Sara's Report

[Guest guest]

Hi Gang,

 

Our dear sister Sara asked me to share parts of the

following e-mail she sent from Cochin.

 

Jyotsna

-

 

>

> It has been overwhelming....the crowds, the

> heat... bathroom issues..all that is an Indian event

> with hundreds of thousand of people.We did not

> participate in everything. After the first day

> (except for the day of the procession) we were not

> in the stadium in the afternoon because of the heat

> and the sun.'Asa was really bad with that, and it

> was hard on all of us. So, we went in the mornings

> and evenings. Basically everyone was in very

> difficult survival mode, trying to survive ...at

> what ever level they were on...whether Indian ,

> ashramite,Swami, or western devotee.We were there

> yesterday morning when the program ended and Amma

> left the stadium at about 8:20 AM.She had been

> sitting straight on from about 10 AM (when pada

> puja was performed) without leaving the stage; and I

> was told that She did not leave Her seat ...did not

> take any break...but after listening to the V.P.

> speech began giving darshan. We went back to the

> hotel during the V.P's speech as the sun was strong

> and it

> was becoming too hot. People say that the heat at

> Amritapuri is much easier to take and that it is not

> nearly as bad as it is here in Cochin.

> There are many , many stories.There are as many

> people outside the stadium as inside...you can

> imagine everything. Yesterday we went back to the

> stadium at 3 AM. It was a wonderful time. We got to

> go up on stage and I found a pillar to lean against

> and could keep me spot until the end. After 1 hour

> 'Asa was asked to leave the stage,

> but in the end it worked out for the best. There

> were not many people in the stadium...and not the

> sun yet, and she sat in the front row. Western

> devotees were on the stage, and at about sunrise

> rock--pop type songs were played (one was that free

> Wiily song) and the Western devotees on stage

> started dancing(you could be up there for 30 minutes

> at a time...but in the last period the monitors

> could not enforce this rule) and it brought a

> wonderful wake up energy to everyone, and the

> Indians had a good time watching the crazy

> westerners and Amma did too.Amma took time with Her

> darshans and it was not like a factory sweep

> through. I saw

> this, and until the end She was happy and

> concerned with each devotee that came for darshan;

> amazing. Words fail to describe Her and What She is,

> and the drama we are all involved in.

> In the last 20 minutes or so, I heard the darshan

> line monitors saying that any westerner who was not

> going back to Amritapuri could get darshan. The rule

> of the whole program was that there would be no

> darshan for those outside of India. Well, I clearly

> saw that my getting into that line would just create

> more chaos...but I thought 'Asa might survive and

> make it, so I got one guy to go and get her and put

> her into darshan line ( a small miracle in itself),

> and guess what...she was one of the few non Indian

> devotees (I think less than 100 if the VIPS and the

> performers are not counted) who got darshan. It was

> great. Very Soon after 'Asa got darshan the Indain

> darshan line was finished and Amma took no more

> westerners for darshan. What a Grace. I think Amma

> really appreciated all the turmoil 'Asa has gone

> through to get here....it has been really tough on

> her....and Amma said to her ..."nice dress" , and

> 'Asa understood it to mean the dress she sewed...the

> costume..for the

> procession...and this prcession, unbelievablely

> hell and heaven.Everything (making and putting on

> the costumes, getting in line, changing

> rooms...finding the flag, etc..) up until we came

> out of the tent and began marching was prue stress,

> exhaustion and chaos. I had had such pain in the

> back all morning that I did not know how I was going

> to manage. And the procession was at 3PM, in the

> midday sun and heat. Well, once we started to

> walk..WOW! and amazing energy and feeling came into

> me, and others, and I felt so good and happy..and

> the pain left my back...and I could have walked

> around the outside of the stadium 3 times, and it

> is a huge stadium.

> The Indians we lined up and packed along the route

> to watch us and it was great...it gave them so much

> and they were so happy to see us..smiling and waving

> and doing Namaste and saying Om Namah Shivaya to us.

> It was so wonderful that my simply smiling at

> nodding my head in greeting to individuals on the

> route made them so happy.

> It made my day. It is a feeling I will never

> forget...it made me, myself feel so happy and glad .

> My internet time is up. I will write again later. We

> leave Cochin very early on Friday morning. We are

> trying to keep in balance on all levels and that is

> a tough job.

> Love and Best Wishes,

> Sara

>

>

>

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