SomeSept 2019 Musings on the Holy Mother 1 SWAMI BALABHADRANANDA ri Ramakrishna says in the Kathamrita ways are inscrutable and that whatever we S(The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna): say about her can at best be a conjecture “Whenever anyone assumes a human form, and not a conclusion. he has to come to the domain of This was true of all Incarnations in Adyashakti.” He further says, “With the the past; also that their divine consorts help of Adyashakti, God sports as an provided them with the powers that were Incarnation. God through his Shakti required for the fulfillment of their incarnates himself as man. Then alone does respective missions. But unlike the Holy it become possible for the Incarnation to Mother, in this Age, they played their roles carry on his work. Everything is due to from the background, quietly. Perhaps they Shakti of the Divine Mother.” So when themselves wished so, which is why their Swami Vivekananda places the Holy great silent roles defied the attention and Mother on a higher pedestal than Sri comprehension of people at large. Ramakrishna, it must not be taken as a The Chandi says, once as expressed mere emotional exuberance — it is correct by the sage Markandeya and again as what from this point of view. Pure Brahman may the gods themselves felt, that man can have be higher than Adyashakti, because moksha, liberation from bondage, only Adyashakti is but Brahman’s Shakti, but when the Divine Mother is pleased with an Avatara or Divine Incarnation is not. him. The Mother herself declares in the An Avatara is always subservient Chandi, as excerpted from one of the to Adyashakti, and remaining so only he Hindus’ fundamental scriptures, Rigveda, fulfills his divine mission in the manner and that if she wishes she can make of a man magnitude it is needed for the world. This a rishi, a seer of the Supreme Truth or is the eternal law concerning an Avatara anything else . and his divine mission. That is why, perhaps, The same Adyashakti has appeared in most cases when God incarnated himself now as Sarada Devi, in her first-ever role as Avatara, Adyashakti also preferred to in a human body as a tangible, universal make her advent as a human being. She Mother — as the mother of the wicked as perhaps felt that she could help the well as the mother of the virtuous. We had Avatara better in his divine mission if she not experienced any goddess to be so experienced the same prevailing conditions motherly and any mother to be so godly, of the earth along with the Avatara. That every day and at every moment. So far, is why, perhaps, the world has witnessed only a handful of realized souls might have divine couples such as Radha and Krishna, comprehended in the innermost recesses Sita and Rama, Vishnupriya and Chaitanya, of their hearts the universal motherhood Yashodhara and Buddha. We may need to of the Divine Mother. But after studying use many a ‘perhaps’ in this essay, as we the unique life of Sri Sarada Devi on this are aware that we are discussing earth, everybody can comprehend that to Adyashakti or Mahamaya here whose a great extent. One can now believe more Swami Balabhadrananda is the Assistant General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. 2 Samvit Sept 2019 easily that love and affection for humankind Holy Mother gave a single-word reply in actually exists in the unseen hearts of the the affirmative. Hearing her voice, Sri unseen goddesses—just as Sri Sarada Devi Ramakrishna immediately realized his had. Goddesses Durga, Kali and others mistake and said apologetically: “Oh, it is owe this comprehension to Sri Sarada Devi. you! I took you for Lakshmi. Please do To enable the world to accept Sri not mind!” But still, he could not sleep the Sarada Devi with due shraddha, the entire night. At day-break, he immediately Avatara of this age himself came forward. went to her and said, “Look, I couldn’t Sometimes he would declare his consort’s sleep the whole night. I felt very bad for greatness straightaway, referring to her addressing you so disrespectfully.” divinity as: O ki je se? O amar Shakti (Don’t Why was Sri Ramakrishna so consider her as one of the common run of concerned that he inadvertently expressed women. She is my Power). At other times even the slightest disrespect to Sri Sarada he would only give hints to the effect, Devi? Why did he repeatedly try to draw saying: “Have I married someone who lives our attention to Sri Sarada Devi’s greatness? on leaves and stems of gourds?” By this he Because knowing her as the Divine Mother meant that he could never have married an or at least as divinely powerful was ordinary woman. The one whom God necessary for both the spiritual and material accepts as His consort, cannot but be an well-being of the people of the world. Time incarnation of the Goddess Herself. He and again, Sri Ramakrishna pointed out that once warned Hriday, who dared to behave Maya, who casts her intriguing knowledge- rudely with the Holy Mother: “If the One covering shroud on everyone in the residing in this (pointing to himself) becomes universe, not sparing even Brahma, Vishnu, angry with you, you may still have chances and Maheshwara from her sway, makes to survive. But if the One residing in Her an exception only in one case: If anyone (meaning Sri Sarada Devi) is displeased with addresses her as ‘mother’, she does not you, even Brahma, Vishnu or Maheshwara bewitch him or her. It is as if she feels will not be able to protect you.” ashamed to do so. So the only way to win By his behaviour with Sri Sarada over Maya is to treat her as one’s mother. Devi also, Sri Ramakrishna sometimes It is, therefore, a great blessing for the clearly indicated her greatness. One day entire mankind that the ever-enchanting he mistook her for his niece, Lakshmi, who Maya, on Her own, has appeared in this he thought had brought him his meal for Age as a natural motherly personality, in the night and without looking at her, he the form of Sri Sarada Devi. Because of said, “Jabar samay darjata bandha kore her advent, people of the world can now diye jas (close the doors when you leave look upon the Maya-incarnate, Sri Sarada the room)” Now, the word ‘jas’ Devi, spontaneously as their own mother corresponds to the English word ‘go’ but and get enabled thus, even ignorantly, to the form in which Sri Ramakrishna used the go beyond Maya and reach the supreme. word was only proper for addressing That is why Sri Ramakrishna repeatedly juniors who need not be shown much draws our attention to Sri Sarada Devi’s respect. The appropriate word in this case greatness, because if we fail to recognize should have been ‘jeo’ instead of ‘jas’. The her as Mahamaya or the Divine Mother, it Sept 2019 Some Musings on tne Holy Mother 3 will be a great spiritual loss to us. We will then Taraknath Ghosal, complained to him not be able to pierce through the veil of that he could not concentrate his mind well Maya to see our resplendent Self, which while he attempted to meditate. Sri we are in a position now to do more easily Ramakrishna’s solution was as simple as by our prayers and submission to the Holy this: “Ore Ma-kebal, Ma-kebal (My boy, Mother. That is why we find Sri report it to the Mother)”. By this he Ramakrishna apologetic and repentant in perhaps meant that the Mother, who rules the incident narrated above, although his the universe, rules our minds also. mistake was totally unintentional. He Therefore, if she wills, she can send our wanted to drive home through the incident, mind into meditation in no time. Mother as a lesson for mankind, that the great can do everything and is doing everything. power that has descended in our midst in That is why Sri Ramakrishna’s the form of Sri Sarada Devi, cannot be sadhana began with Mother-worship and shown the slightest disrespect even proceeding through diverse spiritual paths unknowingly. within and outside Hinduism, it ended again We know that Sri Ramakrishna in Mother-worship, with the difference that always considered himself as a child of the the Mother was worshipped in the last Divine Mother. One day at Dakshineshwar case not in any image but in the human form while he was going to the Kali Temple to of his own consort, and as Goddess pay his daily respects to the Mother, he Shodashi. After this, he had an effortless found the stairs slippery due to rain on vision of Christ, followed by innumerable previous few days. He went down on all visions of gods, goddesses, and fours, like a child, to climb the stairs, with incarnations throughout the rest of his life, these words on his lips, “Mother, see that for which he did not need to undertake I do not fall.” Again, when Totapuri offered any new sadhana. His sadhanas actually to teach him Advaita Vedanta, he said, “I ended with the Shodashi Puja. do not know anything about it. My Mother Sri Ramakrishna had performed this only knows whether or not I should learn Shodashi Puja in his own room on the night this from you.” Totapuri said, “Then go and of Phalaharini Kali Puja and when the ask your mother.” Totapuri was under the worship was over, he surrendered himself, impression that Sri Ramakrishna was his rosary, and the fruit of his life-long referring to his biological mother.