Sarada Devi
- Original name:
- Saradamani Mukhopadhyay
- Also called:
- Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi or the Holy Mother or Sri Sri Maa
- Born:
- December 22, 1853, Jayrambati, Bengal [now in India]
Sarada Devi (born December 22, 1853, Jayrambati, Bengal [now in India]—died July 21, 1920, Calcutta [now Kolkata], India) was a Hindu religious teacher and the wife of the Hindu saint Ramakrishna. The Sri Sarada Math, a monastic organization for women, was founded in 1954 in homage to Sarada Devi.
Early life and marriage to Ramakrishna
Saradamani, popularly known as Sarada Devi, was born into a Brahmin family and was the eldest of Ramachandra Mukhopadhyay and Syamasundari Devi’s seven children. At the age of five she was wed to Ramakrishna, who was a priest at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, outside Calcutta (now Kolkata), in an arranged marriage. The marriage was never consummated because of Ramakrishna’s vow of celibacy. For the next several years Ramakrishna stayed in Dakshineswar, engrossed in spiritual pursuits, and Sarada Devi lived in her paternal home at Jayrambati.
When she was about 19 years old, she joined her husband in Dakshineswar. Not long after Sarada Devi’s arrival, about 1872, Ramakrishna began to worship her as an avatar of Kali. Sarada Devi led a quiet, spiritually inclined life at Dakshineswar for the next 13 years, chiefly engaged in domestic duties.
Later years and teachings
After Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, Sarada Devi gained acclaim as a saint in her own right. She spent many years on pilgrimages, in meditation and sadhana (spiritual practice), and in ministering to the small group of young disciples of Ramakrishna who were led by his spiritual successor, Vivekananda. Her teachings are especially known for their simplicity and spiritual insight. Sarada Devi encouraged complete surrender to God, emphasizing the need to foster an unwavering faith in divine power and Ramakrishna. She underscored the need to discharge one’s worldly duties while also accommodating the practices of prayer and meditation.
Sarada Devi’s legacy lives on through her teachings, Sri Sarada Math, and the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, which was founded in 1960 to undertake humanitarian and spiritual initiatives aimed at women and children. She is worshipped as a divine mother figure by her devotees, who address her as Sri Sri Maa (“Holy Mother”).