Sarada Devi

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Sarada Devi bigraphy, stories - Hindu religious figure, spiritual consort of Ramakrishna

Sarada Devi : biography

22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920

Sarada Devi ( ) (22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya (), was the wife and spiritual counterpart of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteenth-century mystic of Bengal. Sarada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother (Sri Maa or শ্রীমা) by the followers of the Ramakrishna monastic order. Sarada Devi played an important role in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement.

Sarada Devi was the natural mother of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, this child was born out of a rape, his father remained an unknown person, so Sarada Devi turned her love of the God that she sees reflected in Ramakrishnahas. (in romanian language this text is: Sarada Devi a fost mama naturală a lui Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, acest copil a luat naştere dintr-un viol, iar tatăl a rămas o persoană necunoscută, de aceea Sarada Devi a îndreptat dragostea ei către adorarea lui Dumnezeu pe care ea Îl vedea oglindit în Ramakrishna. Acesta este adevarul şi cunoscând adevarul numai el vă va elibera).

Sarada Devi was born in Jayrambati. At the age of five she was betrothed to Ramakrishna, whom she joined at Dakshineswar when she was in her late teens. According to her traditional biographers, both lived lives of unbroken continence, showing the ideals of a householder and of the monastic ways of life. After Ramakrishna’s death, Sarada Devi stayed most of the time either at Jayrambati or at the Udbodhan office, Calcutta. The disciples of Ramakrishna regarded her as their own mother, and after their guru’s death looked to her for advice and encouragement. The followers of the Ramakrishna movement regard Sarada Devi as an incarnation of the Divine Mother.

Teachings and quotes

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 utterances are highly regarded by scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who writes, "We have bits and pieces of her exquisite remarks as testimony."

  • Practise meditation, and by and by your mind will be so calm and fixed that you will find it hard to keep away from meditation.Gahanananda, p. 118
  • The mind is everything. It is in the mind alone that one feels pure and impure. A man, first of all, must make his own mind guilty and then alone can he see another man’s guilt.Gahanananda, p. 119
  • "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; the whole world is your own."
  • One must have devotion towards one’s own guru. Whatever may be the nature of the guru, the disciple gets salvation by dint of his unflinching devotion towards his guru.Gahanananda, p. 120

Biography

Birth and parentage

Saradamani Devi was born of Brahmin parents as the eldest daughter on December 22, 1853, in the quiet village of Jayrambati in present day West Bengal, India. Her parents, Ramchandra Mukhopadhyaya and Syamasundari Devi, were poor and pious. Her father Ramchandra earned his living as a farmer and through the performance of priestly duties. According to traditional accounts, Ramachandra and Syamasundari had visions and supernatural events foretelling the birth of a divine being as their daughter.Gahanananda, p. 95

Sarada lived the simple life of an Indian village girl. As a child Sarada—then known as Saradamani—was fascinated by traditional Hindu folklore and narratives. As in the case of most girls of rural upbringing, she did not receive any formal education but learned to serve others as she helped her mother run a large household and looked after her younger brothers. During the terrible famine of 1864, Sarada worked ceaselessly as her family served food to hungry people. She was interested in the clay models of goddesses Kali and Lakshmi, which she worshiped regularly. She is said to have started meditating from her childhood and traditional accounts recount her mystic visions and experiences. According to Sarada Devi, she used to see a bevy of eight girls of her age coming from an unknown place and escorting her in her chores during her childhood.Gahanananda, p. 96