In talking about dates, I overlooked the blessed occasion of your own 64th birthday falling on the same day as Mother's! Is this not a blessed gift?

My lowly excuse for overlooking this is that I like all of Mother's birthdays!

And I especially like her "fixed" birthday. That Mother was born into this world on December 22,1953, has always held a special significance for me, as it falls so near Christmas! Devotees and a swami in San Diego renamed your birthday "Mother-mas" in recognition of the Holy Season. Sri Ramakrishna had a vision and experience of Jesus entering his being. Swami Vivekananda inspired* his brothers to take vows of renunciation after hearing about Jesus' own renunciation, on an evening that he later learned was Christmas Eve. So too the date of Mother's birth so near to Christmas seems to complete a special connection between East and West.

Dear Mother,

As our hearts and minds turn towards you and Jesus and Mary during this Holy Season, may we feel the warm glow of your presence.

Location: San Diego, CA

Dear Sister Jayanti,

Your kind words are undoubtedly appreciated by all, myself included.

Although I understand perfectly, the excellent reasons behind the principle of the calculation of Holy Trio birthdays, in accordance with the Bengali Lunar Calendar, the advantage of 'fixed' dates, in commemorating these birthdays, on the International level, is obvious:

The vast majority of new Devotees to Ramakrishna Vedanta, are not coming from any connections with the various Vedanta Societies, as in the past; but rather through inspiration, gained from material found on the Internet.

Consequently, these new Devotees are most probably not aware of the system, prevalent in India, of calculating the (movable) birth dates of renowned Holy people, using the Lunar Calendar; and therefore will be inclined to celebrate the Trio's Holy Birthdays on the actual 'fixed' dates, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

In consideration of the foregoing, I am taking the liberty here (in Montreal, Canada), of wishing the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, a Most Wonderfully Happy Birthday today, in recognition of her sweet arrival in this terrible old world, exactly 155 years ago!

Om Shanthi Om
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