The Amma Empire

a testimony by one of the hugging saint's first disciples

By: Jacques Albohair

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Mata Amritanandamayi, "the hugging saint," has grown in half a century from an Indian fisherman's daughter in the late 1970s to an international icon revered by millions worldwide.

Having belonged to the inner circle of disciples in the early 1980s, Jacques Albohair (aka Sarvatma, aka Ganga) contributed to spreading her message as the first European representative and personal translator until his departure from the movement fourteen years later. He provides here a captivating testimony of his life as an early disciple and an exhaustive and documented investigative analysis of the evolution of the organisation from the simple "family business" to the "global empire" it has become today.

After delivering a critical review of the official biography, he reminds us of the rigorous criteria defining a true Spiritual Master in the light of the founding principles of Hinduism and finally broadens the debate in addressing all seekers in the quest for their autonomy.

In the wake of Gail Tredwell, Amma's former personal assistant's testimony, "Holy Hell - A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness" published in 2013, this book is the second major critical testimony on Mata Amritanandamayi and her movement.