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 |
Sri Mātā Amritānandamayī Devi, known to millions of people simply as Amma (which means "Mother"), is a spiritual leader and helper from India. She was born Sudhamani Idamannel on September 27, 1953. Many people call her the "hugging saint" because she is famous for giving hugs to people to show them love and comfort.
Amma is also the chancellor, or head, of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a large university in India with many campuses. In 2018, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised her for her organization's major help with the Swachh Bharat Mission, a project to clean up India.
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Who Is Amma?
Amma was born in a small fishing village in the state of Kerala, India. She was the third of seven children. Her family was not wealthy.
From a young age, Amma had to do chores like collecting leftover food from neighbors for her family's cows and goats. While doing this, she saw that many people in her village were very poor and sad. She felt a strong need to help them.
She started by giving them food and clothes from her own home. Her family, who didn't have much themselves, would get upset with her for giving things away. But Amma couldn't stop helping. She began to hug people who were sad to make them feel better.
When asked why she hugs everyone, Amma said, "I don't see if it is a man or a woman. I don't see anyone different from my own self. A continuous stream of love flows from me to all of creation."
As she grew up, people who were inspired by her kindness started to gather at her family's home. In 1981, they created a foundation called the Mātā Amritānandamayī Math (MAM). Amma is the head of this organization, which now does charity work all over the world.
The Hugging Saint
Amma's special way of blessing people is by giving them a hug, which is called a darshan. She says it started naturally. "People used to come and tell [me] their troubles. They would cry and I would wipe their tears. When they fell weeping into my lap, I used to hug them."
Since she started in the 1970s, Amma has hugged more than 33 million people from all around the world. Sometimes, so many people come to see her that she will stay up for more than 20 hours straight, just to hug everyone waiting.
When someone asked her if her hugs could fix all the world's problems, she explained that changing the world is very hard. But, she said, "by affecting individuals, you can make changes in the society and, through it, in the world."
Important Messages
Amma often talks about important topics to help make the world a better place. She believes in helping others without expecting anything in return. She also teaches that people of all religions should live together in peace.
She cares deeply about protecting the environment and believes that science and spirituality should work together. Amma also speaks about the importance of women's empowerment and treating everyone with equality and respect. She encourages people to have a "motherly" attitude towards all living things, showing kindness and patience.
In 2014, she spoke at the Vatican with Pope Francis against slavery and protecting people from harm. She has also spoken at the United Nations several times.
Devotional Songs
Amma has recorded over 1,000 bhajans, which are religious songs. She has written many of these songs herself. She says that singing these songs with focus can help both the singer and the listeners feel peaceful. She believes that music is a good way for people to learn to concentrate and connect with their spiritual side.
Helping People Around the World
Amma is the founder of Embracing the World, a global charity organization. It focuses on providing people with five basic needs: food, shelter, healthcare, education, and jobs.
Food and Water
- In India, Amma's organization gives out 10 million free meals every year.
- In North America, a program called Mother's Kitchen provides over 150,000 meals annually.
- The organization is also installing water filters in 5,000 villages in India to give 10 million people clean drinking water.
Shelter
- Since 1998, the organization has built over 47,000 houses for homeless people in India.
- It also runs a home for 500 children in Kerala and another one in Nairobi, Kenya.
Healthcare
- In 1998, Amma opened a large, modern hospital in Kochi, India, called the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. It has 1,100 beds.
- In 2022, a new 2,600-bed hospital was opened in Faridabad, India. It is the largest private hospital in the country.
- These hospitals and other clinics have provided free medical care, including major surgeries, to over four million people.
Jobs and Support
- A program called Amrita Nidhi gives monthly payments to 100,000 widows and people with disabilities.
- Another program, AmritaSREE, has helped over 200,000 women in India start their own small businesses.
Education
- Amma is the founder and head of Amrita University. In 2020, it was ranked as one of the top universities in India.
- The university focuses on using science and technology to help the poor.
- Her organization also gives 50,000 scholarships to children from poor families in India.
Disaster Relief
Amma's charities are quick to help when disasters happen. Since 2004, they have provided over $75 million in aid after events like:
- The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
- Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. (2005)
- The 2010 Haiti Earthquake
- The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan
- Major floods in India (2013, 2015, 2018, 2019)
- The May 2015 Nepal earthquake
Protecting the Environment
In 2015, Amma donated $15 million to the Indian government's project to clean the Ganges River. The money was used to build toilets for poor families living near the river. Her organization also cleans the Pampa River in Kerala every year.
Attacks
On two occasions, people have tried to harm Amma during her public gatherings.
- In August 2005, a man with a knife rushed towards her but was stopped by her followers. Amma forgave the man and said, "I will continue to give darshan to the devotees coming here to meet me."
- In August 2012, another man charged at her while shouting. He was stopped by the crowd and handed over to the police.
Awards and Honors
Amma has received many awards for her humanitarian and spiritual work. Some of them include:
- 1993: President of the Centenary Parliament of World Religions
- 2002: Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence (at the UN in Geneva)
- 2006: James Parks Morton Interfaith Award (New York)
- 2010: An honorary doctorate from the State University of New York
- 2013: Vishwaretna Puraskar (Gem of the World Award) from the Hindu Parliament
- 2018: Honored by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her help with the Clean India campaign.
- 2023: Served as Chair of Civil 20, an official group of the G20 summit in India.
See also
In Spanish: Mata Amritanandamayi para niños
- Amrita movement
