Sri Anandamayi Ma

Sri Anandamayi Ma - 'The Blissful Mother'

Anandamayi Ma was very sensitive to religious ritual as a young child. In the Temples she was seen to be gazing out into space with a distant stare. She saw religious figures emerging out of religious statues then re-entering, all signs of tremendous spiritual fervor. Her schooling was very limited and her writing skills very poor. She married when she was very young, but her husband never consumated the marriage. He saw great spiritual qualities in her and became her first disciple.

Anandamayi Ma did not have a Guru, but was consumed with love. She would drop into exalted states of trance, often dancing for many hours. Travelling through out India, she lived a nomadic life for many years, attending many religious festivals - her reputation quickly spread, as did the number of her disciples.

Noted for her yogic disciplines, Anandamayi Ma was not aligned to one path. She like many of India's great saints was on the edge of many spiritual traditions. She touched the hearts of countless numbers of pilgrims over her long life.