Vedanta is a way of life

San Ramon Retreat, June 21, 2003

We are getting spoilt here in San Ramon -- we have come to expect some late night fun and informal spiritual discussions every day nowadays. Late in the night the crowd becomes significantly less and Amma has time to talk as she gives long darshans to her children who come in the end.

This time the discussion started with Grihastaashrama i.e. a married householder’s life. A devotee asked Amma “Amma, if husband and wife together walk the spiritual path, then isn’t spiritual life possible?”

Amma replied “Definitely. That is a very happy circumstance when both husband and wife walk together in the spiritual path . But they should be careful not to increase their attachments. And the presence of children tends to make things more challenging.” Amma also mentioned that there were indeed a few householder children of hers who maintain celibacy and lead spiritual lives. It is not that Amma does not favor begetting children. There have been innumerable instances where great souls have had children for the continuation of their lineage. They have otherwise lead strict celibate lives.

Another devotee asked,“Amma, how does surrender (saranagati) happen?”

Amma replied “When there is hunger, a person will eat -- when there is longing for God, surrender happens.”

Meanwhile , a devotee N who often spoke Vedanta came up, and Amma asked him, “What is Vedanta?”

And Amma herself gave a few profound statements on the need to practice Vedanta, not just preach it.

She said, “Amma doesn’t speak Vedanta. Amma has seen people who merely preach Vedanta -- they don’t practice it. They say they are not the body, but their mouth waters when they see some delicious food. Many people come to Amma with their problems. If Amma gives an answer other than what they had expected, they become angry. While Amma does not want to put down Vedanta or Vedantins, she wants to say that the practice is what is important, and not the speaking of it.

Atma Vichara (self-enquiry) should only come at a later stage. Devotional practices like chanting are better in the beginning. Intellectual practices undertaken without the benefit of devotional grounding is like chewing stones. Hard and unpleasant."

“Some Spiritual teachers have a few spiritual seekers with them, and hence they can fittingly talk to them of Vedanta. Most people come to me to ask about their jobs, children, marriages, and such concerns. I cannot talk of diamonds in the din of an open-air market! Lawyers, doctors, engineers – people from all walks of life come to Amma for advice and direction, even prostitutes and thieves. Amma cannot talk Vedanta to all of them as she might wish to."

Amma heals the mental and physical wounds of even the most downtrodden soul with her motherly love and patiently helps them to evolve to the the vedantic dictum, "You are Pure Love", which she practices with her every breath.

It is worthy of mention here that Lord Krishna, it is said in the ancient epics, dealt with people from all walks of life – warriors, cowherds, kings – and taught them according to each one’s dharma (duty or true nature).

N then followed up: “Amma, is there a difference between Bhagavan Sakshatkara and Brahma Sakshatkara -- is there a difference between God-realization and realization of Brahman (the absolute non- dual impersonal Truth)?”

Amma replied that there was really no difference.

“ Sometimes people get a vision of their deity or God,” she added. “But their ego still remains. They must go beyond that to get the final realization. For example, the saint Namdev had regular visions of Sri Krishna but he still retained his ego at that point.”

A devotee B then was inspired to ask, “ Amma , we are seeing you now. What is the difference between seeing you and having a vision of God?”

“That depends on your attitude. Arjuna first saw Lord Krishna as a friend and a comrade -- but later on when he realized the Truth, he saw Krishna as the perfect embodiment of the Supreme Consciousness.”

Pressing the point, B continued, “Amma, how should we develop the right attitude to see you as God?”

Perhaps the discussion had been serious too long, for Amma replied with characteristic humility and humor, “ Go away! Amma does not ask or want anyone to see her as God or worship her.”

"Praise and blame change into each other in an instant and Amma does not give much importance to both." – indicating the darshan line – “Amma prefers to worship everybody, seeing the indwelling God in them.”

Having thought about all this, a devotee A went to Amma and related to her his confusion about the role of the intellect and discrimination: was the intellect to be discarded. If so, how can we discriminate, having discarded the intellect? Amma told him that discrimination was fundamental to spiritual growth, and love itself springs out of it. But love-based knowledge rather than ego-based knowledge was the goal to be pursued.

It is hard to put in words the depth of inspiration that Amma had left in the hearts of her children...Words can only give a glimpse of what it is like to be in her presence.