Some cry as one might when meeting a saint; some meditate, waiting for their turn. An invisible strength seems to pour from the arms of this woman, flowing to those who let themselves be embraced by her.

More than one thousand people, some dressed in white clothes, long for the moment of darshan with Amma; that is, for the personal blessing of this great soul from India. When Mata Amritanandamayi, called Amma (Mother), stepped down yesterday from the flower-covered stage in Bensheim (a city in Germany), there was no visible aura of blissful saintliness. Instead alighted a small, determined, strong, and motherly looking woman with bare feet.

She calls those who seek her comfort and support "sons" and "daughters". Like desperate children they come to find the protection of their mother. Her service to people in orphanages and poorhouses abounds. There are at least fifty thousand women in need who are being supported by her. The schools, hospitals and charitable camps (that she provides) lessen the misery of the suffering. "We are glad about the light and the warmth that Amma has brought us", says Claus D. von der Fink.

Claus D. von der Fink and his service organization "Nitya Seva" have managed to re-route the Europe tour to the Mountain Road: Turin, Barcelona and London. Amma who travels with a staff of a hundred people, sees love as the universal religion. By including everybody's religion, whether Christian, Jew, or Muslim, she strengthens their bond with God and creates a base for peaceful co-existence. After one hour of darshan, the line of those longing for her embrace is not any shorter. Some cry with happiness; some smile - relaxed, their eyes closed.