Guided by Amma's loving grace!

411. Om sistestayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is loved by the righteous, who loves righteous people.

There is such an integrity to Amma's sense of right and wrong. Amma will never judge our actions. But She will beautifully guide us through the many happenings in our life. She will always tell us just what we need to do in the circumstances. People queue up for advice from Amma and absolutely everything Amma says is borne out of a sense of deep righteousness. The righteousness Amma has can only come from a heart so pure, it has no place for pettiness. Amma can not only see the smaller strokes, She can also see the bigger picture. And from this ability comes Amma's deep sense of calm. And from this meditative state arises the righteousness with which She spiritually rules us and makes us move in the right direction. There are so many times that we don't have Amma physically by our side and are forced to make important decisions on our own. At such times it is important to trust that we are being strongly guided by the loving grace of Amma and it is this belief that will actually see us move towards the right direction. Please help us to always feel this grace, Amma. We are helpless beings who are unable to see right from wrong. Please help us to be righteous so that we are worthy of the grace from the greatest Guru of all times.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Shiva and Shakti!

410. Om siva-parayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is solely devoted to Shiva

Amma's thoughts on Lord Shiva:

Before creation, Shakti (the Primordial Nature, Cosmic Energy) heard an ethereal voice. It said, “There is only sorrow in creation. You should not try to do it.” It was the voice of Shiva (Pure Consciousness). Shakti replied, “No, it needs to be done.”

After creation, Shiva, the Pure Consciousness aspect, moved away. He went and hid. In reality, He has nothing to do with all these things happening around. Later, Shakti went running to Him, complaining, “I have no peace. Look here, the children are scolding Me. They blame Me for everything. Nobody takes care of Me.”
Shiva said, “Hadn’t I told you at that very same time that it was going to be like this and that you should not pursue that (creation)? Now you created an uproar, having pursued that. Aren’t you the one who is responsible for all this that has happened? There was no problem when it was I alone, was there?”

And here's my favorite!: "The meaning of linga is not phallus; for not even fools would pray to a male’s sexual organs for protection!"

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Every step of the way!

409. Om siva-priyayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is beloved of Shiva

Amma is the Queen of the universe and that is why Amma is the beloved of everyone. How can you not love someone whose religion is love? Who is non judgmental and only knows how to accept every the way they are. Who has dedicated Her life to changing the destinies that may await us by coming in the way of our bad karma. To such a Mother we must always prostrate with gratitude. We must also acknowledge the role the universe has played in choosing us to be Amma's devotees. Not everyone ends up being Amma's devotee. But we have already experienced the life changing moment when Amma decided to be our Guru. And since then, every turn of our life has been dictated by Amma. Amma has taken us under Her wings and has promised to always watch out for us. She is our real and true Mother whose love towards us knows no bounds. Amma will always be there protecting us at every step of the way. All we need to do is recognize and realise the fact that Amma is such an  integral part of our lives. Even the next step in our lives, the next breath even, is an uncertainty. So how can we live on the ego that it is we who are making things happen??  Everything is Amma. From Her, because of Her. May You, my beloved Amma, always be the blue print of our life.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

My Mother who confers spiritual prosperity!

408. Om sivankaryai namah: I bow down to Amma who confers prosperity (auspiciousness), who turns Her devotee into Shiva

How wonderful a mantra is this! Not only does Amma confer prosperity on Her devotees, She also turns us into Shiva. Here is yet another of Amma's thoughts on Shiva:
"The Shiva represents the aspect of Brahman, which cleanses us of all impurities. Brahman alone can remove all our impurities. In the Puranic story, it was Shiva who took the prarabdhas of others and swallowed them Himself. Shiva is the divine filter that receives the prarabdhas and impurities of the people, thereby making them pure."

And here is something Amma says about being a devotee of Lord Shiva: "Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva, but his devotion was only a means to increase his material power. The spiritual aspect was totally missing in him. In other words, he had no renunciation. He was intensely desirous of accumulating, possessing and enjoying as much as he could. Although he was strong and courageous, he had no love or compassion. Just like any other dictator, he was a power-monger, a person who cared only about himself and his own security. His power, which he derived from the Lord, made him so egotistic and blind that he even tried to lift Mount Kailas, Lord Shiva’s abode.

Without renunciation and humility one cannot be content. A true devotee has both of these qualities. A person who lacks renunciation and humility can never be content because he still craves material prosperity. His desires are countless and insatiable. He is never satisfied with what he has. Instead he thinks about accumulating more wealth, more money, a bigger house, a better car, more and more comfort."

This makes me think about the many material comforts I constantly crave for. And I realise how much I need to realign myself spiritually in order to be worthy of receiving Amma and Shiva in my heart.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

The perfect satguru's teachings!

407. Om siva-murtyai namah: I bow down to Amma whose form is Shiva Himself

Shiva, Amma. The same energy that runs the world. They're like the power plant unit that gives electricity to the city. Shiva and Amma are synonyms of this massive universal energy that can create heaven in this world for those who have the eyes to see the faith and the heart to believe in it. I read the following at www.amritapuri.org:

Can Lord Shiva be called “Mother”?
Amma: Yes, of course, He can be called so. It is said that the “I” has become the father, mother, child, brother, sister and all. Everything is Him alone. You call Him, giving any name. One will say “palu,” another will say “milk,” and yet another will say something else. Whatever the name, there is no difference either in the color or taste of the milk. God can be called both as Father and Mother. You were told that He is the Father, weren’t you? He is the real Father who disciplines you by removing the ego and correcting you, and He is also the real Mother who looks after and protects you lovingly, compassionately and affectionately. Both are two different facets of the same God. Both aspects are unique. That is what manifests through a Perfect Master (Satguru), the perfect balance of both Divine Fatherhood and Motherhood. Everything is pervaded by the Supreme Self. He who has realized this can manifest any aspect at any time by Self-will.

We have the perfect satguru. Now is the time to internalize it all and await the results.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Amma, my strong & unyielding wall!

406. Om sivaradhyayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is worshipped by Shiva

Amma, as we move towards another new moment, thoughts of You fill our hearts. You are the ultimate Goddess whom even the great Lord Shiva worships. You are the only one whom we can turn to in times of trials through life. Through all the many mountains we climb, You are the only one holding our hands and allowing us to overcome our past life karma. You watch our every step, our every breath. You are the only one who can take us towards our destination. There is a pre destined path You have drawn out for us. All we need to do is walk that path in absolute faith. Faith that what You have decided for us will only be for our good. That You would only draw a blue print that would help us. That You would only make us walk the path of virtue and goodness. That Your shield of love can protect us from even the worst of fates. That You will stand like a strong and unyielding wall so we can make our journey towards the peace that we all seek. After all, even Shiva worships You because He knows that You and only You will protect this universe. Thank You for allowing me a space under the umbrella of Your unending grace.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Amma, the cleanser!

405. Om siva-dutyai namah: I bow down to Amma for whom Shiva is the messenger

Yet another mantra that explores the beautiful union of Amma and Shiva. I found a beautiful story about why we bathe the Shivalinga:

A legend from the Ramayana speaks of King Bhagirath who once meditated before Lord Brahma for a thousand years for the salvation of the souls of his ancestors. Pleased with his devotion Brahma granted him a wish. He requested the Lord to send the river Ganges down to earth from heaven so that she could flow over his ancestors' ashes and wash their curse away and allow them to go to heaven.

Brahma granted his wish but asked him to pray to Shiva, for he alone could support the weight of her descent. Accordingly he prayed to Shiva and he allowed the Ganges to descend on his head, and after meandering through his thick matted locks, the holy river reached the earth. This story is re-enacted by bathing the 'linga'.

I love this story because Amma is also the sacred Ganga who has come down on earth in order to wash away all the curses on humanity. Someday when the world is alight with Amma's radiance and each and every one of us has been touched by Her magic, we will finally be cleansed of all vices. And on such a day, there will be heaven on earth.

Om Amriteswariye namah!