Amma names

[Guest guest]

Dear List members,

 

Would anyone on this list be willing to share with us their process of

receiving a name from Amma and how they went about incorporating it into

their life?

 

Here's a little of my story:

 

Though I've followed Amma since 1987, I did not feel moved to ask her for a

name until last January at the Ashram the day before we left. It was the

first time I had ever directly asked Her anything, I was very nervous

and...she said there was no time. I was quite crushed and left the next day

in a disheveled emotional state. I couldn't even bring myself to go into the

temple during morning darshan to say goodbye! By Her Infinite Grace, she saw

to it that we performed archana every morning upon returning, no small task

if you could hear how my tongue still balks at some of those wonderful

sanskrit names. At the retreat in Santa Fe, I felt very comfortable asking

again, having been told that Amma prefers to give Westerners names during

the programs here (though she blessed our son with a name there). It was a

joy to receive it, and somehow it felt like performing archana for 6 months

beforehand was a necessary step in this case. I felt very shy about using

the name at first, even with devotees. Actually, this list is about the only

place I use it, and even then irregularly and tentitively. It has been

growing on me. Just the other day after archana my husband pointed out to me

that it was number 730. I hadn't even realized it was one of Devi's names!

That was a sweet discovery. Today I read the discourse on it. After the

explosions around the eclipse, it feels like I have a long way to go before

putting on that name. It seems to be a slow process of growing into it, yet

another way Amma reshapes us.

 

So...that's my humble story. Any other stories to add some understanding?

Any explanations from the Hindu tradition about the bestowing of names would

be most welcome, of course!

 

In Her Grace,

 

kenna/premarupa