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The Holy Mother - Sri Sarada Devi
Sri Sarada Devi, the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna, is known to millions of devotees as The Holy Mother. Born of poor but pious Brahmin parents on December 22, 1853, in an obscure village named Jayarambati in the district of Bankura (West Bengal) and bred in the simple country atmosphere, she was married to Sri Ramakrishna at the early age of six.
Like many other incidents of life Sri Ramakrishna, his marriage was remarkable. The Holy Mother had the chance of coming in close contact with Sri Ramakrishna only about 1876, long after her marriage. Sri Ramakrishna did not neglect her but took her under his tutelage and by degrees loving imparted to her thorough knowledge of human character and taught her how to live in complete resignation to God. He literally worshipped her as the Divine Mother and saying that she and the Mother Kali in the temple were one and the same, awakened in her the sense of motherhood to all creatures. The account of her simple, austere life, self-efacement and motherly love to one and all, I unique and surpasses all examples. Her life was long stillness of prayer and singleness of devotion.
With her overflowing affection, the Holy Mother was an unfailing solace to all the troubled hearts that sought refuge at her feet for eternal peace and liberation from the worries and anxieties of worldly life. Men and women who approached her in season and out of season to be relieved of the extreme tension in their afflicted souls, became recipients of her immortal blessings and sweet words of love and wisdom which stilled the throbbing pains of their hearts forever. Her life was a synthetic embodiment of the perfect ideals of Jnana (knowledge) Bhakti (devotion) and karma (work) which are rarely to be met with in such a harmonious blending anywhere else in the world in her life of artless simplicity, purity, piety, and self dedication, the modern Hindu has discovered the perfect ideal of womanhood held forth by his culture. She is unique in being the devoted wife, perfect sannyasini, affectionate mother and ideal teacher in one. She was indeed "Sri Ramakrishna's final word as to the ideal of Indian Womanhood". After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, it was the Holy mother who took upon herself the responsibility of looking after his spiritual children and gradually the great Ramakrishna order grew up around her. The Holy Mother entered into Mahasamadhi (passing away) on July 20, 1920 at Calcutta. The Holy mother taught not by precepts but by examples. There were irritants galore in the way people around her behaved, but she was an indulgent mother who knew the best way to educate an erring child was to set an example before him, which she did. She had seen the worst side of man, but she never lost faith in him, knowing that, given affection, sympathy, and guidance, he could overcome all his limitations. She was human, yet divine. Her divinity shone through everything she did, even if it was something entirely mundane. She was a simple woman, but in thought, speech, and action she was attuned to God. She was a true saint, but she never claimed she was. She passed as an ordinary woman, but everything about her was extraordinary.

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