Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini
Disappearance Day of Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana · Ganga Puja
Appearance Day
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What is the Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini?
Devotees remember Sachi Devi, a king's daughter from Puntiya in Bengal, as Gangamata of Jagannatha Puri. The Appearance Day of Srimati Gangamata Gosvamini falls on Sunday, 13 June 2027, the same day as Ganga Puja.
Significance
Sachi Devi refused marriage from childhood. After her mother left this world, she set out on pilgrimage to Puri and Vrindavana. In Vrindavana she took initiation from Sri Haridasa Pandita Gosvami, who was the chief servant of the Govinda temple. She lived by begging, and later stayed at Radha Kunda with her godsister (and aunt) Lakshmipriya. Her guru then sent her to Puri to restore the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. There she lectured on the Bhagavatam, and King Mukunda Deva of Orissa became her follower.
Lord Jagannatha is said to have shown her Mother Ganga in a vision at the Svetaganga tank, and from then on she was called Gangamata. Her house became the Gangamata Math.
Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes her guru in the Caitanya-caritamrta:
He was respectful to everyone and worked for the benefit of all.
Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 8.56
How to observe it
Read of Sachi Devi's travels from Puntiya to Puri and of her night at the Svetaganga tank. Ganga Puja falls on the same day, so remember Mother Ganga as well. Honouring Jagannatha mahaprasada is a fitting way to think of Gangamata, for it is still sent from the temple to the Gangamata Math every day.
Questions
When is Gangamata Gosvamini's appearance day in 2027?
It falls on Sunday, 13 June 2027 in the Vaishnava calendar for Kurukshetra. The Gangamata Math records her appearance on the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jyestha.
Who was Gangamata Gosvamini?
She was Sachi Devi, a king's daughter from Puntiya who became a Vaishnava saint at Jagannatha Puri. A disciple of Sri Haridasa Pandita Gosvami, she founded the Gangamata Math.
Why was Sachi Devi called Gangamata?
She was called Gangamata because Lord Jagannatha is said to have shown her a vision of Mother Ganga as she bathed in the Svetaganga tank at Puri. Her house became known as the Gangamata Math.
Who was the guru of Gangamata Gosvamini?
Her guru was Sri Haridasa Pandita Gosvami, the chief servant of the Govinda temple at Vrindavana. His own guru was Sri Ananta Acarya, a disciple of Sri Gadadhara Pandita.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Date
- Sunday, 13 June 2027
- Also on this day
- Disappearance Day of Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana · Ganga Puja
- Spiritual master
- Sri Haridasa Pandita Gosvami
- Place of service
- Jagannatha Puri, Gangamata Math
- Original name
- Sachi Devi
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