Mata Amritanandamayi-Ammachi-Amma

INTRODUCTION
Today is Guru Poornima. On this day, I would like to post a brief summary about her. Amma was born in Kerala in 1953 as a daughter of a fisherman.In India she has been known to individually hug over 50,000 people in one day, sitting sometimes for over 20 hours. I admire her teachings and unconditional love for the people and I respect her a lot. I call her 'my Guru' though I am not perfect in discipline. When invited to speak at the United Nations, she is recognized as a "preeminent religious leader". The news media have dubbed her "the Mother of Compassion" because of the extensive humanitarian charities she has launched. The press have also nicknamed her "the Hugging Saint", because of the loving embraces she has given tirelessly to thousands everyday for the last 35 years. It is estimated that Amma has already hugged over 25 million people! Around the world she is identified as "a living Saint". Wherever she goes the crowds that flock to her only seem to grow as people experience something unique in her presence. To observe what Amma does, it becomes obvious that she exhibits nothing of what we would call "a personal life". Sleeping less than two hours per day, she is the untiring servant of all people, dedicated to removing human suffering.

Amma lives at the Amritapuri ashram in India along with two thousand residents who come from all over the world. The ashram serves as a spiritual center. These centers provide an ideal environment to meditate, perform selfless-service supporting Amma's innumerable humanitarian activities and gives the inner peace.


HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES
The humanitarian activities goes a long list. In brief, it includes feeding the poor, housing, orphanage, monthly pension, old age homes, speech and hearing improvement school, free legal aid (1008 lawyers) to the poor and disadvantaged in India, disaster relief, charitable hospital, hospice, medical outreach programs and Green friends program for the preservation and protection of the environment. Apart from these are the schools, institutes and university that teaches most up-to-date technologies as well as classes on yoga and meditation.

I would like to mention some of the services in detail:

• Feeding the poor: feeding over 2 million poor people through various centers each year.

• Housing for the poor: As of January 2007, successfully completed 30,000 homes and has further expanded the new goal to 125,000 homes for the poor.

• Charitable hospital: Not-for-profit 1,300-bed hospital provides free care to the poor. From 1998 to 2006, 751,098 patients received free treatment.

• December 26th 2004 Asia tsunami relief: Amma pledged 23 million USD for tsunami relief efforts. By the end of 2006 the estimated amount spent on tsunami relief work by the M.A.Math has doubled from $23 million to $46 million.

• It was the first NGO in India to complete tsunami homes (handed over its first batch of 18 houses on 13th April, 2005).

• As of February 2007, has completed the construction of 4500 tsunami homes in Tamilnadu and Kerala and 100 homes in Sri Lanka.

• Additionally, has served > 7.5 million meals throughout Tamil Nadu and Kerala; clothing for 90,000 people; cash for 16,000 families; 700 fishing boats, motors, fishing nets; provisions for 10,000 families; job camps for 2,000 adolescents and vacation camps for 10,000 children.

• October 8th 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief: has adopted and rebuilding 3 worst hit villages in the area.

• August 23rd 2005 US hurricane Katrina relief: donated $1 million to Bush-Clinton Katrina fund.

• July 26th 2005 Mumbai flood: medical care for 50,000 survivors and $1 million worth of medicines were distributed.

• January 26th 2001 Gujarat earthquake: within one year, three entire villages had been completely rebuilt, including 1,200 earthquake-proof homes. Plus, medical aid, food, and clothing.

INTERNATIONAL FORUM
Amma has been regularly invited by the international organizations to address the issues of religious differences, environmental issues and for establishing peace.

• Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1993 (Swami Vivekananda spoke in 1893)

• UN 50, New York,1995

• UN World Peace Summit, New York, 2000

• UN World Peace summit, Geneva 2002 (received the Gandhi & Luther King Award for Non-violence)

• Parliament of the World's Religions, Barcelona, 2004

• Interfaith Center of New York, 2006 (received the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award)

I would like to quote the following from her speech,

"Contentment and happiness depend solely on the mind, not on external objects or circumstances. Happiness really depends on self-control. Both heaven and hell are created by the mind. Even the highest heaven turns into hell if the mind is agitated; whereas, even the lowest hell will become a blissful abode for a man endowed with a peaceful and relaxed mind..."

Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict; it goes well beyond that. Peace must be fostered within the individual, within the family and within society. Simply transferring the world's nuclear weapons to a museum will not in itself bring about world peace. The nuclear weapons of the mind must first be eliminated..."

Aandal's Thirupavai

Today is the first day of the “Maargazhi” month, an auspicious month to recite the “Thirupavai”, a 1300 years old Tamil Bhakti literature composed by Aandal, only woman Vaishnava Saint. I have heard about the story of Aandal from my mother when I was a kid and learnt about Aandal’s work from my college studies.

Saint Aandal (a.k.a, Nachiar, Kothai, Chudi Kodutha Chudar Kodi) was the daughter of Vishnuchitta (a.k.a Periyazhwar) who lived in Srivilliputtur, near Madurai. Vishnuchitta procured flowers for the worship of the Lord Vishnu at a temple. One morning, he discovered a baby girl lying under a tulasi plant in his garden. Having no family of his own, Vishnuchitta felt it was God's grace that gave him this child and named her Kothai. Naturally, Kothai grew up in an atmosphere of love and devotion. Vishnuchitta sang songs to her about his beloved Vishnu, taught her all the stories and philosophy he knew, and shared with her his love of Tamil poetry. Gradually the love for the Beloved Lord intensified in her. Even as a child, Kothai made up her mind to marry none but the Lord Vishnu. She adorned herself daily with the flower, and thinking of herself as Lord Vishnu's bride, she would put the garland back, for her father to take to the temple and offer to the Lord. One day, her father caught her unawares, admiring herself in the mirror with the garlands. He was scandalized and mortified beyond belief that his daughter could so defile a sacred adornment. He scolded Kothai for her misuse of the garland and discarded it. That night, the Lord Vishnu appeared to Vishnuchitta in his dream and asked him the reason for discarding the garland and said that he would be pleased to wear the garlands once worn by Kothai. He realized the intensity of Kothai’s love for the Lord and her spiritual greatness. Since then she is known as "Aandal", the girl who "ruled" over the Lord.

Aandal blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her desire was to become the consort of Lord Vishnu at the Srirangam temple. Vishnuchitta became desperate. Lord Vishnu again appeared in his dream and asked that Aandal be sent to Him in all her wedding finery. Vishnuchitta followed Lord Vishnu’s words. Aandal reaching Srirangam temple ran into the sanctum sanctorum, embraced Lord Vishnu and disappeared in a blaze of glory.

Thiruppavai songs are sung in the month of Maarkazhi, originally by unmarried girls praying to the Pavai goddess seeking blissful married life. It is a uniquely Tamil tradition unknown in the rest of India. It has 30 songs one for each day of the month. It is unparalleled for its simple Tamil which is still understandable even after more than one thousand years. The loving and teasing exchanges that take place between the girls gathering each other from house to house on their way to the bathing terminal and to the house of Thirumaal are sweetly described. There is a practice to this day that during the poojas in the Lord Vishnu temples the last two stanzas of Thiruppavai are sung. It is also interesting to note that these two stanzas are also recited in Tamil during coronation of the kings of Thailand.

I read this on the news today: “The commencement time of Dhanurmasam is at 2.58PM on December 16 and ends on January 14, 2007. In view of Dhanurmasam the Thiruppavai will be recited in the place of Suprabhatam in the temple of Lord Venkateswara, Tirumala…”


A BRIEF NOTE ON TAMIL SAINTS AND TAMIL LITERATURE
I got introduced to the Tamil Bhakti literature when I was in college. We had an excellent Tamil literature teacher, Ms. Thilaga.

In brief, between 5th and 9th centuries A.D., there were 12 Vaishvanite Saints called Azhvars, devotees of Lord Vishnu. The development of Vaishnava philosophy owes much to the composition by these Saints. The 12 Azhvars were Bhootamazhvar, Peyazhvar, Poygaiazhvar, Tirumazhisaiyazhvar, Nammazhvar, Madurakaviyazhvar, Kulasekhara Azhvar, Periyazhvar, Aandal, Tondaradippodi Azhvar, Tiruppanazhvar and Tirumangaiyazhvar. The Tamil compositions by all these 12 Saints are collectively known as "Nalayira Divya Prabandham".

Similarly, the development of Shaiva philosophy owes much to the composition by 63 Shaivite Saints called Nayanmars, devotees of Lord Siva. Among the 63 Nayanmars, the most prominent Saints are Thirunyanachampandhar (Sambandar), Thirunavukkarasar (Appar), Sundarar (Sundaramurthi nayanar), and Manikkavasagar.