Chandramani Devi

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We are very glad to publish this small book about Chandramani Devi, the mother of Sri Ramakrishna. After writing the previous book about Shyamasundari Devi, the mother of Sri Sarada Devi, it was suggested to Pravrajika Prabuddhaprana that she bring out a book on Chandramani Devi. From both of these books, we can see how the mother of an incarnation of God is not an ordinary mother.

Sri Ramakrishna once said one may meditate upon the form of one’s mother; she is no less than an embodiment of Brahman. He said, ‘One should look after one’s mother as long as she is alive. I used to worship my mother with flowers and sandal paste. It is the Mother of the Universe who is embodied as our earthly mother. . . .As long as you feel you must look after your body, you must look after your mother too.’

Sri Sarada Devi looked after Chandramani Devi whenever she was in Dakshineswar. Chandra was then too old to move about freely, and so she depended very much on Sarada, who was well aware of it.

Whenever Chandra called her, she stopped whatever she was doing and rushed to her side. If anyone warned her that by such heedless dashing she ran the risk of striking her head against the low door-frame of the Nahabat, she would reply: ‘What if I do? She is my superior and my mother. Ah! She is old! If I don’t hurry up, it may inconvenience her and so I run.’ Tall as she was, Sarada bumped her head innumerable times on the door-frame. In Sarada Devi’s absence, Sri Ramakrishna took care of his mother and served her in every way. He personally cared for her needs up till the last moment of her life.

In their reverence and infinitely loving concern for their mothers, Sri Ramakrjshna and Sri Sarada Devi showed the spiritual ideal for this age.

Whenever Chandra called her, she stopped whatever she was doing and rushed to her side. If anyone warned her that by such heedless dashing she ran the risk of striking her head against the low door-frame of the Nahabat, she would reply: ‘What if I do? She is my superior and my mother. Ah! She is old! If I don’t hurry up, it may inconvenience her and so I run.’ Tall as she was, Sarada bumped her head innumerable times on the door-frame. In Sarada Devi’s absence, Sri Ramakrishna took care of his mother and served her in every way. He personally cared for her needs up till the last moment of her life.

In their reverence and infinitely loving concern for their mothers, Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi showed the spiritual ideal for this age.

To think of it: the person who knew Sri Ramakrishna longest and most intimately was his mother, Chandramani Devi. She had passed away when Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples began to come to him so we have mostly Sri Ramakrishna’s, Sri Sarada Devi’s, Hriday’s, Lakshmi’s, the Lahas’ and Yogindra’s reminiscences of her. Nevertheless, these reveal her extraordinary, spiritual personality.

Chandramani witnessed her son’s growing up and his years of intense sadhana in Dakshineswar. How did Chandra relate to Sri Ramakrishna when she was living with him during those years? How did intimations of his divinity affect her day-to-day behaviour with him? When Chandramani was growing old, she went on a pilgrimage with Sri Ramakrishna. When she saw he was always going into samadhi, she said to him: ‘Oh Keshto, you are in such a state! If I were dying who would look after me?’ (His niece Lakshmi said that Chandra called Sri Ramakrishna ‘Keshto’ in those days.) Sri Ramakrishna replied: ‘What do I know about it? Ma, ! don’t know anything. Tell Ramlal; he will look after you.’ Although he said this, we know that Sri Ramakrishna looked upon his poor, suffering mother as Bhavatarmi Kali, the Blissful Mother, as no less than She who takes us across the ocean of this world. He knew she was not an ordinary mother. He himself took care of her when she was old and dying; and when she passed away, he prayed to her that even after her death she may look after him as before. Mother Chandramani, of whose body Sri Ramakrishna was a part, is immortal as God Himself. Because he asked her to, surely she is eternally looking after him as he continues to live in the hearts of his devotees.

Universal energy is like a mother. Like an earthly mother, she produces creatures as though from her womb, nourishes them and finally liberates them from the bondage of the world. This force is congealed, as it were, in the form of the avatar as her agent. Nevertheless, even the avatar has an earthly mother. In some religious traditions the very name of the mother of an incarnation of God is a potent mantra, the power of which is liberating, and is invoked in prayer and japaas ‘Holy Mary, mother of God, etc.’, in Christianity. Sri Ramakrishna’s mother, Chandramani Devi, is worthy of worship like Mary, Yashoda and others. Her life is full of events that reveal that she was not an ordinary human mother but was conversant with gods as well as men.