Mata Sri Sri Kalika Devi a ‘sadhika’ of a very high order was born in Varanasi on 27th October 1910. Her intrinsic abilities gained her the cognition of the supreme power and she was bestowed with divine grace at the age of 36. In the year 1959 she took the first step, integrating divinity with humanity. The strong but pious divine influence and the inner call to reach out to the entire cross section of the society laid the steps for the establishment of Matri Shakti Sevashram at Jamir Lane, Ballygunge,Kolkata. The very next year (1960) at the initiative of devotees and disciples, Matri Shakti Sevashram was shifted to Baranagar due to lack of space. Mata Kalika Devi then received the divine message from Swami Vivekananda to establish a school. Barada Devi a keen disciple of Mata Kalika Devi responded to the call of her Guru and established Matrishakti Shiksha Niketan, a primary school. Barada Devi with her usual efficiency carried on her work as a headmistress while Kalika Mata resided in a portion of the same building. Subsequently the school gained government recognition and Mata Kalika Devi left Baranagar in her quest for further spiritual pursuits. She donated the building to the school authority and left for Meerut in U.P where she resided till her last day.
By then Kalika Mata gained further spiritual elevation. Her disciples and devotees of Delhi met her at Meerut quite often finding solace in her words and her presence. Smt. Nilima Roy Chowdhury, the younger sister of Devi Barada became the first disciple of Mata Kalika Devi. Mata Kalika Devi envisioned the spark in Smt. Nilima Roy Chowdhury and addressed her as Gyanada for she could foresee her future enlightenment and extraordinary spiritual possibilities. Kalika Devi left for her heavenly abode at the age of 62 on 7th December 1972.
The responsibility of carrying forward the light lit by Mata Kalika Devi fell on Smt. Nilima Roy Chowdhury (Gyanada) who was by then already treading the path chosen and predestined for her.
Born on 23rd December 1928, Smt. Nilima Roy Chowdhury (Gyanada) attained spiritual enlightenment at the age of 53 under extraordinary circumstances. She later shifted to Kolkata from Delhi and started residing at Ballygunge where she continued with her spiritual quest and the task of bringing about a balanced confluence of spiritualism and humanism.
The Himalayas has been for centuries the blessed soil in this Universe where spiritual ascendancy gain unparallel momentum. In the year June 1981 Gyanada Devi expressed her desire to go to the Himalayas for even greater spiritual attainment attune to the traditions and ‘parampara’.
Sri Sri Swami Kesavananda Ji Maharaj 108 Gita Ratna, a senior monk at Bharat Sevashram Sangha, became the guiding force for Gyanada Devi in the coming years in every sphere. Under his guidance and help she was able to continue her penance and reach higher spiritual strata. Upon transcending to the highest levels of meditation Gyanada Devi had a vision of Gautam Buddha which gradually transformed to an image of Srimad Swami Pranabananda Ji Maharaj, the founder of Bharat Sevashram Sangha and subsequently evolved amidst the image of Swami Kesavananda Ji as though manifesting from its bosom.
Again the call of the divine beckoned her to return to Kolkata to re-establish the ashram at a village in West Bengal with ‘Shiva-Shakti’ as the ‘vigraha’(idol) and to awaken the idea of higher consciousness among the masses. The message was loud and clear i.e. pious spiritual exploration and empathy for all. Participation in welfare activities in any form were the call of the hour for those who were less spiritually possessed so that the foundation for spiritual achievement could be laid.
Swami Kesavananda Ji Maharaj decided that the new facet of Gyanada Devi had to be brought out and he granted ‘sanyas’ and renamed her Mata Gyanananda Moyee. Matri Shakti Sevashram was then established in the year 1984 at Sonarpur, village Jagadishpur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal under the observation of Swami Kesavananda Ji Maharaj.
Mata Barada Devi (Mamoni) her elder sister played a prominent role in conducting various activities of the ashram and was a key figure in the development of the ashram till the last day of her life. Devi Barada passed away on 22nd February 2010 at the age of 91. She infused the virtue of perseverance and discipline in all that she did.
Mata Sri Sri Gyanananda Moyee who is now 84 has followed the traditions of spiritualism. The disciples and devotees of Matri Shakti Sevashram under the banner of Matri Shakti Sevashram Charitable Trust are presently working towards their goal of spiritual upliftment through spiritual discourses and welfare activities under her guidance and instruction.
