17-05-2016 Tuesday
Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 120
In The March of Events – 32
Sarada Devi never hesitated to fulfil the demands of motherhood, which, as we shall see later, were based on a profound spiritual insight. To Sri Ramakrishna’s devotees she was at that time like an earthly mother, though afterwards they regarded her as the veritable incarnation of the Divine Mother of the Universe. At Dakshineswar she was always solicitous about their physical welfare. Sri Ramakrishna kept a close watch on the daily habits of the young disciples destined to be monks. He warned them against eating too must at night lest they should become lazy and neglect their meditation in the early hours of the morning. But Sarada Devi, who cooked for them, saw to it that they had plenty to eat. Once Sri Ramakrishna came to know that a disciple had taken two or three extra pieces of bread beyond what he approved of, and that Sarada Devi’s motherly solicitude was responsible for this excess. He was annoyed and forbade her to do so in the future. But she was not a person to be ordered around concerning such matters and said to the Master sharply: ‘Why are you worrying just because he has eaten two extra pieces of bread? I am looking after these children. I do not want you to criticize them about food.’ Reminiscing about such incidents at Dakshineswar, Sarada Devi once said to Yogin-ma: ‘Can a person obey every word of another human being?’ She did not hesitate to speak the blunt truth to her husband when the occasion demanded it. At one time the kitchen at Kamarpukur badly needed repair and the Master was asked to pay the expense. He said: ‘We do not live there; let them somehow manage it.’ ‘How selfish!’ Sarada Devi said at once. Thereupon the Master gave her a discourse on selfishness.
-------
Holy Mother - Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi Wife of Sri Ramakrishna And Helpmate in his Mission By Swami Nikhilananda p: 78
