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Amma’s Singapore, Bali & Malaysia trip – 2018

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?AMMA’S FAR EAST VISIT?
June 21 – 30, 2018
?? Singapore
?? Bali
?? Malaysia
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Amma accompanied by a small entourage of devotees left on the midnight of June 20th from India for a 10 day visit to Singapore, Bali and Kuala Lumpur.
Our first leg of travel was to the beautiful country of Singapore with luscious greenery, eye-pleasing orchids and very inviting and clean environment. There is a long love relationship between Amma and the Singapore devotees dating back to nearly 15 years. Blessed truly are the Singapore devotees who recognized Amma’s Divinity long before rest of the world woke up to it. There are some rare pictures and videos of those early visits of Amma which they have generously shared; for now they will be carefully archived and we will share them later either through this forum or the website at a later date.
As our flight was routed via Kuala Lumpur by the time we arrived in Singapore it was late morning hours. A few longtime devotees were at the airport to welcome Amma for 5-day stay at the beautiful Oceanside resort, “National Service Resort & Country Club”.???

The Singapore devotees well-planned Amma’s Visit with rich programming and a very comfortable and beautiful location that provided the right setting for the devotional gathering. Besides the beautiful altar set up and well decorated seating arrangement for Amma they provided sumptuous food for all making at a very festive occasion.?

Welcoming Amma at the Resort ?

Amma admires the loving artwork of the young children of Sri Vasu Deven, welcoming and expressing their love for Amma?

The Organizing team members came one by one to receive Amma’s blessings??

Setup at the entrance with program details and some lovely pictures of Amma.

The evening worship being conducted by Sri Seshagiri Rao Garu. Irrespective of when we arrive and where we are Sri Seshagiri Rao Garu carrys on the worship punctually. What is admirable about his dedication is that his uncompromising and sincere adherence to the strict protocols of worship; no shortcuts with him.??

Simple but well decorated Amma’s bed.

Prasuna and Jhansi are a great tag team to prepare and serve the simple food for Amma in all our travels ?

Soon the devotees gathered to sing melodious bhajans ???

What followed next was the nectarine words of Amma to the devotees covering a wide range of spiritual topics outlining the principles and concepts, and illustrating with parables and small stories. Fortunately Professor Avadhani was at hand to render beautiful and precise translation of Amma’s message.?

The grand conclusion – – Day 1, Singapore (June 21, 2018)?

June 22, 2018 – Day 2
National Service Resort & Country Club, Singapore ?

Highlights of Amma’s stay at the National Service Resort & Country Club,

Conclusion of the morning worship program with Mangala Arathi?

The evening devotion program included worship, melodious bhajans followed by satsang with Amma.?
Special visitors consisting of Sree Harry’s family and the gang of young and talented bhajan singers came all the way from Kuala Lumpur by road enduring the long drive to have Amma’s darshan.???

Amma narrates a story to illustrate the spiritual message; thanks to Prof Avadhani’s expert translation.??

June 23, 2018 – Day 3
National Service Resort & Country Club, Singapore ?

Morning worship program underway ???

A little R&R with Amma in the open yard behind the cottage; but it was mostly “R” of Refreshments as Amma served everyone with sweet and juicy mangoes.?

Soon the evening devotion program got underway….

Special evening bhajans — courtesy of the talented Kuala Lumpur devotees who made the arduous journey to be with Smma and sing His glories.???

What followed next was that Amma blessed the congregation with a spiritual message, and Prof Avadhani was at hand to render expert translation.???

Amma with the old time devotees Smt Parvathi and Prof Avadhani?

Amma chats with His loving children of Kuala Lumpur.

June 24, 2018 – Day 4
National Service Resort & Country Club, Singapore ?

An overview of the day’s events.?

Amma blesses devotees with the sacred theertham and prasad ??

Holy feet and the sacred ring that Amma created for this longtime devotee of Singapore ?

The cute couple – – Smt Helen & Ching “Baba”, very staunch devotees of Amma going back more than a decade. Their wonderful and dedicated service made the Singapore visit all the more enjoyable.?

Amma extemporaneously began singing this profound song describing the transient nature of this world and how to seek the grace of God to overcome maya.??

After the morning devotion program devotees young and old lined up to get the sacred beejakshari mantras (as an initiation invoking Goddess Saraswathi) written by Amma on their tongues, especially to improve comprehension and retention.?

A fun moment – Amma placed the banana bunch over Prakash’s head?

Or shall we say – – the “Crowning Moment” of our monkey Chieftain, Sri Mukka Prakash, a very trusted member of the Indian Trust.??

Soon it was time for the evening bhajans; and it was a feast to the ears to hear the melodious singing of the KL Young Adults.???

A couple of Singapore young adults made an offering of the traditional Bharata Natyam dance albeit wearing western attire.???

Young and rebellious Deevesh gets to celebrate his 22nd Birthday in Amma’s Divine Presence and receive Amma’s loving blessings. ?

Let the fun and games begin – – The “Divine Play”?

June 25, 2018 – Day 5
National Service Resort & Country Club, Singapore ?

One of Amma’s longtime devotees to show and receive blessings for the sacred objects that Amma created and gifted him many years ago.?

Bhajan session the night before (June 24, 2018)???

Amma gives the final message to the beloved Singapore devotees.??

It is hard to say “Goodbye” – Amma with the Singapore devotees at the Changi airport, headed to Bali via KL. ?

Here is a note of our appreciation that I sent to the Organizers and to the Singapore devotees at large:
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Dear Amma Devotees of Singapore:
Om Shakti! Namaste!
On behalf the entourage I want to express my deepest sense of gratitude for the warm and hearty welcome that all of you have extended to Amma and the entourage, and for your outstanding hospitality and rich spiritual programming . From all perspectives it will remain as one of the most cherished visits to Singapore.
Thank you for allowing me to share my deep appreciation and personal thoughts for the role the Singapore devotees played historically and how all of you can come together to further Amma’s mission in more meaningful ways in future.
Amma has a unique long term relationship and a special place in her heart for the Singapore devotees for their love and how they provided support over the years in furthering Amma’s mission. Amma wants to see that this special bond of love continues to grow stronger in the coming years and fulfil everyone’s wish and hope to see more frequent and regular visits of Amma to Singapore.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Krishna Reddy
Chairman
Vasudevananda Charitable Organization, Inc
San Ramon, California, USA

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?AMMA’S FAR EAST VISIT?
June 25 – 28, 2018
?? Bali
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June 25, 2018 – After the morning devotion program we were headed to the Changi airport of Singapore to catch our noon flight to Bali via KL. With the layover in KL by the time we arrived at the Bali Ngurah Rai Airport (Denpasar) it was 8 PM. The only saving grace was that the Chairman of Malindo airlines (KL), Sri Chandra Ramamurthy who facilitated the travel is an ardent devotee of Amma and he made every arrangement in his power to ease the pain and make the journey comfortable.
As we landed Smt Dewi Yoga, another wonderful devotee of Amma from Bali whisked us through the Customs. And, outside eagerly awaiting Amma’s arrival were the host Sri Nyoman Bagiarta and family, and Ananda. With the luggage loaded Amma and the entourage were headed to the beautiful resort (Puri Lumbung Cottages) owned by Sri Bagiarta in the scenic beautiful village of Munduk, a drive of nearly 3 hours.???
http://purilumbung.com/

At the Bali airport ?

Ananda whose home is on the way to the destination arranged for a brief bhajan session and refreshments. Another ardent devotee of Amma Ananda has a thriving practice in Ayurveda and Acupuncture.?

Finally we arrived at the destination, the home of Sri Nyoman Bagiarta just a stones throw away from his resort, around midnight. The host especially renovated his home for Amma’s visit; the accommodation was superb!

Smt Yudhi Iswari, daughter of Sri Bagiarta, and Madam LC Wong another ardent devotee of Amma who has well coordinated the past visits of Amma were also at hand to welcome Amma and the entourage.?

Bali is not just a mecca for tourism, rather it is a sort of paradise that prides itself in safeguarding its sacred culture and breathtaking natural beauty. I had the good fortune of being part of Amma’s entourage on the maiden visit to Bali in 2015. My first impressions are still the best and lasting impressions. Somehow it feels like the time stayed still with its people holding their Hindu faith sacred and unwavering. It may not look anything like the Hinduism practiced in India, but at its core in their daily life and with the presence myriads of Hindu idols in every home and public space it speaks volumes of their passion and pride for their Hindu faith.?

Despite our late arrival the morning Puja got underway in the early morning hours as usual officiated by Sri Seshagiri Rao Garu and assisted by Sri Mukka Prakash. The entire Bsgiarta family took part in the worship ceremony joined by neighbors, close relatives and Ms Wong.?

The morning worship was held at the family shrine in the open courtyard at the back of the home.?

Amma watches over the morning ceremony.??

A few westerners (Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Australia) staying at the resort took the opportunity to visit Amma and receive blessings.?

Later in the afternoon a few of the devotees belonging to the Bhajan group of Ananda arrived to meet Amma, and Amma spent time with them and blessed them by creating Vibhuti.?

While Amma took a little rest a few of us from the entourage took an excursion to a nearby town and seashore. As I mentioned, there are beautiful statues of stone as well as cement of various Hindu deities and depiction of a variety of mythological stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata, the great Hindu epics.
The one below is the episode of Brindavan with Sri Krishna, and Gopikas and Gopalas — in life-size spanning over nearly seventy feet.?

June 26, 2018 PM
All of the primary public programs were held the resort facilities owned by Sri Bagiarta where we stayed during the past visits. The evening devotion program was held in a spacious hall of the resort, and a beautiful flyer detailing the program and about the distinguished visitor was distributed to all residents of the resort.?

At the entrance of the resort near the reception area is the plaque listing all the distinguished visitors to the resort; Amma’s first visit to the resort is listed too.?

Throughout the facility there are life size idols of various Hindu deities more as small dedicated temples than decorative statues.??

With the evening worship program over we moved for dinner to the premium cottage up the hill where Amma stayed during the last two visits.?

It was truly a blessing to celebrate our Marriage Anniversary in Amma’s Divine Presence.?

?June 27, 2018, Bali?
The morning worship program started early at the host’s residence.??

Morning Bhajan session.???

ater in the afternoon we are back at the resort where children have assembled for the Beejakshari Mantra writing on their tongues by Amma. You may recall that we had a similar session in Singapore.?

Amma headed to the primary meeting hall where children have gathered for the event. Most of these children will be performing a special dance program honoring Amma’s visit to Bali.?

Amma’s Divine Magic! Out of the flowers a pair of ear rings emerge for a volunteer devotee — Amma’s blessings!??

The blessed host family ???

The final Program for the day was the Balinese “Dance Entertainment” at the Sunset Bar a beautiful open-air theater with the natural surroundings for the backdrop. Mythological events depicting the birth of Lord Ganesha, and the abduction of Sitha from the great Hindu epic of Ramayana were portrayed with grace and elegance.?

The resort dog was not playing dead…

rather, it was doing a back flip Pranam to Amma.?

The day concluded with the melodious bhajans from two groups of devotees; one of the group travelled all the way from Denpasar, the capital of Bali.???

?June 27, 2018, Bali?
The day of our departure from Bali to our next station, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ?? ??
We were up early for the 2.5 hour journey to the Denpasar airport.
It was our third and yet another memorable and spiritually exhilarating visits to Bali. There are not words to describe and express the gratitude to the gracious hosts who made every arrangement fitting the arrival of the Divine. Amma blessed them and lauded their family unity, humility, and ardent devotion. They are truly blessed!???

With Anand who garlanded Amma with a large Rdraksha Bead Maala.?

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?AMMA’S FAR EAST VISIT?
June 28 – 30, 2018
?? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Because of the international flight we arrived a little too early to the Denpasar airport to catch our 11:35 AM flight to KL. With the flight delay of nearly 4 hours we reached the residence of Smt Ambiga and Sri Sree Harry in KL around 7 PM, where the rest of the family and friends and devotees have been eagerly awaiting Amma’s arrival.???

Welcoming Amma???

The host family performing Paada Puja?

Followed by a brief devotional singing program ???

The blessed devotee couple with their three beautiful, bright & talented daughters at Amma’s Lotus Feet.???

The rest of the extended family, alias THE GANG who love Amma dearly.?

During our Bali stay I have developed an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), and managed to infect with my cough ang close presence near Amma. When we finally arrived at KL after the long journey, Amma still found enough energy to enter the host’s kitchen and prepare a specialty food to sooth my throat and alleviate my cough — that’s the compassionate Mother.?

Following a brief worship session Amma retired for the night.

The beautiful altar set up in the Puja room of the host family is more like a temple than a shrine room, full with the idols of multitudes of Hindu Gods and Saints – – it would be envy of any serious spiritual seeker, especially a Hindu.??????

Beautiful seating area upstairs outside Amma’s private quarters where Amma met devotees, held satsangs.?

?June 29, 2018?
Smt Ambiga & Sri Sree Harry’s home, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We arrived here only yesterday and yet we have to leave today to the home of another ardent devotee who resides in KL, Sri Chandran Ramamurthy. Amma yielded to the prayers of these two devotees of KL to accommodate the visits to their homes despite the hectic travel schedule ahead – – Amma has to return to India the very next day (June 30th), and get ready to leave for the USA on July 2nd night. That’s the compassionate Lord!?

The family and the young adults were up very early to participate in the morning worship; in truth they hardly slept, for them it is one long night vigil like Mahashivarathri reminiscing Amma’s past visits and preparing for creative presentations and singing.
A word about these Young Adults and the Sree Harry family — they have unique bond in the name of Divine Love. It is in the nature of the term “Vasudhaiva Kutumbam”, the world as one family. Together for them it seems like one unending Divine inebriation. Over the years the Sree Harrys have also been their guides, mentors, supporters and cheerleaders in assuring their worldly success as well. In that sense, they are almost like their surrogate parents.?????

Amma stepped out momentarily to give a helping hand in the kitchen and chalk out the lunch menu.?

The morning program concluded with Amma blessing everyone present with theertham and Prasad.??

The Young Adults has a nice surprise presentation – – A musical dance skit depicting the fun and frolic of the Divine Family of Lord Siva. It was so well choreographed and the actors wore such authentic costumes it was a hit entertainment bringing side-splitting laughter that even Amma could not contain.?

The Divine Family (L to R) – – Lord Kartikeya, Lord Siva, the Mishika Vahana (no one told him that he should not be between the parents, on the other hand that’s the nature of a rat), and the (male!) Goddess Parvathi ??

You may be wondering why Lord Ganesha is missing from the family portrait. It is because he is too big to be fitting in the picture. They chose the perfect “fitting” actor to play Lord Ganesha.?

The Mishika Vahana is always special!

A little background on how the musical play came about:
The play was done to fulfill Amma’s specific request as a condition for her visit to Malaysia, which Amma made jokingly. She picked the song and requested Deevesh and Sathya to dance for Her.
And here is the cast of characters that rose up to the challenge:
Siva – Sathya
Parvathi – Deevesh
Siva – Sathya
Ganesha – Santosh
Muruga/ Kartikeya- Shailen
Mushika Vahana – Selvendrrah
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Later in the afternoon the creative Young Adults had yet another musical performance to express their love for Amma, entitled “Amma & Us”. It summarized the unique bond they have with Amma and what Amma means to them. Here is the summary of their presentation.?

It is fast approaching the time for Amma to move to the home of Smt Kaplana and Sri Chandran Ramamurthy; and one last melodious bhajan offering to conclude Amma’s visit to this blessed family.???

And the blessed extended family, or as I would like to call them “The KL Gang” – the loving, creative and talented bunch!!!

The Silent Witness – The well behaved adorable family pet is the darling member of the family, and gets the love and attention of all the visitors whom Amma endearingly refers to as “Pundit” reflecting past life accomplishments and spiritual merit.???

By the evening Amma and the entourage headed to Smt Kalpana and Sri Chandran Ramamurthy’s home. The entire family of Sri Ramamurthy, his lovely wife, three young darling daughters, along with his mother, sister, and uncle joined in welcoming Amma.???

At the altar in the host’s home was the newly acquired Amman idol to be used at the temple he built near KL.

The KL gang was there to begin the evening devotion program with the Vedic chants, recitations and bhajans.?

The blessed family with their three darling daughters, with the youngest new arrival on the Divine lap. What a blessing!?

In the hall is a very welcoming altar to another great Divine Incarnate, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The family also has a beautiful Shrine a Room; a traditional feature of any good Hindu household.?

Seeing that the Amman idol was not properly decorated, Amma directed Smt Jhansi to quickly adorn the idol with a saree.?

Soon the bhajan session ensued???

After the bhajan program concluded Sri Chandran Ramamurthy brought to Amma the temple plans and the upcoming great festive event he is spearheading at the Mariamman Temple, his pride and joy as the founder; Amma was very pleased with his genuine devotion and blessed him.?

Next morning (June 30, 2018) we got up early to head to the KL airport to catch our 6:20 AM Malindo Airlines flight to Chennai. With Sri Chandran Ramamurthy who is the Chairman of the airlines we didn’t have to sweat. In fact, he and his staff made every effort and arrangement to make our travel comfortable, nay very much a Royal experience. That’s the best way to travel.?

Some more thoughts on our KL stay:
Sree Harry further elaborated on the background of the lovely canine, “Pundit”:
“Sai Aesha is her name. Amma calls her Pandit coz of her previous birth where she was a Veda Pandit that was so full of himself and refused to teach nor recite the Vedas for the benefit of others. Hence this birth, she is stuck with us listening to the Vedas all the time.”
Another thing that Sree Harry shared is on how much they look forward to Amma’s visit and how much preparation goes into their creative presentations. Despite the very short stay of Amma of less than 24 hours the KL gang came up with a rich spiritual programming. For all that they regularly meet for nearly two months. For them it is a mission, a spiritual camp of sorts where they reminisce the past visits of Amma, practice their skits and devotional singing. While they eagerly await to receive Amma and Amma’s love, they are making equal efforts to pour out their love for Amma.
This should be the lesson for all of us to model after to gain the full benefit of Amma’s visits that we long such for. Let us reflect on how much sadhana and preparation we make individually and collectively to receive Amma; that preparation does not mean logistics and programs. Another lesson for me personally based on what I witnessed with my journeys with Amma around the world is that the more love you pour at Amma He responds with double the amount of love, often that takes the form of myriads of His creations- – rings, earrings, lockets, and streams of Vibhuti, Kumkum and Chandan.???

As part of the ongoing USA visit, our beloved Vasamma gave the following important message to a small group of devotees on July 9th, 2018 and asked us to share the divine message with everyone. ?

Those of us who are blessed to be in the physical presence of Vasamma must have seen Amma’s unique approach to imparting complex spiritual messages in the form of Chinna Katha’s (short stories). These stories, while may appear to be very simple, deliver the essence of Vedas and Upanishads. During the sath sangh on July 9th, Amma shared the following chinna katha (small story) ??

I am very pleased to share the video above, a collage of photos and videos chronicling the sweet and sacred memories Amma’s Divine Company over the years.
DISCLAIMER: Before you give any credit or place blame on me for the selection, randomness and incompleteness of the pictures in the video, please know that this is no cleverness of mine rather it is the unclear and obscure algorithm of Apple IOS. I was tempted to do my own edits of the video to add or delete pictures to be politically correct and make a more comprehensive and balanced representation. In the end I have decided that it is too large a task and in the end I would still come short; this way I let the program take all the credit and blame.
I do have some personal thoughts on who and what ended up on the video; I take this as a snapshot from the Divine Reel being compiled by the “Chitragupta”.
(It is believed that Shiva entrusted the duty of maintaining the account of deeds, good and bad, of all human beings in earth. He came to be known as Chitraguptha as he was derived from a Chitra (piture) and Gupta (accountant). He was set as the accountant of Yama, who is the Hindu deity of death.).
Even that doesn’t imply that somehow these ore more blessed than others. But, it does help to be hanging around God; you never know when the picture is being snapped.
Also, I see that everyone visible and invisible have been part of Amma’s ever expanding Divine Mission; and I particularly see the youngsters in this video be the future torchbearers of Amma’s Mission and Glory.???

June 2018 Events

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June 2018
Amma at the Ashram
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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May 2018 Events

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May 2018
Amma at the Ashram
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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May 15, 2018 – Special blessings from the Ashram — Amma especially instructed to share this with the devotees.???

May 27, 2018 – Blessings from our Beloved Amma from the Holy grounds of the Ashram.???

2018 Food Donations at various Homeless Shelters in Bay Area, California

Again this year (2018) volunteers are providing daily essential food supplies at various homeless shelters in the Bay Area which includes several gallons of Milk, approximately 10-15 pounds fresh fruits, Fruit Juices, water and Kids friendly snacks as requested by the shelter once or twice a month.

Here are some pictures:

April 2018 Events

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April 2018
Amma at the Ashram
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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No News were published.

March 2018 Events

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March 22, 2018
Amma at the Ashram
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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Feeling at home — Although Amma looks comfortable at any place somehow it feels like Amma is more so at the Ashram involved in the Annadanam and visiting the Goshaala and receiving the devotees at the footsteps of the temple. A very busy Lord indeed!?

It was the good fortune of Smt Krupa and Sri Nagaraj as Amma blessed them by creating the sacred and much coveted Srichakram — for the records, this one is number 92; sixteen more to come for the final tally of 108.

The next day Amma sat down for that wonderful herbal henna treatment for the luxurious hair; and, a chosen few get the sacred opportunity to apply it to Amma’s hair.

….. Amma looks over my photo gallery of Amma’s USA visit.

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March 25, 2018
Amma at the Ashram
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Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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?The Sacred Festival Day of Sri Rama Navami?
The festival of commemorating the birth of Sri Rama, a Divine incarnation of Lord Vishnu is celebrated widely in India and in other parts of Asia. Sri Rama is considered the very personification of Dharma (Righteousness), for he lead every aspect of his life in strict adherence to a Dharma. And, that is why the saying goes – Ramo vigrahavan dharmah (Rama is the very personification of Dharma)
रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मस्साधुस्सत्यपराक्रमः।
राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवानां मघवानिव।। 3.37.13 ।।
[Sloka 13 from 37th Sarga in Aranya Kanda from Sri Valmiki Ramayanam]
Meaning: Rama is Dharma incarnate. He is pious. His strength is truth. He is king of all the worlds like Indra to the gods.
For more on the significance of this sacred day, please visit:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama_Navami

On a personal level, Prasuna and I have very fond memories of celebrating the first Sri Rama Navami in 2013, as Amma presided over the event and meticulously guided every detail of the sacred ceremony. And that was in San Ramon, California, USA; and it was within couple of weeks of the very year that we were blessed to meet and be drawn into the Divine orbit of Amma. We followed procession carrying the idols of Sri Ram Darbar along with Amma into the neighborhood streets of San Ramon singing Bhajans; imagine that!

We woke up to the beautiful sacred morning scenery at the Ashram. While the staff and a few volunteers busied themselves making special Rama Navami feast I followed Amma for the morning walk towards the temple, with a stopover at the place setup for Annadaanam.

Soon it was time for the special ceremonial worship at the temple. The stage was set with Sri Ram Darbar, with elaborate worship that concluded with the Homa and the auspicious wedding function of the Divine couple Sri Rama and Sita.???

The sacred idols of Sri Rama, Sitha, Laksmana and Hanuman were ceremoniously taken to the temple.

Amma noticed a beautiful Saree in the temple offered by a woman of modest means and quickly gotten into the act of dressing Sri Rajarajeswari Devi with the new saree. The saree may not me expensive but it caught the eye of Amma and accepted by the Divine as the perfect offering. Amma was very appreciative and complimentary of the simple lady’s generous gesture.?

Out with the old…

In with the new…

And that concluded the sacred ceremony; all attendees were served with delicious feast befitting the occasion.?

The Nithya-Annadaanam or daily feeding of the needy that began in earnest on January 1st this year continues unabated. Appreciating the noble undertaking many devotees from around the world have come forward to support the program. Based on the experience to date we envision the program taking off to serve even greater number of people. To address this escalating need the Organization is actively working on establishing a robust infrastructure including cold storage facilities and industrial dishwashing system and building a more permanent dining facility.
The video below may not give an accurate picture of nearly more than 300 people being served daily, because the visitors stream in small batches throughout the 4-5 hours of feeding daily.?

March 2018, Camp at Sri.Srinivas Pyda Garu’s Residence, Livermore, CA

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March 5 – March 19, 2018
Amma’s Visit to
Northern California , U.S.A.
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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March 5, 2018 – Welcome Back to the Golden State! Beloved Amma! ???

Amma arrived at the familiar surroundings, the lovely home of Dr Srinivas Pyda. Amma was received with traditional Poorna Kumbham amidst the recitation of Vedic chants.
The altar and Amma’s seating area were well decorated and so was Amma’s private chambers upstairs.?

March 5, 2018 – The evening worship program at Dr. Srinivas Pyda’s home in Livermore, California.???

March 6, 2018 — Morning Arathi ??

Less than a couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune of celebrating my birthday in Amma’s Divine Presence. Today is Prasuna’s blessed day to celebrate her birthday; Amma always makes such celebrations very memorable filled with fun and laughter. ???

Going cross-eyed for us?

Prasuna had enough of that!

The blessed memory for all of us??

After the morning worship program Amma and the devotees left to the home of Smt Latha & Sri Krishna Varanasi in nearby San Ramon, California who welcomed Amma with the traditional Poorna Kumbham amidst the Vedic chanting.?

The blessed family had the good fortune of doing the Paada Puja to Amma’s Holy Feet.???

After the Puja the Varanasis served specially prepared lunch for Amma in privacy while we all enjoyed the delicious lunch in the backyard. After lunch Amma took a little stroll in the family’s backyard.?

March 6, 2018 – The evening worship program at Dr Pyda’s home.?

Cake cutting ceremony in celebration of Prasuna’s birthday.?

March 7, 2018 — After the morning worship program Amma went to Mountain House, California to visit the home of Smt Roja & Sri Prasad Ravuri.???

Amma blessed the new home by walking around on a tour with the blessed hosts.?

Amma was seated comfortably in the well set up Jhoola (swing), and the host family proceeded with the sacred Paada Puja.???

The memorable home visit to the Ravuris ended with a delicious lunch feast that everyone enjoyed before returning to the home base at Dr Pyda’s home in Livermore, California.??

March 8, 2018 — The morning worship program…

Amma lending a creative helping hand in the kitchen.???

March 9-12, 2018 — NIRMALA YOGA SADHANA CLASS. Many devotees in the Bay Area and a few from the other parts of the USA took advantage of attending the special yoga class directed by Dr. Srinivas Pyda under Amma’s divine guidance and immediate presence. The program started in the very early hours each morning and concluded late in the evening. Besides learning the fundamentals of Pranayama the attendees were blessed to receive Amma’s personal guidance on the posture and aspects of breath control. Amma also gave talks on the intricacies of the yoga sadhana.??

March 10, 2018 — The Blessed Day of the Phalguna Bahula Navami, the Aradhana Day of Her Holiness Sri Sitha Mahayogini; the day she became One with Her True Reality leaving behind the mortal coil. What a great blessing for the devotees who had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the sacred day in the presence of Vasamma who is the selfsame incarnate of the great soul.???
The program of the event started very early in the morning with devotees gathering quietly in front of the closed doors of Amma’s private room. Devotees began the program with the 21 Omkar recitation followed by the singing of melodious Awakening song and bhajans. When the doors to Amma’s room opened it is as if the doors to the heavenly abode are open and everyone rushed in and sat around Amma. Amma was presented with a beautiful framed picture painted by Smt Gita Goyal, a very talented artist devotee from the Bay Area. Amma was very pleased with presentation that depicted the Oneness of both the incarnations, Amma and Sri Sitha Mahayogini. Amma blessed everyone present individually. Slowly as everyone left the room with a few of us still in the room, Amma created the fragrant Vibhuti and poured in our hands and asked it to be distributed. And then suddenly Amma extended both the hands over the picture painting and poured out a large amount of the sacred Vibhuti covering the whole picture frame end to end. Over the next hour we kept ourselves busy packing the special Vibhuti and distributed to all present and saved some for other devotees to distribute.???

In all the excitement unfortunately no one had the presence of mind to take the photo or video of Amma pouring out the sacred Vibhuti on the picture frame, but here is the picture with still enough residue traces of Vibhuti after we carted away all the Vibhuti and packed it for distribution.?

A few of us also got smeared with the Vibhuti residue left on the hands by Amma.?

Over the past six months since Amma’s last visit to the USA, a small team of devotees lead by Sri MN Reddy worked on reproducing the small idol of Sri Sitha Mahayogini that is Amma’s constant companion. Using the 3-D printing technology the team was successful in getting resin replicas. These idols were placed in the morning worship program and Abhishekam. Later in the evening Amma distributed them with blessings.?

Later in the afternoon Smt Priya & Sri Sanjeev Tanugula along with the rest of the family visited Amma to extend a personal invitation to preside over the Sacred Saptamatruka Puja at their home on the 17th.?

Soon the evening Devotion program got underway….

After a little hide-and-seek Amma was ready to distribute the sacred idols of Sri Sitha Mahayogini.?

Nearly 50+ blessed recipients of the sacred idol of Sri Sitha Mahayogini.???

March 11-12, 2018 – Home of Dr. Srinivas Pyda, Livermore, California, USA.?

The morning worship program included the much coveted Pada Puja to the lotus feet of our Beloved Amma.???

Mischievous, cute and adorable — that’s our Lord???

Program concluded with the Mangala Arathi ???

Amma displays the torn out upper dhoti feigning anger at me and the rest of the Organizing Committee for not caring; guilty as charged we take all in jest and as Amma’s Prasad and blessings.???

More pranks and lovely mischief ?

Satsang with Amma; Amma is elaborating on spiritual concepts and principles with parables from Hindu epics and mythology. This is the hallmark of all great teachers and Divine Incarnates who simplify the high spiritual truths and messages by such illustrations.?

Those of us who are blessed enough to watch Amma’s creativity in action in preparing unique and original culinary delicacies cannot wait to partake them especially when it gets dished out by the very Divine Hands; Amma too enjoys watching us relish the food just like a loving Mother.?

Evening worship program – – melodious bhajans ?

Everyone looks forward for the post-dinner informal and intimate gatherings that occasionally follow the evening Devotion Program.

Sitting facing Amma on the left end of the picture is the young and beautiful Ananya who came straight from her dance competition and came first; Amma was like a proud Mother to hear the exciting news. The day was even more special for her parents the Goyals as their son Anant ranked first in the Regional running race competition.??????

Anant gets special hug and blessings from Amma for his accomplishment.?

March 12, 2018 – Today marks the final day of the four-day Nirmala Yoga Sadhana class.?

It’s also a special day for Smt Joanne Pesce who came along with her husband Sri Jerry Pesce to celebrate her birthday in Amma’s Divine Presence. Amma received their offerings of love and blessed them and presented Smt Joanne with a beautiful saree on the special occasion, following the cake cutting ceremony.???

The evening program gets underway… the program includes distribution of Certification of Completion of the 4-day intensive Nirmala Yoga Sadhana Class, and closing with melodious bhajans.?

A devotee makes loving offerings to Amma.?

The Course Director, Dr. Srinivas Pyda was garlanded on the occasion by Sri Thallapragada Rao, on behalf of all the Course Participants.?

Distribution of Certification of Course completion to the participants.?

That was young Showmik singing the melodious song in adoration of Lod Shiva.??

The program ended with Mangala Arathi.?

March 13-19, 2018 – Home of Dr. Srinivas Pyda, Livermore, California, USA.?
This is the final week of Amma’s visit to the USA.
I promised myself that I will complete the postings of this visit of Amma before the next month-long visit to the USA which is scheduled for July 3, 2018.
Also, there is a scheduled three country visit covering Singapore, Bali (Indonesia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) from June 21st through June 30, 2018; more on that later.?

March 13, 2018 – Morning worship ???

Concluding Mangala Arathi?

Amma is always ready to give a helping hand in the kitchen; and it is more than a helping hand Amma is giving Jhansi a tip or two in creative cuisine.?

March 14, 2018 — Amma’s love for children and their spontaneous attraction to Amma is so natural and it personifies the ideal loving bond between a mother and the child. Children are eager to please Amma with their creative arts and long to engage Amma in playing games with them.?

Young Anuj and Anvi presentsd Amma with the board game they made based on the quiz game Amma frequently conducts, based on the theme and characters of the great Hindu epic Ramayana.?

On the Divine lap — Lucky and blessed son of Viswa.?

Au naturael??

Even God can feel overwhelmed at times?

Beautiful Alankaram and the Altar?

Later in the morning Amma blesseda Smt Bindu and Sri Balaji of San Ramon, California by making a surprise visit to their home.???

The blessed family availed the opportunity to undertake the sacred Pada Puja ceremony.?

The blessed family with their Beloved Amma.???

Soup for the Soul — from the very Divine Hands.???

Concluded with Mangala Arathi ??

March 16, 2018- Morning worship?

March 16, 2018 — Amma blessed Smt Lakshmi & Sri Suresh Pyda by visiting their home.
The family including their children welcomed Amma and held the sacred Pada Puja program. After the luncheon and s little rest Amma returned to Livermore, CA to Dr. Srinivas Pyda’s home.?

The blessed family availed the opportunity to undertake the sacred Pada Puja ceremony.?

Concluded with Mangala Arathi ??

March 17, 2018 – Sacred Saptamatruka Puja at the home of Smt Priya & Sri Sanjeev Tanugula, Santa Clara, California, USA.

On this very holy day of Ugadi, the Tanugula’s are fortunate to undertake the most sacred Saptamatruka worship with Amma presiding the function. I will post the pictures of that event later after I catch up with the month-long back up of news events.
But, Amma has given me the explicit instruction to first post the brief but very profound Ugadi message that Amma gave the attendees of the event.
(ABOUT UGADI – Ugadi (Ugādi, Samvatsarādi, Yugadi) is the New Year’s Day for the Hindus of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana states in India. It is festively observed in these regions on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra. This typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi).

AMMA’S 2018 UGADI (VILAMBI) MESSAGE:
Amma’s stern message to all her loving children around the world was to NOT TALK ILL OF ANYONE AND AVOID BACKBITING. Amma warned that it is not befitting of anyone claiming to be Amma’s devotee, men or women, in indulging in gossip and spreading falsehoods calling by phone at gatherings. Amma compared such persons to dogs and pigs which relish filth, and they are even lower than the vermin in the filth. Amma continued saying that there is no benefit of undertaking any number of special pujas or sadhanas if one violates this cardinal principle of not speaking ill of others and avoiding backbiting.
Amma concludes the message extolling the great virtues of women of sacrifice, tolerance and forbearance; and when the women lead such virtuous lives the entire world worship them and now to their feet.???

Special Program – The Sacred Saptamatruka Puja was held at Smt Priya & Sri Sanjeev Tanugula’s home in Santa Clara, California. Tanugulas made long awaited to undertake this sacred worship in the Divine Presence of Amma and made elaborate and detailed preparations with much love and devotion. Today they are realizing their dream.
A little over a year ago Amma spoke about the spiritual significance and the benefits of undertaking such sacred Puja.
I am reproducing that along with the background about the Saptamatruka Puja that I wrote at that time.???

In a recent satsang Amma clarified the true import of many of these elaborate forms of worship.
Amma cited an old adage,
పుణ్యంకొద్దీ పురుషుడు; దానంకొద్దీ బిడ్డలు
meaning
Based on the punya (meritorious deeds) one has done one will get a good man (spouse); and the good children one receives are a result of the charities one has done.
Amma explained that doing such sacred worships as the Saptamatrika or Saptarishi Pujas, or Suvasini Puja etc. one accumulates punya, and doing charitable acts serving the society and fellowmen one accumulates merit as well.
According to Amma the ultimate objective of both such worship activities where man is worshipped as the very embodiment of Divine, and engaging in charitable activities serving fellowmen is to “see God in man”. What a noble idea!???

What is Saptamatrika Puja?
Here is some background material that I gathered from my internet searches. Later I will share the essence of the significance if this sacred worship that Sri Srinivas Pyda gathered from Amma.?
“Sapta Matrikas or the seven divine mothers, representing the saktis, or the energies of the important familiar deities are Brahmani (Saraswati) Mahesvari (Raudani) Kaumari (Karttikeyani) Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) Varahi, Indrani and Chamunda (Chamundi). According to a legend, the Matrikas were created to help Lord Siva in his fight against Andhakasura. When Lord Shiva inflicted wounds on Andhaka, blood began to flow profusely from his body. Each drop which touched the ground assumed the shape of another Andhaka. Thus there were innumerable Asuras fighting Siva. To stop the flow of the blood, Siva created a goddess called Yogesvari from the flames issuing out of his mouth. Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswara, Kumara, Varaha, Indra and Yama also sent their saktis to follow Yogesvari in stopping the flow of blood. Thus the Sapta Matrikas originated and Andhakasura finally lost his power and was defeated by Siva.”?
“The Sapta-Matrikas portray beautiful allegory. Siva is the spirit of Vidya, knowledge. Andhaka represents, ignorance or the darkness of Avidya. The more Vidya attacks Avidya the more it tends to arise and increase. This is represented by the multiplication of Andhaka and secondary asuras. Unless the eight evil qualities, Kama, krodh, lobha, mada, moha, matsarya, paisunya and asuya are completely brought under the control of Vidya and kept under restraint, it can never succeed in putting down Andhakara. The Varaha Purana state that the Matrikas are Atma-Vidya warring against Andhakara. The darkness of ignorance: “Etate-te Sarvam-akyatamatma-vidyamritam”?
“According to Khadgamala (vamachara) tradition of Sri Vidya, the eight Matrkas are located along the wall (four at the doors and four at the corners) guarding the city (Tripura) on all eight directions: Brahmi on the West; Maheshwari on the North; Kaumari on the East; Vaishnavi on the South; Varahi on North-west; Aindri on the North-east; Chamunda on the South-east; and, Mahalakshmi on the South-west. Please see the figure below.”?

March 19, 2018 – Another glorious visit of Amma to the USA has come to an end to the disappointment of many. It is hard to sum up the collective experience of the fun, laughter, love and spiritual uplift that Amma’s visit brings; and, don’t forget the FOOD, especially the culinary delicacies that Amma whips up on the fly and lovingly mixes and serves. Despite nearly a six-week visit it still felt short as devotees hungered more of Amma’s love and Divine proximity. As the flight of Amma’s return to India was scheduled for the early afternoon from San Francisco, we left Dr Pyda’s home in Livermore, California around noon. It is our good fortune that Prasuna and I were able to join Amma on the return journey to India.
At the airport many devotees came to bid goodbye to their Sweetest Lord, and many were moved to tears at the thought of parting with Amma. Many stayed around waving to Amma as we well passed the security check. It was truly a moving experience to witness the loving bond between Bhakta and Bhagavan (Devotee and the Lord).???

What remains with us — The fond memory of the Lovely Lotus Feet of Amma?

As we settle down in our seats on the flight, Smt Jhansi already started to go around to distribute some snacks to the entourage.

Throughout the flight Amma paid special attention to the loving mother of Sri Sanjeev Tanugula of the Bay Area who also joined us.

Since the flight was not full Amma too found comfortable seating to rest, but notice Amma has not resorted to any extra protection from the cold cabin temperatures. When enquired if it is not too cold and offer a shawl or blanket Amma declines saying that this is no where near the cold temperatures that Amma bears in the Himalayas without any protection. That’s Divine!

As we start descending into the Dubai airport (transit) Amma peeks out at the sunset through the window ??

The rest of the journey until we reached Chennai, India in the early morning hours of March 21, 2018 was uneventful. We reached the Ashram around 5:30 AM where the Ashramites were thrilled to receive their Beloved Amma back.

?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??

March 2018, Camp at Sri Sanjeev Tirunagare’s Residence, Austin, Texas, U.S.A

After a two-night stay at the Mantralas after the worship program in the morning on March 1st, Amma and the entourage left to the San Jose airport for a four-day visit to Austin, Texas.?
This is the maiden visit to Austin. Amma has kindly accepted the invitation of Sri Sanjeev Tirunagare, an ardent devotee of Amma who moved to Austin a few years back after residing a number of years in the Bay Area where he first met Amma.???

We arrived at the Austin airport in the late evening on March 1st. Eagerly awaiting Amma’s arrival and extending were the host family (Sri Sanjeev Tirunagare, his teenage son, and his mother Smt Sujatha) along with a small group of local devotees.

Arriving at Austin airport??

Welcoming at the Tirunagare’s’ home.???

The blessed host family.?

Sanjeev made monumental preparation in welcoming Amma to his home. But, his primary motive was to share Amma’s love and his mission to the circle of families in Austin. With his soft spoken demeanor and friendly attitude Sanjeev was able to engage them in decorating his home very tastefully to bring that serene devotional atmosphere for the occasion. Every corner and every room was thoughtfully decorated bringing the best artistic talent of the volunteer devotees.
Since it was already late in the evening everyone retired after dinner.
Next morning the morning worship program got underway in the upstairs hall where a beautiful altar was set up; Amma presided over the event.???

Beautiful set up of Amma’s bed in the private chambers upstairs.?

Impression of Amma’s Holy Feet captured on the towel as Amma stepped on it after the Prada Puja (at the entrance of the home) when Amma arrived.?

Amma seems to be lost in thoughts…. reflecting on the seminal work of Sri Sitha Mahayogini summarizing her own supreme spiritual journey and sacred life.?

Sanjeev took the opportunity to invite Amma to step into and sanctity the new home he purchased (which he will be moving in soon) in a nearby neighborhood.
It is a large home with beautiful layout and a nice backyard; and, very conducive to large satsang meetings.
Amma was pleased with the layout and gave a suggestions to bring the home to fully Vastu compliant. Amma was especially enamored with the small crawl space storage area in the bedroom. Amma was probably reminded of the confined space of the small silo that Sri Sitha Mahayogini performed her spiritual austerities.???

The evening devotion program included song and dance presentation by children.?

Amma’s love for the music is the very hallmark of Amma’s Divinity — Gaana Priye Amba Narayani??????

March 3, 2018 – Morning worship program included the sacred Paada Puja to Amma besides the regularly featured Abhishekam and Alankaram.?

Sheetala Charanam… Komala Charanam… Manjula Charanam… Mama-Guru Charanam ????

March 4, 2018 – When the word spread that that Amma is visiting Austin many a brave soul ventured out to take advantage of having Amma’s darshan from both coasts of the country, from Atlanta, Georgia and even from California; and within Texas from as far as Dallas. Such is the power of Divine attraction !!! ???
Their genuine love for Amma and their efforts making the long journeys was amply rewarded as Amma filled them with palms full of the sacred vibhuti and Gandham; and, Amma gave private audience to them addressing and guiding them on many of their worldly and spiritual issues.???

Amma blessed Smt Priya & Sri Babu Surapaneni with the sacred Siva Lingam that emerged from Amma during the Holy Mahashivarathri of 2018. What a blessing!!!

Who could resist?

The couple who travelled from Dallas, Texas.?

That love between God and the Devotee and that pure joy is so very tangible.?

As the day for Amma’s departure back to California fast approached Amma was in a great mood to bless His loving children the best way He knows how and reveal His love for them – – create copious amounts of the sacred Vibhuti and Gandham. When that happens devotees drop everything and rush towards Amma with outstretched palms competing with each other to receive the Divine Gift.???

Sri Murali Sajja and his beautiful daughter Swathi who made their long journey from Atlanta, Georgia are gleaming with joy displaying Swathi’s loot of the sacred Vibhuti and Gandham received from Amma.?

Amma received the devotees in the private chambers.

That’s no new hair-growth product on my head, rather it is Amma’s loving way of blessing me with the sacred Vibhuti by smearing all over my head. I am not counting on it growing hair on my head but hoping it would help me progress spiritually.?

By the end of the night everyone was in bliss having received their share of the sacred powders; for many of the new first time devotees this was a mind blowing experience to witness endless streams of Vibhuti and Gandham flowing out of Amma’s hands.?

March 5, 2018 – Goodbye to Austin, Texas.
The four-day visit was truly uplifting; it is the way Amma plants the seeds of Love around the world. I am certain that for many these four days are spiritually exhilarating and have given a peak into the ocean of Divine love and Divine mystery.?
It was time for everyone to gather at Amma’s lotus feet to have one last word and seek Amma’s blessings as we get ready to leave to the airport.?

So long – – Austin, Texas! With Loving Blessings of Amma.???

Seated in the flight headed to California I keep clicking away…

Amma tries to hide … true to form! After all when you are God you want stay hidden!

My persistence pays off!

February 2018, Camp at Smt Bindu & Sri Suresh Mantrala’s Residence, San Jose, CA

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February 6 – March 19, 2018
Amma’s Visit to
Northern California , U.S.A.
?
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
???????????
February 27th, 2018, Amma and the entourage travelled south to San Jose where they were welcomed by Smt Bindu & Sri Suresh Mantrala joined by their lovely children. As the proud father of Bindu and the loving father-in-law of Suresh it was a sort of homecoming for Sri Seshagiri Khambhampati.??

Amma seated comfortably in the private chambers after a nice head shower.?

February 28, 2018 – At the Mantrala’s home, San Jose, California

Elegant altar set up.?

Besides beautiful bhajans the evening also witnessed a wonderful classical vocal presentation by very talented young adults.???

Amma’s miracles never cease!!! Early in the day I went up to Sri Suresh Mantrala (the host) and handed over a dozen or so small containers and in a half serious tone commanded him saying, “your mission is to make sure that Amma fills them with the Vibhuti before leaving your home tomorrow”. And later in the afternoon as I and Dr Srinivas Pyda were with Amma in the private chambers I felt the distinct smell of the sacred Vibhuti and implored Amma to bless us with some. Amma readily blessed us by creating some for both of us by rubbing his fingers. And then said, “wait” and reached out to the large electric hot water kettle, opened the lid and holding upside down started shaking rigorously. Lo and behold! the Vibhuti started pouring out creating a cloud of dust; our excitement created enough commotion soon everyone around in the household rushed in with outstretched palms to capture some. No one left disappointed. The wish fulfilled; it was a lot more than what I was bargaining with Suresh. ?????

The blessed miracle kettle from which Amma created and poured out the sacred Vibhuti bringing joy and astonishment to everyone present ??

Here are few priceless pictures of Amma’s expression of amusement and frustration whenever Amma encounters lack of common sense and/or sensibility. ?

While at the Mantralas’ home (on February 28th) Amma blessed the wonderful devotees Smt Saraswathi & Sri Sathyanarayana by visiting their home in Sunnyvale, California; the couple was elated for their good fortune and welcomed Amma with much love and served light refreshments.?
After a two-night stay at the Mantralas after the worship program in the morning on March 1st, Amma and the entourage left to the San Jose airport for a four-day visit to Austin, Texas.?

February 2018 Events

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February 2018
Amma at the Ashram
Sri Vasudevananda Swamy Trust
Naidupeta, Nellore Dt.,
Andhra Pradesh, India.
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