Oh! AMMA, how do I worship THEE?
Much do I wish I could be the flower?
That could be placed at THY feet
In deep earnest devotion
Shall I blend my experience laced?
In THY precepts weighing the same
As the cool, fragrant sandal paste
To be smeared on THY sacred twin feet.
Shall my inner yearnings be?
Presented as the very lotus blooms
At THY holy feet as mark of
My singular, earnest devotion
Shall my faith be THY fragrant incense?
To be offered in deeper reverence
Shall my awareness (Jnana) be THE LAMP?
Lit in devotion in YOUR presence
Shall this very life of mine
Be an offering. Nay, should my heart be kindled?
As the sacred fire at THY motherly altar
That gives vent to my inner veneration.
This is a song of intense devotion addressed to the Almighty, deemed AMMA here by brother Raju.
The divinity is absolute, complete, perfect and well contained in itself. It is fully adequate and self fulfilling. Evidently AMMA does not need, wish or aspire for anything. The devotee considered the child, ever finds he is frail and inadequate in his interface with the divine being of AMMA. AMMA pronounced that human nature is fickle and frail. Apparently in most cases frailty characterizes human nature with some singular exceptions that we come across rarely once in a while.
To begin with the ordinary person placed in the world of mundane concerns and hopes seeks GOD’S grace to get over the same. The individual bows and worships GOD. In the process the earnest devotee ever finds he is short of the GODLY expectations deficient as he is by his very human nature.
Even so pleads with AMMA / GOD fervently and submits his plight for redress, betterment or redemption. He in the process rues over his deficiencies. He grieves that he cannot be the fragrant, tender flower that is placed at the holy feet of AMMA in all reverence despite the best of his intent.
Often the lesser mortal is steeped in worldly cares and toils with all the karmic obsessions. If so his experience too is not of much avail while seeking divine grace. To overcome this he humbly pleads that even his worldly experience when it is soaked in godly thoughts and AMMA’S sooth says, well meaning aphorisms, may prove helpful. Presumably such amalgam could be the cool, perfumed sandal paste that deserves to be applied on AMMA’S twin feet.
Moving ahead in this vein of thought the subject appeals even to his earthly desires, and inner longings, even his base instincts, AMMA may condescend to accept the same as lotus blossoms being offered in HER worship. The subject entreats AMMA to accept the same as proper offerings of devotion.
For any devotion to subsist, surrender before the divine is the obvious prerequisite. Faith is the bedrock and the much needed prop to sustain the human being in his path to the GOD, AMMA here. If so, in case his meek person, the prayer, and submission before AMMA are to accept his fragile, faltering faith as the fragrant incense being burnt. The seeming petty slight awareness that is presumed as wisdom (Jnana) is lit as the tiny lamp of devotion.
Even all the fore said offerings are found inadequate when placed in the scales of reverence towards AMMA. Then he prays whether the entire life of the being be placed at AMMA’S disposal. Whether the inner recesses of his heart is kindled as the fire of devotion in abject surrender and total submission to AMMA.
In a scenario of total devotion and complete submission, the devotee tends to realize any worldly offering, or even subjective surrender is yet found inadequate.
The essence being divinity is the sum and substance of this entire cosmos and creation. The individual lot is ordained by such supreme force that is beyond and far above the human ambit. Granting this any offering falls short. The earnest devotee shall be persuaded to offer his entire being both subjective and objective, placing the same at AMMA’S disposal in abject surrender and complete submission. Such a psyche though verbally said, much difficult to be actualized in the person’s real life situation.
Even so, pray AMMA to grace us or goad us towards such abject surrender and complete submission subduing the obstinate, unruly personal will that ever crops up.
(Adapted from the Song No.66 “Ee Puja Ne Chethunu?” Page 70 of the book ‘Anubhava Saram’ authored by Brother Mannava Butchi Raju Sarma). (Under grateful acknowledgement to Brother A.V.R.subramaniam and Brother RAVURI Prasad, Page 166 of ‘LO Choopu’)