Mother of All A Revelation of the Motherhood of God in the Life and Teachings of the Jillellamudi Mother by Richard Schiffman   Paperback 400 pages (January 2001) Blue Dove Pr ISBN: 1884997287 Bookshelf Categories Yoga & Hinduism Goddesses & the Divine Feminine Spiritual Biographies

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“There are not many mothers; there is only the One Mother, who has become the many mothers.”

- Jillellamudi Mother

Synopsis:

Mother of All is the compelling story of one of the great mystics of our time. Mother Anasuya Devi of Jillellamudi was revered by millions in southern India for her homespun wisdom, motherly love, and extraordinary spiritual powers. Her profound yet enigmatic teachings powerfully challenged traditional patriarchal views and rejected the common Hindu belief that the world is an illusion. Married and the mother of three children, she was a living witness to her own core teachings that the earth is sacred and that spirituality comes from embracing life in full. Author Richard Schiffman -- one of only a handful of westerners who ventured to her remote village -- gives a first person account of his life-transforming experience with “the Mother.”

Reviews:

New Vision Recommends

Mother of All, by Richard Schiffman, is one of those quietly powerful books that may just change your life. It tells the story of Anasuya Devi, a rather unassuming woman who lived a simple life as a wife and mother in southern India. Very slowly, those around her begin to recognize through her quiet wisdom and unorthodox perspectives that she is, in fact, an embodiment of the Divine Mother. In her later years, she was known as the Jillellamudi Mother or simply Amma, the “Mother of All.” Richard Schiffman achieves a difficult feat of balance, giving us a narrative that is at once a work of devotion and well-grounded biography. His writing has the clarity and insight of one who has delved deep in his spiritual journey while keeping his intellect sharp. We benefit from Mr. Schiffman’s balance because it allows a compelling, profoundly inspiring portrait of the Jillellamudi Mother to tenderly emerge from his writing. Highly recommended! Ivan Granger

A Very High Book About A Very High Being	4/30/2001
Reviewer: Dimitri Drivas
I have read this book before in the original Indian edition. This new edition by Blue Dove Press is a definite improvement. The book is a true work of love by the author, Richard Schiffman, who is a devotee of Jillellamudi Mother and spent several years with her. I too am her devotee as well as one of Sathya Sai Baba's. The inspiration for my looking her way - for which I am eternally grateful - came principally from Richard's wonderful book. In the past, I have given and lent copies to others on the spiritual path. Many of them were extremely devoted to their gurus and reluctant to read about other holy beings. Nevertheless, literally everyone who read this book was truly inspired, and many insisted that their friends read "Mother of All" as well. Books with this kind of power and ability to transmit the love of God are rare and should be treasured. I have had several remarkable personal experiences with Mother including being put into a state of bliss lasting over three hours resulting from just a half a second glance at one of her photographs. Jillellamudi Mother, though not well known even in India, seems to have been an Avatar of Adi Shakti, the primordial creative power - truly, the Divine Mother and the mother of us all. To say that such a being is rare is an understatement, and not to find out more about her would be unwise. To be able to look her way with love and an open heart would be a great blessing. Many high souls have said that the path to God realization always goes through the Divine Mother. That's why this book is such a gift to the seeker. Even though I have never seen Mother in the flesh, when I think of her or see her picture, I feel tremendous longing and tears come to my eyes. With her, teachings and practice don't matter. Of course, it is a good thing to know her life story, but her very being engenders tremendous love - no real need for details. I feel she is my true mother and always has been. Spend a little time thinking of her or concentrating on her picture and you can't help but feel the love which she so perfectly embodies. We are all her children. There is no better introduction to the Jillellamudi Mother than Richard Schiffman's book, and few books give such heartfelt glimpses into how wonderful the Divine Mother aspect of the Godhead can be.

Table of Contents::

PART I The Journey to Jillellamudi

1. The Journey to Jillellamudi

2. The Arrival

3. The House of All

PART II The Early Years

4. The Birth

5. Young Amma

6. Food

7. What is Death?

8. In the Eyes of the Perceiver

9. Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer

10. Mother Earth

11. Lost and Found

12. The Teacher and the Taught

13. Protectress of the Distressed

14. Marriage

15. Initiation

16. Jillellamudi

17. Hyma

PART III Mother of All

18. Morning Darshan

19. Guru?

20. Signs and Wonders

21. Mother’s Departure

Appendix I Mother on Herself

Appendix II Mother’s Teachings