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Swamiji, I wonder how Amma reassures us that She has us for eternity? I do not ever think that I will attain realization in this lifetime. I want to know if She has me forever?
Amma has said many times that no matter how many births She has to take, She will be with us. She will lead us by holding our hands. The only thing we need to do is not leave Her hand and go away. Then She cannot do anything. Our love for Amma is our connection with Her. The moment we close our hearts, that connection is gone. Then even when She tries to enter our heart, She cannot. As long as we have that love, that reverence for Amma, She will not let us go. She will always be with us.
The scriptures say that the Guru's words are not merely ornamental and the Guru's words become the scripture.
Amma being a true and perfect master, will never let us go. Amma gives us that guarantee She will be with us. I remember the story of a disciple who kept putting off his chance to live with the Guru saying that he had to look after his parents. When the Guru called him a few years later, he said he was now married and had to look after his wife and children. He kept on postponing saying that he had to take care of his grandchildren and so on. He finally died and was reborn as a dog in the same family because of his attachment. The Guru comes to visit the family and calls to the dog to come with Him but the dog refuses, saying that he had to guard the house. The dog dies and is reborn as a snake in the same family. The Guru visits the family again and sees the snake on top of the money locker safeguarding it. The Guru catches the snake, puts it in a basket and takes it with Him. The Guru knows how to catch us and will catch us no matter what.
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Swamiji, when we are in Amritapuri, we feel Amma's sankalpa. Back home here, we feel only the burden of the ego. How do we turn where ever we are into Amritapuri?
The Guru is not merely the body. The Guru is in every atom, pervades everything in the universe. The Guru is inside us, but we have not realized that. That is the whole problem. When we wake up in the morning, the first thought is not about the Guru but about ourselves. We have not realized who the Guru is and hence Amritapuri will be Amritapuri and America will be America.
We can hold on to the memory of being with Amma in Amritapuri or traveling with Amma in the U.S. Being in the physical presence of Amma is special. What we experience in the physical presence of Amma cannot be experienced elsewhere. We have not matured to that level of understanding where we can feel Her presence even in Her physical absence. We have to constantly strive to attain that understanding.
We are at present like Arjuna trying to run away from the Mahabharatha war, but we know that Lord Krishna is there to bring him back and keep him in the fight. Lord Krishna is not going to let him walk. Amma will bring us back to the battlefield as we have to face reality one day or the other. Only when we experience (not just an intellectual understanding) that Amma is not merely the physical body, then will Amritapuri be in our hearts.
All I can say is, try to spend as much time in Amma's physical presence as possible. When you feel low or feel like you cannot fight anymore, just go and be in Her physical presence. That is the only thing we can do right now, nothing else.
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