Devimataji and Shaktimataji were the symbol, on earth, of divine motherhood. They were against superstition and they believed that dogma and superstition were the root cause of decadence of a nation. They dedicated their lives for help of the downtrodden.
Matajis (Devimataji and Shaktimataji) were twin sisters born on the 9th September, 1865 in village Aantpur, in the district of Hooghly, to Shri Prasanna kumar Bandyopadhay and Shrimati Rajlakshmi Devi. Their father brought the twin sisters, when they were hardly four years old, to Kolkata, at Jorasanko.
As the sisters grew up, their uncommon habits and nature attracted the attention of their parents and neighbors. They had no attraction for worldly things and they used to fall in trance in course of which they fluently recited passages from the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ayurvedas, the Jogashastra and the Astrology and interpreted the inner meanings of shastras. A well known saint Srimat Swami Krishnanandaji recognized the twin sisters as divine mother. Later on the two holy sisters were named as Shri Devimata and Shri Shaktimata by Shrimat Swami Satchidananda Paramhamsaji.
Gradually their names spread far and wide, to the high and the low, to the rich and the poor. People from different strata of society came all the way to have a glimpse of the twins and to listen to their discourses. Their celestial blessings radically changed many ill-natured people into an honest and benevolent ones. The divine touch of Matajis helped many to give up their age-old superstition and to lead a life, happy and peaceful.
Matajis teachings to people were to help one another as members of a divine family.In October 1932, Shaktimataji foretold her devotees the exact date, time and place of her demise. A large number of devotees were present on November 2, 1932 when Shaktimataji retired to her heavenly abode. After her demise, Shri Devimataji was named as Devishaktimataji.
Devishaktimataji started traveling throughout India with Shrimat Swami Pranabananda Pitaji Maharaj and Shri Tarapranab Brahmachariji. She dedicated herself to help of the poor and the sick. In course of her holy tour, she preached that religion should be free from superstition and prejudice. Her dream was a society without superstition and untouchabilities. She disliked publicity and worked silently.Devishaktimataji also expressed her wish to leave this material world for the heavenly abode. She stated that she would leave the next day, month and tithi (lunar day) in which Shaktimataji had left the earth. That fateful day came on 18th November, 1943, when Devishaktimataji departed in Benaras leaving her mourning devotees.