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Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi – Biography – Life Timeline with Photos – Part 3 of 3

June 6, 2023/0 Comments/in Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) /by C.V.Rajan

This is Part 3 (final part)  of Amma’s Biography (Timeline).  If you have not yet read Part 1 and 2, kindly read them here

             —–> Part 1 of Amma’s Biography (Timeline) – age 1 to 34.

             —–> Part 2 of Amma’s Biography (Timeline) – age 35 to 60.

 


Amma Mata Amritanandamayi Devi’s Biography (Timeline) 

continued (Age 61 onwards)

2014 (Age 61) 

  • Lots of media hype gets generated against Amma and Ashram on account of Gayathri’s book ‘Holy Hell’.  Accusations get effectively countered by Ashram residents, devotees of Amma, supportive organizations and media by exposing the falsehood propagated by vested interests. Media
  • 2nd December 2014 – Amma visits the Vatican at the invitation of Pope Francis to attend the conclave of 10 world religious leaders, addresses the gathering and signs a joint declaration against human trafficking and slavery.

Amma with Pope Francis at the Vatican

  • Rs 25 Crore relief and rehabilitation package offered for Jammu Kashmir affected by floods.

2015 (Age 62) 

  • 23rd April 2015 – Consecration of Brahmasthana temple at Manjeri.

  • 8th July 2015 – Amma addresses United Nations Academic Impact at the UN in New York.

  • 28th March 2015 – Amma visits Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his house and offers help in Namami Gange project.

Amma with PM Narendra Modi at his residence at Delhi.

  • 11th September 2015 – Amma donates Rs.100 Crores for constructing toilets in the poorest villages surrounding the Ganges River as part of the Swachh Bharat and Namami Gange project.

Amma donates Rs 100 Cr for Swachh Bharat & Namami Gange projects for toilet construction, to Finance Minister Sri Arun Jaitley

  • Another 100 Crore project for constructing toilets in the houses of the poor in Kerala announced.

Kerala CM Mr. Oomen Chandy receives MA Math pledge for constructing Rs 100 crore worth of toilets to the poor in Kerala, from Amma at Amritavarsham 62 birthday celebration.

  • MA Math donates Rs 5 Crore for Chennai Flood relief in addition to lots of flood relief operations and supplying of free food and medical care to affected people.
  • == Chennai Flood relief == Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya distributing food packets to affected localities. Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri handing over a cheque for Rs.5 Crores to TN Chief Minister Jayalalitha.

 

  • Nepal earthquake relief – MA Math supplies lots of vaccines, food provisions, blankets and shelters.

2016 (Age 63)

  • Vidyamritam scholarship scheme to benefit farmers’ children (started in 2007) extended to cover 51,000 students.
  • 9th May 2016  –  Foundation stone laid for a state-of-the-art 2000-bed multispeciality hospital under Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at Greater Faridabad, near Delhi. Once in full swing, this Super Speciality Hospital will offer advanced medicare with the latest technology in  Mother & Child care, heart care, treatment of cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, and so on.

Architect’s 3D View of the proposed AIMS Hospital Complex at Greater Faridabad.

2017 (Age 64)

  • 6th June 2017 – Mata Amritanandamayi Center at San Ramon, USA celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Amma’s visit to Bay Area, USA.

== 30th Anniversary of Amma’s visit to San Ramon USA == Amma with Kusuma Gretchen (who planned and organized Amma’s first USA visit), Ron Gottsegen (who donated land for San Ramon Ashram and also later served as Administrative Executive of AIMS Hospital at Eranakulam during the formative years), Br. Dayamrita Chaitanya and swami Amritaswarupananda Puri.

  • MA Math initiates Jivamritam scheme – Rs.200 Crore project of providing filtered and clean drinking water to 5000 villages in India, to benefit 10 million people in rural areas.

A typical filtering package set up in each village for providing clean, filtered water under Amrita’s Jivamritam scheme.

  • 20th September 2017 – The world-renowned Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev visited Amritapuri and had darshan of Amma for the first time. Later he addressed the ashramites and also did a demo of Yogasanas.

Baba Ramdev said, “Amma is my greatest inspiration and ultimate ideal. Mother is not a person but she is the embodiment – Moortha roop of Jagadamba – of the Divine Mother…Nowadays, a lot of complaints are being raised against saints.  But the true Rishis of Bharat and our parampara (lineage) are like Amma.  This Rishi Sanskriti , crores of years old, will never perish. Whatever I am doing and Amma is doing is for raising the dignity of the Guru Parampara. There is no question of losing this culture..“

2018 (Age 65)

  • May 2018 –AIMS (Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital, Edappally, Cochin completes 20 years of dedicated advanced healthcare services to people, including free treatments to countless poor people. Currently, it is a 1,300-bed tertiary referral and teaching hospital, serving more than 10 lakh outpatients and more than 70,000 inpatients annually. The massive healthcare infrastructure with over 3.33 million sq.ft. of built-up area, spread over 125 acres of land, supports a daily patient volume of approximately 3500 outpatients with 95 percent inpatient occupancy. There are 12 super speciality departments, 45 other departments, 4500 support staff and 670 faculty members. The hospital’s extensive infrastructure offers facilities comprising 28 modern operating theatres, 275 equipped intensive-care beds, a fully computerized and networked Hospital Information System (HIS), a fully digital radiology department, 17 NABL accredited clinical laboratories and 24/7 telemedicine service. More than 2.6 million people have received completely free treatment since 1998 (worth Rs 536 crores).

AIMS, Edapally, Cochin — 20 years of massive growth and advanced medical care and service for all sections of society. CLICK THE ABOVE PICTURE FOR A VIDEO ON AIMS.

  • 16th August 2018 –  Kerala state gets affected by unprecedented floods. Amma donates Rs.10 Crores to Kerala State Flood relief funds.
  • AYUDH Amritapuri sets up a 24 hr Live Helpline to receive distress calls from affected people and then coordinate with Government and other flood relief agencies to send necessary help from these agencies to attend to the callers. About 400 Amrita students and staff volunteered for this activity, received some 25,000 calls (in the first 5 days), connecting more than 100,000 flood victims across the state with appropriate relief services. AYUDH also collected relief materials from volunteers and arranged to distribute them to various needy places.

AYUDH (Amritapuri Campus) Helpline Center in action 24 hrs a day to attend to flood victims’ calls.

  • Amrita Hospitals, college campuses and Amrita Vidyalayam schools set up shelters to receive flood-affected people and offer them food, essential supplies, temporary accommodation and medical relief. 18 medical camps were conducted at various panchayats for treating flood-affected patients.
  • 15th September 2018 – MA Math extends full cooperation and support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachhata Hi Seva program (relaunch of Swachh Bharat Cleaning drive).In nationwide teleconferencing with PM Modi, Amma explained how MA Math has been actively involved in the nationwide cleanliness drive that the Math started as Amala Bharatam Cleaning (ABC) scheme in 2010. On this day, thousands of Amma’s volunteers, personally lead by Amma undertook cleaning of a six Km long coastal stretch adjacent to the Ashram. Tons of wastes collected from there were brought to the ashram and sorted for disposal by volunteers.PM Modi profusely thanked Amma for her continued blessings, encouragement and active participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programs including Namami Gange program and in the construction of toilets for poor people across the country. Volunteers from Amma’s ashram branches, schools, colleges and other institutions got actively involved in a week-long cleaning program across the country.

 

Swachhata hi Sewa – Amma explains to PM Modi about MA MAth’s involvement and contribution in the Nationwide cleaning drive.

In his talk, Shri Narendra Modi expressed his special thanks to Amma, saying “She took on the project and shouldered it as Her own when this project was announced and from then till now has made tremendous contributions.”

  • 2nd October 2018: Amma was a special invitee at Rashtrapati Bhavan (on the day of Gandhi Jayanthi) on the concluding day of Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention and awards function for Swachhata Hi Sewa 2018.

Amma was honored by PM Narendra Modi for her largest monetary contribution for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

 

  • 20th November 2018: Amma was invited by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Abu Dhabi Interfaith Summit to Protect Child Dignity in the Digital World. Amma delivered the opening address as part of a Call to Action by Faith Leaders; She also participated in the Faith Leaders Summit on the same day wherein she and five senior faith leaders pledged their support for the Abu Dhabi Interfaith Declaration for Child Protection. In her speech, Amma highlighted the importance of parents inculcating spiritual values in their children in order to help them grow into healthy adults that have the self-control and compassion to always treat others with love and respect.  She appealed to parents to be both vigilant about their children’s online and offline lives.

    Amma addressing the gathering for Call of Action in Interfaith Summit at Abu Dhabi

2019 (Age 66)

  • 23rd  March 2019 –   The Century-old Mysore University, on its 99th convocation year, offers Honorary Doctorate to Amma, in recognition of her contribution to her multifarious spiritual, educational and philanthropic activities across the globe across 4 decades. 

In his speech, Prof. G Hemantha Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University (in the picture) said: “Amma, during the past four decades, has contributed so much goodness to the world—everything from spiritual education to massive charitable humanitarian efforts, showing society that these two are like two sides of the same coin. We may not be able to see God with our eyes, but we see all the divine qualities of God in Amma, who has tirelessly dedicated her entire life to uplifting the poor and suffering.”

  • 26th  September 2019 –   On the eve of Amma’s 66th birthday, Amrita Australia launched the Galupa Homeland  Project in Australia, in collaboration with the Non-profit organization ‘Traditional Cultural Practices’. This Project will connect young Indigenous women with local Yolngu elders. These elders will teach the young women traditional arts and inspire them to maintain their connection with their land and culture. Amrita Australia has just purchased a comfortable accommodation unit for these Indigenous women to work and reside in. 
  • 27th  September 2019 –  (Amma’s 66th Birthday): Amma, in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack at Kashmir in February, had announced that MA Math will donate Rs. 5 Lakhs to each of the 40 families of our soldiers who were killed in the attack. The cheques for this amount were handed over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (who had come to Amritapuri for taking part in Amma’s birthday celebration) to the families of the deceased soldiers. (See picture below)

 

  • 12th  December 2019 – Amma, as the Chancellor of Amrita University, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Dr. Lisel Folks, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, the University of Arizona embarking on a multidisciplinary partnership in education and research between the two Universities. An 11-member delegation from the University of Arizona was at Amritapuri to be present on this special occasion. This collaboration seeks to initiate dual-degree programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels in Engineering, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Social Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, and Agriculture. The program will enhance Amrita as the study-abroad site for the University of Arizona students and vice versa. This will engage more than 200 students annually for a minimum of one semester at the two-partner university.

    Amma signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Dr. Lisel Folks, Provost, the University of Arizona for inter-University collaboration.

2020 (Age 67)

  • 13th  March 2020 – On a very auspicious occasion at Amritapuri Ashram, after the passage of some 22 years, Amma gave Sanyasa Diksha to more than 50 of her Senior Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis .  She also formally initiated more than 200 of her celibate disciples (males and females) into formal Brahmacharya.  While most Sanyasa Ashrams give Sanyasa to formally initiated Brahmacharis after about 12 years of Brahmacharya life (or even earlier for deserving cases), Amma however has waited for 20 to 32 years of Brahmacharya service to the Ashram and its institutions rendered by her Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis, before giving this elevation. The initiation procedures were conducted across 3 days as per traditional Hindu practice with relevant Vedic traditions and homams.

  • 13th April 2020 – M A Math announces donating Rs 13 Crores (1.7 Million US Dollars) as its contribution to Government for fighting against Corona Virus and providing relief operations to people affected by its onslaught. Out of this amount Rs. 10 Crores goes to PM CARES fund (Central Government) and Rs 3 Crores to the State Government (Kerala State Relief fund).MA Math also announces a few other initiatives  — like offering free treatment to Corona patients at AIMS Hospital Kochi, setting up a 24-Hour helpline to give psychological counseling to people who have been emotionally disturbed on account of Corona Virus attack, engaging its educational and research institutions in creating low-cost facilities and equipment needed for attending to Corona Virus affected patients in hospitals and so on.
  • 27th  September 2020 –  (Amma’s 67th Birthday):  Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this was the first time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with just Ashram inmates alone taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done by Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri, followed by a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates. 
  • The whole of the year 2020, which has been gripped by the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic,  had in a way turned out to be an extremely memorable and cherishable period for Amritapuri Ashram inmates, because Amma remained confined to the Ashram throughout the year.  Every evening, Amma came for meditation, Satsang and bhajans in the Ashram Main hall, with inmates following necessary Covid-19 safety protocols.  Daily satsangs, offered by Amma’s Sanyasi, Brahmachari, and Grihastashrama children turned out to be the most eagerly awaited program.  The lecture sessions, in addition to expounding spiritual knowledge from shastras,  were studded with exhilarating personal, real-life experiences of the speakers on how they came to Amma’s fold and the way She had showered her love, care, protection, assistance, and guidance in their worldly and spiritual journey in numerous miraculous ways.
  • Throughout the year, Amma encouraged her children to write Bhajans and tune them on their own. She encouraged even little children to come out with their bhajans. Amma sang all these new bhajans and recorded them all.  Every day, she made it a point to sing such a new bhajan along with the person who wrote and tuned it.  Amma’s international children too participated enthusiastically and Amma sang their songs in numerous languages like German, French, Russian, Urdu, Spanish, and so on in addition to languages like Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Thulu, Gujarathi, Tamil,  and so on.   Amma’s bhajan collections now included songs from about 50 languages.

2021 (Age 68)

  • As the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic continued unabated almost right through this year too, there was no scope of Amma undertaking any tours either in India or abroad, and consequently, Amritapuri Ashram inmates were blessed to remain in the company of Amma on a daily basis. Apart from spending time with her children every evening through daily meditation, satsang and bhajan sessions, Amma goaded everyone to dig deeper into sadhana and also in scriptural study and discussions. Amma posed specific questions from quotes off Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita and asked Ashramites to study and come up with their explanations.
  • Amma also made it a point to focus considerably on Ashram’s little children and encouraged them to study Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita. She also posed questions related to the Itihasas and encouraged them to give brief talks.  She gave a big boost to little children practicing and playing Tabla daily during Bhajan sessions. Several children also learned Harmonium, keyboard, etc., and participated in daily bhajans.
  • Amma continued to encourage Ashramites to learn Sanskrit and gave the opportunity to those who studied it to give weekly satsangs in Sanskrit. It included her young children too.
  • Amma had her unique ways of keeping her numerous old-age children enthused, active and energetic.  She suggested all her inmates to practice Thiruvadira Kali (A typical Kerala’s traditional dance); all elder ladies in the ashram sprang up with childlike enthusiasm and started practicing shoulder to shoulder with little children, youthful girls,  and middle-aged women for a planned dance program on Onam day!
  • 9th April 2021 – Amma’s  Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham announced a grant of ₹100 crores to set up 50 state-of-the-art New Discovery and Innovation Labs at its campuses across India. These research labs will have cutting-edge discoveries in fields such as engineering, medical sciences, computer sciences, material sciences, nanobiosciences, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and sustainable development.

    On this occasion, Amma said: “Research should benefit the common people. At the same time, we should be careful to safeguard the serenity, beauty, and culture of our rural villages. Only then will the nation’s progress become complete. Only a value-based research program can pave the way for such balanced progress. We have to move forward keeping this goal in mind.”

 

 

  • 14th August 2021 – The Kalinga University, Bhubaneswar today conferred an Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt Honoris Causa) to Amma in its 17th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the Deemed University. It was done through teleconferencing mode and Amma received the Award from Amritapuri.

    The doctorate has been awarded in recognition of Amma’s “great contributions in the field of spirituality, education, environmental issues, humanitarian efforts, love and compassion.” The citation specifically mentioned Amma’s spiritual stature, saying “This journey of yours, walking the path proclaimed by the Vedas and recapitulated in subsequent scriptures like Bhagavad-Gita, has no parallel. Setting aside the attainment of a nirvāṇa or mokṣa from life, you advocate jīvanmukti—the state of perfect awareness and equanimity experienced here in this world while living itself. “
  • 18th August 2021 –Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been accredited (Cycle-3) with an A++ the highest grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country.  It is the third time in its 18-years history to be rated as a grade A institution by the NAAC.

    This puts Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham under Category 1 Autonomy Higher Education Institution in India.  By virtue of this status, Amrita University is now  free to start new courses and departments, enter into academic collaborations with foreign educational institutions, undertake curricular reforms and introduce academic innovations in tune with the global best practices. They can also start their own new campuses and centres. 
  • 27th September 2021 (Amma’s 68th Birthday) –             

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this was the second time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with just Ashram inmates alone taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done by Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri, followed by Amma’s satsang, a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates. Ganapathi homam and Maha Mrithyunjaya homam were done by Ashram Brahmacharis and and Brahmacharinis on 25th, 26th and 27th praying for global peace and welfare in the mornings and Sudarshana homam in the evenings.

  • 17th November 2021
    Shri Shankra Bharathi Swamigal, the Pontiff of Yadathore Sri Mutt, Krishnarajanagara, Karnataka visited Amma’s Amritapuri Ashram as part of his tour in Kerala to propogate Sri Sankara’s Soundarya Lahari Sthothra. The ashram warmly welcomed him and provided him with accommodation and other facilites.  Sri Swamigal had a meeting with Amma along with his disciples and associates. Later he addressed Ashram inmates in the Main Hall and delivered a lecture on Guru Bhakti in Sanskrit, in the presence of Amma on the dais.
  • 18th December  2021
    On the 16th Anniversary of Amritashree program (a program to develop, finance and assist Women Self-help groups for the upliftment of families of peasants and fishermen affected by natural calamities), Amma today initiated distribution of free Assistance Kits for about 3 lakh families. In this humanitarian initiative, costing about Rs 35 Crores for the MA Math, Amma is giving the kits each consisting of 5 kgs. of rice, 3 kgs. of wheat, 3 coconuts, plus pulses, chillis, raw sugar, and a saree to each of the Amritashree family across Kerala — from Kasaragod, to Kanyakumari.This program was inaugurated formally by Kerala Governor Mr Arif Mohammad Khan through tele-conferencing mode, in the presence of several other dignitaries. In the unloading, preparation and packing of all the bags consisting of the grains and other items, all the inmates of Amritapuri Ashram including Amma and her senior Sanyasis have been working for the past couple of weeks, considering the massive quantities involved in the task.
  • 2022 (Age 69)

  • 12th January 2022
    Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), recognized as the fifth-best university in India as per the 2021 NIRF rankings, has conferred its first Honorary Doctorates on Jeffrey D. Sachs, Global Economist for Sustainable Development, and Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize recipient during a virtual ceremony that was graced by Amma.

 

  • 28th July 2022
    Amma arrived at Faridabad today with an entourage of about 700+ ashram inmates travelling all the way by road from Amritapuri. She has come for the inauguration of the new Amrita Hospitals Complex, which will be Asia’s largest multispeciality hospital once fully commissioned.  (The construction work for the hospital complex started on 9th May 2016 as already mentioned in the timeline). The Inauguration program is scheduled next month. This is Amma’s very first visit to the hospital complex.
  • This trip is also special because, due Covid-19 onslaught and related restrictions, Amma could not move out from Amritapuri for the last two years. Amma’s devotees in and around Delhi were too eager and enthusiastic to get Amma’s darshan after such a long period of separation.
  • 19th August 2022
    At the behest of Amma, at the premises of Amrita Hospital inauguration function site (at Faridabad), Ashram  Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis conducted a  grand Homa in 108 Homakundas covering Ganapathi Homa, Navagraha Homa and Maha mrityunjaya homa in the traditional way, amid chanting of Vedic mantras. This yagnya was done praying for the welfare of the world and as a prelude to the inauguration of the hospital complex.

  • 23th August 2022
  • As a prelude to the formal opening ceremony of Amrita Hospital in the following day, Amma unveiled the statue of Rishi Shushruta, who was one of the pioneers of our ancient Ayurveda medical system;  he was also a forerunner in doing sastra-kriya (operations). His Shushruta Samhita is still a valuable reference book in Ayurveda treatment methodologies.

  • 24th August 2022
    Amrita Hospital at Faridabad was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

  • This Hospital complex, when fully completed,  will be the largest in Asia, the most modern, multi-speciality hospital with additional focus on research. This hospital is another mammoth gift to the mankind by Amma, which will offer affordable healthcare to all sections of the society. 

Amrita Hospital, will be the biggest private sector hospital in India spread across 133 acres of land in Faridabad.

Salient features of Amrita Hospital, Faridabad (when fully completed):

  • total built-up area of 1,00,00,000 sq. ft.
  • 2400 beds,  534 critical care beds
  •  64 Modular operation theaters
  • most advanced imaging services, fully automated robotic laboratory, high-precision radiation oncology, most updated nuclear medicine
  • state-of-the-art 9 cardiac and interventional cath lab for clinical services
  •  1,50,000 sq ft dedicated to mother and childcare, fetal and reproductive care and high-risk obstetrics
  • comprehensive transplant program to conduct hand transplants,  transplants of liver, kidney, trachea, vocal cords, intestine, heart, lung, pancreas, skin, bone, face and bone marrow
  • state-of-the-art robotics, haptic, surgical-medical simulation centre spread across 4 floors and 1,50,000 sq. ft area
  •  India’s largest green-building healthcare project with a low carbon footprint.
  • end-to-end paperless facility, with zero waste discharge.
  • a helipad on the campus for swift transport of patients.
  • 498-room guest house where attendants accompanying the patients can stay
  • to be fully solar powered
  • Medial College, Nurse training college

19th September 2022

Amma’s mother Damayanti Amma passed away at the ripe old age of 97.

Damayanti Amma was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and Devi, who followed several austerities as part of her day to day life. She was a very strict mother and a bundle of values. Amma in fact used to mention that her mother was a guru for her who taught by example, loving and worshiping nature as God, protecting and preserving nature, the importance of hard work, loving and serving others, giving first priority to others’ needs  before self-interest, intolerance towards wasting anything, frugal living,  worshiping everything as a form of God, lovingly feeding guests and strangers, loving and taking care of cattle, obedience and respecting elders,  concern and care for others in the society etc.

  • 13th October 2022 (Amma’s 69th Birthday, by star) –             

Due to post Covid-19 restrictions, this was the third time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with Ashram inmates and limited number of outside devotees taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  Early in the morning,  Ganapathi homam and Maha Mrithyunjaya homam were done. Swami Amritaswaroopanandapuri gave a satsang in the forenoon. Subsequently, There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done in Amma’s presence by Swamiji. It was  followed by Amma’s satsang, a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates and visitors. Amma gave darshan to visiting devotees.

  • 17th October 2022

The Govt of India has appointed Amma as the Chair of the country’s Civil 20 (C20), an official engagement group of the Group of 20 (G20). India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. The G20 is the premier intergovernmental forum for the world’s developed and emerging economies to address financial stability on a global basis. The C20 is its platform for civil society organizations (CSOs) to bring forth non-government and non-business voices to the G20 leaders.

In the initial C20 online meeting, Amma said: “Hunger, conflict, extinction of species, and environmental destruction are the most important issues facing the world today. We should put in sincere effort to develop solutions.”

  • 3rd December 2022

Geeta Jayanthi day was celebrated at Amritapuri. Bhagavad Gita chanting session was arranged and many of Ashram residents, including children and youth participated in it. A painting exhibition was also arranged where Ashram inmates including children participated to do live painting to visually present the  various aspects and teachings of Bhagavad Gita as appealed to them. Ashram children gave lectures elaborating specific Gita slokas that had great impact in their lives.

On this day, Amma started a Gita Jnana Yagna whereby she directed  each Ashram inmate to randomly pick a sloka from the lot of 700 slokas of the Bhagavad Gita. Each of them have to speak for about 10 minutes (2 persons per day) in the coming days elaborating the meaning of the sloka, preferably adding their personal anecdotes associated with it.

Thus this becomes a part of regular Satsang in the Ashram, to be done on a daily basis  in the presence of Amma by the inmates, across a period of almost a year.

  • 2023 (Age 70)

  • 16th January 2023

Amma, as the Chair person,  officially inaugurated the C-20 Session at Amritapuri.

 

the ancient rishis of India declared vasudhaiva kutumbakam—“The world is one family.” The theme of India’s G20 presidency is aptly this statement from the Upanishads.

The main duties of the C20 Forum are resolving issues people face in their fields of work, understanding public opinion, studying the problems people face in different areas, bringing them to the attention of the Indian Government and to the G20 nations, and suggesting solutions.

  • 22nd February 2023

The oldest person currently living in India, aged 127, a renowned Yoga guru Swami Sivananda came to meet Amma at Amritapuri.

“He said, ‘I see my guru in you. Amma is the living goddess. Amritapuri is the heaven on earth.”

He expressed his desire to do Pada Puja to Amma, and Amma agreed to his request lovingly.

  • 20-21 March 2023

The Chief Guest, Shri Kailash Satyarthi, a Nobel Peace Laureate, praised Amma’s work for society, calling her the “Mother of love, kindness, and compassion.” The Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, also expressed his gratitude to Amma for chairing the event, saying that her work in India and globally makes her entitled to be called Global Mother.

The Civil 20 India (C20) Inception Conference in Nagpur, Maharashtra was a momentous occasion with Amma as the first spiritual leader ever appointed as Chair of the G20 Engagement Group for civil society and non-governmental organizations. More than 200 delegates from around the globe took part in the conference and the results will eventually become policy recommendations that will presented to India’s G20 Summit set to take place in New Delhi in September 9-10.

  • 17th March 2023

President of India, Hon. Draupadi Murmu paid a visit to Amritapuri. She met Amma to pay her respects and also had a private session with Amma for about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

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2017 – Aerial View of Amritapuri Ashram, head quarters of Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The Arabian sea on the right, the TS Canal at the left and the middle strip of land is Alappad. Amritapuri Ashram is studded with multi-storeyed buildings.  The Amrita Sethu bridge can be seen at the left.

Embracing the World is a global network of regional humanitarian organizations inspired by the  Amma and coordinated by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Embracing the World exists to help alleviate the burden of the world’s poor through helping to meet each of their five basic needs — food,  shelter, healthcare, education, and livelihood — wherever and whenever possible.

 

To watch Video on Amma’s global activities:

EMBRACING THE WORLD WITH HER ABUNDANT LOVE AND HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

 

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Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi – Biography – Life Timeline with Photos – Part 2 of 3

June 6, 2023/0 Comments/in Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) /by C.V.Rajan

(Digital art Courtesy: Hiral Varun)


This is Part 2 of Amma’s Biography (Timeline).  If you have not yet read Part 1, kindly read it here

             —–> Part 1 of Amma’s Biography (Timeline) – age 1 to 34.


Amma Mata Amritanandamayi Devi’s Biography (Timeline) 

continued (Age 35 to 60)

(Age 35)

  • May 1988 – Amma’s 2nd world tour.
  • 28th April 1988 – First Brahmasthana temple consecrated by Amma at Kodungallur.

Firat Brhmasthanam temple at Kodungallur. Brahmasthanam temple is of unique design conceived and consecrated by Amma. It contains a 4-faced murti (Shiva, Ganesha, Devi and Rahu (Murugan) on each side.

1989(Age 36)

  • Ashram takes over an Orphanage with 400 children at Paripally (which faced a severe financial crunch) and engages in feeding the children, rebuilding the dilapidated buildings, facilities and poor hygienic conditions at considerable cost. Amma diverts the money planned for constructing the Ashram temple for this purpose.

(L) Paripally Orphanage those days (R) Brhmacharinis conducting prayer with orphan children.

  • With the takeover of the orphanage, Amma’s humanitarian activities for the poor and the needy (later christened “Embracing the World” begins). Embracing the World exists to help alleviate the burden of the world’s poor through helping to meet each of their five basic needs — food, shelter, healthcare, education, and livelihood — wherever and whenever possible. ETW is especially focused on helping to meet these needs in the aftermath of major disasters.
  • Amma’s first visit to Delhi and Kolkata.
  • May 1989  – Amma’s 3rd world tour. Amma’s San Ramon’s Ashram (MA Center) at the USA takes shape. (Amma’s world tours now become regular annual affairs).

    Mata Amritanandamayi Center (MA Center) at San Ramon, USA.

  • August 1989 – Ottur Unni Nambudiripad passes away with his head on Amma’s lap.
  • October 1989  – Amma arranges Sanyasa Diksha to Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri (Br. Balu). To keep up with the Sanyasa parampara traditions, Swami Dhruvananda, a Sanyasin from Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, did the formalities to initiate the Sanyas (as per Puri tradition).

    Swami Dhruvananda of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam with Amma in the preparation for Vraja Homa. (He is now a resident of Amritapuri Ashram since 2018)

Amma gives Sanyasa  to Br. Balu – Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri.

1990 (Age 37) 

  • Amma reveals her vision about starting a Multispeciality Hospital with the most modern medical care for the the benefit of poor.
  • 9th April 1990 – Consecration of Ashram Kali (Bhavatarini) Temple.

Front elevation of Amritapuri Ashram Kali temple. It took almost 5 years to complete the construction. The upper floors have residential quarters and rooms for other ashram activities.    The presiding deity is Bhavatarini Kali (some what similar to Bhavatarini Kali of Dakshineswar Kali temple)

Kali Sannidhi and meditation Hall of the Amritapuri Kali temple.

  • 4th May 1990 – Brahmasthana temple consecrated at Chennai
  • AICT (Amrita Institute of Computer Technology), Amma’s first higher education institution started in Amritapuri.

1991 (Age 38)

  • Amma gives sanyasa Diksha to Br. Madhusudhan (Swami Premananda Puri).
  • 17th August 1991  – Amma’s first visit to Russia. It was one of the most crucial periods in Russian history. When Amma was there, there was an attempted coup to overthrow the communist rule and Gorbachev was kept on house arrest. Fortunately, everything ended peacefully without violence and Amma’s devotees felt that Amma’s divine presence was no coincidence that helped in return of peace in a way incomprehensible to the outer world.

1992 (Age 39)

  • July 1992  – Amma’s 2nd visit to Russia.
  • 16th February 1992 – Brahmasthana temples at Thiruvananthapuram and on 15th April at Pune consecrated.
  • Amrita Sanskrit Higher Secondary school at Paripally started  – it  is one of the largest schools in Kerala to teach Sanskrit as the first language
  • Land for proposed Engineering college at Ettimadai, Coimbatore bought. Br Abhayamrita sets out clearing the thorny bushes in the wildland.

1993 (Age 40)

  • 18th January 1993 – Consecration of Brahmasthana temple at Kozhikode
  • Over the period of time, Lots of youngsters, both males and females get attracted, inspired and motivated by Amma and come forward to lead a life of celibacy, dedicated to serving the society selflessly and seeking spiritual progress under the shade of Amma as a Sadguru and Avatar.  They come from all walks of life — engineers, nurses, businessmen, carpenters, artists, college students —most of them are young, some of them middle-aged. They join as Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis in the ashram, leaving behind their homes and comforts.  Those who came at earlier times were content to live in newly built huts (as the finances were meager at that time).
  • Huts for Brahmacharis – behind current Kali Temple (in the current big hall area).

  • Hinduism Today magazine selects and honors Amma as the ‘Hindu of the year’
  • September 1993  – Amma invited to The Centenary Celebration and 2nd Parliament of World Religions at Chicago USA. Amma participates and speaks on the occasion. She was appointed one of the 3 presidents to represent Hinduism in the assembly of 25 presidents representing all world religions.

1994 (Age 41) 

  • 23rd May – Foundation stone for AIMS (Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital at Edapally, Cochin is laid.

    Entrance to the A-Block of AIMS – Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Edappally, Eranakulam.

  • Started Amrita Kripa Sagar Hospice for terminally ill cancer patients, Mumbai

Amrita Kripa Hospice, Mumbai

  • August – Amma arranges Sanyasa diksha to Swamis Amritatmanandapuri (Ramesh Rao),  Ramakrishnananda Puri (Ramakrishnan),  Poornamritanandapuri (Srikumar), Pranavanandapuri (Venu) , Amritagitananda puri (Aneesh) and Swamini Atmaprana (Dr Leela).

Swami Amritatmananda Puri                 Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri

 

Swami Purnanamritananda Puri       Swami Pranavamritananda Puri

 

Swami Amritagitananda Puri                    Swamini Atma Prana

  • Construction in full swing for the first Engineering college campus at Ettimadai, Coimbatore. Amrita School of Engineering begins with 120 students.

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Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi – Biography – Life Timeline with Photos – Part 1 of 3

August 2, 2022/0 Comments/in Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) /by C.V.Rajan

 

  • She is called Amma (Mother).
  • She hails from a little fishermen’s hamlet in Kerala, India. She is hardly educated up to primary school. She is now a world-renowned Hindu saint and a globally recognized philanthropist. She travels across the length and breadth of India and also across the globe every year to meet people. She is known as the Hugging Saint. She is a ceaseless fountainhead of divine love.
  • She embraces each and every individual who comes to her for her darshan. She spends 10-14 hours a day, at least 4 days a week in meeting and hugging people who come to see her in thousands. She has been doing it ceaselessly since the age of 22/23. (She is now 65 as in 2018). She has hugged more than 33 million people across the world.
  • She is an unconditional giver. All the people in this world are her sons and daughters. She gives pure love to the world suffering in scorching selfishness; she heals people both physically and mentally.
  • She spreads spirituality to earnest seekers as a Sadguru. There are several tens of Sanyasis and hundreds of Brahmachari / Brahmacharinis living in her Ashram at Amritapuri, along with hundreds of household devotees (both Indians and foreigners) who are doing spiritual sadhana (meditation, mantra japa, devotional singing, studying shastras like Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads etc) and also doing selfless service, leading a very frugal and simple life, under her guidance.
  • She serves the poor and the downtrodden. She runs hospitals, orphanages, schools, colleges, and research institutions. She is always there with a helping hand extended, whenever and wherever there is a natural calamity.
  • Here is an attempt to showcase, for the sake of historical records, what she has been doing year after year in her action-packed life ever since her birth. No wonder she is hailed as an Avatar of divine mother Parashakti; the power she radiates is immeasurable; what she has accomplished and what she has been doing is simply beyond the grasp and capacity of not only ordinary human beings but also scientists, rationalists, and agnostics.

[Foreword: In this part 1 of Amma’s biography, we have covered her life and activities up to her age of 34.   In part-2, age 35 to 60, and in Part-3, age 61 onwards are covered. Links to Part-2 and Part-3 are given at the bottom of this article].

1953  – 27th September  – Birth of Amma

  • Sunday, after 9 AM (in star Karthika) The Holy Avatar of Amma happens – The girl child, later named Sudhamani (Later Mata Amritanandamayi) was born to Dhamayanthi Amma and Sri Sugunanandan as their 3rd child at Parayakadavu, a fishermen’s hamlet in Alappad, Kerala. Her birthplace, in future, acquires the name Amtitapuri.

1957 (Age 4)

  •  ‘Kunju’ (Little) Sudhamani frequently turns inwards, forgetting the outer world and goes to a meditative state.

1958 (Age 5)

  • Sudhamani starts going to elementary school. She is soaked in Krishna bhakti most of the time even at such a tender age.

1960 (Age 7)

  • Sudhamani starts composing devotional songs on Lord Krishna. Most of the time her dress is wet with tears she sheds crying for her beloved Krishna.

1962 (Age 9)

  • Sudhamani discontinues school (in a couple of months after joining 5th standard) and takes charge of doing all domestic chores since her mother falls sick. In all her free time, she is immersed in the devotion of Sri Krishna.

1966 (Age 13)

  • Sudhamani starts going to her Mother’s elder sisters’ house for doing their domestic chores. Sudhamani gives the families’ rice to the poor and gets the wrath of the relatives.

1968 (Age 15)

  • Sudhamani was sent to her uncle’s house in Karunagapally for doing their domestic chores. Here too she starts giving food and provisions from the house to the poor and needy and gets punished for her charity.

1969 (Age 16)

  • Sudhamani returns to her parents’ house and gets fully engaged in doing all domestic chores from 3 AM in the morning till 11 PM and also immerses herself in intense sadhana and Krishna Bhakthi. She also serves the poor people in the village and distributes food and provisions stealthily from her house. Gets punished frequently for this charity.

1970 (Age 17)

  • Sudhamani learns tailoring at a Christian Institution attached to a Church (for about 3 years) in her spare time. She goes into meditation at the graveyard next to the church. The old priest in the Church gets highly impressed by her character and devotion to God.  He predicts she will come up as a great lady in the future.

  • Sudhamani loses sleep crying and singing for her beloved Krishna. Her family members get highly disturbed by her behavior. They think she is mentally deranged.

1975 (Age 22)

  • Sudhamani’s intense prema bhakti on Krishna ends up in a divine experience of Lord Krishna merging in her.

== Oil painting == Lord Krishna appears before Amma and merges in her. Amma realizes her oneness with Krishna.

  • 5th March  1975 – Sudhamani first Krishna Bhava (involuntarily expressing the divine mood of Lord Krishna) at the courtyard of her neighbor  Sri Ratnam’s house where Srimad Bhagavada parayanam was going on.

== Oil painting == Amma reveals her Krishna Bhava to people gathered to listen to Srimad Bhagavatam.

  • On the next Bhagavata Parayanam day, based on demands from people to prove her divine power, Sudhamani does a miracle by converting water to milk and also to panchamritam when she shows Krishna bhava again.
  • Soon regular Krishna Bhava darshan to devotees begins at the cowshed area next to her house.

  • Later a simple temple (Kalari) comes up in the cowshed area where her bhava darshan took place.

  • Soon after, Sudhamani gets Devi Parashakthi in a divine vision for a brief while. She immerses in deep Prema Bhakti to seek Devi’s vision again. Sudhamani’s behavior turns very weird bordering on madness.
  • Her family members could not understand her divine madness and get very disturbed. Her elder brother Subhakan, who could not accept Sudhamani’s bhava darshans and her divine moods, orders her to get out of the house. In order not to trouble the family members, sSudhamani opts to stay outdoors all the time, be rain or shine. She was out of body consciousness most of the time; animals and birds start giving her company with love and they bring food to her too.

== Oil painting == Sudhamani ordered out of the house; Animals and birds give her company in the open.

  • September 1975 – After 6 months of intense longing, she gets the vision of Devi once again and Devi immerses inside her. Amma sang her experience and the divine commandment she received from Devi thus in her song ‘Ananda Veedhi’

. . . . . .
Smiling, She became a Divine Effulgence

And merged in me. My mind blossomed,
Bathed in the many-hued light of divinity
And the events of millions of years gone by
Rose up within me. Thenceforth,
Seeing nothing as separate from my own Self
And merging in the Divine mother
I renounced all sense of enjoyment

Mother told me to ask people
To fulfill their human birth.
Therefore I proclaim to the whole world
The sublime truth that She uttered
‘oh man, merge in your Self!”
. . . . . . . . . 

Sudhamani resolves to dedicate her life totally to mitigate the suffering of the people and serve one and all as embodiments of God.

  • Amma (Sudhamani) begins giving Devi Bhava Darshan too in addition to Krishna Bhava Darshan. She hugs each and everyone who comes to her for darshan, hears their woes and offers solace.

  • Amma starts facing lots of opposition from and harassment from The Rationalists  Movement (‘Committee to remove blind beliefs’) who consider her bhava darshans as fake with an intent to fool people and make money.
  • By 1975 year-end – During one Krishna bhava, Amma predicts that she will be having lots of devotees coming to her from far and wide, including from abroad. She also predicts that she would travel all over the world many times.
  • Prabhakara Siddha Yogi, a famous avadhuta with extremely weird behavior, who was believed to be living across a couple of centuries, comes and visits Amma. He recognizes her as Kali Mata.

Amma with Prabhakara Siddha Yogi

1976  (Age 23)

  • Harassment, public ridicule, attempts of physical attack and attempts of murder happens to Amma from locals and members of the Rationalist movement. Amma’s family members feel highly disturbed about such happenings. Amma faces such opposition for the next couple of years with evenness of mind.
  • Based on Sugunananda’s prayer during Devi bhava to relieve her daughter from Devi’s possession, Amma falls into deep samadhi the next day and could not be revived to life despite all efforts. Conceding to intense prayers and inconsolable crying of her devotees and family, she comes back to life after 3 hours.
  • Unnikrishnan (Amma’s first resident brahmachari of the ashram, later Swami Turiyamritananda Puri) meets Amma and starts staying in the temple.

Swami Turiyamritananda Puri (Br. Unnikrishnan) was the earliest permanent resident of the ashram who came in 1976.

1977 (Age 24)

  • Amma visits Madurai Meenakshi temple with devotees. She goes into deep samadhi for about 1.5 hrs in front of Meenakshi sannadhi.

1978   (Age 25)

  • Dattan the leper starts visiting Amma during Bhava Darshan and his acute and deep wounds of leprosy gets cured over a period of time by Amma’s licking of his wounds.

> Click this picture to see the video clipping showing Amma licking the wounds in Dattan’s body and face

  • June 1978 – Amma’s elder brother Subhakan, who could not understand or accept Amma’s spiritual moods, and seemingly lunatic behavior, was strongly against his sisters’ divine bhavas and was extremely mentally disturbed. He commits suicide. Amma had to face negative propaganda and criticism from the rationalists and the public on account of this happening too.

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Why do some believe that ordinary persons like Mata Amritanandamayi or Sai Baba have extraordinary powers?

August 19, 2019/0 Comments/in Q&A-Avatars & Saints, Q&A-on Amma /by C.V.Rajan

To answer this question, one must essentially delve deeper into the concept of Avatar in Hinduism. One must also try to understand the concept of Advaita in Hinduism. One must be able to grasp the grandest statement of Hinduism that everyone has the potential to attain Godliness. You may say, all these are essentially beliefs and say, “I can’t believe unless ‘scientifically proved’ ” , we will come to some amount of proving a bit later.

According to Hinduism, God takes up human form and comes to live among us to teach us the right dharma and show the way for spiritual advancement for earnest seekers from time to time. They also annihilate evil forces that tend to tilt the balance towards adharma and restore dharma — It is the Avatar.

Avatars, though by looks and physical behaviour will be like a human beings, they are NOT just ordinary mortals. So, fundamentally, Satya Saibaba and Mata Amritanandamayi are NOT just ordinary people. They are avatars.

The way they lead their lives, the way they demonstrate super-human capabilities right from childhood, the way they influence people who are truly attracted towards them through faith and surrender, the way they make miraculous changes in the lives of people (either overtly or covertly), the way they accomplish unbelievable tasks within unbelievable time-frame, the way they spread love and care on humanity cutting across all caste, creed and religious barriers, the way they create a massive revival of spirituality — are all beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals.

Those who are skeptical,who think they are very rational, think they know all about human beings and God, think they are “scientifically oriented” , who declare themselves proudly as non-believers by closing their ears, eyes, nose, mind and heart and declare “No — these Godmen and Godwomen are all only frauds bent upon cheating and looting people” can only be deluding themselves from reality.

Now coming to the proof.

Thousands of personal experiences can be given by people who experienced changes in their lives by coming to Amma or Satya Sai. You will say “these are concocted stories spread by blind believers in vested interest”.

Just set aside some 20 minutes of your time by keeping your eyes and heart open and go through the following link that contains the historical record of what Mata Amritanandamayi has done in each and every year of her living in this world amidst us in the past 64 years:

Life Timeline of Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) – with images

Some of the happenings are deeply spiritual about which I am sure you will not be inclined to even learn/digest. But there are also things done to the world. There are records and proofs. Then come to your own conclusion:

How are the grandest tasks accomplished?

They are accomplished by believers’ dedication and hard work; through the money people donate willingly; through the fees collected from institutions; through selling of products and services that the believing devotees (consisting doctors, scientists, teachers, professors, doctorates, engineers, pharmacists, writers, publishers, technicians, artisans, labourers and so on) contribute with love and dedication. A considerable percentage of the services are voluntary.

After all, people who do all these works (as instruments of the avatar) are human beings with their own limitations, deficiencies and inefficiencies too. So, along the side of grand things happening, you will also find some shortfalls, some imperfections, some little blunders and some wastages here and there. But if you look at the macro picture, the negatives will not too big. It is also a part of the divine maya. Nothing is 100% perfect in creation.

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Mata Amritanandamayi – FAQ on Amma

March 19, 2018/0 Comments/in Q&A-on Amma /by C.V.Rajan

(Digital art Courtesy: Hiral Varun)
  1. Who is Amma?

Amma (meaning, mother) is Mata Amritanandamayi, a lady Hindu Saint, a God-realized (or self-realized) sage, a true knower of Universal Self (Brahma Gnyani) , who is considered an Avatar (God descended to earth in Human form, according to Hindu beliefs) and a Satguru (a spiritual teacher of the highest order) whose expression of divinity is through her unsurpassed expression of love towards all beings.

  1.  What was Amma’s original name? When and Where was she born? Who are her parents? Where is her place?

Bhavatarini Kali Temple, Amritapuri Ashram

Amma’s original name was Sudhamani. She was born on 27th September 1953 in a fishermen community, at a remote village Parayakadavu. It is now  called Amritapuri (PIN code 690 546). It is situated at the Arabian sea shore, in Alappad panchayat, in Kollam district of Kerala State, in South India.

It is  close to Vallikkavu town and at about 20 km away from Kayamkulam , 12 km from Oachira and 9 kms from Karunagapally.

Amma’s father’s name is Sugunananthan and her mother’s name is Damayanti Amma.  Sudhamani was their third child. Sudhamani had 4 brothers (one elder and the rest younger) and 3 sisters (one elder and the rest, younger).

It is in this small village is her Ashram Mata Amritanandamayi Math is situated. This place is now called Amtitapuri. In the limited strip of land between the Arabian sea and back waters, the Ashram’s sprawling complex comprising of a temple, a large Darshan Hall and a few multi-storeyed residential apartments for all her disciples and devotees is situated.

  1. Why is she called Amma?

The word Amma in Tamil and Malayalam means mother. She is considered the avatar of the Universal Divine Mother (varyingly called Parasakthi, Jagat Janani, Jagadamba, Rajarajeshwari, Parvati, Vaishnavi, Maha Maya, Kali and so on, who, according to Hindu holy scriptures, is the divine consort of Lord Shiva). For Amma, every one in this world, irrespective of age, is her child and all her children call her Amma. Amma’s love to her children is unconditional and she has no barriers of caste, color, creed, religion or anything else to express her motherly love to one and all. The young Sudhamani, who was later christened Mata Amritanandamayi by her devotees, thus became the mother of all and a “hugging saint” right from her 22nd age.

  1. Why is Amma called the “Hugging Saint”?

In Hinduism, going and seeing a God in a temple or seeing a Saint is called darshsan. Darshan means seeing. In India, it’s the practice that a great saint or sage stands or sits at a distance, and his/her devotees will go and prostrate before him/ her to express their reverence. Some Saints will permit touching of their feet by close disciples. In Hinduism it is the practice to touch the feet of holy and elderly people as a mark of reverence, and this touching of the feet of a divinely person is believed to bestow us good spiritual fortune.

It is also believed that any bodily touch of the saint will transfer one’s sins to the saints, and this way one gets purified, but the saint who has accepted the sins will have to go through the physical suffering for having accepted the sins of others. So, except on very special occasions or considerations, all and sundry will not be encouraged touch the saints.

Amma’s way of giving ‘darshan’ is to individually embrace each person.

That’s totally absent in Amma’s case. Amma, out of her unbridled love on all her children, gives darshan to every individual by embracing him/ her physically. Whether one is healthy, clean or unclean – as unclean as a leper whose skin oozes with pus —  Amma embraces one and all.

Perhaps the term “hugging saint” was coined by western media when Amma visited USA first in the year 1987.

  1. In Hinduism, isn’t it said that a Guru is needed for one to attain self-realization? If so, who is Amma’s guru?

Amma is a divine incarnation. She is a swayambhu (self manifested); she is not of the normal class of spiritual aspirants who can seek the ultimate truth only through the guidance of a Guru.

But, Amma was soaked in the deepest divine bhakthi (love of God) right from her childhood. Her yearning to have a vision of her beloved God, Krishna was consuming her like fire; she cried unceasingly for uniting with her beloved lord; her whole of consciousness was enveloped in that single thought. Songs praising her lord and begging for his darshan poured out from her lips involuntarily.

With all this at one side, she had abundant energy to do physical domestic work, which she did tirelessly for her family; her parents understood nothing of her divinity; they thought she was mentally insane. Her very dark complexion was a subject of distaste for them. They showed no interest to educate her formally. Apart from a little of primary education that enabled Amma to read and write in Malayalam (her mother tongue), Amma had no worthy ‘worldly’ education to speak of.

This sort of unceasing and all consuming love of God, is called Parabhakthi in Hinduism. It is also known as Prema Bhakthi. Chaitanya Deva (a saint of Eastern India) had such a divine love on Krishna in the past. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, another saint of the past from Bengal had this divine love on his beloved Holy Mother Kali.

Through this power of Prema Bhakthi, saints realize God. That’s how Amma realized Lord Krishna; Lord Krishna merged into her and became one with her. At her 20th age, Amma became a realized soul.

  1. Then why is it said Amma is a divine incarnation of Universal Mother?

Amma, after realizing God in the form of Krishna (Purusha, the male principle) was then caught in a tempest of love on the Universal Mother (Prakriti, the female principle). It was her second phase of prema bhakti on God, now directed at the female principle. After going through a maddeningly intense tapas (severe spiritual austerities) to have the vision of her ‘true mother’, without virtually missing even a second to keep calling her “Amma”, she realized her goal; She ultimately found Divine mother revealing her glorious form and eventually merging in her. It happened at her age of about 22.

  1. Wait. You say, Lord Krishna merged in Amma. Then you say, Universal Mother merged in Amma. But you said earlier that Amma is a divine incarnation of the Universal Mother. Isn’t all confusing?

One requires a deeper understanding of Hinduism to grasp all these.

In Hinduism, there is only one God, known as Brahman (also called Paramatman, the supreme Atman), who is all pervading, is without beginning or end, and is beyond name and form. But the same Universal being, when related to the physical realm of the world and the cosmos with names and forms, becomes the creater, sustainer and the destroyer. He, in this role, is attributed with names and forms, and is amenable for worshiping as Ishwara (God). Hindus have the freedom to worship Ishwara in any form very dear to their heart.

A Hindu can worship God as Vishnu ( the protector), Shiva (the destroyer), the Shakti (the Universal Mother), or in any other form of divine incarnations like Rama, Krishna and so on. Ignoring names and forms, it is the same God who is the in-dweller in all beings as Atman, because the God and his creation are not two entities.

Depending on the extent of one’s self awareness, one perceives God as a separate entity as Ishwara (the Dwaita – duality concept) , or as Paramatman — the soul of the individual soul (Vishitadwaita – the qualified non-duality concept) and as Atman, one’s own Self, being the Absolute reality, with nothing second existing  (the Advaita, non-duality principle).

All these three states are true in some way or other, depending on the extent of one’s realization of the ultimate truth. While Advaita, the non-dualistic state is the ultimate truth which is realized by a qualified seeker at an exalted state where the “I” consciousness becomes totally absent, the other states also become relative truths, as one descends back to worldly consciousness — when “I” and “you” are perceived.

For a person of Amma’s level of attainment, Advaita is the state of attainment and state of being. But, purely out of compassion to serve the society and guide all earnest seekers to realize the ultimate truth, Amma descends to the mundane level and plays her divine act with all of us, like a person acting in a drama with different masks and makeup.

Amma, though, in her true state remains as Atman, with nothing secondary to it. She, at the relative level, sports a bhava, a divine mood. When, as a seeker, she loved the lord (Ishwara) in the form of Krishna (who is nothing but the all pervading Atman, but worshiped with name and form), she realized her own Atman and it was experienced as if the Lord Krishna merged in her. The same explanation holds good for divine experience and mood —bhava as a divine mother.

Amma, though originally expressed her divine bhava as Krishna, she, later opted to express her bhava as Divine mother too. Still later, she opted to express only the divine mood as Universal mother – Devi Bhava and discontinued her Krishna Bhava.

It’s Hindu’s belief that God descends to earth to uplift mankind and show ways to salvation from time to time, based on the specific needs of the time. As Amma displays her divine bhava more as a mother, her devotees hail her as an Avatar of Universal mother.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says “Avatar is only for the sake of bhaktas (lovers of God). Gnyanis (seekers of True Knowledge without sentimental emotion to forms of God) have no significance to the idea of avatar”.

Thus from a bhakta’s viewpoint, Amma is an Avatar — the Avatar of the Universal Divine Mother. From the intellectual seekers’ view point, Amma is a Gnyani — Knower of Atman, a self-realized soul, a jivan mukta (one who has attained deathless state while being alive), or one who has attained, from a Buddhist viewpoint, Nirvana. For an earnest spiritual seeker looking for spiritual guidance, Amma is a Sadguru.

8.  Let her be God, Avatar or whatever. What is that she has done for the world? In what way has she contributed for the welfare of the mankind? People say she is now heading a multi-million dollar empire?

Amma’s every breath is for the welfare of the mankind. She sets examples; she inspires countless people to serve the world, keeping aside their selfish motives. Thousands of devotees from all walks of life come to her and join her with their money and resources to serve the world in so many ways. That’s how so many of her institutions have sprung up.

She has inspired thousands of young  men and women to renounce worldly life and lead a life of brahmacharya, do spiritual practices and seva; countless householders have left behind their comforts of worldly life to settle in the ashram and do service as well as sadhana.

Embracing the World is a global network of regional humanitarian organizations inspired by the  Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Embracing the World exists to help alleviate the burden of the world’s poor through helping to meet each of their five basic needs — food,  shelter, healthcare, education, and livelihood — wherever and whenever possible.

If you want to know what she has done to the world, here is a brief list:

Disaster relief

Left: Post tsunami, houses constructed at Nagapattinam             Right: Flats constructed for tsunami affected people in Sri Lanka.

  • 2001 Gujarat Earthquake – Construction of 1200 earth quake resistant homes for the affected people.
  • 2004 Tsunami in India and Sri Lanka – built 6200 Tsunami-resistant houses, supplied 700  new fishing boats, constructed an evacuation bridge (in case of similar future calamities) , providing vocational training to 2500 victims and so on.
  • 2005 Hurricane Katrina relief in USA – donating $1 million to Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
  • 2005 Earthquake in Kashmir – Free food and medical supplies
  • 2005 Mumbai floods, 2006 Gujarat floods, 2008 Bihar floods — Over $1.5 million spent in medical aid, food supplies and shelter.
  • 2009 Cyclone Aila, West Bengal — medical care and food supplies
  • 2009 Floods in Karnataka and Andhra –$10.7 million relief package including medical care, food, supplies and building of 1000 homes for displaced refugees.
  • 2010 Haiti Earth quake — Mediacl supplies, blankets, providing scholarship to students
  • 2011 Japan earth quake & tsunami — $ 1 million relief focusing on children orphaned in the disaster.
  • 2012 LPG Tanker & Fireworks disasters in south India —  Aid to families of dead and injured.
  • 2013 Uttarakhand floods — Rs 50 Cr0re relief package to construct 500 houses destroyed in the Uttarakhand  in 42 selected villages in the districts of Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi. Also cover educational scholarships, pension to widows and women empowerment activities.
  • 2013 Typhoon Haiyan relief at Philippines — Mata Amritanandamayi Center, USA donates 1 million dollar aid for people affected.
  • 2015 Chennai Floods — Supply of food and medicines, Rs 5 Crore donation to Chief Minister’s relief fund.

== Chennai Flood relief == Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya distributing food packets to affected localities. Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri handing over cheque for Rs.5 Crores to TN Chief Minister Jayalalitha.

Free Housing

  • Completion of 45,000 homes for the poor throughout  India

Other Aid Projects

  • Providing 41,000 scholarships to children of impoverished farmers, with a goal to reach 1,00,000 students.
  • Empowering 1,00,00 women by providing startup capital, vocational education and access to micro credit loan
  • Organic farming initiative to support 10,000 poor people to grow organic vegitables in their own land.
  • Orphanages for 500 children in Parippally, Kerala and 50 children in Nairobi.
  • Yearly feeding of over 10 million poor people inside India, 1,00,000 people outside India including 75,000 in USA via Soup kitchens
  • Pensions for 59,000 destitute women and the physically and mentally challenged, with a goal to reach 1.00,000 such people.
  • Running 4 care homes for the elderly in India
  • Prisoner-welfare project in USA provides solace for prison inmates
  • 2015 — Rs.100 Crores donated for constructing toilets in the poorest villages surrounding the Ganges River as part of Swachh Bharat and Namami Gange project.
  • 2015 — Another 100 Crore project for constructing toilets in the houses of the poor in Kerala.
  • 2017 —  Rs.200 Crore project of providing filtered and clean drinking water to 5000 villages in India, to benefit 10 million people in rural areas.

A typical filtering package set up in each village for providing clean, filtered water under Amrita’s Jivamritam scheme.

Health Care

AMRITA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES  (AIMS) (Ernakulam)

  • Not-for-profit 1,300 bed hospital (210 bed ICU) providing advanced health care to patients including free medical care for the poor.
  • serving more than 10 lakh outpatients and more than 70,000 inpatients annually. The massive healthcare infrastructure with over 3.33 million sq.ft. of built-up area, spread over 125 acres of land, supports a daily patient volume of approximately 3500 outpatients with 95 percent inpatient occupancy. There are 12 superspeciality departments, 45 other departments.
  • More than 2.6 million people have have received complete free treatment since 1998.
  • Telemedicine support for hospitals and more than 40 remote centres across India and parts of Africa.
  • Free health check up in remote areas providing preventive health care.
  • Five branch hospitals providing free care to the poor
  • AIDS care home at Trivandrum and Cancer Hospice at Mumbai
  • Free palliative in-home care for the terminally ill
  • Conducting more than 100 free medical camps annually throughout India
  • Providing 1,00,000 women with training to become in-home nurses in more than 6000 self-help groups
  • AYURVEDIC MEDICARE through Amrita School of Ayurveda (Amritapuri) with 160 bed hospital

Higher Education 

  • Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) having 5 campuses with Schools of Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Arts and sciences, Biotechnology, Business, Journalism, Ayurveda and Education. More than 20,000 students and 1,500 faculty members. (NAAC A grade University).
  • Amrita Research Labs and other research departments are continuously involved in developing innovations in communication, e-learning, computer sciences and Biotechnology.
  • 30 leading Universities worldwide including Stanford, MIT, NYU, EPFL in Switzerland, VU in Amsterdam, TU Munich, Roma Tre, ETH Zurich and the University of Tokyo cooperate with Amrita University to enhance higher education and research in India.
  • Institute of People’s Education provides job training and community development.
  • United Nations commended literacy-training program for the tribal populations

Elementary and Secondary Education

  • 47 Amrita Vidyalayam schools throughout India, providing value-based holistic approach to learning
  • A school for hearing-impaired children in Kerala

Spiritual, Cultural

Aerial View of Amritapuri Ashram 2017. The Arabian sea on the right, the TS Canal at the left and the middle strip of land is Alappad. Amritapuri Ashram is studded with multi-storeyed buildings.  The Amrit Sethu bridge can be seen at the left.

  • Mata Amritanandamayi Math – Amritapuri Ashram (Kerala India) is the international headquarters for Amma’s service work, which is carried out through hundreds of branch centers and service groups world-wide.
  • The Ashram houses several hundreds of Brahmacharis, Brahmacharinis, Householder devotees, monks, hostel students, westerners and so on.
  • IAM  (Integrated Amrita Meditation) Technique and Amrita Yoga are taught free throughout the world.
  • Spiritual books and magazines (‘Matruvani’) printed at the ashram in multiple languages are distributed to devotees across the country and world.
  • Regular shastra (scriptural teaching) classes are conducted in the Ashram.
  • AYUDH is the youth wing of Amma’s devotees and followers inspiring youngsters in  leading a balanced life including spirituality and seva as part of worldly life.
  • GreenFriends initiative cutivates reference for Nature and has arranged and inspired planting more than 1 million trees since 2001.

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT AMMA AND HER DETAILED LIFE TIMELINE, <CLICK HERE>

To watch Video on Amma’s global activities:

EMBRACING THE WORLD WITH HER ABUNDANT LOVE AND HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES

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Hinduism – Various Facets & Tenets     

(Click at each sub-title below to read more)
(Titles in red colors – links pending)

Brief Introduction to Various Facets

Introduction to various Gods In Hinduism
   – Lord Shiva
   – Lord Vishnu
   – Devi Parashakti
   – Other Gods
   – Brahman – God beyond name & Form
   – Sat-Chit-Ananda

Avatars in Hinduism
   – Rama Avatar
   – Krishna Avatar
   – Narasimha Avatar

Divya Darsanam – Having a vision of God

Creation

Soul, Atman & Brahman

Body-Mind-Intellect-Ego-Atman

Vasanas-Tendencies

Goal of Human Life

4 Purusharthas
   -Dharma
   – Artha
   – Kama
   – Moksha

Renunciation (Sanyas)
Guru, Satguru
   – Acharya
Guru parampara in Various schools, Mutts

Religious sects
   – Saivam
   – Vaishnavam
   – Shaktam
   – Tantra

Hindu Scriptures
   – Vedas
– Prasthana Triya
      – Vedanta – Upanishads
      – Bhagavad Gita
      – Brahma Sutras (Uttara Mimamsa)

Agama Shastra
   – Temple & Idol worship

Karma & Rebirth

Varnashrama (Social class differences)
   – Brahmin (Priests/ teachers/knowers of Veda)
   – Kshatrya (Warriers/ rulers)
   – Vaishya (Traders/ Businessmen)
   – Shudra (laborers)

4 Ashrama dharmas
   – Brahmacharya (Student, unmarried)
   – Grihastasrama (Family life)
   – Vanaprastha (Detached Living in forest)
   – Sanyas (Renunciation)

Sadhana- Spiritual practices
– Tapas
   – Worship, Prayers, Hymns, Stotras
   – Pranayama
   – Scriptural study, contemplation, self inquiry
   – Japa (Mantra chanting)
   – Dhyanam (Meditation)
   – Preparation
   – Methods & Practices (Various)
   – Dhayanam-Mediation-2

Ramayana (Itihas)-1

Mahabharata (Itihas)

18 Puranas
   – Srimad Bhagavatam

Yogas
   – Bhakti Yoga
– Bhakti traditions
– Gnyana Yoga
– Karma Yoga
   – Raja Yoga
       – Pathanjali Yoga Sutras
   – Kundalini Yoga
   – Hatha Yoga
       – Yoga Asanas

Darshan Shastras
   – Poorva Mimamsa
   – Nyaya
   – Vaiseshika
– Sankhya
– Trigunas- Satva Rajas Tamas-3

3 States of awareness
   – Jagrat (Waking)
   – Swapna (Dream sleep)
   – Sushupti (Dreamless sleep)
   – Turiya – the 4th state

Ayuveda

Jyotisha

Samsara Cycle
   – Birth, Living, death
   – Reincarnation/ rebirth

Mukti, Moksha, Liberation
   – Jeevan Mukta
   – God realization/ Self realization

3 schools of philosophy regarding Soul & God
   – Dvaita (Dualism)
        – Sri Madhvacharya
   – Visitadvaita (Qualified non-dualism)
        – Sri Ramanujacharya
   – Advaita (Non-dualism)
        – Sri Sankaracharya

Great Masters of recent origin
   – Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
   – Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi
   – Swami Sivananda
   – Mata Amritanandamayi
–
Others

Hinduism Versus other religions
– Problem of religious conversions

Common Misconceptions about Hinduism

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About the Author ...

 

This website has been conceived and being developed by C.V.Rajan. He is a retired Engineer and an ex-design consultant, now living with his wife in Ashram at Amritapuri, Kerala, spending his retired life in quest of spirituality under the holy feet of Amma, Satguru Mata Amritanandamayi.

He is an avid reader and a writer. Writing as a hobby started in him at the age of 20. As his interest turned to spirituality in his late thirties, he became an avid reader on the lives and teachings of great Mahatmas like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi and his satguru Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma).

In his early fifties, he wrote at various blog sites on variety of subjects like Hinduism, spirituality, life & living, healthy living, Indian culture and so on. Now through this website (Hinduism Way Of Life), C.V.Rajan is consolidating and sharing all his writings on Hinduism under a single umbrella.