Ānand - “Bliss, delight, joy. The Bliss that is beyond happiness and sorrow and is not affected by either.”

Sad Vani

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Anandamayi Ma, the Bliss-Filled Mother, was modern India’s first female Maha-Guru. Revered as a living embodiment of the Divine, she transcended religious and cultural norms, emerging as a powerful female guru in a male-dominated spiritual landscape. Her marriage remained unconsummated; her husband became her first disciple. From childhood, she displayed deep spirituality, entering spontaneous meditation. Declaring herself “inherently perfect,” she stated, “I was the same” throughout all life stages. Anandamayi Ma promoted no sect but urged individuals to deepen their faith, seeing the Divine in all. “Strive for being good. This mercy I beg of you all.”

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In the painting:

The ten hands of Maha-Kali behind Anandamayi create a strong association between the two, emphasizing Anandamayi Ma's shakti, divine feminine power.  In October 1926, during a Kali Puja, Anandamayi Ma revealed herself as the goddess before her devotees. As the ritual began, she entered a trance-like state, embodying Kali’s presence, leaving the crowd in awe. When she returned to normal, she was seated near the deity, radiating divine bliss.

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The red hibiscus mala is also associated with Goddess Kali symbolizing her fierce power, protective nature, and divine feminine energy (Shakti).

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The full moon stands for Anandamayi Ma's night of spontaneous self-initiation (Diksha) on Jhulan Purnima 1922. Unlike a traditional ceremony, she embodied all roles—guru, disciple, and divine presence:

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"As the master (guru) I revealed the mantra; as the disciple (shishya) I accepted it and started to recite it. The mantra now replaced the Names of God which I had been repeating earlier, as the realization dawned within me that the Master, the mantra, the Lord (ishta) and the disciple are One.”

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The snake in the painting stands for Anandamayi Ma's husband, Ramani Mohan Chakrabarti, whom she renamed Bholanatha (an epithet of Shiva). Their marriage was deeply spiritual—he became her first disciple, and their connection was one of devotion and divine grace.

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The snake also alludes to God Shiva, with whom Anandamayi Ma, as an embodiment of Shakti, shared a profound bond. From childhood, she demonstrated this innate connection: once, while visiting a village fair, her aunt left Nirmala outside a Shiva temple, asking her to wait. Hours later, upon returning, she found Nirmala sitting motionless, gazing into the distance like a statue, lost in deep absorption.

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Anandamayi Ma’s open third eye, or awakened Ajna chakra, symbolizes her connection to divine consciousness and her ability to transcend illusion (maya). Representing both the power of Goddess Kali and the Guru’s seat, it signifies her  real intuition, dissolution of ego, inner vision, and role in guiding disciples toward spiritual realization.

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In her own words:

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“When... a human being awakens to real intuition, he feels the Presence of the Mother behind the fleeting appearances and sets out in search of Her. Blessed by Her grace, his efforts are crowned with success as he realizes Her as the Prime Cause of all creation, Maha-maya. But this is not the end: experiencing Her as all-pervading, he becomes merged in Her and loses himself in the ocean of Saccidananda, Divine Being-Consciousness-Bliss.”

Sas-Vani

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The flute represents Lord Krishna, reflecting Anandamayi Ma’s deep connection to Vaishnavism from childhood through bhajans and kirtans. Anandamayi Ma’s parents were devoted to Krishna and Rama, and when asked to dress as Krishna, she would spontaneously enter a leela state, dancing in divine ecstasy.

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​The goat in the image refers to a significant event during the 1925 Kali Puja. At the request of devotees, a traditional goat sacrifice was arranged. Anandamayi Ma tenderly caressed the animal, whispering mantras into its ear, and when the sacrifice occurred, the goat remained unnaturally still, with no blood flowing. This incident led Anandamayi Ma to cease animal sacrifices in her practices, emphasizing that true sacrifice involves offering one's lower nature at the Mother's feet, symbolizing the surrender of egoism and baseness.

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The Tulsi plant is believed to be an incarnation of the goddess Tulsi, consort of Lord Vishnu. As an infant, her grandmother placed her beneath it for divine protection, and as a child, she instinctively continued the ritual.

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