Q/A with Amma in Seattle

[Guest guest]

I meant to post this sometime back but today was the earliest when I

managed to get some time to post this. I think there were a number of

Amma answers which will be useful to all Sadhaks.

 

Q. We get very good advice from Amma on whether to accept new job,

new relationship, move to a new city etc. How do we get Amma's advice

when Amma is away in India and we badly need Amma's advice.

 

[ Swami did not translate this properly and Amma initially

misunderstood the question, so Swami clarified the question again and

there were a number of exchanges between Swami and Amma, mostly as to

the meaning of the question. This question received an ovation from

the audience, I am sure many had this question at the back of their

minds ]

 

Amma: Just do your yoga and meditation, things will work out. Amma

will provide unseen guidance.

 

[ In this context I want to narrate an incident; this happened in San

Ramon just before the retreat last year. I was staying in a hotel

nearby and had to call someone to tell him of my decision regarding

an important matter. If I had not called this person, he would have

taken a different course of action, and so I felt that I had to tell

him in person what to do. I picked up the phone and prepared to call

him, suddenly I found that I could not remember the phone number (and

this was something that I use all the time, so forgetting it is very

unusual). I frantically tried to recall the number but to no avail. I

then tried to call the operator to have an operator assisted call-

but the call would just not go through. I tried to call some friends

on my cellphone but my cellphone seemed to have no coverage. Resigned

I gave up. I later found that had I called then to tell of my

decision, things would have taken a very disastrous course. All I can

say is that MOther intervened at the right time to help me out. ]

 

Q. What is the significance of the number 108?

 

Amma: 9 is the number of completeness. There are 18 puranas, 18 upa-

puranas, 18 days in the Mahabharata war, so we see the number 9 and

its multiples in scripture

 

 

 

[ From a Swami talk ]. A journalist came and interviewed Amma. He

asked Amma, how do you manage to spend all your time in front of

everyone. Dont you need any time to yourself, to go away from the

maddening crowd, dont you want some time to yourself to be joyful.

Amma then asked him 'Son, how do you define joy'. To which the

journalist replied 'Joy is to be at peace'. Amma asked him ' Son,

what is your definition of peace'; at which the journalist was

clearly very disconcerted and did not have anything to say. Amma then

told him ' Son, i am always at peace '. Swami concluded that people

have wrong notions of joy and peace- only in the presence of a true

master can one have peace.

 

[ From a swami talk ]. Some people complain that this year Amma

totally ignored him/her and did not even speak a word. Such people

think that Amma is very unhappy with him and that is the reason why

Amma does not speak or show any affection. Here is a parable- there

was a man who was very devout and worshipful; this man used to

remember God all the time. When he was reviewing his life, he found

that throughout his life there were two footprints- him and God

walked together. However during the most ill-begotten period of his

life, he found that there was only one set of footprints. So he asked

God, 'My Lord, why did you forsake me when I needed you the most' to

which God replied 'My son, when things were going on well, I walked

beside you. When bad times came, I CARRIED YOU IN MY ARMS; that was

the reason you saw only one set of footprints'.

 

Swami concluded that when Amma has not talked or shown any affection,

this means that She is hard on work on the inside of oneself; she is

literally carrying you in Her arms and that is why it seems like

there is only one set of footprints.

 

Aum Namasivaya

-yogaman