The inspiration of Amma
A beautiful simple reminder occurred yesterday after receiving darshan from Amma. I was at a table awaiting to buy a photo of Amma to give to a friend , and what did I see in the photo dish? A gratitude card I had given to someone earlier. At first I wondered if it was the card I gave to Amma Last year, but quickly realised it was a card I had given to a volunteer the day prior. The gratitude I had given to someone already bounced back to me. I don’t know why it was there in the pile of photos. Was it being sold ? Or was it being simply shared?
The impact of Amma on my life has been quite deep that I have yet to put it to words. And yet each time I see her , I try to not have expectations. I learn that the act of seeing her is what it is for that moment.
Yesterday was the first time my husband received darshan from Amma, and us to receive darshan together. As we went up for our turn , someone was asking Amma questions via her interpreter. This person was Russell Brand. For a moment I didn’t know who to look at: Amma or Russell. I noticed the Ganesh tattoo on Russell’s arm, signifying remover of obstacles (in addition to many things). I was not surprised of this dilemma , as I seem to randomly be surrounded by celebrities. But then the question came , who do I worship? Stardom or spirituality , and here they are momentarily joined.
I inhaled the rose scent that Amma exuded , from the numerous flower offerings that had been bestowed upon her. And kept myself present ,listening to Amma , breathing in the moment. And then it was over.
My time with Amma is always an amazing blur, left for interpretations days and months later .
So much of my life has changed since first hearing about Amma six years ago. I’ve shifted to having a seva focus , serving others , versus attaining goals for myself.
The irony is the more I offer my life and work to others , the more my goals and dreams have been realised .
For more on Amma visit her website at
http://www.amma.org. For a brief look at Russell with Amma follow this link
It Only Takes A Smile 