Mata Amritanandamayi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī |
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Amma in 2019
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| Religion | Hinduism |
| Founder of | Mātā Amritānandamayī Math |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | Sudhamani Idamannel 27 September 1953 Vallikavu, Clappana, Karunagappally, Kollam, State of Travancore–Cochin (now in Kerala), India |
| Religious career | |
| Title | Amma Satguru Mata |
| Literary works |
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| Honors | Gandhi-King Award |
Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī (born Sudhamani Idamannel on September 27, 1953) is an Indian spiritual leader. Many people know her as Amma, which means "Mother." Her followers call her 'the hugging saint'. She is also the head of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a large university.
In 2018, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, honored Amma. This was for her huge help in the "Clean India Campaign." She was also the first person to receive the Vishwaratna Puraskar, a special award from the Indian Parliament.
Contents
Amma's Life Story
Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī was born in a small village in Kerala, India. Her family were fishermen. She was the third child of Sugunanandan and Damayanti. Her mother passed away in 2022. Amma has six brothers and sisters.
As a child, Amma helped her family by collecting food scraps. She saw how much poverty and suffering others faced. She would often give food and clothes from her own home to those in need. Her family was not rich, and they would scold her for this.
Amma started hugging people to comfort them when they were sad. Even though her parents didn't like it, she kept doing it. Amma explained, "I don't see if it is a man or a woman. I see everyone as part of myself. A constant flow of love comes from me to all living things. This is how I am."
Amma did not want to get married, even though her parents tried to arrange it many times. In 1981, people who wanted to learn from her started living near her home. This led to the creation of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, a worldwide foundation. Amma is still the leader of this organization. Today, it does many good things for people and helps with spiritual growth.
In 1987, people from other countries asked Amma to visit. Since then, she travels around the world every year.
What is Darshan?
Amma's special way of giving "darshan" is by hugging people. Darshan means seeing or being in the presence of a holy person. Amma said that people would come to her with their problems. They would cry, and she would comfort them with a hug. Soon, everyone wanted a hug.
Amma has hugged over 33 million people around the world. She has been doing this for more than 30 years.
In 2002, someone asked Amma if her hugs could fix the world's problems. She replied that she couldn't fix everything. But she believes that by helping individuals, you can make changes in society. She said, "The problems in people's minds cause wars. So if you can touch people, you can touch the world."
Amma's hugs have been a central part of her life. She has met people almost every day since the late 1970s. Sometimes, so many people come that she hugs them for over 20 hours straight. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she stopped hugging people for a while.
Amma's Views on Social Issues
Amma often talks about important social issues. She teaches about the importance of helping others without expecting anything back. She also speaks about the need for different religions to live together peacefully. Protecting the environment is another key topic for her.
Amma believes that science and spirituality should work together. She also talks a lot about making sure women are strong and treated equally. She encourages everyone to have a "motherly" attitude towards all living things. This means showing kindness, patience, and selflessness.
In 2018, she took part in an event to protect children online. This event was supported by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. In 2015, Amma spoke at a United Nations conference. She asked scientists to use their research to help poor and suffering people. She has spoken at the United Nations several times. She has also spoken twice at the Parliament of the World's Religions.
Bhajans: Devotional Songs
Amma has recorded over 1,000 "bhajans," which are devotional songs. She has sung them in 35 different languages. She has also written many bhajans herself.
Amma sees singing bhajans as a spiritual practice. She says, "If the bhajan is sung with full focus, it helps the singer, the listeners, and even nature." She believes that bhajans can help people focus their minds. This can be hard to do in today's busy world.
Amma's Humanitarian Work
Amma is the founder of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and `Embracing the World`. These are global groups that help people. They focus on giving poor people five basic needs: food, shelter, healthcare, education, and ways to earn a living. They also help after disasters and work to protect the environment. They even research new technologies to help those in need.
Helping with Food
In India, the Mata Amṛtānandamayī Math gives 10 million free meals each year. `Embracing the World` also feeds over 150,000 people yearly in North America. This is through a program called Mother's Kitchen, which started in 1987. Other food programs exist in many countries like Mexico, France, and Australia.
The Math is also installing water filters in 5,000 villages across India. This will give clean drinking water to 10 million villagers.
Providing Shelter
Since 1998, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has built over 47,000 homes for people without shelter. These homes are in 75 different places in India. The organization also runs an orphanage in Kerala for 500 children. `Embracing the World` manages a children's home in Nairobi, Kenya.
Offering Healthcare
The Mata Amritanandamayi Math runs a large hospital in Kochi, India. It's called Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. This hospital has 1,100 beds and offers many special treatments. They also have free clinics and pharmacies in India. A new 2,000-bed hospital is being built in Delhi.
Since 1998, the Math has given free medical care and surgeries to over four million people. This includes complex heart and brain surgeries. The hospital also lets people pay what they can afford.
On August 24, 2022, another Amrita Hospital opened in Faridabad, India. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, opened it. This hospital is one of the biggest private hospitals in India.
Supporting Livelihood
In 1998, the Math started a program called Amrita Nidhi. It gives regular payments to widows and people with disabilities. As of 2019, 100,000 people were receiving this help.
In 2006, they started AmritaSREE. This program has helped over 200,000 women form self-help groups across India. These groups help women become more independent and find work.
Promoting Education
Amma is the founder and head of Amrita University. This university has six campuses and offers many different subjects. In 2020, it was ranked as the fourth-best university in India. The university focuses on research that helps sick and poor people.
The Mata Amṛtānandamayī Math also gives 50,000 scholarships to children in India who need financial help. `Embracing the World` provides scholarships outside India, especially after disasters. For example, they helped after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Disaster Relief Efforts
The Mata Amṛtānandamayī Math has helped after natural disasters in India since 2001. `Embracing the World` has also helped after disasters in other countries. They have provided $75 million in disaster relief since 2004.
They have helped after many events, including:
- The 2001 Gujarat earthquake
- The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
- Hurricane Katrina in 2005
- Floods in Bihar and Maharashtra in 2005
- The 2010 Haiti Earthquake
- The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan
- Typhoon Haiyan in 2013
- The May 2015 Nepal earthquake
- Floods in Kerala in 2018 and 2019
In 2019, the Math gave money to the families of soldiers killed in the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Protecting the Environment
On September 11, 2015, Amma gave $15 million to India's "Clean the Ganges" program. This money was used to build toilets for poor families living near the Ganges River. On September 27, 2015, Amma promised another $15 million for sanitation in Kerala.
Amma's organization has also been cleaning the Pampa River and the Sabarimala temple pilgrimage site in Kerala every year since 2012.
Attacks on Amma
In August 2005, a man named Pavithran attacked Amma with a knife. He was stopped by her followers. Amma forgave him and said she would continue her work.
On August 1, 2012, another man, Satnam Singh Mann, charged at Amma. He was stopped by the crowd and later died in a hospital.
Awards and Honors for Amma
Amma has received many awards and honors for her work:
- 1993: President of the Centenary Parliament of World Religions
- 1993: Hindu Renaissance Award as "Hindu of the Year"
- 2002: Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence
- 2006: James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
- 2010: Honorary doctorate from State University of New York
- 2013: First Vishwaretna Purskar (Gem of the World Award)
- 2014: Named one of the 50 most powerful women religious leaders by The Huffington Post
- 2018: Honored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her help in the Clean India Campaign
- 2019: Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Mysore
- 2023: Chair of Civil 20, a group connected to the G20
Amma's Important Roles
Amma holds several key positions:
- Founder and chairperson of Mata Amritanandamayi Math
- Founder of `Embracing the World`
- Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University
- Founder of Amrita Vidyalayam schools
- Founder of Amrita Hospitals (in Kochi and Faridabad)
- Member of the International Advisory Committee for the Parliament of the World's Religions
- Chairperson of Civil 20 (a group of G20 India) from 2022–2023
Books and Documentaries About Amma
Amma's followers have written down her talks and conversations. These have become books called Awaken Children. Her speeches at international events have also been published. Amma also writes a regular blog in a spiritual magazine called The Speaking Tree.
She has been featured in several documentaries and films:
- 1999: River of Love: A Documentary Drama on the Life of Ammachi
- 2000: Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends – "Indian Gurus" (BBC-TV)
- 2005: Darshan: The Embrace – directed by Jan Kounen
- 2007: In God's Name – directed by Jules and Gédéon Naudet
- 2015: Un plus une – directed by Claude Lelouch
- 2016: Science of Compassion – a Documentary on Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi — directed by Shekhar Kapur
See also
In Spanish: Mata Amritanandamayi para niños
- Amrita movement
