Amma the Hugging Saint

I first met Amma when she was on her North American Tour in 1990. Since then, I have seen her every year, and been blessed to have received many wonderful hugs! Amma was born into the Hindu religion, yet respects all religions. She travels the world giving hugs to Buddhists, Hindus, Mulims, Christians, and has said her only religion is love.

What is Darshan?

“Every day for her entire adult life, a young Indian woman, usually dressed in simple white sari, has sat for many hours, in a supreme gesture of compassion and courage; she takes into her lap hundreds of people of all ages, religions, races and walks of life. She absorbs their suffering and negativity into her own body. She blesses them and heals them with her gentle caresses. She wipes away their tears or laughingly shares in their joy. She gazes deep, deep into their eyes, “the windows of the soul” and opens their hearts to the vast unfathomable peace of God. At present, she has greeted and taken into her arms several million people, and the number is always growing.”

Since Amma’s first visit to the West in the spring of 1987, she has personally given darshan to an estimated forty million people worldwide. Darshan is a Sanskrit term describing "audience with a saint or sage." In the ancient tradition, it usually consists of a mere sighting of a holy person. Yet, Amma’s darshan is unique and unconventional. It is radical departure from tradition because her blessing has emerged as a long tender healing embrace. No saint in history has literally touched so many lives; no guru has been so accessible or traveled so extensively to interact with the public. In all the years I have been attending Amma’s programs, I have never seen her appear tired or fail to give each person her full attention. The personal attention she offers to every individual who receives her special hug.

In 2007 Sharon Stone honored Amma on behalf of Cinema Verite in Paris, France:

“To introduce a saint is a big job, but to film an angel is something else entirely, the life of a person who gives themselves in service is something we can all aspire to," said Academy Award-nominee Sharon Stone. Cinema Verite was honoring Amma in acknowledgment of her role as a force for world peace and harmony. On behalf of Cinema Verite, Ms. Stone then presented Amma with a silver necklace and locket.

In India she has been known to individually hug over 18,000 people in one day, sitting sometimes for over 20 hours. Amma cradles tough New York cops with the same tenderness she shows tiny babies. She embraces lepers with the same care she gives the rich and famous. Amma does not leave her program until every person receives a hug. She often stays there all night, never leaving her seat to attend to any personal needs. No one is charged; no one is turned away. She has been doing it this way since she was a young mystic in her native Kerala fishing village located along the south coast of the Arabian Sea. Doctors have said no ordinary person could maintain her grueling schedule for more than a few days. Yet year after year, she embraces people from every continent of all races, religions, and social classes. Amma pulls them onto her lap caressing their necks, spines, and heads, holding them cheek to check. Sometimes rubbing their heart area or looking directly into their eyes, she affectionately calls them mon [darling son] or mol [darling daughter], often taking time to be playful, to cry with, or simply chat with her “children.”

In 2002 Jane Goodall presented Amma with the Gandhi King award saying, "Amma is God's love in a human body."

Amma says she considers each person her child and her purpose is to consol, wipe away tears, and to love and comfort humanity. What transpires during an intimate encounter with Amma is unique to each person but most describe they have the experience of unconditional love. For many, it may be the first time they have felt such deep and tender acceptance. People often come to her with heartbreak, psychological distress, or sickness. After darshan, many report miraculous physical, mental, or emotional healing. Often Amma, in her playful way, indicates she knows you. She may say or do something that demonstrates she is reading one’s heart or mind—sometimes answering a question, fulfilling a desire, or offering a special look or gesture. Thus millions feel Amma is as close as their very own Mother and her darshan is often described as miraculous and unforgettable.

Timothy Conway, Ph.D., author of the book, Women of Power and Grace

and expert on spiritual figures, describes Ammachi as "one of the most glorious lights to appear in the history of religion. Just her stamina—embracing these millions of people one by one, day after day, without a break, all over the world-is some kind of divine gift. No mere human resources could accomplish this."