ABOUT GURUDEVI SRI JANAKY MATHA 
 

Sri Janaky Matha was a saint in the spiritual lineage of Sri Ramana Maharishi. She sought self-realization without giving up her familial responsibilities. Combining philosophical inquiries into the nature of the self and reality, she lived life of a mother, not only to her 7 children but to all those who sought refuge in her. She lived for many years in Thanjavur where she established an ashram.

Born on July 27th in1906 at Kollangode in Kerala, Sri Janaky Matha showed spiritual inclination and a sense of detachment from a very tender age. She was married at the age of 13 to a reputed doctor, Dr.C.S.Ganapathy Iyer. She willingly married the doctor who was then a widower with 2 little daughters, as she intuitively felt that he would help in her spiritual goal. 

Even while fulfilling her familial duties, every thought, word and deed of hers were centred on God.  Sri Matha engaged herself heart and soul in worship and meditation, and in studying of the Gita and other scriptures even while attending to the needs of her husband and her growing family. She had many spiritual and mystic experiences including voices and visions of various deities, which were interpreted as the activation of the kundalini Shakti. They marked her out as a special person imbued with divine grace. This was known to the many sadhus and sannyasis who frequented her house. 

But her principal goal in life was liberation and she yearned for a Guru in human form for the attainment of this goal. By the Grace of Lord Subrahmanya, who came to her disguised as a sadhu, she was guided to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi of Thiruvannamalai who became her Satguru.

Surrendering herself completely to her Guru, she continued to be a seeker of the divine truth even while fulfilling her domestic responsibilities. Mathaji had realization of the Self before she was 32 years by the Grace of Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharishi. From then on she lived in Sahaja-Nishta in supreme self-awareness, while performing all the activities of life.

When her husband Dr.C.S.Ganapathy Iyer, retired from service in 1943, Mathaji settled down at Ganapathy Nagar, Thanjavur. Here, devotees came in large numbers to have her darshan and receive her blessings. She took into her fold all irrespective of cast or creed.

To all her devotees who are householders, she lays stress on devotion to God, surrender to Guru, practice of charity, conducting family worship and rituals, and leading an upright life while discharging their duties. To those who yearn for mukti, she advises nurturing of divine thoughts, obliterating raga and dwesha (likes and dislikes) and most importantly surrendering to the Guru while turning inwards in self-enquiry.