Tribute to Urmila Desai (“Mataji”), wife of Amrit Desai

By Aileen Hansen

On July 31, Urmila Desai (“Mataji”) made her transition. She was surrounded by her family: husband, Amrit Desai, children, Kamini and Malay, and her sister, Sharmista. Mataji was 69 years old and had experienced liver failure. She died in her home at Salt Springs, Florida, and her ashes were sprinkled into the Ganges River on the 13th day after her passing, as is the custom in India. Mataji’s life was one of service, virtue and spiritual devotion.

Aileen Hansen, a devotee of Mataji’s husband, Amrit Desai, pays tribute:

Mataji graciously took my hand as I extended my arm to greet her. That was over a decade ago, but I can still remember the velvety soft sensation of her delicate hand in mine. Inexplicably, my awareness became heightened in her presence. Touching her silky skin, I felt self-conscious of my hands--rough and dry from the constant changing of diapers of my two little toddlers. As I timidly gazed into Mataji’s kind eyes, my embarrassment dissipated. Without words, she communicated an unconditional acceptance of my cracked hands--and everything else too. She exuded an unmistakable essence of love and humility. These qualities characterize the scope of her life, which was a blessing to all who knew her.

Urmila Desai was known as Mataji (Mother) to her children and to the thousands of disciples of her husband, Yogi Amrit Desai (Gurudev), an internationally renowned guru and founder of Kripalu yoga and Amrit yoga. Mataji was an ongoing support to her husband’s work throughout their 50 years of marriage.

A deeply devout woman, Mataji’s spirituality was inspired by Swami Shri Kripalvanandji (Bapuji), who was her guru and the guru of her husband. An enlightened shaktipat kundalini yoga master, he had attained nirvikalpa-samadhi, the complete liberation of the soul. Yoga lore reveals that only one yogi every 500 years reaches this high level of awakening. Mataji first met Swami Kripalvandaji when she was eight years old in Halol, her tiny hometown in the Gujarat state of India. She said, “When I met Bapuji, I knew I could learn everything I would ever need from him.” She and Gurudev were among his most devoted disciples.

After marrying, Mataji and Gurudev moved to the U.S., where Gurudev soon became a well-known yoga master and guru. Eventually, the couple convinced Bapuji to visit their ashram in Pennsylvania. This was quite a feat, because Bapuji was known for adhering to a strict daily routine of rigorous yoga and meditation practices. Because of the enthusiastic love he received from Gurudev’s yoga community, Bapuji stayed in the U.S. for more than four years. Hundreds of Americans attended each of his many lectures. They were blessed and transformed in his saintly presence.

Throughout Bapuji’s years in the U.S., Mataji lovingly cared for him. She considered it a high honor to cook, clean and meticulously attend to countless details in order to impeccably serve her guru. Reflecting on Bapuji, she wrote, “Upon serving him, he would often say, ‘That’s exactly what I wanted.’ I guess when you think of someone all the time, you get tuned in to their thoughts. I felt like he was my father, and that was the sweetest thing in the world.”

An excellent cook, Mataji was the co-author of The Ayurvedic Cookbook. In addition to providing dozens of delicious vegetarian recipes, the book is intended to help people of different ayurvedic body types (doshas) to understand ancient principles of achieving wellness. Proving the power of diet, yoga practices and faith, Mataji healed herself of colon cancer in 1986.

In the months preceding her recent death, Mataji inspired a group effort, called Mataji’s Living Legacy, to assist impoverished villages in India. In addition to promoting spiritual growth, they provide educational materials and medical care to needy people. The volunteers work in the spirit of vasudhaiv kutumbikam, meaning the world is all one family. One of their accomplishments has been to provide 600 books for an elementary school library that had previously owned only 20. Another goal is to assist impoverished widows to become independent.

Pious and prayerful, Mataji wanted to chant the Maha-Mrityunjaya mantra (also called the moksha or death-conquering mantra) 125,000 times before she died. The Sanskrit chant is a prayer to Lord Shiva for liberation from human bondage and for an experience of the eternal blissful nature. Time grew short with Mataji’s impending death, so she requested help from the disciples of Bapuji and Gurudev to realize her desire. As a result, worldwide devotees communicated her plea and willingly joined in the chanting to fulfill her last wish.

The brief conversation I had with Mataji was the only one we ever had. However, her loving spirit and the heartfelt words we shared that day still resonate in my heart and mind. Radiant souls leave us with that kind of lasting impression.

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Aileen Hansen has been a devotee of Yogi Amrit Desai since 1988. For information regarding Mataji’s Living Legacy fund, please contact the Amrit Yoga Institute at 352.685.2855 or visit www.amrityoga.org/mataji.htm. All tax-deductible proceeds go directly to needy people in India.