Gopal's Ma

Gopal Ma

Born as Aghormani Devi(1822) at Kamarhati, Kolkata. She was a child widow. She was initiated with her chosen deity (Child Krishna) and given  Gopala mantra. Since then, her spiritual life began. She has devoted her whole love, life and energy to the child Krishna.

She was born in a orthodox brahmin family. She shaved her head as customary rules for a widow. She started a hermit life with a little money  she got from selling her jewellery and properties. She led a intensively contemplative life in a temple garden at Kamarhati.

Here is the little description of  her daily routine for more than 30 years starting from 1852 till 1883.
She would rise at 2 am to do her spiritual practices (pooja, japa and tapa) till 8 am. She cleans the temple and all the pooja vessels, picking flowers, making garlands and sandal paste for the temple deities. And then she takes  a bath at the Ganga river and meditate under a Bilva tree. After meditation she will cook food and offered it as prasad for the the boy Krishna. She partakes the prasad and takes little rest. She then starts again her japa until evening . It is followed by listening to the bhajan and kirtans sang in the temple. She takes a light supper at night and starts her japa again until midnight.

Gopal Ma stayed here alone

In 1884 she met her Guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Sri Ramakrishna has never talked any spiritual matters to Gopal's Ma but he was the one who started to call her as Gopal's Ma. He would ask for food whenever she contacted him. 1885 she gained a vision that Sri Ramakrishna is melting into boy Krishna. Since then, she started to have uninterrupted visions of boy Krishna day and night - singing, dancing and playing. Sri Ramakrishna has told her that she has attained the goal of her spiritual practices.  

She was grief stricken when Sri Ramakrishna passed away (1886). But she had the repeated vision of the Master who had consoled her and brought her out from the grief. She went on with her daily routine of doing japa with her Gopala Mantra. Occasionally, she visited the Baranagore monastery (Sri Ramakrishna's monk disciples stayed here, led by Swami Vivekananada). She fell ill in 1903 but never stop her daily japas. She had chanted her Gopala Mantra million and million of times until the day of her demise. She was taken care by Sister Nivedita during her last few years. She died on 9th July 1906 at the bank of the river Ganga.