Sri Sarada Devi was the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna. She was born on December 22, 1853, in a poor Brahmin family in the village of Jayrambati, near Kamarpukur in West Bengal. Her father, Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay, was a deeply religious and compassionate man, while her mother, Shyamasundari Devi, was a loving and hardworking woman.

From early childhood, Sarada Devi exhibited a natural inclination toward devotion to God. She spent most of her day helping her mother with household chores. Her daily responsibilities included looking after her younger siblings, cutting grass for the cows while standing in water, and taking meals to her father and others working in the fields. Although she did not have access to formal education, she learned to read and write. According to the customs of the time, she was married to Sri Ramakrishna at the age of six. However, after marriage, she continued to live at her parental home in Jayrambati. At that time, Sri Ramakrishna was leading a pious and spiritual life at Dakshineswar, transcending the narrow bounds of domesticity in a state of divine ecstasy.

When she came to Dakshineswar at the age of sixteen, Sri Ramakrishna tested her with a question: “Have you come to drag me into the life of the world?” Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, “No, why would I pull you into the worldly path? I have come to help you on your chosen path to the Divine.” From that moment on, she became his spiritual consort, devoted wife, disciple, and above all, lived a pious life of an ascetic. She was the very embodiment of purity. Narrow worldly thoughts never entered her mind. Though she remained constantly engaged in various tasks, her mind was always immersed in divine contemplation. As she herself said — the vision of God was within her grasp.

Sri Ma was a bestower of spiritual awakening. At times she dispelled the doubts of devotees in the capacity of a guru; at other times, she won their hearts with a mother’s compassion and love, awakening in their weary and thirsty souls the promise of liberation. Despite lacking formal education, she offered profound spiritual advice to her devotee-children in the simplest of words. Her maternal affection soothed restless minds, yet her greatest power lay in her boundless compassion for all beings. She would often say, “I am the Mother — if I don’t look after them, who will?” To disheartened devotees who lacked spiritual progress due to irregular spiritual practices, she provided encouragement. At times, she even took upon herself their sins and karmic consequences, enduring physical suffering on their behalf.

Though aware of her divine nature, Sri Ma rarely revealed it to others. While Sri Ramakrishna renounced the world and spent long periods in intense spiritual practice, Sri Ma spent most of her life amidst selfish, greedy, and quarrelsome relatives. As a teacher, she conveyed that God alone is real and all else is illusion. To those attached only to the body, she reminded that after death, nothing remains but three handfuls of ash. Out of her incomparable humility, she would often say that she was no one special — just another devotee of Thakur like everyone else.

When she placed her holy hands — blessed by the dust of Sri Ramakrishna’s feet — on the heads of devotees, they felt a strange divine consciousness awaken within them. She was fully aware of both the limitations and the potential of her devotees, and therefore, no one ever left her presence disappointed. Courage, serenity, self-control, sweetness, compassion, wisdom, and godliness — all the finest qualities of Indian womanhood were embodied in her. As these are the ideals that all women aspire to, Sri Sarada Devi is seen as a universal symbol of inspiration for women everywhere. And not only for women — in today’s world, those burdened by the struggles of daily life can find in her life and words the lessons of balance and inner strength. Her legacy offers solace and guidance for overcoming mental stress, depression, and anxiety — the afflictions of our times.