The hall at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, MI filled up quickly today, the first day of Amma's MI programs. People braved the bitter cold to be with Amma. Today also happens to be Thanksgiving Day, and darshan was going on briskly.

"Did you eat yet?" Amma turned to ask one man who was standing near her during darshan. He explained that he had, and that the chefs accompanying Amma had provided a vegetarian Thanksgiving style meal.

"What did you think about while eating? Did you indeed give thanks beforehand?" Amma continued.

The man confessed that he had not remembered to do so.

"When enjoying creation, shouldn't one spare a thought for the Creator?" she asked.

The evening had passed into early morning when a woman brought a copy of the book "Chanting of Divine Names" for Amma to bless.

"Have you read this book?" Amma asked the people around her.

"Yes, several times, and I really like it", another woman responded.

"Did you know that many years ago these names (the Lalitha-sahasranama, the Thousand Names of the playful Goddess) were not chanted commonly in India as they believed that incorrect chanting led to the anger of the Goddess?" Amma asked. "But that belief is wrong! The very first name (Sri Mata) means Mother, and how can a mother be angry if a child mispronounces her name or hasn't had a shower before the chanting? The mental impurities, and not those of the body, are to be removed with the chanting. A mother is all-forgiving and has infinite patience; to her child's cry for milk she responds immediately, without waiting for the child to learn musical scales!

"Another point is that while learning to chant the Thousand Names, one naturally makes mistakes. Mistakes are part of the process of learning."

She continued, "Just like it says in the bhajan 'Jis Haal Mein', wherever you may be, whatever you may be doing, whichever state you may be in, chant the name of the Lord. There is never a wrong time for that."

- Nandu