Statue of Adi Shankara, an influential expounder of the Vedanta.

Part of a series on
Hindu philosophy
Schools
Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Mimāṃsā · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Dvaitadvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)  · Saiva (Pratyabhijña · Pasupata · Siddhanta) · Tantra
Personalities
Philosophers-Acharyas Samkhya Kapila · Yoga Patañjali · Nyaya Akṣapāda Gotama · Jayanta Bhatta · Raghunatha Siromani · Vaiseshika Kanada · Mimamsa Jaimini · Kumārila Bhaṭṭa · Prabhakara · Maharshi Dayananda · Advaita Vedanta Gaudapada · Adi Shankara · Vachaspati Mishra · Vidyaranya · Madhusudana · Vivekananda · Nigamananda · Ramana Maharshi · Narayana Guru · Sivananda · Chinmayananda · Nisargadatta Maharaj · Swami Dayananda · Vishishta-Advaita Nammalwar · Yamunacharya · Ramanuja · Pillai Lokacharya · Vedanta Desika · Manavala Mamunigal · Dvaita Madhvacharya · Jayatirtha · Vyasathirtha · Raghavendra Swami · Dvaita-Advaita Nimbarka · Shuddha-Advaita Vallabha Achintya-Bhedabheda Chaitanya · Nigamananda · Prabhupada · Tantra / Shakta Abhinavagupta · Nigamananda · Ramprasad Sen · Kamalakanta Bhattacharya · Bamakhepa · Anandamayi Ma · Poet-Saints Purandara Dasa · Kanakadasa · Jagannatha_Dasa · Basava · Dnyaneshwar · Srimanta Sankardeva · Jayadeva · Namdev · Ramananda · Kabir · Tulsidas · Guru Ravidas · Mira Bai · Narsinh Mehta · Surdas · Samarth Ramdas · Tukaram · Tyagaraja · Annamacharya · Bhadrachala Ramadas · Alvars · Nayanmars · Muthuswami Dikshitar · Syama Sastri · Yoga-Guru Nigamananda · Integral-Yoga Sri Aurobindo · Kriya-Yoga Yogananda · Academician-Philosophers Coomaraswamy · Radhakrishnan ·
v t e

Vedanta (/vɪˈdɑːntə/; Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋeːd̪aːn̪t̪], Devanagari: वेदान्त, Vedānta) was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal [end] of the Vedas."^[1] By the 8th century CE, the word also came to be used to describe a group of philosophical traditions concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality (Brahman). Vedanta can also be used as a noun to describe one who has mastered all four of the original Vedas. Vedānta is also called Uttarā Mīmāṃsā, or the 'latter enquiry' or 'higher enquiry', and is often paired with Purva Mīmāṃsā, the 'former enquiry'. Pūrva Mimamsa, usually simply called Mimamsa, deals with explanations of the fire-sacrifices of the Vedic mantras (in the Samhita portion of the Vedas) and Brahmanas, while Vedanta explicates the esoteric teachings of the Āraṇyakas (the "forest scriptures"), and the Upanishads, composed from ca. the 9th century BCE, until modern times.

Vedanta is not restricted or confined to one book and there is no sole source for Vedāntic philosophy.^[2]

History[link]

In earlier writings, Sanskrit 'Vedānta' simply referred to the Upanishads, the most speculative and philosophical of the Vedic texts. However, in the medieval period of Hinduism, the word Vedānta came to mean the school of philosophy that interpreted the Upanishads. Traditional Vedānta considers scriptural evidence, or shabda pramāna, as the most authentic means of knowledge, while perception, or pratyaksa, and logical inference, or anumana, are considered to be subordinate (but valid).

The systematization of Vedāntic ideas into one coherent treatise was undertaken by Badarāyana in the Vedānta Sutra which was composed around 200 BCE.^[3] The Vedānta-sūtra are known by a variety of names, including (1) Brahma-sūtra, (2) Śārīraka, (3) Vyāsa-sūtra, (4) Bādarāyaṇa-sūtra, (5) Uttara-mīmāṁsā and (6) Vedānta-darśana.^[4] The cryptic aphorisms of the Vedanta Sutras are open to a variety of interpretations, resulting in the formation of numerous Vedanta schools, each interpreting the texts in its own way and producing its own sub-commentaries. Consistent throughout Vedanta, however, is the exhortation that ritual be eschewed in favor of the individual's quest for truth through meditation governed by a loving morality, secure in the knowledge that infinite bliss awaits the seeker. Nearly all existing sects of Hinduism are directly or indirectly influenced by the thought systems developed by Vedantic thinkers. Hinduism to a great extent owes its survival to the formation of the coherent and logically advanced systems of Vedanta.

Source texts[link]

All forms of Vedānta are drawn primarily from the Upanishads, a set of philosophical and instructive Vedic scriptures. "The Upanishads are commentaries on the Vedas, their putative end and essence^{[citation needed]}, and thus known as Vedānta or "End of the Veda". They are considered the fundamental essence of all the Vedas and although they form the backbone of Vedanta, portions of Vedantic thought are also derived from some of the earlier āranyakas.

The primary philosophy captured in the Upanishads, that of one absolute reality termed as Brahman is the main principle of Vedanta. The sage Vyāsa was one of the major proponents of this philosophy and author of the Brahma Sūtras based on the Upanishads. The concept of Brahman – the eternal, self existent, immanent and transcendent Supreme and Ultimate Reality which is the divine ground of all Being - is central to most schools of Vedānta. The concept of God or Ishvara is also there, and the Vedantic sub-schools differ mainly in how they identify God with Brahman.

The contents of the Upanishads are often couched in enigmatic language, which has left them open to various interpretations. Over a period of time, several scholars have interpreted the writings in Upanishads and other scriptures like Brahma Sutras according to their own understanding and the need of their time. There are a total of six important interpretations of these source texts, out of which, three (Advaita, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita) are prominent, both in India and abroad. These Vedantic schools of thought were founded by Shri Adi Shankara, Shri Ramanuja and Shri Madhvacharya, respectively. It should be noted, however, that the Indian pre-Shankara Buddhist writer, Bhavya, in the Madhyamakahrdaya Kārika describes the Vedānta philosophy as "Bhedabheda". Proponents of other Vedantic schools continue to write and develop their ideas as well, although their works are not widely known outside of smaller circles of followers in India.

While it is not typically thought of as a purely Vedantic text, the Bhagavad Gita has played a strong role in Vedantic thought, with its representative syncretism of Samkhya, Yoga, and Upanishadic thought. Indeed, it is itself called an "upanishad" and thus, all major Vedantic teachers (like Shankara, Rāmānuja, and Mādhvāchārya) have taken it upon themselves to compose often extensive commentaries not only on the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras, but also on the Gita. In such a manner, Vedāntists both old and new have implicitly attested to the Gitā's importance to the development of Vedantic thought and practice.^{[citation needed]}

Sub-schools of Vedanta[link]

Part of a series on
Hindu scriptures
Vedas
Rigveda · Samaveda Yajurveda · Atharvaveda Divisions Samhita · Brahmana Aranyaka · Upanishads
Vedangas
Shiksha · Chandas Vyakarana · Nirukta Kalpa · Jyotisha
Upanishads
Rig vedic Aitareya Yajur vedic Brihadaranyaka · Isha Taittiriya · Katha Shvetashvatara Sama vedic Chandogya · Kena Atharva vedic Mundaka · Mandukya Prashna
Puranas
Brahma puranas Brahma · Brahmānda Brahmavaivarta Markandeya · Bhavishya Vaishnava puranas Vishnu · Bhagavata Naradeya · Garuda · Padma · Agni Shaiva puranas Shiva · Linga Skanda · Vayu
Itihasa
Ramayana Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita)
Other scriptures
Manu Smriti Artha Shastra · Agama Tantra · Sūtra · Stotra Dharmashastra Divya Prabandha Tevaram Ramcharitmanas Yoga Vasistha
Scripture classification
Śruti · Smriti
Timeline
Hindu texts
v t e

Advaita Vedānta[link]

Advaita Vedanta (IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit: अद्वैत वेदान्त [əd̪ʋait̪ə ʋeːd̪ɑːnt̪ə]) was propounded by Adi Shankara and his grand-guru Gaudapada, who described Ajativada. It is the most influential^[5] and most dominant^[6][7] sub-school of the Vedānta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy.^[8] According to this school of Vedānta, Brahman is the only reality, and the world, as it appears, is illusory. As Brahman is the sole reality, it cannot be said to possess any attributes whatsoever. An illusory power of Brahman called Māyā causes the world to arise. Ignorance of this reality is the cause of all suffering in the world and only upon true knowledge of Brahman can liberation be attained. When a person tries to know Brahman through his mind, due to the influence of Māyā, Brahman appears as God (Ishvara), separate from the world and from the individual. In reality, there is no difference between the individual soul jīvātman (see Atman) and Brahman. Liberation lies in knowing the reality of this non-difference (i.e. a-dvaita, "non-duality"). Thus, the path to liberation is finally only through knowledge (jñāna).^[9]

Vishishtadvaita[link]

Vishishtadvaita was propounded by Rāmānuja and says that the jīvātman is a part of Brahman, and hence is similar, but not identical. The main difference from Advaita is that in Visishtadvaita, the Brahman is asserted to have attributes (Saguna brahman), including the individual conscious souls and matter. Brahman, matter and the individual souls are distinct but mutually inseparable entities. This school propounds Bhakti or devotion to God visualized as Vishnu to be the path to liberation. Māyā is seen as the creative power of God.^[9]

Dvaita[link]

Dvaita was propounded by Madhwāchārya. It is also referred to as tatvavādā - The Philosophy of Reality. It identifies God with Brahman completely, and in turn with Vishnu or his various incarnations like Krishna, Narasimha, Srinivāsa etc. In that sense it is also known as sat-vaishnava philosophy to differentiate from the Vishishtadvaita school known by sri-vaishnavism. It regards Brahman, all individual souls (jīvātmans) and matter as eternal and mutually separate entities. This school also advocates Bhakti as the route to sattvic liberation whereas hatred (Dvesha)-literally 'twoness') and indifference towards the Lord will lead to eternal hell and eternal bondage respectively. Liberation is the state of attaining maximum joy or sorrow, which is awarded to individual souls (at the end of their sādhana), based on the souls' inherent and natural disposition towards good or evil. The achintya-adbhuta shakti (the immeasurable power) of Lord Vishnu is seen as the efficient cause of the universe and the primordial matter or prakrti is the material cause. Dvaita also propounds that all action is performed by the Lord energizing every soul from within, awarding the results to the soul but Himself not affected in the least by the results.^[9]

Dvaitādvaita[link]

Dvaitādvaita was propounded by Nimbārka, based upon an earlier school called Bhedābheda, which was taught by Bhāskara. According to this school, the jīvātman is at once the same as yet different from Brahman. The jiva relation may be regarded as dvaita from one point of view and advaita from another. In this school, God is visualized as Krishna.^[9]

Shuddhādvaita[link]

Shuddhadvaita was propounded by Vallabha. This system also identifies Bhakti as the only means of liberation, 'to go to Goloka' (lit., the world of cows; the Sankrit word 'go', 'cow', also means 'star'). The world is said to be the sport (Leela) of Krishna, who is Sat-Chit-Ananda.^[9]

Story of Vedanta[link]

There is a story in Mundaka Upanishad that runs like this: Once in a tree there were two birds, one at the upper branch, serene, majestic and divine, and the other at a lower branch, restlessly pecking fruits, sometimes sweet sometimes bitter. Every time, when the restless bird ate a bitter fruit, it looked at the upper bird and climbed a branch up. This occurred a number of times and eventually the bird reached the topmost branch. There it was not able to differentiate itself from the divine bird, and then it learned that there was only one bird in the tree, the upper bird, which is described as divine, the real form of the other restless bird. This is the thought of Vedanta. The fruits in the story are Karma, the restless bird denotes a human soul, and the majestic bird denotes the Absolute.^[10]

Comparison to Western philosophies[link]

Similarities between Vedanta and Western philosophical traditions have been discussed by many authorities, primarily with regard to the thought of the Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza. The 19th-century German Sanskritist Theodore Goldstücker was one of the early figures to notice the similarities between the religious conceptions of the Vedanta and those of Spinoza, writing that Spinoza's thought was "... a western system of philosophy which occupies a foremost rank amongst the philosophies of all nations and ages, and which is so exact a representation of the ideas of the Vedanta, that we might have suspected its founder to have borrowed the fundamental principles of his system from the Hindus, did his biography not satisfy us that he was wholly unacquainted with their doctrines... We mean the philosophy of Spinoza, a man whose very life is a picture of that moral purity and intellectual indifference to the transitory charms of this world, which is the constant longing of the true Vedanta philosopher... comparing the fundamental ideas of both we should have no difficulty in proving that, had Spinoza been a Hindu, his system would in all probability mark a last phase of the Vedanta philosophy."^[11][12]

Max Muller, in his lectures, noted the striking similarities between Vedanta and the system of Spinoza, saying "the Brahman, as conceived in the Upanishads and defined by Sankara, is clearly the same as Spinoza's 'Substantia'."^[13] Helena Blavatsky, a founder of the Theosophical Society also compared Spinoza's religious thought to Vedanta, writing in an unfinished essay "As to Spinoza’s Deity—natura naturans—conceived in his attributes simply and alone; and the same Deity—as natura naturata or as conceived in the endless series of modifications or correlations, the direct outflowing results from the properties of these attributes, it is the Vedantic Deity pure and simple."^[14]

See also[link]

• Monistic idealism
• List of teachers of Vedanta

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• The System of Vedanta by Paul Deussen. 1912. Reprint 2007.
• The Eye of Shiva. New York, William Morrow & Co. 1981. Amaury de Reincourt
• Forgotten Truth: The Primordial Tradition by Huston Smith
• Theology After Vedanta by Francis X. Clooney
• Sankara and Indian Philosophy, by Natalia Isayeva
• A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy by Hajime Nākāmura
• Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies and "Vedanta Sutras of Nārāyana Guru" by Karl Potter and Sibajiban Bhattachārya
• Isherwood, Bowles, Vedanta, Wicca, and Me by Lee Prosser. 2001. ISBN 0-595-20284-5
• The Upanishads by Sri Aurobindo [2]. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1972.
• Vedanta Treatise- The Eternities by Swami Pārthasārathy [3]
• Vedanta: A Simple Introduction by Pravrajika Vrajaprana [4]
• Swami Bhoomānanda Tirtha Narayanashrama Tapovanam
• Three Upanisads of The Vedanta by J.L. Bansal [5]

This article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject. Please help improve the article with a good introductory style. (October 2009)

This section requires expansion with: with more material and references dealing with the subjects importance within Vedanta.

Swami Parthasarathy (ca. 1927 – ) is a modern exponent of Vedanta. His multi-disciplined academic base includes post-graduation from the University of London. For a period of over half a century, he has dedicated himself to the study, research and propagation of Vedanta and its practical application to life. He established his Vedanta Academy in 1988 amidst the hills of Malavali, 108 km from Mumbai, and offers a full-time residential course on Vedanta to students, who affectionately refer to him as Swamiji. the Academy offers continual three-year residential courses on Vedanta. Men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 are eligible for enrolment irrespective of nationality, race or religion. English is the medium of instruction.

Parthasarathy has authored several books, presenting scriptural truths in contemporary thought and language. He has authored commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads and others. Two books, Vedanta Treatise- The Eternities and Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals, have earned best-selling status in India. His other books would be "The Fall of the Human Intellect" and "Governing Business and Relationships". His work is significantly derived on the lucidations of former vedantins like Swami Rama Tirtha

Parthasarathy actively tours the world, giving discourses on Vedanta to the public, as well as conducting corporate seminars.

External links[link]

• http://www.vedantaworld.org
• http://www.vedantamalaysia.org
• http://www.vedanta-edu.org
• http://www.vedantausa.org
• http://www.vedanta.org.uk
• http://www.vedanta-kolkata.org
• http://www.vedanta.org.au
• Videos of interviews with Swami Parthasarathy

Sri Sarada Devi সারদা দেবী
Sarada Devi
Born	(1853-12-22)December 22, 1853 Jayrambati, West Bengal, India
Died	20 July 1920(1920-07-20) (aged 66) Udbodhan office, Calcutta.
Birth name	Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya
Guru	Ramakrishna
Quotation	"I am the mother of the wicked, as I am the mother of the virtuous. Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, just say to yourself 'I have a mother.'"[1]

Sarada Devi (Bengali: সারদা দেবী;  Sharodā Debi (help·info)) (22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya (Bengali: সারদামণি মুখোপাধ্যায়), was the wife and spiritual counterpart of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteenth century mystic of Bengal. Sarada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother (Sri Maa or শ্রীমা) by the followers of the Ramakrishna monastic order. Sarada Devi played an important role in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement.

Sarada Devi was born in Jayrambati. At the age of five she was betrothed to Ramakrishna, whom she joined at Dakshineswar when she was in her late teens. According to her traditional biographers, both lived lives of unbroken continence, showing the ideals of a householder and of the monastic ways of life. After Ramakrishna's death, Sarada Devi stayed most of the time either at Jayrambati or at the Udbodhan office, Calcutta. The disciples of Ramakrishna regarded her as their own mother, and after their guru's death looked to her for advice and encouragement. The followers of the Ramakrishna movement regard Sarada Devi as an incarnation of the Divine Mother.

Biography[link]

Birth and parentage[link]

Sarada Devi's house at Jayrambati (centre) where she lived for the majority of her life

Saradamani Devi was born of Brahmin parents as the eldest daughter on December 22, 1853, in the quiet village of Jayrambati in present day West Bengal, India.^[2] Her parents, Ramchandra Mukhopadhyaya and Syamasundari Devi, were poor and pious. Her father Ramchandra earned his living as a farmer and through the performance of priestly duties. According to traditional accounts, Ramachandra and Syamasundari had visions and supernatural events foretelling the birth of a divine being as their daughter.^[2][3]

Sarada lived the simple life of an Indian village girl. As a child Sarada—then known as Saradamani—was fascinated by traditional Hindu folklore and narratives. As in the case of most girls of rural upbringing, she did not receive any formal education but learned to serve others as she helped her mother run a large household and looked after her younger brothers.^[4][5] During the terrible famine of 1864, Sarada worked ceaselessly as her family served food to hungry people.^[6] She was interested in the clay models of goddesses Kali and Lakshmi, which she worshiped regularly. She is said to have started meditating from her childhood and traditional accounts recount her mystic visions and experiences.^[2] According to Sarada Devi, she used to see a bevy of eight girls of her age coming from an unknown place and escorting her in her chores during her childhood.^[5]

Betrothal[link]

Ramakrishna—then known as Gadadhar Chattopadhaya and a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple since 1855—was practicing spiritual austerities. His mother and brother thought that a marriage would be a good steadying effect on him, by diverting his attention away from spiritual austerities and visions.^[7] It is reported that Ramakrishna himself indicated Saradamani as the bride.^[8] In May 1859, Sarada was betrothed to Ramakrishna. Sarada was 5 years old and Ramakrishna was 23; the age difference was typical for 19th century rural Bengal.^[9][10]

After the betrothal, Sarada was left to the care of her parents and Ramakrishna returned to Dakshineswar.^[8] Sarada next met Ramakrishna when she was fourteen years old, and she spent three months with him at Kamarpukur. There, Ramakrishna imparted Sarada instructions on meditation, spiritual life.^[11] Ramakrishna's frequent samadhi (ecstasy) and unorthodox ways of worship led some onlookers to doubt his mental stability, while others regarded him as a great saint.^[12] Sarada joined Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in 1872 on her own accord when she was eighteen, after hearing these rumors about his mental health. She found Ramakrishna to be a kind and caring person.^[10]

At Dakshineswar Kali Temple[link]

The south side of the nahabat (music tower), where Sarada Devi lived in a small room on the ground floor.

Sarada Devi's tiny room on the ground floor of the nahabat, now a shrine

At Dakshineswar, Sarada Devi stayed in a tiny room in the nahabat (music tower).^[13] She stayed at Dakshineswar until 1885, except for short periods when she visited Jayrambati.^[14] By this time Ramakrishna had already embraced the monastic life of a sannyasin; as a result, the marriage was never consummated.^[10][15] As a priest, Ramakrishna performed the ritual ceremony—the Shodashi Puja where Sarada Devi was made to sit in the seat of goddess Kali, and worshiped as the divine mother.^[16][17] According to Saradananda a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, Ramakrishna married to show the world an ideal of a sexless marriage.^[18] Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as the incarnation of Divine Mother,^[19] addressing her as Sree Maa (Holy Mother) and it was by this name that she was known to Ramakrishna's disciples.^[20]

Sarada Devi's days began at 3 am. After finishing her ablutions in the Ganges, she would practice japa and meditation until daybreak.^[21] Ramakrishna taught her the sacred mantras, and instructed her how to initiate people and guide them in spiritual life.^[22] Sarada Devi is regarded as Ramakrishna's first disciple.^[23] Except for her hours of meditation, most of her time was spent in cooking for Ramakrishna and the growing number of his devotees. While Sarada Devi remained completely in the background, her unassuming, warm personality attracted some female devotees to become her lifelong companions.^[24]

During Ramakrishna's last days, during which he suffered from throat cancer, Sarada Devi played an important role in nursing him and preparing suitable food for him and his disciples. It is reported that after Ramakrishna's death in August 1886, when Sarada Devi tried to remove her bracelets as the customs dictated for a widow, she had a vision of Ramakrishna in which he said, "I have not passed away, I have gone from one room to another."^[25] According to her, whenever she thought of dressing like a widow, she had a vision of Ramakrishna asking her not to do so.^[26] After Ramakrishna's death, Sarada Devi continued to play an important role in the nascent religious movement.^[20] She remained the spiritual guide of the movement for the next 34 years.^[27]

Pilgrimage[link]

After Ramakrishna's death, Sarada Devi began her pilgrimage through North India, accompanied by a party of women disciples including Lakshmi Didi, Gopal Ma, and Ramakrishna's householder and monastic disciples. The party visited the Vishwanath Temple of god Shiva at Banaras and the city of Ayodhya, which is associated with life of god Rama. Later, she visited Vrindavan which is associated with god Krishna. According to traditional accounts, at Vrindavan, she experienced nirvikalpa samadhi and began her role as guru. She initiated several of the Ramakrishna's disciples including Mahendranath Gupta, Yogen with a mantra.^[28][29] According to her traditional biographers and disciples, to call her "Mother" was no mere expression of respect and all those who met her became aware of a maternal quality in her.^[29]

At Calcutta[link]

Sarada Devi worshiping at her Udbodhan residence in Calcutta.

After the pilgrimage, Sarada Devi stayed alone in Kamarpukur, Ramakrishna's native village also where he was born. There, she endured poverty, verging on starvation for a year. In 1888, when the news reached the lay and monastic disciples of Ramakrishna that she needed their care and attention, they invited her to Calcutta and arranged for her stay. Swami Saradananda built a permanent house for Sarada Devi in Calcutta. The house was named the Udbodhan House, after the Bengali monthly magazine conducted by the Ramakrishna Math. It is also called Mayerbati ("Holy Mother's House"), where she spent the longest period of her life outside Jayrambati.^[28]

Sarada Devi went to Calcutta because she had many hardships in Kamarpukur. She had no financial resources and about no one could take care of her. She tried to hide her situation, but it leaked out. When the devotees at Calcutta heard this, they persuaded Sarada Devi to come to Calcutta.^[30]

At Udbodhan House, Sarada Devi was accompanied by other women disciples of Ramakrishna, Golap Ma, Yogin Ma, Lakshmi Didi and Gauri Ma being the best known. An increasing number of people began to flock for guidance, instructions and spiritual initiation.^[31] Other Western women followers of Ramakrishna Order including Sister Nivedita^[32] and Sister Devamata formed close relationship with her.^[33][34] According to her biographers, her innate motherliness put visitors at ease. Swami Nikhilananda, her direct disciple writes, "Though she had no children of the flesh, she had many of the spirit."^[35] She regarded all her disciples as her own children.^[36]

Sarada Devi received the highest reverence from the Ramakrishna Order and its devotees. Ramakrishna had bade her continue his mission after his death and wanted his disciples not to make any distinction between himself and her. According to her devotees and traditional biographers, the hospitality of Sarada Devi was unique and was characterized by motherly care and solicitude.^[37] Traditional accounts recount the mystical experiences of her devotees. Some dreamt of her as a goddess in human form though they had never seen her picture before. Others reportedly received their initiation from her in their dream. One such example is of Girish Chandra Ghosh, the father of Bengali drama, who reportedly saw Sarada Devi in a dream when he was nineteen years old and received a mantra. When he met her many years later, to his astonishment she was the same person in the dream.^[38]

Last days[link]

Sarada Devi spent her final years moving back and forth between Jayrambati and Calcutta. In January 1919, Sarada Devi went to Jayrambati and stayed there for over a year. During the last three months of her stay, her health seriously declined. Her strength was greatly impaired and she was brought back to Calcutta on February 27, 1920. For the next five months she continued to suffer. Before her death, she gave the last advice to the grief-stricken devotees, "But I tell you one thing—if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger my child: this whole world is your own!" This is considered as her last message to the world.^[31] She died at 1.30 am on July 20, 1920. Her body was cremated at the Belur Math.^[31]

Teachings and quotes[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi did not write any books; her utterances and reminiscences have been recorded by her disciples including Swami Nikhilananda, Swami Tapasyananda.^[39] Though uneducated Sarada Devi's spiritual insight and utterances are highly regarded by scholars like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who writes, "We have bits and pieces of her exquisite remarks as testimony."^[10]

• Practise meditation, and by and by your mind will be so calm and fixed that you will find it hard to keep away from meditation.^[40]
• The mind is everything. It is in the mind alone that one feels pure and impure. A man, first of all, must make his own mind guilty and then alone can he see another man's guilt.^[41]
• "I tell you one thing. If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own."^[41]
• One must have devotion towards one's own guru. Whatever may be the nature of the guru, the disciple gets salvation by dint of his unflinching devotion towards his guru.^[42]

Impact and legacy[link]

Sarada Devi played an important role as the advisory head of a nascent organization that became a monastic order devoted to social work—the Ramakrishna Mission. Gayatri Spivak writes that Sarada Devi "performed her role with tact and wisdom, always remaining in the background."^[10] She also initiated several prominent monks into the Ramakrishna Order. Swami Nikhilananda, who was a freedom fighter and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi,^[43] accepted Sarada Devi as his guru and joined the Ramakrishna Order. He eventually founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New York.^[44] Though uneducated herself, Sarada Devi advocated education for women. She entrusted Devamata with the implementation of her dream—a girl's school on the Ganges, where Eastern and Western pupils could study together.^[34] In 1954, Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, a monastic order for women was founded in the honor of Sarada Devi.^[45]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Ghanananda, Swami; John Stewart-Wallace (1979). "Sri Sarada Devi". Women Saints of East and West. Vedanta Press. pp. 94–121. ISBN 978-0-87481-036-3. http://books.google.com/?id=6IhLSGtuW_EC&pg=PA94. 
• Hixon, Lex (1997). Great Swan: Meetings With Ramakrishna. Burdett, N.Y.: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 0-943914-80-9. http://books.google.com/?id=IEISZscMUscC. 
• Jackson, Carl T. (1994). Vedanta for the West. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33098-X. 
• Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty (December 28, 2007). Other Asias. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0207-1. 

Further reading[link]

• Babaji Bob Kindler (2000). Sri Sarada Vijnanagita: Her Teachings, Selected and Arranged in Verse Form. SRV Associations. ISBN 978-1-891893-06-3. 
• Swami Gambhirananda (1955). Holy Mother Shri Sarada Devi. 
• Swami Nikhilananda (1984). Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. Sri Ramakrishna Math Printing Press. ISBN 978-81-7120-400-7. 
• Swami Nikhilananda (1982). Holy Mother : Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi, Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and Helpmate in His Mission. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center. ISBN 978-0-911206-20-3. 
• Swami Saradeshananda. The Holy Mother as I Saw Her. 
• Swami Tapasyananda. Sri Sarada Devi ; The Holy Mother. Sri Ramakrishna Math. ISBN 978-81-7120-487-8. 
• Sri Sarada Devi : a Biography in pictures. Advaita Ashrama. 1988. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sarada Devi

• Official Website of Sri Sarada Math
• saradadevi.info, Gospel of Holy Mother, Teachings.
• Sarada maa stotra written by Swami Abhedananda