Sarada Devi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarada Devi |
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Sarada Devi
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| Birth Date | 22 December 1853 Joyrambati, Bengal Presidency, British India (Now in West Bengal) |
| Died on | 20 July 1920 (aged 66) Bagbazar, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Birth name | Kshemankari/ Thakurmani/ Saradamani Mukhopadhyay |
| Guru/teacher | Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (spiritual consort) |
| Titles/honors | Shree Shree Maa |
Sarada Devi (born Kshemankari / Thakurmani / Saradamani Mukhopadhyay) was a very important spiritual leader. She was the wife and spiritual partner of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a famous Hindu mystic from the 1800s. Many people who follow the Sri Ramakrishna order call her the Holy Mother (Sri Sri Maa).
Sarada Devi played a big part in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement. The Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in Dakshineshwar are based on her life and teachings. She was born in Joyrambati, a village in West Bengal, India. She married Ramakrishna in 1859 when she was six years old. She later joined him at the Dakshineswar Kali temple when she was 18. They lived a very spiritual life together. After Ramakrishna passed away, Sarada Devi continued to guide his followers. Many people around the world see her as a form of the Divine Mother.
Contents
Her Life Story
Early Life and Childhood
Saradamani Devi was born on December 22, 1853. Her parents, Ramachandra Mukhopadhyay and Shyama Sundari Devi, were Brahmins and lived in the quiet village of Jayrambati in West Bengal, India. Her family was not rich. Her father worked as a farmer and also performed religious duties as a priest. Stories say that her parents had special visions before she was born, hinting that she would be a divine child.
Sarada grew up living a simple village life. As a child, she loved traditional Hindu stories. She did not go to a formal school. Instead, she learned to help her mother manage their large household and care for her younger brothers. During a terrible famine in 1864, Sarada worked very hard. Her family helped feed many hungry people. She also enjoyed worshiping clay models of the goddesses Kali and Lakshmi. It is said that she started meditating when she was very young. She also spoke of seeing eight girls who would help her with her chores.
Marriage to Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna's mother and brother thought that getting married might help him focus less on his intense spiritual practices. It is said that Ramakrishna himself suggested Saradamani as his bride. In May 1859, Sarada was married to Ramakrishna. She was only five years old, and Ramakrishna was 23. This age difference was common in rural Bengal during that time.
After their wedding, Sarada stayed with her parents. Ramakrishna returned to Dakshineswar. Sarada next met Ramakrishna when she was 14. She spent three months with him in Kamarpukur. There, Ramakrishna taught her about meditation and spiritual living. Some people wondered about Ramakrishna's mental health because of his frequent spiritual trances and unusual ways of worship. Others saw him as a great saint. Sarada went to Dakshineswar in 1872 when she was 18. She wanted to see for herself after hearing the rumors. She found Ramakrishna to be a kind and caring person.
Life at Dakshineswar Temple
At Dakshineswar, Sarada Devi lived in a very small room in the nahabat (music tower). She stayed there until 1885, only leaving for short visits to Jayrambati. By this time, Ramakrishna had chosen a monastic life. Their marriage was a spiritual one. Ramakrishna performed a special ceremony called Shodashi Puja. In this ritual, he worshiped Sarada Devi as the divine mother Tripura Sundari. Ramakrishna saw Sarada as a form of the Divine Mother. He called her Sree Maa (Holy Mother), and that is how his followers knew her.
Sarada Devi's day started early, at 3 AM. After bathing in the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly, she would meditate until morning. Ramakrishna taught her sacred chants (mantras) and how to guide others spiritually. Sarada Devi is seen as Ramakrishna's first student. Most of her time was spent cooking for Ramakrishna and his many followers. Even though she stayed in the background, her kind and welcoming nature attracted many women to become her companions.
During Ramakrishna's final days, when he was sick with throat cancer, Sarada Devi took care of him. She also prepared special food for him and his students. After Ramakrishna passed away in August 1886, Sarada Devi tried to remove her bracelets, as was the custom for widows. But she had a vision of Ramakrishna. He told her, "I have not passed away, I have gone from one room to another." She said that whenever she thought of dressing like a widow, she would see Ramakrishna telling her not to. After his death, Sarada Devi continued to lead the new religious movement. She was its spiritual guide for the next 34 years.
Spiritual Journeys
After Ramakrishna's death, Sarada Devi went on a pilgrimage through North India. She was with a group of women followers and Ramakrishna's students. They visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of god Shiva in Varanasi and the city of Ayodhya, linked to the god Rama. Later, she visited Vrindavan, which is connected to the god Krishna. Stories say that in Vrindavan, she had a deep spiritual experience called nirvikalpa samadhi. After this, she began her role as a spiritual teacher (guru). She guided several of Ramakrishna's students, including Mahendranath Gupta, by giving them a mantra. Those who met her felt her strong motherly love.
Life in Calcutta
After her pilgrimage, Sarada Devi lived alone in Kamarpukur, Ramakrishna's birthplace. She faced poverty there. In 1888, when Ramakrishna's followers heard about her difficulties, they invited her to Calcutta. They arranged for her to stay there. Swami Saradananda built a permanent house for Sarada Devi in Calcutta. It was called the Udbodhan House. This house, also known as Mayerbati ("Holy Mother's House"), was where she spent the longest time outside Jayrambati.
Sarada Devi moved to Calcutta because life in Kamarpukur was very hard. She had no money and no one to care for her. When the followers in Calcutta learned this, they convinced her to come.
At Udbodhan House, Sarada Devi lived with other women followers of Ramakrishna. Many people came to her for guidance and spiritual initiation. Western women followers of the Ramakrishna Order, like Sister Nivedita, also became close to her. Her biographers say that her natural motherly nature made visitors feel comfortable. Swami Nikhilananda, one of her direct students, wrote, "Though she had no children of the flesh, she had many of the spirit." She saw all her students as her own children.
Sarada Devi was highly respected by the Ramakrishna Order and its followers. Ramakrishna had asked her to continue his mission after his death. He wanted his students to see no difference between him and her. Her followers and biographers say that Sarada Devi's hospitality was special. It was full of motherly care. Stories tell of her followers having mystical experiences. Some dreamed of her as a goddess, even before seeing her picture. Others said they received spiritual guidance from her in their dreams. For example, Girish Chandra Ghosh, a famous Bengali playwright, reportedly saw Sarada Devi in a dream when he was 19. He received a mantra from her. Years later, when he met her, he was amazed that she was the same person from his dream.
Final Days
Sarada Devi spent her last years traveling between Jayrambati and Calcutta. In January 1919, she went to Jayrambati and stayed for over a year. For the next five months, she continued to be unwell. Shortly before she passed away, she gave her last advice to her sad followers: "But 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: this whole world is your own!" This is seen as her final message to the world.
She passed away at 1:30 AM on Tuesday, July 20, 1920, at Mayer Badi in Kolkata. Her body was cremated at the Belur Math, on the opposite side of the River Ganga from where Ramakrishna's body was cremated. The place where she was cremated is now called Holy Mother's Ghat at Belur Math. Today, a temple stands at that spot.
Teachings and Sayings
Sarada Devi did not write any books. Her words and memories were written down by her students, including Swami Nikhilananda and Swami Tapasyananda. Even though she did not have a formal education, her spiritual wisdom is highly valued. Scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak have noted her "exquisite remarks."
Here are some of her teachings:
- "Practice meditation, and your mind will become so calm and steady. You will find it hard to stay away from meditation."
- "The mind is everything. It is in the mind alone that one feels pure and impure. A person must first see their own faults before they can see another person's faults."
- "If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Instead, 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."
- "You must have devotion towards your own spiritual teacher (guru). No matter what the guru is like, the student finds salvation through their strong devotion to their guru."
Her Impact and Legacy
Sarada Devi was very important as the leader of a new organization. This organization later became the Ramakrishna Mission, a group of monks dedicated to social work. Gayatri Spivak writes that Sarada Devi "performed her role with skill and wisdom, always staying in the background." She initiated several important monks into the Ramakrishna Order. Swami Nikhilananda, who was a freedom fighter and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, accepted Sarada Devi as his spiritual teacher. He later joined the Ramakrishna Order and founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New York.
Even though she was not formally educated, Sarada Devi believed strongly in education for women. Sister Nivedita started a school for Indian women with Sarada Devi's blessings. She also wanted a girls' school on the Ganges River. There, students from both Eastern and Western cultures could study together. In 1954, the Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, a monastic order for women, was founded in her honor.
Swami Vivekananda wrote a letter to her to ask for her opinion. He wanted to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He decided to go to the United States only after receiving her blessing.
See also
In Spanish: Sarada Devi para niños
- Swami Vivekananda
- Bijoy Krishna Goswami
- Vishuddhananda Paramahansa
- Paramahansa Yogananda
- Anandamayi Ma
