Ed. Note: This is the third in a series of blogs about our visit to Amma’s Public Program on July 14, 2012. Please also see:
Pt. 1 – The Arrival (Photos/Video Link) Pt. 2 – Spellbound by Satsang with Amma (Quotes/Photos/Video Link) Pt. 4 – A Hug, A Kiss and A Glance (Photos/Video Link)After Amma’s teaching during Satsang, it was time to sing. Amma settled in, her swamis took their positions, and more musicians appeared from the wings. Suddenly the monstrosity of a convention hall was echoing in every corner with the joyful nectar of traditional bhajans, or devotional songs.
Amma began singing quietly, prayerfully. Her eyes were closed and hands in her lap, or clenched in prayer at her chin.
Then suddenty, she would cry out exuberantly, lifting her arms to the sky. She had a way of bringing her hands to the crown of her head, then sweeping them up to the heavens and out to the people before her. She repeated this over and over, as if gathering up her own divine energy and sending it out to “all beings in all worlds.”
She drummed on her platform with a stick…
clanged on hand cymbals…
and clapped her hands in time with the musicians.
Periodically she would throw her head back and laugh heartily, or cry out “Jai Ma.” The crowd sang and clapped and “Jai Ma-ed” right along with her.
But let’s face it, words and still images only go so far when it comes to bhajans. Experience a little taste of Amma’s bhajan bhav live in this video by James Luce for The Bhakti Beat.
To continue reading “Blessings, Bhajans & Bear Hugs,” please see: