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MA ANANDAMAYEE MA

Life

Ma Anandamayee Ma was born in a small village called Kheora, in Bangladesh, on April 30, 1896. Born into a pious, prestigious but non-affluent household, she was named ‘Nirmala Sundari Devi’. It is translated as ‘Immaculate Beauty’, which seemed appropriate as the infant grew up to be a lovely child. Ma’s father, a devout ‘Vaishnava’ (devotee of Lord Vishnu), was well known for his beautiful rendering of devotional songs. He would rise at 3 a.m. and sing songs. On one occasion, during a storm, the roof blew off the house and he continued singing in the rain. He was also given to wandering for long periods. Ma’s mother was a gentle woman of upright nature and totally dedicated to the welfare of her family. While pregnant with Nirmala, she used to see visions of sages and deities. She later became a renunciate and accompanied Ma on her travels.

When Nirmala was just 9 or 10 months old, a saintly old man visited them. Nirmala crawled towards this man and smiled. Overcome with emotion, devotion and reverence he put her feet on his head. He then told Nirmala’s mother, “What you are seeing is the Mother of the Universe and beyond.”

The family grew up in want, and yet fed all the guests who visited them - even if they themselves had to go without food. Nirmala was liked by all and practically grew up on all those peoples’ laps.

As a child, delicate religious rituals and the sound of religious chanting would bring about ecstatic feelings in her. She was often distracted and could be seen gazing into space with her eyes unfocused on outer objects. Her education was very limited and her writing skills minimal. Everybody dreads snakes, but Nirmala did not have the slightest fear. Even as a child, if she encountered a snake, she would not run away but would just jump across the snake and continue her walk.

A happy child, little Nirmala spent her childhood in the serene surroundings of her village. Ready to render whatever service she was capable of to anyone who asked for it, she was a favourite with everyone. The entire village, consisting mainly of Muslim families, extended to her a love and affection that has endured through the years. Even now the Muslim population of her village, Kheora, refer to her as ‘our own Ma’.

Ma was barely thirteen when she was married to Ramani Mohan Chakravarty. As a child-bride, Ma was received into the family of her husband’s eldest brother and his wife. From a carefree childhood in her parents’ home, she was catapulted into a situation demanding considerable hard work in a restrictive atmosphere. She cooked, cleaned, fetched water, took care of the children and served her sister-in-law in every way possible. Hard work is the lot of village women in India, but what set Ma apart from all such girls placed in similar situations was that she remained uniformly cheerful, good-humoured, and more than willing to shoulder other people’s burdens. Nothing was a drudgery for her. Also, her serene and equable temper was never disrupted by thoughtlessness or unfair treatment at the hands of the elders.

Actually, Ma’s untroubled and happy disposition caused her new family some anxiety - it could only mean a ‘simple mind’. They wondered, just like her parents too did, was this little quiet girl too ‘simple minded’ to be mischievous and naughty like other children? It took many years before Ma’s close companions realized that she was ever established in the state her oft repeated statement pointed to: “Ja hobar taay hobey” - ‘Whatever comes to pass, let it be’.

“Ja hobar taay hobey”

At the age of eighteen, Ma came to stay with her husband at his place of work. Ma used to refer to her husband by the name ‘Bholanath’. Much has been written regarding the purity and perfect celibacy of Ma and Bholanathji’s married life. Bholanathji, on his part, bore the impact of a beautiful but celibate young wife ever ready to obey his slightest bidding with extraordinary calm.

Soon after, Ma’s leela or play, of practising sadhana began. Ma lived the life of a pilgrim on the spiritual path for nearly six years. Bholanathji realized that he was in the presence of a very special embodiment of Divine Power. She still took care of Bholanathji’s needs on his return from work - to the extent of preparing his hooka for an after-dinner smoke. After Bholanathji had settled down, she would ask his permission to engage in a little sadhana. Permission granted, she would sit on the floor in a corner of their room and orally begin to repeat the nama japa, ‘Hari, Hari, Hari’…. Only because that was the nama or Name she had learnt to sing from her father in her childhood. Bholanathji saw her becoming gradually absorbed in a world of inner joy. After a few days, he saw her assuming some yogic postures or asanas. The first of these was the siddhasana. Bholanathji knew that she had no previous knowledge of Yoga or yoga asanas - they were clearly just spontaneously happening to her. He said one day, “Why do you say ‘Hari’? We are not Vaishnavas”. Ma asked, “Shall I then say ‘Siva’, ‘Siva’?” Bholanathji was satisfied. Changing the name she chanted, had no effect on her sadhana. Within the very first year of this incident, Bholanathji accepted the much coveted initiation from Ma. Thereafter, their relationship acquired a new dimension – that of Guru and disciple, although Ma continued her attitude of complete obedience to Bholanathji. Sometime in 1922, she became mounam, silent. This silence marked the fulfilment of her sadhana.

“…..embodiment of Divine Power…..”

In accordance with the orthodox customs of those times, Ma kept herself veiled in public. Only when Bholanathji asked her to speak to someone, she would, not otherwise. Women, of course, were always free to visit her and soon there was a crowd of them around her. The men continued to be at a disadvantage because of the orthodox customs. It was here that Bholanathji played an important role. Soon, he began to be looked upon as ‘Baba Bholanath’ – a person commanding respect in his own right. With this, the crowds of both men and women swelled – always assuming the shape of an ever increasing but close-knit family.

In Dhaka, Ma lived amidst an atmosphere of the miraculous. Her healing touch was sought by strangers from far and near. She was seen in ecstatic states of samadhi and mahabhava during kirtans. An eyewitness account of a mahabhava on the occasion of a kirtan described it in these words: “At one moment Ma was sitting like one of us. The next moment she had changed completely. Her body was swaying rhythmically. Her sari’s border fell back from over her head. Her eyes were closed and the entire body swayed to the rhythm of the kirtan. With her body still swaying, she stood up or rather was, as if drawn upwards on her foot. It looked as if Ma had left her body, which had become an instrument in the hands of an invisible power. It was obvious to all of us that there was no will motivating her actions. Ma was evidently quite oblivious of her surroundings. She circled round the room as if wafted along by the wind. Occasionally, her body would start falling to the ground, but before it completed the movement it would regain its upright position, just like a wind-blown leaf which flutters toward the ground and then is lifted up and blown forward by a fresh gust of wind.” Ma moved in this manner with the kirtan party for a few moments. After such bhavas, she would lie in samadhi for many hours.

Ma was also sensitive to environmental influences as was demonstrated when she once passed a Muslim tomb. She immediately began to recite portions of the Quran and perform the namaaz-ritual of Muslim prayers. These and other similar acts showed Ma to be someone always moving through a wide variety of mystical and religious states, each one expressing itself through her. She often objectified her body by describing her actions in phases like “this body did this” or “this body went there”. She believed her uncontrolled actions were expressions of the Divine Will.

Ma set out on her travels in 1927. Baba Bholanath liked to visit places of pilgrimage. They travelled quite extensively. Her devotees in Dhaka gradually got resigned to Ma’s frequent absences. Though her devotees had built a small ashram for her it became clear that Ma felt the need to leave Dhaka. Accompanied by Bholanath, Ma left Dhaka on June 2, 1932. Travelling in a haphazard way she came to Dehra Dun. From there, they found their way to Raipur, a remote village in the interior. They took up their abode in a dilapidated Siva temple, a little away from the village. This was the beginning of a new way of life for the two of them. Bholanathji devoted himself wholeheartedly to his sadhana. Ma would wander around alone or sit surrounded by the village women. When she returned to Dehradun, Bholanathji spent almost three years in Uttarkashi pursuing his own tapasya or penance. Bholanathji rejoined Ma on coming down from Uttarkashi. He was introduced to the new devotees and was accepted wholeheartedly as ‘Pitaji’ meaning father. In May 1938, Bholanathji died.

The passing away of Bholanathji resulted in a new understanding of Ma and her ways. Ma had been a very devoted wife and she had tirelessly rendered personal service to him whenever he took ill. During his last illness she was constantly by his bedside. He dropped his body with her hand on his head and breathing the word ‘Ananda’. It was felt that he was giving expression to his own state of Ananda and Peace. Most of the devotees thought that Ma would be distraught, but they were amazed to see no signs of grief. She remained as serene as always. She noted their reaction and said gently, “Do you start to cry if a person goes to another room in the house? This death is inevitably connected with this life. In the sphere of Immortality, where is the question of death and loss? Nobody is lost to me”.

Ma sometimes ascribed her actions to a personal though unnamed God: “I have no sense of pleasure or pain, and I stay as I have always been. Sometimes He draws me outside, and sometimes He takes me inside and I am completely withdrawn. I am nobody, all of my actions are done by Him and not by me.”

She explained that there were four stages in her spiritual evolution. In the first, the mind was dried of desire and passion so it could catch the fire of spiritual knowledge easily. Next, the body became still and the mind was drawn inward, as religious emotion flowed in the heart like a stream. Thirdly, her personal identity was absorbed by an individual deity, but some distinction between form and formlessness still remained. Lastly, there was a melting away of all duality. Here the mind was completely free from any movement of thought. There was also full consciousness even in what is normally characterised as the dream state.

While speaking of spiritual evolution sometimes, she maintained that her spiritual identity remained unchanged since early childhood. She claimed that all the outer changes of her life were for the benefit of her disciples. When Paramahamsa Yogananda met Ma and asked her about her life, she answered, “Father, there is little to tell.” She spread her graceful hands in a deprecatory gesture. “My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, ‘I’ was the same. As a little girl, ‘I’ was the same. I grew into womanhood, but still ‘I’ was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, ‘I’ was the same. And, Father, in front of you now, ‘I’ am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation changes around me in the Hall of Eternity, ‘I’ shall be the same.” Paramahamsa Yogananda, founder of the ‘Self-Realisation Fellowship’ of United States, devoted a whole chapter to Ma in his famous book, ‘An Autobiography of a Yogi’.

She lived like an ascetic and ate very little – something she did right from her childhood. Apart from the months of abstention from food, which happened periodically, for many years, she used to eat only on alternate days. When scolded, Ma would say, “It is not necessary to eat at all to preserve the body. I eat only because a semblance of normal behaviour must be kept up. Otherwise, all of you will feel anxious about me.” The intake of food was not related to any of her illnesses. Actually, she was in perfect health when she was not eating anything. Illnesses came and went following a rhythm of their own.

In her time, she met Gandhiji at Wardha and nearly all the political dignitaries who rose to power after Independence, including Nehru and Indira. Staunch Gandhian Jamnalal Bajaj was her ardent devotee. They did not talk about state affairs with her. She only spoke about God and the religious aspirations of man. In the late seventies and in 1981, for all practical purposes she had withdrawn herself from public appearences.

During her last days, Ma was serene, but uncharacteristically seemed to be removing herself beyond the prayers of people around her. Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Sringeri Sarada Peetham, wanted to invite Ma to Sringeri on the occasion of the annual “Durga Puja” and urged that she should quickly get rid of her illness. She replied in her usual gentle tone, “This body has no illness, Pitaji. It is being recalled toward the Unmanifest. Whatever you see happening now is conducive towards that event.” At the moment of bidding him farewell next day, she again reiterated her inability to accede to his wishes, saying, “As the Atma, I shall ever abide with you.”

In other ways too, she weaned her devotees from her physical presence. She did not attend any of the functions which were being performed as part of the ashram routine. She had stopped taking food for many months. The women who attended on her could give her only a few drops of water – that too at odd moments. Ma spent her last days at Kishenpur Ashram. She made no farewells apart from saying, “Sivaya Namah,” on the night of the 25^th - this mantra being indicative of the final dissolution of worldly bondages. She became Unmanifest around 8 p.m. on Friday evening, August 27^th, 1982.

Kankhal at the foothill of the Himalayas is a holy land. By a consensus of opinion an entire body of mahatmas came together to assume charge of Ma’s physical remains. The highest honour was given to her - a procession of thousands escorted the vehicle carrying her body from Dehra Dun to Kankhal – wherein was arranged the last rites of interring her body into samadhi. As Ma had said she belonged to everybody and so everybody participated in bidding farewell to the human body which had sustained their beloved Ma for 86 years.

Sri Ma’s Special Directives for Spiritual Aspirants

In order to advance towards Self-Realisation, it is absolutely necessary for an aspirant to yearn constantly for his sublime goal. He should practice sadhana regularly, whether he feels in a mood for it or not.

To criticize people or to feel hostile towards anyone harms oneself and puts obstacles into one’s path to the Supreme. If someone does something bad, you should feel nothing but affection and benevolence towards him or her. Think, ‘Lord ! This is also one of Thy manifestations.’ The more kindly and friendly you can feel and behave towards everybody, the more will the way to the One – who is goodness itself – open out.

Take care not to be contented at any stage. Some aspirants have visions, others realizations. Or, someone experiences bliss, great happiness and thinks he has himself become God. On the spiritual path, before true Realisation supervenes, one may get caught in supernatural powers (vibhutis or siddhis). These constitute obstacles.

The positive proof that the aspirant is centred in God is that he ceases to hate any person or object, and that good qualities such as love, forgiveness, patience, forbearance go on increasing in him. When this change takes place in an aspirant, he will come to see that the One Brahman pervades each and every form, all sects, creeds. An aspirant should not indulge in useless conversation or gossip, but speak only when it is really necessary, which means that he must be a man of few words.

Try and try again to reach the goal you have set before yourself. So long as Realisation does not come, you must never relax your efforts. Let this be your firm resolve.

In the quest of Self-Knowledge, Love is the crucial factor. Whether it pleases you or not, you will have to make the Eternal your constant companion, just like a remedy that has got to be taken. Without loving God, you will not get anywhere. Remember this all the time.

Jai Ma Anandamayee Ma ki jai!

Sri Bhagavan’s sacred Samadhi Shrine (earliest photo)

MA AND ME

In 1952, on her pilgrimage in South India, Ma was invited to Arunachala by Sri Ramanasramam to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a temple over the Samadhi shrine of Bhagavan Ramana. Those who were present on that occasion still remember the meticulous and measured way Ma handed over one brick after brick to lay the foundation. When the traditional purna kumbha was offered to Ma at the entrance of the Ashram, she graciously remarked, “Why all this? Do you do all this when a daughter comes to her father’s home?”

Falling prostrate at Sri Bhagavan’s yet unbuilt Samadhi shrine, Ma AnandaMayee Ma, solemnly stood up and spontaneously uttered the following words, “Here is the ‘Sun’ - we are all like ‘stars’ in the day time!”

India abounds in Sages and Saints. Ma Anandamayee Ma occupied a special place in the spiritual history of India. True spiritual aspirants from the West and East flocked to her for spiritual guidance. She shed light, as she was the Great Light itself!

I could not be at the Ashram and have darshan of Ma in 1952 as I was studying in the college, far away from Arunachala. When I came to stay permanently at Sri Ramanasramam, and started to imbibe the import and greatness of true spiritual life, I had the great good fortune of having encouragement, support and guidance of the Old Devotees of Sri Bhagavan who were there at that time.

In the early 1970s, when I was busy helping the Ashram management in various ways, Mrs. Taleyarkhan, Balarama Reddiar, Hugo Maier and Dorab Framji met me at the Ashram office. They insisted that I go along with them to Chennai to have darshan of Ma Anandamayee Ma, who was being given a rousing reception in that city. I could not immediately obey them. While Mrs. Taleyarkhan, Hugo Maier and Dorab Framji left earlier, the great good-hearted devotee Balarama Reddiar, stayed on and took me to Chennai towards the end of Ma’s stay in Chennai.

Mrs.Taleyarkhan offering prayers to Sri Bhagavan seated in the ‘New Hall’ (1949) Ganesan aged 13 years is also seen in the foreground

Thanks to these Old Devotees, I had my first darshan of Ma at “Kalki Gardens”, where she was staying and conducting satsangs. She was giving a talk and I listened with rapt attention: “To lose control over oneself is not desirable. In the search after Truth one must not allow oneself to be overpowered by anything, but should watch carefully, whatever phenomena may supervene, keeping fully conscious, wide awake, in fact retaining complete mastery over oneself. Loss of consciousness and of self-control are never right. While absorbed in meditation, whether one is conscious of the body or not, whether there be a sense of identification with the physical or not – under all circumstances, it is imperative to remain wide awake - unconsciousness must be strictly avoided. Some genuine perceptivity must be retained, whether one contemplates the Self as such, or any particular form. What is the outcome of such meditation? It opens up one’s being to the Light, to that which is Eternal.” The devotees took me near Ma and made me prostrate to her. When I stood looking at her, she showered her grace on me, so profusely that I felt as if I was in the physical presence of our Beloved Bhagavan. I stood still, in ecstasy! However, I was taken away very quickly as there was a very long queue of devotees, waiting behind me.

When I expressed to the Old Devotees my wish to meet Ma personally and seek her blessings, Balarama Reddiar held my hand and assured me that he would take me to Ma, who was leaving Chennai the very next day. Impatiently I waited for the fortunate hour.

The next day, Balarama Reddiar took me to the Central Railway station. There were lots of police constables guarding all entrances. Reddiar held my hand and walked in a right, royal manner to the compartment in which Ma was travelling. Her compartment was adorned with flower garlands. So, it was very easy to locate it. There was a thick posse of policemen guarding it. But, none dared stop the majestic Reddiar! And he boarded the compartment with a meek me in tow.

Ma was seated all alone – not a single other person or assistant was there. Balarama Reddiar prostrated to her and directed me to put my head on her outstretched feet. She blessed me by fondling my head and asked me to rise up. Reddiar introduced me as the grand-nephew of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and added that I sought her blessings - especially for progress in my sadhana, as I had left all worldly links and was permanently staying at the Ashram serving the old and new devotees. Ma graciously blessed me and said, “Everything is in God’s hands, and you are His tool to be used by Him as He pleases. Try to grasp the significance ‘all is His,’ and you will immediately feel free from all burdens. What will be the result of your surrender to Him? None will seem alien, all will be your very own, your own Self. Either melt by devotion the sense of separateness, or burn it by Knowledge – for what is it that melts or burns? Only that which by its nature can be melted or burnt - namely the idea that something other than your Self exists. What will happen then? You come to know your own Self. By virtue of Guru’s power, everything will become possible. I bless you, child!”

‘Crawling Krishna’ -- Kanhaiya idol in Ma’s lap

Ma put her hands again on my head and said, “Sri Maharshi’s Grace is fully on you. Stick to your sadhana, studiously. Guidance will flood you! Sri Bhagavan’s teaching of Self-Enquiry is your path. Stay at the Ashram. Don’t go anywhere else. He is your Guru. His teaching is your only guidance. Arunachala is your kshetra. All blessings will accrue to you. I bless you, my child !”

She gave me two oranges and gestured to me to eat them. Reddiar too confirmed it. So, I ate both of them in Ma’s presence. I felt her Grace seeping in. I felt profusely blessed !

In 1960, I went to Varanasi from Bombay. No one knew where I had disappeared to from Bombay. Naturally, the office I was working in, my friends in Bombay, and especially my parents back at home in Arunachala, all were worried over my disappearance.

Mrs. Taleyarkhan took my father to Bangalore, where Ma Anandamayee Ma was staying and giving darshan to devotees. When my father expressed deep concern as to where I could have disappeared, Ma gave a beautiful smile and said, “Don’t worry! My Ganga Mata is protecting him. You will soon hear from him. He will be alright!” When father went back to Arunachala from Bangalore, a telegram was waiting for him, announcing my having been located at Varanasi!

More than 25 years later, I went to stay for a year in Varanasi (1988-89) - as directed by Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Many spiritual experiences happened to me. One such was the following: I used to visit the Ramakrishna Ashram there and get totally absorbed in myself in their Meditation Hall, which was open to all. One day, when I was coming out of the hall, an elderly swami of the ashram approached me and said, "I have been observing that you often meditate here in front of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. It fills my heart with joy that a young man is absorbed in such deep meditation. Have you ever been to Ma Anandamayee Ma’s Ashram on the banks of Ganga Mata? If you have not, please go there and spend some time in meditation in front of the Shrine which was worshipped by Ma herself. Make sure you request the elderly swami there to show you the ‘Crawling Krishna’ idol. It is sculpted out of black stone and is about a foot in height. Also, ask him to tell you about the unique greatness of the idol.” I hastened to go to the Ashram of Ma that very same day. I searched for and found out that particular elderly swami. He was very happy to know that I came from Arunachala. He said he had been on a pilgrimage to Holy Arunachala at the behest of Ma herself. Even before I could ask of him about the ‘Crawling Krishna’ idol, he brought it out from another room and proceeded to tell me the thrilling incident that he had witnessed:

"Ma brought the Krishna idol during one of her visits here and told us that the child Krishna was very hungry and that we should bring food for him. We brought the naivedhya (sacramental food) that is offered to the main deity that is daily worshipped here. The Holy Mother sat down and held the idol on her lap. Embracing it like a mother, Ma offered the idol morsel after morsel of food. And lo! Every morsel was eaten by this idol of ‘Child Krishna! Not only I, but a few others who are still alive, were also eye-witnesses of this spiritual spectacle! Ma was all joy and went into ecstasy as soon as she finished feeding Sri Krishna! After that, every time Ma came over to Varanasi and stayed here, she took enormous interest in feeding her ‘Kanhaiya’ (Black Krishna). Please touch it, prostrate to it, and receive not just Sri Krishna's blessings, but also the profuse blessings of Ma!"

The very touch of the ‘Child Krishna’ sent me into ecstasy. After that, every time I went to Varanasi, one of the main shrines I would spend time without fail was that of the ‘Child Krishna’ at Ma Anandamayee Ma’s ashram – in addition to the shrines of Lord Viswanatha, Mother Annapoorni, Mother Visalakshi and Mother Varahi, among others. Many of my close friends too, have had the same spiritual experience when they followed suit in response to my persistent and eager pleading to have the darshan of the black, ‘Child Krishna’ at Ma Anandamayee Ma’s Ashram in Varanasi.

Truly, we are all very fortunate that we are always profusely blessed by the Grace of Sages and Saints !

Sri Anandamayi Ma श्री श्री आनन्दमयी माँ

My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth 'I was the same'. As a little girl 'I was the same'. .......... Ever afterward, though the dance of creation change around me, in the hall of eternity 'I shall be the same'. ------Sri Ma