One of the most popular retreats in Amrita Virtual Academy is the Mantra Japa retreat with Swami Atmananda Puri. Several students have given glowing reviews after participation. In this blogpost we will go deeper into one student’s experience.
“Receiving my Guru mantra from Amma was a blessed moment I will never forget”
I got my Guru mantra from Amma during a European tour almost 20 years ago. It was a blessed moment I will never forget, with Amma whispering in my ear, blessing me with a shower of flower petals, leaving me feeling high but also grounded. I sensed something important had happened, even if I did not understand what, nor the value of the mantra at that time. Amma says:
“When Amma gives you a mantra, She sows a seed of spirituality within you. She transmits a part of herself into your heart. But you have to nurture that seed by meditating, praying, and chanting your mantra regularly, without fail. You have to be totally committed.
“The natural way to get yogurt is by adding a spoonful of yogurt to warm milk. Having added the culture, you let it stand for some time, and thus, all the milk is transformed into yogurt.“In the same way, Amma has transmitted part of herself into you. Now you have to ‘let the milk stand’- you have to attain a state of inward stillness by constantly repeating your mantra and doing other spiritual practices. Your entire being will thus be transformed and you will then realize your divine nature.”
My intention was to practice mantra japa daily as Amma instructed. I knew intellectually what a big blessing it is to have received a mantra from someone like Amma, but it was not really clear to me how to chant it apart from knowing it should be internal and as continuous as possible. And if I am honest, I did fail in more hectic periods to sit down and do my round of at least 108 mantras a day, as Amma advises. In those periods, at least I repeated the mantra throughout the day as soon as I remembered it, but that meant that on some days I chanted more frequently and it almost flowed by itself, while on other, more busy or “emotionally busy” days, I almost didn’t remember it at all! However, whenever I did remember to chant, I always felt a sense of peace in the otherwise busy mind with all its different thoughts and feelings. That is how I knew the mantra was a precious gift I needed to treasure more.
When I read about the Amrita Virtual Academy retreat on mantra japa practice, I felt it might be Amma’s way of drawing me closer to the practice! I felt I needed guidance and inspiration to become regular with mantra chanting (japa), and tools to connect more deeply with it. I also had questions about the pace and the mental “volume”. So I did the one-day retreat. It was perfect! First of all, living in the world, it was a welcome day of rest from the daily grind. It was an opportunity to go within in a focused and guided way, which had a lasting and positive effect on my mind. The schedule is not that strict so I could be flexible and still have some time to take care of other things. But still organized so I had the opportunity and framework to go deep within. I remember that day: it was winter, it was snowing outside and I felt that the stillness of Nature reflected the stillness of the retreat.
“It (the mantra) was peacefully cleansing and put tensions to rest.”
The retreat exceeded my expectations. The waves of peace from taking that time to go within caressed my mind for days. Swami Atmananda is such a good teacher, his teaching style very clear, organized and down to earth.
In the retreat, he taught several different japa techniques and meditations on the mantra. One really spoke to me so I have been practicing that off and on since.
The best moments during the retreat were when I experienced the mantra being a wordless energy, full of divine light and subtle love, flowing through my body. Just like being in Amma’s presence. It was peacefully cleansing and put tensions to rest. A presence to rest within, a feeling of it being so intimate, almost being one with me. Or me being one with it. I am so happy I partook in the retreat.
“I have grown to consider my mantra my best friend who never lets me down.”
Afterwards, I have grown to consider my mantra my best friend who never lets me down. It makes me relax. I used to forget my mantra on rough days or not remember it until late. Now I often turn to the mantra as if turning to a friend when in distress, to feel more peace and clarity within. The problems might not get solved, but often my mind gets clearer and I can respond better to situations rather than react. When I cannot, I still feel more peace within, which is the biggest win. I still might not be as disciplined with the meditations I learned in the retreat as I wish, but as Amma says:
“Don’t feel sad that you cannot be as disciplined as you would like to be. Do what you can. Don’t be sad about what you are not able to do. Don’t push yourself too hard. Don’t suppress or judge yourself. Give the body the food and sleep it needs. There is nothing wrong in that. But don’t overly pamper yourself either. There may be lapses in your discipline. We may fall down. But we shouldn’t allow it to make us feel frustrated.”
Today I at least make my round of chanting 108 mantras every morning as I enjoy it and see the benefits; it sets the tone for the day and makes the mantra come more easily to the mind throughout the day.
Thank you Swamiji Atmananda and the Amrita Virtual Academy Team for making this retreat available to us. Though physically far away from Amritapuri, getting closer to the energy of the mantra brings me close to Amma.
Amrita Virtual Academy offers several sadhana retreats, including three Bhakti, two Gita, and others addressing challenges on the path such as taming the unruly mind, working with fears, or finding our purpose. There is also a new library of satsangs and guided practices. There are two Mantra Japa retreats, level 1 and level 2. The participant in the blog wrote about level 1. As a member you get access to all retreats, as well as over 60 other courses and workshops! Become a member now!
I’m excited to share more with you about Amrita Gita, one of Amrita Virtual Academy’s most recent and valuable gemstones, amongst its online courses. This spiritual course dives deeply into Amma’s teachings, which are shared and made available through the poetic compilations of Swami Turiyamritananda Puri.
Since Swami Turiyamritananda Puri had been the first disciple to be with Amma, and was with her since his teens, he heard many early conversations between Amma and her devotees. He realized the precious pearls of wisdom that emerged should be preserved and shared with the world. The result became a collection of poetic verses named, Amrita Dhara.
Soon after, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Amma’s most senior disciple, tuned the verses into a wondrous bhajan for Amma’s 32nd birthday. The bhajan was named Omkara Divya Porule and contains 32 verses. Since then, Swami Turiyamritananda Puri has offered a new collection of “Amrita Dhara” verses each year for Amma’s birthday, containing the same number of verses as Amma’s years on the planet, in her current form
The verses from the first Omkara Divya Porule are currently being reflected on by the Ashram residents and visitors through the “Amrita Dhara Yajna” satsangs (spiritual talks), currently occurring daily, during Amma’s evening programs in Amritapuri, India, which are also streamed online with an on-demand replay available soon after.
In Amrita Virtual Academy’s course, Amrita Gita, a number of Amma’s swamis share their thoughts on the different verses of Amrita Dhara / Omkara Divya Porule through offering satsangs and Q&A sessions. They also share wondrous stories from the early days with Amma. The course also provides the opportunity to view some vintage video footage, satsangs, and stories from the Amritapuri archives, so you, too, can indulge in feeling what it was like to be with Amma in the early days.
That was what captured me, as I listened to the first satsang in the course by Swami Turiyamritananda Puri; I loved how he speaks of stories from the past, and how Amma talked in parables. I also appreciated how Swamiji felt the need and call to preserve Amma’s wisdom, and turn her words into poems, so that people could more easily digest the essence of her teachings.
I felt awe for the wisdom he has, to be able to transform those words from Amma into a more easy-to-understand, yet elegant language. I also thought about what a great heart he must possess to feel the need to serve the world in this way. It made me feel grateful and in awe, wishing no one to miss out on this rare and precious, online spiritual course!
Several of the students in the course have also expressed what the online classes have meant to them so far, and how the course has inspired, transformed and uplifted them in their spiritual practices, as well as their daily life. Here are are some sharings from a couple of those voices:
Karen LaVigne (USA) shares:
The Swamis’ explanations and insights are so beautiful that I’m often brought to tears. The one inspiration that stays with me always is to keep Amma’s image in my mind, so she becomes my eyes/vision, ears, speech, smell, taste and touch… all my senses. I wish I had the words to express my gratitude for this practice.
Thank you to Karen for sharing her beautiful experience. What an inspiration for all of us, to keep Amma in our minds, close to our heart at all times… and to finally reach that point where we are established in that final experience that Amma is—indeed the consciousness behind our senses and mind.
Our next student, Madhurima, also feels the power of this online spiritual course, and explains how the teachings help her to slowly transform her thoughts…
Madhurima (Canada) shares:
“This ‘course’ has been such a lovely addition to my daily sadhana. And, I’ve followed the recommendation that the verses be sung at the end of arcana each morning… And, I know Verse 1 by heart now… Thank you. It is all so good… and I know I am imbibing the ‘wisdom’, as well… little by little in my daily life I find myself ‘correcting a thought’ with something that I have learned from the verses or the satsangs…”
Each month, one Swami provides three 20-minute commentaries on the verses in addition to a one-hour live Q&A. The final live session of the Amrita Gita online course is currently scheduled to be a closing ceremony in October (see schedule); but, you can still join anytime, and participate at your own pace. The replay videos are normally uploaded within a week of the live classes to the Amrita Virtual Academy website and all of the satsang commentaries are on-demand.
Don’t miss out on this precious opportunity to dive more deeply into Amma’s teachings. Amrita Gita is part of the AVA Membership. Become a member, and join Amrita Gita now! As a member, you get full access to 60+ online courses and retreats.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 25th (2024), a group of enthusiastic, volunteer cooks met up at the MA Center Switzerland. They gathered to continue preparations for an Indian feast to be served to approximately 40 enthusiastic cooking class students.
The cooking and initial preparations had already begun at 6 a.m. the day before: washing and cutting vegetables, arranging tables and chairs, and planning the process in detail. So, soon the kitchen was filled with the scent of fragrant spices.
By 10 a.m., the curious students began arriving to delve deeply into the traditional intricacies of Indian cooking. Amrita Virtual Academy’svisiting cooking instructor, Vaju Moorthy, opened the cooking class by sharing stories of personal childhood experiences that awakened a deep love of Indian cuisine within her.
Afterwards, the participants listened eagerly to her step-by-step instructions given for making the popular Indian breakfast dish, Uppama (or, “Upma”)—made of ground wheat or quinoa, with vegetables, spices and herbs.
Many questions arose, such as, “How do you make the dough for Uppama?” “What is the most important thing?” “What is the optimal consistency before and after fermentation?” “What should it smell like?”
All the students received a folder with a detailed description of the recipes, ingredients, procedure and possible alternatives. Some participants diligently took notes. At the end, everyone stood at the front of the stove to get a taste of the fried dough, inspect the special mixer blades, and discuss their impressions of the class.
With the excellent guidance of Amrita Virtual Academy’s cooking instructor, Vaju Moorthy, the meal was ready to be served to all the students by noon. The Uppama turned out to be delicious, resulting in some people eating more than they usually do. Everyone found the company to be delightful, too. Many stayed until late afternoon to chat, and share their experiences with each other.
“When I talk about cooking, the first thing that comes to mind is my mother. She was an excellent cook; her food was loved by the whole family, and everyone who visited our home. I learned a lot just by watching her prepare the food, and serve people.” – Vaju Moorthy
Join our online cooking classes with Vaju, by signing up for our monthly or annual AVA membership. In the AVA membership, there are 60+ online courses on different themes available for you.
Learn more about authentic Indian cooking through the online cooking courses with Amrita Virtual Academy. There are more than 70 recipes from across India available. You can follow the course at your own pace through instructional videos. In addition to delicious snacks—such as Masala Dosa, and healthier options, like Quinoa Uppama—we also demonstrate how to prepare traditional foods associated with the important festivals of the year.
