This time I had the opportunity of being with Amma in Malaysia. We entered the hall before the program began. I was intimidated by its size. Have you had a chance to see the Amritapuri bhajan hall? I should say it was far bigger and broader than that. The stage seemed distant and small from the end of the hall. My heart started beating faster; does this mean they are expecting such a huge crowd? Oh! The tour is nearing its end and I wished Amma would get a moments rest. The sight of the hall removed all hope of Amma getting any rest from my mind.

I went to my room for an hour's rest and washed up for the evening program. When I came back I was taken aback to see that the hall was fully packed and that there were more people waiting at the door to enter.

Amma arrived and there was a short welcome speech by some dignitaries and then Amma gave a wonderful satsang that was well received by the people. Bhajans began and the crowd participated with a lot of enthusiasm. The hall reverberated with the divine music and everyone drowned himself or herself in it.

Darshan then began. I was one of the line monitors and I carefully ushered the never-ending stream of people into Amma’s arms. There were many children who had painful diseases and adults with amputated legs, tumor operations, blind, deaf, cancer patients and so on. When Amma held those children in her arms, her eyes filled with compassion as the children whimpered in pain. She stroked them gently and comforted them. Many of us shed tears too, seeing the pain of those children and the infinite compassion of our Divine mother. One child however, caught our attention. He could not walk and was carried to Amma for her darshan. With his eyes wide open in hope he asked Amma, “Amma will I be able to walk?". With her heart overflowing with love, she cradled him in Her arms and gave an assuring smile. Many of us were sure that this child was blessed in a special way.

It was almost noon when darshan ended and Amma was not at all in a hurry to go. She spoke to some of the volunteers who had come for darshan. Somehow the subject of “ego” came about and Amma said, “though Amma keeps saying in many ways that the most important thing is to develop a humble attitude, somehow the ego seems to be the most difficult thing to get rid of. In today’s world there are many leaders and hardly any servants!"

Amma and many of us got ready to leave for the airport and board our flights. Amma’s flight was to take off shortly whereas some of us had to wait for a day. We now really heaved a big sigh, as darshan was finally over and we hoped Amma could relax with us for sometime in the airport. Well, I was wrong again. People stopped her as she walked. One man remarked, “I have seen you in the TV, and now I am really seeing you!”. Amma found a seat in a corner and we all sat around her. Behind us many people had lined up in the hope of getting a hug from her. I was a little irritated, but Amma was only too happy to give. She spoke with many of them with a sense of fond familiarity and counseled them lovingly. It has to be mentioned here that the best way to receive Amma’s darshan would be by coming to her program venue, with due respect for her time and infinite love. There is a special charm in waiting in line, in a meditative mood and earn the wonderful blessing that she showers upon us.

Now, Amma was walking towards her gate and we all followed her trying to keep pace with her quick steps. All of us jammed the travelator and there were no spaces for the local people to stand. So, at the end of the first stretch of the travelator, many of us got off it and starting walking alongside, watching Amma. I did not want to miss a moment of seeing her; so I watched her without looking in front of me. Lo! There was a huge decorative pot on the way that I tripped over. Amma giggled like a small kid and I was so thrilled that I made her laugh. Her voice and facial expression changed immediately and she asked me if I got hurt. Actually I was totally fine and said so. My heart sank to realize that there was only a short time left before she would leave us. I looked at her with tear-filled eyes and she said just like my biological mother would say, “ No, No my child you shouldn’t cry”.

As Amma went through the security and was in her gate, we watched her through glass doors. We were all controlling our tears. Amma came and sat right in front of us. She was called to board the flight many times. She would get up and sit again. She told us with her eyes that it was too painful for her to leave her weeping children. Just as she is the master of every situation, from nowhere two kids came to her for a hug. Amma asked one of the kids if he knew nursery rhymes. The kid happily started reciting his rhymes with funny actions and sometimes danced. We all started laughing and the kid wouldn’t stop. It was so funny that most of us were laughing a lot. Seeing our faces a bit more relaxed and comforted Amma slowly got up and waved goodbye!

Thus ended the tour with our Divine Mother who continues to give and give….

--By Amma's Child