As Amma’s daily bhajans ended, the Holi celebration began in Amritapuri to welcome the arrival of Spring. As per the tradition of Bharat’s festival of colours, devotees presented Amma with a bowl of coloured powder, a bucket of water, and a ‘pichkari’ (elongated water pistol).
Amma mixed the powders into the bucket and then filled the pichkari with the coloured water. She slowly pointed it at people on stage before she started spraying everybody. Then she threw coloured powder on those sitting just next to her chair and squirted water on all sides.
With such a beautiful rainbow falling before their eyes, peals of laughter filled the Bhajan Hall. The joy of Spring had truly come. For some, this connection also brought tears of happiness.
When everyone’s bodies and faces are smeared with colours, all external differences disappear; everyone looks the same. True happiness and love arise only when all the boundaries created by the mind vanish.
Amma
Then Amma spontaneously rose to dance to a traditional Baduga tribal song. The expression of bliss on her face was one that cannot be captured in words. It delighted the thousands present in the Ashram, as well as those watching via webcast worldwide.
As Amma’s darshan began, there was plenty of coloured powder and water that had not yet been used, so the merry atmosphere continued. The devotees began their own Holi play by smearing powder on each other until there was nothing left to smear. Everyone went back to their rooms covered in colours of love and compassion.
