Guileless Mother

“… I had never seen water taps before. I came to Calcutta one day and entered a room where there was a tap. I opened the tap. Before the water rushed out, there came a hissing sound, like that of a snake, out of the tap. I was terror-stricken and ran from the room. I at once came to the other ladies of the house and cried, "There is a snake in that water pipe. It is hissing." They laughed and said, "There is no snake there. Do not be afraid. The hissing sound comes from the air being forced out by the rushing water." Then we laughed and laughed till our sides began to ache.   

Saying this, the Holy Mother laughed heartily again. So sweet and innocent a laughter! I too could not hold back my laughter any more and thought, "So guileless is our Mother! 

                  - The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P30

I have a Mother

 

One with Master

One morning in Kalababu's grove in Vrindaban, the Mother was meditating, when she became absorbed in Samadhi. All attempts to bring her mind down to the physical plane proved futile. I repeated the Lord's name in her ears for a long time, but it produced no effect. 

At last Swami Yogananda came and repeated Sri Ramakrishna's name, which brought her mind down to the semi-conscious plane. Then, just as the Master used to do on similar occasions, she said, "I will eat something." Some sweets, water, and betel were placed before her, and she partook of a little of each, as the Master used to do towards the end of such periods of ecstasy. Even in taking the betel, she cut off its end in the manner of the Master. We were surprised to find that her manners, her way of taking food, and her general behaviour exactly resembled those of the Master. 

When she finally came down to the plane of physical consciousness, the Mother told us that the spirit of the Master had entered into her at that time. Swami Yogananda put to her some questions while she was in that mood, and she replied very much like the Master. 

                   - Yogin-Ma Reminiscence, The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P178

Musk in Navel

 

Last Birth

One lady from Poland had come to India to study Vedanta. She had heard in Calcutta about the Mother, and had come to meet her. She spoke to the Mother for some time. 'Referring to the Bahai sect, she said that its teachings were similar to the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna - they too preached the harmony of all religions. From her talk it appeared that the lady herself belonged to the Bahai sect. 

After she had left, I asked the Mother, "How did you find her?"   

Mother: Very nice.   

Disciple: These people have come from very far. Now the news has spread like wild fire! Where is Poland, and where indeed is the Udbodhan Office! Mother, you are not even aware of it!   

Mother: The Master had said once in a divine mood, "In course of time, I will be worshipped in every home. Innumerable indeed will be my devotees!" Nivedita once said, "Mother, we too are Hindus. As a result of our Karma, we were born in another country. But we too will become Hindus in true spirit!" This is their (of Nivedita and others) last birth. 

                             - The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P121

Sympathy of Mother

It was evening when I went to Baghbazar to see the Holy Mother. She was kind enough to ask me to spread her small carpet on the floor and fetch her beads. She soon became absorbed in her meditation. Across the lane there was an open space. A few labourers lived there with their families. One of the male members began to beat a woman severely, probably his wife. Slaps and fisticuffs began to be showered upon her. Then he kicked her with such force that she was thrown to a distance with a child in her arms. Then he started kicking her again. The Mother could not proceed with her meditation any more. 

Though she was extremely modest and would not usually talk even loud enough to be heard by people on the ground floor, she now came to the porch of the second floor, stood by the iron railing, and cried aloud in a tone of sharp reprimand, "You rogue! Are you going to kill the girl outright? I am afraid she is already dead!" Hardly had the man looked at her than he became quiet like the snake before its charmer, and released the woman. The sympathy of the Mother made the woman burst into loud sobs. We heard that her only fault was that she had not cooked in time. Afterwards the man became his old self again and wanted to be at peace with the woman. The Holy Mother saw this and came back to her room. 

                           - The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P31

Mere Play

 

Continuance of Play

In the course of conversation she [Holy Mother] said, "At the time of creation, people were born with the quality of Sattva, light. They had wisdom from their very birth. Consequently they at once realized the unreal nature of the world. They renounced it and practised austerity. They were liberated in no time. The Creator found that the purpose of his creation was going to be frustrated. These wise men, who were thus liberated, were unfit for the continuance of the play of the world. Then he again started the work of creation and mixed the qualities of Rajas, (activity) and Tamas (inertia) with, the Sattva. Thus His purpose was fulfilled." 

Then she cited a popular verse bearing on the theme of creation, and said, "In our young age we acquired these ideas from the country dramas. But now these have become rare."

                    - The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P29

Words of Master

 

Example of Renunciation

 

Childlike Nature

One day Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda) came to Sri Ramakrishna and said that he was very hungry. Sri Ramakrishna came to the Ganges and cried out, 'O Gaurdasi, come here! My Rakhal is hungry.' At that time there was no refreshment stall at Dakshineswar. A little later a boat was seen coming up the Ganges. It anchored near the temple. Balaram Babu, Gaurdasi and some other devotees came out of the boat with some sweets. 

Sri Ramakrishna was very happy, and shouted for Rakhal. He said, 'Come here. Here are sweets. You said that you were hungry.' Rakhal became angry and remarked, 'Why are you broadcasting my hunger?' Sri Ramakrishna said, 'What is the harm? You are hungry. You want something to eat. What is wrong in speaking about it?' Sri Ramakrishna had a childlike nature.

                          - Holy Mother, The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P16

Desire

 

Name of God

 

Image Worship

One of the nuns asked, "Is there any truth in image worship? Our teacher does not approve of it. He instructs people in the worship of the fire and the sun."

Mother: You should not doubt the words of your own teacher. Why do you ask me about it, when you have heard the opinion of your Guru in the matter?

The nun: We want to know your opinion. 

The Mother refused to give any opinion. But the nun was stubborn and began to press for a reply. The Mother said at last, “If your teacher were an illumined soul—you have forced me to say—then he would not have made such a statement. From time immemorial innumerable people have worshipped images and thereby attained spiritual knowledge. Do you want to deny this fact? 

Sri Ramakrishna never cherished any such parochial and one-sided view. Brahman exists everywhere. The prophets and incarnations are born to show the way to a benighted humanity. They give different instructions suited to different temperaments. There are many ways to realize the Truth. Therefore all these instructions have their relative value. … ” 

                                  - The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P20

Bija

 

Work

 

Guru and Ishtam

 

Vision of God

He who will pray to God eagerly will see Him. 

The other day one of our devotees, Tej Chandra, passed away. What a sincere soul he was! Sri Ramakrishna used to frequent his house. Some one had deposited Rs. 200 with Tej Chandra. 

One day he was robbed of that amount by a pick-pocket in the tram car. He discovered the loss after some time and suffered a terrible mental agony. He came to the bank of the Ganges and prayed to Sri Ramakrishna, with tears in his eyes, 'O Lord, what have you done with me!' He was not rich enough to make up that amount from his own pocket. As he was thus weeping, he saw Sri Ramakrishna appear before him and say, "Why do you weep so bitterly? The money is there under a brick on the bank of the Ganges." He quickly removed the brick and really found there a bundle of banknotes. 

                - Holy Mother, The Gospel of the Holy Mother, P15

Symbol of Compassion

 

Attendant Maidens

When I was 13, I went to Kamarpukur; the Master was then in Dakshineswar. I stayed there for a month and then returned to Jayarambati. After five or six months I returned to Kamarpukur and stayed a month and a half. I lived with my brother-in-law [Rameswar] and sister-in-law [Shakambhari] and others. 

I used to think: I am a new bride. How shall I go to Haldarpukur and bathe by myself? One day I left the house by a back door and was worrying about the matter, when eight young maidens suddenly appeared, apparently from nowhere*. 

As I started for the tank, four of them walked in front of me and four behind. Thus guarded, I walked to the water and all of us bathed together. Afterwards they brought me home. This continued everyday during that visit to Kamarpukur. I wondered who those girls were, but I could not figure it out.

                                                   - Holy Mother, 

                                                        Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play 

                                                             by Swami Chetanananda, P42

* According to Hindu mythology, the Divine Mother of the Universe has eight maidens as attendants.

Realization makes for True Humility

 

I Am Bhagavati

 

Jagaddhatri

… Aghormani, a companion and playmate of her [Holy Mother's] girlhood, used to say of her : 

"Mother was very simple in her habits. She would never quarrel with anybody while playing. When others fell out, she would mediate and establish cordial relations. In play she used to personate herself either as the mistress or governess of the house. Among her playthings there were some dolls, but she was more interested in the clay images of Kali and Lakshmi which she devoutly worshipped with flowers and Bilva leaves. 

Once on the occasion of the Jagaddhatri Puja, she was meditating on the Goddess with such deep concentration and sense of identification with Her, that the sight of it struck awe in the mind of Ramhriday Ghoshal of Haldepukur."

                         - Sri Sarada Devi The Holy Mother by Swami Tapasyananda, P15-16

Peace of Mind

 

Mother’s Divine Companion

 

May You attain Liberation

 

Divine Mother born on Earth

Once when Shyamasundari Devi was living with her father in the northern part of Shihar, she had occasion to sit in the dark beside a potter’s oven under a bel (bilva, aegle marmelos) tree. There suddenly issued a jingling sound from the direction of the oven, and a little girl came down from the branches of the tree. She laid her soft hands round Shyamasundari’s neck, whereupon she fell down unconscious. She had no idea how long she lay there thus. Her relatives came there searching for her and carried her home. On regaining consciousness, she felt as though the little girl had entered her womb.

Ramachandra was then in Calcutta in search of some means of earning money for his family. The thought of his family’s poverty weighed heavily on his mind. One day, before he had decided to start for the city, he was engrossed in that thought. Then he fell asleep and dreamt that a little girl of golden complexion embraced him from behind by throwing her delicate arms around his neck. The incomparable beauty of the girl, as also her invaluable ornaments, at once marked her as out of the common run. Ramachandra was greatly surprised and asked, ‘Who are you my child?’ The girl replied in the softest and sweetest of voices, ‘Here I come to you.’ Ramachandra woke up and the conviction grew in him that the girl was none other than Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, whose appearance implied that the time was auspicious for him to go out in quest of money. Accordingly he left for Calcutta. We do not know how far Ramachandra was successful in his quest. All that we know is that after returning home he heard what had happened to his wife, and, spiritually-minded as he himself was, he readily believed everything. Henceforth this holy Brahmin couple lived the purest of lives in expectation of the divine child. Ramachandra had the highest regard for his wife and never touched her person till the birth of the Holy Mother. Shyamasundaru Devi was conscious of her unique fortune, and long after she said to Yogin-Ma, ‘How beautiful I looked when I was in the family way, how thick were my tresses, and how many pieces of cloth were presented to me during that time!’

Gradually the time of confinement approached. Autumn had now passed, and it was the beginning of the month of Paush when winter had just set in. This was one of the happiest times in Bengal villages. The harvest was over and the granaries were full. The fields around again began to smile with the shooting forth of the summer crop. The new harvest had just been finished, and the little children were counting the days for the festival of the month-ending when they would have a feast of cakes.

The Christian world was eagerly waiting for the merry Christmas day. The Tantrikas were busy paying visits to Kali temples, especially as such visits were thought to be very meritorious in that month. And it was the day of winter solstice when the longest night was over and the sun was beginning its northward course – the day on which the Hindu gods and goddesses wake up from their long slumber of six months. During such a time, a little after Thursday evening, on the 8^th Paush (22^nd December, 1853) when the night had spread her star-spangled cloth over the village of Jayarambati to lay it asleep after the day’s labour, the blowing of conchshells from Ramachandra’s house announced the happy news of the advent of Sri Saradamani Devi.

            - Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi by Swami Gambhirananda, P16-18