24 September 2003
Sri Durgaswami, from Vellore, Tamil Nadu, was one of more than 150 sannyasins honoured in Amritavarsham50‘s Acharya Vandanam Puja on 24 September.
“There are flowers for incense, flowers for puja and flowers for medicine… but this flower is chosen by God.” —Sri Durgaswami
What is Amma to you?
“Amma is the smile, the service, the equality. She came down to our level. She is the whole, fullfilled with happiness. Amma preaches the religion of love.
“I was actually expecting you to ask me what the difference is between Amma and all the other swamis present here.
“There are seven reasons why people go into sannyas [a life of renunciation]. The first reason is when the child is sick at birth; the second reason is out of poverty, when people are very poor an cannot get married; the third reason is when they cannot find a partner; the fourth reason is if the family tradition requires it; the fifth reason is purvakarma, one chooses sannyas on the basis of karma from a former life; the sixth reason is if one is selected by a Guru… But the seventh reason is when one is selected by God, Amma is the only one here who was chosen by God.
“There are flowers for incense, flowers for puja and flowers for medicine… but this flower is chosen by God.”