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The affectionate term ‘Holy Mother’ refers to Sri Sarada Devi (1853-1920), Ramakrishna’s wife and spiritual counterpart. According to the custom then prevalent in India, she was betrothed to him while still a child. At the age of eighteen, she left her parental home to join her husband, who served as a priest in a temple some sixty miles away, near Calcutta.
By that time, Sri Ramakrishna had dedicated his body and mind to the search for God and lived the life of a monk. Yet he received Sarada very kindly, feeling that Divine Providence had brought her. After nursing her to recovery from an illness she had contracted on the journey, Ramakrishna one day asked her why she had come to join him.
She replied that she had come only to help him in his chosen way, which—as she well knew—meant complete renunciation of all earthly ties for the sake of God-realisation. Thus, instead of seeking conjugal fulfillment, she became his first disciple.
Sarada Devi was a spiritual giant in her own right, and yet, in her simple and unassuming way, she served Ramakrishna and his disciples for many years. After Ramakrishna’s passing away, she carried on his religious ministry, serving as a guide and inspiration for the new spiritual movement.
Within the ambiance of her natural simplicity and modesty, she set a unique example of an ideal disciple, nun, wife, teacher, and mother to her countless spiritual children. Those who associated with her were overwhelmed by her unconditional love and selfless service. All were her children irrespective of nationality, religious affiliation, or social position. No one has ever turned away. She accepted all.
Sri Sarada Devi was born on December 22, 1853, in a poor but cultured Brahmana family of Bengal in the village of Jayrambati in the Bankura District, situated about sixty miles to the west of Calcutta. She was the eldest daughter of Ramachandra Mukherjee and Shyamasundari Devi.
There are two legends of Sarada Devi’s birth.
One day Shyamasundari was returning to Jayrambati from a visit to her father’s house when she rested under a tree in a wooded spot. Suddenly she heard jingling sounds and saw a small girl coming down from the tree. Tenderly the girl clasped Shyamasundari around the neck. At once, Shyamasundari fell into a swoon. She remained unconscious for a long time, and her relatives took her home. She felt like the girl had entered into her womb.
At that time, Ramachandra Mukherjee was in Calcutta. Before he departed from Jayrambati, one noon after his meal, he had been asleep when he saw in a vivid dream a young girl of golden complexion and unusual beauty tenderly encircling his neck with her arms. Noticing her many precious ornaments, he asked her who she was. In a musical voice, she replied: ‘You see, I have come to your family.‘ After his return from Calcutta, Ramachandra heard from his wife about her vision, and the simple couple could not doubt the authenticity of the two experiences. They were sure that some deity would be born in the family.
As is the case of most girls of rural upbringing, the early girlhood of Sarada Devi was spent in domestic chores like caring for younger children, looking after cattle, and carrying food to her father while others engaged in work in the field. She had no schooling, though she learned the Bengali alphabet and practised a little of reading and writing in later days by herself. But the domestic environment of a pious Brahmana family, supplemented by the holy associations she had in later days, gave her an education that was far more relevant than instruction in the three R’s, to one with such high natural endowments as she had.
Marriage
The Marriage of Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother took place in 1858. Sri Ramakrishna, then twenty-two and an unknown priest at the Kali Temple of Dakshineswar, was engaged in the severest forms of spiritual practices and austerities. People around Sri Ramakrishna thought that he had become insane because of excessive absorption in God. News of his spiritual madness spread and eventually reached Kamarpukur, the small village in West Bengal where he had been born and where his mother, Chandramani Devi, lived.
After persuading him to come to Kamarpukur, Chandramani consulted other family members and concluded that marriage would remedy her son’s condition. So the search for a suitable girl began, but nowhere could such a girl be found. At last, Sri Ramakrishna himself said that they would find the one he was meant to marry in the nearby village of Jayrambat.
The marriage of Sri Ramakrishna to Sarada took place in May 1858 at Jayrambati. Sri Ramakrishna was twenty-three years old and Sarada slightly five. Such an early marriage for a Hindu girl, especially one living in a village, was not uncommon at the time, but such marriage was really like a betrothal. The actual consummation of the marriage would take place after the wife attained maturity when she and her husband lived together. So Sarada continued to live with her parents, while Sri Ramakrishna lived a God-intoxicated life at Dakshineswar.
At eighteen, accompanied by her father in March 1872, she traveled to Dakshineswar Temple at Calcutta to meet the ailing Sri Ramakrishna.
At the Dakshineswar Temple, Sarada Devi stayed in a tiny room in the nahabat (music tower). She remained at Dakshineswar until 1885, except for short periods when she visited Jayrambati. By that time, Ramakrishna had already embraced the monastic life of a sannyasin; as a result, their marriage was never consummated.
The Mother as a true Sahadharmini
By careful education, Sri Ramakrishna helped make his wife a true Sahadharmini (his complimentary), a fellow-seeker in the higher values of life. It was the resuscitation of the Vedic ideal of the Pativrata (a married woman who is faithful and loyal to her husband), according to which man and woman become fused into a common ideal and purpose in life. The man and the woman brought together as husband and wife are like two wheels moving together on a shared track towards a common ideal. Dharma is that path of higher evolution, and the discharge of one’s social and spiritual duties in a scripture-ordained way is the way of progress along with it.
The Sahadharmini of a spiritually oriented person like Sri Ramakrishna must necessarily be one with a similar outlook if the objective of that ideal is to be fulfilled. Therefore, because of the mutually complementary nature of their characters, they became perfect ideals of both the married state and the monastic values.
Spiritual Ministry
During his lifetime and afterward, in assigning Holy Mother her place in the scheme of his mission on earth, Sri Ramakrishna made her his spiritual successor. On her part, she was born with unique spiritual tendencies. To her devotees and disciples, she embodied the Divine Mother or the Primordial Shakti. Sri Ramakrishna gradually prepared her for her future role from the beginning of his association with her. He later instructed her in the various phases of spiritual discipline and experience. Her full divinity was awakened when he formally worshiped her in his room as the personification of the Divine Mother. Before his death, Sri Ramakrishna told her that she would have to bring light to deluded people groping in darkness.
Though they lived a celibate life, the family that grew up around them is as diverse as the imagination can allow. From the highest ever-perfect soul such as Swami Vivekananda to the humblest devotee and the most downtrodden unfortunate, including those laboring under evil propensities, the Great Master and Holy Mother received them all as children and tended to their many problems, needs, desires, and aspirations according to their capacity and temperament.
It is considered that Sri Sarada Devi was the Master’s first disciple. Though this is true in the historical and chronological sense, She being the first to come to him after his sadhana (spiritual discipline) phase, the Master himself said of her, ‘She is my power. Without Her, I could not even lift a finger.‘
As a priest, Ramakrishna performed the ritual ceremony—the Shodashi Puja, where Sarada Devi was made to sit in the seat of goddess Kali and worshiped as the divine mother Tripurasundari. According to Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, Ramakrishna married to show the world the ideal of a sexless marriage. Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as an incarnation of the Divine Mother, addressing her as Sree Maa (Holy Mother), and it was by this name that she was known to Ramakrishna’s disciples.
Sarada Devi’s days began at 3 am. After finishing her ablutions in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly, she would practice japa and meditation until daybreak. Ramakrishna taught her the sacred mantras and instructed her to initiate people and guide them in spiritual life. Except for her hours of meditation, most of her time was spent cooking for Ramakrishna and the growing number of his devotees. While Sarada Devi remained entirely in the background, her unassuming, warm personality attracted some female devotees to become her lifelong companions.
It is known from the Master’s own statement that he had prayed to the Divine Mother to free Sarada from all bodily passions and make her a suitable mate for himself. His prayer was amply answered when, after Sarada arrived at Dakshineswar, the Master pointedly asked her a question: ‘Do you want to drag me down into Maya?‘ Sarada Devi’s answer was equally prompt and to the point. She replied: ‘Why should I do so? I have come only to help you on the path of religious life.‘
While Sri Ramakrishna was alive, Holy Mother sometimes felt sad because she had no children of her own. However, the Master had spoken to her about the many disciples who would regard her as their mother. More importantly, Sri Ramakrishna wanted to present through Holy Mother the Motherhood of God, for this relationship hastens the aspirant’s spiritual progress. Holy Mother’s motherly longing was fulfilled by giving initiation to hundreds of spiritual seekers. Through the extreme tenderness, compassion, patience, and sweetness she ministered to their various other needs.
Holy Mother’s companions and disciples
Some of Sri Ramakrishna’s women disciples were frequent visitors at Dakshineswar and spent a great deal of time with Sarada Devi. Years later, two of them lived with her permanently.
Yogindra Mohini Devi, known as Yogin-Ma, visited Dakshinewar every week and sometimes spent the night there. They soon became inseparable, and speaking of Sarada Devi, she said: ‘Whenever I went to Mother, she took me into her confidence and unbosomed all her secrets. She often sought my advice. Even a moment’s separation from her caused me great pain.‘
Golap Sundari Devi, addressed by the Master’s devotees as Golap-Ma was born into an orthodox Brahmin family, though she herself cherished liberal ideas. Her husband and children died shortly after her marriage, and seeking spiritual solace, she met Yogin-Ma, who lived in the neighborhood, and introduced her to Sri Ramakrishna. He, in turn, said to Sarada Devi: ‘Keep a good eye on this Brahmin woman. She will live with you permanently.‘
Lakshmimani, called Lakshmi-Didi was Sri Ramakrishna’s niece, the daughter of Rameswar. At the age of twelve, she was married but shortly widowed. At fourteen, she came to Dakshineswar to live with Sarada Devi in her small room in the Nahabat.
Gauri-Ma was twenty-five when she first visited Sri Ramakrishna. Her mother had arranged her marriage, but Gauri-Ma ran away on the eve of her wedding. Inflamed by the passion for realising God, she left home at the age of eighteen and traveled to various holy places. Finally, after seven years, she came to Sri Ramakrishna and stayed with Sarada Devi.
Another woman was Aghoremani, known as Gopaler-Ma, married at the age of nine but soon became a widow and moved to a temple near Calcutta.
These women devotees were deeply connected to Sarada Devi and were her friends and companions. While at Dakshineswar, they helped her with the cooking and other household duties. This relationship continued throughout their lives.
Later life
After Sri Ramakrishna’s Mahasamadhi in 1886, Holy Mother, then just thirty-three years old, became the lineage holder of the Ramakrishna Order. After his death, when Holy Mother lost all interest in the world and even in her body, the Master reminded her of the tremendous task awaiting her through many visions. One day he appeared before her and said, ‘No, no. You must live. There are many things to be done.‘ He certainly did not mean that Sarada Devi was to serve as an abbess or mother superior in a religious organisation, which would not have been in keeping with her temperament or nature. He meant that she should be the central guide and mentor of his devotees. She had already given her first formal initiation to Swami Yogananda in Vrindavan at his bidding.
Although she was highly venerated for her spiritual status and worshipped as the Divine Mother, she lived like a simple village mother, washing clothes, sweeping the floor, bringing water from the pond, dressing vegetables, cooking, and serving food. At Jayrambati, she lived with her brothers and their families. They gave her endless troubles but, established as she was in the awareness of God and Divine Motherhood, she always remained calm and self-possessed, showering love and blessings on all who came into contact with her. As Sister Nivedita stated, ‘Her life was one long stillness of prayer.‘
Sarada Devi began a pilgrimage through North India, accompanied by a party of women disciples including Lakshmi Didi, Gopal Ma, and Ramakrishna’s householders and monastic disciples. The party visited the Vishwanath Temple of god Shiva at Banaras and the city of Ayodhya, which is associated with the life of god Rama. Later, they visited Vrindavan, which is associated with Lord Krishna. According to traditional accounts, at Vrindavan, she experienced nirvikalpa samadhi and began her role as a Guru.
Holy Mother lived for thirty-three years after her return from Vrindavan in 1887. She lived a virtually retired life during the first eleven, visiting Calcutta only now and then. During the second eleven years, the public learned about her, and she initiated a few disciples. Finally, during the third period (1909–1920), which she spent mostly at her own houses in Calcutta and Jayrambati, devotees thronged to receive her blessings.
After Sarada Devi had spent some months in pilgrimage, she went to Kamarpukur where she lived in great privation. Coming to know of this, the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna brought her to Kolkata. She spent her life partly in Kolkata and partly in her native village Jayrambati. After the pilgrimage, Sarada Devi lived by herself in Kamarpukur, the village where Ramakrishna was born. There, she endured poverty, verging on starvation for a year. In 1888, when the news reached the lay and monastic disciples of Ramakrishna that she needed their care and attention, they invited her to Calcutta and arranged for her stay. Swami Saradananda built a permanent house for Sarada Devi in Calcutta. The house was named the Udbodhan House, after the Bengali monthly magazine published by the Ramakrishna Math. The house, also known as Mayerbati (‘Holy Mother’s House’), is where she spent the longest period of her life outside Jayrambati.
This marked a turning point in her life. She now began to accept spiritual seekers as her disciples and became the open portal to immortality for hundreds of people. Her great universal mother-heart, endowed with boundless love and compassion, embraced all people without any distinction, including many who had lived sinful lives.
When the Western women disciples of Swami Vivekananda came to Kolkata, the Holy Mother accepted them with open arms as her daughters, ignoring the restrictions of the orthodox society of those days. Although she grew up in a conservative rural community without access to modern education, she held progressive views. She whole-heartedly supported Swami Vivekananda in his plans for the rejuvenation of India and the uplift of the masses and women. She was closely associated with the school for girls started by Sister Nivedita.
Ideal Woman
Because of her immaculate purity, extraordinary forbearance, selfless service, unconditional love, wisdom, and spiritual illumination, Swami Vivekananda regarded Sri Sarada Devi as the ideal for women in the modern age. He believed that with the advent of the Holy Mother, the spiritual awakening of women in modern times had begun. Therefore, Swami Vivekananda wrote a letter to her to get her opinion about his intention to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. After receiving the blessing from her, he decided to go to America.
Sarada Devi played an essential role as the advisory head of a developing organisation that became a monastic order devoted to social work—the Ramakrishna Mission. Though uneducated herself, Sarada Devi advocated education for women. She entrusted Devamata with implementing her dream—a girls’ school on the Ganges, where Eastern and Western pupils could study together. In 1954, Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, a monastic order for women, was founded in honour of Sarada Devi.
Last days
Sarada Devi spent her final years moving back and forth between Jayrambati and Calcutta. In January 1919, she went to Jayrambati and stayed there for over a year. For the next five months, she continued to suffer from repeated attacks of malaria. Shortly before her death, she gave the last advice to her grief-stricken devotees, ‘But I tell you one thing—if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child: this whole world is your own!‘ This is considered her last message to the world.
Under the strain of constant physical work and self-denial, and repeated attacks of malaria, her health deteriorated in the closing years of her life. She died at 1.30 am on Tuesday the 21 July 1920 at Mayer Badi (on the first floor of the Shrine Room) in Kolkata, at the age of 67. Her body was cremated at the Belur Math, on the opposite side of River Ganga where her husband Sri Ramakrishna’s body was cremated, at Cossipore, Baranagroe, Ratan, Babu Ghat. The place where she was cremated is now known as Holy Mother’s Ghat at Belurmath. Today a temple stands at that spot.
Though every Hindu woman is taught to regard her husband almost as God and serve him with body, heart and soul, Sarada Devi looked upon Sri Ramakrishna as ‘God eternal and absolute’ to use her own words – both as a husband and also in his own right. To serve him, she felt, was to worship God. This attitude enabled her to face her daily tasks joyfully. She said later: ‘When I thought I was serving him, no physical discomfort bothered me. The days passed in pure bliss.‘ But she often had to forgo this bliss when she did not have the privilege of being near him or serving his meals. This happened especially when the number of the Master’s devotees increased, and they used to attend him; Sarada Devi was too shy to appear before them, and Sri Ramakrishna did not approve it. ‘Sometimes,’ she once remarked, ‘I could not see him even once in two months. Naturally, I felt depressed. At that time, I used to say to myself: “O mind, why should you think yourself so fortunate as to be able to see him every day?” I would stand for hours behind a small hole in the screen of my porch and listen to his singing.‘
Sarada Devi watched Ramakrishna and his devotees singing day and night in his room and often said to herself: ‘Ah, if only I were one of those devotees. Then I could hear him and witness his ecstasies.‘
Sri Ramakrishna, in his lifetime and afterward, assigning Holy Mother her place in the scheme of his mission on earth, made her his spiritual successor. On her part, she was born with unique spiritual tendencies. She was the embodiment of the Divine Mother or the Primordial Shakti to her devotees. Sri Ramakrishna gradually prepared her for her future role from the beginning of his association with her. He later instructed her in the various phases of spiritual discipline and experience. As we have seen, her full divinity was awakened when he formally worshiped her in his room as a personification of the Divine Mother. Before his death, Sri Ramakrishna told her that she would have to bring light to the deluded people groping in darkness. After his death, when Holy Mother lost all interest in the world and even in her body, the Master reminded her, through many visions, of the tremendous task awaiting her.
After Sri Ramakrishna’s Mahasamadhi, Holy Mother, then just thirty-three years old, became the lineage holder of the Ramakrishna Order. Sarada Devi received the highest reverence from the Ramakrishna Order and its devotees. Ramakrishna had bid her to continue his mission after his death and wanted his disciples not to distinguish between himself and her. But now, with the Master gone, things took a different turn for the Mother. Sri Ramakrishna’s monastic disciples were in their wandering days and had no idea of her difficulties.
The devotees almost forgot Mother, while her relatives and neighbours were hostile. Her garment was a mere rag. She did not even have money to buy salt for her plain rice on some days. An allowance of seven rupees a month which she had been receiving from the authorities of the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar, was abruptly stopped when one of her relatives advised them that she did not need it. Only M. Mahendranath Gupta, known as ‘M,’ the chronicler of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, sent her a small sum each month. He was the only person Mother would write for anything she needed. So she had to contend with the ruthless and restrictive social customs for a Brahmin widow, the hostility of relatives, dire poverty, and the indifference of the devotees. Now and then, she had visions of Sri Ramakrishna, which made her suffering somewhat bearable. Eventually, word of Mother’s plight reached her mother, Shyamasundari Devi, in Jayrambati, who sent word to one of her sons who lived in Calcutta. He informed a devotee. Soon other disciples of the Master were informed, and they sent some money was to Mother with the fervent request that she come to Calcutta. So Holy Mother went to Calcutta in April 1888.
Later, circumstances improved for Holy Mother. Swami Vivekananda, through his letters from America, reminded everyone of the Mother. In one letter, he wrote,
‘Let Ramakrishna disappear; that does not frighten me. But it will be a calamity if people forget Mother… Don’t be angry with me. None of you has understood Mother. Her grace upon me is one hundred thousand times greater than that of the Master… About Mother, I am a little fanatic. I can do anything if she gives the order. I shall give a sigh of relief when you purchase a piece of land and install this living Durga there…. Brother, when I think of Mother, I say to myself: Who is this Ramakrishna? I say this because of my fanaticism. Whether Ramakrishna was God or man—you may say whatever you like. But, brother, shame upon him who is not devoted to Mother.‘
Some of Holy Mother’s disciples were impressed by her motherly solicitude, some by her ability as a teacher to dispel their doubts, and some by her unshakable reassurance regarding their ultimate salvation, which can be given only by Divinity. But these features must not be compartmentalised. Whenever she appeared as a mother, one saw behind her motherhood the power of a teacher, the transmitter of spiritual wisdom. Again, when she acted as a teacher, she was not aloof or severe; she attracted her disciples by her motherly love. Finally, her divine nature supplied the foundation of the other two features.
How did she give initiation? For meditation, prayer, and worship, one requires an Ishta or Chosen Ideal, which may be a personal God or the impersonal Brahman. The average aspirant needs a concrete symbol of God. To Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna was the manifestation of the Supreme Spirit, the Incarnation for modern times. Most of her disciples accepted him as their Chosen Ideal. But she was not dogmatic. She often asked the aspirant whom he would accept as his Ishta. She also advised seekers to follow their family traditions. When they could not decide, she suggested the Godhead’s particular form and name.
It is said that just before the initiation, she would meditate and thus discover the mantra suited to the aspirant. It would be revealed in her pure mind. Sri Ramakrishna said that whatever one hears in the pure mind is the word of God. Pure mind and pure Atman are the same. To the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, she sometimes said, ‘For you, there is the Ramakrishna-loka, the heaven where Sri Ramakrishna is eternally present with his intimate disciples.‘ She told them they would experience eternal communion with the Lord there. But to seekers of the Impersonal, she taught that Sri Ramakrishna would provide a wide doorway. To them, she would say that finally, the Ishta, the Guru, and the shishya all merge in the Supreme Spirit.
At Udbodhan House, Sarada Devi was accompanied by other women disciples and devotees of Ramakrishna, Golap Ma, Yogin Ma, Gopaler Ma, Lakshmi Didi, and Gauri Ma being the best known.
Sarada Devi did not write any books; her utterances and reminiscences have been recorded by her disciples, including Swami Nikhilananda, Swami Tapasyananda. Though uneducated, Sarada Devi’s spiritual insight and words are highly regarded by scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who writes, ‘We have bits and pieces of her exquisite remarks as testimony.‘
Although the Holy Mother gave no discourses and seldom talked to her male disciples directly, she showed by her example that cooking and cleaning dishes, serving all those who were under her care, if done with the right attitude, attention, and devotion, were equally worthwhile activities in the realisation of God. Once a woman came to receive some spiritual instruction from her. But the Holy Mother kept busy in her household activities. At last, the woman said, ‘Mother, I came to get some spiritual instruction. But it seems that you are too busy to speak to me.’ The Mother replied, ‘Have I not been giving you spiritual instruction?‘
Holy Mother dedicated herself entirely to the physical welfare of her disciples. One day a monastic disciple wanted to wash his plate, but the Mother would not allow him to do this, remarking, ‘How little I am doing for you! You are a treasure highly cherished even by the gods.‘ Sometimes her women companions complained, ‘You belong to the Brahmin caste, besides being their Guru. It will be inauspicious for them if you wait on them.’ But the Mother replied naturally, ‘I am their mother. Who will look after the children, if not their mother?‘ She showed the same feeling toward low-caste disciples and even untouchables. She regarded the devotees as being above all caste distinctions.
Holy Mother knew the spiritual capacity of her disciples. One day Yogin-Ma said to the devotees, in front of the Mother: ‘Mother may show us very much love, but still it is not as intense as the Master’s (Sri Ramakrishna). What compassion and love he showed for his disciples! We saw that with our own eyes. Words cannot describe it.’ ‘What is there to wonder at?‘ the Mother replied. ‘He accepted only a few chosen disciples, and those too after much testing. And to me, he pushed a whole row of ants.‘
Some teachings of Holy Mother
Holy Mother said, ‘The mantra purifies the body. One becomes pure by repeating the name of God given by the Guru.‘ The mantra is to be regularly repeated by the disciple with concentration and devotion. It has an intrinsic power of its own. It kindles the spark of spirituality in the disciple. A disciple asked the Mother if the mere repetition of the holy word taught by a qualified guru really helped the aspirant if he did not possess intense devotion. “Whether you jump into water or are pushed into it,” she replied, “your cloth will be soaked, will it not?”
She did not publicly summon the devotees. She did not write books, issue statements, or mount a public platform. The disciples of Sri Ramakrishna were highly reticent about her. Perhaps they were afraid that ordinary people would take her lightly or not show her proper respect.
But drawn by her irresistible attraction, they all came. She seemed to be waiting for them. “Let them all come,” her motherly heart said. “None will be rejected even if they have lived sinful lives. Will they be deprived of my blessings on that account?”
She initiated them in the shrine room and from her sickbed, on roads and railway platforms, in meadows and under trees. All felt when with her that they were in the presence of an affectionate mother and made all kinds of demands upon her—reasonable and unreasonable. To the best of her power, she tried to satisfy them. She had hardly any respite even when she badly needed it. If no devotee came to her on a particular day, she would say: “No one has come. This day seems to be passing in vain.” Very shortly, a seeker would arrive.
This went on till nearly the end of her life. How did she give initiation? For meditation, prayer, and worship, one requires an Ishta or Chosen Ideal, which may be a personal God or the impersonal Brahman. The average aspirant needs a concrete symbol of God. To Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna was the manifestation of the Supreme Spirit, the Incarnation for modern times. Most of her disciples accepted him as their Chosen Ideal. But she was not dogmatic. She often asked the aspirant whom he would accept as his Ishta. She also advised seekers to follow their family traditions. When they could not decide, she suggested the Godhead’s particular form and name. It is said that just before the initiation, she herself would meditate and thus discover the mantra suited to the aspirant. It would be revealed in her pure mind. Sri Ramakrishna said that whatever one hears in the pure mind is the word of God. Pure mind and pure Atman are one and the same.
Holy Mother showed love, forgiveness, and compassion to her disciples to a transcendent degree and gave them her assurance of final liberation. She said: “Those I have initiated need not practice spiritual austerities for their salvation. At the hour of death, all will realize God; surely, they will see him. But those who want immediate results will have to practice discipline. The more they practice, the quicker they will get them. Those, however, who idle away their time will have to wait. Even those who give up all spiritual effort will realize God at the hour of death; there is no doubt about it.” She often spoke of her disciples’ present birth as their last one.
At one time, some of her attending disciples thought that the Mother was too generous in the matter of initiation, and one of them said to her: “Mother, you give initiation to so many people; certainly you can’t remember them all. You cannot always know what happens to them. A guru should constantly look after the welfare of the disciples. Wouldn’t it be more prudent of you to initiate only as many as you can remember?” She replied: “But the Master never forbade me to do so. He instructed me about so many things; could he not have told me something about what you have said? I give the responsibility for my disciples to the Master. Every day I pray to him: ‘Please look after the disciples, wherever they may be.’ Further, I received these mantras from the Master himself. They are very potent. One is sure to attain liberation through them.” But she did concern herself with her disciples in a more active sense. Daily she practiced Japa for their spiritual welfare. This continued till the end of her life. She slept very little. One night she was up at two o’clock in the morning. Asked for the reason, she said: “What can I do, my child? All these children come to me with great longing for initiation, but most do not regularly repeat the mantra. Regularly? Many do not repeat it at all. But since I have taken responsibility for them, should I not see to their welfare? Therefore I do Japa for their sake. I constantly pray to the Master, saying: ‘O Lord, awaken their spiritual consciousness. Give them liberation. There is a great deal of suffering in this world. May they not be born here again!’”
Sri Saradadevi Stotra
O Sarada, Goddess propitious,
Killer of misery in soul resigned,
Saviour of religion in every age,
By Yogindra worshipped, O Mother kind,
Givest Love and Wisdom Thou,
Grace incarnate! to Thee I bow.
Swami Abhedananda
Sarada Devi Pranam Mantra
Om Jananim Saaradam deviim,Raama-krishnam jagad-gurum
Paada-padme tayoh sriitvaa,prana-maami muhur-muhuh
Traditional accounts recount the mystical experiences of her devotees. Some dreamt of her as a goddess in human form, though they had never seen her picture before. Others reportedly received their initiation from her in their dream. One such example is Girish Chandra Ghosh, the father of Bengali drama, who reportedly saw Sarada Devi in a dream when he was nineteen years old and received a mantra. When he met her many years later, she was the same person in the dream, to his astonishment.
Miracles of Sarada Ma – Unimaginable Ways in Which She Helps Devotees, by Pulkit Mathur
The following two miraculous incidents in which the Holy Mother Sarada Ma’s Grace intervened to help a devotee in distress occurred in the life of Panchanan Brahmachari. At that time, Panchanan was working as a school teacher in Shillong. He recounted these incidents in a letter, dated May 16, 1912, published in Udbhodan, the Bengali journal of Ramakrishna Mission.
The Vedanta Society of New York has published a translated summary of this letter. It is presented here.
Shillong, May 16, 1912
Dear Nemai,
With much hesitation, I am writing to you about a miraculous incident that has left a lasting impression in my devotional life.
Feeling ill one day a few months ago, I came home from school early. Ever since Dacca became the capital city, most of the houses remain unoccupied, making Shillong appear like a deserted city. Antisocial youths are using this as an opportunity to wreak havoc on public property. Looting, arson, and robberies have become commonplace.
First Miracle of Holy Mother’s Grace
It was in this unfortunate climate that I was returning home that day, in spite of my illness, at around 2:30 p.m. I had engaged two coolies to make some repairs on my house. No sooner had I arrived than a big fire was seen at a distance, which I mistook for a forest fire. Hurrying towards it, I discovered it was a house on fire. A big house four yards away from this house where the fire had originated, was now being engulfed by the same fire.
I frantically searched around for water buckets and tap water, to no avail. In one house, I managed to collect a single bucketful of water and ran with it towards the fire, calling out to my coolies to follow me. These Gurkhas, however, were terribly upset by my apparent madness. Spellbound, I struggled with all my might to reach the roof of the big house.
Observing my rash decision to douse the fire with only a bucketful of water, the coolies tried to warn me of the danger with sincere, loving appeals. I did not know how I was able to climb the roof of the big house unaided. Meanwhile, a strong wind enabled the flames, which were now leaping up all around me.
Stunned to think of my impending danger and with no one to help nearby, the coolies pathetically tried to draw my attention to the dangers of the raging fire. Heedless of their entreaties, I nevertheless reached the center of the straw roof. At my request, one of them had lifted the half-empty bucket into my hands before running away, but a sudden blast of wind came and poured most of the water over me. What little remained was useless in the fire.
I was now completely encircled in crackling flames and could no longer hear the coolies’ wails. There was only fire, fire, fire, and the excruciating pain of my face roasting in it. Unable to bear the pain, I felt that my life was about to ebb. In that state of mind, I went beyond myself, forgetting the world as well as my body. Unable and unconcerned to save myself, I began shouting the words that suddenly gushed forth from within my breast: ‘Mother! Mother!‘ I do not know how long this intense outburst lasted.
Dear Nemai, I cannot adequately write or tell of what I saw in that critical moment. I heard a sweet, divine voice: ‘Have no fear, I have come.’ I opened my eyes to see Mother standing before me in Her lightning form, Her effulgence more brilliant and radiant than fire. Mother, anxious for her child, had rushed to save me.
The embodiment of compassion, Mother set aside her terrible form and with Her upraised hands came to save me, who is the very part and parcel of Her life. How can I ever describe Her? She lowered Her hands, and the burning power of fire was removed — I felt absolute coolness amid the flames. Unable to speak, I took leave of my senses, muttering ‘Mother, Mother.’ I lost outer consciousness for nearly three hours when the sun was about to set on the horizon.
With the setting of the sun, I awoke to the realities around me. I saw that the nearby house, the first to catch fire, was totally gutted by the flames. However, not a single straw of the big house had been burned, to the pleasant surprise of all. This house and I, both engulfed by flames, were completely saved by the grace of Mother. This stupendous fact transported me to another world and utterly changed my vision. Everything was beautiful and rapturous in my sight—soaked with a divine glow. Indeed, the grace of Mother alone had brought about my inner transformation.
As soon as they saw my body moving, the coolies cried out, ‘Babu! You are still alive! Come over to this side, and we shall help you to get down.’ Somehow, I came to the edge of the roof, and they carried me down as tenderly as they would a child. I saw where flames had destroyed the green creeper on the roof, but not a single straw had been burnt. I came to know from the coolies that my face was badly burned and blistered. They also told me that they had been unable to see me through the flames that had reached as high as seven or eight yards as they engulfed the entire roof. And though they heard my strenuous calls of ‘Mother! Mother!’ they were convinced I was dead because I had remained motionless.
With great difficulty, I proceeded home and met two of my Brahmo friends along the way. Naturally, they were surprised to see this miracle. Once home, I closed the door from the inside, sat down, and began to weep with the words ‘Mother, Mother’ ever on my lips. The whole night passed in this way.
Second Miracle of Holy Mother’s Grace
As expected, the condition of my face worsened horribly. People I had known intimately and well claimed I was unrecognisable to them, but in spite of such provocation, I did not lose my peace of mind. A few weeks ago, an acquaintance from Dacca came to stay at my house with his family. One day, I became upset with their frequent depressing remarks about the condition of my face, but after a while, I forgot all about it and talked with this friend late into the night.
Dear Nemai, I have one good habit: I regularly get up at 3 a.m. to meditate, no matter what time I go to bed, and on that particular day, I sat for meditation as usual. An unusual phenomenon took place. I lost my outer consciousness in the room, which was entirely filled with divine light. I have seen that particular form of Mother with Her smiling face; on that occasion, She was restless, and Her two eyes were red. However, on this night, She was calm and quiet, appearing before me as the embodiment of love and affection. That beauty I cannot describe. In a sweet, affectionate tone, she said to me:
‘Is it not that you were a little disturbed concerning your facial condition?‘
‘Yes, I was,’ I answered, ‘but not at present.’
‘Well, why do you not tell me about it? It will be O.K., just now.‘
‘O Mother, that I can never tell You. That is Your Grace. This is all right — what shall I do with the outward show? There are many boons that I can ask for.’
Mother began to persist: ‘Please, do tell once. It will be again like your original face at once. Please, once.‘
I also persisted, ‘Don’t entrap me in Your Maya; I will not ask about it.’
Bursting into laughter, Mother radiated peace, sweetness, and serenity. With a divine smile, She said, ‘Well, when you won’t tell me, I’d like to say that it will be all right on the coming Chaitra Sankranti day, after your bath.‘ Then Mother vanished. I wanted to speak to Her but could not. No longer able to see Her, I broke into tears. It was getting late. With great pain, I unlocked and opened the door.
The days rolled on, and the appointed day was approaching. Inwardly, I was very worried. I was unable to resist divulging the secret to my pessimistic friend, and he kept reminding me of it. Others came to know about it, and some doubted the veracity of Mother’s words. How could his face ever become normal again, they reasoned. Everyone was extraordinarily curious about the outcome.
The night before the fateful day, I went to bed late; seized by an uncanny fear, I passed the whole night in great mental distress. ‘If Mother’s words do not become real, then Mother’s Name and glory will lose their sanctity in the minds and hearts of the people, and they may even condemn Her. Therefore, I should never have divulged the secret,’ I thought in my anguish.
By daybreak, I was possessed by an oppressing sense of fear. I mustered the courage to go to the fountain where I usually took my bath. I was so assailed by pervasive doubt and suspicion that I could hardly proceed. I walked with faltering steps, like a drunkard. Agitated by my own disbelief and lack of faith in the truth of Mother’s words, I suffered excruciating pain in my mind whenever I imagined my Mother’s prospective loss of prestige and honour.
I decided to walk in a direction away from my acquaintances, in case Mother’s prophecy might turn out to be false. My brain thus deranged, and with a languid heart in a seemingly paralysed body, my drooping soul stood motionless. A strange feeling was generated in the mind that made me forget everything about the day’s significance. A complete and pleasant forgetfulness overtook me. I began to walk normally towards the fountain where I usually bathed.
After the bath, I was busy spreading the wet clothing to dry. That friend and his wife came over to look at my face minutely and stood before me stupefied. This only made me unhappy. After a long silence, they exclaimed: ‘There is not even a single scar mark on your face — what a strange phenomenon!‘ As soon as they spoke these words, I began to shake uncontrollably. After a while, I cried with the words ‘Mother, Mother’ on my lips. I wept there profusely. With great difficulty, I returned to my room, trembling and unable to maintain my balance. Safely inside the bolted room, I fell to the floor. Dear brother, I cannot express any further…
Sri Saradevi’s body was cremated at the Belur Math, on the opposite side of River Ganga, where her husband Sri Ramakrishna’s body had been cremated at Kashipore, Baranagroe, Ratan, Babu ghat. The place where she was cremated is now known as Holy Mother’s ghat at Belurmath. Today a temple stands at that spot.
Sri Sarada Math is named after Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna, and was founded on 2nd December 1954. Built by a group of eight sadhavis, as per the instructions given by Swami Vivekananda, it serves as a monastic order for women
With Holy Mother as the centre of inspiration, a Math is to be established on the eastern bank of the Ganga. As Brahmacharins and Sadhus will be trained in this Math (Belur Math) so in the other Math also, Brahmacharinis and Sadhvis will be trained.
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