~~OM~~
Shree Maa was born into one of the most extraordinary families in India, which included both extremely wealthy businessmen and highly advanced yogis.
From her earliest years her only desire was to meditate, merging her own being in the universal being the Hindus call Brahman [i.e. God]. Her spiritual radiance was such that as a young child, when local fishermen saw her walking along the beach, they would leap out of their boats and with an attitude of great faith and prayer, they would race up the sand to ask for this young goddess' blessings.
Inspired by the 19th century Bengali mystic, Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna, she left her family's home, and taking to the forests and foothills of Kamakhya, she performed sadhana in the regions of the State of Assam and in the Himalayan foothills in India. She sat most of the time on one asana in the silence of deep meditation, speaking very little, and eating practically nothing, only sandal paste mixed with water, tulsi [basil] leaves and occasional juice fed to her by disciples and devotees. Because of her intense tapasya [austerity], her body weight reduced to little more than 60 pounds. People who saw her in samadhi [deep communion with God] for hours and days at a time, called her the Goddess of the Mountain, The Goddess of the River, or simply Shree Maa, the Respected Holy Mother.
After several years, she began to roam throughout India in temples, forests, fields and homes, conducting pujas and archana to the Divine Mother, reading from the Chandi Path, one of the most frequently recited scriptures in India describing the Divine Mother Durga's manifestations on Earth. And she began to sing. Sometimes she would sing bhajans [divine hymns] all night, and devotees, filled with bhakti [devotion], would gather to be in the presence of this holy woman whose voice can melt stone, whose entire life is worship.
In 1980, in a small temple in Bakreswar, West Bengal, Shree Maa met Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Born and educated in America, Swamiji had worked for several major corporations in managerial positions before traveling to India in the mid 1960s. At a time when journeying throughout Middle Asia was arduous at best, he had traveled an unbeaten path to India's interior where he studied with a number of gurus, coming to embrace the worship of Chandi and the sacred fire ceremony, the yagya, as his primary system of worship and meditation, while undertaking great austerities in the process. On his journey he became proficient in numerous languages including Bengali, Hindi, Latin, Hebrew, Pahari, Urdu and several dialects of Indian languages among others, and developed a deep passion for Sanskrit. On meeting Shree Maa he immediately recognized in her the embodiment of the Goddess he had been actively worshipping for so long. The two traveled together throughout India, sharing dharma even when, due to cultural clashes and unrest, their own lives were at risk. It was in the early eighties that Shree Maa, in communion with her guru, Ramakrishna, was instructed to move to America to share divine love and to teach the meaning of dharma.
In 1984, with no capital and few possessions they left the shores of India for the West Coast of the United States. Shunning self promotion and publicity, they lived a very simple life dedicated to daily worship, preferring to own little, and to offer all to God.
They undertook the Sahasra Chandi Yagya, a three year fire ceremony and worship of the Goddess, without setting foot outside from the humble temple grounds they established in Martinez, California. The temple itself contained numerous beautiful murtis, statues fashioned from clay by Maa and Swami's own hands, depicting the forms of the Gods and Goddesses described in the Chandi worship.
As word of Shree Maa's presence in the Bay area spread, thousands of seekers found their way to the humble grounds of the Devi Mandir, so much so that since 1992, Shree Maa and Swamiji travel much of the world offering programs and teachings of divine inspiration.
The Mandir has managed to publish important translations of original Sanskrit scriptures by Swami Satyananda, crucial texts including the Chandi Path, Devi Gita, Kali Puja, Bhagawad Gita, Lalita Trishati, Guru Gita, Sundar Kanda, Cosmic Puja, Sadhu Stories from the Himalayas, The Nectar of Eternal Bliss, which is a biography of Shree Maa's guru, Ramakrishna, and many more.
Available also, with contributions from Shree Maa and close devotees, is "Sahib Sadhu, The White Sadhu", which is a very exciting and fascinating account of Swami Satyananda's life and sadhana in India. And, of course, Swamiji has written about the incomparable and inspiring life of Shree Maa, called "Shree Maa, The Life of a Saint".
Shree Maa has recorded CDs and cassette tapes of her own heart rending compositions and the inspired songs of Ramprasad with beautiful musical accompaniment. Instructional recordings and videos have also been made to help elucidate the translated texts and demonstrate the pujas and systems of worship.
Shree Maa has been featured in a book by Linda Johnsen entitled "Daughters of the Goddess: Women Saints of India" published by Yes International Publications in 1994. She has also been featured in numerous articles in magazines such as Yoga Journal, Hinduism Today, Yoga International, East West Journal, New Realities, Challenge, and in newspapers such as the Times of India, Contra Costa Times, India West and the Ananda Bazaar Patrika.
Shree Maa has declined all offers of temples and ashrams, preferring the solitude of her own spiritual discipline. She teaches that every home is an ashram, a place of worship, every resident is a priest or priestess, and that all acts of life can be service to God and expressions of devotion. Life itself is worship.
Shree Maa's realization is an example, an inspiration, a gift. Her Bhava comes from pure intuitive experience. Her message transcends all boundaries and religions as she builds bridges across continents, cultures and creeds.
