SRI SARADA DEVI

When Sri Ramakrishna was twenty-three years old and was engaged in intense spiritual disciplines, his relatives at Kamarpukur , in the hope of diverting his mind to mundane affairs, got him married to a girl by name Sarada Devi who belonged to the neighbouring village of Jayrambati. Sarada Devi was born on 22 December 1853 as the first child of a pious couple, Ramachandra Mukherji and Shyama Sundari Devi. This family was very poor, and from childhood Sarada helped her parents in various household chores and bringing up her younger brothers. She had no formal schooling, and could hardly read. At the age of eighteen she walked all the way , in the company of her father, to Dakshineshwar to meet her husband . Sri Ramakkishna received her with great love and taught her how to lead a spiritual life even while discharging her household duties. They lived absolutely pure lives , and Sararda Devi lived at Dakshineshwar as a virgin nun, serving Sri Ramakrishna as his wife and disciple.

On his part Sri Ramakrishna , who worshipped God as the Divine Mother, looked upon Sarada Devi as a special manifestation of the Divine Mother. Once he ritualistically worshipped her as the Divine Mother and thus awakened Divine Motherhood in her.

When disciples began to gather around Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi learned to look upon them as her own children. After the Master’s passing away, she became the unifying centre for his disciples and was adored by them as Holy Mother. In due course, she herself became a great teacher, and disciples began to gather around her. Her mother-heart expanded to enfold them all in the luminous consciousness of universal motherhood. In the whole history of humanity this was the first time that an unlettered village maiden decided to look upon people in the world as her children, and came to be adored as the ‘Mother of All’.

Owing to 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. Swamiji had the historical insight to know that neglect of women for centuries was one of the main causes of India’s downfall (another cause being neglect of the masses). He believed that with the advent of Holy Mother the spiritual awakening of women in modern times had begun, and this would have far-reaching consequences for the future elevation of humanity.

The Holy Mother spent her life partly in the village Jayrambati and partly in Kolkata where disciples of Sri Ramakrishna provided her a home. In both the places she personally attended to household duties till the end of her life. She left the mortal world on 21 July 1920.

Swamiji wanted to start an independent monastic order for women on the same lines as Ramakrishna Math with Holy Mother as its centre. His wish could be fulfilled only in 1953, during the Birth Centenary of Holy Mother, when seven women were given the primary vows of Brahmacharya at Belur Math. In 1959 eight novices were given the final ordination of Sannyasa, and a new monastic order for wome, known as Sri Sarada Math, was started near the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar. It was separated totally from Ramakrishna Math in 1959 and has since then being functioning independently. Its twin organization named Ramakrishna Sarada Mission was founded in 1960. These two institutions for women also run schools, hospitals and other service institutions on the lines of Ramakrishna Math and Mission.

Source: Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission their History, Ideals, Activities.