Sri Sarada Devi
Introduction
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Sri Sarada Devi was the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna - the greatest Incarnation of God. In this incarnation of God, His consort
played much greater role than the previous Incarnations; Sita, Radha, Yashodhara, Vishnupriya etc. had limited role to play but
Sri Sarada Devi not only helped Sri Ramakrishna in his Divine play but carried on His work of establishing Dharma in the world
effectively for more than 30 years after He shed His mortal coil. She manifested the roles of daughter, wife, mother, nun, householder
in its ideal form for helping the humanity on its march towards God. |
Sri Ramakrishna would say about her that 'She is Goddess Saraswati born to give spiritual illumination to humanity'. Sri Ramakrishna
worshipped her ceremonially on the 'Phalaharini Kali Puja' day in 1872 as Goddess Shodashi; at the end of the worship they both were
merged in divine Samadhi. She lived with Sri Ramakrishna as his wife but they never had physical relationship rather their relationship
was always on highest spiritual plane. The Gospel of the Holy Mother (Introduction section, P xv) observes, 'By careful education
Sri Ramakrishna helped to make her a true Sahadharmini, a fellow-seeker in the quest for the higher values of
life. It was the resuscitation of the Vedic ideal of the Pativrata, according to which man and woman got fused into a
common ideal and purpose in life. The man and the woman, brought together as husband and wife, are like the two wheels of a
vehicle moving together on a common track towards a common ideal. Dharma is that path of higher evolution, and the discharge of
one's social and spiritual duties in the scripture-ordained way is the way of progress along at. The Sahadharmini of a spiritually
oriented personage like Sri Ramakrishna must necessarily be one with that same outlook, if the objective of that ideal is to be
fulfilled. It was because of this mutually complementary nature of their characters, that they have become perfect ideals of both
the married state and the monastic values.'
During the final illness of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother served Him wholeheartedly and after His passing away She carried on His
spiritual work on this Earth for more than thirty years. Great spiritual giants like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Brahmananda were in awe
of Her great spiritual power. Swami Vivekananda writes about Her in a letter to his brother-disciple, 'You have not yet understood
the wonderful significance of Mother's life -- none of you. But gradually you will know. Without Shakti (Power) there is no
regeneration for the world. Why is it that our country is the weakest and the most backward of all countries?-- because Shakti is
held in dishonour there. Mother has been born to revive that wonderful Shakti in India; and making her the nucleus, once more
will Gargis and Maitreyis be born into the world. ...'.
Swami Premananda says about her: 'Who has understood the Holy Mother?
Who can understand her? You have heard about Sita, Savitri, Vishnupriya and Radhrani. The Holy Mother occupies a far higher place.
Not even the slightest trace of divine powers was noticeable in her. Sri Ramakrishna, however, had vidya powers. Many were the
occasions when we witnessed his trances and ecstasies. But in the Holy Mother even the Vidya-powers were conceded. What a supreme
power that! Victory undo the Mother! Victory undo the Mother! Victory undo the Mother! Don't you see how many people are rushing on!
The poison which we cannot digest, we just pass on to the Mother. And she gives refuge to everyone. Infinite is her power!
Unbounded her mercy! Victory undo the Mother !
What to speak of us-we have not found even Sri Ramakrishna doing this. Even he used to accept people after a lot of testing and
screening. And what do you find here, in the case of the Mother? Astonishing! Amazing! She is giving refuge to all and digesting
the sins of all. Mother! Mother! Victory undo the Mother!
The exalted Empress has of her own accord appeared as the indigent women. She sweeps floors, scores vessels, husks paddy and even
removes the leaving of devotees after food. She has been undergoing great hardships at Jayrambati in order to teach the
householders their duties. Infinite patience, unbounded mercy and above all the negation of even the slightest race of egotism'
Swami Vivekananda's erudite and saintly spiritual daughter Sister Nivedita's interactions with Holy Mother are very charming. It
graphically portrays meeting of Eastern and Western ideals. Sister writes about Holy Mother: 'To me it has always appeared that she
is Sri Ramakrishna's final word as to the ideal of Indian womanhood. But is she the last of an old order, or the beginning of a new?
In her, one sees realized that wisdom and sweetness to which the simplest of women may attain. And yet, to myself, the stateliness
of her courtesy and her great open mind are almost as wonderful as her sainthood. I have never known her hesitate in giving
utterance to large and generous judgement, however new or complex might be the question put before her. Her life is one long
stillness of prayer. Her whole experience is of theocratic civilization. Yet she rises to the height of every situation. Is
she tortured by the perversity of any about her? The only sign is a strange quiet and intensity that comes upon her. Does one
carry to her some perplexity or mortification bom of social developments beyond her ken? With unerring intuition she goes
straight to the heart of the matter, and sets the questioner in the true attitude to the difTiculty. Or is there need for
severity? No foolish sentimentality causes her to waver.'
'...He who has transgressed her code of delicacy and honour, will never enter her presence again. ...' (The Master as Saw Him,
P147-48)
After guiding and protecting thousands of souls throughout her life, Holy Mother still illumines lives of millions of people all around
the world. Her last teaching, given on her death-bed in 1920, if carried into practice by humans, would usher supreme peace on humanity;
she had said, 'Let me 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; the whole world is your own.'
In following pages we present some notes, taken from 'The Gospel of the Holy Mother' (originally reminiscences recorded in Bengali by various devotees and later translated into English by Swami Nikhilananda and Swami Prabhananda) and from various published biographies of Holy Mother by Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
----------- Om Tat Sat -----------
