My Holy Mother – Maa Sarada
We share this story on the occasion of the Jonmo Tithi of the Holy Mother Sarada Devi which was on 30th Ogrohayan 1429 (15th of December) and her birth anniversary which is on 22nd December
By Somashis Gupta
As I write this, I have tears in my eyes. These are tears not of sorrow, nor of joy, but these are tears of feelings, the feelings which I feel, as I try to understand the life of the great Holy Mother.
The greatness of Maa was her simplicity. While Ramakrishna was in a state of ecstasy and lived in a constant communion with God, it was the Holy Mother who brought down the concept of spiritualism in our day-to-day ordinary life. She demonstrated how all those teachings of Ramakrishna can be applied to our ordinary life.
But to understand her it takes a great deal of spiritual maturity. It is only after we understand Swami Vivekananda we understand Ramakrishna. As we improve our spirituality we can understand Sarada Maa. In fact Guru Atulanada who was regarded as a Brahma Gyani was in a habbit of saying Hari Om, it was only towards the end of his life when he gained and matured in his spiritual consciousness after he could only chant ‘Maa’.
In all religions God is defined as the creator of the universe. It is that matter from which the universe is born and that matter unto which the universe finally returns. So God is the mother and the holy mother was a symbol of God. She was first and foremost a mother.
Let me sight you a beautiful reminiscence by Swami Arupananda, a long time attendant and disciple of the Holy Mother. Arupananda had lost his mother as an early age; but when he met Maa Sarada for the first time in Joyrambati in her village, where he went of initiation, he immediately could feel her tender look and felt that she, Sarada Devi is none other than his mother. This feeling lasted with him all his life he narrated.
I remember once Swami Sarvapriyananda said in one of his speeches that one day when he was walking towards the Holy Mother’s temple he had a thought on how does God looks upon us the humans, and as he reached near the temple the answer came immediately to him that God looks upon us as her children.
Let me share an interesting conversation between Swami Arupananda and the Holy Mother. He asked her if is she was really the mother of all, to which she replied affirmatively. He checked again if she was the mother of even the birds and the beasts and insects. She replied ‘yes even these’. He then asked ‘if they are your children than why do they suffer so much’, to which she said ‘the animal birth is such that they have to go through these experiences but they are my children.’
It was practically, so as I remember an incident which my grandmother, late Kanaklata Gupta, who was a student and a disciple of Ramakrishna Mission, narrated. In the household all the cows or the birds or the cats all felt the Holy Mother’s love. They responded to her in a special way. Amongst the pets was a cat, extremely mischievous in nature. It used to go around stealing food from here and there, but found protection in the feet of the holy mother. When anybody came to beat the cat she would protect the cat and say ‘it is the nature of the cat, if you want to stop it from stealing then feed the cat.’ To make sure that the monks did not beat the cat ever she said ‘I live in that cat.’ Such was Sri Sri Maa.
I share this small narrative on the occasion of Sri Sri Maa’s Jonmo Tithi which was on 30th Ogrohayan 1429 (15th of December) and her birth anniversary which is on 22nd December. There are many more incidents and stories about Sri Sri Maa, but today let me conclude with Sri Sarada Devi Sotram – Prakritim Pronam composed by Swami Abhedananda.
Prakritim Paramam Abhayam Varadham
Nararoopa dharm Janathapaharam
Sharanagatha Sevaka thoshakareem
Pranamami Param Jananim Jagatham
Gunaheenasuthan Apara dhayuthan
Krupayadhya Samuddhara Mohagathan
Tharaneem Bhavasaagara Paarakareem
Pranamami Param Jananim Jagatham
Vishayam Kusumam Parihruthya
Sudha Charanambhuruhamrutha ShantiSudham
Pibha Bhreenga mano Bhava Roga haram
Pranamami Param Jananim Jagatham
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