The ancient sages, those seers of the Upanishads, addressed mankind with the most significant words — "amritasya putraha," meaning "children of immortality." Amma uses the words, "Omkara divya porule" — "The essence of Om." Certainly, they are not addressing our bodies or minds. We are much more than that. Though the body and mind are useful instruments, we should not make a cage of them and imprison ourselves within. We know from experience just how much happiness we can experience while living in this prison. Actually, we are all immortals. But we don't realise that. The whole universe is ours, all its beauty and mysteries.
But we are like the child collecting coloured stones from the seashore. Is this outlook due to a shortcoming? No, on the contrary, it is due to the presence of excess within us. Our "too much-ness" is creating the barrier. When you come to Amma, come alone. Don't bring along the unwanted ideas of the intellect.
We often think that we are with Amma when we are sitting in front of Her. But that may not be correct. It is not very easy to meet a Mahatma (great soul) like Amma. I have heard people saying, "I met Amma many years ago." However, some of these people do not even like to obey the line monitors, because they think that they have been devotees for a much longer time, and therefore, need not obey the line monitors.
Amma says "I am here, available for all. I am right in front of you. But where are you? You are not in front of Me. You are still hiding in your cave." The Master has found us. But we have not found the Master yet. Amma has chosen us. But we have not chosen Amma yet. One day, there will be a real meeting. In that meeting, the Master and disciple will disappear. The saint, Kabir, said, "I set out in search for You but I could not find You. Then I disappeared in the very search, and only then were You found. The one, who had set out in search for You, could never meet You as long as he was there. Only when the seeker disappeared in the process of seeking did the meeting take place." This experience is really a gift given by the guru.
There are two kinds of gifts: gifts of the world and gifts of the invisible. We can receive the gifts of the world even if we are not ready to receive them. But there is a gift that cannot be given to us until we are ready to receive it. The guru will make us pure enough to receive that gift if we are ready to surrender our ego. Then real knowledge will dawn within. The guru will take us from information to transformation, ignorance to innocence, and death to immortality.
Physicists say that an atom contains a lot of energy. In fact, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima contained only a few milligrams of matter converted into energy that levelled the entire city. If a single atom can contain so much energy, what about the spiritual energy in man? It can completely remove the numberless delusions carried over from countless lifetimes. We are all rooted in God. Think about this small flame of consciousness in man. It can grow into a roaring conflagration of infinite energy and light. That is what happened to Buddha and Amma.
We always use our limited intellect to judge the actions of the master. But no one can really understand a realised master until he or she attains realisation. Judging the Master will leave us confused. But if we surrender to the master and open our hearts, He can easily reveal his divine powers. After my first meeting with Amma, a great transformation took place in my life. But there were still many unanswered questions. It was very difficult to understand Amma. For example, during Krishna Bhava, I noticed unbelievable changes in Amma's physical appearance. I felt as if even the colour of Her skin had changed to dark blue. At the time of Krishna Bhava, Amma used to give darshan while standing with one foot on the floor and the other on a peetham (ceremonial seat), which looked like a footstool. Her actions and smile were enchanting to behold. Devotees coming to Amma with so many worries and burdens would forget themselves just by seeing the mystical smile of Krishna. Her mischievous actions would make everybody laugh; they would never get a chance to cry. If someone tried to explain his or her problems, Amma would pour holy water into his or her mouth. If that person tried to speak again, She would fill his or her mouth with banana pieces. Finally, forgetting all the problems, that person would burst into laughter.
But we are like the child collecting coloured stones from the seashore. Is this outlook due to a shortcoming? No, on the contrary, it is due to the presence of excess within us. Our "too much-ness" is creating the barrier. When you come to Amma, come alone. Don't bring along the unwanted ideas of the intellect.
We often think that we are with Amma when we are sitting in front of Her. But that may not be correct. It is not very easy to meet a Mahatma (great soul) like Amma. I have heard people saying, "I met Amma many years ago." However, some of these people do not even like to obey the line monitors, because they think that they have been devotees for a much longer time, and therefore, need not obey the line monitors.
Amma says "I am here, available for all. I am right in front of you. But where are you? You are not in front of Me. You are still hiding in your cave." The Master has found us. But we have not found the Master yet. Amma has chosen us. But we have not chosen Amma yet. One day, there will be a real meeting. In that meeting, the Master and disciple will disappear. The saint, Kabir, said, "I set out in search for You but I could not find You. Then I disappeared in the very search, and only then were You found. The one, who had set out in search for You, could never meet You as long as he was there. Only when the seeker disappeared in the process of seeking did the meeting take place." This experience is really a gift given by the guru.
There are two kinds of gifts: gifts of the world and gifts of the invisible. We can receive the gifts of the world even if we are not ready to receive them. But there is a gift that cannot be given to us until we are ready to receive it. The guru will make us pure enough to receive that gift if we are ready to surrender our ego. Then real knowledge will dawn within. The guru will take us from information to transformation, ignorance to innocence, and death to immortality.
Physicists say that an atom contains a lot of energy. In fact, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima contained only a few milligrams of matter converted into energy that levelled the entire city. If a single atom can contain so much energy, what about the spiritual energy in man? It can completely remove the numberless delusions carried over from countless lifetimes. We are all rooted in God. Think about this small flame of consciousness in man. It can grow into a roaring conflagration of infinite energy and light. That is what happened to Buddha and Amma.
We always use our limited intellect to judge the actions of the master. But no one can really understand a realised master until he or she attains realisation. Judging the Master will leave us confused. But if we surrender to the master and open our hearts, He can easily reveal his divine powers. After my first meeting with Amma, a great transformation took place in my life. But there were still many unanswered questions. It was very difficult to understand Amma. For example, during Krishna Bhava, I noticed unbelievable changes in Amma's physical appearance. I felt as if even the colour of Her skin had changed to dark blue. At the time of Krishna Bhava, Amma used to give darshan while standing with one foot on the floor and the other on a peetham (ceremonial seat), which looked like a footstool. Her actions and smile were enchanting to behold. Devotees coming to Amma with so many worries and burdens would forget themselves just by seeing the mystical smile of Krishna. Her mischievous actions would make everybody laugh; they would never get a chance to cry. If someone tried to explain his or her problems, Amma would pour holy water into his or her mouth. If that person tried to speak again, She would fill his or her mouth with banana pieces. Finally, forgetting all the problems, that person would burst into laughter.
Amritasya Putraha - By Swami Purnamritananda Puri
