Parayakadavu, Kerala, 1975. Devotees say the young woman then called Sudhamani began appearing in the mood, or bhava, of Krishna, receiving villagers one by one. Krishna and Devi Bhava darshans followed for years.

Amritapuri Ashram was founded that year at Parayakadavu, near her family's home. It grew into the base for a mission now spanning hospitals, schools, and disaster relief across India and abroad.

She began embracing visitors one by one in public sessions, sometimes lasting many hours without a break. She and her followers describe the embrace itself, not any doctrine, as her core teaching — an act of compassion repeated millions of times over four decades.

Gail Tredwell, who had served closely in the ashram for nineteen years, published a memoir, Holy Hell, alleging physical and sexual abuse within the inner circle. The organisation disputed her account; no independent finding has resolved it.

She continues to hold public darshan sessions worldwide, and her mission's hospitals and relief work continue alongside them. Her organization counts more than forty million embraces given — its own estimate, not an independently verified figure.