A Walk to Remember

[Guest guest]

If you cant read the whole thing, just go straight to

the last paragraph!

 

Jai Ma,

Ravi

 

 

A Walk to Remember

19 Feb

 

On the way from Hyderabad to Nagpur, the North Indian

tour group stopped along the banks of the river

Godavari, about two kilometers off the main road. The

river Godavari is considered one of the seven sacred

rivers of India. The group waited patiently for Amma

to join us; some skipped rocks over the river; others

meditated on the setting sun, still others marveled at

a herd of passing water buffalo. When Amma’s car drove

down from the main road, everyone gathered around Her

chair, eager to spend a few moments with their Mother.

 

 

As the sun sank beneath the horizon, Amma asked Her

children to discuss the qualities necessary for a

devotee of the Lord and for spiritual aspirants in

general. Then She elaborated on the need for the

control of food, sleep, the importance of seva and

chanting the Divine Name. After the satsang She sang

two new bhajans and asked Her children to tell jokes

and stories before returning to the road. But this

synopsis does not do justice to the magic of the

evening—unfolding around Amma were some beautiful

illustrations of the truths expressed in Her satsang.

 

By the time Amma sat down, it was nearly dark. Many

of us took turns holding lamps in the air so that

everyone could see Amma under the stars. But like

moths to a flame—and like us two-legged moths to the

Light that is Amma—all the bugs of the countryside

flocked to the lamps. Whoever happened to be holding

one, and for that matter whoever was within a meter of

that person, found themselves covered in bugs from

head to toe!

 

 

As Amma and Her children discussed, among other

things, the importance of detachment one brahmachari

stood with a lamp in each hand for over an hour,

seemingly blissfully ignorant of the swarm of bugs

around him. But such an opportunity—to serve as the

candle to light the face of the Guru, simultaneously

draw the insects away from one’s beloved Amma, and

finally to practice detachment under trying

circumstances, could only be a gift from God.

 

Then, just after Amma and Her children were discussing

the importance of the control of food, and

discrimination between the Real and the unreal, the

Permanent and the impermanent, Amma encouraged

everyone to go and take chai. But to get chai meant to

walk away from Amma while She was singing new bhajans,

a rare and intimate moment with the Master. What was

one to do? It had been a long day’s journey and a warm

cup of chai in the chilly night air sounded good. But

what of Amma’s warmth? What about the Permanent

sweetness right in front of us? Some went for chai and

returned. Some stayed with Amma without an apparent

second thought. Some of us, myself included, failed

the test completely: staying with Amma while thinking

about drinking chai!

 

One more lesson (perhaps one of many…these are only

the three that I happened to catch) was in store for

the tour group before resuming the journey. After Amma

got up from her seat everyone crowded around the car,

hoping for a smile, a touch, a last glimpse. But

instead of getting into the car, Amma insisted that

She was going to walk back to the road. All two

kilometers of it. Some tried to talk Her out of it,

both at the start and en route, but Amma had

apparently made up Her mind to make the trek. Along

the way Amma was asking how to say different words in

English, like “stones” and “thorns” and then shouting

warnings when She spotted obstacles along the path:

“Children, be very careful! Stones! Thorns!” At one

particularly rough point She took a lamp from someone

who had been shining it near Her feet and held it high

in the air, illuminating the way ahead and asking Her

children to go forward, Herself staying behind till

the last children had caught up.

 

After Amma was inside Her trailer at the top of the

hill, it occurred to me that the walk was a beautiful

illustration of the way Amma is leading all of Her

children along the spiritual path, warning us when

obstacles arise, illuminating the path ahead, by Her

presence lending sweetness to the journey.

 

by Vinay

 

 

 

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