ABSTRACT
I demonstrated in the last chapter that guru-seeking for most people entails an active process of choosing and selecting between the different guru faiths and traditions dotting India’s spiritual landscape. What happens after an individual has made his or her choice? What are the options available to a devotee once (s)he has selected Mata Amritanandamayi as his/her chosen guru? These are the questions I explore in this chapter. Even after entering the Mata’s fold, I shall show here, devotees and disciples are faced with considerable choice – this time with respect to their spiritual practice and ritual observance. Though lay devotees of the Mata exercise far greater freedom in this regard than her ascetic disciples, even the latter do exercise some measure of freedom in following particular spiritual pathways that best suit their temperament.
