder WttSi ready,and Mother,with Her Own hands,applied under the the powder On each of the bird's wOuttds yes,on the necko She wings, on the head, near the
In a few minutes th freshly grOund
the turmeric powder.As She was doing this,the biFd sat,Silcntly on the Mother's lap without auttering Or
mOVingiat all.It seelmted that the bird was in bliss rather
in paino Now it even looked all right. Having CaFefully put the turmeric powder on all itslwounds, Amma.closed Her eyes and sat in a meditat e mood rl a few moments, keeping the bird on Her lap.opening He eyes,Ammalonce again rubbed the bird's back. TheniShe handed the bird over to Balu andlinstructed
than
hiln
55
Gaytttri reminded MOther Ofl Her blood stained skirt Amma,don't you wantto changc your skirt7" 4S if Waiting to hear these wOrds,Amma retoFted, No, Mother does not want to change. She wants to hav the blo( on Her c10theso lt reminds Amma ofthe
helpless creature and of the pain it underwent.It indi
cates the pain and agony of the entire creatiOn. It makes Her`remember the hJelpless state of those whO are in sorrow and suffering:ThuS Mother can alsO rememr
ber the need to fe l Ompass10niand to express it to all
creatures,no lnattet hOw insittnifiCant Or useless they appear tO be.It really pain 111fOr MOther tO sec how selicentered Her children are.Instead of feeling om passion for this helpless bird,Cayatri is more ncerned
abOut the clotheso lt is pttinful to think that as spiritual
beings."
.:
Gal itri hung her head as she sat very still.A heavy
feel something of the MOtherls conCern for tte tentire creation.It was awesome:Tcars F011ed dOwn MOther's
As the Mother's mind changes its lnood,there is a change in the atmospherelaround tter.Her m00d is in evitabl renected in the peOple ,ar Her. , Amma bcgan talkintt again:TThe thOught that Her
children are nOt able to feel cOttpassion,that they can
not see th mselves in sOmebody else's place is ex tremely painful fOr MOther. Without love and OmpaSSiOn the world cannOt ex ist.The whole Of existence is indebted tO the Mahat77L
56
fOr th llo
WAttNICHILDREN!
ompassion th V haVe sh6 d ol 111 =id an atuies'i 1l the an d reati :Th 0 n,lt IThOSei, :1 ssttn 61comp l hav
it
I I= ; bevond,
=
d ldl,they"hen , c. colmetdc II wh =oo with etlmi Wh :111 lould lhey bOth r ab ut 6th
th 18 te
1 t= Thtt 111
:
'1
they create a body t6 ,xpress.COmpaSSiol and 10ve, lCOme dOwn Once mpassion ariseS wi ,
t6the human plan OficOnstc191sn s, Whv dO they d9 7:Thcy thiSI What for:H[ave you.e er tl ught about
do that only to cr ate the spirit Of 10 e andicompasslo
in you."
11 hfr
57
l rl
nO=Wantito COme downi aS if,Ou WOuld have preferred to iemain Ln that smte of Oneness.Th n how d6es this CO )ha pp,n l HOw dOes that cottpassion 111 t lise71= 1 _ m , iOnale one,.Sp6k `lM9th"has
Throl yettS Of tap ,Buddha beca e enlight nedt lWtt hei: 9d enlightenient,I,iddha re
W de
11
The,
==:=i== r the,6rld. l
and
a11
its creamr
benlettl om what he
"6ild had gained.If he did 9t be speak,11 e a tramten i dous loss SO th gods came dOwn from httven a d appeared be re B ddha.Bowing dowi 19 thl=Oa:,Oul,th,v re peatedly.Pmyed to hi Sp:17 ,101 Oly iS.1 h a ttie e,pleale speakl Your fabll one;therefore,be c assionatletiT tcFe are inany p/eople who are su 1 ond,0=Ow.one single word frOm you will give them h6pe.Yotf m re p sence win gtte them peace and tm ltillity There are als seekers Of Truth whOl,eed 70tr help.Cuide them tO this st of Sel RealizatiOn. L word,a glance,a touch om 7 u will bela shOttring of ambrOsia upon them Please speak,00.reat One,'. 1 `:A:Ar,t, Buddh4, the En lightened Onc, paid nO
58
iKEN,CHILDREN!
tencei he tried tO explain to thlelni that nO ing he Ould say would fully express his experien e of Truth. The gOds contin ed tO plead with him,`Think of ailing humanityo Have cOmpassion for those who are i, orro" and dcspair, longinB fOF SOmeOne to give them sol ce f Truth who lind.Think ofthOse seekers and peac of are badly in need OfsOmeonc to guide thett to the goal. They.need guidance. If nObOdy helps them ithey lnay look bact and think,``I have been waitingiso long to reach the state of Perfectiono What if it does nOt exist: Maybe there is nO such thing as SeliRealizatiOn, so
Wby ShOuld l wasle my time any 19nger:"And in that state of frustration and disappointinent, they might
even fall back into the woild ofi,lurality.Think,Holy uch peqple`Take pity On them. One,think.Think Feel compasslon for the and speak.One llok,one wOrd or one touch from a h01y person lik you is suffi cient for them tO attain the goalirThat attainm nt of a
single soul is enOugh for the rest of the wOrld to be ben
eitted.
Gradually Buddha's heart illed with compassion And sO,after having expeFienCed the highest Truth,a lled inside and Outside, and hauing ter having been
attained Oneness ttithi
dom.
innericall attd longing of sincOre sadhah and peOple who believe in the exittlence Of a Stprelmte Power,who are badly in(need of Ood'sf.1 iace and guidance.There are always sHCh peOlle WhO yearn xperience of G :They inttnsely to have ible
StOFy r( )resentithe
59
helin
the
higher values Of hfe and feel the ilttler urgency for a posit e spiritual change.Their htense call and oiayers will creat waves of compassion in the inind Of a great sOulo That call brings him down." A brahmmttarin said, Amma,I am tteling a bit of
cOnlsiOn abOut what you saido Sometittlestyou say that Once Reahzati6n is attained one becomes fu11 f love
and compassion,that there is nothing but love,in such a persono Thln l haVe also heard ou say that in that state of( neness there is neith r1love nor lack of love, f compassion.This sOunds either cOmpassion nor lack contradictorv.Amma,please make this clear." Children,"Amma sald, once Realitttion is at tain d,someibeings merge With eternity,and a vcry few
hold on to a determined tho ght,a sanialpao only a few wh6 can make that s b a tO descend will come
pulled awav at any time is put up by self will;h16rder to1lnake functioning in this orld:smooth and uninteF
60
A [EN,CHILDREN!
tupted: Consc ly,yOu d9 not pay atty atte,tion to ,the ather side of the cuFtain.Yet on and Off you do g0
other side,but you manage tO c9me ba,k.The Very thOught Or a reminder 9f th 9ther s ide ca,simpl,
to th lift you there.
u play the rOle w ll. Once y9u cOme down,then .You l e and 6rk hard for the uplifthg of all human ity,YOu wll,have pr6b s,ObSt les ia 4 dittcult situ ation :You_will also have tO face abuSel,Iscandals and u dO nO,car because although exter calumy.IBit aH yOu l 00k like everybOdy els , intemany you are totally different.Inside,you are 6ne with the dlttreit Suprelm[ TFuth; theFefO:9, you are untouched; una fected.Httving ecOme one with the very Sourcc of en ergy itself,,ou WOrk tirel ssly.:Healing and oothing ithe deep woundS Of thOse who me to you;,y :give ipeace a,d happiness to cveryone. Your.way of.living life otF renunciation,16vei compassion and seles
i noess gives
what you experience. If they d no want to be con erned abOut the 1 9rldlat,all,lthOse c OmpaSSionate and 10vi,et6nes who Fc idOWn can als6.Femttn in thatin 1 di lsttte and i mergl itt Supreme ConsciousnesS.In that state there is i indtth r lo e nOr iack f lo,e,neither compassion nor
lak of
comlas 10ni
perience those divine qualities,one inust have a body OnQe a body:is taken,itt has tO take its naturail course. 's1l dy is different frOm.an oFdinar IThe Mal`t ,eFSO 'S:If SO Wills,he Can keep the bOdy ao long a`
tamndamay,
61
:he wiShes, ithOut bel g afnicted by disease,nd Suttr ing.But he consciousl,Inakes the body undergo all the experie ces that an sxdinary humenibeing unde=goes. Th rein lies his greatncss
.
Hc had want d,bur Kttishna didn't He made Bhima, the second PandaVa brother,do that. Remember it was an arrow shOtiby an Ordinary
hunter which lut an end t6 Krishna's life in this world.
JeS,S as.cx99uted iOn the lloSiS 4 0f Them could have prevented the e ent hihp t in end to Their he natural 10dy, but They let eVeFything happen i
let life ca=y Them:They ChOse tO be at Thtt were l,dl,t the eVont, CCur.They were willing tO su ender.HoWever,lbib d9es n9t mean that the natur1l C6urse is inl talle.or unavoidable for
Them,as it il for ordinary humans.No,that's not so.If
cOurse 6f ev nts.They
watm.
t .T ::::
ean*:and how Sri Krishna
62
AWA_KEN,iCHILDREN!
(3ovardhana wtth His little fin
Amma paused and ask d brahmacharin Rao toising a song,v% a ganam pati
"
Oh% happ,beCS,malodics ithO"t"orA, b"com tO thc Abode oFth Di inc Moth r7 Won't
No m re do c ha c tO
andcr
D s go Cb
go c Tc er.
`Lct%s :0
F%:: ith
ls nc
hCarts ith ic
s oF SCr,
oras
of"iSdOm,
thc BIj
Exclaim that th
bmple1 cr Thatil
0f bOd
nd mlind i l
may attain the htthcst T:ith,but still oi ma lack cOmlassiOne With6ut feeling:10ve 6r any c6ncem:for suffering human beings,yo lnav remai in the s,at Of Oneness.Youl"ill be like 10tis Owei blooming.On
1
mountan Govardhana
deStEw the Vilages and theh cOwso horderto
der to
t EttT ; :
ct :Lord K h
lited
: ."
:II
mayi
63
can enioy the.beauty attd fragrance Of that lotus;no bee win gtther its pollen tO make honey._N body will Ome to bathe in that lake Or drink from ito Nob y an en
joy the sweet and deli019us fruitt But stin your existcnce
`10n the other hand,the comlaSSiOnate oneS,thOSe whOse hearts are illed wtth 10ve and concern,are like a
hke a beautiful lotus blossOnling in the telmple pond. PeOple can gather around tO enloy i beauty and de
hght in its fragrance,and dOing S9,ithey fee1 0onteited.
win gather und the cOmpassionttellneS,wa.L ng for pearls of i Om to falltfrOm the 1lp They therttelves becOm an1 0fferi tO ithe peOple.Su` ,souls haVe wholly surrmdered themselves tO a1l of ettist ,cet yet lveS baCk to the 9ut oftcompassion they Ottrithem
wOrldi still th y relmtain in silence.11
:
,
:
`
.
:
.:
l:
Who else
64
MKENi CHILDREN!
'y9 fOr all ing in dalknel:.:A , 6w att wlFep th tf uble thit,6 undergO for usI Amma,h9"are W
Am a:..Amma...P
httach started to sob= TheO :Like a mOther dee11, 6ncerned a )utt her s6n, Amma conlsOled himo S10Wly he st6p eltCrying asiohe
iin
,P l I ittl t}h t
fOr Her childre
BER CoD
Another brah77Ltthal had a question: 4mm I Ih e hettd vou.saiy se'cral times that One should'forget r G6d 'What does that mean71' 1 61deF to rem m I Amma exPlaihed this seeminglparadox: Children,
:
W I : =: 1 L= iI[ = t mow
i
iI:
le te#
is els wheFe,the
Dialawes
65
thingsl aF be happcning in the slme labOratory,but ist dpes nOt s e6r hcar any ing as he allen the s ie
y be 10 king thrb gh to h o n particular wOrk.He a miCFoSCOptito stigate ithe subtle,collS`9f lh9 hur
man bOdy,but he will nOt even be a"are of ttle micro scope.Hc seesinOthing bu t the minute cellS that he`iS
studying.
remeibering happens all the timc.Each ttome,t S tte thing is fo=gOtten and something else t,rcttembered. The milyl:is fOrgotten and the offiCe is rememlered. Thfe wife is fOrg6t n;the,hildren are Fcttembered. The chttren disapl ar and the wife appe.rS This hap
life
F tO remember SOme
::: iF
less wchave the power tO see,the world as19od. A conttant reltembrance Of G6d ineanS a consta,t fOigetting of the world and i Obiects.As lc pOintod remembermg inareascs the gap betwecn two thought,. ding abo,t differ We daydream a lot, hinting and br
ists in us ao thoughts ttnd idcasP IThO world is thought.
= :
bigges ti
66
MttN,CHILDREN!
Our life. Then we dream about that country and th great pleasur and fun we are going to have therel The next moment our thOughts turn to the zOo:we ViSited the 6ther day and the chimpanzees that we saw in One Of the cages,the way they lumped frOm o e side to the Other,how funny it was when they ate theipeanuts we Offered and hOW they scratched.The very next lninutel we reca1l our weddi,g da . This iS how most pe611e think.They live in thoughtSI. If yOu are able t0 1ook carefully,if you can see with a subtle eyc, yot ind that ther is a gap between, thoughts. This gap ls thin thittner than a hair's br adth but it is there. If you can keep the thOughts from 6wing with6ut control,as.they dO now,this gap
will inctease.But this is losSible only in a mindl which
is cOncentrated on a single thought`It inust dwell,not on lniny th6ughts,but on one single thought.And that th6ught we Call the lelmtembrance of God.:That thought can ha the name Rama,Krishna,Christ oriBuddha_ whatever you'call yOtr beloved deity. Through thiS
at
nalmte y9u giVeFHim;this one pOinted thinking results `1 in the c6 stant remeibFanCe 6f God:'1:
The "'brahmach,arin was doubtful: `'What does One gain frorn this? \fhat is the benefit Of this iforgetting and rememberin g?"
Dialogttcs
67
Amma answered, "S.rppose you build a beautiful house. It was your lifelong dream to have rhis house. You were always thinking about this dream-home, often
fOrgetting about eVerything lseo hat dO Ou Jain whcn yOu inally comtplet the construction of the hOuSe and mOve into it:Y9u feel happy and cOntent, donlt you7 si 1larly,when you cOnstantly rOmember GOd,fOrgctting all abOut the wOrld,you will attain peace and Selicontentinent.The cOntentment that you exp rience when yOu iOve intO your hOuse will die soon because it will be replaced by another desire, whereas the peace and cOntentinent that yOu attain thrOugh constant remcmbrahce Of God,forgetting ev
A p rson who has peace within him is relaxed.His life is bttlancedo He is never overexcited or overanxioust
in life calinly attd intenigen:ly.becauoc he has great clarity of visiOn.His lnind and.visiOn are not clouded
68
AWA_KEN,CHILDREN!
mV
lat tifi : = =
t
body to lo6k ater,011'1 1
y ti
Nonc c extingaiisl TC Or So o : Thc
ithO"t
No c
g forC Cr to thc G bo
igTation ,
" 1.
"ss Of Libeta
s t I : 1
1119ntii7tg
.
Hc ho
do ibt meditatc,do j
or bthcl tadhana :I:ibl partake Of the ncct of BIISS witho%t ght o"sncss ma compassion
:
Dialogues'With Ma:'a
Amritanandamayi
69
Without renouncing aII ettachments The fire of transmigration cannot be put out, Unless jealous) within is removed God wil./- not come before us,
After the sOng,One b hmachaFii7L made the f0110wing comment:``To know God Or the Selfis a question of ut ter faith,sel,surrender and pure 10ve,isn't it:Intellec tuals cOnider these three things irrational and inOgi cal." . : Amrna had a ready answer,``So called intellectuals can never enjoy real.life`Love is indispensable in real life .Faith needs 10ve,and love needs faitho Selisurren der alsO requires faith and 10ve. All these qualities are in the heart,nOt in the intenect. `:Love, surrendeF and faith are almost ilnpossible things fbr a ratiOnal thinker,fOr One who is always cal culating and analyzing everything.HOw can such a per son 10ve7 There is n0 1ogic in love.You cannot analyze lovc.Love is a feeling,atd ep feeling.You cannOt see 10ve nOr can you touch it. But love can be felt, and feeling is in the heart.To love,a heart which can feel and can express is needed.
might say,`Wait,I have t6 think about the whOle affair. I must think and analvze wheth r the marriage will be a success Or failure.I Inust be ratiOnal and ind that Out arst.' Hle lnight even write an essay analyzing the suc cess and failure of love and married lifeo MOst prObably the cOnclusiOn wOuld be,`Love is irrationalo There is nO such thing as 10ve. It is iust an ilnaginationo Such a
70
MKEN,CHILDREN!
thing cannOt exist because it cannot be seen,touched, Or smened;thercfore,it isian illusi n.It is ah impOs '
sible thing
.
Love luSt happenso NObody thinksiabout how to 10ve, or when ind where to loveo Nobody is rational about lovel Rational thought hinder, love. Love is a sudden uprising in the heart: Love is an unaVoidable,
u Obstructable 10nging fOr oneness.There is A0 10gic in
this. It is beyond 10gico S6 do nOt try to be rational about love.It is like trying to g e reasons r the river tO Ow,fOr the breeze to be coiol and gentle,for the
moon to g10w, r
tO be ast and dlel,or for the f10wer to be frettrait a,d beautifulo Rationalizati6 kills the beauty and charin Of
these things. Thev are tO be enioyedi ettperienced, 10ved and felt.If you ratiOnalize about the=,yOu will VOke: iiss the beauty and challn andFthe feelings th v
Sit by the seashoreo Lo6k at it.Feel its,astness.F9el the riSing up ind dOttn 6f the wavest'F el and be almtazed at the creation andthe creatol of such magnin cenceo What good"11l it do you tO rationalize about the
OCean7
::
:StrOys everything thal is beattiful in ,atureo Poetry, misi ,painting,sculpture a,d singing depend On love These arts are an expressi6n of the per on tthO docs ithem.It iS his heart which is being expFeSS,d in that
'Only the poetry sts.:Only the music e sts.Only 1 ` 10ve exists Faith and self surrender belong to the same cat
egory as love. Love, faith, self surFender all are c6n
Dialogue.s \Vtch
Mata
Amritnnandamayi
71
rienceo Just like 10ve, faith t00 is an experience. The cxperience of faith is persOnal and subjectiveo When one is endowed with faith,1 0ne knOws thrOugh one's
be demOnstrated, Faith Operates when reason fails. Faith and 10ve are bey nd:reason.The heartifeels and
experiences faith alld 10ve.
Science has deve10ped it, areas Of inquiry iln mensely,but stin there are lnany things tthich the hu man int nect cannot understand;there are manyithings which cannOt be explained by scientific factso Even
tery7 ThOugh it has grOwi wOnderfully,scien e has nOt yet grasped even an infinitesimal part Of what the uni
VeFSe really is.Isn't it true that scicnce has tOtally failed
to make human beings halpy ind peacefull Has s ience with all its great achievemen tsibeen able tO make hu manity more humane7 All the techn010gical deve10p ments and sclentlfic advances that we have achieved
result frOrr1 0ur rational thinking;they
th
are products Of
intenect.But predOminance of the int1llect has de stroyed the quality of life. It has destrOyed love,faith,
72
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
beauty.It has only helped to inflate the ego and the vanity of the ego has become a stumbling b16ck for us." h77LaCharin cOm Not quite convinced, the same b mented again: It sounds as though AInma is dead set against science and intellectual thinkingo Shouldn't we also consider the beneicial things that science and in tellectual thinking have contributed to the sOciety: Son, Mother is MOther's answer was b nevolent: not against scienc and intellectual thinkingo Mother is not trying to say that science has completely ruincd us,
nor is She trying to say that intellectual thinking iS use
less. Science and the intellectual quest have brought about great achievements for the entire human race; there ls no doubt about that.But what Alnma wants to convey is that we himan beings should not give impor tance to science and rational thought to the exclusion
of everything else.They have their place.Keep them there,neither in a bigher nor a lower place.Remember
that life is not a machine.Life is consciousness itself; do not try to make life-lnechanical,Do not try to be a
scientist or a business executive Or act like an adminiS
trator when you ar at home.Your wife is not a ma chine,neither are your parents or your children.You are nOt a lnachine either.Life is not a lnachine;there fOre 10ve is needed in the home to make it feel alive.
Dialogues'With Ma:'a
Amritanandamayi
73
yOur heart
out even glancing or smiling at your wife and children when you calmte home.Think of the stress and strain this would create in yOur mily life.In this kind of family,there would n6t be any smiling faces.The head
Of a family who always sits with his chin resting in his
palrn,who is constantly thinking about his work,is not hving up to his duties as husband and father.If he does not interact with his wife and children,t nsion,stress and strain will be created,and everyone will find home
life bOring and Sad
lack of love and concern7 How many wives come to Amma saving,`Amma,my husband doesn't even smile
at me.He never speaks loVingly toline.Hc has no cOn cern for ine at all.I ind it very diricult to live with
himo What should l d07'Sometimes such women go a ter other men, or they become addicted to dFugs, 01 sometimes they evcn cOmmit Suicide.In sOme cases,it is the husband who is the vic imo And there are lnany
cases where children are neglected and ignOred. Children,what Mother says is that you can become whatever you want,but yOur professional life lnust be different from your family hfe.Your hfe as a scientist or as a businessman is different from your life as a father,
74
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
moth r, husband;wife,sOn,daughter,brOther Or sister. You can think;you can be intenectual.But at the same tilne,you should be able tO drOp the intellect and em
brace qov
able tO change the frOwn intO a beautiful mile at any tlme. Love creates_slnihng laughing faccs and cOmpas sionate'hcarts, and is ettpressed in sweet and pleasing
rely on rational,in
thinking sOlely,Iyou will ind yourself bur dened with inany problems,and you will be in cOnstant trOubleo Remember,the choice is youFS.USe yOur dis crimination and ch00seo Remtember,MOther is nOt:try ing:to dismiss sciencc br logic tOtallyo MOtheF iS Only trying to loint out th dang rous tendency Of th mod
which
up frOm the cOcOttut grove and walked tOward the southern end of the Ashram,where the backwaters di vided the Ashram pFOperty from the neighbors'land.
These neighbors were dcivOtees of the Mother.TwO girls OldeF than AInma w re especiany devoted tO Her. In the years whei there was nobody t0 100k after AFnma,lit WaS these two girls who tOok care of Hero They,6ften
Dialagues
With Man
Amrirnnandamayi
gave Her food.Now,as if they had been waiting for Amma,these girls and their whOle family came running tO the edge of their property.Between Mother and the family lay the backwaters.Amma was so happy and llcaSed to see them all together.calling acrOss the
backwaters, She inquired about their welfare.The el dest son told Moth r that the fisherinen in that area had been having a very hard tilne.Because of the heavy rain and high tide,thcy had beon u,able to catch any fish fOr seveFal days ``What a pity!What will happen tO them if this continues7':A IIna's sadness was evident as
She spoke.``It would be sufficient if they had fOod fbr at
and MOtheF Walked back thr9ugh the coconut grove, Her hands held behind lHer baCko She stopped when She reached the sOuthwestern corneF Of the Ashram,
and stood there gazing at theisea,the waves,and a long
rowl of fishing boats perched alontt the shOre.
The MOther stood theFe fOr SOme time.Perhaps She was thinking ab9ut the misfOrtunes of the fisherinen and their families.Upon hearing of their plight,Amma
sarlg...
76
A\rAKEN, CHILDREN!
Are You not my Mother? Oh , &re You not my dear Mother Who wipes awey the tears? Are You not the Mother of the fourteen worlds, Creator of the world. .. How meny days have I been callingYou, O You whose nature is Shakti, Will You not come?
desires,
As She sang,Mother criedo Were they tears Of bhss, or was She crying on behalf Of the poor fisheHnen,sup
licating the Suprelmte Self on their behalf7 After the bhtt n Amma called Nealu and said, s n,
seash6re have no food.Mother must do something;Othr erwise She will nOt be at leac o MOther Herselfwill not
be able to eat or sleepo Make arrangements to distribute
rice and other f00dstuffs to them tomOrrOw:' As Amma wishes,"was Nealu's reply. The lights in the Ashram were,turned off at eleven O'c10ck,but at'twelve the lights in Ammals room were still onf lt was.raining, but if one listened carefully th=6ugh the s6und Of the falling rain,One cOuld hear f the tambo% a coming from the melodious sound
Amma's roomo ln harmony with the gentle sound of this string instrument the MOther sang Kalina ananen
an %
Dialogues
77
are burning
O Lotus-eyed One,
come running with the cows and the music of tlw flute.
Having no butter or milk to offer You, I offer You a little of my pain O Kanna, ot Your Feet I offer the pearl drops of my tears.
For how many days haqte I been cailling You? Haue You not euen a bit, of compassion? What great error haqte I committed? Are You not the Lover of Your deq)otees?
Amma might have been praying for the fisherfolk. The dark night wrapped itself around the sounds of the fhlling rain, the roar of the ocean waves and Amma's soog. The atmosphere of'this rainy night was full of pathos. Drawn outside by the Mother's song, a few brahmacharins sat by their huts listening. Mother's mood seemed to be a refl..iiort of the distress and disappointrnent of the fisherrnen. What else could it be ? Her mind rvhich is One with the Universe feels and reflects everyrhing that happens around Her.
CHAPTER
sunday,8 July,1984
III
Everyone was surprised to see the rising sun this morning. After so many days of heavy rain, it was truly
78
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
a beautiful sight`The sun's rays danced and sparkled On the wet leaves.Birds chirped gleefully,jumpittg frOm
.one branch tO anOther.The day seemed promising;as if things might ttow take a better turn for thc Ashermen.
cOuple.Holding on tO mmlls handl thO boy 100kcd .AfOund his neck hung a mala of big like a little
rudraksha beads,a,d there wer long,b
=oad lines Of Sa cred ash applied acrOss his forehead. The devOtees
Dialogues
With Man
Arnrianandamayi
79
riosity, Amma told them, "He insisted on wearing the big mala and the sacred ash." Amma sounded very h"ppy and pleased with this boy who had come to spend a few days with Her. Mother sat down on the cot and remained in a meditative mood with eyes closed for some time as the brahmacharins chanted the Guru Paduka Stotrarrl...
.T Yo2,dca G% z,tO Yo r s ndals l b o pecrle,sG% %,tO Yo2 sand ls l b Y02 Tc O inStr ct d I:plo crsi ,thc L
;
:
T Yo%r san(
Is,dcar G%%,oncc ,n
thc P C
dO I b
EndOcd ith
O/ im'and
Of th
`h i7rL', j77L'.
YO% santtls cO in
:l the g: T
The dcep jncr mcattjng `Om'thC Cxpo nd; T Yo%r sand ls,dc G% ,oncc again do l b
".
Fjre ccremOnics,oblatiOns
I: ites
by pricsts,
OfrCIjJO
TC
herab complete:
;
An caglc tO sl ll thc sn
c .OFdesirc, DispassiOn and isdo Yo"T san Is iispire. Yo r sand ls y c 0 ICage nd libert 0"; T Yo%r sandals: car G in do l b ;:Once cg
b at
A tr"st orth
tO crOss
cr: s SCal
.
",onCC
aga,71 dO I b
80
A\uATGN, CHILDRENI
The brahmacharins continued their devotional singing while the Mother gave darshan.
81
ThrOugh tears he said,``I wOuld never have seen your compassionate face again.I would nevet have seen my son again.Had l di d in that accident,he would have been heartbroken and wOuld have died too " Fhe devo
tee cried uncontrollably.
JuSt like a loving Mother con,Ohng her favOrite child,Amlna rubbed his black,patted hiln and stroked his forehead,telling hiln nOt to worry aS nothing bad had happenedo When the lnan finany calined down,he wanted to complete hio stOry.He said that he had be come unconscious after beholding Amma's smiling face. When he opened his eyes,he had fbund himselflying in the meadow by the side of the r6ad, surrOunded by a crowd of people.Hc had been surprised t9 1earn that all Of that had happened lust Within seconds.
He further related, 1`From tpeOple's relmtarks about
hOw miracu10usly l escaped, I guessed that they must ha e seen how the accident happe,ed and how mysteri Ously l had landed in the ineadow.They were about to tak me to the hospital,but al1l of a sudden l stood up
saying that l was all right.Except t)r this wound on iny fOrehead and one On lny left knee,I was ine.Last night l had a thorOugh check up and the doctors said that I
182
AWAKEN,CHILDRENI
UpOn hearing this man's story,another devOtee was
Can this ex
perienc of his escape frOtt death be cOnsidered the fruit of his actions alone7 1s it the result Of kaHnal Was he destin d t be sav d by you, or was he destined to die7
Mother explained, This accident was destined to happen and he was destined not to survive.He was des tined tO die.But Mother war,ed hiln inOnths ago that sOmething very:serlouS and dangerous would happen and that he shOuld pra and meditate as much as he cOuld. He Obeyed and f0116wed all MOtheris instruc tions. The obedience, sincerity and devotiOn he dis 11# :: e, the serious accident didihappen. It was an experience =: = he had to underg6,yet he was saved.This was the result
of his own effort.His sincere and dedicated effort lnade
w,and this saved his lifeo Chil compassion and graCe dren, even destiny can be.Overcome by sincere and dedicated effort.In Such a persOn's case,God Himself win alFer hiS destiny.
The devotee who had lnet wlth the accldent cOntin Five monthS agO when l first came to have ued: Ammals d rshaFL, She told me that I ShOuld be very careful,that in a fett mOnth's time l would have to face
Dialogues'With Mara
Amritanandamayi
83
The man who had asked the question abOut destiny AInma,y6u said that this brought up another point,
devotee f01lowed yOur instructions perfe tl,and that is
what mad grace Ow tOward him.But in SOme caSes, these kind6 of miraCles happen v n before peolle meet you.I have heard many tell Such stori s.Thcy say that Amma helpcd th m Or SOmeOne in their ttmily,even
though they hadn't lnet you y ti ln cases like thes ,you
: any l dhan o can,you clarify this7 I Amma's answer was as f01lows: It iS true thatisome pe6119 have experi nces simJlar,tO this,even befOre mCeting Mother.Son,relmtember that an those who are associated with Amma in this li time were als6 with
Her in their previouslbirths.You can see Only this life tirne and therefOre,hink they did nOt knOw MOther bile
fOre.But they have all becn with Amma befOreo SO re ally yOu cannOt say that thOse experiences happ tted ne remembers Or kn6ws before thev met MOthero No hio cOnnection to M6ther in previous lives.There is a predestined tilne for each one tO cOme to MOthero SOrFle thers latcr. Bit.every one of Moth r's come earlier, children has always b en with Her.Th y come tO Mother at different tilnes, sometilnes wh n they hear
i about Amma oFiwhen they see Her photograph. )ther times,it happe s when they listen 10 a r coiding Of Amma'sibhttans.In some cases pe6ple cOme to Amma f Her children;sti11 0thers realize after ineeting'one
their relatioAshil tO Amia On thrOugh dir ct cOntact
with Her`
You talkiabOut`before meeting Amma,'but there is nOisuch thingo Al1 0f Anlma's children have already
84
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
time,peOple feel GOd's grace.Even if they are n0 1onger following a Curu's instructions or doing sadhana in this
lifetilne,still they lnay receive grace due to lttterits ac
You win not see Amma gi ng any instructionS tO these devotees,becausc inslructions have already been g en to them.You may not see them following the in
side,sO hOw can you ludge:The Mahatma is the Only one who knOws everything about the past,present and future.TherefOre,dOn't make ludgments about the Ma hatmalor about whether Other peOple are deserving of the Guru's grace Or nOt,Once the Guruls instructions
have been fo1lowed,the results lnust come to fruition, because it is a debt that Amtta lnust pay,so to speak. `'Son,do nOt try to iudge things befoFe penetrating
85
have always b elll oh ithe surface.To pettetrate y9u heed a subtle mind,a subtle eye and a Still ind.A vacillat ing inind cannot penetrate (Dnly a still mind can dO
them ab6
their r la7tionsh
WithtAmma.TFy tO rAnd
1:I. 1
.1
them without exceptio ill sav,1`I came On such and tuch a date.I have been re with MOther:for the last
eight,nine or ten vearS.' And they will alsO ladd,lYet I
.ex
isted for several hfetiiest,The mOmentl met Her l felt thato Amm,tooi acted with such familiaFity tOward me that She also seemed to have knOwn ine beforerl
.
You feel the same wavit9o,dbnlt you7 Whyl Does this feeli g of familiarity st in every Felation,hip7 omeone,get No,it 4oes:not.Usually when we meet
ting to kttow hiln tak s time.Usually there is a feeling
peFSOn iS a stranger to you and that you are a stranger to him as well.But none of Mother's chil dren have that feeling tOw rdl Her.None ofi M6ther's children,ay that Amlna is a stranger to them or that
that thel other
tFang ro
been with you always.Amma has never left you. A1l of you haVe that experience within you of pre
A LK=N,CHILDRttN!
GluFu.He Can doilt anytime he"ants,or He can refFain from doing it if he dOesn't want to:Grace is a strange phenOmenon. One ,annot iSay when, where Or hOw grace will cOme.Human calculatiOns totally fail when it comes to ma,tttStOf grace.If he so wishes,in a split Oecond the Gurul an bestow the blessing of Selirealizar tion o,as anttF Wh61has,ot perfOrmediany sadhana. He can als6 l frOm giving it to a person whO ldi ba ha,b9en dOing i,tense stt fbr a long tilneo Mother
is nOt saying that alMtt will withh01di grace frOm a deserving sadha Shel.is simply emphasizing that it is within his.pow r to best w it 6r not t bestow itt A Mahatma can easily bless someone by ful ning his life
long desireo We may try to analyZe why alper n is so blessed Si,celwe may,ot Seetany merit in hin,but such
a searchit6 find a reason or cause will relttiain a total
ys v for us mOrtal:huma beittgs whO cannOt go be yond tl intellecte SOmetimes there will not be any
cause for it.The Guru simply does it`Therefore,in or der to attain this grtte,cFy and pray,:hold on tO th t ofthe GuFu,nO matter what happens
'I
on as people moved for Ward 10 fall into M16ther'S100ing embFaCe and pour out their hearts to HLL The dl otees sang Samsc d"
Th
Sa77L
: ,a,still going
m.
"
O Mother of the World DispelLer of sorro{rs of transmigration The shelter of Your Blessed Hand Is the only refuge fo, us.
Di l
ls
nandatt With Ma 4
87
Yo% c
Rcmembrmc of Yo Lottt
PTotects all 07L ttger
Fr t ose dcI"ded o es
thC
r Ofb"nd
ttd lost so
Fcct.I
Meditation o
Is thc
nl
'Yo Namc
and Fo11 )
s : tio
Cast a glancc b m
Wiith Yo% bc
mindl
i.
l JO"ing e cs,
After the song ended there was a brief silence.Then A pcrso 's destiny Can be Amrna continted talking, hanged through the power Of the Maha"na, through
the wottkings of,a saint.Herelis a story t6 illustrale this:
not blessed l
Lord Vishnu,the devotee r que,ted Narada to a,k the `Lord why he and his wife were not yet bl sscd iwith a
childo He also wanted to know"h n he might ettpect to have such a blessing. When he reached Vaikunta,NaFadaifaithfully con veyed the devotee'S lmtessage to the Lordo L ord Vishnu said that the dev9tee was not destined tO:have any chil
88
MKEN,CHILDREN!
bwer that Narada did not want toltell theldevOtee what the Lord had said.Therefore,h never cOmmunicated this unpleasant news tO the=an. Years passed a,d Narada happen d.to pass through that same village Once again. Hle paid a visit tO the de,Otee's hOuse andi was, ery surbrised tO find three children plaving in the cOtrtyaFd.Uponibeing told that they were the devOtee's children,Narada asked th man hOw it was that these children came to be born tO hiin. The devOtee relatld.to Nttrada that nOt 10ng aftei
the latter hJ passed by the illage befOre,hc was fortu
nate enOugh t0 1mteet a saintiand serve hiin. `Pleased with_my serViCe,'the devOtee explained,`the saint told me to ask for a b00no Of cOurs,I prayed for a child and the saint said that l would have three children.That is how these children came into my lifer
i Immediately
accused Lord Vishnu of not speaking the tFuth:`A few years ag when l ask d ifOr a child on behalf Of a cer tain devotee,You t01d ine that he was not destined to have any childFen.Yet,nowlhe has three!' Even befOre Narada had a chance tO mentiOniany thing abOut the saint, Lord Vishnu.laughed and.said, That inust be the wOrk Of a saint,for only sai,ts can change One's destiny. . Children,Mahatmal can ibestow a blessing which even God cannot. G6d is nal teleSs and fOrmless; He cannot be seeno M hat77LaS are the ones whO give reality to thelexiste ce of God.In their presence,people can see;fe l and experience COd.They are the ones who bless peOple l ith a tangible experience of Him. They
,
Dial.ogues
89
perform the great renunciation of leaving the supreme Abode of Bliss to live in the lnidst of ordinary people, like one among them,yet remaininL in eternal uni6n
"
Another question was brought up: ``Amma, ,Ome peOple who were nonbOlievers'before become ardent
devotees when they meet you.How does that happen7'' they may Amma ans ered
well be nonbelievers for som
'`Children,it is trueithat
time. That
is their karma.
But at some poitttithey will surely COme to believe in God. These people nonbelievers ,ho vesuddenly become ardent devotees after me ting Amma _have ac quired their athei,tic 6ttlook only in this lifetime,b9 cause of the circumstances and conditionsiintO"hiCh they were bornt However,deep within them they still possess the Spiritual satts ara inherited frOm previous
births and that will be predOminanto compared tO the atheistic qualities they have ac umulated during this
lifetilne:or the previous one,thet latent spiritual Sam
s
n6nbehever traits in them are ,exhausted, the 10ng standig faith within them win manittst.It iS 6nly a question of time.Tht unmanifested d votion manifests when they meet a Perfcct Mast l.or when they are ex pOsed to a sirnilar encOunt,r or situatiO .A,this pOint
the weak r tendenCies givc way tO the strOngeF Splritual
oneso These people will still hall to d9 ena und the guidance of a PeFfe,t Master itt order tO eliminate letely the accumula d tttdenQies fttm this and cO
the previous birthso Rettember that they will.Still 1lve
spiritual Sa
anas t6 work on.The only differe,Ce l,thattthe ara will bela little stronger the'the
:KEN,CHILDREN!
as.This strOnger sams helps them cOtte c10 er tO a Mahatma Or God.But a Mahat77La,if he wishes,can also create a gr at transfOrination in a ttonbeliever whO dOesh't have any spiritual disposition inherited frOm the previOus lifetime.There is nOthing impossible fOr the Mhatma.
(D Mbthcr,
AII
.O MotheF,d
:
Th
t oF YouFS.
hmach arlins
sang th
tensity and devotion that mma entered into samadLi. ghe Sat stin,Hler ey s halic166ed.Hler right hand attd Her ltt hand held /6 dimerent d in ..There
Dialogues
With Maw
Amnwnanl'anayi
91
was total silence for a few minutes as the devotees gazed at the Mother's face with awe and devotion. The si-
lence was broken when the brahmachariru chanted Hari Om...HOri Om.., Everybody responded. The atmosphere was saturated with divine spiritual energy.
mitted!I asked you tO bring Only a few leaves,enough for ive people.You havc unnecessarily destro,ed l This is sin.You have doie something.unrighteouS HOW cOuldfyou dothis:An action perfor:ned withOut proper What have you leaFned after T discrimination is aJ bemg with Mother foF SO many years7 0ne will commit such a ttn'olnly if one does nOt have any love or Com passion within. You c6uld not feel life pilsating in thOse leaves;therefore,you didn't have any compassion fOr themo Lack of compassiOn make,it easy to Stroy l bo When you have no compassioni ou have ne con cern fOr others,This indicates tha=vod have no faith
.
92
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
either, because cottpassion is an extensiott Of faith__ faith in the existence Of aH pervading lifet such lack Of faith and sraddha prOmpts yOu to act indiscrilninately.
iS thinkittg,
Tirne and time again a Mahatmals Omnisci nt nature is revealed.Yet ven peOple who are c10 el,assOciated with Mtttmas fail tO undttstand them pr6perly.They
lncidents.and experienc
'hich cOnvinced them.J the bit MaLatma'J omni ncefully and`all,pervasive nature, stil1 0ccasiOns sc
ari`
Mahaffma.
= . : =
lil
t 111
Amma tanswered Gavatri's though Any.actbn perfOrmed. ithout discrimination is adhl ,lan unL
righteous acti lt is aisino WhateveF iS ttasted due t6.our
D ialogyes
W ith
Matt Amri
ndama 1
93
lack Of care and attention is a sin. ects are created to be used;there is a deinite purpose for wery Oblect WithOut the inter d pendence Of things the world can
not exist. Plants and trees cannot exttt withOut the carth`Aniinals depend On plants and other anilnals fbr
)od: Human beings depend on bOth anilnals and plants.Thus the existence of the entire world is noth ing but a story of inter-dependence. Thin meant for human sustenance can be usedo lf you need onl,two pOtatoes,flor instance,take two nOt threei Suppose o potatoes are sufficlent tO cook a dish;.if you still take a third,One,,ou are acting ind riminatel YOu are committing an anamic act. This wastefulness can also be considered stealing Since you are not reany using the third potato,you ar ll elessly wasting it.You really ne d only two;the third iS cXtFa.Yoi could give it tolsomeone else,maybe tO your neighbor whO does nOt have anything to eato Thus h taking that extra potato,you are denying hiln food, You aFe Steahng his f do By dOing so,you are conlmit
;
ting an uniighleOus act. .1`Plucking ta few leav s, enOugh for ive peOple,
uld not have becn wrong,but yOu 1luCked an extra tcln more.ThiS Changed the whOle set of ircumstances.
Your action was adhar77LiC:Firstlof alli yOu unnecessarily
destrOyed the life of ten lcav so Secondly,yOu denied them it6 someone elsel These leave :will be wasted die
One Of the br hmacharins said, Amma is eipressing exactly the same lrinciple that Krishna did in the S
:K
N,CHILDREN!
Amma continued, ``Exactly. What else can such peOple.be7 Those people who keep mOre things than they need without glving anything to others wh6 are badly ii need of them are really thie est'Their hOardhg caus s people to rob and stealo Alnma has heard of a Mahat77La WhO Was lnade the magistrate of a cOuntry. The wa he hindled the first case brought before him
was very stFange.He Ordered to be put in iailibOth the thief and the persott wh6 had been robbedo When he was questiOned by the king about thiS Odd punishment,
TheA he added, `In fact,I feel a little guilty be ame,puni httent to both 6f dlem:I cause I gave the should have given a harder punishment to the rich man tbecause he is the one whO caused the thiOf to steali Had
he distributed his etttra"ealth to the poor and heedy, this wO illd not have happened. Thus, a bit of l lilty conscience pricks me '" :
95
mOvement is constant.The mind isialwa in a state Of aux. At one moment the mind 16ves;fthe n ttt moment itihateso Sometirrles th lnind11 es som thing,and the next moment it dislikesi:The ndulum of the mmd
sometilnes lnoves to anger,then inoislto desireo lt cin nQL stop; it cannot be still. Bec se of this con3itant
movement the stable and unmovittg u Oerlying grOund 6f existence,the real nature of th gs,is n6t.seel.Th movement olf the mind cFeateS incessant wav , and these waves,the ripple,of thOughtS,.cloud elerythittg NO hing cm be seen clettly.This movement ijistlllke ;clo ding oulri visio . You see sOmething, but nOt cllarly.:You can ot see properly be,ause f P C10 d Of thoughts`:Thus yOui pOrceptiOn is defectivetiYou lnake statements ab6it at y9u,peFeeWe;in9t knowing that your vision is c10uded.Thus,6 Inakeifaulty lud Ent6 and ive:Out wrong informatibn, i
96
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
:`Each th6ught, eadh ettotiOnal,Outburst and each deoire are likc pebbles thrOwn into the waters Of the
mentttl lake:The inces sant thoughtS are like the ripples
On the surface of a lake.The undulating surface makes it impossible for you to s e through the water clearly whit is at the bottom of the lake cannot betseen prop
n ver
present,memories of the past will crawl ino The sweet mem ries,the bitter memOrieS,the,oyful lnOments,the something will come.Then when regret,th revenge th e past Withdraws, the future comes With beautiful prOmises and dreamSI Thus the mind is alwaysifully e
gaged.It is always occupl d and never still. hat you see is only theisurface.You per' Children,
ceive only the waves on the surface;yet because of this movement on the+su rface,yOu mistakenly think.that th bottom is lmtoving to .But the bottom is still`lt cann t mOveo You are Superimposingithe movelmtent of mo the ripples of the thoughts and the surface tions onto the still bottom, the underlying ground. The lnovelmtent be16ngs only to the strface.It elongs to the mindrThe thoight waves are causirtt itl lt_ha, nOthing to do with thl bbttOm.But to see this immov
'able and still bottom;the surface needs to become still
and eilent. The rippleS ha e to stop; the acillati irlg p ndulum of the inind intst becomle still.lThis quie`ting 1 1 Of thelinind is called penetratibn. l `tOhce this sdllness is attained you can see clearly through the surface. You st,p Seeing distorted forms.
Dialagues
Wirh Maw
Amritnnandanrayi
97
You beh01d thei real ground of existence Truth. All your dOubts end. At this pOint, you realize that yOu have been Seeing distOrted forms,that you have been
s
eing only shadOws and c10idso lt is the,ithat yOu real ize your ignorance.BefOre r aching this state,you may
say that you are ignorant;however,you are never really aware of ito Penetration is beh01ding the real nature of everything,while cOnstantly abiding in your Own Sell Look at the eyes Ofreal 9Js,real Saintso They hav penetrating eyes.They can see through you.When they look at yOu they are not loOking at your inusory,dis torted formo On the cOntrar,,they are 100king at your inAnite nature;they are 19oking et the sell They don't
go:the,see beyOnd thc ego.They don't see you,the play; they see the im:nOvable stage on which see t
the plav is being enactedo This means that they see the play as a play.They 40nlt give rc lity to ito The play can stop at anytime,but thO stage relmtains.They watch and enioy the play but never becOme identified with
it."
Darsttn was still in prOgress at twelve:fOrty fiv .: The brahmachari.s weFe singing the sOng Ma : mar` m. Man dies and disappeors as dust But again takes Uirin on rhis elarth andgro{rs up.
If he dOCS gOod
To highcr
`lo stattts, nd
98
AWAIGN, CHILDREN,
In t f, one must undergo disease and otd, age O man, thinkl Is birth worth having again and
againT
done many euil deed,s, is there behind-this wortld, V/ho But if he knows Then all his negativity will certainly be remoued And he will be immersed in the Ocean of Bliss.
per
on
may haq)e
experience the real natur 6f things only when we at f stlllness.Thattis when w will realize tain the state
Our ignoranceo What do,Ou mean by realizing 6ur igno rance7 Amma said, Children,a1l of us at present exist in lgnorance.Ev n gr at scholars admit they are ignOrant. When people pray 6r when they are in thc presente of a Mahat7nai they say, `O Lordi ignorant as l anl,please guide lne.I do not knOw anythinge Shower your gFaCe
Dialagues
With Maw
Amritnnandamaj
99
tenectually, stdl they wOuld thi k and feellthat they were great;thus,they dO nOt feel their ignorance. 1`Ignorance means ignorance of Reality.:The cO cept moStlpeople have Of ignOrance is different.It is a common beli f that an ignorant person is_one who has n9t Studied,one who is nOt learnedo SchOlars wOuld say that att ignorant person is one who has nOt studied the Vedas Or L/panishads and tthO has nO knOwledge Of mOd ern sciencet This is what sch01ars think ignorance is; therefOrc, they study They read whatev rb ks they catt get Oncelthey have becOme learnel th y Want tO
such deep hnsight and wisdOm.They wantipeople tO adore them.They want tO become Gurus.An this, f
course,adds to their e goo Their egO was a little one be
fOre they learned SO many things.They:had less Of a burden then.TO unload that lesser burden wOuld nOt have been such a big iObi but nOw the 16ad has,becoie V r,heavy.Hard work is needed tO make even a small
crack in a big solid ego. :
'== 1 1
:
their prayers they beauti 1ly present their ignorance to
100
A :KttN,CHILDREN!
pFaiSe him.But inside he is happv as his egoi becomos more and mOre in ated.Inside he is overaowing With iOy beCitSe other think he iOia great scholar.. Such people dO not realize their ignorance`They
silnply say they are ignoFant,but they do nOt feel ito Re
ally.they thinklthey arc greato They think that th ir knowledge about the scriltureS iS real knowledg For
.
them beauty and charlno Relmtember,a person inay go on saving that h is nobody,that he is nothing.But try to
tOuch his ego.Try to point a finger at his ego and to ex
pOse hOw identified he is with his ego.He will erupt hke a volcano,and the lava of protests win start ow ing.He reacts out of total identincation with his ego. How can people like this realize the truth about their
:An burst int laughter, and Amlmta laughed too. There Was a pause,and then Sh continued:`'In fact, this is one of the inost important things to understand. On mu,t really know that one is egocentFiC.A person shouldiealiz his ego is a burden;he thould be aware of
101
his
the strength 6f the eg6,unl,ss One is subtle enOugh ito gO be,Ond e words an4 tee the real truth. Even ego ccntered pcople pray:using the same Or silnilar,words as real devoteesI But their pravers dOn't come frOm their he ts.They.Simply utter the words. Externally they look like great devotees,and they may speak beautifully about.S piritualit7. But they have a very strong ego,subtlc and hard tO break.They pray and sit in lneditative posture,but insidO they,simpl let thelr inlnds wandero Such an attltude ls the worst kind of ignorance.Yet,a lbrsOn wh6 iS like,this dOes nOt re '' alize how ignorant he
Thi brings tO mindian inci&nt which happened in
1981
backwateFS at,the southwestern corner of the Asttram In thOse days one coluld l k out beyondithe backwaterS and have a goOd view ofthe ocean. With A a were a few bttLttchar s,sOme dwotees frOm the neighbOr hood a,d Mother's ParentsI They were disCussing prac
aged, he was obviOusly a lnan of means:After greeting Amlna and acknOwledging the others present,he satidown and
began to ten the purplose ofihis v it.
I am On a spiritual iourney;" he said, call it a pil grima el if yOu will.I have cOme to the realization that
life is 10LOt'Orth living unless one Antt the real ttEan
ing Of lilb, the real reasOn why we lare here on this earth.Th ancient saints a,d sages of.India all say that
102
iCHILDttN!
lin"hich l have been :S61now,after'having litt i a l ibl ssed with financial success,I have both the tiine and the means tO:sati fy tty ,paSSiOn h Lfe,the spiri
tual quest." 1 1 Thus he cOntintted phi10sophi ing` He spokelelo qvently.He sOunded as if he wanted to let others kno how knowledgeable he was.Hle seelmted to be trying to make Others b heve hOwisinCere he was in his qtest for
truth. As
ilnportant sadhana is lmteditation. Only in meditation cal l establish a real.FelatiOnship with God,for God knOws ine more than anvOne lse, mOre than l even
know mysell"
The man cOntinudd in this vein for a,whil .as his wOrdslwere ttet with:slightinodJ of ackn ,l dgem t those tto we :presettt, r he ttpe=ed, e ersed and eruditleiin whal he w hg wO
Amma
t,lSmiling
I Encouraged by th reLxld atmOsphere,he 11 bwly l oed a und and taid, I ttel quite ati home in Ah,'there sudh a ashrams.I have visited.sO n
feeling of,peace here:May l stay heFe fOr a few d S tO meditatell'With thOse words he sat in the lotus posture, c10sedihis eyes and bttn to meditate:: : :B hmaclttrin Nealu nO resu ed sp kin3.tol Amma about c rtah Ashram matters.After the. rief idiscussiOn ttas cOncluded, Amlmta got up.::E ry6ne pFOStrated to Her.The n seemed:"b in deep medi mma pa sed btt him,She placed tter palm tatiOno As d shttke, fully on the tOp Of his head and gave:it a saving, `Are ,ou Still blrgaining in that teakwood pur chase7"'Then She walked on.
at hi as She
1teneld
. :
103
He couldnlt meditate anymoreo He st6od up and looked very restless and disturbedo As he walked
back and forth he asked One of the b hmacharins sev eral tilnes if heicOuld.have a p rs6nal audience with
1 1 : .
.Oh, you
bra
LateF,after the man left the Ashram,sOlm of the were tdi lssing thiS incident mO Ling his yete,siOne When this ttached Amma'3. ars,I She scolded them with a sharp remark foribeing so mean: `:DO t feel sOig=eat about OurselVes At presentiyou'ie
'
not very different frOm him.WhO can retta :ifrOm brOoding when ther are so many drcams aqcumulated
within7''
104
MKEN,CHILDREN!
Darshan was still ontinuing as the brah s struck up attOther chant Of the Divine Name, De
s :
`.
::
"b
again ttiaga,
Yo"c
In
whom everything has arisen, By whom euerythrng is led In whom everything will merge, . . You are that merciful Gaddess.
As th singing co,tinued the Mother slipped intO an inwardly absorbed state sitting on the cOt in the r
shan hute What an incomprehensible phenOmenon!Just a few rminutes earli She had been speaking great words of w domo All of sudden,without notice,She ,as gOne!she was no more in this wOrlde Silettce fen
On the crOwd and a deep feeling Of peace permeated th hut.Inspired by mma's bliss l state,the devotees eas 1lyisl ped intO meditation.
105
THE WITNESS
_Hiaving soared to the'peaks of spiritual awareness, ame dOwn after alfew minut sa,d again started Amm gi ing da hn to the assembled devotees.Another ttal , now asked a questiOn: Amma,yOu iust men m tioned that the saint, when h looks at us, is really 100king at ininite con c19ulness,not at the external But wh n the saint speaks tO ,S,he,olmetimes discloses things that are relatd things about our future or pa`:
may speak to yot,sO wh,t7When he speaks to you,he is only a witness e speakS Onlyibecause the speaking ben nts yOu.You get inspiratiOn from his words.You get a glimpse f reality th10ugh hiS words.,OtheFWiSe he
prefers to be Silent. Hle is silenceo SO when a saint speaks,he do sn't reallylspeak;h body sPcaks and he witnesses ito Wh n.the saint sleeps,he do s not sleep; he watches th sleep of his body.When he wOrks,he is not workingi rather,he Observ s the b dy workingo He is silnply a presence,a constanl presence,a witness to all that happen3 to his Own bQdy and all arOund. If the saint is Sick,he comes.out of his body and lo6ks at th great pain that it undergoes.Ifihe is in sulted or abuStd by others,again he comes out Of h body and watches;he wit,ess :thetrOuble the b dv is Then he can laugh at e insultttshowered un&rgoin On him.He can laugh at the an ry looks and woFdS di
106
AWAKENi CHILDREN!
rected toward him.He is ndt,theibOdy anymOre;he is consciousnesso How can consciousnes,get angry7 HOw
can consciousness be insulted7 1mpOssible!The saint is consciousness,thus he is untouched and unaffectedibyt insults 6r anger. .` When the saint loOksiat yOu,he does see your form, yOtF physical appearance.Notibecause your bOdy is in frOnt Of hiln Or because his yes are wide open,butibe cause he waits tO see yOur fOrnl`If he dOes nOt want to s e you"he wili nOt.:He is the master of his mind,nOt a sinveitO ito we are the Ones whO are enslaved y,the mind. If the saint looks at you and sees your form, it is i
only because he wishe tO seeivour fOrin,but he can alsO stop seeing you even if yOu are still.sitting in front10f
hiln and even if his eyes are wid tten.If he disc10ses
your past,present and future,what ofit,Why is thatso i astounding7 1f he wishes,he an tell yOu abOut the past, pre ent and futuFe Of the ntire universe because he is the unlverse .The unlverse ls in hiin.The universe ls like a bubble in his ex tencel To look at the universe and lnake sOme predictiOns is not a big deal fOr httn.He is the Ocean of existeAcll ind the universe is like a bubble,oT a small wave within him.If he tells you sOmer thing about yourselt he Still relmtains a detached witness to what he is sa ingo But usually he dOesi't bOther"ith disclosures of thiS sOrt.lHl does nOt engageihilnself in talk Of what happen in the world.Hle io cOnstantly in : Now the wOrd meditation sh6uld not be misunder stoOd.D6not compare youF med itation with the saint's. YOur medittttiOn is not meditatiOn.Your meditadOn is
meditatiOn.
ialop
Wi Matt A1 na
107
medita
tion.But the saint iS always in this stateo Whether he walks, sits, sleeps, cats or talks,he is always in deep meditatlon.There is no tlme when he is not meditat ing, hen he is not abiding in his 6wn Sell ThuS,because the salnt abides in his own lnfinite Selt he sees the infinite Self in allitothers.It is not a contradictionito say that he sces a other person's fonn, r he d6es S0 0nly if he wilheo He can enter his body and iOin in the,lay,and he ttn withdraw at will.Hle can let the senses see,sp ak,leat,run,laugh or Sleep, but he can withdraw them anytime he wantse whatever he does,the Mahatma still abides in his own Seli be hOlding everythingi as his own Sel Never dOes he be come identied with his body;he simply observes.Hle:is
108
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
ali cs,
o ttng dL
ing, slceping,
Tho
14o
SCeing, aFling,
:ng;
Ammi continted, Okttv,inow. wheie were wel Yes,the saint can go out and return atiany l meo lf h wants to,he wi11 look and see;if h doesn't want to do.
sO,he will remain within his Own Sell With the enti universe revolving withinlhiln, is anything impossible : for him: Listeni to this a necd6te: A lwoodcutteriwas chop.. ping wood when a min came up to him,`Excuse m ,ibut a great procession has iuSt passed byo Can you te11 lmte WhiCh Wav it w ntr'The w Odcutter looked at the man and said,`I did not even see a plocession,'and inlmedil
.
atel hetwent back to his woFk` Such is the tttate of the Mahatma.His mind iS still.Hle does ot see,o hear an . thing:At the same time,if he wants t ,heican Lt tl ntl l wOrld ino He can see or hear whatev r he wantS tO then he can go within again. He is both here in thc wOrld and there in thc Ultimate.But the,,orld cann t tOuch hiln. He cannot be d.eluded Or stained by the world. Although he do s ever thi,g, he remai s un
1
tOuched
'
Dialogues
Vith
Maloa Amnunandanrayi
109
This raiscd another questiOn,`'How d s he do that7 Om thelul How is it possib19 for him to com and g timate at wi117" : o tumS Off hi, swered, ``When the MOther mind,tthe play,or the program ends.It's iust like turn
ing Off a televttion seto Wh tt yOt Want tO see the pro
Ch it, graFn,you pFess the`On'buttlon`If you ttant to u it is thereo And when you dOn't Want to wttLCh iit any
more,you turn tte T.V.off and theiprogram disappears oJ's hand. The oniand off button Ofth mind is in the
It is under his perfect clntrol
state of detachment.
screen neither
takes I ceo lt simply is. 1 You'm have h ard of the gr at sa e,Veda Vyasa. Once he wtt sitthg in sam hi on the banks ofthe river Yamunao The Copis OflBrrindavan
dedo n
Other shore, bul they couldn't becausei the river was lt ttas getting daTk, and,owhere could they And lway to cross th river. i,ally they saw the sage sitting in lneditationo With great hbpe the,apprOached Offering se fruitS'and 0 ersi ati his feet,the hi pralttd to nm t6 help them cross tL r er.Veda G Vyasa woke up.frOm his sam Ihio He Was very pleased, fOr he knew they were great devotees Accepting theiF
:
110
A EN,CHILDREN!
When he had finished eeting o fruts,Vyasa tak ing'pity On the COpis,raised his hand and said, Iflit is true that l have notreaten an,Of th se fru s,let the wal rslof the Yamina part and give way to these de volt Gopis." LO and b h01d!The waters parted md the
Dialogues
ver, sti11 lake in the m6untains. I had iOt ven.a rip,le on its surfac o Just 100king at the lake wOuld make otte's lnind still. ' : The Other attist painted a thindering waterfall fun Of white fOalinilo Right next tO the'wate 1l wis a small bush On which was perchedta delicate little biFdi ithlits eyes closed. The latter is a example of d,namic 6i lence,silence that can exist in the midJt of the busy worldo This is the great state Of the o .HeiCan live peacefully even in the midst of chaos and strife.He re mains Silent and.unaffectld,for he is absOrbed in deep meditatiOnilEven while living in the prObleitttatio wOrld Of diversity,the sage is in lneditation." =
This state of(DnenesS is sO inexplicable that great sOuls thiOughout th ages have found it,difficult tO de
scrlbe ln wOrds,'remark d one devotee. t SoA,you are right,said Amma```It ib such a diffi cult task,because the experience of Truth is sO fun,sO overaowing and sO perfect that wOrds caniot c6ntttin ito The inttellect cainOt grasp it:Even lmtan7 0rdinar,, SubieCtiVe xperiences cannOt bc explained verbally; therefOre,how can One possibly tilk about the ultilnate ettperienCe f Truth7 This must be one Of the reasOns Wh, many of the scriptures are written in the form Of s%t s or aphorislns. The rishis did not want to talk inuch.It seemstthat they wanted to use ery:few w6rds tO describe their ex periences.Even they lnust have fOund it difficult tO put their experiences intO wordoi and thus felt that s tras would serve as the best inOde fi ttpressiOn.IThey lnay have anticipated that scholars wer giOing tO int.erpret
112
:KEN,CHILDREN!
each would invent many things, thi gs which they themselves had never even dreamt.ol:They lnay have urmised that even if theyldid elabottte on t heir experi en s,l people wouldistill nOt be cOntent and would
elaborate on the ttsihisl elaborations,giving further in
and oth r residentS 6f the Ashtam alS6 went upito Amma to receive Her blessin3 1t was a S10W SWeet T shn,d ring which She gave a lot ofiattentiOn to each
devotee
Aslrshan was diawing to an end,the bFttmaC sang one last song,Ma m ghanam tam
anins
.In hich as
diissol ca
the ind of
113
Gautarna Buddlw, Tfrc Effulgence deswoying bondage The Shore of Bli.ss'be3t ond rhe reach of thought Knowledge that bestows Perennial-rii*riiry of The Abodn having no begpnning an& no end Bliss expenenced after The movements of minn are hushed The Seat of Power, Regron of Dense Consciousness
mind
Thc Goal indicated by the st/fiement'Thou art That,' Which grorrts the sweet eternal Non -drnl Stnte
There
it
is
No other
lang to reach " ways are there than tlwough Your Grace.
The time was carly two o' lo,k and nobody had yet httd lindho Getting up fr6 Her c ti A a called a ,few Of the bFahmaC ns and asked them to make ar rangements to serve f00d to the devotees in the dining
hall.
She said, Childreni a1l of you must take linch pra sad before you l ave the Ashram ' She then 100ked around as if searching lfOr sOmethingo Apparently nOt .inding what She was loOking for,Amma asked Cayatri,
who was outside waiting for Amma, Do you have plan tains upstlirs7 1f there iare any, bFing th m." Gayatri went up and returned with sOme bananas which MOther divided up and fed tO each deVoteeo Making sure that everyone received a piece,Anllna asked, Children,did evewone:get pFaSadPl'
116
ALKEN,CHILDREN!
,andibr00ms
g00d iOke. After inishing the work,Ammafput the br00mtand i the bucl t where they were usually kept and without
i
saving anoth r word,She left.Glavatri si,cerely wished t6fol16w Her but was afraid to do so.It was still driz
om zling as Amma"ent to th edge of the Ashra pOund where She lay down in the wet sand`S6on the
waiting fOr Mother,O lie 19Wno Each resident wanted tOifall at Her feet to seek forgiveness.Each one wanttd t6run tO IHer and beg llH r not to punishilHerself be cause Ofihis negligence,but nOb6dy`had the cOurage t do so. : The rain tpoured h a ly as 4mma continued lying .:itt th nde She was completely drenchcd.Th resi
'dents stobd at a distance until finally one Of themicould
t lHier,
calling,'Amma!"Each person had been wai for this,for someb6dy else to take the initiative`Nolw that someone had,the entire gFOlup ran to wheFe Amma was lying.Th call, Amma!"radgithrough the air like thc chOrus in a great dralmta:Everyone was cFying,seeking Mother's forg eness fOr the mistake.But She was,ot ,ther MOther was far far beyond the realm of s6und .:attd s Och.Still,ia few moments passed before they re alized that Amma was in de ,amadhi`
tThoigh l other most oft n went into salmtti dur ing bh` 50 da shan,apparently from the bliss of de
i Dialog4eslWith iMata A
lH[ r
sttMdhi.states
triggetred by some sort of troubl .or upset,by inci dents inv lving the negligent Or inappropFiatle behaviOr of Her, hildien:F6r no apparent reason these samadhi stites lasted 10ng rithttn ithe other Oneso Oncelin 1979 Amma ntered her family temple and did n6t cOme:6ut fOr a whOle dayo She remained there for many hourS in a cOmpletely lnotionless state:Sheldidn't lnOve or blink, there was nO db,lous Sign of breathing in Her. This cttme,about aS theiFeSut Of a,quarrel between Amma's two youngerlbrothers_ Mbther ha4 tried to intervene, but they would not stOpl llnai,leaded and begged, but still they continued to quarrel until their verbal
` COntinledf rpour.Umbrellas were "hiler the Fa brought,butlthey did noti reall,P,ote t Mother fr01m the 6icep_ounding of the rain.MOre ani 4een min
ites ipassed.There was nOt.even aislight m.OIvem t in gripped evcryOle's Amma's dy.FeaF tand anxiet heara Was Amma g6ing to,come back:frOm sa hli7 Was the" ring rain causing harmi HeF bC y:Everyr bOdy waO cOmpletely drenched by th healy rain. Fi nally,it was decided tO take Amma to Her roomo AsL sisted iby.somelother wOmen Cayatri carried Amma up the tairs and into the r00m while a few hmacharins
continued toichantt
li
I18
A EN,CHILDREN!
After changing the Mothers wet clothes and drying Heri Gayatri,Kunium01 and some of the wOmen r i ns enter d the dents massaged Her`A few brah room and continued chanting.Brittiinachari Pai,With great emotbn,sang a few SanskritThymns wFitten by : Sankaracharya.
,mC, a
cmt m I, among thcm tte mostins to frS it befi Yo .not,O CI soFt OrS
btt s9
c, sons o carth
ma,sttc"mes be bm,
, othcF.
b c er 3S there ia ib
:There is nol s
3h a,sinncF l:
mC :
.
,_
what to do during Her samadli stateso Every:nour and then he felt the sOles of Amma' feet.He did not dis cl se exactly what the instructi6ns had been, ut he Amma once tOld me that we muSt be VeFy care l said, if Her samadhi shOuld continue for ore than half an h6uro She stctl,sald that we should sing the Divin Name or chant mantras continuously untiliShe retums to Her normal state." li Around seven thirty in the evening, Mother Fe tumed to the earthly plane,of awarenesso She remained On the bed,Hler eyes transAxedo Cavatri,KuniumOl and
laloy
L,Ma M
119
the women:were stilll lbb and masttLging Her bOdy The sound of e.vetthgiblttm emerged Om the temple verand l.and Mother="ened Her eyesIJIt did.nOt 100k as if She,had:yet fully retumed ttom HeF tranttendent a .The,brahmachanins:mithle room stoppedlchant c. With`a sign of tterlhand Amma kdieveFyOne 10 1eave thci=Oom and_everyOne except Kunjumol anld` Gayatribl w nt out,closingithe dole r behindlthemi Sti:L concemQdiabOut Amma9 l few Of the m ns wanted t6 sit in ttont Of MOther's rOonl,but the others felt that nobody shOuld rOm in ithere, that if a need arose,either Gayatri olKuniumttWOuld fetch meone. : So they all went d6wn the stair 1
ti
The rain had stopped:lust a few min.utes ttfterAmma was carried in,and shortly afte =d,the dw was clear. The fatt tthat the tstorl aHiv d so ddenly just as Amma lay down in thtt sand,and left just as abruptly
when She was taken tO Her room made the whole dralmta 100k like divine wilL While ody Mother can
p6wer,tO the resi comprehend theivastness.of divir dents who had been there the stOrm seemed,1 ltimately
120
N,CHImttN!
were also calledo Aftcr they had all me m:Amma , kedlone Of th m to lose and locl the idooro When that was done,A malc10sed H F eveS,,oined Her ttns pahs and sat in a pray 1 oodo The ah all gazed at Her face.Tears rOlled do,n thelMother hceks.Openhg Hlr eyes for a m ment,Amma wiped he tears with a towel ind Once again closed Her evedi cm IIdc. Sud& ly Sh b/egait .sing Vedan
:
l:
L
;
o Fttctt or th
=I
mis b ,
3
1 1
. 1
Bcing
Therc is o,C C7
.
the s6ng,
121
love and devodon l Jr teated the entire F00m.Amlnals radiant face and the way She poured Herself tOtally intO the song touchedieveryone de( Ly,creating an indelible memory inithe secret chalmber Ofiea h onels heart Afterithe song,there was a deep profound silence Amma remained`in a meditadve mood,and e er,bOdy
1
respond by falling. to spontaneous meditatiOn`The meditatiOn`continued iu 1licveFpne Was awakened by _ Nama Stt the favorite nilttra JIAmma: heri make Her Did M Unexpectedly Amma asked,
children sad:"She waslreferring tO.the bathrooFill incir
ed by the stthi statelthe previOIs day fblk 'We. ust,rece e such hardilessons,ol eFWiSe there is no hopeifor,lus,7 ettonde4 one bFahmaCL 1. r Do not thhkithat A ma.wanted tO frighttn yOu d like that.%metimes it beOOmes all._It iust happ uncontrollableo Whatlto do abOut this crazy onell' 1
d nt
. b hmac
1_
11 : ,
The MotheF'S repl,cane,`lThey,are blissful:imo ments,not toFturel all:Ammalwanted to.bo in the ramo Nevertheless9 whe IHtt children are very careless, when She sees their hck Of tr ,Amma feels.sad. Su sadiess somedmed leads iHer intot a state10f ab sorpt ne She feels like withdFaWing completely frOm the eLemal World.IIt is whentwe look on the1 0utside that ex .an these Lult lttk olalertnessland shoFt mind ,6mings.=Thln She thmk5 of,withdraw ing iH from this world, : worldIQf( ents The ve=vithOught
122
MKD ;CHILDREN!
,She sh6ots up in no time. of withdrawal is enOugh,th Thelthoughtithat th ttld and the bOdv are the cause Of allithese tFO bles maLs Amma shut Her e es toWard . both. :`ChildFen,'AInmal.s body is maintainedlonly for H r
childre ,fOr the wOrld.You should alway be aware,of this truth. You should always r lmtember that tO keep
this
ence.It is Her children's sin rity tandisteadfast inten tion on the geal wh h heps the bdy,here.It is the ca1l of thousands Ofisincere seekers ahd devOtees all over the wiorld which pulls theibOdy t6 keep itself down On this,plane=of xistence.1:Without this, re ig no dO nward p 11.It has n6:other purpose to be heF =Food and sleep are n6t at allta pFOblem r Ammao Sh h nOthing toi do with worldly mattergflor wit ,wealth.
Amma::has trained(HeAelf well enough to Overcome any dircumstance;ddverse,.or favorable. Children,this Ashram is nOt Amm s.This place exl s fbr th world,It belo gs,tO 0
who come hereo MOther,in fact,has no interest in es ttd not tablishingi ashrams [:otheriinstttutiOnso She " h done attylof these things frit wer/e not for the world.Amma does thtse ingsi O help the,worldo The ot b illedittittt sel sh P/eopltl Tttre wOrld shOuld should.be a= w pla :where=ati'least a lil Lndl 116f Th beau md reo116 can,woALttnd o FVe Sel sl away should notich hattm1 0f sel ess 10ve and service om the facetof thisc :The ttorld shbultt knOw t la life of dedic 16 i31os bL;that life inspiF pS le` I_: 16 e aliLi SerVi e tO huttnit :
s
123 e,s
and very alert in perfoFIning your dutieso When your heart is ined with lo e and sel essness, it over ows and expresses itself in an your a tiOnsA9 words and thoughtso Amma knOws well that,o :have not yet at tained the state of perfectiono But isit:hatlyour goa17 You want"live and serve in love,don't yOuI So you need praCtiCe;yOu muSt inake a constant el )rt.AmFna
is vett happy if you at least rnake aniattempt to express
a willingnesslt6 do thiso Bit Mother iS Very sad when She sees Her children's indolenceo Children,ne r be cOme negligcnt or sink into apathy.Apathy is the wOrst state Of mindi for a spiritual seekero SOmeone who is apathetic is not enthusiastic orlinterested in anything; he has 10st all hope and is bOred with life.Such a per son l t6o lazy even mitry to get O t of his dullness and he becomes a burden t0 0thers.His burdensome nature causes anger and hatred to rise in himo Anger forces his own peOple,society,God him to hate everything and even his own existence. ` Children,it is necessary to orkias we liveo Life is precbus;therefOre,dO not waste it by doing ings lne chanically ithOut loveo We should try to put love into everything we dOo Machines can do many Of th things we do,sO etimes even better and:mo eriOiently,but nobodv is inSpired by a machine` Even though ma chines, niprOdice greater quanFities of work than hu
mans,the quality Ofi10ve is absmt in,achi,c made en lov is absent in anv actiOn,Ithe actiOn becomes mechanical PeOple who woFk meChanically Wit10ut 1 ve become like a machine insidq they:be come less human. umnsican lov .They can express
pToducts
124
MttN,CHILDREN!
chanical."
Amma stopped abruplly.There was silence fOF a feW momentso The clock struck O,ce.It was ten thirty in the mo...ingo The itself was waming each soul:`,Ican not wait for you; I cannot come backo Whate er yo want to do,do itinow;do not postponeo llam certying pu toward death, Qven without your knoWledge,"
Amma was in an absOrbed m00do Withieyes shut Sh rOckd back and fbrth. 1 11 :' :
Retusrning to a n6rmal mood,Ammai continued tO speak: Ther are painters wh .painti:hundreds ofthou sands of piCtures.:But there is nO depth in their paint
lnind.tSuch paint
ers are many and they go on painting until they die,ibut nObody feels iispired by their work` `:There are Other painters, however, wh61rdo not paint many pictur s,mttrbe luSt a few.But those twl paintings becomc world famous.PeOple crave " s One oflhose paintinLs.By 100king at one.of.lhem they feel insp ed and amttdolfit iS a painting ofthet can, jist ne can feel the vastness and.the depth of th ,
by sitting in ttont of picturel JuSti:bv 16oking:at the painting you are able to experieice the sea.Yoi Seeithe
wav
Wh Whv
ib
this possible7 Because of the igreat 10Ve lthe paintiir pours into his wOrk Eveniiflthe painting isi hung in,a matchbOx sizod room, it iappettsi to creatte vast ,paCe;
Di oy s
Amtttattindamalyi Wi
125
the mouitains,i valleys,liveFS and trees beCOme.aliv You sec beyOnd the tanvastandipaintlol see nature in all its magni nce and gloryf .`'If One putS his heart and soullinto an aCtivity,it lsformed into a trelmttndous source of inspirar will be tr tion The pFOduCttOf an actiod perform d with love will
`
have a discernible,Iesence of,hfel andllight in iti That reality of ind b O wi11113oples'minds with im
mense attFaC
way.
Patiently he instructs.you,nQt oncelor)lmce but a thousand times.If youtdon't listen,fy.Ou aliays dis that you canlboF w beauty and Obe,,lif yOu stttl thi love from thm instead Of workihg rlit youFSelt he will withdraw andldisappearo Mahattt have 9blttatiOnS or.anv duties.to the world odheritthan having cieated it by their own will fbr the good of tlhe worldiandi man 1 1 . kind. :l Children,God has given ll the= :cessary faculti
` ne quali
keruse
cf our faculties
ettFess
lazy::Don't idleiawav your timQ.LLtt is a preciOls iJft This human 10dv iS a rtte gttI Wo wi ,love while yOulaFe S l healthy:Do not. aburden to olthers.God plovided you with l onev but if,Ou are may lnot h and 4o it Witt all V endotted wi a httltXhy bod
youf heflrt.'
.:
11
1,to anyone who laSSed very healthy.He would app d peopl by,1:Oh,lgoo ,.100k,at tte loOd.h i eated me wichout,OVdh ttything ,haveinothing,no relar
I
126
N,CHILDttN!
Hl
re
sponset Theggar saidlthat any pert Ofilhis bOdy.was too preciaig be given for a millbtt d01lars.TherefOre the wise man exclai=ned,`Look,I brOther,da .after.da, you,are sayinlg that G7od created yOu Withbut pFOVidi you,with ttything hw pu youFSelf have 10penly de yes ea h part Of your clareldlthat y6ur hands,l gs and is very precious to you.Each is priceless Ou sa, body So:God has,Certainly givlen you thil, CiOus antt price less bodyo Why don't you work,using this healthy body to eam aliv lih00d7.Do 't iuSt StretchivOur aHns,b gmg fOF almS When youtareStill healthy;that is lazines, God does nOt hke ttazy peopll whO uttnt to bQFrOW eV ewthing frtt othpers.Ood does not hke p10ple who are : like parasites;therefOte,"rk, r brother,wOrk!'I Nobody wants to work,to put fOrth ettFt tOireach he state Of perfectbn=A ll are ettrer t know lf t ey can bOrrOw peace,beauty and 10ve frOm some"here Or someone elseo Whenithey:see beatty and lovllarlound a Mahama,threy.cravel .They,ant to become like hir Theylsay,lHo bel ltttLtt and wondettul yOu arel.l have n ver experienced so muchlovelind peace i,1 :v lifeb H ow can l become.like pu7,So the Mahctma telk them
Dtt10r th Mata Am
nda771a
127
want it,so they ask if they can borrow it. : A Mahatma is the embOdiment Of the pure love Of
compassion.But human beings are greed ;they always Dbut free!That is want moreo More and more and more
their life long
s10gan.". lDo y6ur work and perfbr:n your duties with an your
heart. Try to wOrk sel essly lwith 16veo Pour yourself into whatever you do.Then you will feel and experi ence beatty and 10,e in,every teld:of work.Lo e and beatty are within yO .TFy tOjiexpress them thrOugh your actions and yOu will dettnitely tOuch the very souQ of bliss. :
Agahlithere was a, pause=Amma moved her right hand in ciFCleS While o ly chanting,Shli a. SLi . Shi a.. Shliv` .`EverybOdy had becntkeenly listening tb the parable thel Mother had iuSt lated anditO the ex planatiOn whichihad fOllQwedo Amma asked th brah harli3 tO sing Manamle.1 Ta J: itamttc mo When they started the song,A .
=na also loined in.
128
, CHIIDREN!
You know neither how to sow the seeds properly Nor how to grow them well, Neith er have you the wish to know, By removing the weeds and putting fertilizer, By uking proper care, You will haue a good trarqtest.
Thc carl p t
ls spent i
Of liife
lpless
cttcs
And
Yo beco77LC li C a helpless
o WlithO"t an ,ti c
orm
spent
`.
Amma consoled hm,latting his back as She began tO speak, Son,try not to compare.Amma ttraS Ot Sav
ing that She too will: go awaylif you do 'tlisten to IIer
Amttla was indicating that the Mahatma has nothinglto lose or gain:YOu are the losers if you do nOt fo1lowihis wOrdso You wil lk)se the beauty,16ve and peace which
you see in hiln and in his action`.In a way,it is his dis
129
actions with love and ldedication. Try to )l16w the fOotsteps of the Curu with all your heart.Obedience to
the Curu's words is the Only way to cross over a11 0b
stacles whiCh arise in the spiritual path.
Amma wanted to say that love alone lends attrac tion and beaut,to Our actions.No woFk iS insignincant or lneaningless. The amount of love, the amount of heart which you pour intO your,ork makes it signi4
cant and beautiful. :`'You inay think thit cleaning theibathrOoln is dirty wiOrk.Try to feel that cleaning the bathioom is an Op porm,ity to serve therdeVOtees who visit th Ashram.If
great deeds.Behind any gOod.cause:you wlillifind SOme bOd 'WhO has renouncedleverything and dedicated his
Or her life to it
LOok at your l other cookingo She does it with orking in th ieldl The farmer love.Look at a farm can reany create waves of beauty in his work if he does
it wid love and sincerityo You can see his heart in his
wOrk.You can feel his heartl owing toward it.Hle is happy and enthuoiastic while he tends to his chores.
130
AWAKEN,CHILDuN!
tient;he is not wOrried about the amount Of tilneithe WOFk Will consume.He e oys p10Wing,sowingl irFigat' inL and harvesting by himslell This is the meantng of the word sincerity:SiF )erity lneanS the ability tol ex press heart in what y6u do, the ability:to 10ve your
. Children,you must do your wOrk with sincerity, whether yOu consider it significant or insignincant, whether you like it Or nOt, you should dO youF'Ork
work.
with interest and 16veo When you work in this way, when love begins t6 o,w intO an that yOu dO,your wOrk become sttna.It becomes less and less dittul= until one day all physical and lnental exertiOn are gone.FrOm then on,you.will start working 7ith your whole heart Love b100ms within yOu and it will be renected in all
.
that you dO
::`Ev n
continue doing the salttle wOrk he did before, like sweeping the rOad Or wOrkinglin the eldse Dut nOW hiS
attitude is dittrento After Reali2ation.he is totally de
d,Oes
.Fun of
is
Amma stopped and said, There has been a 10t of talking:Let us no stop and look withinifor some time lirttn to which every before we close ::Amma sang bOdy responded,ch tablkan am
131
O GbHbtt Llight OrEttmal BI,ss 11 1 ithin me hem m D ugh ha &d, "ning Po ttng on Yo goMcn Il c h pi J Cn.p e crythli
ct
4ali
th
: "C
ir
i
`
nt Ing
Co nect:0
ith no :1
a lnedita
a,d dividing it up into s 11 banSt Shc pFOCeed d tO feed everyone with Her O handso Eiach brah hattn a l ached Amma to receive his shar Of'pras .while feeding Her chil n,Ammaidelighted h tening j kes, rejotihg in the m6ment With the brah? hl so One of themhO dlways act i lik a litt10 child in frOnt of A ia came twice.He'was' ught i d hind( :She sttid loudly, ``Lo k here, here iS a thiel He already came once and got his share." Fhe brahmacttn inn6cently )ive rne one once lnoreo Then lill cOme Only rephed, One:nOFe tilneF' Everybody burst i 6 1aughter: Amlmta
132
MKEN,CHILDREN!
. 1
t
tOOk a ba11 0f rice and was abOut tO tted h`rl CayatriiSat,with her mOuth wide Open,ready to receive the prasad,but sud
Finally " Gayatri's
rn came,Am a
ent, mma pulled bttqk,as an Other roar of laughter lled the r00nli Whctt it sub oked mis hievou,ly at Cayatri,WhOSe sided,:Am face was lshed with ettbarraoSment,.tl :g,'tly but deliberately popped the l19e b 1l intO her moutho Hug ging h r mOst alLCtO,ately;:mtta kisSod Q4yatrl on both cheeks : ,4. It was a very touching scene.An indescribable e
presttion 9f 19 ran4 99mpa,sio
F9eling t
s fou,d it hard t6.withl ld their tears. brahm _BeOau ,GI at COnstantly liveo with 9ri14mma stres,e thlt Gttyatri ShOuld be peFfect i eyOry way. a w9uldisay, Cayatrirmol shOuld be,like a se" d motter:ifOr every9 9,S9. uCh SO th :40"nOt for the smallest mis kC 4mmals spare her,not eve love andicOttpassiQ,for Cayatri are indesOribl let.RTe
1
qualillies 9f
laFC th0 0cca,lo,s when they are ettpres,ed,b :when they a=9,it iS alwaysillcart gladde,itt Si Thio:wa one such occasion.
:
'"
Being fed by Amma WaS alW ,a treati r tter ohil dren. At one time the affectionat ritual occurred al
133
became more and mOrerunusual.There was"lal somer thng ebc which ca edlit to`s,op
ly
reSdent disciples.The otheF bra ncl ns,who::"ere stitt working or.study :used to v it the Ashra fre que that they cOuld =ly:for circutttances were,s not be permanent reside iWhe never these brahma cL lins came to visitltWhether together alone,A used tO feed themo She alsO used to feed all the devOtees whO were present durin lunch.Even aft r the first
,amc:ltay permanently, Amrna continued the habit Of feeding each pers6n. when the brahlma3 Later, however, s started learning the scriptureS,they were ita ght to halt,bc: fOre each mealo They chanted the ifteenth chapter Of thO STimtt BLaga G, ,f0119w,d by Brahmarpanam
frO thc fO rth Ohapter,verse 24..
grOup Of ah
..
;
tti gOc
b.cOpitts
Thus,One day Amma l 9unC,4,. Now that you are chanting this mantra,Amma will 9=feed yQu every
134
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
day as She used to doo FrOm this day on,do n expect it:The mantra must b practiced.If everything is BFah
man,you too are Brahman:Ho,can Bnhman be fed7'' Froin that da, on the dallv.praCtiCe of feeding
stopped.Yet,to this dav Amma still feeds H r Ashra children,but only Once in a Whileo Still,it is a special eXpeFienCe,On that cannOt be put intO words.It is not merely rice or some otheF food that She gives.Rather, into thisaSad Amma transmits Her love,purity,cOm passiOn and c6ncern foriHer chil en.
CHAPTER V
Frida,;13 July,1984 . '
att
plaving with some thildr from ithe n ighb ling houses,some of wh6m were children of devotees.She made a temple fOr them with wiet stick,Sando USing ow rs and leaves She decorated the 001 en the temple ttas 6omllet d::i CoAsecration ceremony Was
Dtalogues
With Mala'Amrtanandamayi
135
Let us always offer worship to the Lord.' The Supreme Lvrd of the world has cornr, Giuing comfort to the world.
The Lord has carnie to the earth To rid the men of earth of sorrow. Has the Lord of Peace , full of compcssion, Descended to shnw the way to*Liberation?
:.
l''
doing so.They thought that their presence lnlght spoil the beauty Of MOther's time with these little children; therefOre,thev alliwatChed Amma's play ttOm a dis tance.
136
N,CHILDREN!
Hearts wele Over 0 ing attd bOittg expFeSSed tts blissful laughter. Aft r haviig pLv d with t hild for anOther
temlle.The beautiful n6tes from hahttachari eekumars a te emer o Om One of thc h ts an4 lled the atinOspheFe. Still surfound d by the c=ildren, 10rne of Amma catte and stood in .frOnt of the tl
the giFIS, hO was about Six 6r seV years 614,be= d:
`:Aimachi, lers sing and play the 1 e:Of temple asked again.:l IShe Caught hold of,Amma's hand and
again and again. . 1 Fnhg:Oward the litlle girl attctiOnately Tu strOking h r ch eks,Amma saidil`Child,that is e ough for t6da :Amma has ttany 6ther thingS tO dO " 1.Lked the plav l ry m ch,"said thl little giFl 1`Can we do : aln tooFowll 11
1:
doughter :1
:
=
J=
grOw up7''
,
at e
.
being in the inidst of children,Mo=her also Whil becomes hke a child,plaving and frolicking with`hem.
137
significance in Amma's presence.They feelithis sO clearl,thttt SOme children do nOt anti to l ave lH ri
not even when the rest of their family is ready to go. Ma y,children have more love for Amma than for their Own,fathers a nd_mothers.This ttttachment children have tOwttd Amma arises from:he lu re 10Ve andigenu i e COnceFn SheishOws themo Children ar receptive so A a'sp ine Love pepetrates directly intO their
heaFtSO With such eaSy aCCess, Amlmta touche
d eply
l
them
and they feel it inllnediately. Pur , un ondi tiOnal 10ve is the secret b hind an thist
DISCRIMINATION
Attma sat in lhe frOnt yard 6f the temple On the sand and,was so n surrOunded by the resident, Just then Harslan,Ammals cOu in,came to the spOt where Sho and the Others were sittittg.He w 1lame attd
138
NKEN,CHILDREN!
with the Others.Amma was v ry pleased to sec him.He was working On a fishing boat,isO Attma inquired about his woik.As it was the rainy season,MOther wanted to knOw about the general well being of the Asherineno A short chat fQllowed about howlthe inOnsOOn had badly
attcted the fisherfolk:
other tilnes he gestured likeia prOfessional muoician with one hand, n his chest and the other raisedl high` His facial expressi9ns were sometimes exaggerat d and other times he closedi:his eye=and ttith palms iomcdi z ini bowed reverently to Mother,The sOng was S . 0
1 1 0nc PIcasc comc, O B4
mc
c
OA%spic,0"s(Dnc,plcasc come
,O Endless10
shi,Consort of L rd Shi O V
O Kama shi
wh
diates
b :: :an( e er
herc:
.&ingiboth
man fOrmSI l.l Yo% l th Light of the Absol `r 'Do Yo" o3k 0 m het cI:7
0
TatiOn.
and
Dialogues W'ith
Maw Amritanandanraf
139
conrc, before me
I ask?
side` This aroused thunderous laughtero Mother too laughed loudly, .: The ligh[playful scene created by Harshan waS transformediby a prOfOu.nd teaching of Amma when She ,7L: Attma,I answered a question asked by a brahmacI
have heard yOu say that a spiritu l seeker transcends ev
Does that imtean that_he also goes beyond diSCrilnination. which is considered an important quality that a compcr
erything oice he attains the state of perfection:
tent se ker should have :l
evoludono You need absolut discrinlination to:know and understand the difference betwecn what is gOod for
,Our Spiritual progress and what willlcreate obstacles in
your patho A seeker must discFiminate between what ls etemal and whatiis nonetemal.But once you have at tained the state oflPerfection,you havelrenounced.ev erythingl even discrimination. You cannot hold onto anything. Transcending all dualities, yOu becomeithe universel yOu become expansiveness,ritsell You become both day and ttight`:You go beyond purity and impurity. sranarxl, Iarel the mantras Lallita Sa ``In,the.Thousand Names of the Divine MOther, Saarasad T p
140
dharini One
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
who takes th fOrms Of bOth bding and pini _One who ls bOth nOnbeing, and Vid id a s
applicable to thcm at all.Alnma is talking abOut the f Absolute Consciousness. Nothing is withOut state
cO sciousnss for one who is hllyl establighed in::Real
ity. Everything is pervaded with'cOnsciousness and reAces.When everythi,g is thcrefore,there are n6 dif
pervaded with cOnsciousiess,how can there be,an,diS crimination7 A Perfect SOul has no mind,nO eg .He asanas, noti even lnithelr unmaniJbstd,state, has nO for he has completely upr9oted them:His lnind,has ber c6me p rmaitntl,silent attd.still forever and eveF.
pur ,gOod
Childfel i the do's and dontsilwhat is pure or im or bad,are only for Ordinary plopleo Mahat
6t
a
.
fected by such rules.They dr completel,unt20uched B t if a Mhama choOses to relmtain in the orld fbritte ullifting of sOci ty:: he twi1l observe thl egulaims Of socic,y.He win sti k to the ,trittl,in order to set an ne eXamlle fOr others.The w6Fldineedsftha Lo purit,mo der to ettdve. 6ralityl g60d charaCter and
bDdy consci6usne therdk e,they cannot act like olled ls wh618 lbeyond all standards 6f beha01or,Withou rul s of On r,Onls life would b a dttasIEr: A dict an oFdinary.1
;
m
il
141
sha too must ha e a disciplined life;otherwiSe,he cannOt progrcss.He cainOt imtateia CFeat Soul whO is estabhshed in the state of the b yond. Th sadha shOtld sincerely try to fo1low the Mahttma's oF the Cum's instru tions,buthe should not try to i lltate the : Mahatma br the Guru 1 ``Childre ,Amia us d tO live only on water and lasi leaveso She even used to forg6 fo9d and`lecp for hen several inonths at a time. Thare was a ltime nma ate raw ish,used tea grounds,pieces of glass and som dmes d to She never felt that any of those things ipure.There was n ither love nor lack of were dirty o lov .There ttas neither compassiOn nOr lack of compas sion at thatitime.What there was was iust like space:or AInma was totally endless ettpa,sivenes the sky abs6ibed in that non dtal state and never wanted to re
turn.
``HOw can ther be a,y cOncept of purity orlimpuL Fity;dirty or clean;ugly Or beautiful in s,a 7 HO"'Ca there be any thought of disCrimination in the state Of
142
N,CHILDREN!
sanLIPa tO be in the bOdy and tO wOrk tO save th world,the ciFoumStanceslbecome s,ch that yOu have tO
11low the traditiOnal way6 of society's rules Of cOnduct. Otherwise,sOciety is disrupted lif 60,ial Or s arO ig
nored.If yOu behave in a strange way without f0119wing the lnoral a,d traditiOnal nOrins,you will do harln to Othcr people around you and ,Ou will be deStroying rather than saving the wOrld. i TAll names and fOrms are d isiOns created by the 1,d He whO has attained the stat of perfectiO,tren Iscends the mind and intellect.Fothiln names and fOrins idrop away He becOm s slacc;he becOmep l pans c ness.He may be carrying i bOdy arOund,yct,in fact,he ally doesn't carry it.He ivs,dOes what he dOoS,lj t eats what he eats,juSt says whal he sayso Hc simply is. Hc exlsts ln an undifferentlated state.He ls not both ered by the world nOr does he bOther abOut the wOrld alnd its uphfting.JAmma is talking abOut that Supreme State where there is nO mind or thOught Do not fail tO understand that this is abOut the experience of that Sur prelmte State.It is easy to misunderStand,nOt tO uttder stand::prOperly,foriyOu can keep o,talkittg abo t the highest state,but you wonlt unders,and anything enlightencd beings wlo Remembe 1,there arre,ome : are ready tO sacrince:h mselves to the worldo They lre the ones whO,chOose to participate in the w9rld and tad Seekers and devOteesito COd,by setting att cxl ple thr9ugh their wOrds and.deedl.Once they dccide to re main in the body fOr the tranofor atiOn of SOCioty,they d"ell in the highest state Of discrimination.ThiS 4 icFiminatiOn is the cO sta,t experienCe thtt prah,a alone is real and that ihe Jagat,Or :o ld,is un=,al ,Ittr
Mau Amriwnandamayi
143
rernally they constantly dwell in that supreme state, but outwardly they "tirelessly and selflessly work for the good of the world, observing all the moral norms of society. Again, remember that this is only when you remain in the body even after Realization. Otherwise, you are what you are. But for a sadhalc who is still striving to reach the 'state of Perfection, discrimination between good and bad, between eternal and noo-eternal, is absolutely necessary."
COM:PASSION
made you c9me down from that supreme ` state7" : Compassioni''came Her reply, somehow a thought arose.No,not s6mehow;it was simply there`The idea
tO be compassiOnate was alttaySithereo That was the sttt alpa.Holdittg onto that thoight of compassiOn, Amtta could Fetum toithis world. , 1`COmpassiOn is the quality which keeps thiS body
here in the,orld:If that san alpa of cOmpassion were nOt there,the Mahattt would not return to the world ut w6uld temaintin that state of absorption.His be havior may seem Strange,and he may be misund rstood. PeOple hav precOncei ed ideas even about a Selireal ized soul,Iwho dwells in a state where nO ideas can reach:I They tr,to fit hiln in the cage of their lilnited ideaso A Mahatma cannot b stereotyped;therefore,
hit time.1
144
EN,CHILDREN!
YOu may have heard Of the saint named Naranattu Bhrantan,who lived in Kerala a few hundred years ago
hi
straAg persOn
ality and behaviOr.OAce a seeker wanted to b cOme his disciple and f0110w him wherever he went.The man ap proached the saint and expresscd his wish,but the Ma hatma was nOt willing to accept an,bOdyias his disciple and immediately denied the lnan' request.Ncverthe less,the inan was very insistent,and inany the saint agreed to his request YOu may fo1low me,'he said,`but
Naranattu Bhrantan walked and walkOd.,and walked.He never rested.He did not eat or drink for several dayso He didn'tisleep or talk.The man soon be came exhttusted.He tried tO keep pate with the Mar atma,but he cOuld nOt gO on lnuch longer.At last he t ld the saint,`I will die ifTI d6 not eat Or drink sOmeF thing.soon`' Not 10ng after that theyl calmte to a blacksmith's wOrkshop wherO lead wasi being melted. .The Mttatma walked up to thelpot of boiling 10ttd and
startcd drinking the lead usinglhis bare cupped hands: Turning to his friend,hO sa ,`Hey,come here!Drttk as much as you want:'The man stepped back,lur ed
around and ran away as fast as his,legsiicould Clrry lhiln.
The saint in the stOry was known asia bh whi h `n means lthe crazy onet'Bedat`e they,did not understa,d
tr
hiin,peOple thOught he was mad:L accepted this and never tried tO correct the Or tOl.teaCh them,Heinever g ied to ttake them understandlthe mea f tts a ti6ns,He Was nev r bOth rld by the woFld Or by what they thought of him."
145
Children,theFe is anOther interesting story about hiin. Naranattu Bhrantan used to cook_his food in
graveyttds,using the funeral pyre as fuel.It is said that
one hight hil he Was cooking,a demigoddess,ho d C aFOund funeral pyFeS appeared.She and her reti
nue came to perforin their midnight'ritual dancet She Ordered:BhFantan to leave the gra eyard immediately ibecI E she could not dance in the presence of human The Mahama was iot about to budge sO a huge dispute ensued between the twoo Sh let out a roar and said that it was her nightly rOutine to dance around the fu nOral pyre and that under no circumstances would She breFtt her regular rOutin .The Mahatma smiled and said 0117,`Ify6u are so strict about yOur regular=outine,3o am I.It is my daily routine to cook food over a funeral pyre in a graveyard;therefOre,I cannot leave.IIf you are so insiStent upon dancing,why dOn't you go And some Other graveyard7 1 will nOt mOve
'
seemg that this man was very determined and stubbomi the demigoddess and her retinue tried tO
frtthten him by FOaring 10udl,and making threatening
geStuFeS.The Mahama just smiled.He remained very calm and unperturbedo Watching the whole scene with
childlike innOcence,he laughed.heartily at their i rce display.Fmally,the denligOddes,gave upo She reahzed that the inan was not an ordinary soulo She changed her tone:`C)great one,I give up.Let your wish be done.I will leave,but before l gO,I would like tO grant you a boono Please ask fOr One.'The Mahat77La replied,`I dOn't want any bOons.There is nothi4g l n ed tO achieve, and l have nO deSires to be fulfined.My.Only prayer is tO be left aloneo Let lne concentratelon my cooking.'
146
AWACN,CHILDREN!
NOntheless, the denligoddess continued tO insist that he ask for a b On,so at last the M4hat77La gaVe in: `Oktty,tell me the exact'date Of lny death 'Sh told him.Again she requested that he ask fOr anOther b00n,
since the arst one was n6 great favor at all.`All righ
said the saint
ti'
`Now,can y6u postpone lny death by one day Or lnake it cOme sooner by one day7'The demlgod dess replied that such a thing was bevOnd hei cOntrol, so please,wouldn't he ask(br sOmething elsel Taking pity on heF,the Mahatma pointed tO his left f00t which was afnicted with elephantiasis saving, `SinOe you are so keen On granting lne a boon,tFansfer
this disease from the left fOot tO the right One
'When
that was dOne,he requested her to leave as h did ttot want any more boOns. In Obedience, the demigOdd ss immediately disappeared frOm the spot,taking with her
all her f01lowers.
Strange are the ways of a Mahatma.Human intel lect cannot understand great souls and,therefOre,call
is be
heaFt
can relmtain totally drawn within,and he can als0 0ver Ow with love if he chooses.
This story is lneant t9,ShOW the attitude of a cottl pletely surrendered sOul.The story lllustrateS how all
aspect of divinity are perfectly under a Mahat7LalS C6,
147
anythingo Even though he can change destiny or prarabL dha if h wishes,.he willingly accepts it:Hle does nOt want to change ito Fearless as he is,he wants to pass willingly thr9ugh all e periences. Fear results when peOple are tosSed abolt by their own petty desi"es,al ways conCemed'only about themselves.Once you over cOme fear,y6u can smile,looking at all the challenges asanas by control Of life.A Mahatma has transcended
ling desires and thought waves. That gives hiln the power to smile heattily,simpl,looking at everything " But,did vOu notice that the MaLatma in this stoty
had no compassion: He'had ieither compassioi nor lack of compassion`He was ot at all concerned about
the world.Hc always r mained in the Absolute State. He was al ost like a bodiless pettsono COmpassion the 3mairemain in societv and quality which makes a Ma
workifor its uplJtin3.It iis only Ottt 40f that q lity Of
cOmpeSSiOn that he helps sadhaks, de,otees, disciples and anyOne who approachcs hiini'I
The time for the eveni g bttan Was ttpr achi,g. Amma asked everyone to go and ttet ready,Shte went and sat in Her ustal place in fronl of the telmple,(Dne nd took their seag On the am by 9 e the residentS ng temple vOranda. mma remttined on Her se ,1 againSt the wall,Fixing Her gaze SkWards,She,a losI
tO this world.
SOon the veranda was filled With the resid nts.The singing started eve,though Ammaidid not patticipate in lthc beginningo She sat lnoti nless,100king beyOnd ` this world
148
B ahttLarin
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Sreekumar sang Ari I"1,a song he h
Amma.Therefore,it was very full with ifeelings Of the heaFt The samO feelings were expF ,Sed T he slng...
Sctting in thc cstcr .Occa ,t ca Has m thc,cIosc Of
It is b"t the p
5
inil s
sad ttment,
This o 4 50 fZII Of misCry d&ep in sOrr ,: Is b%t the drama Of Goa; Ma cr Cttatbr,I
Attlam b"t
No tc s
Li ca
0 ette,hcIPIcss i HiS tt
m Yo mc I'mb ,sep at . Bttning and bttming is 77L ' 11 m17Ld. ccan of iCF r' tossed abo t . 1n th nttng thc o . Not _:_
O MOther ,th
Wlill Yo% ot To thc sob
Pa h s
iiS ,.:
ng
'71g hc
149
ThTO
Wlill Yo% Ot ta
wiith a mOttt
l
c tO Yo nd p"t7LC htt
O Yo" llapF
Bttt,O Mother,
fOF thiS Tc
on7.
C Yo fott
this cttM
e me And
ttrc l
glanckc7
CHAPTER
Sunday,22 Jily,1984
VI
lshan to Hler hildrene Since it was the hut giving` a,,many peOp10 had come to re Sunday,a De :Bha ceive the blessings of the Hol Mother.Even though it
ined nearl,every day duiing the m9n300n Season, devotees did iot anow the weather to preVent them from coming to ieceive th M6ther's darshan
To watch Amma gioe a rshan tO Her children is al ways a uniqie ettperience.Th lpeolle came and mO ed
Onelby 6ne before lHlero Some cri d and pouF d their h arts Ott to lHer,s eking bleOSittgs and grace,"hile Others l lghed and r oiCed,ettpressing theirihappiness attd gratitude to Amma for Her ininite graceo There were some who wanted nothing but to be spiritually up hfted l Fy prayed for Her cOnstant guldance and
150
A N,CHILDREN!
m rcy.50me had desites tO be fu11lled iand others wanted Amma tO solve their prO ems,It was an end less chain pf people and problems. She consoled the crylng 9nes,wlped their tearsi and assured them that 'She would b with them alwayso Amma laughed with
those whO reibiCed and wholcrheartedly participated in their heppinesso No,Onder peOple braved incleltttent
BE COURACEOUS
During the course of the d rsha ,One young lnan ap
proached the Mother and COmplaihed that he had been haVi g terrible neck pain fOr the laSt tWO y,ars He Said that he had been,xperl ncing the.agOnizl g Pal,4ay
l :1=1
I
01y.appFOached
Her wi:h Su,h a proble ,A 1 ould Clcarly bcCome identined itth the pcrsOn and hiS p11 .Sho would symlalhitt with him,90nsolc tti ,ld
lovingly rub the affected areao Thus Amma wo ld,hare pail
Amma listened to him"ith a ttischievous shile on H faCe.ThiS W,S qtit,11nusull V 1ly"h I SOm
in every p9'Si119 Wttyo However,10 thi,P ,g 6n mtt Amma did nOtshQ" cOmpassion Or lovO,
tinu d tO smllc a d kept looking at hiS face fOrl while.
151
ar d and Her face became very serious. Amina 1001ked straight into the young man's eyes.The look andi Her eyes were so penetrating that Her;he hung his head:A Oing'Inan could not,fac the few momcnts pass d but the ybu ng inan did nOt dare raise his head._ : The look 6n Amma's face became still mOre serious
act your drama7'I The VOice sounded deep and awesOme. d his head.He was struck with The yOung man rai fear and ttarted trembling:Finally he emitted a loud cry and burst into tears.ThrOugh the tears he ctied, For v me!Forgive me!Donlt curse me.Donit punish me. I am frig tened.I tried tO pretend tha,I waS Suffering me..`Pleasc forg e me. Please forg frOm heck pain
PleaSe fOrgive me.. "The young wOrds o er and 6ver again.
Seeing h :helpless conditi n,Ammta could not hell but a1low Hler motherly cOmpasSiO,to over ow. SOn, son,''She said, no prOblcm.No prOblenl,dOn't w6rry.
The young nan was a skeptic a,d an atheist whO had nO faith at all in Amma.He thought She was iuSt an Ordinary 1lage girl t o whOm people att=ibuted di
nity.Armed
152
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
make Amma believe that he had severe neck pain.He expectcd that She wOuld cOmfOrt and S00the hi:n,and
only after that wOuld he secretly reveal the truth tO Amlna. In his dream Of pFide and success, he lhad thought he was going to walk prOudly outiafter a com plishing this, but his plan had orumbledo He hadlin tended to humblel MOther, but it was h who was humbled instead.
The young man ctied and sought forglveness from mewhat consoled,h raised his Ammao Then,feeling head frOm Amma's lap and Sat down near Mother,hiS
h ttd
still hangingo Mother resumed g ing dshan to 77LaCL ttns sang A77Lma A 77L the devOtees,and the bT
.
Ta c.
O Mother, Mother, dear Diqtine Mother Goddess of the Uniuerse Giver of food to all cre&tures
You are the Primnl Supreme Power. Everything in the world happens Because of Your Diqtine Play,
Protect me, Mofher, O Mother, protect me Without conception in the womb You have glven birth to millions and millions of bein*t.,
You are my life's goal, O Mother Do not ignore me, O Goddess of the World,
D loyes,W it
Matt Amtttanandam l
153
.
O Mothcr,f Yo
l ,
th oo
mc ittto trO"b S
o w
After the sOngi the,oung man agali began tO s9b like a child.Amma smilingly glanced at him and seid, sOn,d6nlt feel ashalmted.FoFget about the incident.Be You we cOurag ous enough to come ln / courageous
front of Amma pret nding thativ9t had a te ib19 neck pain11:Where is that great COurage now7 WhOn you s t out to do SOmething,whether it be rlght or wrong,you should alsO be daring enOugh to face whaleVOF COnSe quences tt brings you`There arei maiv whO ha e chosel
eler res=lts may 6ccuF,Whether favorable or not. : But, olw lo6k at youiself and the state yOu're in. canlt yOu be a little more COurageOts,Soni eithcr y9u g needsi a little surrender or declare waF. Surrende more COurage.The one O surFenderS tO the Supreme Being is the most courageous of all.In fact,the one wholdeclares,war is afraid.It is fear that motivates hi tO declare ware He fears he wil1 lose and the 6ther will wint He fear that his ideaS will not survive. e fears that.he will n6t b able t0 0Verpower h dversa". The thttht Of the OppO ent alwtts disturb hiDtty and night helthinks abo t the nemy.The op"SitiOni cre ates hell in his mind and th s hel estin coln,tant tta.r.
154
AWA_KEN,CHILDttN!
hlsband, Ramal Kamsa, the cked une16 f sri Krishna, 1 ed alwtts in fear i:Of his nephew.
The,theists and ttOnbeli vers Of tOday are Of that nature;they live in l ar.But unlike the h ,Oes of the
BI r :1 avI
01d daysi the peOple whoi boastlthey are athteists and .nonbelievers dO nOt haverthe courage tO bear the cO s qtences Of their actionsI ThOse ancient herOes lw re also skepti,s and ratiOnalists, but they, eFe far.mOre courageOus than tOdtty's skeptics and nonbeh verst ``Yetl in Spite Of their cOurage to do uniltthteous
deeds,they sti11 1 ed in fear.Ravana was afraid that Rama,Ould destrOy him lwhen He ame O r scu Sita. .The fear that KrishnalwOuld cOme and killhim haunted KamSa all th time`And Dur,Odhana was fearful of the.
Pandavas'pOwer,especia 1 ISince Krishna waS with.the Pan4aVIS Fear made the lives Of these men atlivttg hell. They cOnstantly deOised plots and plans tO kill their enemieso NevbF at lettoe ttithin th nseltt ,they
hOse"hO ale unwilling to surrender. : `'Surrender removes all fear,and tensiOne Surrender leads10ne to peace and blisso Wherc there is surFender there ls nO fear,and ice versao Where there ls surren
der there is love and cOmpassio,,whereas fett results in hatred and enmity.But to.sutrender One ne dsia 16t10f couraget,ithe courage tO give up onesel Itidemandttla l daring attitude tO sacrince one's egoo SuHlenderi1lneans
feeling
Dialogues
155
Therefore,s n,if y u want to ght,it is an right. COnthLue a yOur efforts to expose Amtma as a fraud.At least try tO be darittg and deterinined.LOok at you,you
have lost your sttlengthiand confidencet You inustnit let
7oung man idmiained silent.H seemed deep in thOughtil A feW devotees who were sitting nearby ex pressed their anger t waFd hi by thrOwing out some sharp re marks.Amma stopped th m,,aving, N ,no.
Y u`t
su h rbugh comttents you arO s tting a bad ex ample: mma dOes notiwant to criticize orabuse him Amma is telling him th se things only for his own pOint of reference, r his 6wn gooJdo He is free to ac cept or reiect them, B sidts th at,your expressio Of a,ger isi rcleasing asanas lwithin y61rS lVes.:LIser your dis the negattive criminatien:Yo Inust leari hOWIto listett and respond withOut T actingo Therefo ichildFen,Attma will tt t
II =:
neit neither your victim nOr yOu. .Learn how to respond." Therefore,dOn't.re
R actlon iwill b
RESPONSE:ASiOPPOSED TO REACTION
10 e Of the devoteeS who had expressed anger to
Amia,what dO
156
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
yOu mean by response7 Reacaon; f,course we always dO.HOw dOes One respOnd7" . 1 Amma explained th e differeice:Response can be
cttplaincd in many different ways.It is total acceptanCe. It is alsO nonacceptance lth 1.pOsitive attitude.IIt can alsO be,either acceptance nor reieCtiOn.You siinply r
member,you sec it,and tthen yOu see it,vou=re nOt theretin it.You are the one wh0 1ooks atiti You are not there in the scene`In 6rdel tOirespond,one Ould be ome like a mifrOr.One shoull beco m a very good re
nector of the Other,'.feelings`A mirrOr iustir nects blt
never gets inv01ved; it is never tOuched.0,tainted.by the images. :: It is as if yOu tte watching a movieo You are outside
of ito YOu silnply 100k and Obs rve;.yOu eniOy the play. Y9u enjoy the experi nce Of watching the llav; yot
n ver
i
bEcome inv lved in the play or the experienceo lt beautiful if you anfdO this.You can stand apart fr01m What iS happOnhg and.simply laugh at ito Only.a.cOm
(Dnly a 10vLI
perSOn who
is full of 10ve can Feslond,. i Out,of this explanation,a question arOse,`'Is it pOsr sible fbr an Ordinary person to do is7" This kind`Of dOubting will certainly nOt make it possibl ,",was Amma's reply ChildFen :if y want to ful 1l a worldly goal,fOr ettample,tO make tt million
d 1lars,yOu
wait.You strive`hard;you wOrk dili gently in order to accOmplish yOur goalo You work with enthusiaslno You forget everything elsc even f00d and
157
When yOu want to becOme a doctor Or an engineer,you study hard to achieve it.But when your goal is sOmO thing spiritual,something which will really help you to
lead a pettceful life,yOu have a hundredidoubts abOut it, a hundred questions abOut it's polsibilityo What a pit,!
lieved that many of the things which science has at tained today were absolutely imp6ssible. They never even dreamed that humttn be ings could g6 10 the m00n or that people,while sitting intheit h6 es looking at a sinall machine caned a rrv,could sec eventS oCourring in another part of the wOrld.Think of the Once un imaLinable and unbelievable& velopments of modern science that are now taken for grantedo From wher dO tan these things comeF What is behind an these wonder
proofs of the tremendous power inherent in th himan mind that is directed tOwaFd SCi.entttc discOVeryo And
vet,the power Of a scientist'si,1 lleCt is On an in hi
for himo N6thing can enslave him,overpOwer him Or control him if he is,cOurage6us enough to dive deep
158
AWACN,CHILDREN!
intO his Qwn inind,his own consciousness.He can hit source of power. the very fundameital basis of the Amma can guarant e thisi prOvttled the efforts are sin
cere.
Ther are ma,y MasteFS arOund the WOrld who have attained thit ultilnate state. If they could do it, you too should be able tO ao ito wh haVe doubts?Try.
l:11:
i rth
ohe enemy.Faith is your best iendi H e ith effort You wll see th outcome
i=TI 1=:l
1 1 :
:11111: :
ttd P t
'
1 11
,IDeq/ii
11
the sufferings oJ Be propitiolts, graciolts. Your suppticants, b, O Mother "f the world. Be gracious, O Mother of the universe, Protect the uniuerse. You are, O Deqti, the ruler of all that is moqting and unmoving.
You are the sole substr atum of the world, because You subsist in the form of the eorth. By You, who exist in the form of water,, all
You q,re the power' of Vishnu, and have end,less val,vr. You, &re the primeuiial maya, which is the saarce of the uniuerse ; W Yau all chis
159
10D
:. Gi41
( niiocrsc)ha
AI:bFeS ,Yo%r aspcctsi o Dc :i s Tc I Jd,icn cd ith :0 s ' omen in th` r attrib" s. B Yo" :0 ci'thC M h , thjs t
ld is. ed.what, isc canl there be: i and' L" h c or p `Of the nat :SCCOn garding(bttectS) expressi9 i"O isc7 4 OFp
Thete was sO lnuch love and devOtion in theiri me10 diOLs chanting of the sanskrit sl s that sOme of them became vety absOfbed.Lost in their own wOrld of ec
stasy,th y began displaying diffe:rent gestur( ._stretch
joininglthe palms Of
ing out their arms toward Amma,raiSing them high, their hands and saluthg Amma.
SOme shed tears Of 10ve as they cOntinued singingithe chant with trelmtendous devOt10n.:The devOtees were thrinedtlthe chance tO sing for mma.AsI Amina sat 10oking atlthemi cOmpa si6n k'w frOm H eyes.Her :face shone,like the fun moo .Amma's mere glance withithe bewitching smile She wore 6,Her lils threw a elli Of quivering enchantinent iOver thell de Otees. Tears r61ledidOwn theiF Cheeks as they sOared t heights 6f suprelmte d vOtiOn while they c httinu.ed'tO chant the
h
r
mn:
stin on thel oto She minifested all the ign,whi h She ettprcsses duringiDe Bha a Her ih ds held in a d in,m"d ;a blissful smlle radiating
j
Am a sat very
160
LKEN,CHILDREN!
sOme tittte,then She turned away from them but re mained in an indFawn state.The chant.S19wly st sided shan hut The deVO Per ct silmce prevailed in the
Amma reSumed receiving the devotees,.The 9ne who had asked the question bOut`response'wttnted'0
TTl T :1 IWtt l=
t rest
D logrs W I Matt Am
161
faith in yourheart.You never rely On your hearto And without faithiand love,how can you ever lettFn tO re : : spond? ,rallLreat maSters of=the world,"htther in the 'Childre Eist oFithel West,teach us how to respond,They
nev r react.Their tth61e life stantt as a living Witness
162
MKEN,CHILDREN!
aiting Jor Ramals sharp arrOws to pierce :his chest.But instead of th whir Of a owsl he h ald Rama'sivoicc:
Ravana,I see you are cottpletely diSarmed."Ramals ted voicelwas calm,`II cOuld inish you Off now,if l w to.IButil wonlt`TO kill someOne who tt totally disarmed inst dharma.Therefore,igO back to andihelpleSS goes yOur palacei rest,treat yow wounds andicomeiback tol
morrow ttesh i,and full,iarmed
Rama:"as!Even on th battle eldi even when Ravana had cOmmittedithe inpttonable crime of kidnapping His divine consort andiwas standing in frOn,of Him
disarmed and totally helpless,Rama bore nO malicc but
wOrds.Thisiisiires,onse
. : HI relis another example. when the ihunterishOt the lshaFpl,and deadly iarrow which iput.an end to Krishna'S bOd,,the L6rd did nOt react. He did n6t try to punish the hunt O, thei contrary, Sri Krishna blessed(the hunter with imhOrtality. He b/estOwcd On ti.This is FeSpOnSe the hunt i life's highest goal,77L
F.
'I
'It souttisr like respOnse is fo 1,eness,t remarked ' tl the one who:hadiasked the qttestion Forgiv ne s with6 t having any feeling 6f hatred ol
reVengo is iesponse,1.3 id.A ma, There ar people whO might forgive;:but they still have intense hatred they forgive bttt wtth vengeance.For di erent reasois,
peOple mayisometimes app ar t rgiVe.FOF o le, On man beats anOth The second man may nolfight back becauSe the first16ne is strongero We cannot call this forgiv nesso Thoughlth second man dOes n6t rel be raginL in hiS mind, taliate,the ire Of revengellna Likewise,when alfatharibeats a s6n,Or a teacheF pun
.
'
Dialogues
With
Ma:.,a Amntclrlarndamafi
163
turn the b10wso Still,they will have hatred in them. This cainOt be called forgiveness,for it is suppression Of anger and hatred.It can ot be call d response.Such p within, unexpressed anger and hatred will remain d and when the occasion arises, they will be expressed. That would be reaction,not response. `lThere was a Mah ma who was a wande=ing m nk. One dtty he was sitting under a tree when a h001igan happened to pass by and hit the ttOnk with a Canc.The StF6ke calmte down sO hard On,the:nonk's shoulder that the cane fel1 9ut of th h6oligan's hand ontO the ground`.The Ma atmalstood up and picked up the cane. Thinki g that the Onk was going lo beat him back, the rascal started running away.The Mahatma ran after hiin.FrOnl at a distance some peOple had seen the hOo ligan b ating the monk and catte runni g.They stopped and seized the scoundrel.By that tilne the Mar hama had EttChed them with the cane ln his hands.
it.He needs to be punished.YOu lnust hitihim back_ ot once,but several times.'The Mahatma smiled and FetOrted,`Nob l can'to Why should 17 He hit me and
that's all right.I take it as a fact.But l dO nOt under
br nches
stand why l should return the blowo What if One Of the of that trec l was sitting under broke and fell O lny bOdyI I wouldnlt pick up the branch ttd hit the tFee baCk.Likewise,he hit me and l accept it.He did it
164
EN,CHILDREN!
6ut of ignOrance.I ShOuld feel sympathy for his ign rance,nOt anger.I muSt have beaten him sott time in previOus birth`And now l amiexleri ncing the fruit Of my actiOn.In that sense=is nOt he who hit me,but it is iy past which make6 hitt hit meo No if l hit him
becomes free from the egoo Only egoleSS people cttn tFuly reslond ReSponse happens when one reaches the mindo Minl end egO Can only react.In facL te of n S mind and the egO which tempt 6ne lo react. it is th Th y ar the storeh6uses Of the past.The past is the s at of anger, hatred, ie,9ngel attachment, lea10usly and an negati ty.The past is the problem cretttOr`If the patt doesn'`e st fOr One,th n no prOblems arise; Onl,p ace and bliss exiSt then.The past is the account into which We depoSit more and more through our reac 4 destroys the past ompletl tions.However,aM
and stops adding to his a,c6unto Once the past is gone, the ego iS gone;the inind stuff is gone.Such a p iSPn cain6t react He can only retpond b Cause all retr ices cease to exist in him.The past is the reference
b 6ko
165
sauruso Whenever we hear,experience or dO sOm thing, we autOmatically rcfer tO these old pages.Throu them we ind meanings,linterpretations or uses that
tw re
:For example,sOmeone abuses us.Suddenly the pas comes t .thc,fOreground.Even,without waitirE fOr .Our p Oionl even with6ut 6ur knowledge,it gi eS refer =In nces.It says,`You haVe been abusOd cOuntless times`by diffel nt peopl .Each time you were abused by.lomer one,you retaliatedo S6 do it againiabusc him back.LIse strorilger words and expressions`l i ,_ 1 Thus, the chaini Of the past iFeVeals itseli hen someone offends yOu,you offend him in i turn.Ifs6me one gets attrV at yOu,you return the anger.This is hcw it happens. The habitual reactiOn stored in the past comes up again and again.And each time yOu rettt,it becOmes stronger and strOnger. You and yOur victiln each have a past Both Of yOu react to each Other.Th 6ther peFson has al10 be n abused a numler Of tilnes. Each one reacts according tO the strength and density
of his past reactionso BOth Of yOu haveivOlumes and
101
umes of giant s12ed b00ks tO which you unknowingly re fer.A Mahat77La remains a blank sheet Of paper,whil an ordinary person keeps On writing on the pages,con tinuing tO add tO thOse gigantic b00ks each time he re
acts.
TResponse cOme fr6m the great SOul whO remains blank.He dOes nOt want tO disturb the silence with un necessary sOunds Or disfigure the blank shOet Of paper with unnecessary wordso Respontt arises frOm a truly 10ving heart.Love cannot hurt;likewise,response can
not hurt
'
66
LKIN,CHILDttN!
don't want to miss yOu,Amma.I donlt want to waste life anymOre."The young man_covered his face and
wept again
IItt ll
1
6o
ortt janmam
IfYo%giOc,then besto
Of Yo"T scr ants forc C
the boo
O Krishna, ll m ind ith Yo Hol N 77LC 71d ICar Rc cal Yo" Lot s Fcct bFight r cqttipoiscd Kcep 77L mind C All ShO"ld bc lt as Yo%F maniifestatiO
167
salute You.
Tld, thc
JO to others
G ,ng
If Yo
thC Impettshab
II mc that
.
Amma's respons to this yOung man,Her ettpression of love and cOmpassi6n towaFd him instead of con
demning him fOr his deceptiOni is clearly an eXample of how response can and does have a good in uence on others.It produc d,uch a positive change in his'atti tude,and this was"itnessed by everybody present Amma's Own life standJ as a l ing 4tness fOF re sponse.The early periOds of H r life were lled with trials and tribulatiOnso Except for a few people,all,in
cluding Her own family and relations,tumed against Amlna.One thOusand yOung lnen iOined tOgether and fOfmed an Organization called`The CO mittee To StOp Blind B liefs 'Supported by sOme bf the villagers and
p01iticians,they tried to scandalize Anlina.They tried to imprison Her by accusing Her Of lrilnes she had Ot comrnitted, and they used varibus lmtean and shabby methOds tO try tO exp6s Her as a fraud.But mma re main d unperturbed` She never reacted to their tor ments and threats.She only prayed and cried tO God;tO
168
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Even,when She had to shotlder an the household chores and do all the work for Others,Amma did nOt murmur any complainte She alway praved, O Lord, g c me work;g e me Your work 'I Amma v rked ceaselessly.Even thOugh Shc hadiso lnuch to do,Alnma
wOuld prav tO God for more so She could be constant in dedicating every actiOn of HcrS to Hiln. )arrying water for cooking and pots 6f hot riCe gruel o, Her h ad, Amma even became bald in One spot.Th e hair fel1 0ut from the weight and heat of those pots.Neverthelessi She did.nOt complain or st6p working. 1 1Amma's Own parent,and Her elder brother were an tagonistic loward Her.H r elder brother alwayS taunted Her,usually,fOr n6 reason.Damayanti amma,AmmalS Own mOther,was a stri t disciplinarian and nOtlt a1l le nient With Her.In the midst of all these adverse cir cumstances Attma lived,beautifully respondi,g tO all the situatio ns that arose in Her life,ever f i,g Her
ial tO recall anothcr incident It:would be bene wh n mma beautifully res19,ded to a man wh9:99n an was a nOtOriOus stantly used to abuse tter.Th oW( of the 1lage where Amma was borno Ever since lAmma mani oted`Di inity to the world,he alwayS had an antagonistic attitude t9ward Hero Whenever he got a
169
C tF 1:
Now th nOtorious ttan. 6uld,ot h011:i Cr,11g; h9 sObbed like a child.On e again Amtta expressed H,r
th ii
nature;thev cann6t do otheFtti,c,Thelr natures are not gOing to change even if yoi ge t angry lt tlem. :
1lT:l
=::
thOse creatures and they cannot be 9therwise. ``Likewisel ea h person has hi own natvreo Through
1170
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
your anger, you cannot change the nature 6f Other peopleo only 10Ve can change them.Understand this, and try to have sympathy and 10ve for all.TI,tO be
colmpassionate, ven toward those whO bOther vOu
Try
to pray for themo Such an attitude wil elp your mind also tO r main peaceful and calm.This is genuinl re sponse`"
m l
Shli
ital airs;
lLs
NoT ha7tdS O
fect n r tong
c,
Nor thc OFganS OFScXd tting; Iam Pre A ctess BIiss,I m Shi I I m Shi
!
Neither 10 thing O
Neit
li , g
ha c
I,
`T greed
or acI siO 1
ither
I
c lth,
m P Tc
!I Shi
Dialogues
Vith Maw
Amrianandarnayi
Neith Neith
er right nor wrongdairuS urn I er pleaswre nor pain; nor the muntra,
Nor the sacred place, theVedas, the sacrifice; NeiCher the a,ct of eating, the eater, nor the food; I amPure Awar'tr,ss-Bliss ,I art Shic/cl I am Shiua!
CHAPTER VII
MOnday,23 July,1984
f the Soon after the mOrning editation some brahmachariins were discussing Amma's satsa g on`re
action.'Since m6st Ofthem weFeCduCated young men,each one was giving coiments,lnaking di feint interpretations of Amma's words,el h according tO his own inderstanding and intellectual capacity.
s10nSe and r
Ohe bFahmaCharin said, I don'tithink that a person whO hves in s ciety or a,person who undertakes a respon
11
ample,h6w can al,ays a busittess eXecutive administra 'Obllan respondi Hc has or to an ttaCtt For ex tor in gOVemment remtali r action16sslllf a business
executiOe only reSpOnds and ne er reacts,the company will n6t function properly and it will have t6 clo d6wn.If a governmettt admintstratOr onl,rcS'OndS and ever ieacts,the government 11l be,ainess.If a person is in a pOsition of resp6nsibility,he has to discipline Others.To discipline others requireS a certain attount Of reacti6no To make Others obey,reaction is necessary; Otherwise,one cannOt function pr6p rlyin socliety Yes
172
A EN,iCHILDREN!
'
atith
for
4n6ther brahmachOrinligave his opinion: I think instructions Amma gave yest rday are meant s rious'sttha s` Whit_shei said wab intended for
nouncing all wOrldly desir s.The egO is necessary in or der to live in the wOrldi 7hei there is in egO,On can
not respond;one can only r act.AInma HerSelf stressed that pOinte" Still anOther brah77L Ch " He bcgan, I think "anted tO have his tul He was interrupted by anOthett voice,``E)On't think!"
thsttsenseless
ThOl
ned tthrOugh imteditatiott has be n diSSipated duc lo g hard thinking.Ittl is just litei w
_ 1 11
I Fe
Dialognas
Amma is not angry withiyou.HOw can She be angry7 Why dO you thmk that Amma wouH get angtt with
vour speak upo What were you discussingri'
174
AV : EN,CHILDREN!
Or he lnay have tO take a tOugh stand sOmetimes.But, sO what!HOw can that create a hindrance to respond ing7 What dO you lmtean by saying that response is not
at all possible iuSt because someone is a business execu
tive or government administrator7 Response is possible if One tries.It is a positive mental attitude you develop toward others,whether friend Or enemy. To stand aslde, untOuched, unaffected and de
tached is responseo But usually,if y6u get into some dis
agreement or quarrel with someone,9r when you try to discipline someOne, you react because y6u are totally involved and identi ed with ito When you g t angry, you becOme identified with your anger and cannot be detached.You cannot see the angeF ariSing in you.I stead, you become the ang r. Externally, great souls sometimes act iust like ordinary human beings,but in teinany thev alwayS remain apart from the actiOns they perform:Detachment isi the very core of their lives TheyicannOt react becauSe they are detached`Reaction
6ccurs because peop10 are attached to their actions.At
tachment tO the w6rk and its fruit creates eg ,which 11l destroy the ability to respond.Detachment,Om the work and its fruit destrOys ego,which will.help one
: TChildren,try to perfOrm your work With detach mento ln this way,you wi1l learn tO res,ond YOu can
scOld sOmeone and stin be detachedo You can discipline someOne and yet ttain detached.Thatis why Amma
said response is a purely mental attitude,that it islsub
Dialogues
175
ponents.Indeed,Rama killed Ravana for abdttcting His wife,Sita.He killed many other demOns as well.One might also think Krishna reacted when He killed Kamsa Or when Hle sided with th.c Pandav to help destrOy the Kauravas.But t0 1nake this kind ofjudgment is wrong. Ralmta was ready to accept Ravana the persOn,but not his egoo Krishna was ready tO a cept theiK:awivas,but nOt their egOs. Ravan:a's ego was dangerOus to society. The egOs Of Duryodhana and Of thOse whO sided with him were alsO dangerOus to socicty;therefore,Krishna had tO destrOy themo As alking it was Ram 'S duty to destroy egos that wOuld dO harin to the entire world.It waS not only because Ravana had kidnapped Sita that Rama had tO kill him,but because the latter had be ome a threat to the whole wOrld.By killing h ,Ratta was saving the wOrld frOm demOnic hands Rama was Only prOtecting and.preserving dharma. The apparent egO that each.One Of themtwOre was Only a mask, a mask with which they never got identi fied and a mask which they,cOuldiremove at any time. They were always aware that they.WeFe different from the mask,that the mask was not who they rcany were. One shOuld be very careful t tO mistake their masks fOr their real nature.One needs a very,ubtle eye to penetrate and see their real naturc Even Ariuna, Krishna's c10sest disciple and friend,'=00k Krishna's mask to be real.i Only once,when the Lord Himself
See whQ Krishha really was: Even Lakshmana, the dearest biother.of Rama,did nOt seel Him accurately.To be
bl ssed
Ariuna
176
MEN,CHILDttN!
able t6 discern divinity reqvires aivet,,Very Sublle ey, It quire a subtll ay 6 lo9kittg to see divi e beings:
To see them_in fact,it is ot setingi^ i is expeFiCnC ingo To exPOrienOe thei 6n mist enterittO thei,intO c e t6 el the,m the subtl their real Beingo lf 0 h:
or if you have that etteril Q Of ettteiing intO th ir reallB ing,then yOu k 6 thl never react: . : d Ravahai th Remembel,the same Rima whO kill
ds of fully ar edidemonS ho kill d thous same RdI ved and in a few s conds, Ould 41o remain un unperturb,delikc i m6untain wh n Kttike,116 k away the kingdomithat Was ightfully His and senti Him into 6t ittpati nt.Neith r was he alloWI ekile.Rttma wa ard`He wais as iette as the lre of dis lution.Recall His terce fori h n the oc an did n61 yield t6 Him (see f00tnOte On page 62):He waS abOut to dry up the entire oceano Such iWaS HiS Strengtho So if H wanted tO,He could ha e easily retal,ed or regaincdiHis king domi But He did nOt do that.Inst ad,He respo led
He acceptedo S e th beauty Of it FoF some pcople,apparent response is b6rn not out ut of cowardice,and ti Of 10ve and deta hm it,but
midity.Th re is no beauty ln this sort of appar ht re sponse.This is how i Weakling behaveS =Hc is,passiVe; he is motivated by fear.Buttthen God,the Govern6r Of the entire universe and the most powerful Being re spOnds,there is imm ise beauty ln it,for it is an edify ing experience." A little boy five years old, who was the son of one of the devotees' haPPened to be among those who had gathered around Amma. One of the bralvnacharins told Amma that the boy had sung bhajans beautifullY on the
177
pFeviois dav.Amma looked at hirn and smihngly asked, Is thiS true,son7"The bOy ttOdd d his head.,In a beg irtano Without Ling t6n ,Amtta ask d him t6 sing the least shyness,th bby,ang Ve hmbi ."
O MOttt oF the ve : O Moth r SOnds,I bo 30 Yo I bO tO Yo"Fcct, bred b the GO
.
Bcst u ng loOc
ofprlidC.
tt reb"th
cto o S.
:I
things.
Bowing to
C I PTa ,
Forsome time Attma ga ed intently at tir b6y as he wa singingo Then She became ittrawn and this state lasted until the end of the song`When the l )y inished
178
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
son!"Amma seated him next tO Hero She asked Kuniul m01 tO bring some totteso WhelnV Kinium01 brOught a bag of tOffees,Amma toOk a few and gave them the boy.
Having not yet received an answer on,how an ex
ecutive or an administrator can respOnd while discharg
ing his duties, the resident whO ask d the question about response ow raiSed the pOint again. Amma answered, children,even if you hve in the wOrld as an executive or an administrator,you can still learn to reslond, provided you develop and cultivate detachment.The business executive or the governmen tal administrator lnust discharge his duties sincerely.If the need arises he lnust be able to take a tough stand.If wOrkerS becOme la2y. r if they try 10 Cheat the c9m pany, of course theiexecutive must have the cOurage and cOnidence tO rise to the sltuatlon and take neces sary action against them. You can be angry with the lazines of a wOrker but
nOt understand why you should react iand a1low your Hlind to sink intO a mire,of hellish thotghtso Reaction btilds up hatred:Hatred lnake6 the mind a hell. Likewise, anget,iea10u y and uncOnt= lable cra ng fOr nam attd famc mak life equal tO hell. You lose your peace of mittdi YOu lose the love in you,
1
Dialogues
179
the beauty in you,and your inind becomes a nladhouse. Whether you are a business executive.or the supreme sovereign of a country reaction will only create chaOs and confusion in you.The very thought Of reacting will cloud your vision. You will lose your discrilnination. You will not be able to do what you should do.You may dO th wrOng thing which can destrOy e erything, which can destrOy the gOod reputation of the ompany. Even to lnake an intelligentrdecision one.needs to be even Ininded. Vhat you can presence of mind is a state of mind which does not become agitated but re mains well balanced,even in the midSt Of severc prOb lems. A person who reacts thoughtlessly can ot be al gOod ruler or a good executive or administritol.Neither can he bc a good doctor,a.good engineer or a good prO fessional li any fi ld of work.He will be a failure in any pos Ion of responsibility. lJncontr011ed reactions will pun him away frOm all good fortune, from all.favorable ood things that could hap opportunities and from all pen in li
Let's come dowi closer to our lives. When we cOie down tO the leve1 0f ordinary human beings,we can see that knOwingly oriunknowingly we do respond
in our everydayilife.But this is nOt a totall reactionleSS
there is something important at stake. Internally yOu may still have negative feelings,but externally you con trOl them to a certain extent becausc, otherwise, it light creite a disastero A government 6ricial can d this for the sake of his country and an exectitive can do it for the sake of the company.
bin= l= : T
180
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
`'Suppose you lre an executive of a large firin,and there are delmtands belng lnade on the adminlstratlon bv
The leader Of these prOtesti,g WOrkers is threatening to can a strike.You persOnany feel that his demands lare unreasOnable and that his tactics ar un
fair,clen Offensive. In this kind Of situa,i6n the pre
the i OFkerSo
dOrninant emotion that bubbles in your mind ttill be anger. But you won' express it because lexpres o of your anger lnight accelerate the prOtcst and worsen the
threat Of the wOrkerso TherefOre,you try to control yOur anger and hatred.You try not to return those negative
feelingS`in the same coin,'for if yOu do,it will only re
sult in a disaster.Y6u remember when you had a similar experi nce in the pasto You suddenly becomela ware Of
Previously you cOuld nOt cOntrOl yOur anger tOward the agitators.Rash in yOur behavior,l you usedicxtreme measures.The oppOsition reacted in a silnilar inanner t6ward you`In fact,they werc even WOrse.That previr ous incident affected the entire cOmpany an the, rk ers,not iust th6se who were lotd protestersolYou lost all peace Of mind,and your personal family life wa dis
181
reactions brought,l you becOme discrilnittative. Youl:cont161 your angerandi vOlatile nati .You calin dOwn and.ptt a big smile On your face.You ineet with the leider Of the pr6testeitt and treat hilnicOrdially.You in te hi t ,9ur 6ffide ald Offer him a cup of cOffee. YOu express yOir concern foF the welfare of the emp16y eeso Wtth deliberate cautioI,Ou.eXplain th cOmpany's sitiation andlassur him that you win do everything in yOuF pOwer to come to an appropFiate agreel tent with the protesterso This wa, Of tiCkling ther pFOblems in your llb Our profe sbnal life or i=:your whether in p 3onal family life,Ican be called a res,Onse In this case,you are reacting t00,:buit,1 does nOt hurt the other4 person because the anger within you is ot exp:essed: You give hiln the feeling that yOu arl conceried abOut hiin and his problems.You create a positive feeling in / th Other ian'sh art. . Hwever, if you investigate closely, v u will see that deep down thittis still a reactiOn b cause the anger iS S111l Within 6uo Yo have suppressed it to k/eep ttOm expressing it.But yOu haven't dOne attythng to efhaust it.Many circumstanc s like this'arise in one'stifei and each tilnely9u do the same thing.The chain Of thesel events becottes 10ngeri,aid lo gero Externally,you inay lo6k as if,Ou are r s,Onding,lbut int rnany you are noti lt is Only the suppreSsion 6flyOur r actiOns followed bya the exter al xprLssiOn Of at res10nse like attitude
lable
"hi9h is nOt really that` Children;it d es nOt inatteF WhO,Ou are Or what yOu aFe.Ricsp ttse is possible if you really want t0 1nas ter ito An execute or an admilistratOr does it during
C Ftain
182
AWAON,CHILDREN!
has to work On it.He iust haS tO dO SOme practice to digest and assimilate th9 1reSidue c011ected within, which s been left behind by such inCidentso OncO yot learn tO remove the fesidus.bf the suppressed angcL har
tred attd revenge,you transfOrm intOt a fOuntain of tre
Yet another question Was asked: What is the differ ence between thiO seeming response Of an executive and the sadha who llarns tO respond genuinely?"
llChildren,a spiritual secker,who Strives hard tO at
tain ithe state Of perfectiOn ill also have anger and h
tred within him.There will be situiations in whi.ch he 10ses the contr01 over hisimind as wen.Like thc execu tive(in the exarnple above)whO haS learned frOm his past =listakes of:uncont=ollable rettctions, the st :ha also makes use Of the remembrance of past experiences x tO discriminate and control hilnself But unlitte the ecative,the s h constaitly wOFks on his anger and htttred and strives hard to g t rid of such tendencieS Through incessant practice,k eping his mindifixed on the igo l of SelirealizatiOn,he sublimates hisi negative emotions,and in due courSe,the angcr and other nega tive feelings are uprooted,
183
The difference is that while the spiFitttal seeker feels that ehminating angor iS essential tO his:life, Or an cxecutive,fer.ex someone likc an adHiinistratO ample,feelS it iS only part of hiS professional ll tO keep his anger under control.His 1ln is to tacklethat particular situation,and that is the end ofit.Hc lnay be able to control his angcr when tt provocatlve situation
arise ,lbut
deep intO his lnind and gets deposited there,waiting for the opportunity to express itself again. TLike the cxecutive, the sadha also l ay not ex
press anger at the m mentthe iS prOvokede C)r,under certain ciFCumStances when it becOmes uncontrollable, he inay eVen express it; but 111cr hc;will lneditate,prav ntrO to rcl Ove the anger and its Very and chant his catse.As far as a sttha is cOncerned,re Oving anger and other negal e tendencies i,hie life's go HiS en tire lif is dedicated tOward that.Therefore,he works hard to eliminate the cg9 and all it,rdittent aspects. Eventuany his constant effort ttnd the CururS grace take him t9 the state Of pOrfectiOnTwhereithel lis no ego, nO thoughts and no ttindo Oncc he reaches,that state : he will b able to FeSpOnd gen inely " :
1
As the explanation progressed, another question caie up, Amma,frOmtyour explanations l get the inl pression that response is a sta:e whcre there is,either actiOn nor rcaction.Is that cOriect, " A alanswercd,IY,S,in lhe ulllttatC,en,e there is nO aC,10n or reactio .There iS only thc witness con sciousness attitude.YOu may appear to act or react,but
there is neither actiO ,Or rcactiono YOu simply watch in
184
MttN,CHILDREN!
``A geAuine response takes place Only when you be c6m comoletely free frOm the gFip of the egO,6nly
when yOu become nothi4g or n6bodyo Until then,the ego iS hidden behind all your dctiOns, reactions and
seemlng reSponses. This is the highest state one Can attain.There is nO pbint b yOnd that:This state is the`pointless pOintt'To attain this state one must do intense spiritual prac
ti es."
Ita
"l
:.
O Moth er who shines 4s the Ear of the ear, Mind of the mind and Ey, of the Je , You are the Lrf, of life And Yow Being is Lrfe of the Liuing.
As the oceo.n is to the waves, You are the Soul of souls You are the Nectar of the nectalr or knowledge, O Motherl Pearl of the Immortal Srf are You
And the Essence of Blfss, Great Maya You are and
Nefth
the Absol
ute ltself .
Nor can the mind grdsp You Vords are hushed tn Yaur Presenc, O Mother.
IVho says they haqte seen You have really not, As You; O Great Goddess , ffi beyond intellect.
S
un,
of
themselves
Dialogues
185
Through discrimination the courageous can tread Thl path 30 thc Ab &oF Etc I Pcacc,
the St rcmc TT"th
with supporting the family." `: There was decp conCern in Herivoice.Amma called to the twO whO were h01ding the pot.TheylapprOached and stoOd in frO,t Of Amma Did yo have a good catch tOday7"She asked them 1`No:''replied the chil
dreno The elder of the twO said,`IBecause of the rain, the wateF has risen very high, aking it hard for eldc= br9ther tO catch enOugh fi`h."
186
AWACN,CHILDREN!
)no suc
ln a few ttinutes Kunium11 19turned With a plastic bag,cOn ini,g a few aplles,a bunlh Of bananas,some sweet and other foodstuffs.In addition t6 these items eSh Veg Amma gave them a lackag of ric and o dislhe k one ort s,en6ugh for a family to c6 etabl 'They smiled The childr n were overwhelmed with ioy heartily and called Out to their elder brOther,``An p.en6ugh Ah a":(elder brOther),Amma,hi has given
.
,
Vlrednesday,125 July,1984
ma,a10ttg with Arst hut built in the Ashram Wh re tri,hid li GI ,d fOr nearly two yearsi ln those days, t6fthe hut Was alSO used a,a storero9m and kit( e, t6c6ok food__for Aima and the irst group of brahtta charlns. Late in the morningi Amma returned from a neigh boring de,ote ls hOuSe With SO tapioca ro t'in lHler hands.Holdingiit up ln front Of everyone,She said lik an inno ent hild, This Amia plucked Hers 11 fr6m thcir,16to Now She is goittL t6 c09k ito Once it il co6kedi Amm will give it to all Her children:"l /
Dialogtres
187
insistedl oA peeling and c Oking it HerSeli While She was peeling and preparing the tapioca root, One Of the brahmacharins asked, AHllnal.are love and compassion one and th isalttte,or are they different7" When 10ve becomes IDivine Love,compassioi alsO fins the heart.Love is'the inner feeling and compassiOn is its expressiono COmpass10n is expressing your heart felt concem for someOne. fOr a suffering human being. Therefore, Love and compttssion are two sides of the Same c6i ;they co eiiste t
/ mina
There is love and Love. You love your family yOur father,1=other,sisteri brother,husband,wife,etc. But you do nottlove lyOlr neighbor.You love your sOn or daughter,ibut you a6 ot love an children.Yoi love your father and mother,but you do not,10ve e eryOne th way you 16ve your heF and mother.You love your rengion,but you do nOt love all religiOns.Likewise,yot have 10ve fOr your c6untry, but you dO nOt 10ve all countries. Hence, this is not Love; it is only love. TransfbHnatiOn Of this 10ve tO Lciveris the gOa1 0f'spiHI tuality.In the fullnesS Of Lov blossoms the beattiful, fragrant Ower 9f compassion.
Love with a small` l is limited.It has a small world Of its Own. It cannot contain more than atfew people end a few things`It is narrow and is always chengingi lt
his nO peaks.The apparent peaks are nOt the highest pinnacles. They are Only raised a little from ground
level,just a littleo S06n those little peaks will become
plain,lat ground.There are ups and dOWns in lovco ln due cOursO, an the`upS'will diSappear and thete will only be`downs.'This chang able love'can beconx pet manent 10ve Only"hen the feeling of`I'and`mine'dis
appears.
188
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
As long as there `is the feeling of`I,'ithere is the ays haS a personal t6uch. feeling.of`thOu;'th s love al
there
ing iuSt happens. : In the same way,when the obstructions the ego, disapperar,you cannot ifear, the feeling Of`the Other' hut LOVe:You do nOt expeOt any return.You dOn't carc about receiving anything you iust f10WO Whoever Comes intO the riverl of Love will be bathed in it, whether the person is healthy Or diseased,a man Or a woman, someone wealthy Or some6ne poor`:A_nyone
can take any number of dips in it.
Whether somebody
bath s in it or nOt,the river Of Love does net Care.If sOmebOdy criticizeS Or abuses the river Of Love, it dOes
nOt care;it silnply ows,Whcn thatiCOnstant Ow Of Lovei ver owS and is expressed throughievery w6rd and
d ed.
Dtalogna
189
no
fear, lust or passiono CompassiOn silnply f7orgives and bigetso COmp ssion is llke a passageo Everything pasdes through itt Nothing can staly thereo Compassion iS love F expressed in an its fullness "
Yes,"replied Ammal a real spiritual maSttFlis both Love and compassion in all funne3so sometimes his love manifests as di iplin,I Normallv a certain amountiof pain is experienced wh n one is being dis,iplined,but :the,Curu'sicompass tt removes ito When you colFkeCt someone,o when you scold someone,his ego is hurt; hed That islwhat people dislike his individuantv is cr the lnost.They do not want to be called to questionlor be corrected eveniif theyiare wronge so th e is ain in ibbing disciplintedo Whetther it is the ther di iplinLttg
th r disciplining the daughter, Or the teacher disciplining the student, pain is unavoidable. The latttr Will,_feel hurt by the form r,and in many Ome cases even thotgh,one feels cases he will react.In
190
N,CHILDREN!
the same time,feel tremendously,angry within.I There win be ttreat pain inside,He mtt want to protest,but
due tO fear he wili nOt dO anythingo This lnay continue,
and pain,hurt feelings,anger and hatred will accumu late in his lind.At sOme point this accumulation Of negative emotions will explode. It is unfOrtunate that
this hap.pens in the ordinary prOcess of trying tO disci
pline another,even
this pain"ill sOmetimes remain unhealed. On the otheF hand,in a G sishi relatiOnship, " th ere are no hurt telingS in the disciple' mindo There is no pain,no deep wOunds,no anger or hatred in the disciple's mind. The reasOn is that the sish accepts
the Guru's disciplihing and scOlding with a positive at
titude.He surrenders tO the Guru fully.He knOws that whatever the Gluru dOes is for his highest goOd.But the most important factOr is th Guru's compassion which has trelmtendous heahng powero All the pain,anger,ha tred and other negativity will be healed by the Guruls compassiono Sometimes the sish a may feel hurt;he may
feel angry toward the Curu when`the Guru scolds or disciplines him.But the Guru over Owing compaosion heals these wOunds, helping the disciple tO beCome positive. The Guru's compassion ovorloOks the
diSCiple's anger and hatred;the Guru's compassion for gives an. That suprelmte compassi n encompal es the disciple cOmpletely and s00thes an the negative fe lngs .
191
with a p6sitive attitude:The compas01on makes the dis iple feel thal he is a part of the(3uru,that he is the
Curu'3o,ni that the Guri love him immensely and that the Curu d6es l erything r his highest goOd. Feeli,g the now of compaosion from the Guru and ob
rving his renunciatiOn ttnd selleSSness, the disciple kttOws that the curu canttOt be selfish at all.Thus the Si ,a will iot accumulate atty n gat e fe lings,even
s
thOigh he iay feel pain or anget from time to time. Thus the Curu can dio iphAL theidisciple without let
ting lny trace of the disci11 'S reactions remain within.
The father or mother cannot rem6ve the trace6 of reac tiOn fronl the mind of th I Son oi datght r bccause th v hive n6' Ompassion.iBecause Lov has iOt funy gOi tiO ii theli words and b106 ed in them,'they ar ictiOns,and thus the,forc discilline Ont their chil dreni they force their Own ideas onto them,1 ost Of the HOwever, the time ignoring the Children's feelhg a 6t fOrce discipline ontO hi dis illes because Gtr
he is n6t a personi He is4nOt the bod
ss. He ls consclo
mistakesi the'Lther b: 6th r i ,call and treat their child in a O 10ving way. But th th6ught that they have sc91ded him and fOrced him to Ob y remains in the child's mind,Paren,s, ally dO thi
:
le`forithem.They can16t setting in exa be otherwi e because they are limit d individialso Thy gosI When they operate from ar operating iom their th ir eg6si th ,can 6t`but try tO fOrcl their Own will ther,c en th ugh th y db it in the name of10ve. On
rath lithan
192
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
child remain unchan ed.The a ger and hatred remain; they are nOt ehHlinated. In the GttT" SiSh rclatiOnship, hOwever, this is differenl.Ater diSCiplining the diSCiple through his pure love,the Curu makes hitt feel at ease and co fOftable by expressing his cO passion toward him in great rneasure.This helps the disciple to be a ery goOd receiver,a very goOl cOntal.er;thus,hO can cOntinue to be receplive and positive. sish a rOlati9iship there is nO fOrcing. IIn the cz The diociple's inner thirst to go beyond the liinitations s Lolqand compasslon Of his ego,and the Civr Is sela a,e guidance help th,Sish a refrain fr9m building up anger within him.
Mother stopped for a while and during this time a brahmacharin spontaneously sang a song in praise of
193
Amma, Kannadashalum nrrannalum. As he ffirig, the brahnnclrarin shed tears of joy and devoti,on...
M MogheF C CF reSides
ln m
e es,open
O cIosed.
::.
a shO cr
Of lo c,
Mciting t
o3"ith
Whethcr She is des,ised Or O di Lo e scams fOFth from M ther. Ett ed by the ronyc,s"cctncss is
Pcrrect s cctnCss is thc l
ot pe
`Of God
Ct,
WithOut your grace we cannOt reach th Other shOre." 4mma Was v ry pleascd with his innocence,but She
body atghed at Amma's playful threat. The salsang continued, c)ertainly,the greamess of Our ancient saints and sag s is indescribable:WithOut their compassiOn today's,Orld wottld be hell.It i the if
194
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
That was thc kmti( f educatiO,that eXl,ted in thOSe dayso Whether a prince or a layman, youttg persOn un
derwent several years of eduCatiOn andi diSCipli,c under D)uring thiS periOd stud nts the guidance Of a maSter
had to stay with thc master withOut haVing any contact with their own parents or family hcrlnltage, When the king and,on arrived at the all was quiet;n 9 e seCmed loib,therc.Looking arOund,they finany found the saint seated under a tree. He waS decp:in s tOtally absorbed.lnd 9bl bus lo.his surrounding Whenlthe saint inally emergd fr9 hiS tteditlti9n,he ittlnediately bowed to lh9 king
and offercd hiln a seat., 1 The ting, however,ldid n9t feel that he had been
receivcd in Chc proper lna, er,esptciany sittOc he hiad
t9.go ar9und 1901ting fbr lhe,aint and then had tO Wait fOr him t6 coic out f ttcdi tipn.His sel image as
king was woundedi fOl he was vsed tO being waited on` He COuld n9t 191eralC ha ng t9 Wall: r Olherl. o felt
it waS
:rcttdy
"`
1
195
serve him.His ego was hurt and he began tO bOil with anger.He glared at the saint,trying to containthe rttge
building within him `Your r6yal hig
saint spoke very po litely;lmay l know the purpose of,oui sitr At this ldnt,the king's anger erupted,`WhatF!Are
sS,'the
shan t007'
The saint apologized foF n6t prOviding the king with a prOper reception`He explained that Since this was a scho61 for discipline,the,students are taught tO adheFe Strictly to their scheduled rOutin of tudy,
wOrk, perfOrming religiOus Tites and sadhana was in lneditatiOn, the saint said. `I myself
At this remark the king raged with fury.He shOuted,`Are,ot alSo trying t insult me7' SeeiAg that his wOr Only prOvOk d the angry king, the saint did nOt speak anymOre: ]He luSt sat calmly and quietly. : Furi9uS aS he was,the king lnanag d tO suppress his attger when h recalled the purpose of his visit.He reL. membered that he had cOme tO have his sOn educated
by this ainto Though heiwas anttry because his ego was
'OuFlded, the He did not want to spoil thO chance fOr the prince to
have tt fiFSt rate
educatiOn iinder the guidance Of this master who had the highest reputation in the land fOr
196
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
. .: d ciple= The saint,who was the embodiment ofrpattnce and forgiveness,readily reed and acceptedithe prince as a sish `When tte alFattgettents were completed, thel king toOk leave Of the saint with a s ingiface but lF 1 a wo ed iego. : :i / 1lTheiprince was a brilliant student and a goOd dis, Ciple HiS Obedience,discipline and devotion tO the Gurui made him the saint's favorite`T,elve long yeers r011ed by as the saint taught hiln everything he knew. The prince not only became a Fealimaster in all the scriptures but also,in using'alli weaponO.Alth ughi 9 hadow becOme a handsomei vouth, the prince was very humble and remained anl obedient and devoted
d ciple of the great saintl:
``At last the princelsteducation was completed,apd the day, o take leave ofl beloved and revered Guru .arrivedo With a heav heaFt and eves illed withiitears, the prince stood in frOnt of the great lneStero with hu mility.and gratitude.he.addressed his Curu, `C)Holy er Ilhave One,Iny beloved lnaster,I am yourso What before your g10ry belongs to y6u.Il am nothmg OW ver repay you for all y tr.love and cOmpassiOn: can l This humble servant is wa4in tO hear ttom you.What ` should l offer as G" %da shina7' Sed hisi be10ved : The great saint affecdonately.caF d ciple`TeaFS Of iOy rolled.down his cheeks tt he sald,
G zda sttmo You have alread,made yOur Ottritt my SOn,,Ou have alread giVen it '
Dialogues
197
But the prin e 10vingly insisted that the saint sh6uld.accept something frOm him.as aLk;hliv:`Let it be,anything,0)Venerable(Dne,even if it is ln own llfe I am ready t0 1ay it,at your h01y feet.'Embracing his dearistudent, the saint told hiln that:he did nOt wantl anything Fight at that l Oment but wOuld defi nitely: k when the appFbpr te timc cameo With the pel. 1,siOn and blessingi of the saint, the prince re
tlilmed tO the kingdOm t0 1ive with htis parents,the king
and the queen. , The spiteful king had been waiting fol ttt day when his son would ie turn aftett ha hg finished his studie e prince had nOt bceniback F a day when the king:whOS lnind waslbent On revengetfor the hu
dOwnithe saint's herinitage..The sal.nt and the hermits were severely tortured br the soldie andiaband6ned in
th ifOrest without any
=liliatiO
foodi c19thing or t 91ter.Hear ing his s ldiers'report On.how wen they had carriedi_Out
his cOmlnands, the cruel, egoistic king felt happy, thinking that hc had taught a gOod`lesson to the saint by`getting even with him ' i .:1 A fewidays after this iicident,the tting announced he wOuld s n r tire and his s6n would beicrowned king.B fOre his corOnation,the priFiLCe Wanted to have
the perinission and blessing of his,be10ved lnaster before
entering this new phase ofhis lifeo MOunting a steed,he rode t6 the hemitage,ltotany unaware Of his father's cruel deed.Alighting fFOm the hOrse,theF prinCe won dered l hether he had 10st his way and reached anothe= placeo The spOt wherefthelhOHnitage had.beqn 109ked desertedt i t.:
f198
FtWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Att r wandering around for a while,he'found his b lov d master sitting under a banyan tree deeply ab sOrbed in meditati6n. Now asl he looked around,.he uld easil,See that the heFmitage had recently been buFned dOwn.The prince waited until the lnaster arose fr6in meditationo When the saint..inally opened his eves, the prince p strated before hiln iand rinquiFed what had happened to the herinitage. `Nothing 1lmty 1] n't Son,'F llied the great sOul,`some forest iFe 91 bother about it.Te11lne what brought you here 1`T e prince sensed. Lat something was wlongi Re
peatedly he pleaded with the master to disclose to
him
hat had rettlly happened, but the saint wouldinot speak.Finany the other.students of the hermitage re him.Upon hearing the 1 nted and revealed the truth tO
hOFrible stoty,the princel ent into a state of sh6ckland waS even m6m ntaFily paral Zedi Comittg back to con
scioisness,the prince gnashed hisiteeth in anger.H i H t hand,autolmadcally moved to the handle of his sheathed sword,and the next l oment the lnfurlated .`Cloward;you are dead,'he prince leaped on hiS hor roared and began to charge Or: With lighthing lmovement, the saint,jumped in IHe trttd to st6p the prince,but the frOnt of the horse
prince was terce.All l e Sam s attempts.to calm him down failed.All his ad ice attd warnings fe1l on deaf ears.The prince waS be ide hilnself with anger and.de terminted.to avengc the wr6ng done tO his master by his fatheri Finallyithe saint said,`All right,vou can go.But zda shii a that befOre you leave l wi h to have the G yOu pFOmiSed.I Wantiit right now!'
H aring these words Of his Guru, the pttince
1 9
alightedlfrott the he ,c and prard tO the CuFu tO aSk lied, whatever hei )sittdo Th great.saint Smilingltt r
`I
hment want you to yOur father:from this pu ,him.Th ti: the th t you aFe'abOut.:to g e
blina I.wttit from yout'I This iendered the G"
chless and E l he co dolwas to gttze at the prin sp radiant and compassiOnate face 6fttis Curu.ThL next moment hel,burst in )tears and fell prostrate at the great saintrs holy,fet.'! u:,i
oni atinosphere saturat d with divine love and compa E)eeply touched,tttle lbraLmac
l
inis,silently shett tettrtt for c rienced the compassiOnof th saintinithe StOryo A lo i 11lb1lowed:_Thi was so ipowleiEl and meditativ rittgi that nobody.could speak ori lmove fOr overpowe xpeFienCe Of cOmpassiorn sOtte time:It ttas as f the had inade ever,thing stlnd Stini l : A few morei minttes passed:Then Gayatri vioice broke th6 silence, ``Thel ta ibCa iFoot is c oLd and ready to b served 1'A ma dtttributed a few pieces toi ,th :A lShefwas_ser hg th each o e: fi
,
"ns truly and the two and bra exp they felt
a l desire ito go lto the.: eashoFe, With the Ash nites_and visiting dttOtees.After several days,o7f
200.
EN,CHILDttN!
thrOugh the c10uds as the grOup led by Amma reaChed the Water's edgeo AmmalstAood 100kingitt the vttt.ocean and the gigantic waves.:As if wantingrto touCh the Di` vine Motherls l eti the ocean waves came:up ito.ithe spot where She was sta ding.:Having,washed .Her H01y Feet,the,waves rOnO bttk t .the Oceant,AS She stOod there Amlmtals bearingi FeneCted Hler magnincence. Gently swaying from side to side:Amma kept Her gaze on the horizon.Her eyes were transfixed.The devOtees ind bFal 77L , s sat down to lneditate,but.kept.their eyes open and itted the gttc on ,the swaving igure Of Amma ,
Itt
VaFiOuS types of trawlers were lined luplon the sea shorel, as the f herinen had beenilprettnted by the heavy rainS fr6m c ,ting thel nets40utito sea.:`Mother Sea'had nOt blessed thelmt with a goOd catch(br a long time, xcept that One day when Amma had helped Lem.The fiShing nets,laidlout On theisand to dry, were being gathered up b the men Remaining in the sa me spot,Amma was blissfully eniOyin.githe ininitude.Hler dark,curly hair danced in the Ocean breezeo Arnma's dangling white head scarf
looked like a patch of
The lnovelmLent Of Her b6dy stopped,andi She relmtained motionless,HeF eyeS Wide Opene She was totally in an indrawn state. The sun s10wly started its descent into the Oce
With lnore than half Of its ficry orb still visiblei it beai
thc
Dialogues
201
whO were somersaulting at the shOr line stopped their play and retreateld t, their hottes,.sman huts made.6f thatched cOconut lieaves and bamboo pOLO.The cOnstant rOa,of the endless ocean evOked a feel g of teriifying yet i,spiring awe.As this sunny day almtei to a,close,lrain clouds slowly illed the lentire sky,add g dram :tO the twihght. AmmatstillF sttx unmoving ,It was nowl more than
forty minutes stt e She httd come toithe water's edle. Hler white head.scal .stin hated inithe reeze, but 'other than that there was no movelment. C6ncemed, .Gavatri and bFahmachiar,7L RttQ approached Her tO Inake sure all was wene Sensitive to the Mother's states of b
nOiS :fiSher.children
dhi, they were a bit unCertain and.confused abOut to dO,for fain was impending_Already sOmeone what usly mOled by held an,umbrellai above Amma:Ob ,. the beauty and the tension of the scene,brahmacl
Pai began tO sing s10 as by Sri Sankaracharya. No dc j
l l:
I,
cither
`for Li
c,
Ilbcg ofiYo
b
ltt ::
,O
thcr,
ma
Spent chatting Yo
O MOther Or 4c
',
c, _
for mc,
202
AWAICN,CttLDREN!
T'ranscending the sOund: f the ocean.waves,ithe shermen sOng echOed thrOugh tthe twilightelSOime
came out Of theit huts to sec what was..going oni but as
they were familiar with such happeningsiarOund the Mother,mOst of them soonidi appeared back intO their
huts though a few stood around as onloO ers. : I Theisong was not sung in vain; it served its purpOse. After a while,there was a slight move nt AIFIInalS )ved, then body.First the ingerS Of HlerFrig ti bnd:
there was therleculiar but familiar sorund
which Amma
hi. s6metimes makes when .She cOmes out of sa? Hearing that,everyone sighed with reliet After4 few
more
moments,Amma mpletely
regainediHe,reg lar
consclousness.
It was nearly seven O'c10ck when Ammaland the group returnd tO the Ashra Ai few brahmach riins
i"ho
had staved behind'in thetAshram hadi alreadyl be : . gun the ev ning bhtt 71.
i
CHA:F.TE R V III I
MOnday,30 July,1984
afternoont T :ASlMam look d almOst 31 ing,writing deserted as all were in thett own 001m arin Balu was or tending to personal matters. Brah sitting on the temple verattd2 talkinglto al mfddle aged man wh6 had me fFOm ttp east ri partlofKerala.The ma httd cured his man,Mio S ,was tening 3alu .
1t was a qu iet
cancer.
203
Mro S.had bee suffering from lintestinal cancer fOr the last(bur years.Fronl the dav it, was dtttgnosed he rgone diffeFent treatment both. an6pathic had un
and ayurvedic.In spite.of an theitreatlnents and lnedi disease persis ted.:Hc h t intette,unbear catio
,Ithe
be10nged to a p or fam
F,om that day onwards,I started feeling much mOre relaxed and comfOrtable. The pain lessened and in a shOrt period of timetit Wa ompldEcly gOne.I was able to start eating properly and at night l cOuld sleep .soundlyo No,I am perfectly wdl`It is almOst Ott year now and still l )ntinte tO ttte Attma paCred watter Amma has blessed tne with a second biFth.Thislll=00m. be longs to Her."
everydayI I always have a sttpp ly Ofit in my ptta
204
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Mro S.had wanted Amma's will tO be done.He did not ask for a cure:IIe made nO ldemands.:Even when Amrna asked hiln about his illn Ss, the man did n6t suggest anything to Her.He luSt prayed, Let,Amma's
win be d ne.P That was real prayer.kal prayerris when 'we pray without ego.T iegO Should be kept away,for
Only th n are real pravers losSiblet Mre S.expressed a
praver and itlwaS answeredo Real prayers lnust be real pra er Will nevei c9ntain any
r al
suggestiOns,instructiotnSioridemands.The sincere devo tee will simply,a :`OiLord,Ii d not know whatis good l l what is bad foi mO.1l am nObOdy nOthingr You know everything`I:know lwhattt r you,d61ntst betfor the best;therefOre,ido a,you WiSh:'In real praveF yOu bbw down, strr nder and declare your helplessness to th L6rdi'' : While Mro SI sat on th temple veranda,waiting to
have Amma's darshan, She happened to pass by.'He rushd to Her and prostrated: A ma affectionatel,
lift d
The mttl was O erwhelmed with iOy: In an excited m00d hO tepliedi`IAmlma,how can there be any prob lems wh n You are guiding me bo L Within and with
Out7''
SURRENDERING
After spending a,few minutes with Mrt S ,A ma and htt j hen.lThe bT h" stepp d intO ithe k 'S rked there did nOt expectithis ,Omen de Otees"ho isit.Of c6ursei Ammals sits always happen d sudd
205
like this,and the wOmen were quite suF that,as usual, they wOuld be caught for sOme lneglilgence or other They waited in fear as,Amma loOked al und.But much tO their surprise,Amma simply sat down on the 00r.
Amma often does things like this when all the resi
dents are around Her.Then She watches everyone's ex pression and mental attitude tO see if,some negative feelings`are aropping up in anyoneb mind.If there are any pe6plei feeling iealous, She ilnmediately catches ) them` It seemed as if the"Omen devOte werei celebrat ingi ttr there were only,miling faces On thisday.A1l of them"ere.happy and thrilledo Th y usually complain that they always have tO work,that they have given up eVeiFything to be constantly in AIn a's presence, but
insteadl they spend half their time in the kitchcn co6k 1 ing,sweating and tOiling. ' An the kitchen w6rkers nOw sat a ound Amlnao She started singing Radhc G ,attd ev`rybOdy sang the
i
giris,reminded one of`Krishna surrounded by the Gq is of Brindavano This wils f0119wed by another song,Ella77L j 1 Z7Ln 3..
No nced lis thcrc tO tcI:
i
thing.
206 1
1- Ttt P did
=N;iCHILDREN!
Sc
0fittt I FmOSt
It net/ ,oSSibl
fOrgetting Him.
l tttt Em10diment
TT th and A aFencSS.
After the songs Amma Sat i the middle laughing and crackingijokes.Then the mood changed to a more
serious tone:
207
1 ed ibe at eaSe,:Realtt that,you are ee 9e .that burden.IThe ott Qt wasia burden and"w it is goneo Only if )u can feel etbi n Of attl nt tO
`
t
something and feel happylabout ,F gttt .up that it was ever yours.To think that you haveFglvel .somlelhing is alsO,w ng_DD lt fe ithato J :feel re
G etup
qmes witth detachtt ha d rmunciati9n.. ,: .lT` 1ldren t ,trttClthat yOu:have tti p your.b9
icomQ01
YOu stll,lsay,IWe havelgiven pisverythttg tQ, e:in ju Amma's[physiCal presettri b :as` 4 at. e,
th ,spl
ttst 9f yOur
lwQlarttst itt wOFking ttn tthe kit n I Thisl p ,s y70u ha ern ttgi en tttm becal, (1 ftt l as ifiy9 fre
Omg do e so. Ou lic rF e di appoint ed about. .thOught`We lnve llvttnltlp u=:h and overy ,This cOnstttt:thOughrm it,vettylcttar thttt yo Still
e. g
'
AWAKE N,CHILDREN!
houselaid lll the houschold uinsils within you. . : 1 relatted and at ease aboutiit. Children; tr,to: JJurdened yourselles ofia t have: Try t feelithat y t avy loadi and iow feet happv ab ut doing th ,01k
`carry th
eFe b Cause you are not doittg itifor yourselves.Yiou es vo are serving all thos l ho c me,here.They are' 6f God.You are die ones wh cOok food forlthem,food
':
I:=
Tely= : Li: : : : i l
That is Fighti"re,1l d llAmmao i A trte seeker ish6uld iot ettpect even One w6rd bf appreciationo Sup it 16Se W do some seivico.for eone:We complet
beautifully:Then e,person
for
the work comes alliDnig Wtth his'friendsi and relativesl to i much;the a,preCiate'itt ind see it.They like it v praise the qullity Of the work that:we haveldonel They : xpr sS theiF gratitudOlusing oweFy w6rdso Whenll 11 iSeS a d thi :hdppens,whenithey sho er,ou With O [ble.You mav even say, wOrus Of.`dhanksi vou temain,hul
.
:hedn1/en's sake,don't sav thist l donttid beFVe all 1(DliL (b 1.He,the Supreme Bei g, iseSiri am itst theS me.iV7ithJott Hisigrace liam db SI o gh ver,tttng d l bthinL.:please b do , tiO Him`Sh we lall these
)
On Him. Hellisithalreal doer,not ll'Btt these i: Ords are sup rficial; thtty=dO 't icome from dcep
it S
D 1031s Withi
.A" ra
209
end to belhuttle.:You pu iup_a bttiShOW.Of h umi y. It is simple pSycho19gy You want Qthett to think that yo are a humble devotecdevoid Ofiall ttgoistic feeling j But in ieality,all theltprattes and owery words theylhave spoken go to yOur head,and you stittrt fechng prO d.`I
t
am'not an ordinary sOd,'you thi ,`There must.be sottethingis,cial about ,Otherwisei:how could l dO this wOrk so wel17 Look at all ther ple p 18ing me md m ti nts.I must really be great.'In this wav,
thought aftei thOught gOes to boost the egO
hat we.are nothing and.that ttc is everything.But such circtmstances lwork on ius very subtlyo WithOut even,kn9wing iti we,can become.bound by, ord,of thanks.:and praise .TheFefOrre,if ou wish to help somer one, ne. D)O sO,lh diD inot feel that Othc=s hOuld you Or praise you thank iany thinglyou have dOnc
fecL.t
turn fOr oir help,a si: l lwoFd Of ttratitude Or a senr tencelof praise like,`YOu have dOne wonderful wOrk.We
real ly
feel a b Of pride,
Th
's enOugh
210
grand _6 tittgil W
,CHlH)IEN!
=:
lwant som one to.sav in public that. thtt generous,.open hieaFted philanthr9piSt h ld6n httgr ttonderful, r.s iety s meth g gttati co :fe l sathtted. withoutibraiSe wttdon: TTha is a ttOFy J rmt,Mahagmalwho worked as L a pltest in a temptlet He'as a full isurendered (0 al.multi e dav There was nOtia tttace of ego in him 11lioiaire donatdt hir ttm of mOneyloo the templeF. rds,the ric man ttpt on speaking tO therpliest r A
abOutithe tremendo ls amount of m6ney that he h donatedo He saidithat ev n foF a multi millionairellik hvi 1'the am nt was httge.:OVertand 6ver he te ated th mme thingrThe Mttma k pt quiet SOme,timer
Bit wh n he,f6und'that the rith lian was not going 0 antl lediifOkay,siFilWhatdo ya st61,theIMaham`
Do yor expect sottethingI Sbmething in returnl r a w6rd of thattks7'Thelrich man Fe= ,6rd,of praise iedi`What is rong: ith thatlil can iexpect`al llettt tiatimuch:'.The M hatma smninglyl100ked at h 1 d saidi'If so,take thisllibney bac ko We do no ,want ttt
here::You sh ild be thankfu litoithc Lord for accepting
this amount::You should feel centent,th king that you c ild rettr :at leasti portioA'of the wealthFtttat the t ,6 :Yot shouldib,fthank Creat Lord haS entrus
pOrtunity ttO sel.ve td Ood,fol He J t you Hi ,If you annot dO that,llease take'this i oIF ,11 t : k: b : Children,that should b ur attitude,Who are we; the d btors,toidamand or.expect omethirg fromlIIim7 our g gliS no mg ut, mittil We cannOt ive anvthing to Hi .We catt Only` ale a r itttnce.Of
call it giving;but,that is w ong`
D lopes
Vith
Matt Am tittmavi
211
T6b oome spiritualiit6 becolme egoless,which is ou goal i :life,we should be able tO feelitta bl to Him
fOr eVeFyl Lingo Nev
r,let
r ttnything,n ver delmtand anything.II t Hlln decide what to give and what not to give." Children,this opportunity youl have,tlo.woFk and otees and sadhaks,.should,be coisidered a serve th :d
you'by the Lord,to qui kly ex t.yo r,m ha ` "6r theldevotees accumilated tendencieso COok of God is,no sman ingl d,anditterving thing. It is alrare bllssing.You tt really the blessed
rare,gift bestlowed upo
:
oneO in the Ashramo W L, yo :were in youF OWn hOm 6,you werl only preparing food for yotr husbands vc or six. and your chi.ldren,fof a,smalr family
lown famil,I:But,cooking foriothersiwithilove and dedi
nity fOr having been chOsen tO work in the kitchen. 7herever your'ork be in the kitchen,the cOwshed Or the tOile __letthat be v6ur tcmple.Makc 70ur wOrk a e,a ,lace.Of w6iship.the place where yOu dO ll your sa ana`Do notlcurse y ur work.F el happy and m y6ur wOrk,hOle heartdly:'' blessed,aid I All of a l den Amma's mood change The GFeat Teacher who vigoFOuSly expouided the.highest Truth with unchallengeable authoFity was gone, aid in it's pla e was a playful and innOcent two year old child. mma lay dOWn on the bare kitchen oor,placing Her head on a wOmttn's lap and Her feet On another's.Quite
212
AWAKEN,CHILDttN!
unexpe edly,Amma said, Where is my cucumb r7 1 want my cucuiber`1'But it w :igone!Indtted,who ould s t eating Amma's pras I S meonettquvlckly fetched another one,and Offered itito AInma. She lo6ked at.lit but sooA pushed away like al tubborn
child saving, No,I don't want this one:.I want lnin
1
1. 1 1 the one l was eating '' Falling under theispe11 6f Anlma's childlikelnlood, ho some older devotees,acted exactly like motheTsi abOutitheir child.Thevl,t:ied,tO WeFe really concerned Oax Amma tolaccept the ne, cumber bu : 111 OtheFS Were thFilled,eniOyingt he whole SCeie,with great devotion.Amma whimlered like a child and re. pttatedlylasked forithe same.cucumber from which Sh had taken a ttw ibitesI Finttly when Amma didfnot tet
it;She pulled the devOtec,whO hadieatenlit by her
hairi
hour.
::Referring to Hers lt Amma once said,_TSome thing__an obiect,a desire.Or a thoitlght _io neededito keep the mind uown on this physical planeo Otherwise, it is difficult to stoplit from shoo ng up yhen the i body xlieSSoS a desite,that is what it is r."The cu r umb businessinight have been one such play..
Dia10gHcs Wi M tt Amtttana ma :
213
CHAPTER
Friday,3 August, 1984
IX
participated in the All the residents Of the Ashra large scale cleaning that began al:te o'clock in the
morningo Of cOurse,whe,Ammttis there tO W6rk along with the grOup, there is no qu5tiOn of anybod nOt
iOining in
( n
That particular morning all the reSidents were work ing had,blissfully chaiting t O DiOin Names,feeling
grettt enthusiasm and
Ch :te.
als b
Fcct
214
A\yAKEN, CHILDREN!
It
Do nor rhink that the world will change after one attains Self-real tzation. Outwardly everything remains the sarne. Nothing really changes. The trees, the ITIourItains, the valleys, the rivers and streams, the birds singing on the branches of trees-everything remains urlchanged. The world will move on its own. But indescribable change happens within. Your entire being is transforrned. You see things differently with an entirely new eye. There will be an inexplicable quality in you and in the work you do. A constant stream of aesthetic delight springs forth from within you. Just like an inno' cent child you wonder at everything you behold. If one closely observes Amma one can 'clearly see rhis quality in Her. There is special beauty in what^ ever work She does. That beauty can be perceived in all
Dtalogues
215
wOrk as Others,butthe wav Amma,does it is so charm ing and bnrapturing to thc heatt.Ain does it with the delight and wonder of an innocent child,and that childlike innOcence mcOmpasses us. That fullness Of Love in which She is established an be perceived in _: eVeFythttg Amma doesi`
some snacks for everyonel. Gayatrilheaded toward the kitchen.Usually after grOup wtt like this,Attma likes
to serveisomething:hot to dFink and to diStribute sOme s `, thihg light,like banana chos,tO everyone as p Amma raisedib hlHer hands and called Out, Hey... Shivane`: 'Then Amma remark d IThat`old itnan'is IIttndless.:.He d6esn'tiicare about anything "IEverybOdy
laughed delightedly.
diffetent versions of what spirituality i . r is said that stillnes,of mind is spirituality.Or that spirituality iS
a statei of silence. Renunciation of desires and desire prompted iactions h spiritualit,.Expansiveness of lnind real spirituality.Th se,and:139 1mtany more different views exist abOut spirituality Amma what do yOu say about rhis ?'l Amma answered, "Sp.irituality io" eve;ything that you
216
IKEN,CHLDREN!
is the inner Wealth tth helps on to renounce all ottter"ealthi thrOughi an understanding of the m9a inglessness of:, ternal riChe .It is the w alth Which
helps oieito b co e`wealthief tha.n the wealthiest,'It
is the ireali2atiott that
Self alone,is the feal wealthe spiritual.ity isithe W lth that hOlls uSihtte
::
lo ,tlile
.Amlna stopped for a while and continted by telling a slory. : A villager Oice had i dreamo Lord Shiva appeared before him in this dream and said,`Tomorrow itt day brettk go toithe ottSkirts Ofithe illageo Therelyou will :Ask,him fOr the precioue stOne that das1 Willimake you a rich man forever.'That night the man S alwttys thinkingrof the,preF cOuldn't sleep,:foF he ciOus stOne he"as going to get.Finany,in thO Inorning as instructed b,Lord shiva in thc dream,he rushed m
the outskirts of the vill geo TherO
he was(overwhelmed
to actuany find a san in who jist arrived.The latter was ab6ut to settle dOwn'undlelrla tree whan theiv lagcr
Dialogucs
217
'The
precious stonel' Without uttering anOther word, he opened a bundle lying neXt tO him and to6k out a large as' handed it over to the vil preciOus g mo Th,sa lageF WithOut hesitation. . arnd lookedriand again looked The villager looked at the stone.Hle was wonder struck because it was a dia mond,"obably the bigge (in the Worldo With a10yful heatt fu1l of hopes and wishes,theiman returned home. But that night ag in he couldl not sleep Hettossed orning efOre dawn the vil about in bed:The next lageF OnCe again rush d/to the outskirts of thetlVillage. He woke the sann asin and said,`Bc kind enough tO be
dia
entire universe becomes your weilth.In that supreme state you have nothing 10 gain or lose.Havmg given up all attachment you becolm ever ettablishedim the state Of supreme dettthment. St like thei sann asin in the story,you can smilingly give up.even sorcalled preciOus
ObleCtS and stin feel content and peacefule Spirituality
ternally you lmtay not be wealthy at an,but internally you are rich and fun. You Fealize tha=you are the lnas
218
AWAKEN,OHILDREN!
You becOme the master of
water,lair,earth,and ether,sun,moOn,starstand space. Everything in the iniveFse will be:under youFicontrol. TherefOre, children, try to becOme a master, not a
slave.
wealthy man is one whOican always smile, even in the face OfsOrrOwo SorrOw cannot make hiln cry n dbes he need happhess to ttake him reiOiCe.He
does not need the supporl of objects or favorable exter nal events in or( r te be happy.B his very nature:he is
!`real
blissful.An externally FiCh:maA is a miserable man whO dOeslnot really knOw what rettl happiness is.Inithis re
gard he is a loser,c enlwithout 10ses thei priceleSS
knowing it.Hc always Wealth_that is,peaceland.content 1 ment." t i l `:AsI Mother was talkingr'cayatril arrivedi with the cOffee and banana chips.As Aminalpassed out prasad:0 Hler children, she asked the brahmacharins tO sing
Bandhamilla`
I::: :
No o7LC IS OttrS I
aS Ottrs..
We ta c Othittg(1 ith ttsion thC Iast JO%rnc Wh thcn this ma s foT c thb pOSSCSS10 37
l T at hich t cxlists is wlithin"s
1
i
.
ists 00
Dialogues
219
We go from untruth to Truth When we loue and serue al'I hiqting beings.
CHAPTER
August,1984
0n the southwestern corner of the Ashram iust be In the after hind th water tank grew some sugarCan h00n Amma cut a fresh stalk aid began eating ito JuSt like a child who delights in su king the iuiCe from the sugar ane,Attma reli hed it with great pleasure.A few b ahma harins ind a w6man devotee from the neighborl hOod were sitting next to Her
relishin.g a par
cial liking for it.Always ishittg tO pleaset tteri later they will prepare this same food 6r ke p a stock ofit on
hand in casl they Should have the chance to offer some td Her.But often what Amma seems to like so much on one occasion,She will never ask for again. Once Amma kept asking adamantly for'm re,'a SliCyOmbination of different bitS of deep fried bak9ry
it s.Brahmacharin Nealu had a small quantity Of it, and he offered that to Amma. She took the tin con er the tainer frott Ncalu and spread the mixture all cem nt o Th n She started tO ea the pieces er the
,
220
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
100r,Crawling around l ike a littleichild.As Nealu and macharin Balu happilyJ witnessed this scene, they b
4m 1
lS this
mind down."
SOme devotees who were sinCere sadha s weFe.ViSit ing the Ashram frOm Tamil Nadu.They stood at a re spectttl distance watchi g:Attma cating the, garcane. called them nearo wilhout h sitation they=ush d Sh
to Amma,lrOStrated at Her feeltend Sat dow,10,O of themiwho was madly in love with Amma wa ted tO,it as close as he could to HOr.41lthough he w ,9,Fly sixty,the man acted lite a thrceryear old child i,Her presence. 1 = : Amma gave a piecOi10f Sugarcane to.evOryon,, in chding the brahmachari ,It was alwayS SO spe,ial tO receive prasad from AmmalS hands.One could ncver get t much Of ito Whether it was sugarCane pr a ba11 f
FiCe,Whatever One received was an indescr
ing.
'Amma,I one sad
119
1ilc,S
it i
` without reached
have read thttt ttettel 19Wi`muCh does, the state of no Perfection cl,nOtibe the graCe Of a Satgz .Is lhi,tFVel" asked one of the Tamil devotees. i Slr answered, PeF Ctly cOrttct.I 9Fd9:,:O removc asanes oncineeds the.Gurups g ldance and e btler
Dialagues
221
asanas are remoVed, the last gFaCe.Again,when the stage,the point when a sadh falls or glittes intO the state of Perfection,cannot happen]"thout his grace.
turn`
11
ll: :
selirealization is very na10w.TwO y oplesannOtiwalk tOgettr hand in hand rubbing eaCh Other's shOuld9= tin path nship abng lhis prat=j One walks th COm
=Guruls graceo ThO Curuiwalks in,frOnttshedding lighti9 thle path as he s16wly and tarefull leads uq.FHc k o's all the intricate paths by,heart.Th light Of his greCe helps us to see and remo eithe obStaeles and rcach, he goal` : ultima . : l l
1ldren, only Qut.Of cottpaSSion doOs thOrQ
cOme down to walk:withi us`As we,plowly Walk btthind him,we fol10w in the light of his gra":,Itlio his g149e which,prOtects.us and saV ls frOm 1111 dOw I The
Guru's grace helps usi notitO g 119St in tteidarkne":9f
222
:
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
Sometimes the path becomes very narrow.If it be comes too narFOW and you shp off the path,it iS neces sary to have a Guru pull yOu back On. )therwise;left to
,Our OWn devites, you may retrace your stepS and you may ,d it too difficult,almOst impossible,tO continue on the right way.In such places toO,the Guru encour ages yOu;hc instills more faith and conndence in you to try again and againe without the Guru's en ouraglng and inspiring words, without his 10ving and compas sionate glances,and withOllt tile faith and courage he
instills in you,you lnight not even try.You cannoticross the inal barrier by yOuT own effOrt aloneo Your effort is
6thing.From the other side where he dwens,the curu his hand and pulls you through. Without the Gulu you may turn back and stray om the path. It is quite pOssible for you to gtt enr
ietttends
ause his compassion and lovelenvelop you totally,so dOn't feel that you arei being pushed and pulled
You don't feel pressure,stress or strain.But if his grace
and guidance were not pres nt,the stress and pressure asanas wOuld cause you to stray from the 6f vour own
h Of Spirituality. , i Som ,laceS are broad, o6ded with light,where lth atin6sphere is illed with divine fragrance. Your
Dialogues
223
wOrld.There will be attractive,tempting and anulri,g diVine inusic on,one side,enchant sights an around ing dances On the Odx r.It may look like lhe inal goal. YOu mtay feel this is the inal goal and thereforel you may StOpo Notiwanting to procced further, you wOnlt feel llke mO ng.It is like a`mini liberatiOn state,'a .kind.of inlitation. YOu may eve, feel that you have
reached the goal,rthat yOu have attained Realization,
7hen you think that yOu have atttaitted lealiZai tion ithe very w9rSt Will start happeningo Slo ly and rtively thc cp will enter.You w9 :t Se hitt coming in .You wOn't ccOgnize him,and.evcnlif you db recog nizt him,you won',care becauSe you will bc sO e,arn Ored.of the idea that yOu are t=uly realized,Thus yOu will try t6 ovlrlook his ickeryo Or you may feel,`ThiS
I
back intO the world. Children,you dOn't have any idea abOut how life
will be`:after
izcd,i,wrOng.There dre nO feelings l,that,tat .Eve.n the thOight`I have rcachedl will. not existo HOwever if yOu feel this,then that is anOther thought WhiCh will b10 k,Ourpath.You have nOt yet attained the state Of PeFfectiOn,foF TIuth is far bcyo,do But to co,Vince you of this,tO shOW'Ou the Truth,a Satgz %is n,91ed The
iCuru's grace is absolutely.nOcessary.
224
AKEN,CHILDREN!
1Le Guru kttows all there is to knOwo He knows thit what you see and what you h ariare lust illusions. He makes you und rstand this so that y6u do not get tiapped thinking that what you perc ive iS reality.He constantlyf icourages and inspires y6u to go further and further beyOnd the iungleS Of illusion until yOu reach th shore of enlightenment. piritual iOurney,there will come a time A16ng the
when,6ur growth becomes spOntan ouso You may nOt know that yOu are gr6wing Within,but the Curu will
knOw. To reach this stag ofiSpontaneOus growthire quitesimuch Seli ffort.It is like sh6oting a rOcket into space.A lot of himan efbFt and fuel isindeded tO sho a ro ket,beyond the earth's gra ity (Dnce it is be,nd ithe grdOitational force of the earth the upward mOv
m nt b comes automatic,andithen it can go into ithe orb 6f anoth r planet.
withottt his formation will happen effortiessly,eve ottn knOwledge. But the Curu knows because itris he wh h 3itaken the sadhd int6 that realm It is the uru whO ShOWered the grace onihim to take the inal leap. : The inal push into,that stage ofl:spontaneous th'cannot happen without the help of the Guru. tr6 H is the Only one whO knows that spontaneous growth is taking plac and that the ttnal attainment will be
ed.soon. He knows that hisigrace is alread achi
1
amount of sel effort until he FeaChes the stage of s,on taneous gro tht Once he enters that stage,inner trans
ow
imuch delay.:For the sadha, this periOd mav be like a waiting period because he is not aware dF the inner
Dialogues,
225
taking place. e dOes nOt know transformation that thatithelCuru has bestowed his grace upon himo As far ha isiconceFned,this is a tilne whOn 1l c9 as the s scious effort stops.He can dO nothing but wait.The, a1l of a sudde ,it happens, the inner aWakeningo Even without his oWn knowledge,the grace bcstOWed by the Gluru takes him thereo C}ut of nowhOreritilhappenS. C)race comes 6ut ofinowhereo lt can happen at attytime,
: ` : is what's neededi the.mOst. The Satyr"'s grace : Without h loving care,cOttpassionate gla ces:and a' fectionate touch,one cannot reach the goale With/each comp lo,atO glance and touch,he is,cndi,g rth hiS grace`Therefore,childien,prly fOr his gFaCc."
at
any place
It was time r the Tamil devOtees to le vcP Qne by One theylwentiup to Amma and p=ostra d.The deVO tee who wtt madlyidevoted to Attma Chanted a Tamil verse glorifying the D ine MOther.It Was a,lpOem by a poet named Maanikkavaachakar.,,
: Yo"bestowed.6 me a r 4=` ` c's lo4 ` li and enabled this sh 4 0 cit th 19 C O J thaW andi c tt thing to l For this l ha cin Tn,
_
I I
``
I.
226
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
When one ofthe devotees was abOut tO touch Amina's f both his hands and t ld hiin in feet,She caught hold
a voice fu11 0f authority,I``Tell your teacher that if it is
his view that an 01d c ncepts of spiritualit,should die,
he should n6t even study the scriptures because those are a1l old c6ncepts written b,the anCient rishis;aren't th y7 Rentind:him that by asking peOple nOt to fo1low a Curu he himself is becoming h Guru.Also ask him t b humbleo Tcll him that he is trying to h ar music ,Only by placihg the sheet music to his earsil He is like
lriver
The devote nOw raised his head and said,I``No,no. You are iot i king:l why do you say that7 Now after meeting you and h aring these words directly fronl you, how can l believe thit you are iOking7 No,y6u cannot
be iOkingo What you said iS the truth.He is very egoliS
when he hears your rcmarks."Amma smiledo There was hidden meaning in Her smile. BefOre the Tamil devotee left the Ashram,lone of hmacha :is whO was curious to know more about the b th t incid ntr apprOaChed the devotee and expressOd
his ttish tO himo This is what he told him.
227
The Tamil devOtec had a teatther whO taughl him the scriptures.This lnan had a 10t of bookish know10dge
and thOught vtry highly Of hilnself and Of hiS ability tO
ough.Meditation and
Of much use.Thcy are a1 01d conceptsI It is high tilne to die to the old and have a new vision of spirituality." He"as also opposed to f0110wing a Guru.When this man heard that his student was going to see a great
saint
started functioningo He Summoned his stude,t and said, I have heard that you wera going to have the darsh 71 0f a so caned`great saint'in lKerala.I have also heard that She is all knowing, that shQi o,s l e past, present and futureo Of.cOurse,I do not believe that.But stin,if this is true,let Her prove Her Omniscienceo Let Hett give lnc a sign,a lmtessage 9r Seme=hi g to prove that She is an knOwing If She doe s that,I t00 will.gO to see Her.'
228
AWACN,CHILDREN!
d H
Even though he himself had a number of admirers and followers, ih" man became a devotee of Amur-a.
A GURU'S WARNING
When the Tamil devotee left,Amma calledlone of
the b ahmacharins and scolded hiln for his disobedienc
.
one Of the elder brahlmacharinsihad asked hiln tOfdo a particular iob,but he simply refusedo Wheh the elder sked wh,,the,Ounger repliedI``I have no tilne .TheFe is no other explanatiOn for iti"The elder brahmacharin rep6ited this matter to Amma;and nOw the one ar fault ias being sc lded.In being sc01dedrby Ammal one,also gets some good ad ce.As Amma was talhng to him,
polntittg Out his errOrsi She slid, You ar very egotis
:tiC."
ThiS brahma Itarin was occasionally very stubboin ou and argumenta tive. He retorted, ``Then why d take me as a brahmachari7L if yOu knelw that l was very gOtisticl" 1' : owed, 1`Why,did Amma's'corpassionate answer pt JudaS as His disciple7 Didn't He eSuS Christ acc knbw that Judas,as going t6 betray Him that he was golig tO lead Him to:His death:Yesi,JeSus knew that very weno NeveFthelessI JeSus accepted JudaS ttS.One f HiS disdples.He 10ved,him iutt as He loved th others ' E)idn't he great saiit .and sages f the past oon sciOusl,igiVe 6pportunities tO those who ch ated them later7 Mahat7FLaS are like that.They cannOt o her "ise.They don't oror care whether sottebody r love them whethett someone will cheat them think'abOut ill
229
render,can benefit frOm their presence.Opportunities are open tO everypieo Mahatmas dOn't diffeFentiate. They cannot do that.Even if someone is a cheat Or is
very egoistic,if he or she surrenders only fOr a few days Or a few minutes =the time does not matter their sur render for that much time will have its benent
Aftcri that,if thei perS9 witttdraws hittselt what
can thc Matttma dOl The M`hatma cannot do any thing.Hc silnply is.If you wait hiln,he is avellable is all the tilne,everywhere.IflyQ do nOt want hiin,he still there aVailable tO anyone else. But if you reject him,he cannot forcc hilnself on,you.That i,one thing he cannOt dO. OWeVer,if you surrcnder,he will ow intO your hearto When Only a sman portion of your heart is fined
with the Guru,,the largcr,un 1lcd portiOn will still be
uttder the in uence of the egp saying,`I am something,'
That,mallifined P still remain.It will wOFk That part Of you will=tion have will it,powe= That part will try
that side,If yOu can thr,w a glance to that sidc, the side where the Curu iS,vOu will slill have hOp9.You can still be saved.Bul thO ego,which cOvers the bigger portion,completely,cglccts hi Theicuru will warn you,not once,but tt hundred tilnes he'1l in,truct you
230
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
and give hints tO youo But if yOi cOmpletely shut the dOor,if you bang the d00r right in his face,what canlhe
do?Then the pressure Or the pun of`I am something' becomes stronger in you,and you naturally mOve t0
that sideo C)f course, that is easier. To move to the
Guru's side needs a.little mOre effOrt,a little more cour age`
:
opportunities to all stidents, bit the students utilize these oppOrtuniti s differently.The same anal g,can be made about peOple who desire spirituality.Many are interested in spirituality,but only'a few will`mttke)the grade,'so tO Speak`Merely being iiteFestcd is not Sur ient.Intensity is tthat is need d.It is not the Guru's faulti A satgz %Cain6t be ttrongo He can Only be righti You are wrongo We are like a musical instrument,hat iS key,The curu"ants tOirepair the keys that ttie Off. b But if you protest,if,ou StrOnglv feel you are an right, if yol think ther is nO problelmt with you,that the`off ke iS all right because you don't hear it as leing`6 then what can the Gtru do7 1n 6rd r to make the k yl s6ind more pleasant tl the ears, a little ,cFatching, Scribbing,sctaping and iem Oing is heeded.Y6uishould b abl to bettr the pain caused by this,undetstanding its purpose is to make y6ur life harm6nlous,aSin a mi = sical concert lis fOr Trtth and Her crazines Amma is eraz ,bu dharma.Ifsomebody moves against Truth,if he is nOt at all ready to mend his wl s,if he is dtteimLed tO dO things his own way,then h is gOing away frOim Amma` H is Oving ttway frOm Truth and dharma:Rememb r, Amma is nOt goiig a"ay fr6m=him;She cainoti But he,
i
'
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231
Amma cannot accept or releCt anyone.A ceptance and relectiOn are possible only when there is ego.The ego can accept andireleCto Nyhen one becomes egoless, on goes beyond both.TherefOre,it is you who accept and relect.Amma cannOt.HoweveF,there is one thing that yOu shOuld keel in mind`Your goal is tO reach the
stite Of Perfecti6n:N6w the questiOn is whether you re
ally want it or noto SOmetimes`veS'and sOmetimes lno' is Out Of the questiOn.If this is your attitude,then this is hot your place`Th re iS no such thingias vaCillation in'spiritualityo There is etther`yes'or`no 'That is it.If yOu feel spirituali3ometimeS and non spiritual at Other times,that is nOt spiritualityo What.Amma means i that your mindhould be Axed on That,1.e ,the goal. There ought to be no distractions.It is dangerOus if yOu simply let yourself be Carried away by circumstantial
distractionso Since your main purpose in life is to realize
C6d,the awareness of the goal and intentitO reach it, sh bOdha, should always be Otherwise known as l
present
::
Suppose you are an,execttive.1 yheA you sit in ,6 chair ati the office,:your tntire thought prOcess
232
WAttN,CHILDREN!
home while sitting in the orice ,th n the whOle purr pose of youriOb as an executive is not being carried out properly.And vice versa,if yOu think and act like a ex
ecutive at home,instead of being a husband and father, you are not fulfilling yOur duti s.Likewise,"hen you hmachari Or One who are here in the Ashram as a b aspires tO become a brah77LaCharin, you are supposed to i and think in a certain way.If you cannot have thO proper attitude, you,on't fit in here. You will start feeling the gull the gap which wi1l inally result in a 10t
Of prOblems in your spiritual life. _
get a hundred times Or =)rc. But if you cOnstantl, st lggle and pull your hands away from Amma's,you
cannot blame Her.1'
Dtalogues
233
such doubts and worrles.Once deterininatlon and de tachment arise,the past becomes ineffective.The past loses its grip on a person who has surrendered every thing at the Feet of the Lordo Such a person ghdes into
a fOrgetful state aboit his entire past,and he starts liv
Amma Win tell yOu a stoFy tO illustrate how the Lord's grace is ablolutely avallable for ever,One, even
for people who have committed FiOuS errors (Dne night a notorious thief was scouting about to ind a suita e house to burglarize.As he furt el, walked down the road unnoticed by anyone,he saw a
gathering by the ro side of people listening intently to one man who was ob 6usly a sto teller.This story
tener was narrating the childhood sports of: Lord KFiShna as depicted in th SFimad Bhaga atam.The de
6cription of Baby Krishna attracted the attention of the
bathed the endearing Child of Brindavan, adorned Himi the Allralluring One, with sparkling iewels`
Necklaces studded with diam6nds,emeralds and rubies
234
th
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
BOy,calling and calling Hiln with over Owing 10ve and affect10n, `Kanna, K:anna". '' 1
inifrOnt Of Hero Even Her facial expression boFe that llve and affection whiCh Yasoda had for Child Krishna At this pOint,Amma.becamel into cated with pur 10ve and sat still.Tears streamed dOwn HeF Cheeks as
She uttered a laugh every nOw and then. This state continued fOr some time;then after a while Amma re
sumed telling the stOF,: : : hstetting to the story,he was sudr '`As the thief was denly struck with an idca,`This Child must be a rich man's son.I must somLchow ind lout whcre this Baby Lves.If l can get hOld Of this Little One,that wOuld be the end Of an my tF6ubles. .The precious stones and golden iewelry On this Child are e10ugh for my family and lne tO live on for the rest of our lives.'So he waited until the narration came to its CompletiOn and the s10 r eller packed up tO goo The thief; Howed him cau tiousl,at sOme distence intil they reached a 10nely spot when he suddenly jumtped upln tho Stor teller.Holding him by the neck,Ithe thieithrdatened,lTell me whcre thdt Child livesI Where is this place called Brindavan: Don't try to play any tricks.Tell me the trutL G,ivc ttc
the d tails Of how tO getito His house Or prepare to die,'
at all.On the further nudging and threats Of the thiet finall,Said,`That was only a story,The child.isnlt
It iS Only a fabricated tale.It is noti.a real.stOFy:l
real
Dialogues
ith'
Mata Amnnnandamayi
235
ca,you
in this relmote place,thinking that the thief would be come prey to wild animals in that forest.Taking n9te 9f
the detalls of how to get theie,the thief rel,ased the that if he did nOt stOryteller,g ing him a inal warni ind the Child,he would return a,d put an end to the
storyteller's life.
Proceeding tOward thc place indicated by the story teller,thelthief walked rttpidly wi deteFtti,ation = thr e days, ot s10pping ito eat or sleep.Along the enr
t e
way the thief thoughl:of Krishna and the great r tune that he was going tO have.Though with a diffeFent intenti6n,in fact,an intention Of miSdemeattor,his mind was oneth less tOtally tie4 0 e Lord b,atti ful form.It look,a Co plc of d,vS fOr him tto reaCh hiS d tinatiOn and by the time he reached the rest,he was mtally exhausted.BOthifeet were bleeding,for they hadi:been punctured by thornS a lshT=OCks lButithe thief w lstill full of hope becttusetthe,s101 ryteller had told hitt Klishna wl ld Come if a pO 9p
236
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
alled tO HiFn.HC had als6 been tOld that Krishna and his playmates,Ould usually C6m to that fOrest with their cOws,and they would frolic abOut,wh e the cattle grazedo When the thief did nOt s e anyone,he called and caned, his voice ringing throughOut the fOrest,
max of intensity and deSperatiOn.Finany,from lack Of food and sleep,he c01lapsed into unconsciousnessilYet even in this unconsclous state he continued to murmuF
Krishna's name
Upon regaining norinal consciousness, the thief found:himself on s6meone's lap.Someone was h lding and strdking his head and a vOice said,. You are ex hausted.Here,I've br6ught yOu sOme food."He 160ked up and was astonished to see before hilni no e 6ther than the Child fOr wh01m he had been searching.It was Krishna!And he was lying on His lapo He rubbed his eyes and blinked sev ral tilnes; he could not believe what he wasiteeing.Yes,it was Krishna. there was the peacOck feather :.the curly hair,the golden crOwn,the
,e110W rObe adorned with preciOus ieW lS.H was capti vated by the all alliring snlile and the dark blte com plexion Of His fac His eyes were transiXed,fOr he was unable tO take them Off Of Krishna's g16riOus counte nance.As the Child fed him,he autOmatically op ned his iOuth and swa116"ed t k d.oblivious tO every
.
Dialogues
237
Krishna helped him sit up on his Owno Next He re mOved all His ornalments,wrapped them up and handed
them in one bundle to the thiet telling hiln,`Here,this
is yours.This iS what you came foF,WaSn't it.:So now you can go.You can return happv.'Still drinking in the: eternal beauty of the:Lord, the thief was now t6tally I do n transformed:He chokingly pr6tested,`No not want that.I want You.I want You 'Krishna contin ued tO uFge him,`You should not return empty handed. Yoi must nOt.be diSappointed after such a 16ng search. Take it.'To this the thief replied,`My dear Krishna,I do not wait anythingII want to embrace Youo l wantto he On Your lap.I want to 19ok tt Your face.I want to be with You forever and forever.Please,Lord`Please :.'"
238
AWAKEN,CHlLDREN!
O Yo% liiftCa"G rd 4 HJ:, Who pla c hcarts o/lhc shcphcttcssc, whO pFOt9c1 00 and ii7Ld lge PI WhO ma ct cs eC SO nd onithc C..
l
tt
r tO dis,cI 0/him ca sea b h lpriidc. :Yo hO destrO desiircs and ofrCr&sired,thii , P cn4, ,c aO 01 dela in cO ing c cn for a O Yo" .:th_rc es lj c:Ot%s petals.
1
: Y9
al
with
out,`O Krishna,where are You7 DOn't leaVeime.Take me with You,Mv Lord: Ome back,come back.' It"as q ite obvi6usithat mma was struttling hard
Dialogaes
239
to keep Herself down on the physical plane. Pausing every now and then, Amma continued to tell the story,
HoweveF,Krishna did nOt reveal His physical fOrm
tO the thief again.Unable tO bear the excruciatingipain Of sepiration,the lhief wand red and wandeted inithe fOrest calling for Krishnab Days passed and he delectedly retraced hi s steps home,carefully cherishing the bundlet c6ntaining the jewelryl"hich be10nged tO His Lord: Still tightly embracing thci bundle,he reached the storytener's house and knocked on the doOro Peeping though the window,the st9rytener recognizea the thief and was frightend.Filled with fear,he ttas sure the thief had returned to linish hiln off because he had not found Krishna, the Blue BOy of Brindavan s the knocking on the door continuedi the tremblinglQf the man in the house increased.But had he listened.care funy; he could have heaFd.the thief sav in a feeble vOi ,1lIIhave seen the:Lord,Iny Krishna.I have seen my Lordi`.1'Knowing,the fierce repttatiOn of the th 1
he was afraid that if he did not Open the dool,thcli. hief
would break it dOwn and kill him anyway.So he opened the d00r a,d stood there frOze
"ith his eyes pecting to feel alsharp razOrls edge slitting hisclosedLlex= thr(xlt.
plexed,the storytdler exclaimed,`What is this:What in the wOrld is happening7'.The thief raised hilnself up
and Placed the bundle at thestoryteller's feet.Thr6ugh tears,theithicf.Isaid,`I have seen the Lord,my Krishna. He g e an His ttnaments,to mO,but l dO notlwaltlany 6f tttm` They belong to you,yOu who lmspiFea me
j=
240
iKEN,CHILDREN!
Upon hearing this story which sounded utterly crazy to hiln,the storytener was taken aback.He sus pected that th thiet a gr at sinner,must have killed an innocent child and taken all his ieWelryo When he exclaimed something tO this effect,th thief swore that h had seen the Lord,that the LoFd had placed his head On His lap and fed him with His very own handso He further described how Krishna played such haunting
melodies on His divine ute.As the storyten r listened tO the thiet he nOticed the ecstatic lnood,the blissful tears and the excitelmtentr in his voice and thus felt something special in the mano HiS Curiosity aroused;he Opened the bundle and was absolutely amazedo Blinking sevetal times and rubbing his eyes over and over again, he could not believe what he saw.It did n6t take hiln long to realize that these were indeed Krishna's orna ments and th thiefreany had had a vision of the Lord. Eyes illed with tears and a heart fined with intense longing,the storyteller called out,`Krishna!Krishna..: Am l a greater sinner than this thief7'He ran out 6fthe house and disappeared`. Forgoing food and sleep for sever1l days,the story teller reached the salme spot where he had sent the thief..He fainted and regalhed cOnsci usness seveial baCk to tilnes over and over attaino Each thne he cal
[
norinall consciousness,he ran about calling, `Krishna, almL I nOt Orthy to:behold your lDivine Form?I ha e been singing Your glories for the last thirty y arsI What greater merit did the thief have to behold Your Divme ung their possesslons7' than kllling people and st Fo.
Diolagues
241
such were the prayers ald Supplications of the stOry teller.But the Lord did n6t reveal Hims lf to the story teller. Immensely disappointed, the storyteller dccided
to commit suicideo With6ut having the,ision of the Lord, he found no meaning in life. Now considering
how fortunate the thief was to b hold the Lord's en chanting forln,he lost an in feeli,g he had had toward the thiet But his own sincere wlsh to see the Lord re mained unful lledo Greativ pained at heart,the story
teller re oved
his upper garinent and tied one end around the branch of a tree.He chmbed the tree and tled the other end arOund his necko He was about to
jump_and hang hilnself when a11 0f a sudden he heard a
voice frolm theisky.
``It said, `You are also very dear to Me. Console yoursell l am pleased with you,but l am not FeVeahng My Forin to you right,ow.Listen to Me.You wanted t9 know what merit the thief had to be awarded My physi cal preoence'It was nothing but his unconditional faith that l am a reality and not iust an imaginationo lmmer diately When he heard you describe Mv Form,he be lieved thatl was anve in b6dyo Hc had nO dOubtl was a reality and was deterinined tO See Me.His deterinina
tiOtt tO scc Me was so strong that it had all the quahties
deny My existenceo where there is fear, I am nOt. Where th re is faith,there is no fear.Y6u had no faith.
But the thief had unconditional faith about My exist ence and about Me as a reality.It was allnost mechani cal for yOu to tell M,stOries and Sing My glories.You
242
n v r
MCN,CHILDREN!
felt thetlonging and the desperation to see Me. At twel eo' lock sharp you wanted to eat your lun h. :At ieittht'On the nOsel you wanted your suppcr and
scheduled.The lithi f was nOt like this! He forgot everything else and
c nstintly relm[
it
then,go spread my inessage with love and devOtion.It iwill help lnany other thieves,sinners and nonbelievers
'
Therefore,children,do not think abOut your dark Try to be deterinined and detached. It d6esnlt past. matter,wh ther yOu were a thief Or great sinnert The :Lord doesnlt care about your past, prOvided you have d t fminatiOh and detachment in th present."
Their.SOn,G ,a yOung ma,119ut oigl19,ny,ars O14, hmOcharin Balv,whO w ,tl li gt 19y 1ly ran up tO b near the backwaters,In a w 9 e. s, : lh,ra,4
1,
j9in l 91 CF Came lp t9 P
Dialogues
243
ttansforina
When the Arst.Came heFe,an three 9fthem were So etthausted' and:drain d of li They were like cOrpses.Now they areicheerful with smiling facest''1
This family had pre iously had anOtherisbn beSideS had been delighted ii th ir haply fam 1ly of foure The,wo brotheFs W re very loving and at tached t6 1each. ther` G., tht elder brOthetti alwayS
arents G.Th
l:11W :
y IGo was Afteen,Jo waS thirt eeni and neVeF quatrelled
er he parent lwere they were always together pl ased and prOud Of th ir children's concern fOr eaich Other.If .had a=prOblem, Go sincerely tFied tto soft it
:1 t= Itril= I:11
the two br thers. But cruel fate did ot let,this la 1 : 4'
l
ng.
emb01ism
fr nt
in
of G.'s ieveS
aLIbut_all was in vain.The entiFe family was the ho plung didtt de b sorrow.The death ofhisldear FOtheF
Was such a ShOCk tO Gr that he lapSediint6 uncOnsciousl
244
MttN,CHILDREN!
ness and rem ned for several days in a comato he la in the intensive care unit of the hOspital,the parents
Were veFy wOrFied.They were afraid that they would lose Ci.,toO Finally,one day.he opened.his teyc,and
the parents reloiCedo But.such happiness was shortrlived because Go never came back to his nOrinal sell Although Go was alive,he was like a vegetable.He slept,but he hardly ate anythingo He never talked or
mal.But all their attempts endcd in failure.Go w6uld ot even blink his eyes.The despairing parentS 1061 all
hope,and lived in utter hopclcssness and fruslration. While the parents were leading such a litt Of sorrow
g10w arOund the lady and Her cOmpas,io atte smileih the power tO remOve all worlieS and woundo call,ed by the past.As She rubbed the boy's forehead,the lady in whitle called him with overnOwing Compassio and
love, ,1lSon.
child.`
my son.., Mo
er
ls darling ison
? my
Look here, thisi is your Mother calling yOu." words had a wonderful effect on the boy; h These looked up at the lady's glowingi lce and smiedifor the pletety arst time initwO y arS HiS Own face wa,9 changed,and he returned to noFlnal.The paront's hapr piness knew no boundS aS the lnother criediand laughcd
Dialogues
245
out ofjoy.She wtt stin in this state when her huSband awoke her from hor dreamo Realizing that it waS all a dream,the l other slbbed uncOpttronablyo she related the dream to her hupband.Neither of thenl gave lnuch thought to the dream,b t the'InothOr began tO have the same drea over ,d Over again the fO110wing nlghto.SinOe this rec rring drealmt waSt appening every night,bOth the husband and wife began tO give perious
Because A a wa,nOt aS Well knOwn then as She becamc,later,they,were Aotiable to ind Ou.t wh6 the
lady in white waSo Onc day as they wcre Feturning hotte afte=visiting relalives,they were waiting ati e rail"ay station to catch i e next train to thelr town. The mothcr was sitting next to a other woman,and after a While this womani who was a t9:al Stranger,turn`d to
her and spoke, somethittg inSide tells me that l sh6uld
thOught t lt.:
Ammao As the women 0,ti 19di,speaki,g,the ,e of G. 9ther b10ss,med With iOy.The latter realized that
this.woman waS talkingialou:non9 0ther than the lady in,white Of her dreams. w tOld the WOtta,abou,what hOr faiil,had 1 .She ibee,u,dergOing,he last two yearS and further disc10 d the recurring dream abOut lhe lady i,White and that a,d had beOn lrying to discOver who she and herihu the ledy w 1,dw re they cOuld ittd her,Or if she even existed at an. Both the husband and wife were very happy to t 11ly,.leam whO Amtta was and they
246
d cid d
KEN,CHILDREN! A
t6 go to Moth r'S Ashram the very nettt day.As
they boarded the train to their home, they began to ,6 der how th Strange womanl"as inSpired tO talk to particular reason.Had th i th tt ibout mma n h ow s6 been with them,th womani`'ould have s he lo6ked and thu lnight have felt that the,shO uld h b y to se Amma t6 be heal d.But th y did tak nOt bring thc boy on th7is trip:having left hi in tle
care of his aunt.Anyhow,they concluded,G}od'JIwa,s are incomprehens 11 tl th huma ellectt= Th thiee Of themtthusband, fe and isOna Came
t
iteA O: lo k.
,
Arinia wa alread in the hut Jliig darshan.Jlst aS they atrived attd were standing in frOnt Of th templ ach Balu approached them and said, Ammttis bla allhg you,Please c6=e in."The,Were again surpris l. wh6 had t61d Her that they",te th The fallnily W
l d
t6
Arnma.
smilingl,said i them, Mother was' aiting
Ama
fO
fac 6f Amma andS lled r the Arst time in two vearS His ttce was completel, hang d;heiloOkedras if le l 7 ere coming back t6 6rmal :Th mother oflthe b6 :WhO Was int ntly tching
the eitire scen ,cri d
tatght hold of the bOy'S.hand and with a glo,ing smile Ott Her faceitribbed and 60thed the bOy's foreh ttd, :L66k h re,this is'vour saving to him, S6ni..my son. MOth r caning yOu ..'' Hearing these wordS, thel bby slowly raised his head and gaz d at the gloWing,1 diant
laughed ut at'they 6f iO :The fath r silenlly sh d'tears of ioy. ne that the boy's had iu t witneSsed was the same s unc6,trOnab
und
Dialogues
247
mOther had seen in hlr dr ttms hi ht after nighto wOrds are inadequate tO ettpress their habpineSSo Later,before
leaving the shram,thc woian and her husband said, Now we knowo We have n6 doibtsthatit was all a di vine drama conducted by Amma." Day by da,the bOy hettlth and m ntal state im proved.In a petiOd Of t"Om 6nths,h c6mpletely re ained his n6mal state covered from histsickhess andir
Of health.
While the ifamil,"as still talking to Balu,Amma came dowtt the stairso secing Amma,the family rished !"M6ther ex ,Am toward'Her,calling 61 :i,A claimed, Ah, hildren,whei did ou COmo7"She sat dolwn on the bottom Step,l and after prostrating, the owed to"ard them thrOL Hr
reSses.Her sOothing ord316f c6ncein went directly to th ili h art"and H r tasy,ielatt d manner mad them so c6mfortable that th y ttere llHaughing and re,oiChg lina,anid together.At last Go began singing a song to l
the parents ioined in.Hlearts filled With devotion,they den ,I%m. all sang together Ari ,I
O Mother, euen
I yqnder
alone unable to know You, Eq)en though I haqte eyes still search, unable to see You,
Aren't You the beaut ful moon That blooms forth.,dn the blue winter night? I am tike a wave ihit bitais its head, on the shore
l,Jnable
248
A\UrAKEN, CHILDREN!
Upon un"derstanding the Truth That all worldly comforts are worthless, I long to know You As I shed tears day and night,
Oh, won't You come and comfort one Who is so weary of the burclen of sorrow? With the desire thu You will come, I am always waiting,
At the end Ofthe sO,g an three burst into tearso As
MOther wipcd their tears with Her 9wn handl,a loving and compassionttte s 1le radiated frOm Hel face .At er feet sat the father,the mOther and their son,each being caressed by the firin gcntle strOkes Of AInma's handS.This tOuching scene with the family scemed to haVe a timeless quality abO,u t it.Thcre sat the Eternal Mother, maieStiC yet welcoming all Her childrcn. Though the day Was drawing to 1 910S ,the small.=fahily
twao blissfully reiOicittg,t the dttwtt Of Amma,thc spiri
249
GLOSSARY
{Certain wOrds are the,ame or similar in Malavalam and
are Sanskrit whereas Sanskrit.Thus A hFama and BFahmaC arc Malayala mm and BI Ashr
ADAARMA:Unrighteousness,
AcAMAS:SCriptures AMMACHI:The Mothere CIhi WOrd indicating r lpect AN00RANIYAAN MAHATOMAHIYAN: SanSkrit for``Subtler than
the subtlest,bigger than the biLgest,"a description Of Brah
sS
BHACAVAD GITA:The teachings ofL6rd Krishna t6 Attuna at harata War.It is a practical the beginning ofthe M guide for c6mmo, ` lry d li and is the essence
250
A IKttN,cHILDREN!
BHAIAN:E)evOtional singing
BHAKTI:E)evOtlon.
BAAVA:Mood.
BHAVA DARSHAN:The occasion when Anllna receiVes devOtees
P,
BttAHMAN(M):The Abs61ite,WhOle.
st
lmt l I l
4ellIldellrainingifa13ull.
:
:liIMl:111
1::_
6rdelty
l=: 1
rti.1
l:'
upFem
u:
Sblil 1l M :t :/ ti
1 , 11 V'V9'9't,l l ', t,
:l
{+nvn:
Action. ,
ri
: . 1
i f . .
=
MUKT ThC Libcrated Q : MUKTI:Liberation.
NwF:
:
.::
aFiat .
.e ep
oF L:11
,1.:: A : :
252
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
and nOn existence,a nalmte of th Di,ine MOth SADHAK(AN):(Dne dedicated tO att,ining the whO practices s hana(spirittil di SADHANA:Spiritual practice
:
ipline).
oiritual goal,
ne
1 :; :
a a
lrnk]
SANNYASI(N):Ascetic whO has r9nOunced all wOrldly b6ndages SATGURU:Realized spiritu l Mister: SATSAN9:Company ofthe wise and virtu6us.AlsO,a spiritual
diSc6trse b,a sage 6r.sch01lr. 1
Mother.
SHIvAI The statiC aspect Of Bra7n aS the male principl SI`HYA:Disciple.
:
SITA:Wife Of Rama.
SLOKA:Sanskrit verse.
wottk in hand:
mean`
STENAH:Thiel SUlRA:Aphorism.
TAIA
Literally`6h at "The practicc'Of spirittal austerities.
253
TAWA:Principle.
r i
VASANA:Latent tendency.
VEDA:Lit.`Kno,wledge',the authOritative Scriptures of the
intO fOur,
VEDIC DHARMA:Injun
VISHNU:An pervading The Lord Ofsustenance. I VYAS A sage who divded the One ttda intO ur and com
posed 18 P tt and also the Mahabtt tt
Bhaga atam.
`
and
`::lililll)`
(l!Ill::tib
254
AWACN,CHILDREN!
JNDEX
A
adhattma 91-94
animals '
'
apathv 123
atheistso Scc honbelievels
amabodha 33
attachment 174-176
amchmentto Gum 46 51,136-137 attitudee Scc response3 Witness consciotsness Cum sishya ElationShip 190-191
right attmde for d"otttSt
44-51,201-232
:l a 11
C
bhakti 47 49
D
dakshinao Sec Cundnh Dakshinamurti 8
desires desire and praver
desil
31-34
renunciation ofdesires
215-216
htttpt
111
255
devotees right attinrde for devotees 44-5L
'
'
l
ego 25, 28-^+2, 98-103, 154, L64, l7Z, 173-184, 189, ZO4
as seen by saints 97 discipline with and without ego 189-L92 rishi's ego vs. layman's ego 16-18
empathy 4-5
foEge
amchmentto e
46
forglveness
'
'
kn ngGod 28-31 .
sewing God 208,210
F=,' :1 :
211
242 1.=
.:i 1
256
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
ZttFttT chttli:
ewice 208-211
Cum.s guidance 220-228 lmintiOn oftte Curu 140-141 0bedience to dle Cum 84,128 129,140-141
H
Harshan 137-139
heart 7715, 20L25, 40, 69-74, 124-130 Sec abo intenect helplessness 30-31, 204
humility 30, 20 11
I
1ignorance 98-103
intellect 7-14,37 42,69=74, 156 158 Scc ttb9 heart3 1nind .
beyond the intellect 86, 111-112, 142, 146
Judas 228
K
Kalkevi
161
L
1akshva bodha 231 Lallm Sahasmnam 139 t i loJc 37-38,69-72,74 SeC asc h love 4-15, 19-25, 28-31)37-38941-42,46 49,55-56, 59L 62, 69-74, 165: 169-170, 186-199
wOrk wi
love l14-130,204-211
`l
Dialogues
257
M
Maanikkavaachakar 2ZS IUahatrnas 89-90, LZs, LZ(*LZ7, L27, 146-
See clso
body
60-62
meditation
cryrng to
&9, L9, 106-1 07, 115 , I72 God L9-25, ?'6-77, 28-3L remembrance of God 46 mind 3942, 95-97, 142. See also intellect
mind and desires 67
no-mind 56 one-pointed mind 6, 29-30 purifying the mind 25 stillness of rnind 7-8, 12, 16-18, 215-21'8
Mirabai 29-30
Mother
Mother and the owl 52-55 Mother answers seekers' call L7?, Mother as Brahman 51 Mother's ashram L77 Mother's concern for the welfare of her neighbors 74-78, 185-186 Mother's life 167 -169 Mother's sankalpa 78, l4l-144 Mother's work l4L-I42, 167-168 Mother , in Her own words Her desires ZLz Her ego 23I Mother as Brahman 5l Mother's body LZl'-122 Mother's compassion 143-L47 Mother's role in Her children's spirinral grounh 230-232 Mother's sankalpa L4L-I44 Mother and Her children feeding Her children 131-t 33
healing 59-6L, 202-204, 242-248 Her desires 719-720 Her samadhi sates 1 5, 90-91 , 1 16-1 19, L99-202
258
playrng with Her
AWAKEN,CHILDREN!
children 134-L37
work
N
Narada 4749' 87-88 Naranattu Bhrantan L44-L47 Narasimha 2L-25 nonbelievers 89-90, I54
o
obedience L28-L29 offerings 29-32, 63, 209-ZLO
P Parvati 9-10
past
effects of past {ctions on a
peace 6748' 110-1 11 p.outtation 84-85 , 95-97 irarabdha L47 prayer ' 20-ZL, 29-31, 30-34, 204 prema 26
healing the past 244-245 learning from the past 178-182 thinking about the past 6?-68, 96
God
:11
259
S
sad asad
sam:
Sank:
Sa
lS S
c 9
r,sifIil11
78, 141-144
MO er
anwers S Lr
11 122
sience 7-10,195,111,215-21,11
189-192
Adbhum Cha
43 1 l.
213
Arikullll l
T
`
48
Bandhainilla 218
260
AWAKEN, CHILDRENI
vamakshi
Kannadachalum
nrrannalum Lg3
Kodanukoti
Maname nara
18
jiviamakkum lZ7
Nilambuja
148
Nilameghangale 38
Sunda nivayo
Vedambike
Vedanta
Samsara dukha
samanam 86 138
177
venalilude lZ0 speech 7-10. See clso silence riitit,taliry 19, 3s-32, g9-90 , 206, zls-zlg, z3l writing about spirinrality 1,IZ sraddha 92 stillness 7, 35, 56, 95-97, 215, See also mind: stillness of mind; silence
stories
Baby lGishna, the storyteller, and the thief 233-z4z Buddha's compassion 57 -59 Krishna's headache 47 -49 Narada, Vishnu, a'd the childless couple 8Z-88 -"I44 Nardnatnr Bhranran and his disciple Naranatnr Bhranan and the demigoddess 145-147 the Gopi who burned her fingers 50-51 the heaithy beggar L75-I26 the Mahatma and the hooligan 163- 164 the Mahatma and the millionaire 2L0 the Mahatma who gave away toys and sweef,s 35-36 the painters'competition to paint "peace" 110-111 the sadhak and the forest dweller ZI-75
,..'
'
:
'
'
ir77F
Di 10gzes W IIL
Matt Amritan`iarrta :
261
94
e 1lager,dle sannvasin,and dle dia Ond 216_217 Veda V sa and e Gopis 09 110 1
surrend r 30 32, 6974, 150 155, 204 211
194-199
1
T
tears 20,25,29,55
Sc lcrying
1 :
U
urgency 42-43,59, 157
V
vasanas 30, 33-34, 89, 140, 155, 220
W
wealth 94, 2IO, 215-218
work 4-5, 10-14. 64, ll4-130, 174-175, 204-211, Mother's work 1 4l-1,42, L67 -168 work of a saint 59-6L, 105, 30, 142-143, 147
1
213-215
Y
yogis. See Mahatmas; rishis; saints