Preface
At the earnest request of devoted followers of the Divine Mother, I have undertaken the task of writing this brief biography of Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma. However, I feel that calling Ma's life a mere biography is inadequate; it would be more appropriate to describe it as "the history of creation"-or even beyond that, "the narrative of the Supreme Ultimate Reality." From beginning to end, Ma's life is a discourse on the Brahman-an embodiment of 'Ekam Eva Advitiyam' (the One without a second). It is an ongoing reflection, expression, and illumination of the Supreme Truth.
Upon closely observing Ma's life and experiencing the extraordinary revelations that manifested spontaneously in Her earthly existence, one arrives at an unmistakable and doubtless realisation-Ma Anandamayi is not merely an individual; She is the Supreme Being. This realisation aligns perfectly with the description of the Purusha (Cosmic Being) in the Purusha Sukta (Rigveda 10.60):
"Purusa evedam sarvam Yad bhutam yaccha bhavyam"
(The Cosmic Being is everything-whatever exists now, whatever was created, and whatever is yet to be born.)
Alternatively, She can also be identified with 'Aditi', the Vedic goddess who encompasses all existence-the sky, the ether, the mother, the father, the child, all deities, and all beings. More than that, like the Supreme Being, She too is described in the Rigveda (1.86.10) as: (Aditi is that which has been born, and Aditi is that which is yet to be born.)
Can such a Purusha or Aditi, who transcends time, space, and form, be confined within the framework of a conventional biography?
Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma is not only the Purusha and Aditi of the Rigveda but also the Skambha (Cosmic Pillar) of the Atharvaveda (10.7, 10.8) and the Ucchista (remnant or remainder) of Atharvaveda (11.7). The term Ucchista means "that which remains," and Ma would often say of Herself:
"I am a child."
A child-that is, what remains! Meaning, "Purnam evavasisyate" (That which remains is the Absolute Whole Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 5.1.1).
These Vedic hymns offer the truest introduction to Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma.
It is only through the vision of this Vedic philosophical knowledge that one can truly understand Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma. Without attaining this perspective, Her real identity remains beyond grasp.
If it is impossible to write the life histories of the Vedic Purusha, Aditi, Skambha, and Ucchista, then how can it be possible to write a biography of Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma?
Moreover, She is not just these alone-like the Supreme Being, She too is described as "encompassing the entire universe and existing ten fingers above it."
Faced with such a Sahasrasirsa (thousand-headed), Sahasraksa (thousand-eyed), Sahasrapat (thousand-footed) Divine Mother, I find myself at a loss-where and how should I begin narrating Her life? Again and again, I feel that the Supreme Absolute Reality-which the Vedas refer to as "Ekam" (Rigveda 10.129.2) and which is described throughout scriptures, from the Vedas to the Bhagavad Gita, as "Tat" and "Sat"-has manifested on the sacred, sanctified land of India in the form of Shri Shri Anandamayi Ma.
But how can an "Akaama" (desireless), "Nirguna-Nishkriya" (attributeless and inactive) Supreme Reality be born? How can it assume a physical form? And what is its purpose?
This is precisely the mystery that one must seek to understand.
Only when this mystery is comprehended-through the Grace of that very Supreme Reality (Yamevaisa vrnute tena labhyah Katha Upanishad 1.2.23; Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.3)-can one truly absorb the divine words of the Bhagavad Gita:
"Janma karma cha me divyam, evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punarjanma, naiti mam eti so' rjuna"
(Bhagavad Gita 4.9) Being, She too is described as "encompassing the entire universe and existing ten fingers above it."
(Bhagavad Gita 4.9)
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