Mata Amritanandamayi, or "Amma" as she's known in the West, is a present day living mystic. Since birth she showed signs of being different from other children. Today she is the centre of a worldwide humanitarian project distributing money, education, the message of peace, love and unity to thousands of people every year.
Amma’s Birth
Amma was born on the 27th of September 1953 in a fishing village in Kerala, India. Her parents named her ‘Sudhamani’, meaning ‘ambrosial jewel’. According to her main biography, written by Swami Amritasvarupananda, little Sudhamani caused her mother no pain when she was born, and instead of the typical cries of a new born, the baby was born smiling with radiance.
At Sudhamani’s arrival, her family noted that she was darker than her brothers and sisters, and her skin held a dark blue tinge. Doctor’s were consulted, but there was no medical reason for her colouring that they could find. Otherwise, the baby seemed healthy.
Sudhamani’s intense devotion to Lord Krishna is well documented. Lord Krishna is one of the main Hindu deities and he is often depicted as having blue skin. Devotees have noticed that when Amma has absorbed, or become one with Lord Krishna or the Mother Goddess, (Krishna or Devi Bhava), her skin can be tinged with dark blue.
Sudhamani’s Devotion
One of the most remarkable aspects of Amma’s childhood must be her intense and one pointed focus of her devotion to Lord Krishna. By all accounts, she spent every spare moment of her early life in devotional prayer, meditation, dance, song dedicated to awakening and finding the abode of Lord Krishna. Amma’s humanitarian website has a short page on Amma’s biography, and it states that ‘by the age of five, she had already begun composing devotional songs laden with deep mystical insight.’
The following is an excerpt from a devotional song entitled 'Kanivin Porule' Sudhamani composed when she was eight-year-old: "O Lord of the Gita, Lover of Divine Music, / Give the capacity to sing Thy song… / O lover of devotional singing, / Do You not hear Thy sacred Names / Uttered from the innermost heart?"
Sudhamani’s Compassion
Much to her family’s anger, the ‘little one’ as she was often called, put simple and heart felt action to her sure understanding that people should be relieved of their suffering. She did what ever she could to help people in need, and this included washing the poor people’s cloths, bathing them and even bringing them food from her own house. Her family complained bitterly, punished her, beat her and abused her, but still Sudhamani insisted that the poor needed to be fed.
Sudhamani has pilfered from her own family to give to the poor of her village. She could not understand why they needed to go without, when others had plenty. She even stole some of her mother’s jewellery so that poor could eat. Of course, this was not appreciated by her family, and caused Sudhamani great trouble at home.
Amma’s Spirit of Oneness
Amma sees with the eyes of the heart. This is also called the ‘spirit of oneness.’ She is not tied to the illusion of separateness. In1954, Albert Einstein wrote about the illusion of separateness, likening it to a self-made prison that restricted 'us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.’
One year before Einstein’s thoughts were put onto paper, a little girl was born with a radiant smile upon her face. She was ‘one’ with all, and she has spent her entire life trying to help others from their self made prisons.
For more about living mystics, please read Caroline Myss, a Modern Day Mystic.
Sources:
Mata Amritanandamayi, A Biography, Swami Amritasvarupananda, Mata Amritanandamayi Mission Trust, (Amritapuri, 1988)
Tiffany Jones - Born: Black Rock, Melbourne, Australia, 1971 Current Residence: Granollers, Catalonia Work: Yoga, Qigong, Meditation Instructor, ...
