Seva in Mata Amritanandamayi Mission: Social Service as a Public Face of Faith. (19th June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pandya, Samta
• Is Part Of: Implicit religion. Volume 19:Number 3(2016)
• Page Start: 401
• Page End: 423
• Publication Date: 2016-06-19
• Subjects: guru -- mata amritanandamayi mission -- seva -- hugging saint; Implicit religion -- Periodicals; 211.6
• DOI: 10.1558/imre.v19i3.31114
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1463-9955

Abstract

Abstract : Based on fieldwork with Mata Amritanandamayi Mission (MAM) headed by Mata Amritanandamayi and headquartered in Kollam, Kerala, India, I discuss its aspects of seva or social service. I propose that seva in MAM is done by followers and disciples volitionally and then it becomes a doctrine in Amma's ministry. I observed two social service projects in terms of their interfaces with various systems such as economic-political-social, partnerships and nature of routine operations. I make some propositions on seva in MAM and emphasise that it typifies the living guru's expansive agency, uncontainability and more specifically a form of implicit religion. For followers, seva is a means to gain a place in Amma's coterie, and, the actual operations of the projects signify a sacred-secular partnership such that we can begin to speak of its politics.