Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), or Blissful Mother, had reached full Self-realization without the help of any system or Guru and without great effort. She freely went into trances and during a deep state of Samadhi, she realized the whole universe as her Self and then saw how the One appears as the many. Having hardly any education to speak of, she perplexed educated people with her profound answers ever since her realization. When she was thirteen years old she was traditionally married and came to stay with her husband when she was eighteen. However, this was not to be a normal relationship of married couples, instead her husband learned that she was different and eventually, became her disciple. At times she displayed Hatha Yoga asanas and produced Mantras without ever having learned these systems. Others around her soon fell into Trance and her reputation started to spread and it did not take long before her disciples grew in numbers. It is known that Yogananda had visited her as had Daya Mata and many more. Of course, people would also come to seek healings of all kinds of afflictions. The usual anecdotal reports of other extraordinary events are recorded. At one point, Anandamayi Ma quit feeding herself. It is said that her body refused to hold any food. From that point on, around 1924, her worried devotees undertook the task of feeding her. But even when fed, she ate very little. When asked about the best way to realize God as the Self, she recommended the path of Devotion (Bhakti), also favored by religions including Christians, and the path of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga) favored by Shankara, Ramana Maharshi, and all Vedanta and philosophically-minded people. As in the tradition of Vedanta, she insisted that there is only one God and nothing else.

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Another Biography of Anandamayi Ma

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