When we raise one hand to say "bye-bye" we are gesturing that we are going apart from each other, whereas when we join our palms and bow our head, our hearts become closer.
Mata AmritanandamayiGod realization and self-realization are one and the same. God-realization is nothing but the ability and expansiveness of heart to love everything equally.
Mata AmritanandamayiMental purity will come through constant chanting of the divine name. This is the simplest way. You are trying to cross the ocean of transmigration, the cycle of birth and death. The mantra is the oar of the boat; it is the instrument you use to cross the samsara of your restless mind, with its unending thought waves. The mantra can also be compared to a ladder that you climb to reach the heights of God realization.
Mata Amritanandamayi