Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Dévi
Embracing the World for Peace and Harmony
Mata Amritanandamayi, or Amma (Mother) as she is known, through her extraordinary acts of love and self-sacrifice, has endeared herself to millions of people around the world.
“Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations of caste, religion, race or nationality. We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love.” —Amma
Tens of thousands wait patiently in line, often through the night and into the morning hours, for a chance to receive a blessing, a motherly hug and a few soothing words from this smiling woman in a simple white sari. They know that their turn will come; she doesn’t turn anyone away, even if it means embracing people for a whole day and night, nor does she charge any money. Regularly, Amma gives darshan for hours on end, without a moment’s rest. In some places, she has embraced 40 to 50 thousand people in a single programme, sitting almost 24 hours to do so. When asked by the BBC, “Why do you hug people?” she replied, “That is like asking a river, ‘Why do you flow?’ It simply flows because that is its nature. In the same way, this is Amma’s nature—a mother expressing her love to her children.” This unique, extraordinary expression of universal love is known as Amma’s darshan.
A vast network of charitable activities inspired by Her tireless spirit of dedication to uplifting others has led many people to discover the beauty and sense of peace that come from selflessly serving.
Amma teaches that the Divine exists in everything, sentient and insentient. Perceiving this underlying unity in all things is not only the essence of spirituality but also the means to end all suffering. Amma’s teachings are universal. Whenever she is asked about her religion, she replies that her religion is Love. She does not ask anyone to believe in God or to change their faith, but only to inquire into their own real nature, and to believe in themselves..
“Ma religion est l’Amour. “
Humanitarian Aid
Charity Projects
In 1981, Amma’s charitable institutions were founded. They now encompass a vast array of charity projects including a multi-speciality hospital providing free healthcare for the poor, highly regarded and cutting edge educational institutions, vocational training centres, an orphanage, hospices, and evergrowing community welfare services such as the provision of 125,000 free homes for the homeless, 50,000 free meals a month for the poor, monthly pensions for destitute women, free medical clinics, and large scale ongoing disaster relief response including Tsunami relief and aid for hurricane Katrina.
“Compassion to the poor and the needy is our duty to God.” Through the example of her own life, Amma has inspired people from all over the world to walk in the path of selfless-service and compassion towards all beings.
