AMRITPURI ASHRAM

AMRITPURI ASHRAM

LOCATION

At the Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Amritapuri near Quilon, South Kerala, there is a beautiful temple that houses more than seven hundred full-time residents. The day dawns early in this ashram (monastery) located in the backwaters of Kerala. TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS There are two days in the week when the Holy Mother does not receive visitors, as she has to see her full-time residents on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Thursdays and Sundays, she gives Darshan as Devi, the Divine Goddess. Mata Amritanandamayi says that all deities are within each and every one of us and that a realized being can manifest any particular deity by will. The Mother invokes the deity, Devi, and changes her attire from her usual white sari on these two evenings only. She sits all night, from about 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. She has been known to sit uninterruptedly hugging more than seven to eight thousand devotees at a stretch, clad in a gorgeous milk sari and wearing a crown. The Holy Mother teaches that the true nature of every being is divine, which can only be realized through selfless service, prayer, and meditation. The world of plurality dissolves into one single whole for a realized person, who sees no difference between one person and another, as she sees all as manifestations of the same Self. Just as your hand will instinctively rub your inflamed eye, both belonging to the same body, so also will you spontaneously rush to the help of your fellow being when it is needed, if you realize that in fact you and he are one. To realize this, many have chosen to give up their humdrum lives and follow the rigorous routine of the ashram, where selfless service forms a large part of the daily routine. The Mother allows those who are more inclined towards introspection to meditate undisturbed for as long as they can, without expecting them to participate in the ashram chores. Since prayer, meditation, and service are all paths to the same goal, the Mother leads her disciples to the goal along the path most suited to them.