Shree Maa, the life of a Saint, reveals a life devoted exclusively to divinity in all its forms. Since childhood, her purity and focused determination brought her to the highest realization of the omnipresence of God. Without concern for personal comfort or gain, her life exemplifies true spiritual behavior and illustrates the ideals of human perfection.
In this enchanting biography, Shree Maa, the life of a Saint, Swami Satyananda tells the true story of Shree Maa of Kamakhya, one of the most respected yoginis of North India. Shree Maa grew up in one of the wealthiest and most prestigious families of Assam, before rejecting a life of privilege for a life of spiritual practice in the Assamese jungles. Swami Satyananda's account of her transformation into a saint is incredibly inspiring, as are the many beautiful passages describing how the yogis and yoginis of the Himalayas actually survive in one of the most remote locations in the world.
He includes eye witness accounts by devotees who have met her in India and abroad, as well as a delightful collection of Shree Maa's own favorite stories of the saints and ascetics of India. In the mid-1980s, Shree Maa's guru abruptly sent her to the United States. The story of Shree Maa's reaction to America, makes for enlightening, moving and amusing reading.
Sometimes when I read about India's saints and yogis they seem so far away, as if they belong to an inspiring fantasy world of the past, which doesn't really connect with my own day-to-day existence in Western culture. This book is a much appreciated reminder that extraordinary men and women are still being born and bred in the Himalayas, and that they're not as far away as we imagine.
A Reader
