By RADHIKA NAGRATH
Haridwar, 3 Jan: The 171st birth anniversary of holy Mother Sarda Devi was celebrated with devotion at Ramakrishna Mission, Sevashram, Kankhal. On this occasion, blankets were distributed to the poor patients admitted at the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram Hospital.
Swami Dayamurtyananda, Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, said that Mother Sarada incarnated as a divine person who, with her divine power, helped people cross the ocean of existence.
He said that Mother used to say that do not think small. Do not pray to God for gourd and pumpkin but, rather, pray from your heart for pure love and knowledge. The Swami said, “Even after so many years, when we find situations similar to those of her times around us, her thoughts prove relevant.”
He said that Mother Sarada was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, but she was also the harbinger of social progress and development of human consciousness of that time. The followers of Ramakrishna Math address her as Shri Ma.
Swami Dayamurtyananda further said that Mother Sarada never discriminated between any living being, be it a strong spiritual man like Swami Vivekananda or a robber or an ant, Mother provided equal love and affection to everyone. Despite being illiterate herself, mother Sarada strongly advocated education for women.
The message of the mother was, “If you want peace of mind, do not find fault in others. Rather, look at your faults, learn to make the whole world yours, no one is alien, the whole world is yours.”
Throwing light on the life of Mother Sarada, the Swami reminded that she was born on 22 December, 1853, in Jayrambati, a small village near Kolkata. According to the tradition of that time, she was married to Ramakrishna at the age of five. Ramakrishna Paramhansa worshipped his wife as Goddess and performed ‘Shodasi Pooja’, the epitome of devotion towards motherhood.
On this occasion, religious programmes like chanting, meditation, Mangal Aarti, Vedic mantra recitation, bhajan, special puja, Chandi recitation, havan, etc., were organised. Swami Jagadish Maharaj threw light on the life of Mother Sharda. On this occasion, Swami Devatyananda Maharaj, Swami Jagdish Maharaj, Swami Kamalakantananda Maharaj, Swami Ekashrayananda Maharaj, Swami Mohananand Burman Maharaj, P Krishna Murthy, Sugandha Krishnamurthy, Nursing Director of the Mission, Mini Yohannan, social worker Love Gupta and others were present. Musician Sunil Mukherjee did devotional singing.
