Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother: Her Teachings and Conversations [Hardcover]

Swami Adiswarananda (Editor), Swami Nikhilananda (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

An inspiring message for all humanity from one of India’s most beloved spiritual teachers.

If Sri Ramakrishna was a leaping flame of spiritual realization, Holy Mother was a steady glowing fire of God-consciousness. To the Master, Sri Ramakrishna, she was the goddess of wisdom in human form. To her disciples she was the Divine Mother herself. To her devotees she was a more real mother than their own earthly mother. To the seekers of truth she was the final word, and to sinners she was the last refuge.
—from the Introduction

The year 2003 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sri Sarada Devi, the wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramakrishna. Known affectionately in India and throughout the world as the Holy Mother, she was a rare combination of human and divine qualities, and is an inspiration today to millions who seek spiritual fulfillment.

The first American edition of the conversations and teachings of the Holy Mother as recorded by her disciples, both lay and monastic, this fascinating collection brings to life the Holy Mother’s teachings on human affliction, self-control, and peace in ways both personal and profound. It illuminates her role as the power, scripture, joy, and guiding spirit of the Ramakrishna Order and clearly captures her unyielding devotion to God that earned her a reputation as a steady glowing fire of God-consciousness.

Translated from the original Bengali by Swami Nikhilananda, a direct disciple of the Holy Mother, these inspiring and detailed conversations offer new insight into the daily life of this endearing and beloved spiritual personality and her message of compassion that continues to influence her devotees in India and throughout the world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

If you want peace, then do not look into anybody’s faults. Look into your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger; the whole world is your own.
—Holy Mother’s last message

This enlightening collection provides an intimate look at the life and teachings of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramkrishna. An essential spiritual guide for people of all backgrounds, this book presents:

• Details of Sri Sarada Devi’s life as both wife of Sri Ramakrishna and revered spiritual guide
• An exploration of a teacher’s role in Hindu spiritual life
• Excerpts from the diaries of several disciples, offering unique insight into Holy Mother’s daily life and conversations with her devotees

About the Author

Swami Nikhilananda (1895–1973), a direct disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, was a distinguished monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India and a major figure in introducing the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta to America and the West. A gifted writer, he is noted for his beautiful and scholarly translations of the spiritual literature of India. Among his books is his translation into English from the original Bengali of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, a work that has made the immortal words of this great prophet of the nineteenth century available to countless readers throughout the world. He founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York in 1933 and was its spiritual leader until his passing away in 1973.

Swami Adiswarananda, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India, is the Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York. Born in 1925 in West Bengal, India, Swami received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Calcutta. He joined the monastic order of Sri Ramakrishna in 1954 and was ordained a monk in 1963. Before being sent by the Ramakrishna Order to its New York center in 1968, he taught religious subjects in one of the premier colleges of the Order and was later editor of Prabuddha Bharata: Awakened India, the English-language monthly journal on religion and philosophy published by the Order. Swami is a frequent lecturer at colleges, universities, and other religious, educational, and cultural institutions, and his writings appear regularly in many scholarly journals on religion and philosophy. He is also the author of The Vedanta Way to Peace and Happiness and Meditation and Its Practices: A Definitive Guide to Techniques and Traditions of Meditation in Yoga and Vedanta (both SkyLight Paths).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594730709
• ISBN-13: 978-1594730702
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book, March 24, 2011

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This review is from: Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother: Her Teachings and Conversations (Hardcover)

A number of years ago, I read The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and was once again struck by the fact that the Divine appears in many human forms through all the ages always ready to instruct us on how to tap into the divinity that dwells in all. It seems that there is no time, no geographical place in which Divinity has not shown through in the form of a man and in lesser known women. I read with great gratitude the words attributed to Sri Sarada Devi, The Holy Mother. I now count her among those most beautiful, loving teachers. The book is a blessing.