DAWN AT AMRITAPURI ASHRAM

At the Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Amritapuri near Quilon, South Kerala, there is a beautiful temple that houses more than seven hundred full-time residents. The day dawns early in this ashram (monastery) located in the backwaters of Kerala. At 4.30 a.m. in the morning, most residents are up and begin to involve themselves on various activities. While some take their shower, others clean the sandy yard outside the temple or cook in the kitchen for the large number of residents, or get the shrine ready for the morning worship. The roar of the Arabian Sea plays constantly upon one's ears, even as the temple bells chime to remind devotees about the chanting of the Divine Mother's thousand names (Lalita Sahasranama).

GODDESS KALI AND SELF-REALIZATION

The main idol is that of the fierce Goddess Kali. Carved in black stone, she has her red tongue hanging fearsomely out, while she holds in her hand a sword. It is said that Kali can hack off the ego with great ease. Once rid of this, the greatest impediment to finding inner peace, the devotee is on his way to attaining self-realization.

HYMNS AND CHANTS

When the temple bells chime for the third time, a young lad begins to lead the chant. In unison, the large hall full of devotees follows the lead, and for the next hour and a half, the sound of a thousand different names of the Divine Mother reverberate throughout the entire ashram grounds. Blondes, redheads, brunettes, black braids: one can see them all sitting cross-legged and chanting, some with their eyes closed and lips gently moving. The temple is thus a place for constant chanting of the divine names, which, it is believed, sets up holy vibrations within its precincts.

FOOD

Breakfast is served a little after nine o'clock, and it is always porridge made of parboiled rice (kanji to the local folk). For those who are still fussy about their palate, special items are sold on certain days, and there is a canteen that sells wholesome, vegetarian food that caters to Western taste. However, if one is here for spiritual succor, one is advised to eat the plain food, for that will help to concentrate better on prayer and meditation.

THE HOLY MOTHER

Darshan or the sight of the Holy Mother, Mata Amritandamayi, begins around ten or eleven in the morning in the temple hall and, depending upon the crowds, it can go on even until four in the afternoon. The Holy Mother hugs each devotee who stands in line. She is ever fresh and smiling with a reassuring word for one, a tweak on the chin for another, and an extra toffee for a crying child. The Mother gives holy ash in a packet and a toffee to each one who goes up to her.

Although the Holy Mother speaks only Malayalam, the language spoken in Kerala, there are full-time residents sitting beside her who will translate your questions to her and her answers to you. There have been several instances of foreigners going to her and speaking their own tongues, and returning feeling satisfied that Mother knows their own tongues. Many full-time residents hardly exchange a word with the Mother, since they speak only English or French.

SERVICE OF DEVOTEES

Every resident whether full-time or temporary is expected to participate in some seva (service) or the other, be it sweeping, swabbing, chopping vegetables, folding papers in the printing press, or packing incense (made in the ashram). There is no segregation of classes; all are the same in the eyes of the Holy Mother. Since she sees no difference in hugging a leper or a beautiful film star, the devotees also share their chores without discriminating between higher and lower forms of work. Visitors are expected to serve as they please for an hour or two everyday, while full-time residents have their work allotted to them.

DARSHAN

There are two days in the week when the Holy Mother does not receive visitors, as she has to see her full-time residents on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Thursdays and Sundays, she gives Darshan as Devi, the Divine Goddess. Mata Amritanandamayi says that all deities are within each and every one of us and that a realized being can manifest any particular deity by will. The Mother invokes the deity, Devi, and changes her attire from her usual white sari on these two evenings only. She sits all night, from about 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. She has been known to sit uninterruptedly hugging more than seven to eight thousand devotees at a stretch, clad in a gorgeous milk sari and wearing a crown.

MEDITATION AND PRAYER

The Holy Mother teaches that the true nature of every being is divine, which can only be realized through selfless service, prayer, and meditation. The world of plurality dissolves into one single whole for a realized person, who sees no difference between one person and another, as she sees all as manifestations of the same Self. Just as your hand will instinctively rub your inflamed eye, both belonging to the same body, so also will you spontaneously rush to the help of your fellow being when it is needed, if you realize that in fact you and he are one. To realize this, many have chosen to give up their humdrum lives and follow the rigorous routine of the ashram, where selfless service forms a large part of the daily routine. The Mother allows those who are more inclined towards introspection to meditate undisturbed for as long as they can, without expecting them to participate in the ashram chores. Since prayer, meditation, and service are all paths to the same goal, the Mother leads her disciples to the goal along the path most suited to them.

GETTING THERE

To go to the ashram there is a train to Kayamkulam (where it stops for only two minutes), the station before Quilon, and then an auto-rickshaw from this station will reach you to the backwaters of Vallickavu in about half an hour. Alternatively, a flight to Trivandrum, and a long (two- to three-hour) taxi ride to Vallickavu. A ferry will then take you across the waters, and you will probably find a helpful devotee clad in white ready to help you carry your luggage to the ashram.