Sarada Devi (1853–1920), known as the Holy Mother, was the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna and a spiritual leader who challenged the traditional roles assigned to women in her time. In a society that expected women to remain confined to domestic duties, she emerged as a revered guru, a guiding force for countless seekers, offering spiritual counsel to both men and women. Revered as an incarnation of Goddess Tripurā Sundarī, Sarada Devi embodied strength, compassion, and wisdom. Her life is a powerful testament to the transformative potential of feminine leadership.

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In the painting:

Sarada Devi's iconography, symbolised by the lotus, the Shri Yantra, and the sugarcane, portrays her as the Goddess Tripurā Sundarī, an exalted manifestation of the supreme Mahādevī.

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Ramakrishna revered Sarada Devi as the earthly embodiment of Shakti. After she moved to Dakshineswar at eighteen, he would seat her on the Goddess’s throne and worship her as the Divine Mother, recognising her grace, maternal warmth, and divine beauty.

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The swan here represents Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the “supreme swan.” In the painting, the swan finds refuge (sharana) on the Holy Mother’s lap, just as Ramakrishna did in his lifetime.

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The eight bells symbolise the ashta-sakhis, the divine companions of the Goddess, often linked to Radha. While living in Kamarpukur, Sarada Devi saw eight girls accompanying her to the lake each morning—four ahead and four behind—manifestations of the ashta-sakhis emerging from and merging back into her.

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Like a lotus rising pure from the swamp, young Saradamani grew up in a poor village, bound by tradition, yet she rose above it. Her consciousness transcended worldly limits, radiating divine essence. Tripurā Sundarī, her symbolic form, is often depicted seated on a lotus emerging from the Shri Yantra.

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The Shri Yantra is the sacred geometric symbol of Tripurā Sundarī, representing the union of masculine and feminine divinity. Its centre, the Bindu, signifies the primordial source of creation—Shakti. In one vision, Ramakrishna saw himself as the yantra (machine) and the Goddess as the yantri (operator), revealing her supreme power over the universe.

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The temple pillars in the painting represent Dakshineswar Kali Temple, where Ramakrishna served as chief priest from 1855. Sarada Devi joined him there in 1872 and later moved in permanently, dedicating her days to worship, meditation, and serving Ramakrishna and his followers.

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At 33, after Ramakrishna’s Mahāsamādhi, Sarada Devi sought to remove her jewellery as a widow, but he appeared to her, forbidding it, assuring her he had merely moved “from one room to another.” Following his guidance, she continued his path, becoming a revered guru and guiding his followers.

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Until her final days, Sarada Devi continued to teach Ramakrishna’s disciples in the Advaita spirit:

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"In the course of time, one does not even feel the existence of God. After attaining wisdom, one sees that gods and deities are all Māyā (illusion). Everything comes into existence in time and also disappears in time… God and such things really disappear."

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The river in the painting is the holy Ganga river. Sarada Devi left her body in 1920 in Calcutta. Her body was cremated on the banks of the Ganga. Today, the site is known as Holy Mother’s Ghat at Belur Math.

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In her final sermon, she reminded her followers:

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"But I tell you one thing—if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; this whole world is your own!"

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