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Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (1853-1920)
A Brief Biography by Dr. Mahendra Jani

When Sri Ramakrishna returned to Dakshineswar after the marriage, he began to practice intense spiritual disciplines, and as a result, began to go through a storm of mystical experiences. Not understanding his God-intoxicated state of mind, people took him to be insane. Rumors about Sri Ramakrishna’s condition reached to Sri Sarada Devi at Jayrambati, and she became very concerned. Putting aside her innate bashful nature, she told her father that she must go to Dakshineshwar to take care of Sri Ramakrishna. Thus, in 1872, she left Jayrambati for Dakshineswar.

Sri Ramakrishna received Sri Sarada Devi with affection and made all the neccessary arrangements for her stay. One of the first things he asked her after her arrival was whether she had come to drag his mind down from the spiritual to the worldly plane. To this, Sri Sarada Devi, without the slightest hesitation, replied that she had not come to drag him down to the world; rather, she had come to help him to realize his spiritual ideal. True to her word, from 1872 to 1886, she silently dedicated herself to taking care of Sri Ramakrishna as well his young disciples who came to him for spiritual guidance. Once she herself asked Sri Ramakrishna how he looked upon her. Sri Ramakrishna immediately replied that his own mother who had given birth to him, the Universal Mother who was being worshipped in the temple, and Sri Sarada Devi were all the same to him. These two conversations between them clearly demonstrate how much regard and respect they held for each other.

Sri Ramakrishna taught Sri Sarada Devi various spiritual disciplines with great love and care. Following his advice, Sri Sarada Devi plunged into intense spiritual practices. She used to wake up between three and four every morning. After taking her bath in the Ganga, she would spend roughly an hour and half practicing her daily spiritual disciplines, her mind absorbed throughout in her prayer and meditation. During the day she would be busy attending to the needs of Sri Ramakrishna and her mother-in-law. After a little rest in the afternoon, she would again resume prayer and meditation. Following that, she would cook dinner for Sri Ramakrishna, her mother-in-law, and the young devotees who visited Sri Ramakrishna. A couple of women devotees also used to stay with her and give her a helping hand. After the day’s work was over, she would again practice japa(repeating the name of God). Sometimes she would pray, "May my mind be pure as the rays of the moon," or sometimes, "O Lord, there are stains even on the moon, but let my mind be absolutely stainless."

Sri Ramakrishna never disrespected Sri Sarada Devi nor talked to her in a harsh voice. He always showed love and care for her, and their days were filled with joy. He carefully groomed her spiritual life; he also gave her valuable instructions on household matters and how to conduct herself in her secular life. On an auspicious day, Sri Ramakrishna worshipped Sri Sarada Devi as the Divine Mother of the Universe and offered at her feet his rosary and the fruits of all his spiritual practices, thus invoking the divinity in her. They saw in each other nothing but the presence of God, and willingly lived a life of celibacy. Their love for each other was free of all sensuous desires and worldly motives.

Because her mind was always established in God-consciousness, Sri Sarada Devi was able to experience samadhi, the highest state in spiritual pursuit in which the individual mind completely merges with the Infinite God. One cannot have such experience without complete control over the body, the mind and the intellect, intense love for God, and the ability to focus the mind on God. Later she told one of her disciples that the vision of God was as easy and tangible for her as a fruit in her palm.

In April of 1885, Sri Ramakrishna was diagnosed with throat cancer. During this time, Sri Sarada Devi served him night and day with the utmost care. When Sri Ramakrishna passed away in August of 1886, Sarada Devi wept like a lost child, saying, “O Mother Kali, what have I done that you have departed, leaving me alone in this world?”

In order that Sri Sarada Devi may find some solace, Balaram Bose, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, made arrangements for her and a few close women devotees to visit Vrindavan, the famous holy place of Sri Krishna. There she took to spiritual practices like japa and meditation and had experiences of ecstasy and samadhi.

It seems that while at Vrindavan, Sri Sarada Devi’s role as a teacher began, through which she inspired and enlightened countless monks and householder disciples in the later part of her life. One day she had a vision that Sri Ramakrishna came to her and asked her to initiate Yogen, who was one of his devotees. Being very reserved by nature, Sri Sarada Devi felt embarrassed at the thought. In the vision she told Sri Ramakrishna that Yogen being a man, she does not even speak to him, then how can she give initiation? Taking the vision to be just a figment of her imagination, she dismissed it from her mind. But the vision revisited her, and this time the mantra itself was revealed to her. Sri Ramakrishna told her to keep a woman devotee by the name of Yogin Ma with her during the initiation. At the same time, Yogen also had a vision in which Sri Ramakrishna instructed him to take initiation from Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. Yogen (Swami Yogananda) thus became the first disciple of the Holy Mother.

August 1887 to April 1888 was a time of severe hardships for the Mother. Sri Ramakrishna had told her that after he passed away, she should not depend on anyone for money and that she should stay at Kamarpukur. Following his instructions, the Holy Mother spent nine months at Kamarpukur, living in dire poverty. At times she felt very lonely, having no one around to understand her difficulties. There were many days when she ate just boiled rice without even a pinch of salt because she had no money to buy it.

Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples were unaware of her deplorable living conditions. At that time they were spending their days as wandering monks. When they came to know, they persuaded her to move to Kolkata. After consulting with her mother and a few women devotees, Holy Mother agreed. In April 1888, she came to Kolkata and stayed at a place rented for her by the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. After this, she either stayed in Kolkata, at her own house in Jayrambati, or at Kamarpukur, according to her convenience.

During her stay at Kolkata, Holy Mother was a silent guiding force for the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. They felt spiritually elevated by her presence and relied on her spiritual insight and practical wisdom. Before embarking on his voyage to America, Swami Vivekananda wrote to Holy Mother seeking her advice in the matter. Holy Mother whole-heartedly sent him her blessings for the accomplishment of his mission.

On May 1, 1897, Swami Vivekananda inaugurated the Ramakrishna Mission with the blessings of the Holy Mother. The mission held meetings at Balaram Bose’s house on Sundays. The Holy Mother blessed some of these meetings with her presence, accompanied by women devotees. In February 1898, Swami Vivekananda purchased the present Belur Math site to make it the permanent headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. He requested Holy Mother to come and bless this place. When Holy Mother came, the monks, brahmacharins and devotees, including Sister Nivedita, Mrs. Ole Bull, and Miss Josephin MacLeod, who were Swami Vivekananda’s western women disciples, received her with great respect. Holy Mother was exceedingly pleased about the newly purchased land and remarked that finally the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) had bestowed his grace upon her children and given them a place to lay their heads.

During this occasion, Sara (Mrs. Ole Bull) asked Holy Mother’s permission to take her picture. Holy Mother was shy and thus reluctant. Sara pressed the Mother saying that she wanted to take her picture with her to America and worship it, and the Mother finally agreed. Sister Nivedita fixed her hair and clothes and prepared her for the picture. It is this picture of the Holy Mother that is now being worshipped by her devotees all over the world.

As time passed and the Mother began to manifest her true spiritual self more and more, devotees began to pour in. To the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna as well to her own disciples, she was dearer than their own earthly mothers. They considered her the embodiment of divine grace and the very incarnation of the Mother of the Universe. Men and women of every walk of life came to her seeking her grace and guidance. They were rich and poor, belonging to high and low classes, Hindus, Muslims and followers of other faiths, and professionals like physicians, teachers and lawyers. Some sought spiritual guidance, while some came hoping to fulfill their worldly desires. There were even queer and eccentric people who behaved very inconsiderately towards her. However, not one of them went back empty handed. Each one felt the Mother’s love and unbounded grace. Holy Mother herself once said, “He is unfortunate indeed who does not feel my compassion. I do not know anyone, not even an insect, for whom I do not feel compassion.” Her motherly love touched the hearts of millions. Whoever visited her found his/her heart filled with peace and joy. Sister Nivedita has beautifully expressed the feelings of millions of people whose lives were touched by the love of Holy Mother. In her letter dated December 11, 1910 written from Cambridge, Massachusetts at the time of Sara Bull’s illness, she writes….

“Beloved Mother,
This morning early, I went to church to pray for Sara. All the people there were thinking of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and suddenly I thought of you. Your dear face, and your loving look, and your white sari and your bracelets. It was all there. And it seemed to me that yours was the presence that was to soothe and bless poor Sara’s sickroom. And do you know, I thought I had been foolish to sit in your room, at the evening service to Sri Ramakrishna, trying to meditate. Why did I not understand that it was quite enough to be a little child at your dear feet? Dear Mother! You are full of love. And it is not a flushed and violent love like ours, and like the world’s, but a gentle peace that brings good to everyone and wishes ill to none.....

Do send to poor Sara the mantle of your peace. Isn’t your thought, now and then, of the high calm that neither loves nor hates? Isn’t that a sweet benediction that trembles in God, like the dewdrop on the lotus leaf, and touches not the world? Ever, my darling Mother, your foolish Khooki (a baby),
     -Nivedita”

Along with the women devotees, Swami Yogananda and Swami Saradananda took care of the needs of the Holy Mother. Swami Saradananda raised funds and built a permanent residence for her, called Udbodhan, in Kolkata. In that house the Holy Mother’s spiritual ministry continued up to her last breath. In the later years of her life, she had to cope with the deaths of many of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. The deaths of her beloved children were very painful for her, but she continued the task of guiding and inspiring people, until the strain took its toll on her health. On July 21, 1920, the Holy Mother left her mortal body. On the out side, she was a simple woman who attended to her household duties and lovingly took care of everyone around her, but on the inside, she was a blazing fire of spirituality and the embodiment of the Universal Mother.

Holy Mother Sarada Devi’s teachings are simple, direct and practical. She emphasized that the goal of life is to realize God, and to fulfill this goal, she advocated the simple spiritual practice of japa (repeating the name of God). Among all her teachings, one message, given towards the end of her life ever echoes in the hearts of her devotees everywhere: “Let me tell you something. My child, if you want peace, then do not look into anybody’s faults. Look into your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.”

We shall close this brief biography of the Holy Mother with an inspiring incident that took place during her visit to the Ramakrishna Math in Bangalore. One evening, the Holy Mother and a couple of companions climbed a hillock at the back of the monastery to see the sunset. Swami Ramakrishnananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and head of the Bangalore monastery, became concerned about her safety and followed her to the top of the hillock. When he reached the top, an awe-inspiring sight greeted him. It was of the Mother seated at the summit of the hillock, her serene figure bathed in the brilliant amber glow of the setting sun. In that celestial glow, the Mother appeared to him to be the Divine Mother of the Universe herself. His spirit awed and elevated by that sight, Swami Ramakrishnananda burst into a hymn which beautifully captured the innate divinity of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi: “O Narayani! I salute you, who are the most auspicious and propitious! You are the fulfiller of all the desires of your devotees! You are the consort of Lord Shiva and the sole refuge of all!”

(The author likes to thank Uma Ramakrishnan and Jayinee Adhvaryu for editing this article.)

Suggested Reading Material:
1. “Holy Mother,” Swami Nikhilananda, Published by Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center, New York, NY, USA, 1997
2. “Sri Sarada Devi – The Holy Mother,” Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India, 1986
3. “The Gospel of The Holy Mother,” Her Children and Devotees, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India, 1984
4. “Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, The Holy Mother,” Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India, 1982
5. “A Short Life of The Holy Mother,” Swami Pavitrananda, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Himalayas, India, 1998
6. “Sri Sarada Devi – The Great Wonder,” A compilation of Revelations, Reminiscences and Studies by apostles, Savants, Scholars and Devotees, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, India, 1994
7. “Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi,” Swami Gambhirananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India, 1955