Page 41 - Amrit Varta - Issue Feb. 2023 - English

Vol. 27, No.1, February 2023 MA ANANDAMAYEE AMRIT VARTA 31

and saw kept on the cot besides Ma, a large brass plate on which was seated
quite a big and healthy looking Bal-Gopal made of black touchstone. Gopalji
had a pair of beautiful large eyes, on his hand were a silver ball and a flute and on
his head a silver crown. After all of us had bowed down to Gopalji to pay our
obeisance, Ma called me and said, “Take Gopal upstairs to the Smriti-mandir
(adjacent to the Annapurna Mandir), offer bhog and after that make arrangements
for his sleep.” Gopalji was very heavy. In the Smriti-mandir, Gopalji was placed
on a low broad stool. Later Gopalji was placed in the wooden throne which was
brought along with Gopalji. Daily we used to go to the Smriti-mandir to clean
and take care of Gopalji. Few new dresses were stitched for Gopalji too.
On the night of Krishna-Janmashtami, Gopalji was consecrated and
worshipped with the proper rituals (Shodoshopchar) and a variety of bhog etc.
was offered. Earlier during Janmashtami night we used to worship Ma in our
Puja room. But after the arrival of this beautiful black Gopalji, all the idols of
Krishna and Gopal present in the Ashram and Kanyapeeth were brought near
this Gopalji and worship and other rituals were held together in Ma’s presence.
Till now Gopalji did not have any gold ornaments. Shri Nandubhai’s wife
Kantabhen arrived from Bombay to have Ma’s darshan in Kashi. One day she
stood in front of Ma crying and while handing over a narrow gold chain from
her neck said, “Ma, take this gold chain. Yesterday whole night this Gopalji had
been pulling my chain and this has pained my neck. Even though I kept on pleading
to Gopalji that I am poor and that this is the only gold chain that I have for
presenting to my future daughter-in-law, He just did not let go the chain. Ma
took the chain and placed it around Gopalji’s neck. The golden chain was
glittering against the black body of Gopalji.
Very near to the Ashram lived Gini’di (Smt Gini Sandhya) a rich child-widow.
After observing Gopalji with only a necklace, went home and returned back and
gave to Ma a pair of golden bangles for Gopalji. So now Gopalji had a golden
necklace and a pair of golden bangles. We now waited to see how Gopalji would
collect a golden crown for Himself.
The Kanyapeeth girls as scheduled, daily went to pay their obeisance in the
Annapurna Temple and Gopal Temple. An elderly sister always went with them.
An old devotee of Dhaka Kalon’di (Smt Urmila Das) was instructed by Ma to
look after the Kanyapeeth girls. So she used to go with the girls for the pranaam.
One day while Kalon’di was doing pranaam, after the girls had departed from
the Gopal mandir, she heard a voice, “Is a silver crown likeable everyday?” She
thought somebody must have said this and departed. The next day the same
incident happened, she heard the same words, but there was no one around. Her