Holy Mother : Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi, Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and Helpmate in His Mission [Paperback]

Swami Nikhilananda (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0911206205 | ISBN-13: 978-0911206203 | Publication Date: June 1982 | Edition: 2

This book beautifully describes the life of Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, and will inspire spiritual seekers of all faiths. Holy Mother, the wife of Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th century God man of India, has been described as the Divine Mother of the Universe. "Outwardly Holy Mother lived as an average Hindu woman, devoting herself to the faithful discharge of her household duties, often unpleasant and frustrating. Inwardly she practised total non-attachment and remained undisturbed by what happened in the physical world. Never did her mind deviate from contact with God." Written by Swami Nikhilananda, a direct disciple of Holy Mother, this 384 page book contains chapters on "What Holy Mother Taught", "Spiritual Practices", "Women of India", as well as, 50 pictures. For more information about Holy Mother, visit www.ramakrishna.org.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I have read with great pleasure your new biography of Sarada Devi. It is an extraordinary story, of a rare human being, and how beautifully you have told it! Sarada Devi, humble and unpretentious, takes her place among the world's great souls. -- Donald Szantho; Harrington Minister of the Community Church, New York

This is a well-nigh incredible book. It is the story of the wife of a recent Hindu saint who herself became a saint. Only India could have produced her. Educationally illiterate, born in an economically poor Bengal village and disciplined by the obligations to her husband and mother-in-law of a high caste Hindu patriarchal joint family, she expresses provincial Hindu and even reactionary India. Because however of the Hindu's quest for the timeless factor in human nature, she speaks also for all women everywhere and for all mankind. Today there is a Hindu religious and political reaction against the secular surface of India's politics. Thus Holy Mother typifies at once both the cause and the meaning of this reaction. To understand why, one must realize that two-thirds of all Indians are Hindus and most of the Hindu's life is never seen by the tourist or visiting social scientist since it occurs in the privacy of the Hindu family and in silent meditative attempts, frequently before dawn, to experience the timeless Brahman. It is because this book takes its readers into this unseen India that it must be read by all who want to know these remarkable people. -- F.S.C. Northrop; Sterling Professor of Philosophy and Law, Yale University

Will contribute towards a better understanding of the forces that influence the people of India and have helped to mould them. The life of Holy Mother is one of simplicity, depth, and great inspiration and should be read by those who desire to understand India's spiritual heritage. -- Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit; Former Ambassador to the U.S.S.R and the U.S.A., and former president of the General Assembly of the United Nations

From the Author

When Holy Mother came to Dakshineswar at the age of sixteen, Sri Ramakrishna asked her whether she had come to pull him down to a worldly life. Without hesitation she said, "No, I am here to help you realize your Chosen Ideal." From then on, Holy Mother lived with Sri Ramakrishna as his spiritual companion, devoted wife, disciple, and always the nun. She was the embodiment of purity. Her mind was never sullied by the faintest breath of worldliness, though she lived with Sri Ramakrishna for the greater part of fourteen years. She never missed communion with God, whom she described as lying in the palm of her hand, though she was engaged day and night in various activities.

Holy Mother was an unusual awakener of souls. With her disciples she served as teacher, dissolving their doubts, as mother, who through love and compassion won their hearts, and as the Divinity, who assured them of liberation. Herself nearly illiterate, through simple words she taught them the most profound truths. Her affectionate maternal love tamed their rebellious spirits; but her great power lay in her solicitude for all. Often she said, "I am the Mother, who will look after them if not I?" She encouraged them when they were depressed because of slow spiritual progress, and she took upon herself their sins and iniquities, suffering on that account.

Holy Mother was conscious of her divine nature, but she rarely expressed this awareness. For many years Sri Ramakrishna practiced great austerities and formally renounced the world, but Holy Mother lived as a simple householder, surrounded by quarrelsome and greedy relatives. As a teacher she taught the realization of God alone is real, and everything else, impermanent. The human body so treasured by most people, survives cremations as only three pounds of ashes. Holy Mother -- humility itself -- claimed that she was in no way different from other devotees of the Master. Her disciples felt awed and uplifted when she blessed them by touching their head with the same hand which had touched the feet of God. She was fully aware of her disciples' present limitations and their future possibilities. No one went away from her with a downcast heart.

The outstanding virtues of Indian womanhood are courage, serenity, self-control, sweetness, compassion, wisdom, and an intuitive relationship with God. Holy Mother possessed all these virtues. Since the acquisition of such gifts is the dream of all women, Holy Mother may aptly be seen as the symbol of aspiration of women everywhere. Written by Swami Nikhilananda, "Holy Mother and the Ideal of Indian Womanhood." Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, India.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Ramakrishna Vivekanada Center; 2 edition (June 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911206205
• ISBN-13: 978-0911206203
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Uplifting, Pure, Inspiring, September 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Holy Mother : Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi, Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and Helpmate in His Mission (Paperback)

This book was a surprise for me. It tells the life of Sarada Devi, Sri Ramakrishna's holy wife. I didn't think it would be interesting, but it really was. Sarada was married to Ramakrishna when she was 5; she lived with him from the beginning of her teen years, they never consummated the marriage physically though they slept in the same bed for a time. She was a saint dedicated completely to God, with purity, service and a beautiful soul beyond imagining. What makes this story so special, too, is that the writer is so gifted in telling it without tainting it in any way with his own presence or ego. Anyway, incredible story that will reinspire anyone who is world-weary. And it provides such a deep insight of the the spiritual life, culture and history of India.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story of a Humble Yet Powerful Woman Spiritual Leader, August 27, 2009

By 

L. Erickson "Mommy Mystic" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holy Mother : Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi, Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and Helpmate in His Mission (Paperback)

I recently re-read this book after many years and was touched and inspired yet again. Sarada Devi lived the life of a devout Hindu wife in her time period, serving Ramakrishna and his disciples for years before his death, and then returning to serve her own family for many years, while still becoming a revered spiritual example and leader amongst later devotees of Ramakrishna's teachings. She achieved profound spiritual depths, and blessed many with her grace and transmission over the years, quietly and unassumingly, without any interest in fame or recognition (a trait all too rare in spiritual teachers these days it seems.)

While the limited role she is allowed to play as a woman can be difficult to accept at times, the book stands as a necessary historical record of the limitations women have historically had to accept in their spiritual journeys, within both traditional Hindu society and many others cultures as well (let's face it - most of them!) And her spiritual journey demonstrates that in spite of this women have always managed to pursue their spiritual growth, and achieved the same depths and power as men. And it is that depth and power that really makes this book an inspiring read, because her grace comes through in every page.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of The Holy Mother of India, August 10, 2006

By 

Amelia C. Porcella "Belladiluna" (Atlanta GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Holy Mother : Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi, Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and Helpmate in His Mission (Paperback)

Great addition to your library if you are interested in the lives of realized masters. A clear and concise portrait of the wife of one of India's greatest masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this biography!