[Unbounded faith leads to absolute surrender—a sure way to bliss-- tells Amma ]

Amma sat in a packed hall at about 4.40 P.M.One of the members asks her—

Member: When did you acquire these powers, Amma?

Amma: Powers! I am what I have always been with the same powers that I always had. There is no change in me. But people see in me what they want to see. A yard contains inches, not vice versa. Every one measures me with his yard stick.

Member: But every one is magnetised by you. What do they see in you?

Amma: you must ask them since it is they who see something in me and they are drawn to me. According to me it is nothing but their Faith that draws them to me, faith absolute that transcends all definitions. It is this faith that exists and grows at the root of everything. It is God. It may manifest itself as blind surrender that surpasses all logic and reasoning; or it may manifest itself as boundless knowledge that tries to unravel the secrets of creation.  When you are devoid of these two, you stumble at every step.  You doubt, you have your own misgivings. If you are fortunate to be blessed with any one of them, it propels you to God.

Member: But we surrender to you completely. Our responsibilities are yours.

Amma: If you surrender, where then is the pain? Or grief or gloom? But remember, absolute surrender and absolute rejection are the two sides of the same coin.We reach the Omnipotent [ANANTASAKTI] by rejecting the unnecessary and the unwanted---namely -- our prejudices, our egos and our subjectivity. Then you attain undiluted happiness.

The search for the Almighty is like the unfolding of the flower. When the bud unfolds, the delicate vibrations and the imperceptible opening may elude the senses. The entire process may go unnoticed .But the full blown beauty and the intoxicating fragrance capture our hearts. The search  for God is a continuous process---a seemingly endless travel and suddenly you realise you have reached your destination.

Member: But why do we sit and worship the idols if it is a search?

Amma: It helps in realising God. The path to the All Powerful is long and strenuous, beset with doubt and dismay.  Most of us have a limited perception and fail  to concentrate and   comprehend the  Almighty as a formless One. So we keep the micro, the icon. But your faith makes it the macro, endows it with energy. If you can see, there is energy everywhere, in everything. Fuel has the energy to burn and the bowl to receive it. Put them together, with your ingredients inside the bowl -- and lo! The food is ready. What you call an icon, is not an icon, it is the very God. It becomes so because of your faith .The traditions we revere, the rituals we follow, the spiritual practices we adopt are all props to reach the Divine.

A yard contains inches, not vice versa. Everyone measures me with his yardstick.

Absolute faith and absolute surrender are the two sides of the same coin.