Maa Anandamayi Ashram
Ma Anandamayi
Ma Anandamayi was born on April 30, 1896, as 'Nirmala Sundari', in Kheora
village of East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Right from childhood, Sri Sri Ma
Anandamayi gave signs of her divinity. Being born in a priestly community of
Bengal, she was exposed to meditation and religious rituals at a very tender
age. There was a spiritual aura that radiated from her all the time.
One of the most influential spiritual personalities of the 20th century, she
got married at a very young age. Her husband also realized the divinity in
her and became one of her most loyal followers. A guru never formally
initiated Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee. Infact, it is said that she initiated
herself, when she heard the chanting of the mantras inside herself. Ma left
for the holy abode on 27th August 1982 at Kankhal, Haridwar.
Philosophy of Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi
Each and every Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi Ashram promotes her philosophy. Ma
mainly believed in serving others, without the expectation of any return.
She encouraged her followers to serve mankind and in return, not to hope for
anything, even praise or acknowledgement. As per her philosophy, asking for
something in return would make the service lose its value.
Along with that, Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee also preached that a person
should detach himself from the world and engage in religious activities.
However, she never advised people to worship one particular God. For her,
devotion of the worshipper was more important than the form of God. For her,
devotion towards God was the path to the ultimate truth or the realization
of the supreme. Ma regarded all religions, all forms of life and even
inanimate objects as expressions of the eternal truth.
List of Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi Ashrams
In India
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Agarpara - Calcutta
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Agartala - West Tripura
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Almora - Uttranchal
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Bhimpura - Baroda
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Bhopal - Madhya Pradesh
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Dehradun - Uttranchal
-
Jamshedpur - Bihar
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Kankhal - Haridwar
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Kedarnath - Uttranchal
-
Naimisharanya - Uttar
Pradesh
-
New Delhi
-
Pune - Maharashtra
-
Puri - Orissa
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Rajgir - Bihar
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Ranchi - Bihar
-
Tarapeeth - West Bengal
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Uttarkashi - Uttranchal
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Varanasi - Uttar Pradesh
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Vindhyachal - Uttar
Pradesh
-
Vrindavan - Uttar Pradesh
In Bangladesh
Shree Shree Ma
Anandamayee Ashram, Haridwar
During her lifetime, Ma Anandamayi visited Swami Akhandananda Giri's Ashram
in Kankhal quite frequently. Since she was quite attached to Kankhal, her
devotees decided to build an international center there, devoted to Ma and
her philosophy. Known as the Shree Ma Anandamayee International Centre, it
is a place where Indians as well as foreigners study and meditate upon the
meaning and message of Vedanta. |