November 30 2015 Monday: Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi)
30-November-2015 (Monday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Second Part
Swami Saradeshananda
20. The Four Women Companions of the Mother– 3
3. Bhanu-Pisi (or the Aunt Bhanu), whose actual name was Managarabini, was born near the Holy Mother’s paternal home. The Pisi’s father engaged the Holy Mother’s father as a priest for the sacrificial rituals at his house, and was therefore the later’s Yajaman. According to the villagers’ conception of relationship, Bhanu was a Pisi, aunt, of the Mother because of the formar’s father being a Yajaman of the latter’s father. As she was practically of the same age as the Holy Mother, they were firneds from their childhood. She was married to a resident of Shambazar, but became a widow at an early age. She had a daughter born to her, who also died early. After becoming a widow, she came and lived with her father. She had imbibed the devotion of the Vaishnava type at her husband’s home. She had had also the Darshan of the master and received his blessings. Bereft of her husband and daughter, this widow took shelter under the Mother who made her life happy again by her loving affection. The disciple-sons of the Mother were her ‘grandsons’, and at their call of ‘granny’ her heart would be filled with joy! There were many who had the good fortune of witnessing the unique devotion of her heart for the Mother, as well as her motherly love for her. She sometimes accompanied the Mother when the latter went to Calcutta, or on a pilgrimage. Once when the Mother was sick at the Jagadamba Ashrama at koalpara and was brought to her about this at jayrambati, we were astonished to see the old lady was actually pining for a look at the Mother, and asking anybody and everybody for news about the Mother’s health. The whole day she was simply going in and coming out of the house, and, standing by the side of the road, entreating people with tear-filled eyes, “Please take me once to the Mother. Let me cast my eyes on her even once.” Her name Managarabini was first abbreviated into mani and then into Bhani. The devotees converted it into Bhanu, and she became ‘Bhanu-Pisi’.
[Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi) – Swami Saradeshananda. Translated by Prof. J. N. Dey. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore Madras-600004: p 229 – 230]
