Evolution of love

JAI MAA

INTRODUCTION
MA Anandamayee was in this world for a little over 86 years. The divine life, spreading bliss and joy among everyone, a symbol of the highest in spirituality, a presence revered by the holiest of the holy, by people of learning, wealth, authority and intellect. Yet, hers was not a distant presence holding one in awe and wonder. She was essentially a dear one, a mother to all, permeating every soul with warmth and affection.
The narrative which follows does not try to explain what MA really was, because MA herself said that she was what the person seeking to know thought her to be. Here then is a somewhat graphic description of the years of MA’s presence in this world, the understanding of her divinity left to the individual reader.
BLISSFUL YEARS
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
1896-1899
Extremely rare are the occasions when the Maha Maya chooses to assume physical features or the Lord of the Universe Shiva a human form. It is then for a cause to serve humanity for its welfare and education. From time eternal, India has been fortu­nate to have these God-like beings from time to time. They descend to the earth with a divine illumination from a thousand suns.
She also descends one day - MA Anandamayee bringing glory and bliss to mother Mokhshada Sundari and father Bipin Behari Bhattacharya.
Kheora is a sleepy and peaceful village in Tnpura, now in Bangladesh. MA was born there around 3.45 a.m. on April 30, 1896. Bipin Behari was origi­nally from village Vidyakoot, Kheora being his mater­nal uncle’s place. He happened to be living in Kheora with his wife at the time. A daughter earlier born to Mokhshadasundari died prematurely. With that trag­edy in mind Mokhshada [Grandma (Didima) to the devotees] took the newborn MA before a Tulsi sap­ling installed in the house in the morning and rolled the infant over and over on the ground. The ritual was repeated every day for eighteen months. When MA grew up, she did it all by herself’- an infant god frolicking in front of her other self, symbolised by the Tulsi.
Endless were her Lila’s and actions suggesting her divinity. Even before her manifestation, Mokhshada had started having visions of gods and goddesses in dream. She continued to have such vi­sions after MA’s abirbhav.
Father Bipin Behari led an unusual life prior to her birth. He suddenly left home for about 10 months, took to saffron robes and got absorbed in the constant chanting of the name of Hari. In MA’s words “My arrival coincided with the period of his mood of renunciation.”
Equally fascinating was the moment of MA’s arrival. There was no one in the room. Her mother experiencing no labour pain. That was how MA re­vealed herself. The newborn did not cry out as usual. Asked about this later, MA said, “Why should I cry. Well, I could see a mango tree through the fencing.” Her own statement is a key to understanding MA’s real self - a being possessed with the Truth at her birth.
It is pertinent to ask whether this possessor of the ultimate truth had planned her own arrival on earth. If it was not so, how could Bipin Behari’s mother, while praying at the Kasba Kali temple, feel the com­pulsion to plead for a girl child to be born to Bipin Behani while she had actually gone there to pray for a male child?
Even in her infancy, the girl was endowed with absolute perception. When she was just thirteen days old, Bipin Behari’s maternal uncle, Nandan Chakravarty, came to see the new born. Mokshada Sundari (Grandma) had completely forgot­ten the incident. She was struck dumb when MA reminded her of the visit years later. How could a thirteen-day old baby know of the visit?
There were many such incidents. She was about 10 months old then and staying at Vidyakoot. There appeared a glowing figure of a male, clad in near-saffron standing near MA and then bending down. MA crawled to him as if he was a dear one, known for ages. The figure watched her in a gaze, touched her and fondled her with infinite care and then made a gesture in the manner of worship. Grandma was close by watching. Addressing her, the man said, “This is the Mother - beyond all bonds. No one can confine her to a home”. Suddenly the man was gone.
Some people realised the true significance, oth­ers did not. She was a child of 2 years and 10 months when Grandma took her to a neighbour’s (Chandranath Bhattacharya’s) place to listen to Kirtans. The child seemed to be dozing off from time to time and Grandma, prodded her to listen to the singing. In fact, the child was in a state of trance as the spirit of singing per­vaded her. Later, MA told her mother the effect the singing had on her and described the events. Commenting on this later, MA said she always moved into a trance on such occasions, even as a child. But then the time was not ripe to give full expression to the mood. Once, in a proper mood, MA uttered the message “Singing in praise of Han is the final utter­ance - the rest is wasteful agony”.
On another occasion, at the age of three, MA burst into tears after attending a session of rural poet-singers and sat crying silently under a cluster of ba­nana trees. How could the child perceive the anguish of Radha in separation as she appeared in the court of Sri Krishna?
Well, the child remained an enigma. Once in her early childhood, MA went to a neighbour (a great grandmother) to fetch some buttermilk. This was a daily routine and she carried a pot close to her belly. Something happened and the old lady refused to give buttermilk. As the words of refusal were being ut­tered, the old lady saw to her amazement that the collected curd was oozing out of a hole in the pot. She hastened to retrieve a portion from the pot and offered it to MA. Since then, the old lady made it a point to reserve some butter milk for MA even when she was late.
Another incident at Vidyakoot.
An aunt of Mokhshada asked MA to clean the hearth and floor; the child readily completed the job. The aunt was amazed to see the work of the child and wondered how there could be marks of big palm movements in a job done by a child?

Coming back to her own home was a great relief to MA as she did not have to observe restric­tions of a married woman in a far off place, and could move around freely in her own setting among friends and relatives. She was dear to everybody and her company was sought after. Speaking of that period of her life MA said “It was like floating around, spending the time with dear and near ones. In the evening I moved around all by myself like a tramp and I felt a glow surrounding this body. As the body moved the glow moved along with it.”
She would not practise the chanting of names of God. The moment she tried, her figure was trans­formed. Even the distant chant of Kirtans would cre­ate the same reaction in her body. As she did not like others to understand the state of her mind or body, she would either sit still in a lonely corner or would wander around away from public gaze. As she realised the unusual effect of the devotional songs on her body, she became careful not to reveal this transformation. She avoided others’ company for a long time.
She was rather freer with small girls who became her playmates. There were children’s games with shells and she would always win. Nevertheless, seeing that others’ feelings were hurt, she would wilfully loose to make the opponents cheerful. Once Bholanath ob­jected and MA immediately left playing the game.
There were quite a few persons of religious emi­nence at Vidyakut who were revered by all and MA particularly enjoyed their company. She would expe­rience unusual sensations in her body and mind when­ever she was near them. Those holy persons also recognised the extraordinary qualities of Anandamayee.
Persons much older than her showed great in­terest in discussing intricate matters of religions and rituals to seek oneness with God. They included neighbours and relatives and did not take the young lady lightly.
Her keen interest in spiritual matters was evi­dent on many occasions. She could recite one hun­dred and eight different names given to Krishna and actually taught one of her aunts to memorise these names. Once she heard an old man, a distant rela­tion of Bipin Behari, chanting the Mahamantra. For some days, she would practise the chanting the same Mahamantra for some time every day. An elderly neighbour and uncle by relation, Ambika Charan would take the little girl to his house on many occasions to discuss spiritual matters, and other serious subjects. People wondered what these two so unequal in age and experience, could discuss with such seriousness. Another elderly scholar of religious books, Bihari Bhattacharya, also loved to have the company of the girl who was sort of a niece to him.
It was pleasant to hear her talking and she had but one subject to talk about: “The glory of God and the devoted religious life one should lead to receive God’s grace”. She spoke so attractively that even children were drawn to her to listen to these subjects. However, she herself always remained careful lest the physi­cal changes in her body caused by these spiritual discussions were discovered by others.
Talking about her early attraction to spiritual dis­cussions, she said “Where there is Ram (Lord) there is Aram’ (peace); absence of Ram would mean ‘Byaram’ (discomfort).
After her stay at Vidyakoot, she went to Aatpara, her husband’s home while Bholanath moved on to his, new place of work at Bajitpur. The parting was painful to everybody, as during her stay a very special bond of affection had grown between MA, all the rela­tions, and the village folk.