The Holy Mother

Swami Gautamananda

Swami Gautamananda, President, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He is one of the Trustees of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math.

In the tribal areas, during the birthday celebrations of Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji, we used to display many things for the school children to purchase, such as small books and lockets of Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji. The tribal children always purchased Holy Mother's lockets. It is strange that even a tribal child has a tremendous attraction for the Holy Mother. Generally in India and abroad there is a great attraction towards Holy Mother. What is it that attracts?

What makes our own mother so lovable to us? Whenever we are in trouble, we call Mother. A child is afraid of the environment. It wants some protective force and mother is the protective force. Thus a child knows that if the mother is nearby, nobody can cause any harm. Right from the beginning the child sees the protective force in the mother. This idea has gone deep into the psyche, into the mind of the child. Similarly, mother is the place or the source of sympathy and service. When the child is ill, weak and helpless, it always gets sympathy and service from the mother. When he/she soils his/her hands or feet, immediately mother runs and cleans. Another factor is the encouraging words of the mother which help the child to learn to walk and develop himself/herself. The protection, sympathy, service and encouragement from mother are so deep that whenever we see mother, love flows from our heart. Mother prays for us, blesses us, 'May you become the best.'

If we have love, we naturally go to protect the person or place we love. We become a protective force, we sympathize, serve and encourage. This love is in abundance in mother. Out of that one factor, love, all these qualities flow from her heart, manifesting her motherhood.

This love comes from the feeling of oneness. The mother feels one with the child physically. For the first two years she is the soul of the child and we cannot see child and mother separately. The same mother who has this attitude towards her child may not feel the same with others' children. The oneness here is only physical. That's why in the later stages this physical love becomes a cause of sorrow. It creates problems for both the child and the mother. When the child wants to outgrow, the mother will not allow. On the contrary, in the life of the Holy Mother, we see this oneness springing from the spiritual source. Holy Mother used to feel that she is the Parashakti, the Divine Mother Kali, Sita, Radha, Devi, Lakshmi. This motherhood is one with the whole universe, encompassing the whole of human race, the superhuman race--of all the gods and goddesses--and the subhuman race--of all the beasts and other beings. This divine oneness manifests in her also as protection, sympathy, service and encouragement. Here is the mother who was divine and who manifested her motherhood to everyone; they all felt attracted to her. This attitude of the Holy Mother we must have in our mind when we read the life of the Holy Mother.

We live in an age of doubts. We doubt ourselves. We have doubts about our own divine nature, and that behind us there is the infinite divine father and mother, the Brahman. The whole universe is divine. There is a path, a method, by which these truths can be experienced by us. Therefore there is a great need for someone to come and remove the doubts. India has been the spiritual Guru of the whole world for centuries. It is the spiritual ideas of India that inspired the spiritual lives of great people everywhere. Therefore, Sri Ramakrishna came with two great disciples of his: the Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda.

When Sri Ramakrishna saw Swami Vivekananda sitting in the Saptarshi Mandala, he, like a child, called the attention of the saint from among the Saptarshis saying, 'I am going. You must also come.' The Rishi consented and came down to earth. We know by this that Sri Ramakrishna brought Swami Vivekananda with him, but we do not see him bringing Holy Mother.

Holy Mother came by herself. She gave a vision to her father Ramachandra Mukherjee. When he was in Calcutta for some work, Mother revealed herself to him as Lakshmi, with a red coloured saree. She came and closed his eyes from behind as children do and disappeared. At the same time, his wife Shyamasundari also saw Devi coming down to her from a Bilva tree. Mother is described as Bilvavanavasini--one who lives in the Bilva Vana. When Sri Ramakrishna decided to come, she also knew that both of them had to come together, as Shiva and Shakti are always together. Sri Ramakrishna once said, 'I have to come again.' 'I am not going to come with you,' Mother said. To which Sri Ramakrishna replied, 'Where will you go without coming? If I come you are surely going to follow.'

Holy Mother was given three names. But 'Sarada' is the name that stuck to her. She was the elder sister of six children: five brothers and one sister. Being the eldest, she was almost like the mother and from her young age this motherhood had manifested in her.

She knew her divinity when she was two years old. While attending a drama (yatra), the elder ladies showed her some young men who were also attending the yatra and asked, 'My darling, among those assembled here whom would you like to have as your husband?'¹ Then this child lifted her small hands and pointed to Gadadhar who was at that time 19 years old. Sri Ramakrishna could recognise his Shakti when he was almost 19 years old whereas Mother recognised her Shiva when she was only two.

At the age of fourteen she came to Sri Ramakrishna and received the highest knowledge. She received all the instructions then itself, whereas the later disciples came when they were 19-22 years old. She used to say, 'The Master instructed me right from trimming of the wick of lamp to the highest samadhi.' 'I then felt as if a pitcher of bliss was kept in my heart. It was a constant experience with me then. It is very difficult to convey an idea of this experience to others.'² That can happen only with the highest knowledge of Brahman. This knowledge came to Totapuri when he was 40 while Mother received this highest knowledge even at the age of fourteen.

She was eighteen when the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, worshipped her as Shodashi, Rajarajeswari, or Srividya, and offered all his sadhanas including his japamala at her feet. Sri Ramakrishna used to point to her saying, 'She is my Saraswati, she is my Shakti.' Swami Vivekananda always considered her a living Durga. He used to write letters to his brother disciples saying, 'Why do you go and worship Durga in the images? I will show you the worship of the living Durga.' He meant the Holy Mother.

Sri Ramakrishna entered Maha Samadhi after instructing all his monastic and householder disciples, practically establishing the Dharma, and asking them to continue spreading his message. He said to Holy Mother who was at that time 33 years old, 'See, the people of Kolkata appear to be crawling about like worms in the dark. Do look after them.' The Mother pleaded, 'I am a woman. How can that be?' The Master pointed towards his body and continued in the same strain, 'What after all has this one done? You'll have to do much more.'³ In later days, Holy Mother used to mention, 'He picked up the best types, and with what care he selected them! And towards me he has pushed all this small fry, coming in their hundreds like ants!'⁴ 'When they come to me I cannot say "no" to anyone. I take the burden of all.' This was the tremendous compassion that Holy Mother manifested to lead the worldly beings beyond all sufferings.

Once Sri Ramakrishna appeared in a vision to Swami Vijnanananda and asked him whether he was spreading the name of the Holy Mother. He said, 'No, I am giving your name only.' Sri Ramakrishna then told him, 'If you do not, then who will release all your disciples from the bondage of the world? Unless She bestows her grace, none of your disciples will get released. Give her name also.' From that time, Swami Vijnanananda started giving the name of the Holy Mother also.

We had the good fortune of studying under a disciple of Swami Vijnananandaji in our monastic Training Centre in Belur Math. He was one of the famous pandits of West Bengal, having nine M.A. degrees, called Dinu Pandit. He was an outstanding teacher, and being trained by him, in three months one could read, write and speak in Sanskrit. One day we asked him about Vijnananandaji. He said, 'I met him in his last days in 1936-37. He passed away in 1938. Whenever I did pranam, he would be simply saying, "Anandamayi, Anandamayi, Anandamayi".' That is the glory of the Holy Mother.

Holy Mother had tremendous Guru-power. Once Swami Virajananda, her disciple, while meditating, developed a chronic headache. He could not meditate, sit, concentrate. He was Swami Vivekananda's disciple as a sannyasi, but had been initiated by Mother. He went to Mother who enquired, 'At what point do you meditate?' When he said, 'On the Sahasrara,' she exclaimed, 'Only Paramahamsas can meditate on the Sahasrara! You should meditate on other centres.' He corrected his meditation, and soon got rid of all the troubles.

Swami Vivekananda himself used to go to her when he had problems. Once he complained, 'Such indeed is our Master, Mother. Just because a Fakir's disciple in Kashmir used to visit me, the Fakir cursed me saying, "He shall have to leave this place in three days with stomach trouble." And sure enough, it happened just as he had said--I had to flee away helter-skelter! Your Master could do nothing whatsoever.' The Mother had her answer communicated, 'It's an occult science. One can't but bow down before it, my boy! They didn't in fact, come to destroy&. Your suffering from disease is the same as the Master suffering from it.'⁵ Thus Mother easily solved Narendra's problem.

The Holy Mother is Sabda Brahman; Mother of the Universe. But she was a very hardworking ordinary woman and always said, 'Do the Master's work, and along with that practise spiritual disciplines too. Work helps one to keep off idle thoughts. If one is without work, such thoughts rush into one's mind.'⁶ Mother was busy right from three in the morning, taking her bath in the Ganges and then sitting for japa and meditation. Sri Ramakrishna knew that Mother had no leisure. Even if she had leisure, her mind was occupied with God's name. But to set an example to other women, she said, 'One should always be active. One should never be without work. For when one is idle, all sorts of bad thoughts crop up in one's mind.'⁷ Mother was a very good cook, she would make betel rolls, prepare very fine garlands of hibiscus flowers and send to Mother Kali. Sri Ramakrishna would ask those garlands to be put on Mother Kali. He would enjoy the beauty of the Divine Mother with those garlands.

Mother looked after the well-being of everyone--her mother-in-law, Sri Ramakrishna, and all devotees. She had learnt how to swim and had no fear of water. Mother did not want anybody to drown, either in the ordinary water or in the water of samsara! She could sing very well. One day when she was singing a little loudly, Sri Ramakrishna said, 'You are singing very well. But don't sing loudly. You sing mildly for yourself.' She learnt reading and writing. In those times most women did not know reading or writing and Mother set an example for the women to follow. And of course in prayer, meditation and japa, she was a master. All women have to learn these and specially purity, sympathy, protection, power, service, and japa and meditation. They also have to keep themselves very fit. Mother used to say, 'Even now, when I am past fifty, I can knead eight kilos of wheat flour and make chapatis all alone.'

With a remarkable foresight she said that boys and girls must know English. In future many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna would come from foreign countries. We have to explain to them about Sri Ramakrishna, the holiness of this place, our culture, our philosophy. This was said in 1910-11 and it is happening now. Swamiji also insists that you must cultivate your mother tongue, Sanskrit and English; English being an international language.

Holy Mother encouraged independence of women. She used to obey every word of Sri Ramakrishna out of love. But she was independent, never subservient to anyone and encouraged women to be courageous. In Telobhelo she, as a young lady, was walking when a robber appeared. She was not perturbed but stood straight, faced the robber, and said, 'Father, you have come at the right time.' In the mean time his wife also came. She said, 'You have also come at the right time. Otherwise where would I have been--you see, my friends have left me and gone away. Please escort me to them.' One must have courage which comes from purity, faith in the divine, and the constant remembrance that we are not alone--God is always with us.

Once she was travelling from Jayarambati to Vishnupur. On the way there was a jungle. The palanquin bearers told her at a point, 'Mother, there is a shop a little away. But we see some robbers standing there. We will take you by another route.' Mother said, 'I must go to that shop because Radhu and I want to drink water and I will take a little rest also.' They carried the palanquin there. They drank water from the tea shop without ado. In no situation did she lose her courage.

Even in the most modern towns and cities, some superstitions prevail. Widows would shave off their heads, would not wear any ornaments or any bordered saree. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother wanted to remove her bangles, when Sri Ramakrishna appeared before her and said, 'What are you doing? I have not gone away. I have only passed from one room to another.' ⁸ Her bangles were retained, and also the red bordered saree she was wearing. She said, 'I have been left behind by Sri Ramakrishna to show the motherhood of God to the whole universe.' Having observed Mother, women are developing courage, giving up useless superstitions and the idea of sin which have nothing to do with spiritual life.

The Holy Mother was a source of solace to many. One child widow went to her, very disconsolate. Mother pacified her in many ways and at last said, 'What does it matter if you are a child widow? God has freed you from the slavery to a man all your life. It is good fortune that you have become a child widow.' Nobody can know the reason why somebody dies. People die of their own karma. It has nothing to do with somebody else's karma. Just as people take birth according to the will of God, they pass away according to the will of God. Widowhood can be due to many good reasons also. When Lakshmi, daughter of Sri Ramakrishna's brother, was married, Sri Ramakrishna said, 'She will become a widow.' The match was not appropriate. Lakshmi was Devi's amsa (part). She was Sheetala. Being divine she could not be tied to an ordinary human being. That widowship is not due to sin but it was because of her superiority.

Mother gave this advice to women: 'The main ornament of a woman is her purity and divinity. So safeguard your purity. Be loyal to your family, your children, your husband. No other ornament is greater than this purity. Manifest this motherhood in you. That's all what is required of you; and live a simple life.' We cannot find another woman simpler and more majestic than the Holy Mother. Beauty rests in good health, spiritual thoughts, and character. When noble thoughts pervade with motherly love towards everyone, what more beauty do you want?

Mother's thoughts about consumerism are always relevant as she goes to the root of the problem. 'You must be satisfied with whatever you have and be economical in using materials. Do not throw away a basket in which you have brought vegetables.' This is not miserliness, nor one of being a spendthrift. It is in between, the middlepoint, madhya-pantha. You must spend only when required. Mother used to say, 'Take only that amount of food you can eat. What will you do with extra food? If you can't eat, give it to the cows and dogs or feed the fish.' Mother was so economical that she would not waste anything. When somebody cleaned the room and threw the broom away, Mother said, 'How strange, my dear! The work is finished, and you throw it away carelessly. It takes almost the same time to keep it slowly and carefully as to throw it away. Should you despise a thing just because it is insignificant? Him that you save, saves you in turn. Won't you need it again? Besides, this thing too forms a part of our household. From that point of view also it deserves some consideration. You must give each one his due share of honour. The smallest work must be done with reverence.'⁹

Mother had a sense of humour, which we need to acquire in our lives. In trials and tribulations, we need a little sense of humour. We must be able to laugh at ourselves. Once Nivedita went with great devotion to Mother and said, 'Mother divine, you are our Kali.' Christine also repeated the same idea in English. Hearing them, the Mother said with a smile, 'No, my dears, I can't become Kali or any such deity. In that case I shall have to keep my tongue protruded.'¹⁰ Similarly when she was very sick in her last days, she had to live on simple barley. Earlier, she used to take a little sweets and fruits, the rest of which would be given as prasad. When Mother started taking only barley water, only barley water remained as prasad. Then Mother said, 'Why is it that nobody is taking this prasadam?'

References:

1. Apostles, Monks, Scholars and Devotees. Sri Sarada Devi: The Great Wonder, 2nd ed. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1994), p.415; hereafter cited as Great Wonder.
2. Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother, (Chennai, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 2000), p.31.
3. Swami Gambhirananta, Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, (Chennai, Sri Ramakrishna Math,1993), 120; hereafter cited as HM.
4. Great Wonder, p.433.
5. HM, pp.182, 183.
6. Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, The Holy Mother, (Chennai, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1997), p.35; hereafter cited as Teachings.
7. The Gospel of The Holy Mother, (Chennai, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 2000), p.60 hereafter cited as Gospel.
8. Gospel, Xiii.
9. Teachings, p.113.