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Bimala Maa
(A short sketch of a glorious life)
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Bimala Maa
(A short sketch of a glorious life)
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On the morning of Sunday the 4th of January 2009, at the age of 98, Bimala Maity Maa breathed her last at her residence in the village of Bhubankalua in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Perfectly aware and in the consciousness of Shri Shri Thakur, she left this world for His abode. She spent her early life at Kokilamukh Saraswata Matha, and was well known and adored by devotees of Shri Shri Thakur. She was a well-wisher of Nilachala Saraswata Sangha and long associated with it. She was closely acquainted with some of its founding members, Banamali Dash Bhai, Durga Charana Mohanty Bhai and Chaitanya Charana Das Bhai. She had attended the Utkala Pradeshika Bhakta Sammilani many times during her lifetime and had talked about her association with Shri Shri Thakur in a number of Mahila Sabha sessions. She also visited the Ekamra Saraswata Sangha Asana Mandir to meet Surabala Maa and Narayani Maa. As an appreciation for the long relationship and goodwill, she was bestowed with honors during the platinum jubilee celebrations of Nilachala Saraswata Sangha in December 2008. In spite of her illness, on that occasion she participated in Jayaguru Kirtan, thanked the Sangha for the felicitation and answered a few questions via gestures.
Apart from Shri Shri Thakur, of all the people who knew Bimala Maa, none knew her
more intimately than her companion, since early life, Surabala Maa. This short sketch of Bimala Maa’s life has been compiled from her obituary, various anecdotes of her life as remembered and recollected by Surabala Maa and Narayani Maa.
Bimala Maa was born in 1910, in the village of Janubasan located in the Kanthi
jurisdiction of East Midnapore district of West Bengal. Her father's name was Kartika Samanta.
Nothing much is known about her father. Her mother, Karuna Maa, a 26 year old widow, along with three kids were brought to Saraswata Matha by Swami Swarupananda. The oldest among the three kids was ten year old son Kenaram, next was five year old son Ishwar, and finally the three year old Bimala. It was in 1913 during the flood of the Rupanarayan, Ajaya, and Damodar rivers that relief workers from Matha led by Swami Swarupananda rescued the four of them from imminent death.
Swami Swarupananda had communicated to Shri Shri Thakur that he was returning with a destitute family of four. Shri Shri Thakur was extremely happy with the fact that finally the Shri Gouranga Anatha Niketana was being put to its rightful use. Shri Shri Thakur urged the residents of the Matha to welcome and accept them as their own and warned that any disrespect towards them would be like mistreating Him. On a fateful day, around dusk, Swami Swarupananda arrived at the Matha with them. Surabala Maa was excited about their coming and recollects that the first sight of her father, Swami Swarupananda, holding a weak and emaciated three year child Bimala on one hand and Ishwar with the other hand, and followed by Karuna Maa and Kenaram. They took refuge at Shri Gouranga Anatha Niketan in Kokilamukh Saraswata Matha. In a few days, they slowly adjusted and adapted to the life at the Matha;
Karuna Maa took care of the cattle and the responsibility of milking the cows; in addition, she cleaned up the resident quarters. In a short time, Karuna Maa pleased everyone with her dedication and became a key sebika of the Matha. Meanwhile, Bimala and Ishwar had become good friends with Surabala and her brother Narasingha. Their time was spent running around the Matha and its beautiful surroundings. One evening, per Karuna Maa’s instruction, Bimala and Ishwar sat in front of the Asana and sang ‘Jaya Jaya’ at the top of their voices. Shri Shri Thakur happened to walk past them when returning from his afternoon stroll and saw the two of them yelling. It was perhaps the first time Shri Shri Thakur noticed them closely and asked them from then onwards to attend the evening arati. A youth Sangha consisting of Kenaram, Ishwar, Dhirendra (Narasingha), Surabala and Bimala had slowly formed in the Matha and Shri Shri Thakur had entrusted Bodhananda Maharaj with their education. The three siblings, Kenaram, Ishwar and Bimala were interested in everything other than learning. Bodhananda Maharaj would assign them study work and leave to run errands around the Matha only to find out that the children have not moved a bit ahead. Kenaram, an accomplished singer and mridanga player was entertaining the class with his tricks. Shri Shri Thakur took pity on Bodhananda Maharaj and at times took over the education of the youth; He assigned them work and conducted a test in the evening.
Subsequently, this task of educating the youth ended up with Sudhananda Maharaj who was known for his strictness; the children were not allowed to eat unless they completed their class work. Through various chores around the Matha, Shri Shri Thakur transformed their behavior to be more acceptable and disciplined. As the youngest member of the youth Sangha and her light-hearted temperament, Bimala Maa slowly became Shri Shri Thakur’s favorite. Her pranks and laughter drew her closer to Him and Shri Shri Thakur lovingly called her ‘Bimu’. She was Shri Shri Thakur’s gofer, running errands for Him all the time. Shri Shri Thakur behaved like a kid amongst the youth and educated them by telling stories with morals and singing Baul Geet. He even composed and sang a funny song centered on Bimala Maa:
“Hari Bol Aamaar Bimu Nache
Nachere Narasingha Aamaar Sange Iswarchande
Muute Muute Ghar Bhijaye Mari Tahar Gandhhe“
The rough translation would be “Chanting the name of Hari, Bimu is dancing
accompanied by Narasingha and Ishwar but then all around she pees and the home stinks”. Kids and adults alike, who watched Shri Shri Thakur singing at that moment, rolled in laughter. Here is another incident related to Bimala Maa as narrated by Shri Shri Thakur in a much lighter mood, sometime later. She was punished for some mischief and was not given any food. Finding her wandering around, one of the residents of the Matha asked her to go and beg for forgiveness from Shri Shri Thakur and then she could get something to eat. Bimala Maa was too proud and headstrong but the severe pain of thirst and hunger was severe enough to change
her mind. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she went and stood next to Shri Shri Thakur and when asked, she said “I am here to forgive you”. Shri Shri Thakur could not help but laugh.
In 1914, as a result of land related disputes, the peace at the Matha got disrupted. Shri Shri Thakur was deeply hurt and decided to leave for Kashi (Benaras). All hopes and aspirations were tied to Him and in His absence everyone in the Matha was crestfallen. Everyone prayed and eagerly waited for His return. Shri Shri Thakur returned to the Matha a few months later and was welcomed back by all residents, young and old. Their joy knew no bounds, specially the children. An incident that took place subsequently on a summer morning as recollected by Surabala Maa, a witness, was significant in the life of Bimala Maa and changed her life forever.
Shri Shri Thakur was sitting on a chair with Bimala Maa squatting at His feet and Surabala Maa fanning Him. He glanced at both of them and then His attention uncharacteristically turned to Bimala Maa. He asked Bimala Maa to hold onto His right foot with both hands and then out of the blue He kicked her like a soccer ball. Bimala Maa, a little girl of five years, flew like a ball, hit the wall and became totally disoriented. He called her back and asked her to hold His feet again. The next kick landed her on the door behind and she hit her head hard. She stood there crying and afraid, and not responding to His commands to come forward. Dismayed and scared, Surabala Maa froze and just watched this event without uttering a word. Per Surabala Maa, Shri Shri Thakur was Lord Rudra himself at that moment. This went on for a couple more rounds till Sailabala Maa (Surabala Maa’s elder sister and Swami Swarupananda’s elder daughter), who was passing by and witnessed this. Sailabala Maa ran and informed Jogamaya Maa, who then came running and intervened. Bimala Maa was hurt and her body was swollen all over. Shri Shri Thakur, red with anger, was sweating profusely. It seemed like He had the divine vision into Bimala Maa’s past, present and future, and was trying to ward off a spirit that had cast an evil
spell on His favorite Bimu. Upon Maa Jogamaya’s insistence, Shri Shri Thakur became quiet and cooled down. Sailabala Maa took Bimala Maa away and put her to sleep. Later that evening, when things had calmed down, Shri Shri Thakur asked for Bimu. She had just woken up from her sleep and came to Him without any idea or recollection of the earlier incident. On the contrary, everyone else were astonished and deeply moved. In her later life, Bimala Maa acknowledged that the disciplining she received from Shri Shri Thakur has made her so strong internally that all challenges she faced in life looked trivial. She became dearer to Shri Shri Thakur and grew up in the Matha to be a cultured and wise young woman.
One evening after arati, Shri Shri Thakur sent for two boys and announced that He was going let Bimala Maa decide her future by choosing one of them as her husband. She pointed to the one from Midnapore. Surabala Maa, who was standing next to her, inquired about her choice, “the other boy was fair, why not him?” Bimala Maa stuck to her initial choice. By then, the boys were turning red with shame. Shri Shri Thakur then said Bimala had decided her own fate, and then arranged for Dharanidhara Bhai, the future groom, to return home with a letter to his mother seeking for her approval. The next day with the fear of losing her companion, Surabala Maa tried to change Bimala Maa’s mind about marriage by instilling fears in her, like being mistreated by in-laws, the social challenges, etc. Bimala Maa listened to all the talk, stayed quiet for a moment and thoughtfully replied that “No, whatever you say, I still want to get married. Thakur has assured me that He will visit me at my in-laws’ home and no one will mistreat me. He will marry me off with sarees and jewelry, and will be there for me always. I have nothing to fear.” In Surabala Maa’s words, the confidence, self-assurance and maturity in the little Bimala Maa’s words was an attestation of the way Shri Shri Thakur has trained and transformed her. Under the veneer of outward simplicity lay her faith in Him that was unshakable.
In the month of July 1920 (Bangabda: Asada 24th, 1327), at the age of 10, Shri Shri
Thakur married her off to Dharanidhara Maity of Bhubankalua. At Shri Shri Thakur’s behest, the wedding was performed at the residence of Phanibhusan Mitra in Howrah. Phani Bhai performed the “Kanyadan” during the ceremony. After the wedding, per prevailing customs and traditions, Bimala Maa spent a brief time at her in-laws before returning to Kokilamukha Saraswata Matha while Dharanidhara Bhai went on to complete his high school education.
Dharanidhara Bhai then accepted a job with Bengal Nagpur Railway as a ticket checker.Meanwhile, Bihari Mohan Sharma Bhai, an able and capable teacher started Bimala Maa’s education. It was Shri Shri Thakur’s wish that she could at least write a letter on her own. Shri Shri Thakur abolished the Mahila section at the Kokilamukha Saraswata Matha and decided to move to Puri. Bimala Maa stayed with Him at No. 3 Giri Kutira in Puri until 1923 when she left for her in-laws. Swami Chidananda Maharaj accompanied Bimala Maa during that trip.
In her book , Narayani Maa has vividly described the moments prior to Bimala Maa’s
departure and how everyone including Shri Shri Thakur felt at the time. Surabala Maa was secretly weeping. Bimala Maa, still a child and with the exception of three months, had stayed with Shri Shri Thakur all the time after her marriage. She was excited about all the gifts she was taking with her. She never had no more than two decent sarees at anytime. All preparations for her train journey were done and a horse driven cart was arranged for her ride to the railway station. A child bride, she was all dressed up, and bowed to Shri Shri Thakur and got into the cart. Shri Shri Thakur walked out and checked if all her bags were loaded up. She was looking out through the window and the look on Shri Shri Thakur’s face was something that no one had seen often. Tears rolling down His eyes, in a heavy grieving voice, Shri Shri Thakur said, “Bimu, you are leaving me after such a long time”. Bimala Maa was quit until then; she could not control her emotions any more and started crying. The cart kept on moving ahead. Shri Shri Thakur came back and sat down with a heavy heart. One would wonder how the heart of a sannyasi, which is supposed to be dry as a desert, turned that soft that day. Shri Shri Thakur wrote in a letter (Chithi 1/46) that even He could not distance Himself from the tender and simple love of His devotees. Bimala Maa had never forgotten the face and expression on Shri Shri Thakur that day and deep inside her, she had always felt “where can I go without you, Thakur”.
The next phase of her life highlighted by how she conducted herself as an ideal wife in a marriage: running the household, serving her husband and performing Shri Shri Thakur’s daily puja and japa. In 1927, she was blessed with a son named Bibhuti but the joy was short-lived.
Her son passed away in 1929. She had difficulty conceiving after this and urged her husband to marry again. Dharani Bhai married in 1936 and had children. She was adored by her stepchildren. Shri Shri Thakur visited her at her home once in 1924 and again in 1929; the room where Shri Shri Thakur stayed is perfectly preserved to this day.
Apart from Shri Shri Thakur, of all the people who knew Bimala Maa, none knew her
more intimately than her companion, since early life, Surabala Maa. This short sketch of Bimala Maa’s life has been compiled from her obituary, various anecdotes of her life as remembered and recollected by Surabala Maa and Narayani Maa.
Bimala Maa was born in 1910, in the village of Janubasan located in the Kanthi
jurisdiction of East Midnapore district of West Bengal. Her father's name was Kartika Samanta.
Nothing much is known about her father. Her mother, Karuna Maa, a 26 year old widow, along with three kids were brought to Saraswata Matha by Swami Swarupananda. The oldest among the three kids was ten year old son Kenaram, next was five year old son Ishwar, and finally the three year old Bimala. It was in 1913 during the flood of the Rupanarayan, Ajaya, and Damodar rivers that relief workers from Matha led by Swami Swarupananda rescued the four of them from imminent death.
Swami Swarupananda had communicated to Shri Shri Thakur that he was returning with a destitute family of four. Shri Shri Thakur was extremely happy with the fact that finally the Shri Gouranga Anatha Niketana was being put to its rightful use. Shri Shri Thakur urged the residents of the Matha to welcome and accept them as their own and warned that any disrespect towards them would be like mistreating Him. On a fateful day, around dusk, Swami Swarupananda arrived at the Matha with them. Surabala Maa was excited about their coming and recollects that the first sight of her father, Swami Swarupananda, holding a weak and emaciated three year child Bimala on one hand and Ishwar with the other hand, and followed by Karuna Maa and Kenaram. They took refuge at Shri Gouranga Anatha Niketan in Kokilamukh Saraswata Matha. In a few days, they slowly adjusted and adapted to the life at the Matha;
Karuna Maa took care of the cattle and the responsibility of milking the cows; in addition, she cleaned up the resident quarters. In a short time, Karuna Maa pleased everyone with her dedication and became a key sebika of the Matha. Meanwhile, Bimala and Ishwar had become good friends with Surabala and her brother Narasingha. Their time was spent running around the Matha and its beautiful surroundings. One evening, per Karuna Maa’s instruction, Bimala and Ishwar sat in front of the Asana and sang ‘Jaya Jaya’ at the top of their voices. Shri Shri Thakur happened to walk past them when returning from his afternoon stroll and saw the two of them yelling. It was perhaps the first time Shri Shri Thakur noticed them closely and asked them from then onwards to attend the evening arati. A youth Sangha consisting of Kenaram, Ishwar, Dhirendra (Narasingha), Surabala and Bimala had slowly formed in the Matha and Shri Shri Thakur had entrusted Bodhananda Maharaj with their education. The three siblings, Kenaram, Ishwar and Bimala were interested in everything other than learning. Bodhananda Maharaj would assign them study work and leave to run errands around the Matha only to find out that the children have not moved a bit ahead. Kenaram, an accomplished singer and mridanga player was entertaining the class with his tricks. Shri Shri Thakur took pity on Bodhananda Maharaj and at times took over the education of the youth; He assigned them work and conducted a test in the evening.
Subsequently, this task of educating the youth ended up with Sudhananda Maharaj who was known for his strictness; the children were not allowed to eat unless they completed their class work. Through various chores around the Matha, Shri Shri Thakur transformed their behavior to be more acceptable and disciplined. As the youngest member of the youth Sangha and her light-hearted temperament, Bimala Maa slowly became Shri Shri Thakur’s favorite. Her pranks and laughter drew her closer to Him and Shri Shri Thakur lovingly called her ‘Bimu’. She was Shri Shri Thakur’s gofer, running errands for Him all the time. Shri Shri Thakur behaved like a kid amongst the youth and educated them by telling stories with morals and singing Baul Geet. He even composed and sang a funny song centered on Bimala Maa:
“Hari Bol Aamaar Bimu Nache
Nachere Narasingha Aamaar Sange Iswarchande
Muute Muute Ghar Bhijaye Mari Tahar Gandhhe“
The rough translation would be “Chanting the name of Hari, Bimu is dancing
accompanied by Narasingha and Ishwar but then all around she pees and the home stinks”. Kids and adults alike, who watched Shri Shri Thakur singing at that moment, rolled in laughter. Here is another incident related to Bimala Maa as narrated by Shri Shri Thakur in a much lighter mood, sometime later. She was punished for some mischief and was not given any food. Finding her wandering around, one of the residents of the Matha asked her to go and beg for forgiveness from Shri Shri Thakur and then she could get something to eat. Bimala Maa was too proud and headstrong but the severe pain of thirst and hunger was severe enough to change
her mind. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she went and stood next to Shri Shri Thakur and when asked, she said “I am here to forgive you”. Shri Shri Thakur could not help but laugh.
In 1914, as a result of land related disputes, the peace at the Matha got disrupted. Shri Shri Thakur was deeply hurt and decided to leave for Kashi (Benaras). All hopes and aspirations were tied to Him and in His absence everyone in the Matha was crestfallen. Everyone prayed and eagerly waited for His return. Shri Shri Thakur returned to the Matha a few months later and was welcomed back by all residents, young and old. Their joy knew no bounds, specially the children. An incident that took place subsequently on a summer morning as recollected by Surabala Maa, a witness, was significant in the life of Bimala Maa and changed her life forever.
Shri Shri Thakur was sitting on a chair with Bimala Maa squatting at His feet and Surabala Maa fanning Him. He glanced at both of them and then His attention uncharacteristically turned to Bimala Maa. He asked Bimala Maa to hold onto His right foot with both hands and then out of the blue He kicked her like a soccer ball. Bimala Maa, a little girl of five years, flew like a ball, hit the wall and became totally disoriented. He called her back and asked her to hold His feet again. The next kick landed her on the door behind and she hit her head hard. She stood there crying and afraid, and not responding to His commands to come forward. Dismayed and scared, Surabala Maa froze and just watched this event without uttering a word. Per Surabala Maa, Shri Shri Thakur was Lord Rudra himself at that moment. This went on for a couple more rounds till Sailabala Maa (Surabala Maa’s elder sister and Swami Swarupananda’s elder daughter), who was passing by and witnessed this. Sailabala Maa ran and informed Jogamaya Maa, who then came running and intervened. Bimala Maa was hurt and her body was swollen all over. Shri Shri Thakur, red with anger, was sweating profusely. It seemed like He had the divine vision into Bimala Maa’s past, present and future, and was trying to ward off a spirit that had cast an evil
spell on His favorite Bimu. Upon Maa Jogamaya’s insistence, Shri Shri Thakur became quiet and cooled down. Sailabala Maa took Bimala Maa away and put her to sleep. Later that evening, when things had calmed down, Shri Shri Thakur asked for Bimu. She had just woken up from her sleep and came to Him without any idea or recollection of the earlier incident. On the contrary, everyone else were astonished and deeply moved. In her later life, Bimala Maa acknowledged that the disciplining she received from Shri Shri Thakur has made her so strong internally that all challenges she faced in life looked trivial. She became dearer to Shri Shri Thakur and grew up in the Matha to be a cultured and wise young woman.
One evening after arati, Shri Shri Thakur sent for two boys and announced that He was going let Bimala Maa decide her future by choosing one of them as her husband. She pointed to the one from Midnapore. Surabala Maa, who was standing next to her, inquired about her choice, “the other boy was fair, why not him?” Bimala Maa stuck to her initial choice. By then, the boys were turning red with shame. Shri Shri Thakur then said Bimala had decided her own fate, and then arranged for Dharanidhara Bhai, the future groom, to return home with a letter to his mother seeking for her approval. The next day with the fear of losing her companion, Surabala Maa tried to change Bimala Maa’s mind about marriage by instilling fears in her, like being mistreated by in-laws, the social challenges, etc. Bimala Maa listened to all the talk, stayed quiet for a moment and thoughtfully replied that “No, whatever you say, I still want to get married. Thakur has assured me that He will visit me at my in-laws’ home and no one will mistreat me. He will marry me off with sarees and jewelry, and will be there for me always. I have nothing to fear.” In Surabala Maa’s words, the confidence, self-assurance and maturity in the little Bimala Maa’s words was an attestation of the way Shri Shri Thakur has trained and transformed her. Under the veneer of outward simplicity lay her faith in Him that was unshakable.
In the month of July 1920 (Bangabda: Asada 24th, 1327), at the age of 10, Shri Shri
Thakur married her off to Dharanidhara Maity of Bhubankalua. At Shri Shri Thakur’s behest, the wedding was performed at the residence of Phanibhusan Mitra in Howrah. Phani Bhai performed the “Kanyadan” during the ceremony. After the wedding, per prevailing customs and traditions, Bimala Maa spent a brief time at her in-laws before returning to Kokilamukha Saraswata Matha while Dharanidhara Bhai went on to complete his high school education.
Dharanidhara Bhai then accepted a job with Bengal Nagpur Railway as a ticket checker.Meanwhile, Bihari Mohan Sharma Bhai, an able and capable teacher started Bimala Maa’s education. It was Shri Shri Thakur’s wish that she could at least write a letter on her own. Shri Shri Thakur abolished the Mahila section at the Kokilamukha Saraswata Matha and decided to move to Puri. Bimala Maa stayed with Him at No. 3 Giri Kutira in Puri until 1923 when she left for her in-laws. Swami Chidananda Maharaj accompanied Bimala Maa during that trip.
In her book , Narayani Maa has vividly described the moments prior to Bimala Maa’s
departure and how everyone including Shri Shri Thakur felt at the time. Surabala Maa was secretly weeping. Bimala Maa, still a child and with the exception of three months, had stayed with Shri Shri Thakur all the time after her marriage. She was excited about all the gifts she was taking with her. She never had no more than two decent sarees at anytime. All preparations for her train journey were done and a horse driven cart was arranged for her ride to the railway station. A child bride, she was all dressed up, and bowed to Shri Shri Thakur and got into the cart. Shri Shri Thakur walked out and checked if all her bags were loaded up. She was looking out through the window and the look on Shri Shri Thakur’s face was something that no one had seen often. Tears rolling down His eyes, in a heavy grieving voice, Shri Shri Thakur said, “Bimu, you are leaving me after such a long time”. Bimala Maa was quit until then; she could not control her emotions any more and started crying. The cart kept on moving ahead. Shri Shri Thakur came back and sat down with a heavy heart. One would wonder how the heart of a sannyasi, which is supposed to be dry as a desert, turned that soft that day. Shri Shri Thakur wrote in a letter (Chithi 1/46) that even He could not distance Himself from the tender and simple love of His devotees. Bimala Maa had never forgotten the face and expression on Shri Shri Thakur that day and deep inside her, she had always felt “where can I go without you, Thakur”.
The next phase of her life highlighted by how she conducted herself as an ideal wife in a marriage: running the household, serving her husband and performing Shri Shri Thakur’s daily puja and japa. In 1927, she was blessed with a son named Bibhuti but the joy was short-lived.
Her son passed away in 1929. She had difficulty conceiving after this and urged her husband to marry again. Dharani Bhai married in 1936 and had children. She was adored by her stepchildren. Shri Shri Thakur visited her at her home once in 1924 and again in 1929; the room where Shri Shri Thakur stayed is perfectly preserved to this day.