The Hugging Saint’s Global Reach And Local Controversies

Mata Amritanandamayi, often referred to as Amma, is a prominent Indian "God woman" popularly known as the "Hugging Saint." Amritanandamayi and her ashram, Amrita Math, remain powerful and influential despite several allegations of financial misappropriation and criminal offenses. She has followers all over the world, and the Math at Kollam is often crowded with devotees from the West. A cursory glance through their website provides information on her constant foreign trips and the global influence. From July 7th to 11th, she has been giving ‘Darshan’ to devotees in Oakland and from July 4th to 6th in Seattle, America. She is not only a "God woman" focusing only on spiritual matters, but also the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a deemed university offering higher education in engineering, management, medical science, arts, and humanities. According to their claims, Amritanandamayi has 40 million devotees worldwide. The institution also claims to have a large volunteer base involved in humanitarian efforts, disaster relief, women's empowerment, and healthcare.

Despite these tall claims, the Amrita Math has been caught up in controversies. The book "Holy Hell" by Gail Tredwell, aka Gayatri, who was once a close aide and devotee of Amritanandamayi, raises serious allegations of rape and physical assault against powerful men in the Math who are close allies of Amritanandamayi. In the book published in 2013, she also alleges that Amritanandamayi has a short temper and discloses stories of exploitation within the ashram.

“Serving and living with Amma was like walking a tightrope. I could never really relax, and I had to watch every step,” writes Gail Tredwell. “Her moods were unpredictable, dark, angry, aggressive, and at times violent. It didn’t take much, if anything at all, to set her off, and even the slightest mistake had grave consequences. In the earlier years, it had been just a slap here, a kick there, and Amma would later joke about it to my fellow brothers and sisters and refer to herself as a rakshasi (demon). However, as the number of devotees increased, so did her aggression, and her rages were no longer a laughing matter. She often justified this behavior by saying she only scolded those closest to her. For years I consoled myself with the belief that I, then, must be the closest, and I clung onto that theory like someone dangling over a cliff’s edge,” states Tredwell.

In 2012, the “Hugging Saint” was embroiled in a huge controversy connected to the mysterious death of Sathnam Singh Mann, a law student from Bihar. He allegedly tried to kill Amritanandamayi and was reportedly beaten up by her men. Sathnam Singh, who was taken into police custody, was later shifted to a mental healthcare center and was found dead there. His cousin later told the media that Sathnam was under medication for schizophrenia and demanded a probe into the alleged incident of manhandling by the men in the ashram and his subsequent death. However, the case ended up nowhere like several similar complaints coming out of the powerful system of godmen in India. Amritanandamayi continues to enjoy her status as the "Hugging Mother." Those who queue up for her hug include politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, and even priests from other religions.