MA Center PNW - Sarva Amriteshwari Puja Highlights

by Vandya Huntting

The MA Center PNW hosted our first very special Sarva Amriteshwari Puja performed by Pujarini Meera on February 9th! *Amriteshwari, means "Goddess of Immortality," and symbolizes the Divine Mother as the source of eternal bliss and spiritual liberation. In the context of Amma, Amriteshwari reflects Amma's divine grace, compassion, and transcendence. The puja invokes her guidance and grace for our spiritual upliftment and blessings for harmony and prosperity. This was the first puja I had been to that seemed so specific to Amma, I was excited!

The weekend was already full – Vaju Moorthy, as part of her North American tour held an Indian cooking class with a delicious meal and Vedic astrology readings that weekend. Yet there was lots to do to prepare for the puja and the full house of guests that would arrive. Many of us arrived early to help get ready. A group strung garlands for the puja lamps, others cleaned and decorated the hall, set up chairs, tested the sound system, prepared to serve a meal after the puja, and of course set up the puja with its many lamps, bowls of petals and countless small items that needed to arranged just right. 3 or 4 people checked their phone compasses to make sure the puja was directionally correct. A board with a special painted design was even made to put the puja items on. The hum and buzz of people working together was audible and often filled with laughter. There is something so magical about doing seva together, even the rough spots become uplifting when serving Amma. Amriteshwari was already gracing us with her divine harmony and unity as we worked to create the sacred space to invoke her.

The puja was beautiful. Everyone participated. People were invited to bring their Amma dolls and put them on the altar. Everyone came forward and lit a small lamp. Bhajans accompanied the puja. Vaju chanted the 1000 names of Sri Lalitha with great enthusiasm as Meera performed the puja with single focused shraddha. At moments it felt like Amma was standing before us, glancing at each of us. Near the end of the puja everyone was invited up to the stage to shower petals on the puja area. It was beautiful, silent with Amriteshwari's shimmering presence filling us.

Suddenly it was over; the meal served, goodbyes said and again the buzz and hum of those of us who stayed to cleanup. There is nothing like the joy of the community coming together in service, each a spoke in the wheel, a small tool in the hand of the Divine. From this view, when did the puja begin? Did it ever end?

*More information on Sarva Amriteshwari Puja:
https://static.amritapuja.org/puja_tours/us/2025/pujarini_vaju_us_2025.html