Ramananda
Ramanand after his study years.
Born	1400 Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died	1476 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Known for	Vaishnava sant
Religion	Hindu

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Ramananda (1400–1476 CE), also referred to as Sant Ramanand or Swami Ramanand, was a Vaishnava sant. He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramanandi sect. Ramananda for the most part of his life lived in the holy city of Varanasi, and was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, as well as a social reformer in Northern India. He was known for communicating in vernacular Hindi, and accepting disciples of all castes. His 12 disciples are very famous-Anantananda, Bhavananda, Dhanna Bhagat, Kabir, Nabha, Naraharyanda, Pipa, Ravidas (also known as Guru Ravidas), Bhagat Sain, Sukhanada, Ranka and Tulsidas (not the author of the Ramcharitmanas).

Saint Ramananda is generally considered to have been born around AD 1400, some say that he was born in 1366 CE. Although there is disagreement on the exact date and place of birth, due to the few texts regarding his early life. The birthplace has been suggested to be Triveni Sangam Allahabad, Prayaga. He was born to an upper-caste Brahmin family, and his parents were probably named Sushila and Punyasadan Sharma. He was spiritually inclined right from his childhood. Acharya Raghavanand who is also known as Dakshinayat Rishi (as he lived in Jagannath Puri which is always considered a southern city in Hindu scriptures) included him in the Ramavat sect. Ramananda spent most of his life in Kashi (Banaras / Varanasi), where, as a mark of respect, people built a memorial that stands there to this day.

When Ramananda was a child, he studied the Hindu scriptures and showed great interest in spiritual thoughts. He received his early education in Kasi. A renowned philosopher and the prophet of the new Vaishnava religion, known for his downplaying the role of caste, Ramananda was particularly known for worshipping Lord Rama and his wife Goddess Sita. Ramanuja and Ramananda both believed that the human soul is distinct from the Supreme Spirit and retains its identity and separate consciousness. His footprints are visible at Srimath, Panchganga Ghat, Kashi. Ramananda visited many places of pilgrimage, including Jagganath Puri, where a memorial in his honour still exists.

Adult life[link]

When Ramananda was as young as twelve, he left home and became a sannyasi (ascetic) and lived at Varanasi.

Death[link]

There is much controversy concerning the place and date of Saint Ramananda’s death due to the lack of information available about his life. Many historians believe that Ramananda died around AD 1470-80, yet there is no unanimity regarding the date. Ramananda’s name is read on the list of predecessors during the time of a religious dispute between Sikandar Lodi and his religious teacher, Sheikh Taki. From this information, Ramananda’s date of death can be fixed as sometime around the late 15th century. However, there is a story about Ramananda which claims he escaped death altogether by entering a Samadhi state, a meditative state and remaining alive, where his Charan paduka is still visible at Srimath in Kashi.

Guru parampara and disciples[link]

It has been argued that Ramananda was initiated in the Ramanuja sect. This view is held by the Swaminarayan sampradAya (which follows the vishiShTAdvaita philosophy and vaiShNavism) for example.^[1] More details are discussed in the article on Ramanandi sect.

Disciples of Ramananda[link]

Ramananda's disciples include:-

Bhavananda

Dhanna Bhagat

Kabir

Nabha

Naraharyanda

Pipa

Ravidas

Sain

Sukhanada

Ranka

Tulsidas (not the author of RamCharitManas)

Anantananda

By legend, Kabir originally hesitated to ask Ramanand to adopt him as his disciple due to the rigid caste system of the Hindus. Ramananda stayed in his cottage all day and only left it at about 3 o’clock in the morning to go down to the Ganges River to have a bath and perform his rites. Kabir had a knowledge of Ramananda’s daily habits and so he waited one night for Ramananda by lying on the steps of Panchganga ghat. When Ramananda accidentally stepped on Kabir on his way to bathe, he uttered “Utho! Ram ko Ram bolo!” (Rise up! Say Ram to Ram!). This became, for Kabir, the sacred mantra. Ramananda later gave him formal Diksha. Kabir grew among the ranks of important religious reformers in India.

Contributions[link]

Ramananda was an influential social reformer of Northern India. Ramananda played an important role in reviving a religious sect that provided a spiritual pathway to people of all castes.

Revolution Against Casteism[link]

Ramananda realised that God can be worshipped by everyone because Lord Rama himself has never stopped the people of any caste from reaching Him.Instead, the Ramayan is full of stories about Shabri, Kevat,etc. who all were Lower castes, but Rama gave them equal respect, the way he respected Brahmins. Ramananda believed that in spiritual pursuit, the caste system of India is redundant. He believed that to truly devote yourself to Lord Rama, one must forget one's caste identity and social status. Ramananda is quoted as saying, “Let no one ask a man’s caste or with whom he eats. If a man is devoted to Hari, he becomes Hari’s own.” Ramananda had disciples of all castes.

He took a very radical approach to teaching and preaching through the inclusion of the poor and the people of low castes. After Ramananda’s death, the members of the Ramanandi sect led a social revolution in the Ganges basin by recruiting women and members of low castes into their sect. In addition, Saint Ramananda was the driving force of the popularization of the devotion of Lord Rama.

In modern day society, the present Ramanandi school of religious teaching is the largest Vaishnava monastic order in Northern India today. It may also be the largest monastic order of a sectarian affiliation in the entire subcontinent of India. Monasteries of the Ramanandi sect are in many states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh (Shri Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala and Tirupati), the Nepal Valley and the Nepalese Tarai. It is estimated that the Ramanandi sect competes with the Dasnami sect for the title of being the largest Hindu ascetic sect.

Contribution towards Hindi[link]

Ramanandi sect also played a significant role in the development of Hindi literature, because Ramananda generally spoke and wrote in Hindi. The study of modern Hindi literature as it is taught in the colleges of India today, generally starts with the telling of devotional stories and poems written by people whom the Vaisnavite bards claim were spiritual descendants of Ramananda. These men include the great saints Tulsi Das, Mira Bai, and Kabir.

Teachings[link]

The institutional centrality of Ramananda has long been reflected in the 'guru parampara' that connects every Ramanandi through an unbroken succession of gurus with Ramanand himself and, eventually, Ramchandra.

Ramananda defined his own studies with his dedication and self-surrender to the Supreme Soul, 'Paramatma'. According to Saint Ramananda, Lord Rama was the Supreme Spirit and the human race was simply one large family, 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam'. He was a skilled and impressive preacher, who drew large crowds wherever he traveled, yet most of Ramananda’s poems and sayings were not preserved. The result is the lack of texts that modern scholars and historians can use to unearth the life of Ramananda.

Ramananda was a learned man. Many of the books which are supposed to have been written by him such as Sri Vaishnava, Matanbuj Bhaskar and Sri Ramarachan Padhti are still available. He is also said to have authored a commentary called AnandabhAShya.

Focus on Rama[link]

Ramananda taught his followers to pay special attention to Rama and his wife Sita. Because of political dangers looming on the horizon, Rama was a natural focus of worship due to his position as the faultless prince. As outlined in the famous Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana, Rama, while an incarnation of the deity, 'Vishnu', was a successful warrior capable of defeating the terrible ten-headed demon-king of the Rakshasas, Ravana.

Shabad of Ramananda in Guru Granth Sahib[link]

• Where should I go?
• My home is filled with bliss.
• My consciousness does not go out wandering.
• My mind has become crippled. || 1 || Pause ||

• One day, a desire welled up in my mind.
• I ground up sandalwood, along with several fragrant oils.
• I went to God’s place, and worshipped Him there.
• That God showed me the Guru, within my own mind. || 1 ||

• Wherever I go, I find water and stones.
• You are totally pervading and permeating in all.
• I have searched through all the Vedas and the Puraanas.
• I would go there, only if the Lord were not here. || 2 ||

• I am a sacrifice to You, O my True Guru.
• You have cut through all my confusion and doubt.
• Raamanand’s Lord and Master is the All-pervading Lord God.
• The Word of the Guru’s Shabad eradicates the karma of millions of past actions. || 3 || 1 ||

One poem of Swami Ramanand is recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. This poem, called the Raga Basant, describes Ramananda’s profound philosophy. This poem, originally written in Hindi, professes Ramananda’s great teaching of the giving up of caste for Ram, or the, “true guru”, who remains, “all-pervasive and forever unchanging.” This poem expresses Ramananda’s belief that Rama is a sturdy foundation in whom one should place faith, instead of the caste system. By comparing the “Brahma in the temple” with the Brahma that “dwelt in [his] own heart”, Ramananda compares the highest caste to the highest spiritual figure, Lord Rama. In this poem, Ramananda also uses many themes that appeared in his other works. In this poem, is the theme of the heart. Ramananda believed that in the state of deep spiritual communion, when the disturbances of the mind are gone and the attention is not searching for outward distractions, all consciousness settles into the core: the heart. Ramananda believed that if one looks deep into themselves, they are able to find that everything has always been held in the heart and there is no need to search the Vedas for God, for God abides within the mind. Along with his practices of yoga, Ramananda thought that looking into oneself and into one’s heart will bring the feeling of absolute contentment and interconnection. Another theme that is prevailing in the works of Ramananda and many other Hindu texts is that of perfume. The scent is tantalizing and is sometimes called the Celestial Drink. The blissful scent can be thought of as a tool to awaken sacred ardour upon a spiritual journey. The third theme in the Raga Basant is water. In this poem, water is used as a metaphor to describe each human being on earth as a small drop of water within the Ocean of Rama. This metaphor suggests the insignificance of one man, or an entire caste of humans, in comparison to Lord Rama.

Historical sources and controversies[link]

Controversy about Birth and Death Year - Controversy about Birth and Residence Place - Many southern scholars tried to prove him to be of Tamil origin.

Controversy about his importance - Much about the life of Ramananda and his contributions to India are disputed between scholars. Dearth of information has led to disputes about the birthplace, life, and death of Ramananda. More significantly, while texts written by his disciples indicate that Ramananda was significant in the lives of people in Northern India while he was living, modern scholars argue whether he was in fact as influential as he is described to be. Given the historical importance of the Ramanandi sect, many scholars find it hard to believe that there is such little information in the sectarian literature on the events which led to its formation. Scholars have tried to reconstruct the early history of the Ramanandi sect, yet there is such a scarcity of information that scholars reach different conclusions. Some scholars believe that Ramananda truly was a great Hindu saint, yet others feel that from the lack of information provided, that Ramananda was not a historically important enough saint to have caused others to write details of his life. It seems to many scholars, that the life of Ramananda is far inferior to the accounts of the lives of his disciples who have extensive biographies written about them.

Controversy about his literary works - Of the few books written by Ramananda himself, some may have been written by his followers and then accredited to Ramananda.

Prasang Paarijaat[link]

Just after the death of Swami Ramananda, Swami Chetan-Dasji composed a book called Prasang Paarijaat in Paishachi language in the year 1574 AD. This was a long poem containing the major events of Ramananda's life. Due to some curse and some predictions given in the book the book couldn't be published before 30 January 1948. After 1948, the book was first published by Shri Ram MangalDas Ji, Gokul Bhavan. Its manuscript was brought by Saint Balakram Vinayak from Sarnath and for many years it was kept at Ayodhya before publishing.

References[link]

• "Ashtapadi" a book written in Paishachi language by the immediate disciples of Ramanand.
• "Kashi Martand" (Sun of Kashi), The book to understand Jagadguru Ramanandacharya as GOD avatar.
• Burghard, Richard. The Founding of the Ramanandi Sect. London: London School of Economics and Political Science, 1978.
• Granger, M. Ivan. “Ramananda.” Poetry Chaikhana: Sacred Poetry from Around the World. Ed. Nirmal Dass. 03, December 2008 [1]
• Kamat, Jyotsna. “Saint Ramananda.” The Path of Devotion. September 7, 2008. Kamat’s Potpourri. 03, December 2008 [2]
• Ramananda. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008.
• Ramananda. Biographies of Indian Saints. August 15, 1996. Geocities. 28 Nov. 2008
• Oman, C. John. The Mystics, Ascetics, and Saints of India. London: Elibron Classics, 2005.
• Dr.Dayakrishna Vijayvargiya 'vijay'"Payashpayee", Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Smarak nyas, SRIMATH, Kashi,"2008.

1. ^ "Acharya - Guru Parampara". swami-nArAyaN guru paramparA. BhujMandir.org. http://www.bhujmandir.org/8/acharya-guru-parampara. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 

See also[link]

• Sant Mat

Sri Anandamayi Ma
Studio photo of Anandamayi Ma
Born	(1896-04-30)30 April 1896 Kheora, Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh
Died	27 August 1982(1982-08-27) (aged 86) Kishanpur, Dehradun, India—last rites were performed in Kankhal, Haridwar, India
Birth name	Nirmala Sundari
Quotation	"Who is it that loves and who that suffers? He alone stages a play with Himself; who exists save Him? The individual suffers because he perceives duality. It is duality which causes all sorrow and grief. Find the One everywhere and in everything and there will be an end to pain and suffering."[1]

Sri Anandamayi Ma (Bengali: শ্রী আনন্দময়ী মা Sri Anondomoyi Ma; 30 April 1896 - 27 August 1982) was a spiritual personality from East Bengal. Swami Sivananda (Divine Life Society) described her as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced."^[2] Precognition, healing and other miracles were attributed to her by her followers.^[3] Paramhansa Yogananda translates Anandamayi as "joy-permeated". This name was given to her by her devotees in the 1920s to describe what they saw as her habitual state of divine joy and bliss.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Anandamayi Ma was born Nirmala Sundari (নির্মলা সুন্দরী; Nirmôla Shundori, English: "Immaculate, Beautiful") on 30 April 1896 to Bipinbihari Bhattacharya and Mokshada Sundari Devi in Kheora, Brahmanbaria District, British India, in what is now Bangladesh. Her father, originally from Vidyakut in Tripura, was a Vaishnavite singer known for his devotion. He had a detached persona. They lived in poverty, and lost many children in their infancy. Nirmala attended the village school for approximately two years.^[4] Although her teachers were pleased with her ability, her family thought she was dullminded because of her indifference and constantly happy demeanor. When her mother once fell seriously ill, relatives remarked with puzzlement about the child remaining apparently unaffected.

In 1908 at the age of thirteen, in keeping with the rural custom at the time, she was married to Ramani Mohan Chakrabarti of Vikramapura, whom she would later rename Bholanath.^[4][5] She spent five years after her marriage at her brother-in-law's home, where she was in a withdrawn meditative state much of the time. It was here that a devout neighbour considered insane, Harakumar, developed a habit of addressing her as "Ma", and prostrated before her morning and evening in reverence.^[6] When Nirmala was about seventeen, she went to live with her husband in Ashtagram. In 1918, she moved to Bajitpur, where she stayed until 1924. It was a celibate marriage—whenever thoughts of sexuality occurred to Romani, Nirmala's body would take on the qualities of death.^[7] On the full moon night of August 1922, at midnight, twenty-six-year old Nirmala enacted her own spiritual initiation. She explained that the ceremony and its rights were being revealed to her spontaneously as and when they were called for.^[6] She later stated, "As the master (guru) I revealed the mantra; as the disciple (shishya) I accepted it and started to recite it."^[8]

In Dhaka[link]

Nirmala moved to Shahbag with her husband in 1924, where he had been appointed caretaker of the gardens of the Nawab of Dhaka.^[5] During this period Nirmala went into ecstasies at kirtans in a manner similar to that of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.^[4] Nirmala continued to perform household tasks, and also continued to practice silence, and was in a withdrawn state of ecstasy much of the time. These states began to interfere with her daily work.^[9] In 1926, she set up a Kali temple in the Siddheshwari area and devoted herself to spiritual practices.^[5] Nirmala underwent a mystic experience while praying in the temple one day.^[5] In a deep meditative state, she held difficult yogic positions for long periods and spontaneously formed complex tantric hand positions and gestures.

During the time in Shahbag, more and more people began to be drawn to what they saw to be a living embodiment of the divine.^[10] Jyotiscandra Ray, known as "Bhaiji," was an early and close disciple. He was the first to suggest that Nirmala be called Anandamayi Ma, meaning "Joy Permeated Mother", or "Bliss Permeated Mother". He was chiefly responsible for the first ashram built for Anandamayi Ma in 1929 at Ramna, within the precinct of the Ramna Kali Mandir.^[11]

Scholars were attracted to Anandamoyi Ma's spirituality and teaching, though she called herself "a little unlettered child".^[4] Mahamahopadhyay Gopinath Kaviraj, Sanskrit scholar, philosopher, and principal of Sanskrit College in Kolkata and the physician Triguna Sen were among her early followers.^[5] Uday Shankar, the famous dance artist, was impressed by Anandamoyi Ma's analysis of dance, which she used as a metaphor for the relationship between people and God.^[5]

In Dehradun[link]

Ma Anandamayi Samadhi Mandir, Kankhal, Haridwar

Sri Anandamayi Ma statues in the Ananda Jyoti Mandir, Varanasi

In 1932, Anandamayi Ma moved to Dehradun with her husband.^[5] From that time, until her death in 1982, she traveled across the subcontinent, never staying more than two weeks in the same place.^[12] Several ashrams and teaching hospitals were established in her name by devotees at Ramna (near Shahbag) and Kheora in Bangladesh, and Benares, Kankhal and other parts of India.^[5] Twenty-five ashrams are named after her.^[5] She also renovated many dilapidated holy places, including Naimisharanya, where she set up a temple and arranged for the recitation of holy names and the performance of kirtan and other religious rites.^[5] During this period many people, such as Arnaud Desjardins, the French producer of spiritual films, Melita Maschmann, the German novelist, and Dr. Colin Turnbull, the English author, became her disciples.^[4]

Kamala Nehru, wife of the future Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, became a devotee in 1933. Anandamayi Ma was then staying at a small temple in Dehradun, while Jawarharlal Nehru was incarcerated by the British in Dehradun jail. Later she took Kamala to the Ambika temple in Kajpur to perform a three-day yajna. She gave to her daughter Indira the rosary which Mataji had given her.^[6] Mahatma Gandhi came to hear of Anandamayi through Kamala and sent his aid, Jamnalal Bajaj, to see her. He in turn became a devotee. After the unexpected death of Bajaj, she went to Wardha to console Mahatma Gandhi.^[6]

Death[link]

She died on 27 August 1982 in Dehradun, and subsequently on 29 August 1982 was given Samadhi in the courtyard of her Kankhal ashram, situated in Haridwar in North India,^[5][13][14] a shrine was later erected over the samadhi, now known as the “Ananda Jyoti Peetham”.^[15]

Teachings[link]

Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma never prepared discourses, wrote down, or revised what she had said. People had difficulty transcribing her often informal talks because of their conversational speed, further the Bengali manner of alliterative wordplay was often lost in translation. A devotee, Brahmachari Kamal Bhattacharjee, however made attempts to transcribe her speech before audio recording equipment became widely available in India.^[6]

A central theme of her teaching is "the supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to self realization. All other obligations are secondary" and "only actions that kindle man's divine nature are worthy of the name of actions". However she did not ask everyone to become a renunciate. "Everyone is right from his own standpoint," she would say.^[4] She did not give formal initiations and refused to be called a guru, as she maintained that "all paths are my paths" and kept saying "I have no particular path".^[16]

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Autobiography of a Yogi—The Bengali "Joy-Permeated Mother" (Ananda Moyi Ma)

She did not advocate the same method for all. "How can one impose limitations on the infinite by declaring this is the only path—and, why should there be so many different religions and sects? Because through every one of them He gives Himself to Himself, so that each person may advance according to his inborn nature." Though she was a Tantric, Anandamayi Ma blessed Saivites, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Muslims and Christians equally. Even now, the Muslim population of Kheora still refer to her as "our own Ma".^[6] She taught how to live a God-centered life in the world and provided the living inspiration to enable thousands to aspire to this most noble ideal.^[4] She also advocated spiritual equality for women; for example, she opened up the sacred thread ritual, which had been performed by men only for centuries, to women. Her style of teaching included jokes, songs and instructions on everyday life along with long discourses, meditation and reading of scriptures.^[16]

Paramhansa Yogananda wrote about her in his Autobiography of a Yogi. His meeting with her is recounted in the chapter titled "The Bengali 'Joy-Permeated Mother'", where she explains her background:

"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 change around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same."

The Publication Department of Shree Shree Anandamayee Charitable Society in Kolkata regularly publishes her teaching in the periodical Anandavarta Quarterly. The Shree Shree Anandamayee Sangha in Haridwar organizes the annual Samyam Mahavrata congregation to devote a week to collective meditation, religious discourse and devotional music.^[4]

Question of sadhana[link]

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At the age of fifteen, whilst sitting by a lake in Bajitpur, Nirmala had the inspiration to inquire as to what it would be like to be a religious aspirant (sadhaka). She then began what she would later describe as a 'game' (Hindi "khel") of investigating the path of the sadhaka. When Nirmala would sit for worship, she would witness her body perform yogic asanas and mudras hitherto unknown to her and Romani. She described these forms as arising automatically as in the manner of factory machinary when talking to devotees in later years. To the puzzlement of those around her, whilst in Shahbagh she became unable to feed herself. She would find that she could not bring her hand to carry food to her mouth. Consequently Bholenath or female rununciates used to feed her in the manner of an enfant child. Unable to comprehend the meaning and origin of Nirmalas religious practices at the time, Romani consulted priests, excorcists and medical doctors about Nirmalas condition, until a medical doctor reassured him that she was not insane.

After her marriage to Romani, Nirmala would also fall into ecstacies or trances at public kirtans, in a manner reminiscent of the Vaishnava spiritual personality Chaitanya. This led locals to accuse her of hysteria. Nirmala told Yogananda that when Romani once made physical advances to her, he received an intense electric shock. From henceforth they lived like wandering ascetics rather than householders.

Anandamayi Ma's identity and state[link]

This section is written like a personal reflection or essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (March 2012)

According to what she later related to devotees; after completing her domestic chores and cooking, Nirmala would withdraw into her religious practices, where she felt there was a distinct inner guide instructing her in which religious actions to perform. When she would poise a questions about the religious actions, instantly an answer would appear. She once questioned her guide on who it was, on which the instant response came "Your Shakti" (your power). The voice then prohibited her from paying obseisance to anyone in the customary or religious Hindu manner (by bowing or touching an elders feet). This would cause offense to her orthodox father when he visited her (seeming as a snub), however as she was observing strict silence (maun) she was unable to explain the significance to him at the time. Nirmala was also until then in the habit of bowing to the forms that surrounded her as manifestations of God. When she questioned the rule against her paying such obseisance, the voice responded "to whom do you want to make obesaince? you yourself are everything". At this point she came to realize her identity with the physical universe.^[17]

Anandamayi often described her presence as that of an infant child ("chhotee bachee"), and referred to her body as "yeh shorir" (this body). She described her state as immutable. She once explained to Amulya Gupta, a devotee and chronicalist, that her englightened state preceded and was present at her "birth" (or in her description what the worldly viewpoint perceived as her birth). She differetiated this from the philosophical doctrine that describes one as always enlightened only one does not realize it until one's self realization.^[18]

In "Mother as Revealed to Me" Jyotish Chandra Roy noted that when asked who she was she would respond something akin to "whatever is said, that". Roy also noted her utterences in what became known in English translation as "Mother Reveals Herself", in which she stated she was able to see the future in the manner in which people look in the mirror and could also recall the exact events at her birth from memory. However she would usually refuse to give prophecies, describing them as "sansaric" (worldly) and instead usually request the questioner to take to a religious life or else take on a personal quest for God/Truth.

Other devotees noted that when asked who she was, she responded that because she had no Aham-Buddhi (literal existence-experience of 'I-am') she could not say who or what she was, therefore was whatever the questioner thought she was.

She denied having any personal mission or motives, stating she travelled about on "kheyal" or where ever devotees invited her. When people would ask her questions she either explained that the answer would come according to "kheyal" (sudden inclination/inspiration) if at all, or else compared her body to a musical instrument such as a drum or bell, stating "as you play the instrument so shall you hear". When people argued with what she said or asked questions with a ulterior motive, she would remain silent.

However she also explained to devotees that all her actions, insights and revelations had been for "you all".

The thoughts of the Ma[link]

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Her public utterances seem to teach a kind of absolute theism, i.e. that only God exists, that all names and forms are His names and forms. "Vah he hai." ("He/That only is"). That He is identical with the Supreme Essence of everything (Atma). She often said "Hari katha he katha, aur sab vritha vyatha" ("exposition of God is the only exposition, everything else is futility and pain"). Anandamayi stated that God was self revealed, and that religious practices were only a means to remove the veil of ignorance that concealed him from the devotee.

She explained that the way to realize God was to become restless for Him (His Revelation). She accepted traditional modes of worship as well as philosophical enquiry. She encouraged people to follow their Gurus/religions instructions, or else to take whichever name of God was most appealing to their hearts and mind and to call out to Him with it constantly and unceasingly. She once advised a young woman who said she was an atheist to sit down in a calm state and meditate on her breath.

She advised a firm adherence to truth, saying that by doing so everything could be obtained on the spiritual path. She also advised those that chose a path or life of service that they should do so with the idea that it was God they were serving, or else they could fall prey to egotism.

She taught that "the supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to self realization. All other obligations are secondary" and "only actions that kindle man's divine nature are worthy of the name of actions". She often said "Apne ko paana Bhagavaan ko paana, Bhagavaan ko paana Apne ko paane"- "to find yourself is to find God, and to find God is to find yourself".

Anandamayi always showed a outward reverence for ascetics, renunciants and devotees who had had renounced the wordly life and devoted their lives to God. Once when asked how someone would know whether to chose the renunciate life, she responded "would one deliberate on whether to flee a massacre?". On another occasion when a widower appraoched him in his grief she laughed and told him that there was one less obstacle between him and God.

She did not however ask everyone to become a renunciate, and instructed householders that they could draw close to God whilst mainting a family life by seeing God's presence in their family members and serving Him in that manner, and by maintaining the attitude of a 'manager' rather than 'master/owner' (i.e. the latter being God's role). Then by devoting free time to worship and meditation. She often requested all householders to set aside a fixed daily time reserved exclusively for divine contemplation, even if for only five or fifteen minutes to begin with.

Books on Sri Anandamayi Ma[link]

• Banerjee, Shyamananda (1973). A Mystic Sage: Ma Anandamayi: Ma Anandamayi. s.n.. 
• Bhaiji (1975). Sad Vani: A Collection of the Teaching of Sri Anandamayi Ma. translated by Swami Atmananda. Shree Shree Anandamayee Charitable Society. 
• Bhaiji. Matri Vani — From the Wisdom of Sri Anandamayi Ma. translated by Swami Atmananda. 
• Chaudhuri, Narayan (1986). That Compassionate Touch of Ma Anandamayee. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-0204-7. 
• Datta, Amulya Kumar. In Association with Sri Ma Anandamayi. 
• Fitzgerald, Joseph; Alexander Lipski (2007). The Essential Sri Anandamayi Ma: Life and Teaching of a 20th Century Indian Saint. World Wisdom. ISBN 978-1-933316-41-3. 
• Ganguli, Anil. Anandamayi Ma the Mother Bliss-incarnate. 
• Ganguly, Adwaita P (1996). Yuga-Avatar Sri Sri Ma Anandamayee and Universal Religion. VRC Publications. ISBN 81-87530-00-6. 
• Giri, Gurupriya Ananda. Sri Ma Anandamayi. 
• Hallstrom, Lisa Lassell (1999). Mother of Bliss. US: Oxford University Press. ISBN ISBN 0-19-511647-X. 
• Joshi, Hari Ram (1999). Ma Anandamayi Lila, Memoirs of Hari Ram Joshi. Kolkata: Shree Shree Anandamayee Charitable Society. 
• Kaviraj, Gopinath (1382 B.S.). Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi: Upadesa O Prasnottara. Kolkata: Pasyant Prakasani. 
• Kaviraj, Gopinath (1967). Mother as Seen by Her Devotees. Varanasi: Shree Shree Anandamayee Sangha. 
• Lipski, Alexander (1983). Life and Teachings of Sri Anandamayi ma. Orient Book Distributors. 
• Maschmann, Melita (2002). Encountering Bliss: My Journey Through India with Anandamayi Ma. trans. S.B. Shrotri. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-1541-6. 
• Mukerji, Bithika (1998). A Bird on the Wing — Life and Teachings of Sri Ma Anandamayi. Sri Satguru Publications. ISBN 81-7030-577-2. 
• Mukerji, Bithika (2002). My Days with Sri Ma Anandamayi. India: Indica Books. ISBN 81-86569-27-8. 
• Mukerji, Bithika (1970). From the Life of Sri Anandamayi Ma. India: Sri Sri Anandamayi Sangha, Varanasi. 
• Ramananda, Swami (2002). Bliss Now: My Journey with Sri Anandamayi Ma. India: Select Books. ISBN 978-1-59079-019-9. 
• Ray, J. Mother As Revealed To Me, Bhaiji. 
• Yogananda, Paramhansa (1946). Autobiography of a Yogi. New York: Philosophical Library. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sri Anandamayi Ma

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sri Anandamoyi Ma

• Official Anandamayi Ma website
• MatriVani, a compendium of Anandamayi's teachings
• A timeline of events