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More
are the names of God and infinite
are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and
form you worship Him, through them you will realise Him.
by Sri
Ramakrishna
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SRI SARADA DEVI
(1853 - 1920)
If the motherly love inhabiting the hearts of all the mothers in the
world were to be put together and churned, the nectar that would issue
forth would perhaps approximate to Sri Sarada Devi. Sri Ramakrishna
left her in this world to uphold the ideal of universal motherhood.
Born of humble and pious parents at the village of Jayarambati in
Bengal on the 22nd December 1853, Sri Sarada Devi grew up practically
like any other village girl of those days with little schooling but
plenty of work at home and in the fields. Though united with Sri
Ramakrishna in wedlock at the age of hardly six, she lived with her
parents most of the time in the early years. It was only in the first
part of 1872 when she was about eighteen, that she arrived at
Dakshineswar and started living with her saintly husband. It was during
this year that Sri Ramakrishna worshipped her as “Shodashi”, as aspect
of the Divine Mother. With no trace of cupidity in heart and yet
overflowing with the tenderness love and concern for each other, the
couple has left to the whole world, the supreme example of conjugal
life.
The next fourteen years of her life – until the demise of Sri
Ramakrishna in 1886 – were a veritable saga self-effacing service to
her husband and his disciples. It was also a period of intense training
for her, by her godly husband, who could well foresee her future role
as a spiritual teacher in her own right. The next phase of her life
from 1886 to 1909, when a permanent abode (the Udbodhan House) was
built for her at Calcutta, was rather chequered. She spent much of her
time in pilgrimages and spiritual ministry. The last eleven years-until
her Mahasamadhi on the 21st July 1920 – were more hectic. Apart from
spiritual ministration to the earnest seekers, she had also to guide
the activities of the Ramakrishna Organizations. Her rare insight into
the problems of Indian women who were handicapped by obsolescent social
customs on the one side, and exposure to the western culture on the
other, made her recognize the need for their education and even
economic independence. That is why she was an ardent supporter of
Sister Nivedita’s endeavors in the field of education of Indian women.
Her last message, ‘If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with
others; rather find out your own weakness and rectify them. None is a
stranger in this world. The whole world belongs to you!’ is a typical
reflection of her own immaculate life.
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