Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play is the story of Sarada Devi (1853 192), the wife of the Indian sage Ramakrishna. The God-man of the nineteenth century, Ramakrishna is known worldwide for demonstrating religious tolerance and respect for all traditions. He was truly a spiritual phenomenon, and his disciple Swami Vivekananda was among the first to bring the wisdom of yoga and Vedanta to the West. This book describes how Sarada Devi, known affectionately as Holy Mother, carried out her husband s spiritual ministry for 34 years after his passing. Her life is a glowing example of Vedanta in practice, as exemplified by her final message: My child, if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. See your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own. Many have recollected Sarada Devi s legacy and the meaningfulness of her life, and Swami Chetanananda readily acknowledges his great debt to those who have written before him. Yet Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play has its own unique place: it encompasses, as much as possible, all theprevious biographies, even as it incorporates numerous lesser-known sources, often available only in Bengali. In this volume we find reverent, lovely recollections from those who knew Sarada Devi intimately as her companions and disciples. We experience the panorama of a human life, a woman s life, fully lived a century and more ago,and also the story of a spiritual journey and realization that can edify readers even today. Sarada Devi s life can be taken to demonstrate practical Vedanta: how to balance contemplative and active life, the ideals of monastics and householders. There are many ways to read this book: as a meticulous history, giving us the best available account of Sarada Devi s life, reconstructed in as clear a sequence and as much detail as one might expect. One can also see it as a modern bringing to life of precious remembrances from the very beginnings of the Vedanta movement for readers familiar with the history and those new to it. It may also be seen as a continuation of the mission: as Sarada Devi was blessed with a long life, and so could extend the Master s teachings and spread his message by way of her own compassion and insight, so this book brings that wisdom and love to a new generation here and now. Of course, some scholars will want to comment further on the historical context and the politics and economics of Bengal in those years. Others will move from here to insights into what it meant to be a woman in that era. Still others will explore how her experience complements the wisdom and insight of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. But all such scholars will inevitably begin with Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play, a report on and a part of the tradition it recounts.

About the Author

Swami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. Before coming to the United States, he worked in the editorial and publication departments of Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Himalayas and also at its Calcutta branch. He was an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1971 to 1978. He came to St. Louis in March, 1978 and at present is the minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis. Swami Chetanananda has written, edited, and translated many important books on Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, and Vedanta.