An 85-year-old woman from Jharkhand will break her three-decade-long ‘vow of silence’ after her dream of inaugurating the Ram temple in Ayodhya comes true on January 22.
Dhanbad (Jharkhand): While the consecration ceremony will take place in the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, an 85-year-old elderly woman from Jharkhand will also break her 31-year-old fast of silence. Her family claimed that on the day the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, Goddess Saraswati had vowed that she would break her vow of silence only when the Ram temple was inaugurated. Dhanbad resident Saraswati Devi left for Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh by train on Monday night to see the inauguration of the temple. Saraswati Devi is known as ‘Mouni Mata’ in Ayodhya. She communicates with family members through sign language. However, she presents her views to people by writing complex sentences. She took a break from the ‘vow of silence’ and spoke for an hour in the afternoon every day till 2020. But from the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the temple, he observed silence for the whole day.
Had observed a fast of silence for Ram temple
Hareram Aggarwal, 55, the youngest son of Saraswati Devi, said, “When the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992, my mother had taken a pledge to maintain silence till the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Ever since the date of consecration has been announced in the temple, she is very happy. Hareram, a resident of Bhaunra of Baghmara section, said, “My mother left for Ayodhya on Ganga-Sutlej Express from Dhanbad railway station on Monday night. Happened. She will break her silence fast on January 22.”
Silent fast in devotion to Lord Ram
He told that Saraswati Devi has been invited by the disciples of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das to participate in the inauguration program of Ram temple. Saraswati Devi, mother of eight children, including four daughters, dedicated her life to Lord Ram after the death of her husband Devkinandan Agarwal in 1986 and spent most of her time on pilgrimages, family members said. Saraswati Devi is currently living in Dhaiya, Dhanbad with her second son Nandlal Agarwal, working as an officer in Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a branch of Coal India. Nandlal’s wife Innu Agarwal (53) said that after a few months of marriage, she saw her mother-in-law observing a fast of silence in devotion to Lord Ram.
Communicate through pen and paper
Innu Aggarwal said, “Although we understand most of her sign language, but she writes complex sentences.” She said, “After the demolition of Babri Masjid, my mother-in-law visited Ayodhya and visited the Ram temple. Pledged to observe a ‘vrat of silence’ till the construction of . She remained silent for 23 hours a day. She used to take a break of only one hour in the afternoon. The rest of the time she used to communicate with us through pen and paper.” Innu Aggarwal said, ”However, when the foundation stone of the Ram temple was laid by Prime Minister Modi in 2020, she observed a 24-hour ‘maun vrat’ and went to the temple. Took a pledge to speak only after the inauguration.
Performed penance for seven months in Chitrakoot
Innu Agarwal claimed that in 2001, Goddess Saraswati performed ‘tapasya’ for seven months in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, where Lord Ram is believed to have spent a large part of his exile. “Besides this, she undertakes pilgrimages across the country,” he said. According to Innu Agarwal, her mother-in-law wakes up every morning at around 4 am and does ‘sadhana’ (meditation) for around six to seven hours in the morning. “She studies religious books like Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavad Gita after ‘Sandhya Aarti’ in the evening,” he said. Goddess Saraswati eats food only once a day and consumes a glass of milk in the morning and evening. She eats a vegetarian diet of rice, lentils and roti. Saraswati Devi’s nearest neighbour, Sunita Devi Dalmia (50), said, “We respect Mata ji. We have never seen her talk. She uses sign language to communicate and spends most of her time either saying prayers or Or is dedicated to taking care of his plants.” Another neighbour, BCCL employee Manikant Pandey, who lives in her apartment, said that he has never seen Saraswati Devi talking.
