Life Experiences of Maa (Sadhvi Dr. Sharmistha Bharti)
About Maa (As Narrated by Her Mother)
When Maa was at her tender age of three months old, her mother put her to sleep and went about her daily household chores. Hailing from a well-to-do Bengali conservative family, Maa was raised with traditional values. In their home, maids were not allowed to care for children; instead, elderly family members took on that responsibility. On an auspicious morning, Pisimoni (the aunt) had been engaged in a conversation and arrived late to check on Maa. Since the baby was asleep, the household remained undisturbed in the peaceful early hours.
When Pisimoni finally entered Maa’s room, she let out a scream and fainted. The commotion drew others attention to the scene, especially Maa’s mother. Once Pisimoni regained her senses, she described witnessing a massive serpent with a fully expanded hood, seemingly shielding the baby as sunlight streamed in through the window, casting its glow on Maa’s face.
In 1976, Kolkata had many lush green properties where spotting snakes was a common occurrence. However, the idea of an ethereal serpent protecting a baby was unheard of. A thorough search was conducted, yet no trace of the snake could be found.
Not long after, Maa’s mother also witnessed the serpent guarding her child on two more occasions whenever Maa was left unattended, even briefly.

Birth of Maa
The Dev Sharma family legacy was believed to be under a curse, where the youngest daughter in each generation would pass away at the age of 16. This misfortune persisted for generations, with no remedy.
Maa’s grandfather, Ishwar Sachikanta Dev Sharma, sought to end the curse through Matri Sadhana as the only refuge. After receiving diksha from their family guru in Varanasi, Krishna Mohon Shastri Naythirth, he began his spiritual practices in 1936. According to family records, he eventually attained salvation, during which Mother Kali appeared to him in a vision. He pleaded to the divine Goddess to set free his lineage from the curse, and she agreed to bestow her immense blessings, promising to be reborn and live as his granddaughter.
Maa was that child, and her miraculous survival in the next generation marked the breaking of the family curse and a new dawn.
Marriage with Kedarnath Mahadev and Diksha
In 1985, Maa and her family went on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath, a well-known family tour operator at the time. They were part of a group of 32 people who had booked the early 4 AM aarti of Mahadev. After the elders completed their prayers, the children were asked to pay their tribute to Kedarji. Maa’s mother instructed her to search the kund for some auspicious fruits, believed to bestow good fortune if found.
As she bent down, she suddenly felt something cold slither across her back. With great amazement, she tried to stand up but found herself unable to move as a commotion erupted around her. When she finally lifted her head, she found herself face-to-face with a massive, pitch-black snake, its hood expanded as it hissed menacingly from the other side.
The main Mahant ji was summoned immediately and he asked maa’s birth details from her father. After verifi cation he said that since it’s shiv ratri day and the girl’ natal chart here also match that of Maa Parvati, it’s obvious that the snake is no other than she’s nag and intends marriage, he exclaimed that perhaps it’s only for this reason that a priest came from badrinath with yellow rice, which is mandatory for marriage. Maa was dressed as a bride while being tied up with Kedarnath ling by the snake, which as if waited for the ceremony and every marriage kriyas was full filled as per traditional culture with utmost devotion and to every one’s suprise, the snake just crawled off the premise just to vanish after the ceremony.
When maa also ran with others towards the Kedarnath parvat, she ran quite far where she met a boy standing who was little elder to her. The newly wed bride kept talking to the boy for nearly 2 hours after which her mother and father found her but they didn’t see any boy there. The same night, Maa was initiated to Shiv panchakshari in Gouri kund Dharmshala where they were staying at night. Next day she met Narayan in person in Badrinath temple premises where she was gifted a vaijanti mala which saved life of maa from California wild fire years later.
Meeting with Babaji
In 2004, Maa was visiting the Auli area with a UN cancer research project that needed orchid farming, and they were searching for something typical along with a team of local NGO members. One such day, while she and two of her team members were trekking through an unpopulated area, a sudden rain washed them off. Sensing danger, they started to climb back to the motorable road, but the swamped track made all three fall to a sure death pit, some 5000 ft deep for sure. In utter shock and knowing sure death, Maa chanted for the last time, asking for divine intervention as she had a kid back home who would be orphaned without her.
Suddenly, the fall stops as a pitch-dark snake encircles her with a thorny bush, and she manages to hold the other two persons as well. Without any other support, Maa was forced to grasp the thorny bush while the snake wrapped itself around a nearby tree to form a strong support. Maa’s army training came in handy as she managed to crawl and grab the tree while holding on to the snake as a rope.
While she got busy saving her team members, the snake vanished, but Maa saw a tall saint walking away fast on the track, and she shouted,” Babaji… Babaji…. Please won’t you bless me?”
The saint looked back, raised his hands as a blessing, and Maa felt the current within her, which initiated her to Brahma Gyan, bringing back all her past lives’ memories and enabling her to acquire immediate siddhis like a thunder strike. Her team members somehow climbed back along with her, but she was in a divine phase, which lasted 5 long hours, after which she became normal.
Since then Maa had various encounters with Babaji, and it’s due to His instructions that Maa is giving the online lectures.
