Dear Sweet Children!
We continue to be with Amma in her tenth Year.
In the last episode you came in contact with an old muslim stranger by name Moulali. Having developed deep devotion for Amma, Moulali decided to follow Amma anywhere she went where he could continuously experience the glory of her divine company.
Amma was also firmly convinced that he was totally sincere. She therefore graciously agreed that he might stay put in Mannava where she moved from Bapatla with her father Seethapati.
Moulali decided to halt in a hamlet called DOPPALAPUDI adjoining Mannava to beg his food there and return to Amma in Mannava.
AMMA ENTERS THE TAMARIND TOPE:
There was a thick tamarind tope close to Mannava. Amma was quite familiar with its topography. It had the attractive appearance of a dense forest. Even as a child, Amma used to go deep into the forest and climb the trees. The villagers of Mannava freely went into the tope to collect ripe tamarind fruit and tender leaves. Climbing the trees even to the top branches was not unfamiliar to Amma. She enjoyed it as a Juvenile pastime.
GANGARAJU PUNNAYYA EPISODE:
I may now recall for your pleasure an old incident (already reported) that took place when Amma was aged only six. As usual she climbed a tamarind tree. An old man of Mannava, by name Gangaraju Punnayya, reached the spot. Amma noticed him from the top of the tree, identified him and freely called him by his name. He looked up and felt she was verily Lord Krishna. He was a Krishna bhaktha. Evidently Amma gave him darshan as Krishna! He started shouting Krishna’s name. Amma glided down the tree. He was already in an ecstatic mood. He bodily carried her on his shoulders, through the lanes of Mannava, shouting that lord Krishna was with him. He wanted the village to watch and enjoy the spectacle. But they pretty well knew she was only Amma, the Karanam’s daughter. Even Maridamma Tatamma who was present there at that time, enjoyed the tamasha. I have told you this incident relating to Gangaraju Punnaiah in a former episode. So let us leave it here now.
BACK INTO THE GROVE :
On a particular day, Amma went into the tope. She did not inform her relatives. Nor was any of them bothered about her moments. As a matter-of-fact Amma always experienced total indifference of her father Seethapati and her close relatives in Mannava about her whereabouts.
Amma slipped into the forest and sat under a tree for eleven long days continuously without moving away from the spot! It was the hot month of June. Hot winds screamed. The earth became parched. Birds migrated in search of water and cool shades elsewhere. Cattle became infertile and failed to yield milk. Wells became dry.
This was the situation when Amma left home and entered the forest.
At last one day there was a big cloud burst and heavy rain. descended. That was the first downpour for the season. A thirsty earth avidly drank up all the rain. Amma steadily sat at the same place totally drenched in that welcome rain. From out of the trunk of a tamarind tree, plenty of juice streamed. Amma drank the tamarind juice gushing out of the tree with both her palms.
Thus, clad in the very same single pair of dress, Amma sat for eleven more days without going back to Mannava! Moulali, however, regularly had Mother’s darshan at the place. He would occasionally go to D’pudi for food.
Twenty three days silently fled while Amma sat in the forest, totally unconcerned with the happenings in the world outside. Moulali who watched her every day exclaimed that Amma was indeed nobler than the legendary ESWARAMMA.
Amma continued to sit there for another five days. Birds happily perched themselves on her. Varieties of insects too freely crawled over her. Moulali did not dare to disturb them though he very much wanted to. Amma herself had no complaint against the strange invaders.
It was now a full moon night. At 12 “O’clock Moulali saw that a big serpent wound itself from top to bottom around Amma. Moulali visualized that the divine ADISESHU himself appeared as the protective umbrella for Amma!
Thus it was the singular fortune of Moulali to have witnessed a series of fantastic spectacles around Amma in the forest. She informed Moulali that she had decided to go back to Mannava as her absence from home was pretty long..
Though nobody was worried about Amma’s absence, they only made routine enquiries on suddenly seeing her return home. Maridamma Tatamma, Who was always deeply attached to Amma as a motherless child, grieved that Amma was away for so many days with none in the family worrying about her.
She quickly gave food to Amma and urged her to take rest which she missed over a long period.
BACK TO MOULALI IN THE FOREST:
Amma carried food for Moulali waiting in the grove. She fed Moulali and also some other animals that gathered around her. Moulali compared Amma to Kasi Annapurna and wondered how she distributed the food intended for him to animals too.
Moulali expressed happiness that, lazing in a far off forest, he promptly earned his food from the divine hands of Amma herself. His fortune was incomparable, he exclaimed.
Moulali also informed Amma that sometime back he lost his eyesight due to smallpox. But he regained the same as a gift from Amma.
Continuing to recollect an old event, Moulali informed Amma that he had a vision of Amma even as long back as when he walked to school during his matriculation days. Knowingly or unknowingly, he addressed the vision as “AMMA”. He exclaimed that now he had the very same Amma right before him.
What a wonder, he exclaimed !
We will continue to visit Amma in Mannava and the forest.
Let us turn to the next episode for another set of starting facts.
– (… to be continued)