Sri Sri Durga Puri Devi
The saint uttered “Consecrating anything to the God will never decay, that remains immortal”. Afflicted with the premature death of her progenies, sadhu’s advice had been accepted by the mother and ultimately prized with a girl-baby by dint of favourable look of the God Jugal ‘Kishore’ of Arangghata.
It was the holy day of Maha Navami tithi of Saradiya Puja, 15th October 1896 (30th Ashwin, 1303 B.S.), a divine female child was born of Venerable Bepin Behari Mukhopadhyaya and Brajabala Devi (the youngest sister of Gaurima) of Shantipur, Nadia of West Bengal. The child was called ‘Durga’ by her relatives on the mother’s side but the relatives of her father’s side called her ‘Jugal Kishori’, shortened into ‘Jugal’ or ‘Juga’.
When the child was barely a month old doing the act of sanctification Brajabala took the child to Sri Sri Sarada Devi at the Mother’s feet saying, “Mother this is your child”. The Mother lifted the baby on her lap and blessed her by placing hands upon the head of the child. Thus began from that moment the dedicated life of the child.
Swami Vivekananda was fond of the girl and used to call her affectionately by the name of ‘Khuki’. One such occasion Swamiji used to play with her, lift her to his lap and seat her on his shoulders. The child’s tiny feet, dangling in front, were touching his breast. Gouri Ma felt scared as she thought it as a sacrilege on the part of the girl. She requested Swamiji to drop the child immediately on the floor. The unperturbed Swamiji smilingly said, "The child can attract on sin, Gouri Ma! One day hundreds of people will bend their heads to the feet of the girl."
During the celebration first Durga Pujaat Belur Math in 1901 little Gugal Kishor was one of the virgin to whom Swamiji was engaged in worshipping by giving offering and bent his head to her feet. He found the little girl lost in a kind of transcendental torpor. Putting the red-sandal wood paste on her forehead, swamiji prodigiously cried out - "Am I not hurt invisible third eye of the Goddess Durga!"
Sri Sri Durga Puri Devi had been initiated by Sri Sri Ma at a young age of ten years, and was later given sannyas - at the age of thirteen years. Durga Puri Devi, the name given to her at the time of sannyas, was deeply spiritual even as a young girl, and, in time, became the spiritual mother of the ashram. It was Durga Puri Devi who lovingly looked after the ashram inhabitants and devotees who came there always with a mother's heart, full of compassion and love. Durga Puri Devi's spiritual ministry extended from 1938 until 1963. Many stories are told of her spiritual insight and of how she would carefully and lovingly guide her disciples. She has left a deep and profound mark on the ashram.
It is to Durga Puri Devi that all of us are especially indebted for a certain significant item in the possession of the Shri Shri Saradeswari Ashram. During Sri Sarada Devi's last illness, Durga Puri Devi often visited her - the ashram being proximity to the Udbhodan house where Holy Mother was staying. On one such visit, knowing that she would soon be leaving this world, Holy Mother gave to Durga Ma her most precious possession - the japa mala offered to her by Sri Ramakrishna on the famous occasion of the "Shodasi Puja". It is perhaps the most important extant relic in the lives and lineage of Sri Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sri Ma.
Sri Sri Ma gave her ultimate message to the world through Durga Puri Devi, "To those who have come and those who have not come, even to those who will come in the future, let all my children know that my love and blessings are there for each and everyone of them."
Most of the achievements and flourishness of the Ashram had been done during her regime. She was a scholar, administrator, writer and navigator to the Ashram and in every field she impriated that she was the ‘Guru’. She preached Ramakrishna-Sarada philosophy all over the India.
In 14th November, 1963 on 'Shyamachaturdashi’ tithi she went on Mahasamadhi passing the mantle to Sri Sri Subrata Puri Devi.