Sri Sarada Devi, Spiritual Teacher

Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother (1853-1920, wife of Sri Ramakrishna and helpmate in his mission) was a spiritual teacher par excellence. In her relationship with her disciples she acted as mother, teacher, and divinity incarnate. Some of Sarada Devi’s disciples were impressed by her motherly solicitude, some by her ability as a teacher to dispel their doubts, and some by her unshakeable reassurance regarding their ultimate salvation, which can be given only by Divinity. But these features must not be compartmentalized. Whenever she appeared as mother, one saw behind her motherhood the power of a teacher, the transmitter of spiritual wisdom. Again, when she acted as teacher, she was not aloof or severe; she attracted her disciples by her motherly love. Finally, her divine nature supplied the foundation of the other two.