Swami Vivekananda
CHAPTER 16
ABOUT A YEAR after the laying of the foundation stone, the four-story ashram building was completed. The temple was also finished and occupied the fourth floor. The ashram was formally opened in December 1925, when, with the performance of some auspicious rituals, the shrine was dedicated.
CHAPTER 15
AS THE ASHRAM EXPANDED, it frequently moved to new locations, but it was not possible to extend the work in rented quarters as much as Gauri Ma would have liked. The foundations of the institution were not stable, and each month there was the problem of rent. Well-wishers became keenly aware of
CHAPTER 14
THE ASHRAM at Barrackpur was thriving, but Gauri Ma soon realized that without close contact with the people of Calcutta, the work there would not spread. Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna had once counseled her, "No, child. No! This work must be done in the city." Gauri Ma, whose natural inclinations w
CHAPTER 13
ONE DAY DURING her wanderings Gauri Ma stopped at Halishahar on the banks of the Ganges River. At this beautiful place, the birthplace of the renowned poet Ramprasad, she became absorbed in deep meditation. In a meditative mood she began chanting the Durga Saptashati .
CHAPTER 12
FOLLOWING HER FIRST pilgrimage to South India, which was almost ten years after Sri Ramakrishna had left the body, Gauri Ma returned to Calcutta. She recognized that Sri Ramakrishna's instructions to her needed to take more definite shape.
CHAPTER 11
KNOWING THAT SHE would not see Sri Ramakrishna in the body anymore or hear his nectar-filled voice, Gauri Ma was grief stricken. Drawn to the Himalayas, she left Brindavan and once more went on pilgrimage, visiting Jamnotri, Uttar Kashi, Gangotri, Gomukhi, and Badrikedar. At Uttar Kashi there i
CHAPTER 10
GAURI MA THUS PASSED her days in the blessed company of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. She was filled with divine joy and a sense of fulfillment. Her mood for intense tapasya had subsided, although she always felt great joy in it. Tapasya was a part of her nature. Even in old age, she would p
CHAPTER 9
GAURI MA'S CALL to service began at Dakshineswar a few days after her unforeseeable but predestined meeting with Sri Ramakrishna. It was the early hours of morning, at dawn. The whole atmosphere was aglow with the golden rays of the rising sun. Gauri Ma was near the nahabat plucking flowers for
CHAPTER 8
AT THE INVITATION of Balaram Babu, Gauri Ma now left Jagannathpuri and went to Calcutta. Balaram Babu respectfully welcomed her to his home in Bagh Bazaar. In that large house, she was given a convenient room to stay in. This was the year 1882, when Gauri Ma had the vision of the Lord's two lot
CHAPTER 7
THROUGH HER INTENSE, one-pointed sadhana in the spiritual atmosphere of the Himalayas, her love for Krishna ripened! That love now led her to Brindavan, the scene where the drama of Krishna's life had been enacted. Although she wanted to stay there longer, she was unable to, because a distant r
CHAPTER 6
IN THE END, her family was no longer able to keep the bird in captivity!
CHAPTER 5
MRIDANI WAS NOW getting older, and her parents felt it was time for her to be married. But Mridani had already decided she would marry only someone who was immortal. She was not prepared to accept anyone but the Lord as her master.