|
Frequently Asked
Questions |
| Can
you tell me a little more about the book, My First Darshan?
Certainly. My First Darshan
is a collection of stories from Amma's children all around the world of
how they came to Amma. The book is meant both for Amma's devotees
as well as people who may have perhaps never met Amma or even heard of
Her.
We hope that these stories will provide
readers with some understanding of who Amma really is and Her impact on
Her children all over the world. By including stories from people
living in different countries, we hope to illustrate how Amma's Love is
all encompassing, and transcends language, religion, nationality, and
cultural differences. |
| My
first darshan with Amma was a remarkable event in my life. Can I
write my story for the book?
Yes. The only requirements for
someone to write their story for the book are that they are devoted to
Amma and that the story is written with honesty. We invite you to
write about your first experiences with Amma. |
| Amma
has brought about a great change in my life. However, this change
happened gradually over time. I do not recall anything special
about the first meeting.
This is perhaps true for most of Amma's
children. Amma's ways are usually very subtle. Your story
can talk about your overall journey with Amma, with the first meeting as
a starting point. See the section Write
Your Story for more details. We invite you to write your story
for the book. |
| My
first impression of Amma was negative. Can I still write my first
darshan story?
Yes, most definitely. Not all of
Amma's children had blissful experiences when they first met Her.
There may be important reasons why you felt the way that you did.
Perhaps your story will touch a chord with someone reading it, and help
them better understand their own reactions to Mother. |
| I
don't remember my first darshan very well. Should I still write my
story?
Most of Amma's children will have some
recollection of the first meeting with Her, even if they do not remember
all the details. Remember, your first darshan story is not simply
a narrative of things that you saw and heard during the first darshan.
It is more than that. See the section Write
Your Story. We invite you to write your story for the book. |
| English
is not my first language. Can I write my story in my
mother-tongue?
This book will be published in English.
As such all stories written in other languages will finally be
translated into English. If you have some knowledge of English, we
encourage you to first write your story in your mother-tongue and then
rewrite in English. The translators on our team can work with you
for this rewrite.
If you have very limited or zero
knowledge of English, we invite you to write your story in your
mother-tongue. The translators on our team will translate your
story into English. |
| What is a bio?
A bio or biography is a short write-up about the
author (you). Every story that is published will be accompanied by
the bio of the author. This will be 100 words or less and will not
repeat any Amma-related information already provided or implied in your
story. Rather it will state a little about your family, where you
currently live, where you are from, your education, your current
profession, your age (optional), your interests, and anything else
unique about yourself that you may want to include.
As Amma’s children, we all feel that Amma is
what is most important in our lives. As such, we may feel that
our bio is incomplete without referring to our relationship with Her or
our service to Her. But remember, our relationship to Amma is
understood from our story. In the bio, we just need to show
ourselves as the regular folks we are, with regular jobs, families, and
interests, so that readers who have not already met Amma can also relate.
Your proposed bio should be submitted along with
your story in the Submit
Your Story section. |
| Can you give me an
example of a bio?
Sure. The paragraph below illustrates the right
way to write your bio.
Anju Bist lives in Dallas, U.S.A. with her
husband, Praveen. She teaches math and computers to engineering students
at DeVry University. She grew up in India where she earned her
undergraduate degree in engineering. In 1994, she moved to U.S.A.
to pursue a masters degree. She enjoys spending time in the Great
Outdoors with her family and friends.
The following is not an appropriate bio for this
book.
Anju Bist lives in Dallas, U.S.A. with her
husband, Praveen. Since meeting Amma, she spends all her free time
participating in and helping coordinate Amma-related activities in
Dallas. She is currently working to help organize Amma’s tour programs
in Dallas. She traveled to California to see Amma during Her
previous summer tour and is planning to visit Amma’s Ashram in India
soon. |
| If I have a spiritual
name given to me by Amma, can I use that in the bio?
Yes. You may use your birth name or
your spiritual name followed by the last name. It would be
perfectly fine to use the birth name and not the spiritual name, if you
feel that this will perhaps help readers unfamiliar with Vedic
traditions and Sanskrit names relate to us better. |
| I am not comfortable
with my bio being included with my story. Can my story be
published anonymously?
At this time, we are unable to accept
anonymous stories for publication. The main reason for this is
that the book is also meant for people who have not yet met Amma or
heard of Her. Stories that are accompanied by short bios of the
writers will perhaps have a much greater impact on these readers than
anonymous stories. |
| When is the last date
for submission of stories?
We are now accepting
stories for Volume 2. We will stop accepting
when a target number of stories has been received from any given region. |
| One
last question. Will the proceeds from the sale of the book go to
support Amma's charitable work?
Yes. 100% of the proceeds from
the sale of the book will go to support Amma's numerous charities. |
|
Om Amriteshwaryai
Namah
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