Mata Amritanandamayi

Mata Amritanandamayi was born on 27 September, 1953 in the coastal village of Parayakadavu, located under Alappad Panchayat of Kollam District, in the state of Kerala. At birth, her name was Sudhamani, meaning ambrosial jewel.

Her father, Sugunanandan Idamannel, was engaged in the fishing trade, maintaining his family by selling fish. He and his wife, Damayanti Idamannel, had seven children, out of whom Sudhamani was born third. She proved to be extraordinary from her very birth.

It is said that unlike other children, Sudhamani was born with a divine smile on her face. She had later said that even at birth, everything seemed familiar to her. She was also aware that the world was nothing but ‘the play of Consciousness’ and so she did not cry.

As time passed, it became more apparent that Sudhamani was different from the rest, learning to talk and walk when she was barely six months old. Even as a child, she was very devoted to Lord Krishna, possibly their family deity and was seen constantly taking His name.

By the age of three, she was constantly singing devotional songs, which she must have picked up from his family members or neighbors, delighting everyone around her. But within two years, as her spiritual mood became more intense, her parents became concerned about her.

Although Sudhamani was still very young, her days were now spent in cleaning the house, washing the utensils, cooking food and feeding her family. The household cows were also her responsibilities and apart from gathering grass, she went from door to door seeking vegetable peels and rice gruel for them.

Thus waking up before dawn and working constantly till midnight, Sudhamani led an apparently grueling life. But in reality, she was happy for she worked not for her family, but as a service to her Lord Krishna. In addition, she would take the Lord's name incessantly with every breath.

As she cooked she thought Lord Krishna would now come for his meal. When she cleaned the courtyard she thought that her Lord would soon be there. Thus she experienced a constant flow of divine thoughts, no matter where she was or what she was doing.

While she was happy with her spiritual experiences she was also troubled by the sufferings she saw around her. While collecting vegetable peels, young Sudhamani noticed that many people were starving or sick without recourse to food or medicine. She also saw how elder generation was neglected by their family.

Young that she was, she began to contemplate on the suffering, praying to her Lord for recourse. Slowly, she began to feel an urge to reach out and help those in need. Despite her young age, the mother in her had started awakening.

By the time Sudhamani had reached her late teens, she was established in an inner bliss. But at that time, her divinity was well-hidden. Although she sang and danced in ecstasy, experiencing supreme love, nobody realized the state of her spirituality until one fateful day at the age of 22.

One day in September 1975, as she was returning home with a bundle of grass, she heard last verses of Shrimat Bhagavatam being recited from a neighboring house. At the end of it, as the devotees started singing songs in praise of Lord, she suddenly fell in a trance.

Running inside the house, she stood among the devotees, fully immersed in the thoughts of Shri Krishna. Feeling one with Him, she automatically took up the postures of the Lord and witnessing the divine mood, the onlookers bowed down in reverence.

From now on, she felt identified with Lord Krishna, very often going into deep Samadhi. At other times, remaining immersed in ‘Krishna bhava’, she danced and sang, taking care to keep her spiritual experiences hidden from others.

One day, wishing to remain one with her Lord, she decided to give up her body in ‘samadhi’. But just then, she heard an inner voice, urging her not to do so, but work for those who were leading miserable life on this earth.