The Gospel of The Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi

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Here in these page is given a vivid and realistic pen picture of a unique personality-unique because she was nun, wife and mother at the some time. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, the Divine yet human consort of Sri Ramakrishna, is here presented, as nowhere else in all her rustic simplicity which breaks the barriers of commonality by its artless naturalness inspired by a universal love which made no distinction between friend and foe, small and great ignorant and wise but enfolded every living being in the charming fragrance of motherliness that her personality exuded.

The contents of this book are in the form of reminiscence s by many 'devotee-children' of Holy Mother, comprising the reports on the contacts and conversations they had with her, and the events they witnessed in Mother’s life at Calcutta and the village of Jayrambati, some of them were monastic who formed her personal attendants, and the others, devoted disciples consisting of both men and women. The reminiscences very much in their size and value but through them all a very vivid picture of Mother is presented to the trader.

'The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi', is the full translation of the Bengali work 'Sri Mayer Katha', parts of which have already come out in translation under other title This Math itself had published some important of it as early as 1940 under the title 'Conversations of the Holy Mother ', incorporated in her biography ‘ Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother', The present book however, embodies the whole of the Bengali text most of the reminiscences and conversations of the Holy Mother, except what appears in the great work Swami Daradeshananda, entitled’ The Mother, as I saw her', published by this Math, are now available for the English reading public in one volume.

Recorded as it is by a large number of the devotee-children of Mother, the present reveals to marked a great character that chose to remain outside public notice behind the Purdah an in the obscurity of the village of Jayrambati. Even under these conditions the lady’s greatness could not be obscured. Through the important and recollections of a large number of men and women of various stations life who came contents with Sri Sarada Devi. Her greatness emerges in the bright colors of universal Motherhood, never before witnessed in so striking a manner in any personality we know of therefore while the contents of this book are special importance to the follower of Sri Ramakrishna, they can make an appeal to all who appreciate the great human value of Motherliness.

The book is divided into three parts, as the translations has been done by three persons. The reminiscences are of several people numbering 38. These recorders are both men and women, monastic and lay and the reminiscences are of varying length and importance. But all the recorders were to the Mother, some of them being very intimate with her personal attendants it would have been possible to give greater perfection to the book if were able to give a few details at least about these recorders; but at this distance of time, it is not possible to gather precise information about most of them, except in the case of the few monastic who figure among them. So we have not given any biographical notes about the recorders.

It is hoped that the book will be appreciated by the general public, and especially by the devote of ri Ramakrishna.

As these Conversations of the Holy Mother. Now published under the title, The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, are likely to fall into the hands of who many who are not at all acquainted with her life, we think it is proper to add a short biographical account of hers as an Introduction to it. For to understand the relevancy of these conversations, to grasp how they are revelatory of a great character through small incidents and talks that took place outside the public gaze, a Knowledge of the facts of her life is an absolute necessity. Hence the following short life sketch of hers is added to this book as an introduction.

Early Life
Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother was the Divine Consort and first disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and thus an integral part of his spiritual self and of the saving massage he delivered unto mankind. Unlike the counterparts of the past incarnations like Rama, Krishna and Buddha and some others, Sri Sarada Devi was born in a poor cultured Brahma family of Bengal in the village of Jayrambati in the Bankura District, situated about sixty miles to the west of Calcutta. Born on 22nd December, 1853, as the eldest daughter of Ramachandra Mukherjee and Shyamasundari Devi, here early girlhood was spent, as in the case of rural upbringing, in various domestic chores like caring for the younger children, looking after cattle and carrying food to her father and others engaged in work in the field. She had absolutely no Schooling though she learnt the Bengali alphabet and practiced a little of reading and writing in later days by herself. But the domestic environment of a pious Brahmana family supplemented by the holy associations she had in later days imparted to her to one with such high nature endowments as she-an education that was far more enlightening than instruction in the three R’s

Marriage
She entered into Ramakrishna’s life as his partner in it when she aged only five. The strange marriage of Gadadhar of twenty three years of age with Sarada of five was part of a divine dispensation, and took place in a way that can only be described as providential. When Gadadhar, as Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master used to be know in those days, was passing through the early phase of his spiritual adventure, his near and dear ones though that marriage would have a resettling and stabilizing effect on his mind, which had lost all interest in worldly affairs. But there search for a suitable bride met with failure every time failure every time they started on it, until Gaadadhar himself come to there rescue. The relatives had kept their plans unknown to Gadadhar as they feared a vehement protest from him but upsetting all there worldly wise calculations Gadadhar himself come to the rescue of his disconcerted relative in an ecstatic mood he declared: "Why are you searching for a bride here and there? She who is 'marked' for me is awaiting at the house of Ramachandra Mukherjee at Jayrambati.” And that 'marked one' they found was none other then Sarada Devi, the five year old daughter of Ramachandra Mukherjee and Shyama sundari Devi of Jayrambati.

There is a trading of as incident of as earlier day indicative of the divinely ordained nature of this alliance. If was the occasion of a temple festival in the neighborhood where quite a number of family from Kamarpukar and Jayrambati had Jayrambati had gathered Among them were young Gadadhar and infant Sarada. Some women folk on such occasions indulge in the pastime of pre-planning possible marriage alliances for the future. It seems when infant Sarada was asked whom she would marry, she pointed to the boy Gadadhar.

After the marriage, Sarada had occasion, when she was seven and again at thirteen and fourteen, to meet Gadadhar and be with him for a few days each time. Though on these occasions she had the happy experience of serving him, a really meaningful meeting between them took place only later when she went to Dakshineswar to meet him under strange circumstances. Hearing the rampant rumor that the village gossips bandied about regarding Sri Ramakrishna mental condition, young Sarada now eighteen, felt much upset, and a sense of duty to be by her husband’s side him in his ailment began to dominate her mind. So under the guise of a pilgrimage to the holy Ganga she went with her father to Dakshineswar Temple at Calcutta where the Master was then staying. Trudging most of the sixty miles to Calcutta, she arrived unannounced at Dakshineswar one in March 1872, stricken with fever on the way, to boot.

The Mother at Dakshineswar
It was in every way a very strange meeting. Sri Ramakrishna had been passing through a mood of intense longing for God and his spirit of renunciation of what he called 'Women and Gold' was raging in his mind with the tempo of a whirl-wide. An ascetic in that mood is the last men one can expect to meet a situation of this type with composure. We expect him to flee the place or put on a very rude and cruel attitude of disregard. But the Master’s response now was as unexpected as when the proposal for marriage was made. He extended a very welcome to his wife, made arrangements for her stay and medical treatment and in every way behaved toward her as a devoted husband should do.

This great event took place in march, 1872.from now onward, with break of intervals for visits to her to her mother at Jayrambat,i Sarada Devi was by the side of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar and later at conspire till 1886 when death separated them in a physical sense. It was a period of training and discipleship, during which the Mother in her became more and more manifest making her ready to take up the leadership of the spiritual movement that the Master inaugurated. She become the first and foremost of his disciples. This transformations was effected through her service of the Master and the proactive of devotional disciplines he prescribed for her; It was a silent and profound process about the details of which the world Know so little. The type of personality into which she was shaped through that training was one characterized by inexhaustible patience and peace, extreme simplicity combined with dignity, a non turbulent but compelling spiritual fervor, a loving temperament that knew no distinction between friend and foe, and a maternal attitude of spontaneous type towards all, that charmed and brought under her influence everyone who come near her.

She spent nearly the whole of the Dakshineswar period of her life of thirteen years, expending from 1872 to 1885, except when she went to Jayrambati periodically, in a room in the northern side of the temple compound, called the Nahabat from where she could get a view of the room in which the master lived.

The ground flower of the Nahabat or Concert House was a small low octagonal room of less then 50sq. feet in area, with a verandah four and a quarter wide surrounding it. Besides being four and a quarter feet wide surrounding it Besides being her living served as her provision store, kitchen and reception room too-a surprising combination of functions for such a small enclosure But so patient and long-suffering she was that what would have been impossible for other, was no problem to her several aristocratic women of Calcutta, fat and plumpy would stand at the door of the Nahabat, and leaning forward, holding the door frame, would say: “Ah! What a tiny room for our good girl! She is as it were in exile, like Sita.” In later days the Holy Mother would, while recounting the experiences of her early days, tell her nieces, “while recounting the experiences of her early days, tell her niece , “You won’t be able to live in such a room even for a day.

Appreciating the extreme inadequacy of her accommodation, a devote by name smashup Malice built in April 1874 a small house on a plot very near the temple for her to stay. She stayed there for about one year, but left it for the Nahabat when the Great Master fell ill with dysentery, as she wanted to be by his side for nursing him. After that, however, she never went back to that house.

Her life began every day at three a.m., being a strict observer of the Purdah, she finished her ablution in the Ganges long before daybreak when people began moving about. Till it was broad daylight, she spent her time in meditation and Japa. She never come out till about one p.m., when there would be no one round about. She would then sit out drying her long and luxuriant locks in the sun. In fact she lived so quietly and unobserved there that the Temple Manager said once, "We have heard that she lives here, but we have never seen her.” The Master appreciated her extreme reserve, but none the less felt anxious for her health, as continuous in that small room carried with it grave health hazards. The verandah round the room was also screened for making the place fit for a strict Purdah lady to live in. She used to stand behind the screen on the damp floor of her house and watch through holes in the screen holes in the screen the Master singing and dancing in ecstasy beyond the open northern door of the room. All this brought rheumatic pain in her legs. Afterword, On the Masters advice, she began to go out of the room and meet the ladies of some Know houses in the neighborhood.

During the day much of her time was taken up with cooking for the master and devotes. Sri Ramakrishna’s stomach was very delicate and could not stand the Temple food. So Sri Sarada Devi prepared the diet for him and personally seved it to him, coaxing him to take sufficient quantities of it. She also did the other personal service for the Master like cleaning his room, washing clothes etc. The master’s mother was also staying at Dakshineswar in her last days. And Sarada Devi attended on her as well with meticulous care. Although in the earlier her cooking work was limited, it gradually swelled to enormous proportions, as the number of the Master’s devotes herein to increase. Many of the number of them stayed overnight or sometime for a whole day with him. They had to be fed, and the Mother took upon herself that duty too. It is said that daily she made chapattis out of seven pounds of wheat flour and prepared the condiments required for them Besides, Betel rolls for the Master and devote were required, and countless were the rolls she prepared every day.

All through the day quite a large number of women devotes who come to see thaw Master, made the Nhabat their first place of halt and spent much time in conversation. Some of them also stayed overnight with her in that small room. Besides attending to her household duties duties also spent hours in watching from the Nahabat the scenes of devotional fervor that went on in the master’s room. During night she spent long hours in Meditation. Her whole time was thus occupied with acts of service of the Master and his devotes and with the proactive of devotional disciplines. It was an ideal way living in which work and worship went hand in hand, and led to a harmonious development of personality.