12-December-2015 (Saturday)
Mother As I Saw Her – Second Part
Swami Saradeshananda
APPENDIX
ABOUT THE RECORDER OF THE REMINISCENCES – 04

She was very particular about the inclusion of Tulasi among the ingredients of worship, kept ready for her to offer. During the stay of Gopesh with the Mother at jayarambati, it was one of his duties to procure flowers etc., for her and arrange them for worship. Once he omitted to procure Tulasi leaves. The Mother was much concerned at this omission and remarked: “Ah! You have omitted to procure Tulasi today. See how pure it is! On whatever you put it, that object is purified.’ After worship, when she took the Charanamrta (holy water used in worship), she always swallowed one full Tulasi leaf and a small cutting from Vilwa leaf. While she stayed at jayarambati, whenever the Mother was in bad health, it was the duty of Gopesh to do the worship on her behalf.

By 1920 the Mother was in Calcutta, undergoing treatment for her last illness. For about three months Gopesh had the privilege of serving the Mother in various ways during this period. People were not allowed to go freely to her bedside in those days, but Revered Swami Saradanandaji had permitted Gopesh to attend on her whenever required. For some days he stayed at the Udbodhan House itself, but later moved to Belur Math for night stay and came to the Mother every morning. His daily movement to and fro between the Math and the Udbodhan helped to fulfil two functions in the service of the Mother. Flowers and Vilwa leaves were required in large quantities for the several special poojas and scriptural rites that were organised at the Udbodhan House by the disciples for the Mother’s recovery. He used to bring these early in the morning from the Belur Math. In the evening he had to return to the Math to give an exact report of the Mother’s condition to Revered Swami Shivanandaji and other venerable elders. It was the season when the highly sweet smelling Arabian Jasmine flowers were in bloom, and thick garlands made of them used to be offered to the Master in the Shrine. Every day Gopesh brought one such (offered) garland to the Mother, which she received with great joy and reverence.

Gradually the Mother's health became worse and Gopesh could not bear the sight of her body in that shrunken condition. So he stopped his visits to Udbodhan for the last few days of her earthly life. He was, therefore, not a witness to the last scenes, but he got an exact and detailed report of it from the other Sadhus present, and he had noted all that information correctly in his Reminiscences. On Tuesday at 1.30 a.m. on the 21st July, 1920, the Mother entered into Mahasamadhi. When the body was brought next noon to Belur Math for cremation, Gopesh was astonished to see how the erstwhile shrunken face of the Mother had, after life had departed, assumed the form of a Goddess as it were – so calm, so benign and so full of splendour and compassion it was.

From April 1923, when a temple of the Mother, ‘The Matri-mandir’, was built at Jayarambati, Gopesh had the privilege of conducting the service of the Mother in that shrine for about one year. After that he went on a long pilgrimage of three years’ duration, when he made circumambulation of the whole of Bharata (India), partly on foot and partly by train, keeping the mainland to the right.

Before coming to stay in retirement at his advanced age at Vrindaban, Gopesh (Swami Saradeshananda) served the Ramakrishna Order, participating in the various service programmes with steadfast devotion. He firmly believes that the ideal of the Ramakrishna Order, Atmano mokshartham jadathitaya ca (for the liberation of the soul and the good of the world) was fully manifested in the Holy Mother’s life of renunciation, service, consecrated work and ceaseless worship. The Mother’s life and teachings inspired him to throw himself wholeheartedly into any service, including difficult Relief Works, which were allotted to him. Also when chances came for quiet living in solitude devoting his time to Japa and Meditation, he made the best use of those opportunities too.

He is still in our midst at Vrindavan, advanced in years and highly respected by all. (Swami Saradeshanandaji entered Mahasamadhi on 11-December-1988 and eternally went in Holy Mother's lap.... What a coincidence... today exactly after 27 years sharing the passages from his immortal writing comes to an end!!!

Jai Maa!!!

[Mother As I Saw Her (Being Reminiscences of Holy Mother Sarada Devi) – Swami Saradeshananda. Translated by Prof. J. N. Dey. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore Madras-600004: p 235 – 236]

Location: Bangalore