Howrah Howrah (, , alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

Ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (<

Sibpur Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the ...

,

Howrah Howrah (, , alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is ...

, India. Even as a child she possessed a strong tendency toward

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

spirituality. By her thirteenth year, Gauri Ma had developed a distaste for marriage, telling her mother, "I shall marry only that bridegroom who is immortal," meaning she wished to marry

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

and no other. When Gauri Ma was young she had received from a

yogini A yogini ( Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: ) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet ...

a stone image of Sri Krishna. The yogini told her, "This image of God is my all in all and is alive with Divine energy. He has fallen in love with you, so I am handing him over to you. My child, worship him. It will do good to you." Gauri Ma accepted the gift and took the image of Sri Krishna as her husband. For the rest of her life she carried the stone image with her and served him lovingly. Gauri Ma received initiation from Sri Ramakrishna at an early age in Ghola. In 1875 Gauri Ma left with relatives and neighbours to go on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to Gangasagar. On the third day of her stay, she disappeared into a crowd of pilgrims, disguising herself as a sadhvi to evade recognition. She began travelling by train and by foot to holy sites and monasteries throughout India. During her years of pilgrimage Gauri Ma practised severe austerities such as

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

, observing silence, and long hours of

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

. She also spent a great deal of time studying the Hindu scriptures.

Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi

Gauri Ma lived as a companion to Sarada Devi, the wife of Ramakrishna, whenever she was at

Dakshineswar Dakshineswar is a locality in the North 24 Parganas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and is very close to Kolkata. This place is historically famous for Dakshineswar Kali Temple, locally known as Maa Bhabat ...

. Gauri Ma also sometimes cooked for her Guru

Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

, and sang to him. Ramakrishna had a very high opinion of her, declaring, "Gauri is a perfect soul – a

gopi Gopi ( sa, गोपी, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of Krishna within the Vaishnavism and Krishnaism traditions for their unconditional love and devotion ('' Bhakti'') to god Krishna as described in the ...

of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

." While Gauri Ma was living at Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna gave her the ochre robes of a sannyasini and made arrangements for the accompanying rituals. Sri Ramakrishna himself offered a bilva leaf into the homa fire. Prior to this, Gauri Ma had worn a sannyasini's robes as an external sign of renunciation, but she had not taken any formal vows. After this ritual, he gave her a new name Gauriananda. Sri Ramakrishna usually called her Gauri or Gauridasi, and some people called her Gaurma. But Gauri Ma was the name by which she was generally known. Ramakrishna encouraged Gauri Ma to settle down from her life of pilgrimage and devote herself to working for the betterment of women in India. The women of India's plight was great, and Ramakrishna wished her to work to improve their education and development, both intellectually and spiritually. Gauri Ma protested, that she had neither the proper training nor education for such a feat. Ramakrishna replied, "I am pouring the water. You knead the clay."

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intr ...

echoed Ramakrishna's praise for Gauri Ma stating, "Where is Gauri Ma? We want a thousand such mothers with that noble stirring spirit." Gauri Ma was gently reminded by Sarada Devi, "The Master (Ramakrishna) said that your life was meant for serving women – the living goddess."

Saradeswari Ashram

In 1895, the Saradeswari

Ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (<

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Swami Vivekananda visited the ashram and told Gauri Ma, "I have talked to the western people about you, and shall take you there and show them what the type of women India can produce." Swami Vivekananda wrote, "There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. Hence, in the Ramakrishna incarnation, the acceptance of woman as the Guru, hence his practising in the women's garb and attitude, hence too his preaching the Motherhood of women as the representations of the Divine Mother. Hence it is my first endeavour to start a math (convent) for women. This math shall be the origin of Gargis and Maitreyis and women of even higher attainments than these... (Letters of Vivekananda) Please show this letter to Gauri Ma, Jogin M, etc., and through them establish a women's math. Let Gaur Ma be the President there...I shall supply all the necessary expenses for that work also." (Letter from England 1896). In 1911, the Ashram moved to

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. Sarada Devi often visited the ashram, serving as an inspiration to those who were living there. For thirteen years, the ashram was located in rented houses, moving four times to accommodate its growing population. After raising funds, in 1924 a three-story permanent ashram was constructed at its present location. The sannyasinis of Saradeswari Ashram wear traditional red bordered Saree and also wear Shankhaa(a conch bangle which represents a married Bengali woman), because Sri sri ma Sarada devi didn't like women living like sanyassins and wearing ochre, therefore Gauri Maa initiated the ritual of marrying the ashramite sannyasinis with Shaligram narayan or Jagannath ji, so that they can live like married women. Gauri maa followed Vedic traditions of women taking up sanyasa and worshipping by being priestess, therefore in Saradeswari ashram all worship rituals are done by the sanyassini matajis of the order

Educational ideas

Education, to Gauri Ma, was a national duty. She taught that if the training of women is neglected, the whole nation suffers. A mother's intelligence, love and insight nurture the child. The Saradeswari Ashram, therefore, pursued programs of education that strived for the regeneration of womankind. Gauri Ma carefully selected teachers for the ashram who lived ideal lives of simplicity and purity, of high thinking, and who dedicated themselves to the cause of women. The Saradeswari Ashram had four purposes: 1. To spread education among women according to the ideas of Hinduism and society; 2. To organise women to be workers for the Ashram; 3. To give shelter to girls and widows in indigent circumstances but belonging to respectable families; 4. To help women in their endeavour to live decent and virtuous lives.Gauri-Mata, Published by the Saradeswari Ashram, Calcutta

References

External links

* http://saradeswariashram.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Gauri 19th-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Hindu religious leaders 1857 births 1938 deaths Ramakrishna Indian women religious leaders Feminism in India Indian women activists Indian Hindu nuns 20th-century Indian nuns 19th-century Indian philosophers 20th-century Indian philosophers Indian women philosophers 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers 19th-century Indian women writers 19th-century Indian writers People from Howrah district 20th-century Indian educational theorists 19th-century Indian educational theorists Women writers from West Bengal Activists from West Bengal Scholars from West Bengal Women educators from West Bengal 19th-century women educators 20th-century Indian women educational theorists 20th-century Indian educators 19th-century Indian nuns