Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata, June 9.

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his faithful followers!

 

Here is an other drop of nectar;

In Satyaraj's book 'Vaisnavi' on page 74 one can read:

 

"...Little information can be found regarding this extraordinary

18th century figure. Ganga Mata Goswamini was probably the first woman

in Caitanya Vaisnavism who built a reputation as a devotee

purely on the basis of her own learning and spiritual achievements

and who founded her own spiritual "family".

 

Her original name was Saci(...) She was a daughter of a rich landowner

in Puntia in Orissa and took initiation from Hari-das Goswami of Vrndavan.

On the orders of her spiritual master she went to Radha Kunda, where she

lived for several years with her God-sister Laksmipriya.

 

Afterward, she was again instructed by her spiritual master to establish

herself in Jagannath Puri (...) She took up residence at the home of

Sarvabhauma Battacarya, an important disciple of Caitanya during His years

in Puri. When she came there, there was only a salagrama sila named

Radha-Damodara being served at this house. She gradually expanded the

service. Saci gave discourses on the Bhagavata purana which attracted large

audiences. The king of Orissa, Mukundadev, had a dream of Jagannath who told

him to make a donation of land for the service of the Deity. Prior to this,

Saci had begged in order to maintain this service. Near the home of

Sarvabhauma is a tank which is known as the white Ganges (Svetaganga) into

which the water from the Jagannath temple, including the water which is used

for bathing Jagannath, is drained. Once, on the auspicious occasion for

bathing of Mahavaruni, which takes place in the middle of the night, she was

washed by the currents of the Ganges up to the gate of the Jagannath temple.

The temple guards thought that she was a thief and had her arrested. King

Mukundadev once again had a dream of Jagannath who told him that he should

set her free. Mukundadev and many of the sevayats of Jagannath eventually

took initiation from her (her line traces its lineage back to Gadadhara

Pandit and wears the distinctive nupur style tilak).

 

Because she had been washed by the Ganges water which springs from the feet

of Lord Jagannath, Saci became known by the name of Ganga Mata...

The house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya is now more commonly known as Ganga

Mata's Math and is one of the major houses of Vaisnavism in Puri..."

(Gaudiya Vaisnava Abhidan, 1197-8)

 

YS,

KKdd.