Amma's Ashram

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We spent a night at the ashram of a guru who calls herself Amma, or "Mother". (see http://www.amritapuri.org/amma/amma.php) From the 14th floor balcony of the building where we slept, we could look onto a forest of palm trees, broken on one side by the Arabian Sea, and, on the other, by a long river, part of the backwaters that are fed by the sea. At night, we saw few lights, except for a few lighted buoys at the ocean's horizon and headlights along the river that allowed boats to navigate. Otherwise, only the area of the ashram was lit: the other skyscrapers and, of course, the temple.

We had floated 25 miles from Kollam by boat along the river to the ashram. It is a stop (recommended by "Lonely Planet") at the mid-point on a boat tour of the state of Kerela's lovely backwaters. When we shuffled off of the boat onto the shores of the ashram, we didn't expect to see pink skyscrapers in front of us. A fellow backpacker who we met over dinner told us that a traveller told him to go to the ashram at least "for the view".

Amma, the guru, is away from the ashram presently touring Nothern India. If we want to, we can see her in San Ramon, California which hosts her US headquarters, or in Manhattan where she makes appearances. We met devotees at the ashram who had experienced her love in London and in Munich and had travelled to rural Kerela to be in her presence. Since most of the ashram residents were following Amma on her tour, we were told apologetically that the ashram was quiet.

Despite the apologies for Amma's absence, the ashram seemed active to us. Devotees - a mix of Indians and Westerners of all ages, including children - lined up at the juice/chai stall, the bookstall and the ayruvedic outpost, and hastened by us carrying religious texts inspired by Amma's teachings. That evening, we sat in the balcony of the women's temple while two hundred some women chanted below us in Sanskrit; many had been chanting for 2 and 1/2 hours before the lights went out, Krishna's image at the front was illuminated, and the devotional singing began.

Amma, although physically absent, was very much present to us, in the words of her followers and photgraphic images throughout the asharm. Our introductory tour ended in front of the cowshed that we were told was from Amma's original village house. In the darkened interior visible through the open door, her enlarged image looked out, draped in the marigold wreaths with which deities are consecrated in temples.

I asked our tour guide if Amma was considered divine. Our guide, a woman born in Connecticut and very familiar with Manhattan, paused; her eyes tearing up, she answered that many people consider her to be. An incarnation? I asked, referring to the human form that Hindu gods will sometimes take. (Krishna, for example, is considered an incarnation of Vishnu.) Yes, the guide answered, one of the highest.

Later, Amit referred to a portrait we had seen in the women's temple of Amma holding the god, Krishna, as a child. The composition was familiar to me from so often seeing the tableu of the Virgin Mary with Christ. He wondered if the comment that Amma was "one of the highest" incarnations meant that she rivaled Krishna (or Jesus Christ, for that matter, who is also considered an incarnation of Vishnu).

At full capacity, the ashram hosts 2,000 (if you believe "Lonely Planet") to 3,000 (if you trust the ashram's promotional literature) people. Many people who stay there own flats. The last residential building was built in 2003. The ashram and Amma have sponsored the building of universities, hosptials, and housing throughout the area. Who knows? Someday, we may tell the next generation that we were there.

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