Jan. 04, 2005

Beloved Friends, family and students....
OM Namah Sivaya, I think this is Jan. 3rd.now the 4th

So much has happened.....
I'd rather be here than anywhere else on earth. My foot is better, I'm just wearing the wrap to help
support it at this time. My heart is so full I'm teary much of the time. I have so much to say and limited by not being able to type....

There are so many miracles here.
Apparently Amma was out at the ocean every night (I can't remember or how many nights)at about 2am pleading, praying to the ocean to not take Her children. About 7am I felt my bed (air mattress) moving , I thought "earthquake"but it lasted so long, then I forgot about it. One woman I was with new Years eve told me she was about to walk on the beach the morning of the 26th,when swami announced that Amma requested that all her western children were to come into the temple to hear the satsang.... I was on the balcony of the temple, waiting to pay for the S. India tour, and wondered why we were to hear this satsang again when we'd heard it already several times... A young man came in to the temple upstairs area and told a man behind me that the ocean was up and the outside cafe was under water 1 foot. It didn't register on me...

When the first wave hit, the local electrical maintence young man, I forgot his name... he climbed the power pole out of the water, and paused in prayer,and pulled the ashram switch.(A friend watched this) He was gloveless, normally wears thick leather gloves. He then called the state hydro authority, and told them water was in the village and more was coming and to shut off power to the island. Amazingly they believed him and shut it off, saving the lives of those remaining. Apparently 3,000 ashram people were supposed to die...

When the water came into the ashram grounds, Amma took off Her sari and Dress, remaining in Her cotton slip, laid it on the water and told everyone "don't touch it"...It was an offering to the ocean, She then touched the water to Her forehead and heart and back to the water again in blessing and respect. At that point the water started to recede.Swami ran and got a shawl then someone got a swim costume for her, which you see in the photos. The handler of the sacred cows couldn't get the cows into the temple at Amma's orders, to save them, Christian, who knew only horses,a large man from Vancouver, was told to treat them as horses, grabbed them by the horns and got them up the many marble steps to the temple. He was covered in cow urine and dung. Amma came to him, he was feeling unworthy as dirty, Amma placed Her hands on his heart.Christian told Cory this... When the sacred cows were in the temple Amma laughed and said Cow Bhava! Cow! Bhava! It was to be Devi Bhava that day. It did get many hundreds more people to the ashram that day. A woman I had dinner with told me she was in her room when it hit. She was told to come down but didn't know what happened. She could only think of getting her passport. She was standing there on the porch, eyes closed wondering what to do and a voice said "passport come later" someone gently grabbed her elbow, it was Amma guiding her on... So many wonderful stories, I'm sure a book will be written about it.

Check out the ashram web site amritapuri.org for pics and updates 50 of us were invited to go to the worst hit area to console and witness. we got there and there were no women. They were all at the shelters. so we looked around and returned, amazed at the destruction. amazingly, a palm frond hut was left and next door brick house was gone..incredible destruction. Mass cremation on the beach. Apparently the ocean receeded 1/2 hr. before the tusnami hit which left a lot of fish and many people were on the beach collecting fish....

I was chopping veggies and washing pumpkin seeds (nothing is wasted)when a woman, Chatania came passing out puja prasad. my hands were mucky , so I held my mouth open like a baby bird. She dropped a spoonful in . Immediatly I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. I cried , for being there, for being able to do seva, for the blessed prasad, I was in bliss for a couple of hours. I thought of the movie "like water for chocolate" but realized it was joy and gratitude, not sorrow I was tearing into the seeds... I got darshan the day before. As I was about to receive darshan an english woman was in Amma's lap and a local man was talking at length to Amma. I started to tear, then cry, then sob.. I didn't know why, I felt fine... As Amma pulled me to Her I let Her have it. After, a friend told me the man was telling Amma about losing his home and family, obviously I was transmuting his pain... All of the people I came with have gone, my roomies from tips are gone, but I have many friends here. I'm going to ask Amma if it is more important for me to do work at home or here...I could move here and buy a flat in a heart beat, once my obligations are done.... Ok I think that's all for now. Always wonderful new stories. I am well, happy, even through my tears of joy. I feel wonderful. David sent me another address of new photos. I'll try to cut and paste. That's where I lost yesterday's letter... Argh

Ps. Amma put out a news release about the reconstruction of all destroyed homes, perhaps you'll see it. It was read to us by a woman but too many people and I could only hear part, it was amazing!

Here 's the pics: http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/corkytraveler/album?.dir=/3180&.src=ph&.tok=phhqPSCBcuxe8xYn

Yahoo! it worked,

Blessings,
from Amritapuri

Kalavati
ammaskalavati@yahoo.ca
www.gyates.com