On an enchanting evening, September 30th, devotees and residents came together in Amritapuri to honour Amma during the star of her birth — Amrita Karthika. Following the main events held on September 26th and 27th,the air carried that same unmistakable hum of anticipation, as though the Ashram itself remembered the joy of days before and welcomed the chance for a more intimate gathering.
Amma’s birthstar, Karthika, is honoured across all of Amma’s ashrams worldwide, marked by a Karthika Sarvaishwarya Puja, soulful bhajans, and the quiet lighting of deepam lamps. In Amritapuri, two large, beautifully wrought brass lamps were lit in the Bhajan Hall, their flames rising steady and golden to mark the occasion.
Outside, devotees spilled into the cooling evening air, gathering by the Kali Temple and throughout the ashram grounds to light hundreds of small clay oil lamps. Row upon row of tiny flickering flames lined the pathways, transforming the ashram into a constellation fallen to earth — each lamp a small offering of love.
Though it was a regular darshan day for Amma, the devotees seated in the Bhajan Hall were treated to an exciting musical tribute titled “Ghanarchana,” performed by Amrita TV’s veteran Super Star singers, alongside their talented young team. Among them was Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, a renowned vocalist and National Film Award winner, who is blind by birth. Her sublime voice filled the hall with warmth and devotion as she offered the bhajan Amritanandamayi Devi, followed by Thenpazhani and Guruvayur Omana Kannan Unnikku.
She chose these pieces deliberately to invoke the blessings of the Divine Mother and Lord Krishna upon everyone gathered. Visibly moved, Vijayalakshmi spoke of her deep devotion and gratitude at being able to sing in Amma’s presence, describing the quiet, radiant energy of the moment and the precious time she was able to spend afterward speaking with Amma about her life and career — a conversation she clearly held close to her heart.
As the arati ceremony began, hundreds of small earthenware lamps were lit throughout the Bhajan Hall, their soft amber light flickering across the faces of devotees as they held them aloft. The entire evening was suffused in a warm, golden glow — not merely from the lamps themselves, but from the deep current of love and devotion that spread outwards, drawing everyone a little closer together.
Then came a moment devotees look forward to each year. Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Amma’s senior-most disciple, rose and led the gathering in the bhajan: Inallo karthika naalu traditionally sung every month during the Karthika Puja in the Kalari. It is a melody familiar to long-time devotees, its notes carrying decades of memory and meaning.
As the voices of hundreds rose together, Swami Amritaswarupananda stepped forward and, on behalf of all of Amma’s children, ceremoniously garlanded her with a beautiful lotus and jasmine maala, its fragrance mingling with the scent of oil lamps still burning throughout the ashram.
It was, in every sense, a more serene experience — the glow of the lamps, the glow of the music, and the glow of devotion that profoundly touched everyone’s hearts.
