SWAMI CHETANANANDA RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play SWAMI CHETANANANDA efore I begin my subject—Sri Sarada discourses on the Kathamrita.’ (Indeed, the Devi and Her Divine Play—I shall way he interpreted The Gospel of Sri Bsay something about Swami Ramakrishna is unique in the Ramakrishna Bhuteshanandaji, as this is his endowment Order. Perhaps, you have seen the seven lecture. I met the swami in1960 in Advaita volumes of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita Ashrama, Calcutta, and I was closely Prasanga in Bengali published by connected to him till 1998. I still remember Udbodhan.) hiding his shoes, or sometimes soaking his Responding to my quip, he said, ‘You clothes in soap water, so that he would not are right. When I was at Kankurgachi, I was go away to Belur Math. He would say, ‘You the Vice President and I used to give class are naughty. I am supposed to go to Belur every week. But they made me the President Math, and you are preventing me from of the Order and now I give only initiation going!’ and darshan! I have no time to give classes.’ We loved to hear from him. I sometimes When I met him in 1997, I said, become very emotional when I think of him. ‘Maharaj, what kind of a guru are you? Tulasidàs said: ‘I bow down to the holy and Thakur said that the uttam vaidya (best the unholy. Why? Because both give me physician) put his knee on the patient’s chest pain. When the unholy person comes near and forced in the medicine. So, can you put me, I get pain; and when the holy one leaves your knee on the chest of your disciples me, I get pain. So I bow down to both.’ That [who are like diseased persons] and give is how I feel about Swami Bhuteshanandaji. them the knowledge of Brahman?’ There is another dohà from Tulasidàs: He quipped, ‘âmàr to dui hàntutei ‘Tulsi, jab jag me àyo, jag hàse, tum roye; byathà, both of my knees are afflicted with aisi karne kar chaloki jab tum hàse jag pain!’ roye’—‘O Tulasi, when you came to this What a humorous person! His humour, world, you cried and the world smiled. You his fantastic memory, his knowledge of the do such things in your life that when you scriptures, and erudition, as well as his love die, you will smile and let the world cry for and compassion for monks and devotees, you.’ That couplet is true about Swami were phenomenal. I have many stories about Bhuteshanandaji, the 12th President of the him that I shall never forget. Ramakrishna Order. I have so many stories about him. One About the book day I said to him, ‘Maharaj, it is a big Now, I have to talk about Sri Sarada mistake that we made you the President of Devi and Her Divine Play. This book is an the Order.’ exhaustive, updated, authentic, and ‘Why?’ he asked. comprehensive biography of the Holy I replied, ‘You did not finish your Mother, Sarada Devi, the wife of Sri 6 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture December 2017 SRI SARADA DEVI AND HER DIVINE PLAY Ramakrishna—the spiritual phenomenon of comprising events from 1910 to 1920. this age. This book consists of 876 pages Holy Mother was born in Jayrambati in and 125 photographs. It took me seven years 1853. She was five years and five months to complete this book with the help of a old when she was married, and the Master team of editors. was twenty-four. Of course, this was not a Let me tell you a little bit about the real marriage; it was a kind of betrothal. At Mother’s life. Holy Mother Sarada Devi was that time child marriage was popular. I born in 1853 and passed away in 1920. The sometimes make joke and say that the dowry first book on her, the first part of Sri Sri for a grown-up girl was very expensive, so Màyer Kathà came out in 1926. The second the Master paid only 300 rupees for a little part was published in 1936. In 1937, Akshay girl! Chaitanya wrote the first Bengali biography Be that as it may, as Holy Mother of the Mother. In 1940, Swami gradually grew up, she became tormented by Tapasyananda wrote Mother’s biography in village gossip. The village women remarked: English. In 1954, Swami Gambhirananda ‘Aha, Sarada’s husband is mad. Shyama translated his Bengali book on Holy Mother, arranged her daughter’s marriage to a Srimà Saradà Devi, into English. In 1962, lunatic.’ At that time, Ramakrishna was in a Swami Nikhilananda wrote Holy Mother, God-intoxicated state in Dakshineswar. published by the Ramakrishna Vivekananda There is a saying that gossip spreads faster Centre in New York. After that, many books than the gospel. As it happens, people about Holy Mother came into existence, showed lip-sympathy, but nonetheless she including: Swami Ishanananda’s Màtri was hurt. Although she avoided those village Sànnidhye, Swami Saradeshananda’s Sri Sri women, it was hard for her to digest the Màyer Smritikathà, and Swami criticism voiced against her husband. But Parameshananda’s Sri Sri Mà O Jairàmbàti. what to do? She confined herself to her I myself edited a book—Màtri Darshan— room. However, in 1872, she decided to go that contains 49 reminiscences of Holy to Dakshineswar to see for herself. She Mother. Swami Purnatmananda edited four travelled with her father and some village volumes in Bengali titled Sri Sri Màyer women who were going to Calcutta to take a Padaprànte. After that came Pravrajika holy bath in the Ganges during the dol- Bharatiprana’s reminiscences of the Holy purnimà, or Holi festival. Sometimes I Mother. Much valuable information is in visualize Holy Mother walking sixty-four these books—so much that I felt we needed miles with bare feet, carrying a bundle with an updated biography. I started working on a spare sari, one gàmchà (a towel), muri Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play in (puffed rice), molasses, bananas, and a little February 2009, and I finished it in money to pay the ferryman. She had to cross September 2015. five rivers—Amodar, Dwarakeswar, Mundeshwari, Damodar, and Ganges—to Three sections of Holy Mother’s life reach Dakshineswar. Sometimes I visualize We can divide Holy Mother’s biography her bathing in a pond or in a lake on the into three sections: First, âdi lilà, or the way, fully clothed, and allowing her sari to early lilà, which comprises events from 1853 dry on her body because there was nowhere to 1886; second, Madhya lilà, the middle to change her cloth. When she was tired, she lilà, which includes events from 1887 to took rest under a tree, and she passed the 1909; and third, Anta lilà, or the final lilà, nights in roadside inns. Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture December 2017 7 SWAMI CHETANANANDA Sarada Devi was a village girl, but she be mad. However, when she arrived she was was extremely intelligent and had strong surprised to see that her husband was not common sense. On this first journey to mad, but rational, caring, loving, and Dakshineswar in March 1872, she had no conscientious—a wonderful person jewellery; later the Master gave her some, altogether! which she hid in puffed rice during her Second, she was worried that he might journeys so that robbers could not find them. reject her. Sri Ramakrishna took sannyàsa in She and her party arrived in Dakshineswar at 1864, and it was now 1872. When Mother 9 o’clock at night. Sri Ramakrishna said to came to Dakshineswar, however, she found his nephew: ‘O, Hriday, this is the first time that her husband did not reject her. History she is coming. Did she consult the says that Buddha left his wife, Yashodharà. almanac?’ That was the first sentence the Chaitanya left his wife, Vishnupriyà. But Mother heard from her husband, and she Thakur did not leave Sarada Devi. Every thought, ‘My husband is a loving and a avatàr comes with his Shakti, such as Ràma caring person.’ with Sità, Krishna with Ràdhà, Buddha with The second sentence she heard the Yashodharà, Chaitanya with Vishnupriyà, moment she entered the room: ‘Esecho, besh and Ramakrishna with Sarada. Swami korecho—It is good that you have come.’ Vivekananda said: ‘A bird cannot fly with The third sentence: ‘Ore, màdur pete de— one wing.’ Both wings are necessary. Both Spread a mat for her.’ There was no man and woman are necessary to form an furniture in the Master’s room. The moment ideal society. the Master heard that she had a fever, he The married life of Ramakrishna and anxiously said: ‘Uh! tumi eto deri kore ele, Holy Mother spanned about twenty-seven àmàr Mathur chole geche—You have come years, but they lived together for nearly ten too late; my Mathur has passed away.’ years. During her lifetime, the Mother Rasmani’s son-in-law, Mathur, died in July travelled 29 times from Kamarpukur- 1871, eight months before the Mother Jayrambati to Calcutta, and from Calcutta to arrived. Referring to Mathur’s death, Sri Kamarpukur-Jayrambati. Ramakrishna regretted that his right hand Who started the worship of had broken (àmàr dàn hàt bhenge geche). Ramakrishna? It was first started by Holy By this he meant that if Mathur were alive Mother when she lived in the Nahabat in he would have taken good care of her, and Dakshineswar.