By Matters India Reporter

Bengaluru, April 13, 2020: An international charitable organization headed by a Hindu woman spiritual leader on April 13 announced that it would donate 130 million rupees (US$1.7 million] to help combat COVID-19 as well as to provide relief to those affected by the virus.

A press release from the Mata Amritanandamayi Math said it would donate 100 million rupees to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund or PM CARES Fund and 30 million rupees to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.

Amritanandamayi, the head of the Math revered as the “hugging saint” by her followers, says humankind must live in better harmony with Nature to prevent future calamities.

“Seeing the entire world hurting and crying in pain, my heart is aching deeply,” Amma said in the statement issued by the Math. “Let us all pray for the souls who have succumbed to this pandemic, for the mental peace of their families and friends, for the peace of the world, and for God’s grace.”

The press release also noted that the spiritual leader has for decades stressed the necessity of mankind to change its lifestyle to become more harmonious with Nature. Failure to do so would result in increased natural disasters and disease, she had warned.

“The selfish things man has done to Nature are now coming back in the form of such epidemics,” the spiritual leaders says.

She calls for approaching Nature with humility, servitude and respect. “We need to develop the attitude that we are nothing but Nature’s servants,” she asserted.

According to her, the time has come for mankind to bow down before the forces of Nature, beg its forgiveness all trespasses done to her. “The time has come to abandon the lackadaisical attitude that Nature will just forbear, suffer and forgive all the indignities we keep heaping on her.”

Nature, she says, now commands humans to wake up and look around. “To awaken humankind, Nature is sounding a loud alarm in the form of COVID-19,” she adds.

The math was founded in 1981, with its headquarters in Paryakadavu, Alappad Panchayat, Kollam district, Kerala.

Along with its sister organization, the Mata Amritanandamayi Mission Trust, MAM conducts charitable works including disaster relief, healthcare for the poor, environmental programs, fighting hunger and scholarships for impoverished students, amongst others

It also runs the five-campus university known as Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and conducts classes in yoga, meditation and Sanskrit.

Meanwhile an interdisciplinary team, comprising 60 faculty members of Amrita University, now research ways for various scalable solutions for relief efforts.

At Amma’s request Amrita University and Amrita Hospital have set up a mental-health hotline (0476 280 5050), where people stressed, anxious or depressed because of the pandemic can call to get free support. In early April, the spiritual leader had requested doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists to set aside time to provide counseling.

“Counseling is a service needed at this time,” she said. “Whether you are believers or not, set aside one or two hours every day to provide free counseling for those who need it.”

Meanwhile an interdisciplinary team of 60 people from the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), is researching ways to produce low-cost scalable medical masks, gowns and face-protection visors, as well as ventilators.

The Math has provided more than 5 billion rupees in disaster relief since 2005, the press release claims. It has provided free medical care to more than 4 million people, built more than 47,000 homes for the homeless throughout India. It also provides educational assistance to 50,000 students.