Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi said that increasing complexities in life in the modern era warranted “revolution of the internal self” that would prompt people to shed selfishness and kindle in them the spirit of service.
Delivering the message on her 60th birthday celebrations at Amritapuri in Vallikkavu here on Friday, she said what our country and the whole world needs today are brave warriors who have awakened the power of love. “You need to rein in your desires if you wish to be happy. Sadness is ephemeral, ameliorating sadness has a long-lasting effect,” she said at the satsang session on the final day of the three-day Amritavarsham 60. Citing an example to substantiate her point, Amma said modern technology, for all its advantages, should not make the young generation slaves of new-age gadgets.
“Take, for instance the internet. We only invented it. It is highly useful today. But it should not be dictating our life,” she reminded the young people who had assembled in large numbers. In her characteristic style, Amma juxtaposed the good old days of village life, where everyone had a real concern for the miseries of his or her neighbours,with that of the pacy and self-centered life of the modern times to prove her point. “In my childhood days (in backward Parayakadavu village here), we used to share the fire for cooking. Only one house in the cluster would first light the fire in the kitchen, from where the children of other houses would bring fire to their kitchens,” she said. Amma noted that modern-day people, and even more the new generation, generally have a fragile mind as well as body.
“Wrong food habits weaken your physique. You develop all sorts of diseases. Your mother scolds you, you kill yourself. You flunk exams and commit suicide. It is high time the society develops a healthy mindset,” she said. “We need to understand that when human beings are not experiencing peace and contentment, it means that something somewhere is wrong,” she said.