Guest guest Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 Yesterday was Sarada Devi's 150th birth anniversary. Seema Burman of the Times of India commemorated the occasion with this very worthwhile column: Dec. 16, 2003 - Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna Paramhansa's spouse and spiritual companion, showered endless love on all. Ramakrishna called her "My Shakti" and worshipped her as the Divine Mother. He said that she was the incarnation of Goddess Saraswati. Sarada Devi's mission was to uplift all without bias of caste or religion. Among her devotees was Amzad, who went to jail for thieving. When Amzad came to see her after a long stint in jail, the Mother simply said: "Amzad, I have been really worried." Sarada Ma was a reformer. She blessed all even though at times she felt extreme pain when people of impure minds touched her. Yet she stopped none from touching her and gave initiation readily. A man leading an immoral life visited her, which displeased others. When asked to prevent this disciple from coming, she said: "If my child gets covered with mud, is it not my duty to cleanse him and take him on my lap?" A woman of ill-repute came to see the Mother and brought her some food. The devotees who were present there refused to eat it but when they saw that the Mother was accepting food from her, they had to follow her example. She protected all who took refuge in her. She would often say: "To err is human; but few know how to lead an erring man". She had no rules for giving diksha. At a railway station a porter wished to get spiritual initiation but said that he could not come to her village. Mother just put three straws as asana on the platform and making him sit on it, gave him diksha. During her last days none was allowed to meet her due to her illness. Actor-director Sohrab Modi, a Parsi, came for diksha but was denied permission. The Mother sensed his arrival, had him called inside and initiated him. Even when ill she did japa continuously explaining that it was her mission to free all from the bonds of Maya. With her power of introspection she saw the spiritual side of all and refused to see their faults. Ma Sarada's many relatives and an unstable niece were a source of annoyance to her yet she did not swerve from her responsibilities. She cooked for all and looked after their comforts despite suffering from painful rheumatism. Her kitchen was much more than a place where food was cooked — it was where she simul-taneously worked out solutions to the worldly and spiritual problems of the devotees and monks. Sarada Devi had a cosmic vision, yet she cried her heart out when a widow's only son died. The Universal Mother identified with the bereaved mother's pain. Once a doctor's wife asked the Mother to bless her husband so that he could hope to expand his practice. The Mother, however, refused. It would mean people falling sick, she said. Sarada Devi could neither read nor write — yet, Ramakrishna would refer to her as Jnanadayani, the giver of knowledge. She was the giver of that Supreme Knowledge which leads to Supreme Reality. The Spiritual teacher in her was hidden in her Mother form. Rather than others serving her, she served all. For her the world was one, none was a stranger. She often said, "It is in the mind alone one feels pure and impure. A man must make his own mind guilty and then alone he can see another man's guilt". Refusing to see another person's faults she made forgiveness her spiritual code. Her last instruction to a disciple was to make the entire world one's own and never to see the fault of another. By Seema Burman Source: The Times of India, Dec. 16, 2003 URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/360707.cms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 Namaskar, Devi Bhakta, This is a beautiful tribute. I did not not know of Sarada Devi. Thank you for posting this. My thoughts are that the spiritual teacher wasn't hidden in Sarada Devi's form. Mother as spiritual teacher was her message. That is, one who nourishes others with food and with compassion is working out the solutions to worldly and spiritual problems. "Anyone -- woman or man -- who has the courage to overcome the limitations of the mind can attain the state of universal motherhood. The love of awakened motherhood is a love and compassion felt not only towards one's own children, but towards all people, animals and plants, rocks and rivers -- a love extended to all of nature, to all beings. This love, this motherhood, is Divine Love -- and that is God. " ~ from Amma's address at Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, Geneva, Oct. 2002. Love, Mary Ann , devi_bhakta wrote: > Yesterday was Sarada Devi's 150th birth anniversary. Seema Burman of > the Times of India commemorated the occasion with this very > worthwhile column: > > Dec. 16, 2003 - Sarada Devi...showered endless love on all. ... Her kitchen was much more than a place > where food was cooked — it was where she simul-taneously worked out > solutions to the worldly and spiritual problems of the devotees and > monks. The Spiritual teacher in her was hidden in her Mother form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2003 Report Share Posted December 27, 2003 Thanks as always for your contributions, Usha Devi. In fact, the below commemoration of Sarada Devi appeared in this Group about two weeks ago: , devi_bhakta wrote: > Yesterday was Sarada Devi's 150th birth anniversary. Seema Burman of > the Times of India commemorated the occasion with this very > worthwhile column: > > Dec. 16, 2003 - Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna Paramhansa's spouse and > spiritual companion, showered endless love on all. Ramakrishna > called her "My Shakti" and worshipped her as the Divine Mother. He > said that she was the incarnation of Goddess Saraswati. > > Sarada Devi's mission was to uplift all without bias of caste or > religion. Among her devotees was Amzad, who went to jail for > thieving. When Amzad came to see her after a long stint in jail, the > Mother simply said: "Amzad, I have been really worried." > > Sarada Ma was a reformer. She blessed all even though at times she > felt extreme pain when people of impure minds touched her. Yet she > stopped none from touching her and gave initiation readily. > > A man leading an immoral life visited her, which displeased others. > When asked to prevent this disciple from coming, she said: "If my > child gets covered with mud, is it not my duty to cleanse him and > take him on my lap?" > > A woman of ill-repute came to see the Mother and brought her some > food. The devotees who were present there refused to eat it but when > they saw that the Mother was accepting food from her, they had to > follow her example. > > She protected all who took refuge in her. She would often say: "To > err is human; but few know how to lead an erring man". > > She had no rules for giving diksha. At a railway station a porter > wished to get spiritual initiation but said that he could not come > to her village. Mother just put three straws as asana on the > platform and making him sit on it, gave him diksha. > > During her last days none was allowed to meet her due to her > illness. > > Actor-director Sohrab Modi, a Parsi, came for diksha but was denied > permission. The Mother sensed his arrival, had him called inside and > initiated him. Even when ill she did japa continuously explaining > that it was her mission to free all from the bonds of Maya. > > With her power of introspection she saw the spiritual side of all > and refused to see their faults. Ma Sarada's many relatives and an > unstable niece were a source of annoyance to her yet she did not > swerve from her responsibilities. > > She cooked for all and looked after their comforts despite suffering > from painful rheumatism. Her kitchen was much more than a place > where food was cooked — it was where she simul-taneously worked out > solutions to the worldly and spiritual problems of the devotees and > monks. > > Sarada Devi had a cosmic vision, yet she cried her heart out when a > widow's only son died. The Universal Mother identified with the > bereaved mother's pain. > > Once a doctor's wife asked the Mother to bless her husband so that > he could hope to expand his practice. The Mother, however, refused. > It would mean people falling sick, she said. Sarada Devi could > neither read nor write — yet, Ramakrishna would refer to her as > Jnanadayani, the giver of knowledge. > > She was the giver of that Supreme Knowledge which leads to Supreme > Reality. The Spiritual teacher in her was hidden in her Mother form. > Rather than others serving her, she served all. For her the world > was one, none was a stranger. > > She often said, "It is in the mind alone one feels pure and impure. > A man must make his own mind guilty and then alone he can see > another man's guilt". Refusing to see another person's faults she > made forgiveness her spiritual code. > > Her last instruction to a disciple was to make the entire world > one's own and never to see the fault of another. > > By Seema Burman > Source: The Times of India, Dec. 16, 2003 > URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/360707.cms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.