Ma

Sri Sarada Devi

“If you practice spiritual discipline for some time in a solitary place, you will find that your mind has become strong, and then you can live in any place or society without being in the least affected by it. When the plant is tender, it should be hedged around. But when it has grown big, not even cows and goats can injure it. Spiritual practices in a solitary place are essential.”

Bande Mataram Hymn 

Translation by Sri Aurobindo

Mother, I bow to thee

Rich with thy hurrying streams,

Bright with thy orchard gleams,

Cool with thy winds of delight,

Dark fields waving, Mother of might,

Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams

Over thy branches and lordly streams,

Clad in thy blossoming trees,

Mother, giver of ease,

Laughing low and sweet!

Mother, I kiss thy feet,

Speaker sweet and low!

Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands,

When the swords flash out in twice seventy million hands

And seventy millions voices roar

Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?

With many strengths who art mighty and stored,

To thee I call, Mother and Lord!

Thou who savest, arise and save!

To her I cry who ever her foemen drave

Back from plain and sea

And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,

Thou our heart, our soul, our breath,

Thou the love divine, the awe

In our hearts that conquers death.

Thine the strength that nerves the arm,

Thine the beauty, thine the charm.

Every image made divine

In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,

With her hands that strike and her swords of sheen,

Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,

Pure and perfect without peer,

Mother, lend thine ear.

Rich with thy hurrying streams,

Bright with thy orchard gleams,

Dark of hue, O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair

And thy glorious smile divine,

Loveliest of all earthly lands,

Showering wealth from well-stored hands!

Mother, mother mine!

Mother sweet, I bow to thee,

Mother great and free.

Worship of the Divine Mother 
Sri Sarada Devi

Lecture by Swami Atmajnanananda

O' Mother, here is Your ignorance, here is Your knowledge

Take them both and give me only pure love for You.

Here is Your holiness, here is Your unholiness

Take them both and give me only pure love for You.

Here is Your virtue, and here is Your sin

Here is Your good and here is Your evil

Take them both and give me only pure love for You.

Here is Your dharma, here is Your adharma;

Take them both and give me only pure love for You.

-Sri Ramakrishna

Hymn to the Divine Mother

O thou the giver of all blessings,

O thou the doer of all good,

O thou the fulfiller of all desires,

O thou the giver of refuge –

Our salutations to thee, O Mother Divine.

O thou Eternal Mother,

Thou hast the power to create, to preserve, and to dissolve.

Thou the dwelling-place and embodiment of the three gunas –

Our salutations to thee, O Mother Divine.

O thou the savior of all who take refuge in thee,

The lowly and the distressed –

O Mother Divine, we salute thee,

Who takest away the sufferings of all.

-Chandi

Hymn is taken from the Chandi, a sacred book which sings the praise of the Divine Mother. 
Translation by Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood, from Prayers and Meditations

Emulating Holy Mother 
Sri Sarada Devi 
Article by Pravrajika Vrajaprana

If Not For You

If not for you, there would be a place of emptiness in the heart of the Divine.

If not for you, all the good that you have done would still need doing. 

If not for you, the spark of your ideas would not have ignited the flame in others. 

If not for you, the key role that you have played in life’s drama would remain unfulfilled. 

If not for you, at least one person would not have awakened to their dreams. 

If not for you, your triumphs could not be examples to inspire others. 

If not for you, someone who needed love would not have received it. 

If not for you, a life would have been shortened or never existed. 

If not for you, the song of life would have missed a beat. 

If not for you, your gifts would remain un-given. 

If not for you, another might have suffered in your place. 

If not for you, someone would have no path to follow. 

If not for you, there would be one less smile, one less laugh, and one less hug. 

If not for you, an animal might be homeless and a garden left unplanted. 

If not for you, something would be missing. 

You have always made a difference. 

Who you are is important every day. 

You are the face, the heart and the soul of the Divine. 

Never forget: You make a difference and you are valuable.

One for All
Lecture by Swami Chidbrahmananda

Sri Sarada Stotram 
Hymn to Holy Mother 

by Swami Abhedananda

prakrtiṁ paramāṁ abhayāṁ varadām,

nararupa-dharāṁ janatāpa-harām

saran-āgata sevaka-toshakariṁ,

pranamāmi parāṁ jananiṁ jagatām.

gunahina-sutanaparādha-yutān,

kripāyādya samuddhara moha-gatān

taraniṁ bhava-sāgara pārakariṁ,

pranamāmi parāṁ jananiṁ jagatām.

vishayaṁ kusumaṁ parihritya sadā,

caran-āmbu-ruhāmrita śānti-sudhām

piba bhringa-mano bhavaroga-harāṁ,

pranamāmi parāṁ jananiṁ jagatam.

krpāṁ kuru mahādevi suteshu pranateshu ca

caran-āśraya dānena kripā-mayi namo'stu te.

lajjā-patāvrite nityāṁ sārade jnāna-dāyike

papebhyo nah sada raksha kripā-mayi namo'stu te.

rāmakrishna-gata prānāṁ tannāma-shravana-priyām

tadbhāva-ranjit-ākāraṁ pranamāmi muhurmuhuh.

pavitraṁ charitaṁ yasyāh pavitraṁ jivanam tathā

pavitratā-svarupinyai tasyai kurmo namo-namah.

devim prasannāṁ pranatārti-hantrim,

Yogindra-pujyām yugadharma-pātrim

tam śāradām bhakti-vijnāna-dātriṁ,

dayā-svarupām pranamāmi nityam.

snehena badhnāsi mano'smadiyāṁ,

doshān-aseshān saguni-karoshi

ahetunā no dayase sadoshān,

svaṁke grihitva yadidaṁ vicitram.

prasida mātar vinayena yāce,

nityaṁ bhava snehavati suteshu

premaika binduṁ ciradagdha-chitte,

visiñca cittaṁ kuru nah suśantam.

jananiṁ śāradāṁ deviṁ rāmakrishnaṁ jagadgurum | 

pādapadme tayoh shrtvā pranamāmi muhurmuhuh || 

​

jai! mahāmāyi ki jai!

jai bhagavān sri rāmakrisna dev ki jai

jai swāmiji mahāraj ji ki jai!

The Mother Season

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

READ 
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 
Online

Look Upon God as Mother

Sri Ramakrishna describes a spiritual vision: 

"The Divine Mother revealed to me in the Kāli temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image was Consciousness, the altar was Consciousness, the water-vessels were Consciousness, the door-sill was Consciousness, the marble floor was Consciousness - all was Consciousness. I found everything inside the room soaked, as it were, in Bliss - the Bliss of God. I saw a wicked man in front of the Kāli temple; but in him also I saw the power of the Divine Mother vibrating. That was why I fed a cat with the food that was to be offered to the Divine Mother. I clearly perceived that all this was the Divine Mother - even the cat."

FROM:

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
by Mahendranath Gupta (M)

THE RECORDER OF THE GOSPEL

Our Journey on Sri Ramakrishna’s Path

Lecture by Swami Asutoshananda

Nectar of Self Awareness

I honor the God and the Goddess,
The eternal parents of the universe.

The Lover, out of boundless love, takes the form of the Beloved.
What beauty!
Both are made of the same nectar and share the same food.

Out of Supreme Love they swallow up each other
But separate again for the joy of being two.

They are not completely the same but neither are they different.
No one can tell exactly what they are.

How intense is their longing to be with each other.
This is their greatest bliss.
Never, not even in jest,
Do they allow their unity to be disturbed.

They are so averse to separation
That even though they have become this entire world,
Never for a moment do they let a difference come between them.

Even though they see all that is animate and inanimate, arising from within themselves,
They never recognize a third.

They sit together in the same place,
Both wearing a garment of light.
From the beginning of time they have been together,
Reveling in their own Supreme Love.

They created a difference to enjoy this world.
When that "difference" had one glimpse of their intimacy
It could not help but merge back into the bliss
Of their eternal union.

Without the God, there is no Goddess,
And without the Goddess, there is no God.

How sweet is their Love!
The entire universe is too small to contain them,
Yet they live happily in the tiniest particle.

The life of one is the life of the other,
And not even a blade of grass can grow without both of them.

Only these two live in this house called the universe.
When either one is asleep
The other stays awake and plays the part of both.

Should both of them awake, the whole universe would vanish without a trace.

They became two for the sake of divine play,
But in every moment they seek to become one again...

How can we distinguish these two from each other?
He appears because of Her,
And She exists because of Him.

We cannot tell sugar from its sweetness,
Nor camphor from its fragrance.

To capture light we take hold of fire.
To capture the Supreme Shiva we must take hold of Shakti.

Light illumines the Sun,
But the Sun itself creates that light.
The glorious Sun and its light are one and the same.

An object has a reflection:
When looking we see two images, yet there is only one thing.
Likewise, this work is a reflection of the Supreme Lord.

We may see two, yet only One exists...

Shiva and Shakti are One,
Like air and the wind,
Like gold and luster.

Shiva and Shakti cannot be separated.
They are like musk and its fragrance, like fire and its heat.

In the light of the Sun there is no difference between day and night.
In the light of the Supreme Truth there is no difference between Shiva and Shakti.

Shiva and Shakti envy the Primordial Sound "OM" because they are seen as two while the sound OM is always regarded as One.

Jnanadeva says,
"I honor the union of Shiva and Shakti, who devour this world of name and form like a sweet dish.
All that remains is the One."

- by Jnanadeva from "The Inner Treasure" by Jonathan Star

SHIVA

The archetypal masculine

The Seer

Pure witness consciousness

Pure being

The One

Transcendent

The still point

Spirit

The unmanifest

The sun

Light

Nirguna Brahman

Unity

Wave

Consciousness

-----------------

SHAKTI

The archetypal feminine

The Mother

Pure embodiment

Pure becoming

The many

Immanent

The dance

Matter

The phenomenal world

The moon

Dark

Saguna Brahman

Multiplicity

Particle

Energy

Listen to a Chandi Recital

By Swami Tyagananda 

at Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India

Mother of All Things

The universe had a beginning

Called the Mother of All Things.

Once you have found the Mother

You can know her children.

Having known the children,

Hold tightly to the Mother.

Your whole life will be preserved from peril.

Open up the openings,

Multiply your affairs,

Your whole life will become a burden.

Those who see the small are called clear-headed;

Those who hold to gentleness are called strong.

Use the light.

Come home to your true nature.

Don't cause yourself injury:

This is known as seizing truth.

- Lao Tzu

All for Her

No one is a stranger my child, 

make the whole world your own.

-Sri Sarada Devi

- The Divine Mother -

I am the empress of all that lives.

I am the sovereign power in all the worlds.

I am the bestower of all treasure.

I am the knower of the supreme.

Among those to whom homage shall be offered,

I am the first.

Everywhere the gods worship only me,

who am diverse in form

and permeating everything.

Whoever breathes,

whoever eats or sees or hears,

does so through me alone.

Unknowing,

they depend upon me.

Hear now, one and all,

the truth as I declare it.

This truth revered by gods and men alike,

I am myself revealing to you.

Whom I will, I make terrible or benign.

Whomsoever I wish, I make mighty—

a brahmana, a seer, a sage.

I transcend heaven above

I transcend earth below.

This supreme greatness have I attained.

– Vag-Ambhrni Sukta (Devi Sukta), Rig Veda

Some Untold Stories of the Holy Mother

Lecture by Swami Chetanananda

Swami Chetanananda signing his book 

"Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play"

at Santa Barbara Vedanta Society March 2016
ORDER BOOK

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. A mother’s heart is a patchwork of love. 

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers. A mothers love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. A mother is the truest friend we have, when suffering and heavy trials befall us. The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which we will always find forgiveness. Mothers can reach farther down into the heart and offer healing love that can pull a soul back into light from darkness. A mother never gives up hope for her child. Never finding fault with others she will fight to the death when her precious offspring is faced with unjust treatment or needless suffering. A moms hug lasts long after she lets go.

Quick to forgive she is the first to offer food and the last to eat. She assumes the best in those around her and works tirelessly to make them comfortable and included. Encouragement is something she does naturally. A Mother's love is the spirits fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. A mother always has faith that a child can change their errant ways. Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do. Mother is a verb, not a noun.

Sarada Devi The Bestower of Knowledge
Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

That which is Shakti is also Brahman.
That which has form, again, is without form.
That which has attributes, again, has no attributes. 
Brahman is Shakti;
Shakti is Brahman.
They are not two.
These are only two aspects, male and female, 
of the same Reality, 
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute.

- Ramakrishna -

Watch Video

Swami Sarvadevananda interviewing Tulsi Ma a disciple 

of Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother 1966

Perfection will come when you are completely identified with the Divine Mother and feel yourself to be no longer another and separate being, instrument, servant, or worker but truly a child and eternal portion of her consciousness and force. Always she will be in you and you in her ; it will be your constant, simple and natural experience that all your thought and seeing and action, your very breathing or moving come from her and are hers. You will know and see and feel that you are a person and power formed by her out of herself, put out from her for the play and yet always safe in her, being of her being, consciousness of her consciousness, force of her force, Ananda of her Ananda. When this condition is entire and her supramental energies can freely move you, then you will be perfect in divine works; knowledge, will, action will become sure, simple, luminous, spontaneous, flawless, an outflow from the Supreme, a divine movement of the Eternal.

- Sri Aurobindo

Mother and Mind
Lecture by Swami Chidbrahmananda

Bread of Life

The Message of Easter

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

Joy dawned again on Easter Day,

The sun shone out with fairer ray,

When, to their longing eyes restored,

The apostles saw their risen Lord.

His risen flesh with radiance glowed;

His wounded hands and feet he showed:

Those scars their silent witness gave

That Christ was risen from the grave.

O Jesus, King of gentleness,

Do thou our inmost hearts possess;

And we to thee will ever raise

The tribute of our grateful praise.

Jesus, who art the Lord of all,

In this our Easter festival,

From every weapon death can wield

Thine own redeemed, thy people, shield.

All praise, O risen Lord, we give

To thee, who, dead, again dost live;

To God the Father equal praise,

And God the Holy Ghost, we raise.

Amen.

Hymn ascribed to Saint Ambrose. 

English translation is by J. M. Neale

Christ a Yogi

Lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda

Luke Chapter 24 : Bible Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

News That Jesus Has Risen From Death

Very early Sunday morning, the women came to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. They brought the sweet-smelling spices they had prepared. They saw that the heavy stone that covered the entrance had been rolled away. They went in, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They did not understand this. While they were wondering about it, two men in shining clothes stood beside them.  The women were very afraid. They bowed down with their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why are you looking for a living person here? This is a place for dead people. Jesus is not here. He has risen from death. Do you remember what he said in Galilee? He said the Son of Man must be handed over to the control of sinful men, be killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day.” Then the women remembered what Jesus had said.

The women left the tomb and went to the eleven apostles and the other followers. They told them everything that happened at the tomb. These women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and some others. They told the apostles everything that happened. But the apostles did not believe what they said. It sounded like nonsense. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. It was just lying there. Peter went away to be alone, wondering what had happened.

On The Road to Emmaus

That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus. It is about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened. While they were talking, discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.) He asked them, “What’s this I hear you discussing with each other as you walk?”

The two men stopped, their faces looking very sad. The one named Cleopas said, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has just happened there.”

Jesus said, “What are you talking about?”

They said, “It’s about Jesus, the one from Nazareth. To God and to all the people he was a great prophet. He said and did many powerful things. But our leaders and the leading priests handed him over to be judged and killed. They nailed him to a cross. We were hoping that he would be the one to free Israel. But then all this happened.

“And now something else: It has been three days since he was killed, but today some of our women told us an amazing thing. Early this morning they went to the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid. But they did not find his body there. They came and told us they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels told them Jesus was alive! So some of our group went to the tomb too. It was just as the women said. They saw the tomb, but they did not see Jesus.”

Then Jesus said to the two men, “You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. The prophets said the Messiah must suffer these things before he begins his time of glory.” Then he began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. He started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him.

They came near the town of Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if he did not plan to stop there. But they wanted him to stay. They begged him, “Stay with us. It’s almost night. There’s hardly any daylight left.” So he went in to stay with them.

Joining them at the supper table, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks. Then he broke some off and gave it to them. Just then the men were allowed to recognize him. But when they saw who he was, he disappeared. They said to each other, “When he talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. How exciting it was when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures!”

So the two men got up then and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the followers of Jesus meeting together. The eleven apostles and the people with them said, “The Lord really has risen from death! He appeared to Simon.”

Then the two men told what had happened on the road. They talked about how they recognized Jesus when he shared the bread with them.

Jesus Appears to His Followers

While the two men were saying these things to the other followers, Jesus himself came and stood among them. He said to them, “Peace be with you.”

This surprised the followers. They were afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus said, “Why are you troubled? Why do you doubt what you see? Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me. Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like this.”

After Jesus told them this, he showed them his hands and his feet. The followers were amazed and very, very happy to see that Jesus was alive. They still could not believe what they saw. He said to them, “Do you have any food here?” They gave him a piece of cooked fish. While the followers watched, he took the fish and ate it.

Jesus said to them, “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything written in the Law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.”

Then Jesus helped the followers understand these Scriptures about him. Jesus said to them, “It is written that the Messiah would be killed and rise from death on the third day.  You saw these things happen—you are witnesses. You must go and tell people that they must change and turn to God, which will bring them his forgiveness. You must start from Jerusalem and tell this message in my name to the people of all nations. Remember that I will send you the one my Father promised. Stay in the city until you are given that power from heaven.”

Jesus Goes Back to Heaven

Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He raised his hands and blessed his followers. While he was blessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven. They worshiped him and went back to Jerusalem very happy. They stayed at the Temple all the time, praising God.

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fulness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied 

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine 

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

by Natalie Grant

Heart Prayer

Oh Lord please roll away the stone of my heart 

That blocks my connection to you. 

Divine eternal ever free your love 

Is the bread of eternal life. 

Risen from darkness unto light 

Your fire of immortality is the grace of infinite peace. 

Please remove the crust of my ignorance. 

Help me to go inward towards the clear light 

Of your unchanging oneness.

*Painting by Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí

Fear Not!

Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) & Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda)

Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.

- Swami Vivekananda

A Reflection on Swami Brahmananda 

Lecture by Charles Miller

Banish all fear and weakness. Never weaken your mind by thinking of past mistakes. Sin? Sin exists only in man's eye. In God's eye there is no sin. One glance of the divine and the sins of many, many births are wiped away.

The greatest strength of character is to live in harmony with all. Never utter one word that would hurt another. Tell the truth, but never a harsh truth.

Life is like a stream, fast ebbing away. The day that is once gone can never be recalled. Make the best use of your time. If you leave it till the last moment, it will be too late to cry, "Alas, alas!"
- Swami Brahmananda

- - - - - -  

Swami Vivekananda's letter to Swami Brahmananda

(Translated from Bengali)

U.S.A., 20th November, 1899

MY DEAR RAKHAL,

Got some news from Sharat's letter. . . . Get experience while still there is a chance; I am not concerned whether you win or lose. . . . I have no disease now. Again. . . . I am going to tour from place to place. There is no reason for anxiety, be fearless. Everything will fly away before you; only don't be disobedient, and all success will be yours. . . . Victory to Kali! Victory to the Mother! Victory to Kali! Wah Guru, Wah Guru ki Fateh (Victory unto the Guru)!

. . . Really, there is no greater sin than cowardice; cowards are never saved — that is sure. I can stand everything else but not that. Can I have any dealings with one who will not give that up? . . . If one gets one blow, one must return ten with redoubled fury. . . . Then only one is a man. . . . The coward is an object to be pitied.

I bless you all; today, on this day sacred to the Divine Mother, on this night, may the Mother dance in your hearts, and bring infinite strength to your arms. Victory to Kali! Victory to Kali! Mother will certainly come down — and with great strength will bring all victory, world victory. Mother is coming, what dear? Whom to fear? Victory to Kali! At the tread of each one of you the earth will tremble. . . . Victory to Kali! Again onward, forward! Wah Guru! Victory to the Mother! Kali! Kali! Kali! Disease, sorrow, danger, weakness — all these have departed from you all. All victory, all good fortune, all prosperity yours. Fear not! Fear not! The threat of calamity is vanishing, fear not! Victory to Kali! Victory to Kali!

VIVEKANANDA

PS: I am the servant of the Mother, you are all servants of the Mother — what destruction, what fear is there for us? Don't allow egoism to enter your minds, and let love never depart from your hearts. What destruction can touch you? Fear not. Victory to Kali! Victory to Kali!

- - - - - - 

Read all Swami Vivekananda's Letters Online

Swami Brahmananda His Life and Teachings YouTube

Truth is One

"The Master [Sri Ramakrishna] said that one day he sat in a parlor room at Dakshineswar, where a painting of Mary and baby Jesus was hanging; and intently studied that image, thinking of the wonderful life of Jesus. Just then he saw the picture become animate and luminous. Rays of light emanated from the bodies of Mother Mary and the child Jesus, entering his heart and revolutionizing his mental attitudes. … After he returned to the Dakshineswar temple garden, the Master remained uninterruptedly absorbed in meditation on those experiences pertaining to Jesus. He completely forgot to visit the Divine Mother in the temple. The waves of Christian faith that swayed him lasted for three days. When the Master was walking in the Panchavati at the end of the third day, he saw a beautiful but unfamiliar godman with a fair complexion advancing towards him, gazing at him steadily. … The Master was charmed by the unique divine expression on his serene face and wondered who he could be. Very soon after that the figure drew near, and a voice from within told him, 'This is Jesus Christ, the great yogi, the loving Son of God who is one with his Father, who shed his heart's blood and suffered torture for the salvation of humanity.' Then the godman Jesus embraced the Master and merged into him. In ecstasy, the Master lost external consciousness and his mind remained united with Saguna Brahman for some time. With this vision, the Master became convinced that Jesus was truly a divine incarnation." —Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play, p 355-6

Truth is One lecture by Swami Chetanananda

Prayer 
of Unity

May He who is 

Father in Heaven of the Christians, 

Holy One of the Jewish faith, 

Allah of the Muslims, 

Buddha of the Buddhists, 

Dao of the Chinese faith, 

Great Spirit of Native Americans, 

Ahura Mazda of the Zoroastrians, 

and Brahman of the Hindus, 

lead us from the unreal to the real, 

from darkness to light and from death to immortality. 

May the all loving being manifest himself unto us, 

and grant us abiding understanding and all consuming divine love. 

OM shanti, shanti, shanti, 

peace, peace, peace be unto us all.

Mahasamadhi

Sri Sarada Devi 

The Holy Mother 

1853-1920

Mother left her earthly body and entered into Mahasamadhi on this day in 1920. Worshipped during her lifetime as a manifestation of Divine Motherhood, Sri Sarada Devi's throne was the earthen floor. Her only adornments were the white sari with a thin red border and two simple gold bracelets. In place of bow, trident and other divine weapons, Mother carried a broom and basket. To take darshan of Mother was to help her with the daily chores of cleaning and preparing food for offering. Her principal concern was that her children have enough to eat. All who came were her children. Mother's benediction was an outstretched hand of welcome which bade one always to come again.

"Jaya Jaya Janani"

Victory to you, O Mother Sarada, embodiment of compassion. 

You are the primal energy and supreme manifestation of the divine.

You, Mother, are the refuge of even the lowliest of the lowly. 

Mother, you are the savior of the world, giver of fearlessness, 

remover of all pain and suffering. 

You are the mother of all creatures in the universe, ever engaged in protecting all.

O Mother, you remain covered with a veil of humility and shyness; 

to you both the wicked and the virtuous bow their heads. 

Victory to you, O Mother Sarada, embodiment of compassion.

Read about Sri Sarada Devi
by Swami Tapasyananda

Worship of the Divine Mother

Lecture by Swami Atmajnanananda

Unsolicited Grace: Accounts of Holy Mother

Sarada Devi Relics Stolen from Belur Math

Divine Mother

"On moon lit nights I would look at the moon and pray 

May my mind be as pure as the rays of the moon.

Oh Lord there are stains even on the moon but let my mind be absolutely stainless."

Final Message of Divine Mother Lecture  - Swami Atmajnanananda

Sarada Subodhaini

Awaken within my heart, Mother Sarada, bestower of all things auspicious. You, whom Sri Ramakrishna, the Godman of this age, worshipped, O Mother, giver of all good, awaken within. Savior of all those who have no other refuge, bestower of wisdom, incarnation of Sita and Radha, awaken within my heart, O Mother. You are born in every age for the protection of the good and establishment of dharma. O Mother, the supreme power of Brahman, protector of all life, shower Your grace and compassion upon me. I bow down at Your loving feet again and again. Awaken within my heart, Mother ever blissful.

Sri Sarada Devi

Hymn to the Divine Mother

"Sarva Mangala Mangalye" Vespers

O Thou the Giver of all blessings,

O Thou the Doer of all good,

O Thou the Fulfiller of all desires,

O Thou the Giver of refuge,

Our salutations to Thee,

O Mother Divine.

O Thou Eternal Mother,

Thou hast the power to create,

To preserve, and to dissolve,

Thou the dwelling place and embodiment 
of the three gunas,

Our salutations to Thee,

O Mother Divine.

O Thou the Savior of all who take

refuge in Thee, the lowly and the

distressed, O Mother Divine,

we salute Thee, who takest

away the suffering of all.