Gurumaa, H.D.G. Avadhutika Bhaktivedanta Yogacharya Srimati Atmananda Mataji Maharani.
Guruma was born on April 30, 1991, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She completed her primary and secondary education at the Seraphim of Assisi School, a Catholic institution run by Franciscan nuns. From an early age, she showed a deep sensitivity and a reflective outlook on life. She spent a lot of time alone, sitting in the hallway of her home looking out the window, wondering if existence was reduced to studying, getting married, and having children. That idea was not enough for her; something inside her sensed that there must be a deeper and higher purpose.
People close to her pointed out her ability to listen deeply, something that had always been a part of her and strengthened her decision to study psychology.
In June 2016, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Catholic University of Santo Domingo. Her university thesis was recognized with a research award. During her training, and later in her professional practice, she worked with children with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and various learning difficulties. She also worked as a teacher of English and other subjects.
One of the reasons that led her to study psychology was to try to understand human beings: what are we? That question generated great curiosity in her. However, upon completing her studies, she did not feel fully satisfied with the answers she had found. She felt that psychology focused mainly on a specific dimension of being: the mind. She felt that what we might call the soul, spirit, or the transcendental—that which cannot be understood through the mind—was not addressed in sufficient depth. This lack became even more evident within her and prompted her to continue her search for something that could embrace all dimensions of being.
From a very young age, Atmananda Ma felt a deep longing for a more intimate connection with God. Although she was raised in the Catholic faith and actively participated in retreats and prayer groups—moments that sometimes allowed her to experience a certain closeness to what she called “God the Father”—as she grew older, so did a sense of emptiness. Traditional religious structures, while offering momentary comfort, failed to answer her most essential questions.
In her search, she explored various religious traditions, including Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Each step was driven by a desire to find a place where she could experience that connection with the divine more fully. Churches, especially when empty, gave her a sense of peace and warmth that resonated within her, but she still felt that something was missing.
One of the most revealing moments occurred in solitude, sitting in her car. There, from the depths of her heart, she spoke to God. She told Him that even though she knew He was always with her, she couldn’t help feeling alone. She had friends, family, connections… but there was a deeper, existential loneliness that she couldn’t shake. It was then that a plea was born within her: she wanted to deepen her relationship with God, to truly know Him, without intermediaries or concepts.
Shortly thereafter, that silent plea began to find an answer. She began practicing yoga with a disciple of Prabhuji, without knowing that this would be the gateway to her true encounter with her Master, Prabhuji.
Atmananda Majaji’s life changed completely the day she walked into a yoga class for the first time. There was something about the practice that touched a deep chord, something she couldn’t explain, but she knew it was real. Shortly thereafter, she attended one of Prabhuji’s international virtual satsangs. From that day on, she couldn’t stop attending. Something had awakened. An inner recognition, a wordless certainty.
While reading one of Prabhuji’s books, she came across the word “diksha” and, without fully understanding it at the time, felt an immediate attraction. Some time later, while still living in the Dominican Republic, she received initiation and the spiritual name Kālī Devī. She did not fully understand the scope of what was happening, but she did have a deep sense of having entered under the protection of her master, as if she had climbed the first step in a process that did not depend on her, but was happening by grace.
Meeting Prabhuji was the most transformative experience of her life. For the first time, she knew what love was, not in an emotional or romantic sense, but in something greater, more real. She discovered that the connection with her master did not depend on physical closeness. There was a constant presence that accompanied her days, a joy of the soul that was difficult to describe but impossible to hide. People around her began to notice that something in her had changed. They asked her what it was, but they didn’t know what to attribute it to. She couldn’t explain it either, but she knew that life had taken on a different flavor.
Because Prabhuji does not accept disciples, it was not easy for her to approach him. Therefore, although it took her a long time and was very difficult to join the organization, she spoke of Prabhuji whenever she had the opportunity. Even during her stay in Spain, her closest friends knew about her master. In one of the groups she joined, she was asked what her dream was. Without hesitation, she replied, “To be able to live with my master one day.” Shortly thereafter, that possibility opened up. A week before finishing her course, she was able to share with joy that her dream was coming true. Her classmates were happy for her, and she was even happier: the meeting she had longed for was finally approaching. Long before moving to the Ashram, Atmananda Ma already felt that her purpose in this life was to be a disciple. She had an inner certainty that she had come into the world to realize her true self. She felt that she was an old soul who had lived many times before, and that this incarnation brought with it the final recognition. Prabhuji gave her first initiation, then brahmana initiation, followed by sanyas initiation, and finally initiation as an Avadhutika with the name Avadhutika Atmananda Babaji Maharani.
Following in the footsteps of her Master, Gurumaa, along with her awakening, decided to withdraw from society and adopt a hermit’s life. Since then, she spends her days in solitude, praying, writing, and meditating in silence and contemplation.
At Prabhuji’s request, Gurumaa has accepted the responsibility of leading the Prabhuji Mission from her position as Jivan Mukta or ‘liberated while alive’. Gurumaa is an active member of the Sacred Sangha. She is totally dedicated in body, heart, and soul to the Mission founded by her master.