Mother of Mayavati

In the nineteenth century, women were second class citizens in England. Upon meeting Swami Vivekananda, Charlotte Sevier and her husband were inspired to gave up their privileged lifestyle in London, and go to a remote area in the Himalayas of India to help found a center dedicated to the non-dual teachings of Vedanta. This is her story working with several monks sent to help her. In the process, she became like a mother to them, and the villagers. At the beginning, they had to take a narrow trail in a dark forest populated by tigers to get to what had once been a tea plantation. In time, Charlotte became close friends with the other giants from the West, Josephine MacLeoud, Sister Nivedita, Sister Christine and others. The correspondence they carried op provided many historic details to the author.
The book is an adventure story, a collection of reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, and her influence in the early days of the Ramakrishna Math of India.

"What a story! Pieced together from journals and letters it fleshes out in significant ways the history of the early years of the Ramakrishna movement. Mother of Mayavati is an important contribution to that history, but is memorable too, as a loving portrait of a remarkable woman."  Carol Lee Flinders, PhD. Author of numerous titles including Enduring Grace.

Reviews:

"...a welcome addition to the literature about the early years of the Ramakrishna movement, both in India and the West. Glimmering with historical information little known to the general public, it brings both the remarkable life of Charlotte Sevier and the Mayavvati Ashrama to vibrant life."  Pravrajika Vrajaprana, author of Vedanta: A Simple Introduction, and Interpreting Ramakrisna,