When a Goddess Dies: Worshipping Ma Anandamayi after Her Death

369 Pages·2014·36.43 MB·English

by  Orianne Aymard

When a Goddess Dies

WHEN A GODDESS DIES
Worshipping Mā Ānandamayī after
Her Death
z
ORIANNE AYMARD
1
3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Aymard, Orianne.
When a goddess dies : worshipping Ma Anandamayi after her death / Orianne Aymard.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–936862–4 (pbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978–0–19–936861–7
(cloth : alk. paper) 1. Anandamayi, 1896–1982—Cult. I. Title.
BL1175.A49A86 2014
294.5′61—dc23
2013037639
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
A God Died Yesterday
With the passing of Ma Anandamayee an era in the annals of Indian culture
has come to a close.
Ma, as she was known to Her innumerable devotees in this country and
abroad, was a saint in the tradition of the greatest Indian mystics. She had,
in her own particular way, stood as a formidable bulwark against the erosion
of traditional Indian values and culture at a time when these had come under
heavy onslaught from within the nation itself.. .
For millions of men and women who made the journey to her door Ma
had come to crystallize the peace and universality which is so peculiar [par-
ticular] to the Indian culture. The Indians, the westerners from wherever they
came—the very best minds of nearly four generations—some of them leading
writers, philosophers, spiritualists, scientists and politicians—all who flocked to
her luminous door were found returning to their respective niches enriched with
humanity’s rarest and best achievement—love.
That was Ma Anandamayee . . . Her spirit is as eternal, as everlasting as
India herself. She was amongst the finest of Mother’s India offspring.
The Himachal Times, August 29, 1982

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. Aspects of the Postmortem Cult of the Guru 38
2. The Cult of Relics in Hinduism 67
3. Death of the Guru 110
4. Presence of the Guru 152
5. Sustainability of the Postmortem Cult 197
Conclusion 247
Notes 261
Glossary 303
Bibliography 307
Index 329

Acknowledgments
As I fInd myself writing my acknowledgments, I think this is probably the
most difficult part of my book. How to thank all those who helped me to
make this book a reality? Many people have contributed to it in their own
ways, and it is not an easy task to express how grateful I am to all of them.
The list is long and varied, ranging from academics to neurosurgeons in
India and France.
If this book is a great intellectual adventure, it is also much more. Its
birth took place on a hospital bed in Dehra Dun, in Northern India. While
in a critical medical state, I promised myself to write on Mā Ānandamayī
(Mā), if I came through the crisis. Having made this promise, I had no
other choice but persevere until I published. This book, then, is a real
liberation and represents a true victory of life over death.
My thanks are especially directed to:
Marie-Andrée Roy, also nicknamed Ma, for guiding me on this “pil-
grimage on the path of knowledge,” to refer to her own words. To me she
is a model scholar, an advisor and a friend. I am deeply indebted to her for
her enlightened guidance.
Mathieu Boisvert for his great insight and his continuous optimism.
Having traveled in India with Mathieu, either at the feet of the Shivling
Mountain, the Ardhakumbhamelā in Allahabad, or to the sacred place of
Hardwar, I thank Mathieu for deepening my understanding of India.
Leslie Orr for having truly enriched my academic reflections and
helped me reconnect with the academic sphere after intense humanitar-
ian missions.
John Stratton Hawley for his encouragements and inspiring advice for
the publication and beyond. I am deeply impressed at how such a great
scholar can be so humble and humane at the same time. This publication
could hardly have taken place without his help.