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Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma)

Bhakti and devotion

Mata Amritanandamayi seated in white

Photo: Fotokannan at ml.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Teaching

Love and compassion as the core of spiritual life, practised as selfless service, meditation, mantra and devotional singing. Behind this stands the Vedanta view that creation and Creator are not two and that the true Self is one in all. 3, 5, 6

Who it is for

For people who want devotion and practical service together and do not mind large gatherings. Her words mostly reach English readers in translation from Malayalam.

Life and places
  • She was born in 1953 into a fishing family in Kerala, India. 2
  • Her first disciples settled in her ashram when it was still only her family home, and in 1981 the Mata Amritanandamayi Math was officially registered as an ashram. 2
  • She went on her first world tour in 1987, with programmes in Singapore, the United States and Europe. 2
  • Amritapuri in India is the headquarters of her spiritual and humanitarian network. 1

Where to start

  • Her address The Awakening of Universal Motherhood (Geneva, 2002) is free online. The Five Keys to a Meaningful Life on amma.org summarise her everyday advice. 4, 7
  • For a longer read, Awaken, Children! records dialogues with her in an English adaptation by Swami Amritaswarupananda. 8
Public context
  • Born in 1953 in Kerala, she is known for embracing everyone who comes to her programmes and for a large humanitarian network. 1, 2

Works

  • Awaken, Children! Dialogues with Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi

    Book · 1990 · Mata Amritanandamayi Mission Trust

    Conversations between Amma and visitors and residents of her ashram, written down and adapted into English by her senior disciple Swami Amritaswarupananda. Known here only from library records.

    openlibrary.org

  • For My Children

    Book · 1994 · Mata Amritanandamayi Center

    A collection of her short teachings in English translation. Known here only from library records.

    openlibrary.org

The short summaries are ours.

More works of Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) in the library

In their own words

Short passages in the words of Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma), each with its source. Where the quoted text is not in the language of this page, a translation follows and says whose it is.

  • Maya doesn’t mean ‘non-existent.’ Rather, it means, ‘ever-changing.’

    Question-and-answer session at Amritapuri, reported on 21 August 2017; answer to a question about Maya · amritapuri.org Quoted translation: She speaks Malayalam; English rendering published by her ashram, translator not named.

  • The essence of motherhood is not restricted to women who have given birth; it is a principle inherent in both women and men. It is the attitude of the mind.

    The Awakening of Universal Motherhood · Geneva address, 7 October 2002, closing section · amrita.edu Quoted translation: Given in Malayalam; English text published by her organisation, translator not named.

  • Just as all golden jewelry is nothing but gold, just as all earthen pots are essentially nothing but clay, just as every wave is basically water, so too it is the Creator that has become this world.

    Wisdom page, section on nature; the sentence follows her words 'The creation and the Creator are not two' · amma.org Quoted translation: Quoted by her organisation in English; she speaks Malayalam, translator not named, occasion not given.

Upcoming gatherings

Details as announced by the organiser, times in the local time of the event. The organiser’s page is authoritative.

Sources
  1. About Amma · Amma.org Her organisation's international website; overview, timeline and current tour accessed 10 Oct 2026
  2. Amma's Life · Amma.org Her organisation's website; life story with her own recollections accessed 10 Oct 2026
  3. Wisdom · Amma.org Her organisation's website; summaries of her teaching with quotations in English accessed 10 Oct 2026
  4. Amma's Five Keys to a Meaningful Life · Amma.org Her organisation's website; five everyday guidelines with quotations accessed 10 Oct 2026
  5. Spiritual Practices · Amma.org Her organisation's website; meditation, chanting, retreats and livestreams accessed 10 Oct 2026
  6. Spiritual Teachings of SatGuru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi · amritapuri.org Website of her ashram; introduction to her teaching written by devotees accessed 10 Oct 2026
  7. The Awakening of Universal Motherhood · Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Full text of her address in Geneva, 7 October 2002, on the website of the university she founded accessed 10 Oct 2026
  8. Awaken, Children! Dialogues with Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi (2nd ed., 1990) · Open Library Library catalogue record; names Swami Amritaswarupananda for adaptation and translation from Malayalam accessed 10 Oct 2026

Compiled by us from the sources listed. Last checked 13 Oct 2026.

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This description is factual. It contains no recommendation, ranking or assurance. Statements about effects are those of the respective source.