Mata Amritanandamayi’s Divine Yatra 2018
Vellore - Bharat Yatra - 21 January 2018
Sunbeam Matric and CBSE Schools, Chittoor Road, Vellore
Traveling from Madurai, Amma arrived in Vellore, a city in the north eastern part of Tamil Nadu. It was her first visit to the city.
The city’s name, Vellore, has a special meaning associated with it. In Tamil, the word ‘vel’ means spear, which is the weapon of Murugan, and the word ‘oor’ means place. As the legend goes, Lord Murugan was a tribal hunter who appeared in a lotus pond to attack his enemies. Thus, the city of Vellore is known as the place where Lord Murugan appeared.
Upon her arrival on the stage, Jalakandeswarar Temple priests welcomed Amma with Poornakumbham and Vedic mantras. A huge crowd gathered at the SunBeam school grounds to greet Amma and listen to her words.
Tamil Nadu Governor, Banwarilal Purohit, and Marutha Raj were in attendance. MP garlanded Amma when she arrived on stage for the program. Honoring her inaugural visit to Vellore, the Governor had this to say about Amma, “Mata Amritanandamayi Devi has been spreading love and peace, not only in India, but throughout the world. The essence of her teaching is simple—the creation and the creator are not different. Since we are all created by the same creator, it is necessary to make a little space in our hearts for others. Love for humanity and for all beings is the message that Amma is propagating. Also, Amma has been propagating gender equality and women’s empowerment. I am sure, the entirety of humanity will be benefited by Amma’s venture aimed at the sustenance of friendship and togetherness without any discrimination or barriers.”
As a token of her gratitude, Amma gifted working capital to the AmritaSree Self-Help Group and gave out saris to its members.
The program was a long one, with temperatures dropping as low as 17 degrees in the city of Vellore, which is perched 709 ft above sea level. People waited in the cold, open air for the opportunity to receive Amma’s warm embrace.
Chennai - Bharat Yatra - 23-24 January 2018
132, Arcot Road, Virugambakkam, Nr. Avichi School, Chennai
In Chennai, Amma’s two-day Brahmasthanam festival filled the Chennai Ashram with a bustling crowd for the Bharat Yatra 2018. This year marks the 28th anniversary of the Chennai Brahmasthanam temple’s consecration.
Devotees thronged the venue from the early morning until the daily program’s finish late in the evening. Being the 28th anniversary, a mixed set of familiar faces and new ones colored the joyful two days of celebrations. Delivering her satsang in Tamil, Amma led the Meditation in Tamil as well.
Addressing the devotees Amma said that ancient seers have told that human beings should be balanced in all their activities – including sleep, exercise, speech, work, food consumption and expression of emotions. If anything becomes excessive, it becomes our weakness and this weakness can eventually become the cause of our downfall.
The thoughts and emotions are food for the mind. These thoughts and emotions also should be balanced. Moderation is required for our physical, mental and intellectual activities for happiness, health and longevity.
As has happened in the past, many famous singers and musicians performed for Amma on stage. Among the musical delights were Kumari Kanyakumari and Lalgudi GJ Krishnan, AS Ram on Keytar, who gave stirring performances. Famous singers Anuradha Sriram, Sriram Parasuram, and Amrita Murali also performed on stage. A Bharatanatyam dance performance by Aswin and Arjun made for a cultural evening alongside Amma’s Darshan continued.
During the two day bustling days of Brahmasthanam festival, Amma spent more than 15 hours on stage each day. As soon as darshan on the second day finished, around 3:30 AM, the colorful Chennai program came to a close and Amma immediately departed for the next program in Coimbatore.
Karthika Day - 26 January 2018
Coimbatore - Bharat Yatra
Amma visited Coimbatore for a two-day Brahmasthanam festival filled with devotees from Coimbatore and its neighbouring districts. University students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and school children from Amrita Vidyalayam performed several musical and dance performances.
Addressing the thousands gathered at the Amrita Vidyalayam school grounds, Amma asked everyone to perform right action and to free themselves from thoughts of worry regarding the past.
As with past years, a large group of Baduga devotees from Nilgiris performed their traditional dance while Amma joined them, briefly gesturing their signature moves while giving Darshan.
The Coimbatore program was a hot and dusty one, but the devotees waited as patiently as ever to receive Amma’s darshan.
Several students got mantra initiation looking for the peace and happiness that such practice can add to life.