Hinduism: The Devi who lived here

Reproducing an excellent article published in HT (Mumbai, Oct 20)

Sarada Devi (1853-1920) was the wife of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. They had an unusual relationship: a celibate marriage that sublimated into a deep spiritual connection. Sri Ramakrishna saw the Devi in her and actually worshiped his wife as such. During his lifetime, Sarada Devi kept a very low profile, taking great care of his husband. After his death, she suffered at the hands of some of her own relatives, but bore it all with patient faith. Her gentle personality began to attract many devotees and she became a widely loved and respected spiritual persona in her own right.

Once, the birth mother of Swami Vivekananda, who was Sri Ramakrishna's prime disciple, came to the Belur Math. This was the head quarters of the Ramakrishna movement, of modern, seva-based reformist Hinduism. She took her friend around the fine buildings and beautiful complex and remarked proudly, "My son Naren has done all this." Swami Vivekananda and Sarada Devi were nearby. Vivekananda was deeply attached to his mother and loved her very much. But he jumped to correct her, "Not your son but hers (pointing to Sarada Devi). Your Naren was not capable of doing anything much."

When Sarada Devi passed away in July 1920 and was cremated at the Belur Math, there were more than 7,000 wellwishers at her funeral, who came of their own accord.

A modern Indian, especially a woman, may find Sarada Devi's living martyrdom frightening and unappealingly submissive. But two solid qualities in her that will never be oldfashioned seem worth acquiring for everybody, man or woman, as civilizational strengths: her patience and her emotional generosity.

Both seem essential to move our national life forward (and thereby ours), especially I these stressed-out times: virtues embodied in the Mother of the Universe that we can activate in ourselves. If not to Sarada Devi's extent, at least in terms of considerate behaviour on the phone, in the lift, in queues and definitely on the road!