Pranada........Toronto and that mala

[Guest guest]

Ammachi , " daughterpranada "

<daughterpranada wrote:

>

> Re: testimony from a drug addict AMMA devotee.

>

>

> Om Amriteswaryai Namah!

>

> Amen to that, Visvanathan (and Temba!). One of the things Amma said

> on tour this year that stayed with me is a suggestion that we

> constantly evaluate what we are doing for spiritual practice and to

> be of service to others, and keep trying to do better every day.

>

......................

> Visvanathan, I'm sorry I didn't get a moment to introduce myself to

> you during Amma's Toronto visit. My roommate in San Ramon, Sindhu,

> wanted me to pass on a big hug to you.

> I was doing assistant prasad seva when you came up to Amma with a

> beautiful mala made with crystal and blue and green stones of some

> sort. Did you see, She kept it on for the rest of the night? Near

> the end of darshan, I saw Her shifting the pallu of Her sari so that

> the mala was tucked underneath.

>

> Jai Ma,

> Pranada

>

>

Om Amrtesvaryai Namah!

 

Namaskarams dear sister!!!

 

thank you for your kind words dear sister...i wish you HAD been able

to introduce yourself...but then it was a pretty busy time, and we

don't always run into the folks we had intended to talk to...but

instead some others that Amma had intended us to talk with....at least

that's my experience....

 

so....you were there when i gave Amma that Mala!!! i spent a lot of

time working on that mala just for Her....it has facetted clear rock

crystals, facetted amethyst crystals, lapis lazuli, green and " white "

jade crystals all strung on windings of number " 20 " silver wire (the

heavier kind that won't break so soon (Amma willing!) and capped with

silver lacy caps.....i really wanted to make something very lovely for

Mother that would also be appropriate Jyotish wise for a Libra

Ascendant....all stones to strengthen Venus, Saturn and Mercury....i

took a longish time winding the wires for that mala, and trying to

remember to say my mantra while doing so....NOT watcing TV or chatting

with my family, like last year....when She took it off after some

shortish time. (not that i blamed Her...the one i made last year,

although lovely also, just didn't have the same amount of

concentration and Bhava in it...

 

i did see that Amma wore that mala the rest of the night...Easwari and

i saw this because we were watching carefully off and on to see what

She might do with the mala...oh how i longed for Her to wear that mala

all night....i was SO happy to see Her tuck it under Her Sari just

before the Darshan ended...and walk off with it still around her neck

on Her way to the elevator.....a little egoistically, even, i was

hoping that She might decide to wear it for the Devi Bhava.....but no

such luck...it appeared the next AM at the bookstore....and now it's

on ME....since i bought it back again, and it's appropriate Jyotish

wise for me as well as Amma...(Capricorn rising gives the same

" friendly " planets as Libra.)

 

so there's the story of the mala i made for Amma....i try to make one

for Her every year as my personal gift for Her to express my love for

Her in a physical material way...as well as the words and all that...

 

this year i bought another Amma doll as well, to support Her

charities, and because my other Amma doll is getting a bit worn from

all those hugs over the last 12 years....Her nose is down to one layer

of " skin " , and her " hands " are getting a bit frayed as well...but She

is very dear to me just as She is...

 

She is quite different from the newer Amma doll, but both are very

adorable and huggable too....newer Amma doll has curls built into her

hair, whereas the older one has " naturally curly " hair, just like Amma

does.....

 

i noticed quite a few looks my way, and a few raised eyebrows at the

largish older guy with the long grey hair and beard carrying around

that cute little Amma doll (just like it happened in Seattle at first

long long ago)...i took Amma doll to get Her blessed by Amma at

Darshan, and i offered Amma an apple with Amma doll holding the

apple....Mother looked at the offering and chuckled at Her crazy

son...She took Amma doll and gave Her a lovely little sandalwood

" pottu " ...dot on the forehead...and then gave me one too...it was very

sweet...

 

In Amma's Divine Love

and in Her Service,

as ever,

your own Self,

 

visvanathan

 

OM Amrtesvaryai Namah!

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya, Visvanathan!

 

That's a beautiful story about the mala. It was clear when you came up for

darshan with it that it was offered with a tremendous amount of love.

 

I also make malas for Amma (usually in 22g - I have small hands and the

thicker the wire, the more force it takes to get good loops - also,

sometimes the bores of the beads I'm using won't even permit 22g and I have

to go down to 24 or even 26) and I very much know the feeling of wondering

if I put enough devotion into it, if She will wear it for a long time or

take it right off, if She likes it, etc. etc. etc. - endless fodder for the

monkeymind!

I've never really been able to tell if there's a connection between how much

devotion and concentration (I think) I had while making the mala, and how

long She keeps it on! I put one on her in Toronto last year on Devi Bhava

and I know my mind was all over the place when I made it, but come " Amma

Amma Taye " and the flower petal shower, She was still wearing it! One night

this year in San Ramon, I gave Her a small pink opal mala that I had mostly

just put together while waiting for my darshan token, and wasn't expecting

to even put it on Her, but Geetha said to put it and Amma said to put it, so

I did - and She wore it to the end of darshan that night. Other times I

think my focus was much better and I was really trying to keep my mantra

going, but She still took them off after a short while. Maybe She wears

them for just long enough to give them the perfect blessing for whatever

person will receive them afterwards. Who knows? I bow to the feet of my

beloved Mother who confounds all my expectations.

 

I had to give up and buy one of the cloth garlands from the bookstore when I

went for darshan on Devi Bhava in Toronto - my seva coordinating the darshan

lines just didn't permit enough time to finish the mala I'd hoped to put on

Her then. It's currently sitting on my altar, with 51 beads linked out of

108. I'll give the finished mala to Her this fall, if She wills.

 

That's beautiful about the doll too - and so sweet to have the doll offering

an apple! I think Amma dearly loves the things we do in innocence and play.

 

Jai Ma,

Pranada

 

 

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