Amma, born Sudhamani in 1953 in the coastal village of Parayakadavu in Kerala, came from a poor fishing family with limited means and opportunities. Her childhood was marked by heavy domestic responsibilities and little formal schooling, as she was expected to care for younger siblings and perform household chores. Within these simple and often harsh conditions, she displayed an unusual inner orientation: a deep, spontaneous devotion, especially to Krishna, and a striking sensitivity to the suffering of those around her. Accounts describe her composing devotional songs, entering states of intense religious absorption, and offering food and comfort to the poor and afflicted in her village. These early traits—compassion, service, and ecstatic devotion—formed the soil in which her later spiritual role would take root.

As she grew older, her inner life appeared to intensify rather than recede under social pressure. From childhood into her teens and early adulthood, she is said to have entered spontaneous states of devotion and bhava, sometimes described as channeling Krishna consciousness and, later, manifesting as the Divine Mother. These experiences were not the result of formal initiation by a guru or training within an established lineage; rather, her spiritual knowledge is presented as innate and divinely inspired. Initially, such unconventional behavior provoked skepticism and opposition from family and neighbors, since it challenged the expected norms for a village girl. Over time, however, the consistency and depth of these states drew attention and reverence, and people began to approach her not merely as a pious woman, but as a living embodiment of the Divine.

Out of this evolving relationship with those around her emerged the distinctive form of darshan for which she is now known. When villagers came to her with their sorrows, she began to console them by embracing them, without regard for caste, religion, or social status. What began as a spontaneous gesture of maternal compassion gradually became a central spiritual practice: the hug as a tangible expression of unconditional love and blessing. People experienced this embrace as both comfort and spiritual transmission, and her reputation as a compassionate healer and guide spread beyond the immediate locality. Regular gatherings formed around her presence, and a stable circle of disciples eventually coalesced, recognizing her as their guru and spiritual refuge.

As her following grew, the informal gatherings around her seaside hut developed into an ashram, and the Mata Amritanandamayi Math took shape as an institutional expression of her work. From there, she began to travel more widely, first throughout India and then abroad, offering darshan to large numbers of people while maintaining the same intimate mode of personal embrace. Alongside these spiritual activities, charitable projects arose under her inspiration, including educational and medical institutions and various forms of social service and disaster relief. Her teachings, as presented by her followers, emphasize devotional love of God, non-dual understanding, and selfless service as inseparable dimensions of spiritual life. Through this combination of mystical experience, embodied compassion, and organized service, she came to be regarded by many as a saint and a global spiritual leader, while still centering her work on the simple act of embracing each person who comes before her.