From Dakshineshwar with Love..the message of a Mother's Heart to Canada. ...Sri Sarada Devi

Sri Sarada Devi

Ma Sarada Devi  was an Indian Mother who lived almost a hundred years ago. ( ( 1853-1920) She represented the essence of the best in Indian Motherhood, which is unselfish Love that does not expect or demand...simplicity, contentment, loving sacrifice, , kindness to total strangers, a love of giving and caring for her children and all who come to her, modesty, chastity, kindness, courage ,generosity, patience, forgiveness and spiritual realization to name a few. One then wonders if the Great Goddess Ma Durga was to walk amongst humans as an ordinary human being what would she be like and who would she look like.?would she be a bewitching beauty ..enticing men with her celestial outer beauty..? Would she want to attract humans by power, riches and glitter..or would she walk incognito ..arising the beauty, kindness, purity, spirituality and divinity in the hearts of all men and women? Maybe she would be the simplest of the simple and the humblest of the humble...The incarnations always choose the abode of the poor and the humble in heart.
Sri Ramakrishna the great spiritual mystic of India  and  The Spiritual Master of the age who saw the divine truth of all religions and the presence of the divine Mother in all women worshiped his own wife Sri Sarada Devi as Shodashi the great divine Goddess..she became the living symbol of inner beauty, the essence of Mother hood , kindness , tolerance and magnitude in heart and spirit. Her outer beauty was hidden from the world as her inner beauty blossomed and touched the life of millions even after her passing.. Her qualities are depth, kindness, patience, spirituality, kindness, wisdom, inner strength, foresightedness and motherly love towards all creatures..to name a few..
"Can you feel the spiritual atmosphere, the peace giving and divine presence of Ma Sarada Devi here in Toronto Vedanta Society today" can you feel her love and serenity deep in your heart..?" Asked the very soft spoken and gentle, yet highly intelligent , learned and spiritually acclaimed Nun( Sanyassini) - The Reverend Pravarajika Sachitprana Mataji of Sri Sarada Math Head quarters Dakshineshwar. She had a message for North America that day....
That message was conveyed through the  two day retreat from the 28th the 29th of June at the Vedanta Society of Toronto Canada by Reverend Sachitprana Mataji : The Title of the Talks : The teachings from The Life of Sri Sarada Devi the consort of Sri Ramakrishna and the relevance of her life and its meaning to people around the world today.The spiritual head of Vedanta Society  Canada Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj welcomed her and also  co-conducted the retreat .(Related article on Sarada Devi:)
....When the Goddess's visit Earth-..Humankind can.......
 Reverend Pravarajika Sachitprana Mataji 's serenity, gentleness, affection and the depth of her spiritual insight touched young and old alike. I remember first meeting her when I was a School girl ( and the Family Brat) back in 1980 on our visit to Dakshineshwar Kolkatta and then often in our city Poona. Each time she blessed us with her visits to our home and family.  Her sweetness, gentleness, depth and under standing and ability to connect with people of all ages and all walks of life within minutes made her very special. She was with our Spiritual Guru Ma Moksha Prana Mataji ( The second President of Sri Sarada Math) when our Guru spoke with my Father and gave him the last blessings over the phone a few minutes before he passed away..It was Revered Sachitprana Mataji who described the spiritual experience from the Sacred precincts  of Sarada Math..My Guru's  words in my father's last hour and her assurance that indeed he had `crossed forever beyond this life onto the other shore of light and peace which we understand as  Sri Ramakrishna Loka forever'.The last exchange between our Guru Ma and my Father and all who witnessed his passing that day in November 2nd 1990 . ( Kartik Purnima) has been described by many Sanyassinis as profoundly spiritual and unique.  I remember again the unforgettable journey and pilgrimage with Sachitprana Matji to Nashik and Trimbakeshwar ( India) in the winter of 2000 just a few months before I left my home in India  for Canada. The years have passed..I am no longer a school girl..but she is still almost unchanged, the sweet, calm, serene, keenly intelligent and affectionate Nun who was and is friend to all..She was here to speak about Mother Sarada Devi..a woman who represents the highest ideal of Motherhood and Spiritual wisdom to thousands of people through the last hundred years. Sri Sarada Math, Dakshineswar, Kolkata

Pravarajika  Sachitprana Matji's First speech was about the goal of human life for Everyone..since we all knowingly or unknowingly have a  spiritual hunger within ourselves. She stated that as spiritual aspirants The Aim of our lives was God realization which means total freedom from all bondage ..bondage of the heart, mind and soul.. . This realization is not limited to people of any ONE religion or path but to people of EVERY Faith and to which ever path and religion they wish to follow. Spirituality is the right of every human being because we are all from the same God and part of him.
 The way we attain to this aim was by - seeking Spiritual and Holy company. By regularly practicing our spiritual exercises such as prayer, meditation, Japam ( repetition of the Sacred name of God) , reading our scriptures and contemplation. Some helpful tips included examining our minds and actions and thoughts and being constantly self aware and alert.
 Spiritual practice is not separate from our `Other' life. If we make each task a prayer and spiritual offering we are constantly reconnecting with God. She gave the examples from the teachings of the Christian Saint Brother Lawrence Brother Lawrence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia who said we need to bring God into everything we do and say and think so for example even if you are having a problem or need a solution talk with God and ask him to solve that problem for you.Make God your best friend.
The Spiritual Master Sri Ramakrishna taught his wife Sri Sarada Devi every thing from trimming the lamps to packing a bag. He taught us that our work must be meticulous, neat and perfect and that finally we must have our minds fixed on our spiritual ideal at the same time. The more spiritual we are, the less effort we need to do our work well..because God himself helps us in that.
Finally she said our spiritual Life is not compartmentalized but should be a seamless connection with every other part of our day..so from each waking moment to our deepest sleep and even in our interaction with other people we are connected with the thought of God upper most.  The Second Lecture was about  Sri Sarada Ma's teachings about our interactions and behavior with people around us especially in a social setting, a family or in organizations where people meet often. How we can exercise the most noble and fine character even in a negative set up.She strongly cautioned against Gossip, Targeting and harassing others and finding fault with the people around us. Sri Sarada devi lived in a complex society in 18h and 19th century India. ( 1853-1920) First she was a beloved daughter who helped her parents even as a young girl, then the wife of a spiritual Mystic who was often misunderstood by the world, but treated her with the highest respect and love. She faced many adversaries and hurdles, enemies and criticism after she became a widow. Yet she was known for her serene, calm and loving nature.After her widow hood she returned to her Mother's home where she took care of her aged Mother and the families of her brothers. Some of the members of the family had severe addictions and mental illnesses and yet she showed them the most love, respect and compassion. Some of her reactions to the negativity of others were, silence and prayer when deeply insulted  by others and turning to God for help against enemies. ( in one case as the story of her and Hriyanath who insulted her, it so happened that Hriday was eventually expelled from his job and lived his life in terrible hardship, though Ma Sarada devi did not utter  a single word against him.)                  She believed in seeing the best and positive in other people which enabled her to see and bring out the best in some of the  most fallen of men who were her devotees . This included a Dacoit ( highway man) and an Alcoholic. Both of them were outcast and rejected by society however she saw the true good in them and showed it to others . This made them her loyal followers and they were devoted to her in love and respect till their deaths. The lesson : We are no body to judge others..We are not perfect ourselves and our judgements may be wrong. As a leader in her family and spiritual head of the Ramakrishna Order after Sri Ramakrishna passed away she was just and fair and had no " favorites' .( Her words: "My son the dacoit and my son the Monk are both equal to me). This is a lesson for people in positions of leadership. Favoritism eventually leads to the break up of the best teams because the leader is perceived as  unjust and unfair. At the same time she reiterated that we have every right to protect our selves and others against evil men and women and to stay away from those who harm us, threaten our families, our peace and our honor. However the characteristics of Sri Sarada Devi's life were : Love, forgiveness, fortitude, patience, generosity, purity, motherliness,compassion, Courage, intelligence , spiritual discipline, faith, silence, justice and equality to all. She was able to even handle the mentally imbalanced ( challenged) members of her family and the people who were rejected by society and make them her own. The Story of Sri Sarada Devi and her life can be followed on the web site ( Sri Sarada Devi: The Holy Mother - Belur Math).
Question which Sister Nivedita ( Margaret The Final Public Lecture was a study on the Question posed by Sister Nivedita (  Margaret Noble) Was the Mother the last of an old order or the beginning of a New order? " (Sister Nivedita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Sri Sachitparna Mataji spoke in depth on this subject and explained how Sri Sarada Devi was cultured, civilised and belonged to both the old and the new. She was courageous and bold to step beyond social taboos of caste and rigidity and accept and welcome the western disciples of Swami Vivekananda such as Nivedita, Mrs Sarah Bull and many others warmly and lovingly into her family. She taught a " xenophobic society' that all humankind as one..we are one race and one caste of human kind.The true meeting of the East and West became possible because of her board vision and love for humanity as a whole.Her greatness and nobleness in how she never put others down even those who had betrayed her or hurt her showed her highly civilized and noble mind.  Reverend Sachittprana Matajis Most power words from the ancient scriptures were : The Three Demonis quailities which the Goddess destroys are Rudeness, which includes harshness, cruelty and meanness ( abusive behavior) as  is the Habit of Fault finding, seeing evil in others and instigating people to harm and hurt others. She spoke about the example of Swami Niaranjananda. 

Sri Sarada devi's image at the Vedanta Society of Toronto

"Simple, guileless and straight forward behavior is a very high spiritual quality which pretentious, superficial and cunning worldly minds cannot ever understand " she stated.The greatness of Sri Sarada Devi..was that she was the most spiritual of women ..yet simple, unassuming, humble, gentle , kind peaceful and loving. Her love and forgiveness extended to all and every man and woman could imbibe these qualities. She was never loud, screaming, overwhelming in any show of her spirituality. Power and control were not her characteristics. She always chose the most humble of tasks and served others. This greatness is a  `Godly quality' which  is described in the Mahabharata. Mataji recounted the story where once Sri Krishna himself chose to wash the feet of guests as an act of service during a royal function. This act of service is also described in the Bible where the Christ washed the feet of his 12 disciples.
In Sri Sarada Mother's life we can see that she herself picked up the unwashed plates and took personal care of her guests and served them unlselfishley and never expected anything in return.This is also a lesson in greatness dating back to the Vedas where the scriptures say that the greatest person is not the one who takes on the role of importance, authority, glamor and publicity but the greatest one is he who serves God in others with dedication, love and humility ! Ma Sarada's message is the lingering echo of Love and peace which she has left behind with her Life of silent love and understanding and kindness..which those who are tuned in to can feel almost a hundred years after her passing..
Her final words at the conclusion of the program were : Remember the words of Sri Sarada Devi when you are in danger and distress just say " I have a Mother" .
  
Quotes from Sri Sarada Devi :

Open your grief-stricken heart to the Lord. Weep and sincerely pray, 'O Lord, draw me towards You; give me peace of mind.' By doing so constantly you, will gradually attain peace of mind.

Pray to God with tears in your eyes whenever you want illumination or find yourself faced with any doubt or difficulty. The Lord will remove all your impurities, assuage your mental anguish, and give you enlightenment. 

One who makes a habit of prayer will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life. 

When someone speaks from the heart, one should listen to them Mother’s Love – Swami Ishanananda.

We have to surrender ourselves completely to the Lord with faith and devotion in Him, serve others to the best of our capacity, and never be a source of sorrow to anybody.

Such is life, here today, gone tomorrow! Nothing goes with one, except one's merit and demerit; good and evil deeds follow one even after death. 

He who thinks always of the Lord, which way can evil come to him? 

Certainly you will have doubts. There will be questionings and faith will return again. That is how faith is establish. 

Give up this dry discussion, this hodge-podge of philosophy. Who has been able to know God by reasoning? Even sages like Suka and Vyasa are at best like big ants trying to carry away a few grains of sugar from a large heap. 

He who has really prayed to the Master, even once, has nothing to fear. By, praying to him constantly one gets ecstatic love (Prema Bhakti) through his grace. 

Is faith so cheap, my child? Faith is the last word. If one has faith, the goal is practically reached.

Does one get faith by mere studying of books? Too much reading creates confusion. The Master used to say that one should learn from the scriptures that God alone is real and the world illusory.

The Mother of the universe is the Mother of all. From Her have come out both good and evil. 

Why do people argue? Even the wisest of men have not found God through argument! Is God a subject for argument?

God is one's very own. It is the eternal relationship. He is everyone's own. One realizes Him in proportion to the intensity of one's feeling for Him

God cannot be realized without love. Yes, sincere love.

The grace of God is the thing that is needful. One should pray for the grace of God.

He who will pray to God eagerly will see Him.

If one calls upon Him repeatedly, He becomes compassionate; and so a devoted attachment comes into being. This love for love's sake should be hidden from all eyes.

Realization of God cannot be achieved without ecstatic love for Him.. 

However strong or beautiful this body may be, its culmination is in those three pounds of ashes. And still people are so attached to it. Glory be to God.

The world is the Lord's. He created it for His own play. We are mere pawns in His game. Wherever He keeps us and in whatever way He does so, we have to abide by it contentedly.

If you do a good act, it cancels the effects of your evil deeds. If one prays, takes the Name of God and thinks of Him, the effects of evil are cancelled.

No one can suffer for all time. No one will spend all his days on this earth in suffering. Every action brings its own result, and one gets one's opportunities accordingly.

Each has to get the results of the actions he earned for this life. A pin at least must prick where a wound from a sword was due.

You see, my son, it is not a fact that you will never face dangers. Difficulties always come, but they do not last forever. You will see that they pass away like water under a bridge.

My son, forbearance is a great virtue; there's no other like it.

My child, I bless you from my heart that you live long, attain devotion, and enjoy peace. Peace is the principal thing. One needs peace alone.

The difference between a great soul and an ordinary man is this: the latter weeps while leaving this body, whereas the former laughs. Death seems to him a mere play.