Sarada Devi and Sara Bull - Some perspectives 2

Sara’s Life in Brief

Let us first get to know Sara Chapman Bull. She, as we have already mentioned, born in a wealthy business and socialite family of Thorps. (Prabuddhaprana, 2002) She was married at the age of nineteen to Ole Bull, the famous Norwegian violinist, and one of the greatest musicians of that time, who was then sixty years old. The couple had one daughter Olea (later Olea Vaughan). Sara spent ten happy years of marriage with Ole Bull, organized his concerts, helped the spendthrift and out-worldly man in his financial affairs, became an ardent admirer of his music and was also the inspiration behind his compositions. Ole Bull and Sara spent several years travelling between Europe and America till the death of Ole Bull in 1878. Sara was a pianist and often she would spend lovely evenings with her husband accompanying him on creating divine music. They had an interesting social life with leading intelligentsia, artists and philosophers like George Santayana, William James and Prof Royce from Harvard visiting them quite often. Sara had a very active social life, being influenced largely by her mother and also by her intellectual capacity and the breadth of understanding of various subjects. People were charmed by her natural grace, poise and dignity that carried her among friends and foes alike, along with her affectionate nature. In 1878 she lost her husband. Sara, being naturally inclined to preserve his memories, donated a considerable portion of her husband’s wealth to continue his legacy and also wrote a memoir. She was subsequently drawn to the eastern philosophies, read the Bhagavat Gita translated by Mohini Mohan Chatterjee and met Mohini himself when he was visiting America. She learned from him about Vedanta and Sankhya philosophies. This helped in preparing her Eastern philosophical and spiritual grounds until she met Vivekananda in 1895. He daughter Olea was a sickly and chronic depressive patient who after successive failed marriages and death of her daughter stayed with her mother. During her last days Sara was often troubled by Olea and her rebellious ways. In fact when Sara after her death left a large legacy to the Vedanta Society in her will, Olea contended her will and accused her late mother of being driven to insanity by Hindu occultists. The day Olea won the case and the settlement, she died of tuberculosis.