Golap Ma (Bengali: গোলাপ মা) was a direct householder disciple of

Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

, the 19th-century mystic and saint, and a foremost companion of Sri Sarada Devi, his spiritual consort and the Holy Mother of Ramakrishna Order, along with her other companion, Yogin Ma. Her real name was Annapurna Devi, or Golap Sundari Devi. She was also referred to as a "grief-stricken Brahmani" in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. She played a very important role in the early development of the Sri Ramakrishna movement and stayed, until her death, in

Udbodhan ''Udbodhan'' is the only Bengali publication of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, started by Vivekananda in January 1899, with Trigunatitananda as its founding editor Over the years, it also grew into a publishing house, and remain ...

, the house where the Holy Mother stayed in Calcutta. She was popular as Golap Ma (translation: Mother Golap) among the devotees of the Ramakrishna Order.

Early life

Very little is known about the early life of Golap Ma, except that she was born into a Brahmin family in the Baghbazar area of North Calcutta, probably in the 1840s. She was married and had a son, and a daughter named Chandi. Chandi was married to Saurindra Mohan Tagore of the

Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter ...

family in Pathuriaghata, Calcutta. However, she lost her husband, son and daughter in quick succession and was grief-stricken on account of her loss. She was brought to

by Yogin Ma, who was her neighbour.Women disciples
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Sri Ramakrishna's influence

She met Sri Ramakrishna in 1885 in a grief-stricken state. He assuaged her grief and introduced her to Sri Sarada Devi. She soon became an intimate companion of the latter. Women Saints of East and West, by swami Ghanananda, published by Vedanta Press, Hollywood, 1955On one occasion, Sri Ramakrishna visited the house of Golap Ma, on 28 July 1885, as recorded in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Golap Ma was one of the major women disciples of Ramakrishna and could render him personal service ( seva) through carrying his food and cleaning his room. During Sri Ramakrishna's illness, she provided dedicated service to him and was the constant companion of Sri Sarada Devi, first in Shyampukur and then in Cossipore.

As companion of Sri Sarada Devi

After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Golap Ma accompanied Sri Sarada Devi to the holy places of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

and

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

. Afterwards, she was one of the first to report on the abject poverty of Sri Sarada Devi in Kamarpukur, and was instrumental in bringing her to Calcutta in 1888. Sri Sarada Devi used to affectionately call Golap Ma "Vijaya" and Yogin Ma "Jaya". She stayed with Sarada Devi whenever the latter stayed in Calcutta and later accompanied her to Puri, Rameswaram, Madras and other places. Subsequently, when the

house was constructed for the Holy Mother, by

Swami Saradananda Saradananda (23 December 1865 – 19 August 1927), also known as Swami Saradananda, was born as Sarat Chandra Chakravarty in 1865, and was one of the direct monastic disciples of Ramakrishna. He was the first Secretary of the Ramakrishna Ma ...

, Golap Ma came to stay there permanently. She also traveled to Jayrambati, Sarada Devi's village. As the companion of Sri Sarada Devi, Golap Ma used to perform many of the household chores and also served as a major point of interaction with Sarada's devotees. Sri Sarada Devi used to speak through her to some of the male devotees, including

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

. As a companion of Sarada Devi, she had the unique opportunity of seeing and interacting with her from very close quarters, and therefore was a major source of information on her life and activities.

Last years

She was described as kind and charitable, and during her last years, she was preoccupied with her spiritual practices. Half of her income was spent on charity to the poor and needy. Sarada Devi said that "Golap has attained spiritual illumination through japam (repeating the name of God)". Her life was simple but austere. She was literate and could study the scriptures like

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

and the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

. After Sri Sarada Devi died on 21 July 1920, Golap Ma, together with Yogin Ma and Swami Saradananda, became the spiritual mainstay for Sarada's devotees. She died on 19 December 1924.

References

External sources

* ''They Lived with God'', by Swami Chetanananda, published by Vedanta Society of St. Louis {{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Golap Ramakrishna Mission 19th-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Hindu religious leaders Hindu female religious leaders Swami Vivekananda 1864 births 1924 deaths Scholars from Kolkata