Amma the Mystic:
A Story of Swamiji Amritatmananda, a Disciple of Ammachi

From The Path of the Mother:

Photo exclusively for Ballantine by permission from M.A. Center

Swamiji Amritamananda, another one of Amma's first disciples, tells a story that draws us further into stage one, further into the mystery of who the Mother is and how she meets our most compelling needs.Twenty years ago, Swamiji Amritamananda, a tall, statuesque man, known at that time by the name of Ramesh Rao, came to live in Amma's ashram in Kerala. He was twenty years old, an Indian from a well-to-do family. Ramesh's parents, who were against him entering the spiritual life, were trying to have him arrested and hospitalized for mental instability. To protect her young disciple, Ammachi sent Ramesh to the Himalayas to hide. There he wandered, begging for his one meal a day from pilgrim rest houses where spiritual aspirants can receive alms. One day, in Gangotri, someone was sponsoring a festival, a feast for hundreds of holy men and ascetics. As Ramesh meandered though the throng, he was very moved by one of the seekers he spotted in the crowd. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about him Ramesh found attractive. The two sat together for the meal and, after chatting for some time, the stranger invited Ramesh to visit his home, a cave on the banks of the holy Ganges River. It is the custom in the Himalayas for ardent spiritual aspirants to live in caves and do meditation practices there. The grotto, not more than ten or fifteen yards from the roaring river, was small, with hardly enough room to seat two people. Swamiji Amritamananda, noting that he had not told his fellow seeker about Ammachi, recalled the conversation in the cave: "I asked him, 'Who is your spiritual teacher, your guru?' Surprisingly, my friend said, 'I don't know who my guru is.' I found his answer to be strange because he was doing very good spiritual practices. I wondered how it was possible that he didn't have a guru. Then he told me, 'Of course I have a guru, but I don't know who that guru is.' Again I found his answer to be very unusual, so I asked,'Could you please explain what you mean. How is it you have a guru, but you don't know who that guru is?'" Swamiji Amritatmananda's eyes glowed like lakes on a full moon night as he continued the story."My friend told me that he had left his home in Southern India at an early age, wandering in the Himalayas searching for a guru, but never finding one. After coming upon an empty cave, he settled there. Daily he practiced meditating on light, something he had learned from books.One early morning while he was meditating he saw an enormous light, like a thousand or ten thousand suns. Slowly, slowly the light reduced in size, finally taking the shape of a human being. He stared at the light, as slowly, slowly it came toward him. Gradually, the light turned into a form covered with a white sari. After some time a figure emerged ( a black lady draped in the white sari. With a beaming smile, she walked toward him. Then, opening her arms in greeting, she said, 'Son, I am your guru. I am your guru. I came here to initiate you.' Recalling the incident, Swamiji was silent for a few minutes, gazing into space, eyes welling with tears. "I got excited, certain the lady must be Ammachi. I pulled a small photograph of Ammachi out of my bag; I cupped the picture in my palm and held in front of my friend. 'Do you know this lady? This is my guru.' "As soon as he saw the picture, he snatched it from me, went into a state of ecstasy, and began dancing.I also was in a blissful mood. I don't know what happened, but I felt Ammachi's presence. After about an hour and a half, we returned to a normal state of consciousness. My friend was staring and staring at the photo. Then he nodded and said, 'This is the same woman who came to me in meditation.' "For a long time we sat silently, with the sound of the Ganges River flowing. "After I left his cave, I continued wandering for about eight or nine months until I received a message from Ammachi that my parents had stopped their search. So I returned to the ashram in Kerala. The incident in the Himalayas impressed me so much that I wanted to know if Ammachi had really come to this man whom I now felt was like my spiritual brother. One day I asked her, 'Are you his guru?' "But Ammachi was very tricky. She just walked away without answering. Several times I asked her, and like a small child, she would skip away, saying, 'Oh I don't know anything about that.' "Finally, I couldn't stand the suspense. I had to know the truth. I caught hold of Mother's feet, saying, 'Mother, I won't let go until you tell me the answer.' "With that, Mother became very serious. She closed her eyes.Her body became like fire. I got a little scared, felt as though I was in the presence of something very powerful, some cosmic energy, like the fire of the universe. "Then Ammachi spoke: 'Do you think you five or six boys are my only disciples? No. A lot of seekers and holy men wandering in the Himalayas are meditating upon me, doing their practices for the good of the world. Some in other parts of the globe as well. They are all my disciples. I initiated them.' Swamiji laughed. "I was still a little frightened, but I felt the whole area -- the trees, the sand beneath me, the air, the sky -- was saturated in a blissful mood." With a warm smile, eyes twinkling, Swamiji said, "So, that's the story." * * * AMMA'S LIFE STORY Details about The Path of the Mother ORDER FROM: Amazon or from your local bookstore MORE EXERPTS Stage One Begins Amma the mystic Amma's Life Story Amma's Life Story Amma's Life Story The Mother in Hindu Mythology Hinduism and the Mother Kundalini Kundalini Kali Six Stages in Summary Copyright © 2000 by Savitri L. Bess. All Rights Reserved.