- “Gopala’s Mother.”
- “Only a Man of Renunciation Realizes God.” – Sri Ramakrishna
- “It Takes My Mind Away From God.” – Gopal Ma
- “Where is my Gopala?”
- Sri Ramakrishna and Gopala
- Swami Vivekananda and Gopal-Ma
- Truthfulness is The Key to God-realization
- See God in All
- Dependence is Misery
Aghoramani Devi (Gopal’s Mother) (1822-1906)—A devotee of rare eminence, revered by the Master himself who named her “Gopaler Ma” (Gopal’s mother) after her chosen deity, the infant Krishna. Born about 1822 in Kamarhati, a village near Dakshineswar. Daughter of Kashinath (Ghosal) Bhattacharya. Married into a family living close by at the age of nine, widowed at the age of fourteen, having met her husband only at her wedding. Lived near her father’s home in the precincts of a temple owned by the widow of Gobinda Chandra Datta, looked after by Nilmadhav, her brother and priest at the temple. Initiated into “Gopala mantram” by her husband’s family guru, she confined herself to her room, engaged in single-minded japam for thirty years. Also assisted in the temple work. Later lived in a hut beside the temple, having sold her jewellery and land given by her in-laws for a living. Accompanied Gobinda Chandra’s widow on several pilgrimages and having gone to Dakshineswar with her one day (1884) to visit the Master, she perceived in him her chosen deity, Gopala. The Master’s grace gave an impetus to her spiritual practices. Her chosen deity Gopala “came alive” and constantly she had visions of the divine infant, playing around, asking for food or getting into some mischief or the other. The Master considered her to be the fruit-seller of Vraja who used to feed delicious fruit to the child Krishna (Swami Saradananda by Brahmachari Prakash, p. 267). She attained salvation through japam. Once when she was engaged in japam at the Nahabat, the Master declared that she need not practise japam any more as she had attained everything. He assured the incredulous woman that as she had accomplished everything it was not necessary to practise japam or austerities for her own spiritual or physical good but, if she wished, she might continue those disciplines for his welfare, pointing to himself (Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, pp. 740-41). He had even sought her blessings on one occasion (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 840). Her salutations seemed to embarrass him for he was the little Gopal and she, his mother (Ibid., p. 804). However, on his second visit to her at Kamarhati he had accepted her homage. She survived the Master by twenty years during which period she maintained contact with his monastic disciples at the successive Maths—Baranagore, Alambazar, Nilambar Babu’s Garden House, and also with the Holy Mother whom she regarded as her daughter-in-law. After seeing her at the Master’s birthday celebrations (28.2.1989), Sister Nivedita (then Margaret Noble), Mrs. Ole Bull and Miss MacLeod together visited her Kamarhati residence (Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, Vol. II, p. 762). Deeply moved, Swamiji had exclaimed, “Ah, this is the old India that you have seen, the India of prayers and tears, of vigils and fasts, that is passing away never to return.” Hearing the news of Swamiji’s death she fell down and broke her arm. Upon the onset of her terminal illness five years before her death, she was first moved to Balaram Mandir and later, consequent to Sister Nivedita’s eagerness, to her residence (17 Bosepara Lane) where she was under Sister’s personal care. Her japam would continue even in a semi-comatose state and she never failed to acknowledge a visit from the Holy Mother. Sister Nivedita arranged for her to pass her last two nights on the bank of the Ganga. Died on 8.7.1906 at dawn, her body partly immersed in the river according to custom, and her head resting on the lap of Holy Mother. Her obsequies were performed at Sister Nivedita’s residence and attended by about one-hundred and fifty women. Had begun wearing ochre cloth about 10 or 12 years prior to her demise. Had imparted initiation to Kusum Devi, her attendant, and her relative Gourmani. Donated her savings of two-hundred rupees to Belur Math. Her rosary, first in the keeping of Swami Saradananda, passed to Kusum Devi and then to Sister Nivedita. The photograph of the Master worshipped by her is now in the shrine of Holy Mother at Belur Math.
A few days later Gopal-ma went to Dakshineswar to visit the Master. After greeting him she went to the nahabat, or concert tower, where the Holy Mother lived. It was Gopal-ma’s habit to practise japa whenever she had the opportunity. While she was doing japa in the nahabat, Sri Ramakrishna came there and said: “Why do you practise so much japa now? You have plenty of visions!”
Gopal-ma replied: “Shall I not practise japa anymore? Have I attained everything?”
“Yes, you have attained everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
“What do you say? Have I really accomplished everything?”
“Yes, you have. It is no longer necessary for you to practise japa and austerity for yourself, but if you wish, you may continue those disciplines [pointing to himself] for the welfare of this body.”
Thus assured by Sri Ramakrishna three times, she said: “All right. Whatever I do henceforth will be for you.”
Her visions and play with Gopala continued for two months. During this time she was always in an ecstatic mood. She had to force herself to continue her daily routine of bathing, cooking, eating, japa, and meditation. Gradually her divine intoxication subsided; yet she continued to have several visions of Gopala a day. Since she had become convinced that Sri Ramakrishna and Gopala were one and the same, she had fewer visions of the form of Gopala and more of Sri Ramakrishna while meditating, with the voice of Gopala instructing her through him. She went to Sri Ramakrishna one day and said to him, crying: “Gopala, what have you done to me? Did I do anything wrong? Why do I not see you in the form of Gopala as before?”
Sri Ramakrishna consoled her, saying: “In this Kaliyuga if one has such visions continuously, one’s body does not last long. It survives only twenty-one days and then drops off like a dry leaf.” Since Gopal-ma had experienced the bliss of constant divine inebriation, it was difficult for her to live without it. She had no interest in mundane things. Just as a worldly person is always restless for worldly objects, in the same way her heart was restless for the continuous vision of Gopala. She felt a pain in her chest and thought it was due to the pressure of gas. But Sri Ramakrishna told her: “It is not gas. It is caused by your spiritual energy. How will you pass your time if it goes away? Let it be with you. When you feel too much pain, please eat something.” (Note: Yashoda Ma said that the body cannot bear the physical vision of Krishna, which is why she could see Him only within her heart.)
During the Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath in 1885, Sri Ramakrishna went to Balaram Basu’s house in Calcutta. Balaram had invited many devotees for the celebration. While the Master was there he spoke highly of the god-intoxicated state and visions of Gopal-ma, and at his behest, Balaram sent a man to bring her. Just before her arrival the Master was talking to the devotees when suddenly he went into ecstasy. His body assumed the pose of Gopala, crawling on both knees, one hand resting on the ground, the other raised, and the face turned up as if he were expecting someone. Gopal-ma arrived then and found Sri Ramakrishna in the posture of her Chosen Deity. The devotees were amazed, seeing that divine sight.
“Truly speaking, I don’t care for this stiff posture,” she said. “My Gopala should laugh and play, walk and run. But what is this? He has become stiff like a log. I don’t like to see this sort of Gopala!”
One day in 1887 Gopal-ma came to Balaram’s house in Calcutta. A number of devotees were also there who were aware of her high spiritual experiences, and they began to ask her some questions. She said to them: “Look, I am an old, illiterate woman. What do I know about the scriptures? Why don’t you ask Sharat, Jogin, and Tarak?” But they persisted, so finally she said:“Wait, let me ask Gopala. ‘O Gopala, I don’t understand what they are talking about. Why don’t you answer their questions?’ Hello, Gopala says this.” In this way Gopal-ma answered the devotees’ abstruse questions. They were amazed. That remarkable question-and-answer session ended abruptly, however, when Gopal-ma suddenly said: “O Gopala, why are you going away? Will you not answer their questions anymore?” But Gopala had left.
Once, when a disciple asked for some advice, Gopal-ma said: “Ask advice from Gopala. He is within you. No one can give better advice than he. This is the truth. Cry with a longing heart and you will reach him.”