Sarada Devi (English: Sarada Devi, born- 22 September, 1853; died- 20 July, 1920) was the life partner of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. 6 year old Saradamani was married to 23 year old Ramakrishna. After a few years, Ramakrishna Paramhansa started considering his wife Sarada Devi as the embodiment of divine mother.
Ramakrishna Paramhans’s life partner Sarada Devi was born on 22 September 1853. Her childhood name was Sarada Mani. Her father Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay was an ordinary Brahmin who was a priest. Ramakrishna Paramhans was so engrossed in devotion in Kolkata’s Dakshineshwar temple that people started thinking him to be mad. His old mother Chandra Mani was worried seeing her son’s condition. She brought him to her village Kamarpukur thinking that her son’s mental condition will change after marriage.[1]
At the time of marriage, Sarada Devi was 6 years old and Ramakrishna Paramhansa was 23 years old. At the age of 14, Sarada returned to her in-laws’ home. Ramakrishna mostly remained immersed in devotion in Dakshineshwar temple. Sarada used to return to her father’s village Jayarambari. Somehow 4 years passed. Once Sarada Devi reached Dakshineshwar temple directly after hearing the news of Ramakrishna’s ill health. She herself was also ill. Swamiji took care of her and Sarada was given a separate room to stay.
Ramakrishna Paramhansa imparted spiritual knowledge to Sarada Devi. One day Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa performed the ritual of worship of ‘Divine Mother Durga’ and made Sarada Devi sit on the seat made for Durga and bowed down to her. Then he said- “From today you are not my wife but the image of my divine mother.” Thus Sarada Devi became Maa Sarada. She followed the path of her master. By the time of Paramhansa’s ascension to heaven in 1888 AD, she became capable of filling his void.
Sharda Devi, the embodiment of the divine mother, left her body on July 20, 1920.
