My caring Mother!

404. Om bhakta-harda-tamo-bheda-bhanumad-bhanu-santatyai namah: I bow down to Amma who is the sunbeam which dispels the darkness from the heart of Her devotees

Amma is more than just another ray of light. She's the ray of light that holds hope in every particle. She's the ray of light that removes the darkness from our hearts and floods it with sunshine and happiness. Her love can reach into the deepest corners of our hearts and soul and fill it with joy. This is why when anyone meets Amma, we are overcome with a sense of euphoria. Amma does that to us, doesn't She? We feel so overjoyed, so exhilarated, so relieved like all the burdens of our hearts have been snatched away and thrown into some deep abyss by Amma. We know that when we stand in front of Amma and receive Her hug, Amma silently and quietly does a small exchange. It's like She's quickly trading a hug full of unconditional and overflowing love for all our troubles, our vices and our karma. Thank You Amma for being such an incredible Mother to all of us. Always protecting us and taking our troubles for Her own. Thank You Amma. Thank You Universe!

Om Amriteswariye namah!

A blissful union!

403. Om maha-kamesa-nayana-kumudahlada-kaumudyai namah: I bow down to Amma who is the moonlight gladdening the waterlilies that are Mahakamesha's eyes

Amma, your beautiful association with Shiva is something that gives divinity such a powerful glint. 2 powerful deities in a divine confluence merging the need to destroy the evil with the necessity to change with love. This confluence teaches us such an important life lesson. While destruction happens,  renewal takes place with a love capable of engulfing the whole world.  On this day of Ganesh chaturthi,  let us bow down in absolute surrender and reverence to Ganesha's parents: Amma and Shiva. They have together created He who is the destroyer of obstacles. He sets us on the right path but when lawlessness or vices take over the world,  these God's will aim to teach us. And then we can bask in the glory of the goodness that the most powerful union in the world can make possible for us.
Om Amriteswariye namah!

Servant of the Universe!

402. Om vidyavidya-svarupinyai namah: I bow down to Amma who is in the form of both knowledge and ignorance

Amma never, ever professes to be the Goddess of the universe or the Master. In fact, She considers Herself a servant who is fulfilling our wishes. Amma's humility is one of the most endearing things about Her. She dismisses Herself as just an ordinary person. Truth is, there is nothing ordinary about Amma. From Her wondrous countenance to Her extraordinary capacity for love, Amma is the universe's way of telling us is that however bleak the horizon may look from afar, the journey with Amma will create a rainbow along the way. Amma's all encompassing compassion will protect us in every way. There are twists and turns in our lives when absolutely nothing seems right. We can barely see beyond our problems and it all seems like an unending mountain to climb. Amma always advises us to surrender our problems to Her. My friend Joyotee advised me just that (like I said yesterday, Amma comes to us in many ways!) My friend said that all I needed to do was tell Amma that She would need to handle the problem as it was beyond me. And then to ride with the faith that truly, Amma would. Within this binding faith lies our Guru's grace. The day we are able to reflect this unquestioning faith, Amma's grace will naturally flow to us. May we find the strength to live on this faith and finally grow in the grace.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

In every way, it's Amma!

401. Om vividhakarayai namah: I bow down to Amma who has a multitude of forms

Some days Amma holds my hand in the form of my parents whose intense concern and undying faith in me helps me stay focussed on the bigger picture. Some days Amma presents Herself as a little child whose laugh laced with innocence is enough to set a burdened heart free. Some days She comes to me in the form of my little dog whose unconditional love towards me is a divine lesson on so many levels. Some days She quietly appears as my daughter whose profound insights keep me calm. Some days She presents Herself as my husband who provides comfort and ensures I am not feeling stressed. Some days She walks towards me in the form of my very beloved friend and soul sister, Bindu, who can make me laugh at any misfortune. Some days Amma sends me a message as Michael asking after my well being and making a difference to my tired day! A phone call, a smile, a gentle breeze, the pitter patter of rain, the caress of a falling leaf. Just about everything carries a message of love from my beloved Amma. She's surrounded me with some incredible moments and some incredible people. And every time Amma's reminder comes my way, I know I am feeling Her grace. And then I know that all is well.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

The all pervading Mother!

400. Om vyapinyai namah: I bow down to Amma who is all pervading

When we become Amma's devotees, there is no initiation into an order. Nor is there any ceremony that takes place. It happens silently, quietly. We stand in a long queue, wait for hours and then get a hug that lasts us just enough to wrap us in the deepest cocoon of compassion we have ever felt. That's the initiation and the ceremony right there. And then, we're hooked. We're Amma's devotees for life. Amma has taken us as Her child and will always stand by us. She will ensure that we are taken care of and protected. Every step of our way has to be a surrender to Her. Every action of ours has to be an offering to Her. If we remember Amma at every turn in our life, then this all pervading Mother of ours will pervade our lives and give it so much meaning, so much love. Amma is the life breath of this universe. Even a leaf moves only as instructed by Amma. And to such a Mother, we surrender every thought, every breath.

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Amma's pot of gold!

399. Om vyaktavyakta-svarupinyai namah: I bow down to Amma who is in the manifested and unmanifested forms

All it takes is a moment to realise just what our faith and belief in Amma can do for us. Once we do that, then the world is truly our oyster. That's when we can clip the wings of spirituality on our backs and soar through the skies. At some level, our purpose becomes so clear to us. We trawl the internet looking for answers to life and the bigger picture rather than surrender entirely to the ultimate Goddess we are fortunate to have in our lives. Amma is our gateway to the universe and its many secret doors to happiness. We just need to ride on our faith and Amma will take us across the rainbow to the pot of gold which is all about God realization. Nothing material can ever satiate the spiritual appetite for inner peace that each of us craves. Like children crying out for food when hungry, we should cry out to Amma to grant us this inner peace through Her unlimited grace. When we focus all our energy only on the Highest Master, Amma will open the doors of perception for us. She will hold open the door to inner peace and love. All we need to do, is take that first step!

Om Amriteswariye namah!

Amma's hand of grace!

398. Om avyaktayai namah: I bow down to Amma who is unmanifested

Amma manifests as everything beautiful around us and yet, on a metaphysical level, She remains unmanifested. How possibly can Amma definitely manifest in one form? There is something so sublime about Amma's presence in the world. She's our safety blanket at every step. Come what may, we know that at many levels Amma is taking care of us. We know that Amma's hand of grace is always on us and that Amma will light our paths with all of Her blessings. We know that She will softly counsel us to do all the good we can in as many ways as we can. When we surround ourselves with prayer and good deeds, we create as many manifestations of Amma as we can. And this makes us so much more spiritually richer! Because Amma is present in the good, if we do good everyday, we can help manifest Amma in our lives. When Amma becomes a constant in our lives, then our lives become more fulfilled. Amma is anyway a constant in the lives of Her devotees. We just need the understanding and the realization to acknowledge this truth. In a world underlined with impermanence, Amma's presence is the only truth we need to live with.

Om Amriteswariye namah!