Holy Mother Sarada Devi’s Life and Ideals – Influence on today’s Women Part 3

The whole life of Holy Mother is an illustration of how one can reach perfection through tireless and selfless work, how one can forget and forfeit all egos in working for others, how one can shoulder great responsibilities without slightest display of power, through complete detachment. She is a shining example of chastity and boundless love for all and sundry – pavitrata swarupini. Her love for the great master is probably a demonstration of that divine love which Sri Radha possessed for her beloved God, or the love which mother Mary possessed for infant Jesus. She did all her material duties with a grace that is incomparable and yet, devoted her life for the spiritual welfare of her innumerable sons. She had the intellect and ability to be the God mother of one of the greatest philanthropic and spiritual organizations of the world, directed it in times of great crises, and yet, she never once displayed her superiority. It was love and only love that endeared her to people who came to seek solace, to find shelter, to take refuge in her. She turned back none, not even the worst of the sinners. The poor thief Amjad was her son, and so was Swami Saradananda, who devoted his life in service towards her. To an outsider she was completely enmeshed in worldly life with her numerous household chores and duties to her family, who often mistreated her in the worst possible way. To an insider she was an enigma – one whose contradictions could never be understood by an ordinary mind, one who could perhaps be glimpsed a little through the treatment that she received from great souls like Swami Vivekananda and Swami Brahmananda, and from Sri Ramakrishna himself who worshiped her as the divine mother of the universe. Swami Saradananda, who was her closest aide among the monastics and who served her faithfully for 18 years once recited a beautiful poem in Bengali when asked about his views on her life, which translates thus – “I am bewildered by seeing the play unfolded by the playful mother and cannot understand whether I should laugh or cry. For so many days I have remained with her and closely followed her and yet, by not being able to understand her divine play, I have finally accepted my defeat. Her divine play is wonderful, she makes and breaks the world, just like a little child.” Swami Saradananda was perhaps modest, but in this way he had warned us all not to draw any hasty conclusion from any of the actions of the Holy Mother, as her actions and their purpose are very subtle, beyond our comprehension. After all Infinite can only be understood by an infinite mind, not by a finite mind and a limited intellect, which cannot fathom the depthless, boundless ocean of love, mercy, compassion and wisdom that she was. She was, in Swamiji’s word, the very essence of womanhood, the fulfillment of the material and spiritual roles that a woman is destined to perform – of a mother, teacher, wife and daughter, attaining perfection in each of these roles and going beyond. She was far ahead of her time by being the de facto head of an organization, thus setting example in front of today’s professional women as to how to shoulder great responsibilities and assigned duties without any egoism, without display of power and with only love, compassion and spirit of renunciation.