Reg.No: KL/QN/216/2009 - 11 ~Ja ,( .. 11\'all i Reg.No: 44743/89 Annual Sub-Rs. 50/-Licence to post without pre-payment No: KUQN/WPP-1 02/09 - 11

ru~ UID_Jlcfho 63cm J ru~ <fh91o 63 em J Vriscliikam Onnu Vriksham Onnu

Take a Vow. Plant a Sapling

••••• ~0~

£ G REEN F RIENDS

Planting a sapling need not be just an act of nature conservation. It can be a spiritual practice too. On November 16th, • plant a sapling, and for the next 41 days, water it twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. After watering the plant, circumambulate it three times, as you would a deity in the temple, and pray to the plant. By invoking the divinity in the plant, you are cultivating a mindset that perceives divinity in nature too.

*November 16th marks the first day of the Vrischikam month in the Malayalam calendar. It is also the start of the. month-long Sabarimala seasoo, when devotees of Lord Ayyappa will go on a pilgrimage to His mountain-top shrine. The project 'Vrischikam Onnu Vriksham Onnu' ('Plant

a sapling on the first day of Vrischikam ') aims to promote nature conservation in association with ·the Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

November 2009 Vol. 21 No.3

Humble Salutations to the Divine Mother · Page Sponsored' 6y }lmma 's Singapore CfiiUren

• Vol. 21, No.3

CONTENTS 2 amma's message

10 being with amma ramaadevi (lynn marie Ianier, u.s.a.)

18 planting trees for the benefit of society

br. piyush (thomas goldberg, u.s.a.)

23 lilas around amma

27 news

I

"~ ~~) ~--~ Some articles use the masculine pronoun when referring to God, in keeping with convention and to at>oid the clumsiness of constructions such as 'He or She' or 'Him or Her.' Needless to say, God

is neitl~er male nor female, but transcends gender.

Printed Et Published by Swami Jnanamritananda Puri for and on behalf of M.A. Mission Trust, Amritapuri P.O. , Kallam Ot., Kerala - 690 525, India, Phone: (0476) 289 6278/7578/6399 at Amrita Offset Printers. Website: www.amritapuri.org Letters and Submissions: matruvani@amritapuri.org

Editor: Br. Brahmamrita Chaitanya Subscri ption (Ind ia n) : I year: Rs. 50/- I J years: Rs. 125/­Syears: Rs. 200/-1 Life: Rs. 500/- Subscript ion (overseas) : I yearUS$15/-1 Life: US$150/-

Nove mber 2009 .~luh·uvuui 1

Aml'Th'1's MessiLge

temples d WORSHIP-2

2

Question: Amma, why were human sacrifices car­ried out in temples?

Amma: Children, it was the ignorance of people then that prompted them to do such things. They believed that God would be pleased if they carried out hu­man sacrifices. They did so because they misunder­stood what is said in the scriptures. Just look at the world today. How much blood 1s being shed in the name of politics! If a man defects to another politi­cal party, he will be killed, and all hell will break loose, as party members clash, fight and stab each other. In actual fact, do the rules of any political party enjoin its members to kill? What is written and what is spoken are fine; but what is actually done is something else. In the same way, there were such idiots then too. Irrational devotion and blind faith made them carry out human sacrifices.

Question: Don't they incur sin?

Amma: Children, if those acts were done in good

,,i;d.rnvaui NovcJDbcr 2009

faith, no sin was incurred. If they were done for selfish reasons, sin was incurred. There were two Brahmins in a place. Both were afflicted by the same disease. The doctor said that the illness can only be cured by eating fish. Both were orthodox vegetarians. They were in a fix. When he thought about .the fate of his wife and child if he were to die, and prompted by his friends and relatives, the first man ate

fish. He recovered from his illness. The second man did not eat fish out of the fear of

· incurring sin. He died. His family was bereft, and became embroiled in difficulties.

Children, as a result of kill­ing fish and eating it, a whole family was saved. This is not cruelty. Not only that, by act­ing thus the man was able to save his wife and child from ruin. In contrast, by not tak­ing fish, the second man's wife

NovcJDbcr 2009 nat.rnvan:i 3

I

and children became bereft. Compared to one or two fish, the family is so much more important. Similarly, soldiers kill many people in enemy territory. This is their duty. In order to construct a house, don't we uproot trees? Such acts cannot be considered selfish. We ihcur sin when we act with retaliatory motives, and with likes and dislikes.

Question: Amma, how did our temples lose the sanctity they had?

Amma: Children, in the name of religious festivals, aren't people raising funds to stage substandard programs? This is polluting the temple ambi­ence. Instead of awakening devotion and noble thoughts in people, such programs arouse vulgar thoughts and emotions. What kinds of things are being done in God's name! In the name of religious festivals, people collect money, get drunk and start fights. In the temple precincts, they

4 :+lntran·aui November 2009

stage plays and story narra­tions interspersed with songs and dances that stir worldly tendencies, causing impure thoughts to arise in the minds of those watching also. In­stead of nurturing noble thoughts in their formative minds, such programs lead them astray. Such negative thought vibrations pollute the ambience of the temple.

Children, we are ruining ourselves. First, we must be­come good ourselves. We must strive to maintain the purity of temples. We should conduct only God-oriented cultural programs that inspire devotion and faith in temple goers. We should conduct pujas regularly without fail. There is no point in polluting the temple ambience and then blaming the deities of that temple. In the old days, there used to be recitation of the PuranM, 1 meditation, yoga and such programs in temples. The people then had devotion and faith. In those days, sto­ries about the Lord used to be

staged duri ng the festivals. Children, how ma ny good

deeds we can do with the money that we collect in the name of festivals! In the vil­lages, there are so many peo­ple who are suffering w ithout a home. We can build houses for them. We can buy food and cloth ing for the poor. We can help householders who cannot afford to conduct mar­riages. We can print religious books and distribute them fre_z. We can teach young children these books. We can construct orphanages. We can raise abandoned children there and instil noble sam­skara in them. In this way, we. can ensure that there are no abandoned children in the · future. Not only that, such steps can }wlp foster unity

among people. Child rei~, learn from· the

Christians and Muslims. How many good things they do!

1 L ~~~llf't'lldta ~~/.•{twic•,, ( tnc!tuJinq the bi,~qrczplltt',t o/.~linf,,, kt·ll.tJ·I tlllt) .iJrt'tll pc•oplc• ), ,zl/t:qorit., atul

chr,,nu·!t.• c~(qrt•a/ bt·,,hwi,·al t'l'tll/,1 that aim It'

mal..·,• tf,,·teachlii.!J.' ·f tJ,,. I ~·dti.' tH'tiilcd•lc• It' .;I/.

They build orpha nages and schools, teach abandon ed ch ildren and do whatever is necessary for their upbringing. They school young children in religious texts. Children, have you see any dilapidated church? No. But look at Hin­du temples. There are ·so many temples that are not being cared for by anyone. The Devaswom Board looks after the affairs of the big temples. Although there is revenuP from these temples, the Devas­wom Board completely ig­nores the small temples.

Children, we must take special care to restore and renovate temples, and to pro­mote religious art forms there. \Ve should join hands to safe­guard our temples and their sanctity. If not, our very cul­

ture will decay.

Question: Amma, is there any need to worship God, who is formless, as One with form?

Amma: Children, by nature, we want to share our sorrows

Sovember 200!) 5

with a friend and thus gain some consolation. Elevating this idea to sharing our sor­rows or communicating with the universal Being is the aim of worshipping God with form.

If a child is pinched by his friend while they are playing, he will go crying to his moth­er. When he is a little older, he will tell his friend about how his mother spanked him or how his brother fought with him. Later, he will confide his sorrows to his girlfriend and

thus try to gain some consola­tion. (She will also do like­wise.) However, neither will get over their suffering; by

sharing their sorrows, they will only becomr~ doubly sad.

Their situation is like that of a rat snake trying to swallow a huge frog; both parties suf­fer. No one can confer total peace on us. If we can elevate

this sharing of sorrows to the level of communicating with

God, we can attain permanent peace. God will give us only bliss.

6 • No,·ember 2009

Love for the form less God will not arise so easily. An ordinary person might not get satisfaction so easily from worship of the formless God. Nor11-duaF da{)hana [spiritual

practice] without devotion is

as enjoyable as eating stones. Children, God, who is form­less, can also assume forms. God is omnipotent. Assuming a form for the sake of devotees is not difficult at all. Doesn't

water become ice? Can't sea­water be turned into salt? Likewise, God assumes a form according to the will of the devotee. If one has firm faith in one's i..thta dePafa [deity

that one likes], one can reach the Goal. Children, you must understand that God is noth­ing but the very nature of our own Self. \Ve should pray, seeing all forms as different facets of the one God. Instead of digging many holes, con­centrate on one. Then, you

will soon get water to quench

2 Re/trrin_q /t1 Atl,•aita, /l1t' llt'll -dua! pf,i fA,ophy, ll'hich hold,, that the Crt•alt ll" and Crt'a l ion are u!tinw!t· fv tJ!le .

your thirst. Isn't the current coursing through the fan, re­frigerator and the light bulb the same? It just functions differently, according to the medium. Likewise, there is only one God. Just as a boat takes you to the jetty, and a bus to the bus-stop near your house, our notions of God can take us to the shore of the ocean oLtat-chit-ananda [exist­

ence-knowledge-bliss]. Children, no matter what

the sorrow, don't double it by sharing with another person. Offer it to God, and thus be

free of that sorrow. Once, when Lord Shiva

and His Consort Goddess Parvati were spending time together, Lord Shiva sud­denly got up and left. He re­turned almost immediately.

"Why did you return so quick­ly?" Parvati asked Shiva.

"One of my devotees would

share his sorrow, whatever it was, only with me. He would never tell his wife, children or

mother anything. Today, while going somewhere, he was ac-

cidentally mistaken for a thief. People gathered around him and started beating him up. When I reached there, he was telling his friend who was with him, 'These people are

beating me for a wrong I haven't committed. You must

help me inform them that they are mistaken.' So, there was

no need for me. That's why I

returned." If we seek help elsewhere,

God will not come near us.

Seek refuge in God alone. He will protect us. There is no doubt about it. The Lord was born only for the sake of His devotees. Children, you shouldn't say things like, "God has no compassion," or "You can't see God." He is always calling out, with outstretched hands, "Children! Children!" However, instead of looking

His way, we are always ab­sorbed in our own dreams. We then blame God. The government awards scholar­

ships to students with good scholastic performance. Can those who don't study hard

November 2009 1d ••n,·uni '1

blame the government? Simi­larly, the Lord is ready to give us everything. Is there any point in blaming Him if we are not deserving?

Children, there is no differ­ence between butter and ghee. There is no difference between ice and water. God without form and God with form are just two sides of the same Truth.

Question: Amma, do pitrkarma [rites dedicated to ancestors] bear fruit?

Am rna: Children, a pure­hearted resolve is very power­ful. If a deed is to bear fruit, there must be a pure~hearted resolve behind it. Wh~n we perform rites for the departed, we chant the mantras with the ancestor's birth star, name, form and personality in mind.

Children, there is a deity governing every action. Can't the postma"n correctly deliver a letter from a man in Persia to his parents in India? If so,

8 Sov~utber 2000

this too is certain. If the re­solve is pure, the deities gov­erning the mantras will de­liver the fruits of the rites to the soul concerned. It will also be conducive for the well-be­ing of the soul.

Question: What proof is there that the prophecies of the rishis are true?

Am rna: Children, everything they said has come true. Hasn't everything said in the Bha_qa­Palam' about the Kafi Yu_qa.; come to pass? 'The father will eat the son. The son will eat the father. Forests will become houses. Houses will become shops.' Isn't this how things a:'re today? The rishis ate leaves and fruits, performed tapa,l [spiritual austerities] and realized the Truth. What ab-out us? We live only to eat!

Our rishis prophesied -a

Epu· "" fh,· life .uultun~.· ..( tl~ 111 pr111ui••d /Jh",Irnatt,,ll.' t~/ LonJ l 'i~~hnu . lhr J>n•.,,•,•t•cr 111

II•? f!uula Trinitv. ) Fhr f;,ur/LJ ant) jr~n,z/ :-.vel,• ~~l('/Ytrli'on cb.rraclt·r­

t.-"':Cr' /r .Jmordl dr_qrmldtion.

number of things ages ago. Discoveries that today we consider amazing were effort­lessly attained by them long ago. For example, scientists invented 'test-tube babies.' However, didn't Lord Vyasa create all the 101 Kaurava5

offspring in a pot? You must remember that he infused life into a mere lump of flesh! Compared with this, today's test-tube babies are nothing. Similarly, in the Ramayana/ th~re is mention of the pu.thpa­ktH•imanam.1 When did mod­ern scientists invent airplanes? How many more such in­

stances there are! Amma is not dismissing the

scientists of today and their discoveries as insignificant. Amma is pointing to all these to indicate that there is noth­ing that cannot be achieved by tapas. For the rishis, all

5 The c/,111 that oppo.<e<l the Pamial'a clan in th,•

Alahal•hamla u·~~r.

6 E/11·c 011 the !tfe anti time.< 4 Lorti Rama, an

infarnaliont~/LorJ Ft~d;nu. I The ,![,•ine aeroplane pre.•wteti by Lorti Bmhma

(!he Creator) lo J(u/•era, yotul.<J<'~" brother o/ Ra·

i'aJltl, Lord Rama:, arch enemy.

these were insignificant. They could create anything by mere resolve.

In the past, there were great distances between hous­es. Many medicinal plants such as the neem, fig and itti (Loranthus) would be planted around each house. Even the wind blowing against these plants would have a special healing quality. The air would purify the atmosphere. People in those days held fast to truth and righteousness. However, things have changed today. People have cut down trees, and built houses and shops there. Truth and righteous­ness have lost their value. Do qualities like mutual trust, love, sincerity, patience and renunciation still exist? If it rains, it rains heavily. If the sun shines, it is overwhelm­ingly hot. When rains don't fall during the crop growing season, the crops are ruined. Our ancient rishis prophesied that such things would take place. Everything is happen­ing just as they said. ~

November 2009 ah·•n·uni 9

'

)I ,.

Sat~ang

being with AMMA by ramaadevi (lynn marie Zanier, u.s.a.)

Before meeting Amma,

I had lost faith in any organized religion and had turned to nature to feel a connection to the Divine. I spent a lot of time in nature and volun­teered with environmen­tal advocacy groups. I soon realized that even those who have noble as­pi rations to do good for the world may not live up to such noble values in their personal lives. I real­ized that I myself didn't

really understand how to live a noble life and found it hard to make sense of the contradictions around

and within me. I decided that before I could really serve others or Mother Earth, I had to find out how to live properly myself. •

10 'tlafruvani November 2009

But I didn't know where to turn to get this knowledge. I didn't understand spiritual teachers either. I had seen posters of different Indian masters who were travelling in the West, but I had grown

up thinking Eastern spiritual­ity was taboo, and so, I never

gave the masters more than a passing glance.

I had taken Hatha Yoga courses for the exercise only.

I remember during a class in my late teens, the instructor would begin to lead a medita­tion at the end. When she had us all in Jhapa,ltllla, the corpse

pose, she would dim the lights. At that moment, I would

slowly bring my hands up to my head and plug my ears so that I wouldn't hear the med­itation! I didn't want to be

brainwashed! Some years later, out of

curiosity, I read something that explained the science of

Eastern spirituality. This re­al]vr opened my eyes. I saw that there was nothing nega­tive about eastern spirituality.

It isn't some superficial New Age fantasy but an infinitely deep and ancient philosophy. It is, in fact, a science, wherein each individual discovers his I her oneness with the Univer­sal Consciousness. This Truth

has been proven time and time again in the inner laboratories of spiritual Masters.

On my first trip to India, it

became clear why many great souls have emerged from this tradition. Many of the mis­

conceptions I had held previ­ously fell away.

The people of the East have traditionally been focused on controlling their inner nature rather than outer nature, in their quest for the fullness of spiritual experience. There­fore, the East has produced adepts at spiritual science.

I saw that the philosophy of India could potentially help me make sense of my experi­ences. However, on our own,

we can progress up to a point only, but beyond that, the mind's tricks can lead us

down the wrong path. At that

November 2009 !tlairulo 11

,, ,j'

']!

point, we really need the pres­ence of one who has reached the goal, who actually experi­ences the Universal Con­sciousness, knows the pitfalls along the path, and can see the subtleties of the seeker's inner life.

As soon as this yearningfor a spiritual teacher arose, I was shown a video of Amma. It was shown by a man in the very office where I was work­ing at the time, and who was helping to organize Amma's first tour to the West. I met Amma during that first tour in 1987.

My first meeting with Amma was in the natural en­vironment of Mt. "S:p.asta. I had camped in an unmarked camping space in the woods. When the evening program was over, I had to walk back to the campsite alone in the dark. Until then, I had been troubled by an irrational fear of the dark. It was extremely debilitating. I had no idea what the cause was. That evening, for the first time in

12 }Jai••u,.·.:mi November 2009

my life, I was not afraid of the dark. And I have never been afraid of the dark ever since.

In the beginning, many of us have the impression that when we reach a realized soul like Amma, everything in life will just fall in place just as we think it should. We think that life will flow with little or no ripples. However, we all have different prarabJha karmad (ef­fects of past actions) that we must experience. Amma helps us to move through difficult times with the correct attitude, and through these experi­ences, we gain mental strength. It is like having 'designer karma'. Amma is a divine art­ist who creates beautiful art with whatever material she is giVen.

Just two years after meet­ing Amma, still living in the West, I was having a bad time at work and with friendships. I was just waiting to be in Amma's presence again. I knew she would help me m.ake some sense of things. I was experiencing so much inner

anguish that I couldn't even bring myself to tell her any thing about it. I felt that sim ply basking in her energy would make me better. Amma of course picked up on my state immediately. She looked at me intensely when she saw me. That was all. 1 had the faith that she was somehow taking care of it. Soon I was to experience how much com­passion and care pours forth from the Master to the disci­

pl$· That was the first time Amma accepted help with the darshans. An Indian devotee and I became the first assist­ants in America for what is now called the 'lap position.' Amma herself trained us. It was as if we were going through an intensive aware­ness workshop. Day after day, during the entire tour across the country, I sat next to Amma day and night, helping people into her lap. 1 periodi­cally heard others whispering,

"Why is "she the one doing this?" I never said a word about it. Only Amma and I

knew what was really hap­pening. I was the patient and she was the Divine Doctor, giving intensive care to bring me through a critical period of my life. It was purely be­cause of her compassion that 1 was allowed to be close to her like that. I received more than I will ever _ know from

that experience. The feeling of bliss in­

creased with each darshan, as I would try to see myself in all who came, and imagined that Amma was hugging and heal­ing another aspect of myself. I could feel the joy and relief of each person when darshan ended. As these all-day vi­carious darshans continued, 1

~ lost all the anguish I had been

feeling earlier, and became completely absorbed in this heaven around Am rna. By the time we reached the middle of the country, I was feeling completely blissed out! People were coming up to me and saying things like, "Oh, you are so peaceful! You ~ust be such a high soul!" I started to

dron·mti 13

I, I

think, "Well, I mn feeling lov­ing and peaceful. Maybe, there is something to this." I had forgotten completely about the anguish and confu­sion I had been experiencing just a couple weeks before!

The next morning, I waited to see if Amma would again call me to help with the dar­shan; I had been trying to prepare myself mentally to be replaced any time. I was re­lieved when she again asked me to sit by her and help. But something was different. As soon as the first person came up for darshan, only judg­ments and critical thoughts came to me about her. This continued for the ne~t person and the next, and so on. Per­plexed, I looker! at Aroma's face. She was looking just past me with a rather amused, knowing smile on her face. I thought "Oh no! Busted!"

I realized that the bliss and loving acceptance I had been feeling earlier was the result of tuning into Aroma's con­tinuous outpouring of Love.

14 ,)fatl'ln'll"i Nov&!mber 2009

In her presence, I had received a taste of the divine love that we all have deep within us. I was like the moon reflecting the sun, but Amma wants us to become Self-effulgent, like the sun!

Amma says that when we have been living our lives in a certain way and have devel­oped certain thought patterns and habits, it takes some time to change the course of our mind. Suppose we are driving and want to take a turn. We cannot do so immediately. We must first slow down before safely making the turn. We can then pick up momentum in the new direction.

I saw that after getting a taste of Divine Love, I now had to put forth some of my own effort to deal with the negative th~ught patterns, which were the main cause of the anguish I had been feeling previously.

I was thrown into a di­lemma, knowing that Amma could see each thought that

. passed through my mind. I felt

I had to do something drastic quickly. Suddenly, a wonder­ful visualization came to me: I imagined that each negative judgment or thought was a little pink demon. I imagined shooting the demon up, through the top of my head. As the demon soared through the air above my head, I im­agined Amma, dressed in the fierce form of Kali with trident and sword, piercing the demon with the trident, and instantly the" demon woulq burst into flames and burn to a crisp! Amma would take the crisp from the trident a."~d enclose it in her hand. She would then open her hand again, and the crispy demon would be trans­formed into a chocolate kiss. I then imagined Amma laugh­ing "Ho! Ho! Ho!" popping the demon-turned-chocolate kiss into her mouth, and smil­

ing contentedly. With each person who

came for darshan and with all th~ judgments that would arise in my mind, I repeated this visualization over and

over again. As each darshan in those days was really long, I had plenty of time to dispose of each demon completely. This went on for the whole darshan. By the time Amma finished, I was totally ex­hausted! When I thought she was getting ready to stand up, I scooted back a bit, since I was feeling ashamed of my negative thoughts. To my sur­prise, Amma called me for darshan. She obviously knew I really needed one. When I approached her, she reached out for me and laughed "Ho! Ho! Ho!" just as she had done in my visualizations! I real­ized that I was the little demon .she was turning into a kiss!

Amma says that the spir­itual path is a journey back to our pure, innocent state. Get­ting rid of negative thoughts and tendencies is one step; the next is replacing them with positive thoughts and tenden­cies. Amma says, "Transcend­ing the weaknesses of the mind and living in love is Godliness."

November 2009 "l:dt'U'!i'Utsi 15

IHI

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1 I~ 1

11

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She gives us so many tools to do this~chanting our man­tra, chanting the names of God, reading spiritual books, singing devotional songs, sup­porting charitable projects, doing seva, and meditating.

I have always lived an ad­venturous life, but I find the spiritual quest~ the daily inner seeking and explorations~far more interesting and adven­turous than anything I have ever attempted before.

After meeting Amma, I did not move to India immedi­ately but stayed at the San Ramon ashram. I worked part-time and spent the rest of my time in the gar:dens and orchards there. During that time, I gained especial inspira­tion from Aruma's childhood, since those were years of hard physical labour. There was no tractor then in the ashram, and not many people were involved in the daily outdoor work. We did have large work parties during the weekends to plant trees, build fences, shovel compost, etc. However,

l(j 'thdrmm'' Novcmbc•• 2009

since things were usually not completed on the weekends, I did a lot of it on my own dur­ing the week. Digging and shovelling compost were my usual occupations. Even though the work was hard, I treasure those days for the time it gave me for self reflec­tion and trying to put Aruma's teachings into practice.

A few years ago, Amma gifted her children with a meditation technique that spontaneously arose from her boundless ~ompassion~the lAM [Integrated Amrita Meditation] Technique5

1\1. I was blessed to be in the first teacher training course, and have been able to conduct courses throughout America. During the refresher courses, I receive a lot of feedback from practitioners: I am told that with regular practice, they feel an increased sense of peace and well-being. They are able to handle trying situ­ations with more grace. Some who have been meditating for over 20 years say that it is a

brilliant technique, one that helps them maintain the bliss of meditation for longer

throughout the day. There has been only one

person so far who has told me he couldn't feel any difference. We were standing with his wife when he was relating this to me. She quickly said, "As soon as he started the practice, I noticed that he has been more patient, and so much more loving and attentive to me and the children!" So, even if you don't notice a change, it is likely that your loved ones

will! If I were to define Aroma

in one phrase, it would be 'Lokah Sanzat~ta!J Sukhino Bha­Pantu, ' which means, 'May all beings everywhere have peace

and happiness.' Watch Amma for yourself

and you will see that her en­tire being exudes this prayer. She en•livens and positively affects each one she meets. She is focused on relieving our suffering. She says that we each have the spark of divin-

ity within. It is as if she is blowing on that spark to ig­nite it into a little flame so that we can then put forth our own efforts to keep it burning brighter and brighter.

A Master like Amma knows how to open the heart of each one who comes to her. I remember bringing a rose bud to Aroma long ago when she arrived at the San Ramon ashram. It was to be a symbol of offering my heart. It was a tight bud and I imagined that it would slowly blossom in Am rna's room during the time she was staying there. By the time I reached the ashram, Amma had already arrived, met everyone, and goge to her room. She would not come out again until the next day's pro­gram. I was feeling very sad about it, and sat in an outer room near Aruma's. I started inwardly talking to my rose bud, apologizing for being late and causing it to lose its chance to be blessed by Am rna. Suddenly, Amma came out of

(continued on page 26)

Novc•nhcr 2009 ~l;>lt•w•·ani 17

II

I

lllllll

N >1lUie

PLANTING TREES for the benefit of society

' by br. piyush (thomas goldberg, u.s.a.)

Today, we can see that Nature's balance has been upset. Natural disturbances such as tsunamis,

earthquakes and floods, for example, lend credence to this theory. Amma has said that this imbalance in Nature has been caused by the selfishness of human beings. Also, farming is becoming more and more difficult, owing to untimely and scarce rains. Some believe that a main cause of this is the dimin­ishing population of trees. The Ayurveda scriptures declare, Prinanamjivanam vananz'~'the forests cause pleasure and sustenance oflife.'

In the past, people lived in harmony with Nature. We can see this in the Ramayana. After Rama has been banished into the forest by his stepmother Kaikeyi, the subjects of Ayodhya travel there to visit him. When they arrive, Lord Rama asks, "How are the trees I planted many years ago, and nurtured with more affection than a mother gives a child? They haven't been uprooted by the wind or damaged, have they?" Rama asks this question while enquir­ing about the condition of the country. This suggests

18 _,.latt•n'f>'a; • N~vember 2009

that there is a correla­tion between the pro­tection of Nature and the prosperity of the nation. Therefore in order to protect the people of a country, the leader should have a strong feeling for na­ture and the natural places that need to be protected and pre­served.

We can help to re­store the balance in nature by planting trees. If each individu­al does so, and governments lend their support, then it is possible to do something to­wards restoring the balance in nature.

That's not all. In J\yurveda and other indigenous systems of medicine, plants are used as medicine to treat illnesses and to maintain good health. It is said, 'jagatyevam anatMhadam, na kimcit vldyate dravyam vaJhat na,narthayo.9ayoh.' In other words, there is nothing on earth that is not a medicine.

Through proper use and processing, we can tap into and utilize the medicinal prop­erties of all plants. I have heard that once Amma said, "Even if some new disease arises, God will create a plant to cure it.'' Since creation is full of these precious plants, it is in our interest to protect Nature. We should try to rediscover the massive benefits that plants can offer us, and implement them practically in society.

(continueJ on page 22)

19

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II

(continued front page J!)) In the olden days, the

mother would take care of the family, and prepare all tradi­tional medicines with just the plants grown on "their prop­erty. Such plants would in­clude mulclcuti, dry ginger black pepper, pannilclcurlca, guduci, lcayyoni and brai:Jini. From the previous genera­tions, she would have learned how to use these plants to cure diseases. Only if the disease was serious would a physician be consulted.

Now, if some of these plants happen to grow on their prop­erty, people are likely to mis­take them for weeds and re­move them. Instead, they will plant 'Italian grass." People should be given information on the uses of such plants and be encouraged to grow them. Respect for indigenous medi­cines and healing traditions is a step towards a balanced outlook. Certain Ayurvedic insights on the human consti­tution, anatomy, pathology, etc. are only now being dis-

22 'hd.•·nvnoi November 2009

covered in Western medicine. There is an incident that

comes to mind. One day, the ashram had received a big heap of unhusked grains from a newly purchased plot of land. Am rna unexpectedly came out and spent hours husking the rice with the residents. After­wards, she sat with some of the college students and spoke about the importance of Na­ture. She said that when she sees a green field, she becomes so excited that she feels the urge to run and embrace it. Amma then said that such sights are becoming rarer.

She also said that if one spends time with Nature, one will not need a girlfriend. Per­haps it was because she was speaking to college boys·that she used this analogy. Amma says that as a child, she would always speak to trees and plants, as well as animals. We should learn from Aruma's example. Let us try to culti­vate reverence towards Na­ture, and spend some time

daily with plants. """'

'r'

..

Li\.,'15

LILAS around amma

Living Goddess

It was during a vacation trip to our native home­town in Ker<~.la that my family and I first heard of Amma. When we visited a friend's house in Cochin, we saw a photograph of Amma in Devi Bhava. My friend said, "The Devi you worship daily is imagi­nary. Here she is in flesh and blood, the living Goddess!" We gazed on the photo with awe, won­dering who this woman wearing Devi's costume was. Was she really the living Goddess? Our friend suggested that we meet Amma when she visited Mumbai, and we agreed.

Amma visited Mumbai the following month. The whole family went to the Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga to see her. There were long, serpentine queues of people waiting to enter the hall. As we were first-time visitors, we got an early entry into

November 2009 'la"h•uvuui 23

I II

.I

the hall. After collecting our tokens, we sat down and

waited for Amma's arrival.

When we heard drums beat,

we saw a woman clad in white

being escorted to the stage.

Someone was holding an um­

brella over her. After the •

bhajans, satsang and medita­

tion, my son and I joined the

men's queue and got darshan

comparatively early. The women's queue was much

longer, and my wife and two

daug~ters were hesitant to

join that line, since it would

mean waiting a long time. I

suggested that we return some other time, since it was

getting late and I wanted to

drive home as soon as possible.

They were torn between. their

desire to have darshan, and

their reluctance to stand for

so long in the queue (we were

all first timers and unused to waiting so long). Amma's

heart must have melted. What

followed was surprising. My

wife and daughters were al­

lowed to join the men's queue.

No one stopped or opposed

24 i'lat•·ul'"'·"'' NoveJUber 2009

, this move. Thus, by Amma's

grace,. the whole family could

get an early darshan. A family friend living at

Nerul, where Amma's Mum­

bai ashram is located, said

that he would take us to the

ashram for Amma's darshan.

When we reached his house,

we were taken to the ashram,

but we missed dar shan owing

to our late arrival. My friend

insisted that we remain for

that night's Devi Bhava.

Since my friend's house

wasn't too far away from the

ashram, we decided not to

drive to the ashram. Our car

was parked in the lot on the

building premises, together

with another two dozen other

cars. After having Devi Bha­

va darshan, we walked back

to our friend's house. During

the journey there, my mind

was preoccupied with won­

dering if Amma was a saint or

the Goddess in human form.

·As we approached our friend's

house, my daughter drew our

attention to a picture or"Du­

rga on the rear window of our

"

'·

car. It was stuck on the glass,

thanks to dewdrops. We saw

that none of the other cars had

such a picture on them. We

wondered if someone could

have deliberately kept that

picture there, but then we had

not told anyone about our visit to the ashram to see

Amma. This picture gave us

the assurance that Amma was

the Goddess Herself.

During another one of Am­

rna's visits, the whole family

reached the venue at noon and

got tokens that guaranteed an

early darshan that evening.

When going for darshan, dev­otees had to show their tokens

at two points: where people

were calling out token num­

bers, and at the foot of the

ramp leading to the stage.

When our numbers were called,

I inadvertently gave my token

to the monitor at the first

check-point. When I reached

the second check-point, I could

not convince the monitors

there •that I had handed over

my token to the monitor at the

first point, since people with-

out tokens sometimes infiltrate

this area. I returned to the first monitor and pleaded with him

to return my token. He said he

did not recall collecting any

token from me. I was aghast!

I realized that although I had .

been among the .first to reach

the venue, I would not be al­

lowed to go for dar~han until

it was ending, probably early

next morning.

Seeing the predicament I

was in, my son suggested that

we pray to Amma. Our fer­

vent prayers were interrupted

by a loud crack. The sound

came from the ramp. A volun­

teer rushed to the spot to

check if the ramp was broken.

The monitors stopped admit­

ting people onto the ramp.

After inspecting the ramp,

which took about two or three

minute:>, the volunteer asked

the monitors collecting tokens

to admit the people faster as

he had taken too much time

to check the ramp. In the en­

suing confusion, the monitors

allowed a few people, includ­

ing my son and me, to pass.

25

As soon as I passed, they blocked access to the ramp, and resumed collecting to­kens. I sent a silent prayer to Amma for her timely help. When I looked up, I saw Amma looking intently to-. wards me, as if checking to see if I had been allowed to go up the ramp. I couldn't help feeling that Amma had engi-

(continued fronl page 17) her room and walked over to me and took the rose bud! She looked at it thoughtfully and then began-to open its petals.

Have you ever tried to open a rose bud before? It _cannot be done without tearing the pet­als. Watching her, I saw that the petals of this tight little rose bud seemed to relax and become suppl~ in Aruma's hands. It became a fully blos­somed rose in no time at all. I felt that she was opening the tiny bud of my heart. The rose bud was transformed into the most beautiful rose I have ever seen.

26 ~J;th'UHhiJ November 2009

neered the whole situation~ from my handing over of the token at the first check-point to the cracking sound of the ramp~so that I could go for darshan. Not just that, through this incident, Amma showed me that she will answer all

sincere prayers.~ ~Lt. (Reto) Prabhalcaran Nair,

India

Amma turned the rose in her hands and looked intently at each and every petal. Then as suddenly as she had come, Amma stood up, casually handed the rose to a toddler who was in the room and walked away! I inwardly gasped, "My heart! She just gave it away ... to a little child who can't eyen appreciate it!"

In those few moments Amma conveyed to me that when we make an offering, we

must be prepared to give up expectations of any return. And everything that is offered to Amma, she offers up for the good of the world. ~

News

DEVI'S BIRTHDAY

Most people celebrate their birthdays with family and a few close friends. They relax on their birthdays and enjoy presents and good food. Not Amma. On her birthday, she invites thousands upon thousands of guests, feeqs thousands, and she herself is the gift. This year, as always, Amma offered herself unstintingly for days before the event, and gave her usual marathon darshan on the day itself.

This year's birthday celebrations coincided with the final days of Nauar..atri-the nine­day festival dedicated to worshipping Devi, the Goddess. in her aspects as Durga, Lak­shmi and Saraswati­including the three days dedicated to the wor­ship of Goddess Saras­wati. The devotees took full advantage of being in the ashram at this auspicious time, and the kalari (ancestral temple) was palpitating with pujas and mantras chanted with melting devotion. Many devo-

Nove01ber 2009 ~h·•u·m•i 27

'Ill

Star-struck: Mohanlal, one of Kerala's most popular actors. gazes at Amma as she addresses the Vidyamritam scholarship children.

tees read the Deui Mahatmyam daily during this time. This de­votional work sings the glories of the Goddess's divine exploits. It speaks of how the form of Devi emerged from a mountain of light, and how She took birth to remove the darkness that had fallen upon the earth. Our modern day Devi is hard at work shining her light into the dark corners of society: poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, s~xual abuse and so on. The battle

28 't(.dt·u~atJi November 2009

against these ills, and the compas­sion of Amma and her devotees who are assisting her in this strug­gle, seemed to be the theme of this year's birthday celebrations. Only Amma could have galvanized vol­unteers to serve on this scale, or have successfully launched such innovative programs to benefit society. Amma's birthday celebra­tions showcase the far-reqching beneficial effects of her incarnation for the world.

On Friday, September 25th, the first batch of 10,000 students who would be the beneficiaries of the Vidyamritam project began stream­ing into the ashram. This project provides scholarships to needy children who would not otherwise be able to continue their education. The stories told by these children are so heartbreaking that after hear­ing two or three, it is difficult to listen to more. Yet, all the children we talked to had so much hope for the future because of the help they were getting from Amma. The

ashram had been providing schol­arships to 30,000 students; 2,000 more were going to be added that weekend. Ultimately, the project aims to sponsor the education of 100,000 needy children.

Many of the children were contestants in the finals of the arts competitions held for the Vidyamritam students in areas like elocution, essay writing, painting, and storytelling. Their wide eyes and excited smiles made them a treat to watch. Some of them were leaving their villages for the

Motherly affection: One of the blessed Vidyamritam scholarship children

November 2009 'fait•n,.·aui 29

first time. The semi-finals were held at the Kali Temple, and the residents were highly impressed with the self-assurance and en­thusiasm of the children. When Amma came out to give darshan, the students moved to the back hall where a wonderful puppet and ' magic show was held for them. It stressed values like not smoking or drinking, and keeping the environ­ment dean. Amma returned after bhajans to continue giving darshan to the children.

Th·e Amritapuri campus of Amrita University, located across the backwaters from the ashram, was the focus of the birthday-eve activities. The finals of the elocu­tion competition took place in the morning on the huge stage as the last of the 10,000 Vidyamritam children arrived on campus. The junior and senior categories saw eight participants each arguing spiritedly on the need to preserve Mother Nature in order to ensure a healthy future for humankind. The topic for the juniors was 'Nature, My Mother.' Neethu T. Pillai from Pathanamthitta bagged the first prize. The seniors were given a

30 'la1.t·uvau; November 2009

,

choice of topics: 'Save Nature to Save Mankind' or 'World Peace through Human Values.' Haritha K.K. from Malappuram won the first prize by speaking on the former topic.

The Vidyamritam children filled the venue, dressed alike in grey­and-white striped tops and grey skirts or trousers. They had been given a free set of clothes upon arrival. The logistics of distribution was supervised by students from the Bangalore campus of Amrita University. These clothes were an­other example of Amma's personal attention to the welfare of the chil­dren. She had the measurements taken for each individual child, and the clothes fitted each child to perfection. The clothes project also brought an employment boon of a year's work to tailors from the villages of Kallam, Alleppey and ldukki, most of whom were beneficiaries of Amma's self-help projects for the poor.

The logistics of transport­ing, housing and feeding tens of thousands of guests are daupting. However, under Amma's expert guidance, everything went off

smoothly. The staff and students of Am rita University worked hard to make sure the children who come to Amritapuri were secure and comfortable. The ancient motto of India, 'Treat the guest as God,' was clearly at work. Under the guidance of the University's Pro-Chancellor. Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya, a dedicated team of staff from the University prepared identity badges for the children, ar­ranged their food and accommoda­tion, and distributed cheques and

clothes to the beneficiaries. Above all, they wanted to make sure that these children, who were probably leaving their parents for the first time, felt at home in Amritapuri.

In order to ensure that every­thing went smoothly, 26 counters were set up in the Am rita Sc~ool of Engineering grounds. managed by 784 staff and student volunteers from the Amritapuri and Ettimadai campuses. These counters took care of the registration of Vidyam­ritam beneficiaries. From that point,

Mass Marriages: Amma passing the taali (wedding necklace) to the 56 couples

November 2009 Jlatt·nvmd 31

every volunteer was assigned a group of 10- 25 children and t~e guardians accompanying them.

"For the next three days, act as elder brothers and sisters to these children," instructed Br. Abhayamrita, and the student volunteers took these instructions to heart. They had to accompany the children to their accommo­dation, meals and the program venue. They had to ensure that their charges got their meals on time, got to bed by 10 at night, and woke up early to get to the venue in time for the programs. One could see the focused volun­teers keeping an eagle eye on their charges as they moved through the venue linked hand in hand. There were also sweet scen·es when the volunteers sat with the children in a circle around them, smiling and chatting like old friends.

On the afternoon of the 26th, Amma came to the stage. The chil­dren were dressed up in their new uniforms. with colourful ribbons in their hands. They started waving them when they saw Amma on the dais. and chanted in unison, 'Amritasya putrah uayam'-'We

32 Jolatru·nmi November 2009

are the children of immortality.' Amma waved her hands to the gathering, and there was a roar of applause and cheers.

After the inauguration of the function. distribution of prizes for the winners of the competition. and speeches by the dignitaries, Amma interacted with the chil­dren, making them aware of the need to preserve water, protect nature, and not waste food; she also addressed the benefits of veg­etarian food, respecting the older generation, and the bad effects of smoking and drinking. She led them in chanting 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhauantu' (.'May all be­ings everywhere be peaceful <1nd happy?). Before bhajans. Amma also led them in the chanting of the Saraswati mantras. What better blessing for their education than this? After bhajans, Amma gave darshan to the children who had not yet received her hug.

After two action-packed days, the morning of the birthday cel­ebrations dawned with the Maha­Ganapati Homa offered a,t the venue. This was followed by the chanting of the Lalita Sa-

hasranama for world peace and happiness. Afterwards, Swami Amritaswarupananda gave a talk.

Amma was welcomed to the program grounds by Mohini-attam dancers. Swamiji performed the Pada Puja, after which the sannya­sis took turns to garland Amma.

Amma then delivered her birth­day address. She said, "There are two important days in our lives. The first is the day we are born. The second is the day we realize why we were born. But for many peopl~> this second day never comes. They live mechanically from the day they are born to the day they die. We will only be able to appreciate the beauty and magnitude of life when we realize its true purpose. Today, we are squandering our precious powers of thinking and discrimination on insignificant and impermanent

....... things. Once we become caught in this cycle, it is very difficult to get OIJt. Spirituality begins with compassion . and compassion is its expression."

Am'lla stressed the negative effects of drinking alcohol. "It's not whiskey or liquor we are drink-

ing, but the blood and tears of our loved ones," she said. Later in the program. 56 people from the local area took a formal pledge before Amma to spread awareness of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Upon the conclusion of Am­rna's address, the 2009 Amrita Keerti Puraskar was bestowed upon Prof. K.V. Dev for his out­standing !=Ontributions to spiritual­philosophical literature. Next. as part of its Amrita Sree Self-Help program. the Ashram distributed 32 new sewing machines to wom­en forming an Amrita Self-Help Group in Wayanad. Several new ashram publications were released during the function. which con­cluded with the marriages of 56 imp_?verished couples. The ashram p"rovided everything necessary for the weddings. including gold orna­ments for the brides .

At noon, Amma begari her marathon darshan that would last until six the next morning. During darshan . many interesting cultural programs were performed by students from her many insti­tutions. The Amrita Vidyalayam students performed a beautifully

November 2009 -· :J:J

,

.... Jlmtita l<eerti Puraskar: Prof KV Deu (right) holding aloft the citation

costumed and engrossing dance, featuring many of the countries where Amma travels every year. Late at night, when many began to feel the long day ·and late hour, the Badugas from Ooty began dancing, rousing everyone in the hall. Swamiji sang a beautiful set of bhajans featuring the classic birthday bhajan, 'lnallo Kartika

Nalu.' What can I give you as a birthday present, Amma? Alas Mother, I have nothing to give you. Nothing at all that would match your divine

34 ;n~d•·tntw: .November 2009

love. Let me dedicate my life to you ...

The words of the song seemed to echo Amma's speech. "There are two important days in our life: the day we are born and the day we realize why we were born." How many of h·er devotees may have had that realization of the true pur­pose of life on her birthday, inspired by the compassion and selflessness of Amma and her disciples.

Under a drizzling rain, the chil­dren, the newly married. and mem­bers of the Self-Help groups began

leaving the venue. They will have many challenges to face in their lives, but we can only imagine how much inspiration and courage they must have experienced in the days before. That morning, September 28th. was Vijayadasami. At the ashram, the Saraswati puja was about to begin, initiating new scholars. The Deui Mahatmyam was being chanted by numerous devotees. "The adorable Devi, although eternal, incarnates again and again, protecting the world ... whoever with a concentrated mind prays to Me constantly, I will re­move every trouble of theirs."

-Rta (Rita Sutcliffe, U.S.A.)

October 2nd, 2009, Muscat: Amma's children celebrated her birthday at the Sreekrisha Temple Hall in Darsait. The program began at 6:30p.m. with Paduka Puja and the chanting of the Guru Stotram and Amma's Ashtottaram. This was followed by Vilakku Puja. Bhajans began after the Lalita Trishati. The program ended with arati and prasad distribution. Many attended the celebration.

-Narayanan Menon (Unni)

September 27th, 2009, Auckland: The gym at Auckland Montes­sori Primary School was cleaned a week before the birthday. The day before, devotees decorated it with balloons and streamers. This was not as easy as we thought, since the balloons kept bursting. Many thought that the following day, we would find only strings and no balloons. By Amma's grace, all the balloons were intact. An hour be­fore the celebration started, a TV set was brought in, and we were able to watch a video of Amma singing bhajans.

The celebration began at 10:30 a.m. with the chanting of 'Om,' fol­lowed by the chanting of Amma's Ashtottaram and the Lalita Sa­

. hasranama. We sang some lively bhajans, including an energetic rendition of 'Maheshwari' that was especially enjoyable. After arati, we lit the candles on Amma's chocolate birthday cake, and sang 'Happy Birthday' to our Divine Mother. Food, prepared in the Kerala style by some of the devo­tees, was distributed as prasad. The function ended all too soon.

-Kauyashree

35

11 11

..9lm.J1tcL 1J edicateJ r(jreert Year} . JUNE 5TH, 2009- JUNE 5TH, 2010

Amma has been encouraging everyone to serve Nature through activities such as planting trees, starting vegetable gardens, and walking instead of driving whenever we can. We can thus be in harmony with the oneness that pervades all of Creation, thereby

restoring the lost balance of Nature. Amma has dedicated the coming year-June sth (World

Environment Day) this year to June sth next year-as 'Green Year.' All efforts that benefit the environment will be redoubled.

Thousands of trees will be planted in the more than 25 countries where Amma's Green Friends units are already active. Organic gardens will be sprouting all over the world, since Amma has highlighted the importance of taking responsibility for our food production. Recycling centres for waste management will be organized in all of Amma's schools and spiritual centres to help lessen the burden of trash on Mother Earth. Composting workshops are planned so that we can learn and practise the simple technique of turning food waste into organic soil for gardens. Learning how to conserve energy and water in all our daily activities will help reduce the carbon pollution in the atmosphere; t~e less carbon, the less global warming.

Amma uses the water she washes her hands with to water plants. Whenever we wash a plate or cup, we can be aware of how much water we are using and try to reduce it to the minimum. If we ·see a water tap dripping or running, we can take a moment to turn it off. If we see that a light has been left on unnecessarily, we can turn it off. Using less plastic is another way to -stop the destruction of Nature. Using cloth bags for shopping can save billions of plastic bags.

If there isn't already a GreenFriends group in your area, start one! If you haven't peen active in GreenFriends, now is the time to get involved. We all need to do our part.

For more information, write to: Coordinator_ GreenFriends, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Amritapuri Campus, Clappana P.O., Kallam- 690525 Email: greenfriends@amritapuri. org

PEACE WITH NATURE

September 21st, 2009, Am­

ritapuri: The United Nations

World Peace Day was cel­

ebrated with great energy

and enthusiasm. After weeks

of preparation. AYUDH and

GreenFriends put together a

grand event to welcome all.

The aim of the day was to

spread awareness of current

environmental issues to the

students of Amma's various

colleges in the Amritapuri cam­

pus. The theme, 'Peace with

Nature,' emphasized the need

to reconnect with and protect

our Mother Earth. -·-··-·-·--·-·-

In his talk. Swami Ram- Discard nothing: A participant learns akrishnananda highlighted the hall! to make boxes from waste plastic.

differences between our relationship towards nature now

and in the past. He stressed the need to regain the attitude

of reverence and respect towards nature in order to restore

the lost harmony of life. Several videos were shown to

highlight Amma's teachings on environmental protection

and the various environmental projects her devotees have

undertaken all around the world. These projects include a

house made from beehives. clearing trash. and tree planting

activities by AYUDH.

Dr. Murali Valabhan. a leading advisor and lecturer on

sustainable development and eco-spirituality in Kerala.

November 2009 :natrn~amd 37

spoke on internal peace and exter­

nal harmony in the context of the

man-nature relationship.

As a symbol of peace between

people of different cultures as well

as between humankind and nature,

Swami Purnamritananda handed

over a peace tree to the interna:

tiona! AYUDH and Greenfriends

members. He then led everyone in

chanting the peace prayer 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhauantu' 18

times. Swami Purnamritananda

spoke about how we should con­

nect .with our Self and become

peaceful internally before trying

to spread peace externally.

Dr. Diana Weis, an environmen­

tal activist from UK. concluded the

morning session with an uplifting

talk about social eritr,epreneur­

ship and green solutions for the

environmental crisis. She cited

examples of how to live efficiently

with green alternative resources,

such as zero-waste communities

in the Arizona desert, and cities in

China that cultivate their own food

on rooftops, watered and fertilized

by the drainage water of the house­

hold. By the end of the session , the

audience was convinced that with

38

a sincere desire to change and the

guidance of our beloved Amma,

each one of us can take steps to

counter global warming.

In the afternoon , students

and guests participated in differ­

ent workshops on the ashram's

ongoing green projects . There

was a recycled plastic weaving

workshop, which taught how to

make boxes from waste plastic. A

herbal, organic , and natural body­

care product workshop explained

how one can make 100% natural

products in order to avoid the

harmful chemicals found in most

beauty products. At the ashram's

com posting site, participants were

taught how to make compost from

scratch. A gardening workshop

at one of the ashram's tulasi and

vegetable gardens revealed how

one could grow organic vegeta­

bles. Finally, there was an artwork

workshop in which natural and

man-made items were collected

to create beautiful mandalas. In

the late afternoon, social work

students put on a skit about the

tree-hugging movement in Kerala. i

World Peace Day was also

ce lebrated in Amritapuri . That

"It is our supreme duty to protect and preserve nature. If we protect nature, she, in turn, will protect us."

-Amma

day, AYUDH USA inaugurated a

new youth-run organic vegetable

garden at M.A. Center, California .

In Ireland and Germany, the youth

went to schools to observe a

minute of silence and to reflect on

the importance of peace.

The day was a great success,

raising awareness about the impor­

tance of environmental protection

and igniting the passion to work

towards practical solutions. As

Amma says , " It is our supreme

duty to protect and preserve na­

ture . If we protect nature, she, in

turn , will protect us."

The Amritapuri peace tree was

taken to Amma for her blessing,

and she gave it a gentle kiss. It will

soon be planted at the Amritapuri

campus of the Amrita University

as a reminder of 'Peace with Na­

ture .' ~

-Aparna Mulberry, U.S.A .

Donations for Farmers' Rehabilitation Project (Mata Amritanandamayi Math)

Extending the 100% Income Tax exemption for donations towards the Farmers' Rehabilitation Project u/s 35AC & 80 GGA of the I.T. Act 1961 until March 2011, the Government of India's Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) has issued a notification in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Vide No. SO 4396 (E) in the Part 11 section 3 Sub Section (ii) Dated 12th Nov 2008. All donations may be sent to Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Amritapuri P.O. , Kollam, Kerala 690 525.

The cheques or drafts may be drawn in favor of Mata Amritanandamayi Math (Farmers' Rehabilitation Project). Drafts can be taken on any bank payable at Kollam. Please send your full official postal address and the PAN number along with your valuable contribution.

General Secretary

Novetnber 2009 -"'"'. ·••· ·• :;i 39

A 111111a. s Y.a.ll <7outz2009

.................................... , .. November 2- 4: Toulon, France

November 6- 8: Milan, Italy November 11 - 13: Barcelona, spain

san Ramon, u.s.A. November 16 -18: Public Program

November 19 - 21: Retreat All the san Ramon programs will be held at the M.A. center

in castro \,/alley_

Michigan, u.s.A. November 23 - 24: Public Program

November 25 - 27: Retreat

Devi Bhava darshan, open to the public, will be held on the

last evening of both retreats in U.S.A.

For more information, visit Amma-europe.org and amma. org

* Dates are subject to change_

~

40 ;tJat••uv<m; November 2009

. '·

"

~

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