Sarada Devi was a religious teacher and wife and spiritual consort of the Indian saint Ramakrishna, founder of the Hindu school of religious thought that became the Ramakrishna Order.
She was born as Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya on December 22, 1853 in Jayrambati, Bengal (now in India). She was married to Ramakrishna in an arranged marriage at the age of five. Because Ramakrishna had taken a vow of celibacy, the marriage was never consummated. When she was 16 years old, Saradamani joined her husband in Dakshineshwar where he was a temple priest. Three years later, Ramakrishna declared that his young wife, whom he now called Sarada Devi, was the avatar of the Divine Mother of the Universe.
After Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, Sarada Devi gained acclaim as a saint in her own right. She began her pilgrimage through North India, accompanied by a party of women disciples including Lakshmi Didi, Gopal Ma, and other monastic disciples. The party visited the Vishwanath Temple of god Shiva at Banaras and the city of Ayodhya, which is associated with life of Rama. Later, she visited Vrindavan which is associated with Lord Krishna. According to traditional accounts, at Vrindavan, she began her role as guru. She initiated several of Ramakrishna’s disciples including Mahendranath Gupta, Yogen with a mantra. According to her traditional biographers and disciples, to call her “Mother” was no mere expression of respect and all those who met her became aware of a maternal quality in her.
She was born as Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya on December 22, 1853 in Jayrambati, Bengal (now in India). She was married to Ramakrishna in an arranged marriage at the age of five. Because Ramakrishna had taken a vow of celibacy, the marriage was never consummated. When she was 16 years old, Saradamani joined her husband in Dakshineshwar where he was a temple priest. Three years later, Ramakrishna declared that his young wife, whom he now called Sarada Devi, was the avatar of the Divine Mother of the Universe.
After Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, Sarada Devi gained acclaim as a saint in her own right. She began her pilgrimage through North India, accompanied by a party of women disciples including Lakshmi Didi, Gopal Ma, and other monastic disciples. The party visited the Vishwanath Temple of god Shiva at Banaras and the city of Ayodhya, which is associated with life of Rama. Later, she visited Vrindavan which is associated with Lord Krishna. According to traditional accounts, at Vrindavan, she began her role as guru. She initiated several of Ramakrishna’s disciples including Mahendranath Gupta, Yogen with a mantra. According to her traditional biographers and disciples, to call her “Mother” was no mere expression of respect and all those who met her became aware of a maternal quality in her.