Priestesses Honor Their Teacher in Pune

[Guest guest]

, "Devi Bhakta

<devi_bhakta>" <devi_bhakta> wrote:

> PUNE, INDIA, December 9, 2002: Seventy-five-year-old Malatibai Joshi

> is no ordinary teacher. She belongs to the first and the most elite

> batch of women purohitas (priestesses) in the city.

> Cortesy HPI

 

Dear DB,

 

I would like to add to this thread a bit and put in a 'plug' for one

of my favorit saints Upasani Maharaj of Sakori, Maharashtra. Upasani

Baba was a direct disciple of Shirdi Sai and at least a mentor if not

the Guru of Meher Baba. Upasani stared one of the first 'convents' in

India to train women as Purohits at Sakori. Here is an archieve from

Hinduism Today.

 

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/1994/2/1994-2-01.html

 

http://www.beezone.com/UpasaniBaba/upasani_baba_maharaj.html

 

Also a bit of bio on Upasani. f

[Guest guest]

This stuff is so cool.

 

It's a pipe dream but today the regional PowerBall lottery is up to

160 million dollars. In my mind I was planning the opening of a

Pagan monastery here in the States.

 

Sigh.

 

, "Frank Martin

<sriprank>" <sriprank> wrote:

> , "Devi Bhakta

> <devi_bhakta>" <devi_bhakta> wrote:

> > PUNE, INDIA, December 9, 2002: Seventy-five-year-old Malatibai

Joshi

> > is no ordinary teacher. She belongs to the first and the most

elite

> > batch of women purohitas (priestesses) in the city.

> > Cortesy HPI

>

> Dear DB,

>

> I would like to add to this thread a bit and put in a 'plug' for

one

> of my favorit saints Upasani Maharaj of Sakori, Maharashtra.

Upasani

> Baba was a direct disciple of Shirdi Sai and at least a mentor if

not

> the Guru of Meher Baba. Upasani stared one of the

first 'convents' in

> India to train women as Purohits at Sakori. Here is an archieve

from

> Hinduism Today.

>

> http://www.hinduismtoday.com/1994/2/1994-2-01.html

>

> http://www.beezone.com/UpasaniBaba/upasani_baba_maharaj.html

>

> Also a bit of bio on Upasani. f

[Guest guest]

dear shakta devotees!

 

guess what what i found in my own library this evening! a treasure!

 

The Women Saints of India" by Linda Johnsen, and came

across this passage from the chapter, "Contemporary Hindu Women

Saints":

 

"In the past century, some of India's foremost spiritual giants have

acted to redress a seeming gender imbalance in their tradition, even

when it has meant coaxing reluctant female disciples into the

limelight. One after another, major Indian teachers have passed

their spiritual mantle to women disciples.

 

Early in the l900's the controversial tantric adept, Upasani Baba,

reinstituted the Vedic tradition of _kanyadin_, a sort of Hindu

convent, and encouraged women to practice Vedic rites without the

supervision of male priests. He taught that women are capable of

faster spiritual evolution than men, and that male devotees needed to

cultivate "feminine" qualities like egolessness and purity in order

to progress. He passed his lineage to the laate Godavara Mataji, who

presided over the Kanya Kumari Sthan in Sakori.

 

Ramakrishna (world renowned devotee of the goddess Kali) passed his

spiritual authority to his wife, Sarada Devi; Paramahansa Yogananda

(who carried the Kriya liineage to the West) to the American-born

Daya Mata; Shivananda (yogi and prolific author of Rishikesh) to the

Canadian Shivananda Radha; Swami Paramananda (the first swami to

settle in America) to his niece, Gayatri Devi; Swami Lakshmana (one

of the peerless Ramana Maharshi's premier disciples) to the

rebellious young Mathru Sri Sarada; Dhyanyogi Madhusudandas (long-

lived exponent of kundalini yoga) to Anandi Ma; and Swami Muktananda

(world travelling ambassador of Siddha Yoga) to Gurumayi

Chidilasananda.

 

Papa Ramdas, one of the most homey of the popular Indian saints of

this century, shared his mission with his spiritual consort, Krishna

Bai. Sri Aurobindo, the influenctial philosopher/saint of

Pondicherry, deferred to the French woman Mirra Alfassa Richard, whom

he called "The Mother" and who administered Aurorville, the community

he founded in India, after his passing. Meera Ma (borin in l960 in

Chandepall, Andhra Pradesh), who had visions of Aurobindo since her

childhood, has moved to Germany where Euopean students have given her

a warm welcome. Her legend continues to grow. And to everyone's

surprise, the arch conservative shankaracharya of Sringeri empowered

a woman (Lakshmi Devi Ashram, Jewish by birith) to found the first

American temple to the Divine Mother in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania."

(p. 22-23)!

 

**********************************************************************

when i read this, i was so excited i wanted to share this with you

all!

 

read and enjoy!