Sri Sarada Devi (1853–1920) was the wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramakrishna, revered in the Ramakrishna tradition as the Holy Mother. After his death in 1886 she became the spiritual guide of his disciples and of thousands of devotees, and the Ramakrishna Math and Mission regard her as one of the founding figures of the order.

Key facts
Born22 December 1853, Jayrambati, Bankura district, West Bengal
Died20 July 1920, Udbodhan House, Kolkata
ParentsRamachandra Mukhopadhyay and Shyamasundari Devi
MarriedSri Ramakrishna, 1859, by family arrangement in childhood
Known asHoly Mother (Sri Ma)
Remembered atJayrambati; Udbodhan House, Kolkata; her shrine at Belur Math

Early life

Saradamani was born in the village of Jayrambati in rural Bengal, the eldest child of a poor village family. She had no formal schooling and helped with the household and her younger brothers. In 1859, when she was a small child, she was married to Gadadhar Chattopadhyay, later known as Sri Ramakrishna, following the custom of the time; she continued to live with her family.

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With Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar

In 1872 she walked to Dakshineswar, where Ramakrishna was a priest at the Kali temple. He welcomed her, taught her, and that year worshipped her as the Divine Mother in a ritual known as the Shodashi Puja. She lived at Dakshineswar for long periods, in a small room in the nahabat (music tower), cooking for Ramakrishna and his visitors and leading a life of prayer and service.

The Holy Mother

After Ramakrishna's death in 1886, she went on pilgrimage and then lived between Jayrambati and Kolkata. Ramakrishna's monastic disciples, led by Swami Vivekananda, looked to her as their spiritual mother, and she gave initiation to many devotees, lay and monastic. From 1909 she stayed in Kolkata at Udbodhan House, built for her by Swami Saradananda. She died there on 20 July 1920.

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Her teaching

Her recorded conversations, collected by her disciples, stress simple devotion, repetition of the divine name, work done as service, and acceptance of everyone as one's own. A saying widely associated with her, recorded in the collections of her conversations, asks devotees not to look for faults in others but in themselves, and to learn to make the whole world their own.

How she is remembered

The Ramakrishna Math and Mission celebrate her birth anniversary by the Bengali lunar calendar, so the Gregorian date changes each year. Her shrine stands at Belur Math, and her birthplace at Jayrambati is a place of pilgrimage. The Sri Sarada Math, an order of women monastics founded in 1954, is named after her.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sri Sarada Devi?

The wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramakrishna, revered as the Holy Mother and a guide of the Ramakrishna order.

When was Sarada Devi born?

On 22 December 1853 at Jayrambati in Bengal. Her birthday is celebrated by the lunar calendar, so its Gregorian date moves.

Where did Sarada Devi live in Kolkata?

At Udbodhan House, built for her by Swami Saradananda, from 1909 until her death in 1920.

Sources

  • Belur Math (Ramakrishna Math and Mission), "Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi" (belurmath.org).
  • Swami Gambhirananda, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai).
  • Swami Nikhilananda, Holy Mother (Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York).

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related: Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa · Swami Vivekananda