In pursuit of a sustainable livelihood, we travelled to different parts of our country, happily embracing cultures and traditions of different regions. But sometimes we intensely missed our Bengali culture, food, religious ceremonies, music and many more things. Though we loved and enjoyed residing in different regions and also followed various traditions and cultures, ultimately we planned to come back to our nest in the City of Joy- Kolkata. We stayed away from Bengal for almost 40 years and therefore were craving to see and feel the beauty and aesthetic culture - the very essence of Bengal. I was especially yearning for a pilgrimage to Dakshineswar Temple of Kolkata, situated near river Ganga, about which I heard a lot from my parents. Sri Sri Ramakrishna, the second head priest of the temple and his wife Maa Sharodamoni were revered as Gods by the devotees around the world.
One auspicious day, early in the morning we all set out for the holy place. We were not very accustomed to the rules and regulations of the temple, therefore, after reaching the place we looked for a guide who would share with us the history of the temple and guide us in other affairs. Suddenly we spotted a saffron clad monk - calm and composed, head tonsured, might be in his forties, sitting under a tree with a book in his hand. His serene look attracted us and we felt like approaching him. With hesitant steps we all went near him and folded our hands in a ‘Namaste’ posture.
“Namaskar.” He replied with a smile. “Can I help you in any way?” he enquired. We nodded in affirmation. “Is it your first pilgrimage to this holy place?” he asked.
“Yes. Will it be possible for you to share with us some information about the temple and the holy Sage who lived here a century ago?” My husband asked with a folded hand. “We are yet to visit the shrine,” he added.
The monk smiled. “Ok then, come with me, let me take you to the holy shrine first.” Happily we followed him. After waiting in a queue for long and then offering our prayers to Maa Bhavatarini, we went around the temple, visited the house where Sri Ramakrishna lived more than a hundred years ago, and bowed in reverence before Maa Sharoda’s tiny home, which is called Nahbat and then came out on the premises and sat in a corner. The monk sat in front of us. His willingness to appraise us of the history of the temple really delighted us all.
“Without knowing some special incidents that took place here in this temple you won’t be able to
understand those great souls.” The monk’s eyes gleamed in ecstasy.
We looked at him attentively.
“It was a new moon night. Devotees gathered in Dakshineswar Temple to offer their prayers to the presiding deity, Maa Bhavatarini, a form of Parashakti Adya Kali. The priests of the temple were chanting hymns in Sanskrit and offering flowers and bael leaves on the deity’s holy feet. Few ardent devotees were singing devotional songs which electrified the whole atmosphere in and around the temple complex. Prasadam had been prepared maintaining cleanliness and purity in the temple kitchen. A square altar called Vedi was laid in front of the sanctum sanctorum. Small pieces of sandalwood were placed in a geometrical shape inside the Vedi and a fire was lit. Priests offered havan samagri to the fire, chanting hymns along with a spoonful of ghee with every offering. Everything went on as per the rituals of worship and evoking the deity on new moon nights.” The monk paused for a moment. I suddenly became aware of a crowd of people around us listening attentively to what the monk was narrating - as if they were sipping the nectar the restrained voice was pouring in.
The monk spoke again, unfazed and relaxed unlike me.
“But that new moon night was special and divine and was preparing to leave a mark in the history of spiritual enlightenment. The holy Ganges flowed quietly alongside the temple complex washing the holy feet of Goddess Bhavatarini and waiting with bated breath to witness the moment when ‘human will' and ‘God’s will' would become as one. Nature was still, listening quietly to the sacred hymns echoing across the universe.
“The head priest of the Bhavatarini temple, Sri Ramakrishna, didn’t join the prayer of the temple. Instead, he stayed back in his humble cottage situated in the left corner of the temple's premises. Engrossed in deep thoughts, he made arrangements for the Shoroshi Puja of Jagajjanani in his room. He placed a wooden stool in front of him and arranged fruits and sweets, flowers, bael and tulsi leaves on a brass plate and lit a Diya and some incense sticks. At 9 pm, he asked his 18 year old virtuous wife to come to his room. Sharodamoni appeared on the door. She was in a trance. Sri Ramakrishna beckoned her to sit on the stool designated for Goddess Jagajjanani. She silently obeyed.
Ramakrishna sprinkled holy water of the Ganges to sanctify everything in the room. Then he offered flowers and the sacred leaves on Sharodamoni’s feet and worshipped her, chanting the sacred mantras of virgin Jagajjanani, moving his fingers on the Japamala. The prayer went on for hours. Both Sri Ramakrishna and Sharodamoni slowly slipped into a state of deep meditation. The hands of the clock ticked on. At midnight when Sri Ramakrishna came to his senses he offered himself and his Japamala on the holy feet of Jagajjanani Sharodadevi. The 18-year-old young consort of Sri Ramakrishna became Jagajjanani Maa Sharoda for the whole world from that mystical night.
The monk’s eyes sparkled with tears as he looked at me.
“Let's now proceed towards Belur Math. You must visit the Math to know more about Maa Sharoda.” The monk stood up and started walking towards the steamer ghat pulling his saffron cloth over his shoulder and arms. Along with my husband and children, I followed him silently.
We enjoyed the steamer ride after a long time and soaking ourselves with the cool breeze of the holy river we came to the other side of the Ganga. We walked for some time and reached Belur Math. The serene ambience of the place enthralled us to the core. The place was calm and divine. Though many pilgrims from around the world came for a visit, everybody was amazingly maintaining silence and cleanliness. There was a huge meditation room with portraits of Sri Sri Ramakrishna and Maa Sharodamoni. The Monk asked us to enter the hall and sit for sometime silently. We obeyed.
After an hour or so, calm and relaxed we came out of the hall. The monk insisted that we should have some food from Maa’s kitchen. We had a hearty meal of Khichuri, mixed vegetables and payas. The monk waited for us till we had had our meal. He was following the Ekadashi fasting and would be taking food only after sunset. He took us under a huge banyan tree and asked us to sit in its cool shade. We liked the idea very much as it was too hot outside. We could spend an hour or two before leaving for our home.
“Maa’s story cannot be told in one’s lifetime” he said in a thoughtful voice. “I’m doing my research along with a few others on ‘Hinduism and its Evolution Over the Years’ and for this I’m travelling around the country, visiting Maths and temples and conversing with religious leaders and practitioners. I came here a year ago, read innumerable books and research papers on Maa Sharodamoni and Sri Sri Ramakrishna, but am yet to fathom the ocean-like life they lived. Let me tell you about Maa - the Goddess, who once walked over the Earth.” Gathering himself up he started again.
“Rani Rashmani, a Zamindar and philanthropist of 19th Century Bengal, had a dream one night. Maa Kali appeared in her dream and asked her to build a majestic temple near the holy river of the Ganges. Rani Rashmani was about to leave for Kashi for pilgrimage the next morning along with her servants and relatives. But she decided to cancel the tour and called her son-in-law for a discussion. After taking his consent she bought a 30,000-acre land in Dakshineswar village to build the temple. The idol of Maa Kali was installed amid prayers and festivities. Initially, Sri Ramakrishna’s elder brother was the head priest, but after his death the young Ramakrishna became the head priest of the temple and it was there that he had attained sainthood in the later years. Maa Sharoda was not only his consort but his spiritual strength till his last day. They lived admiring each other’s goodness. Their union was made by heaven.
“One day, while returning to Joyrambati, a small village of Bengal, from her father’s house, Shyamasundari rested for some time under a tree. Suddenly, she heard a clinking sound. Before she could realise anything, a small girl climbed down the tree and embraced her tightly.
Shyamasundari was so astonished by the incident that she became unconscious. Her relatives brought her back to senses and carried her to her home. After this incident Shyamasundari discovered that she was pregnant. On December 22, 1853, Sharodamoni took birth in Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay and Shyamasundari’s house in Joyrambati village as their daughter.
Maa Sharodamoni’s parents were never rich but were honest and religious. She grew up hearing stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata from her mother. She was extremely fond of devotional songs and loved to watch theatre based on religious stories.
“Meanwhile, Ramakrishna’s parents at Kamarpukur, were looking for a girl for him, who they thought would help their eccentric son to embrace family life. But they were unable to find a good alliance even after a long search. Surprisingly, Ramakrishna came to their rescue and asked them to fix his marriage with the eldest daughter of Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay of village Joyrambati - whom he had not seen or known before. His words were proved to be true. Ramchandra Mukhopadhyay, in fact, had a daughter. Alas! She was only five years old! But, where was the problem? Girls in those days were given in marriage before they reached puberty.” The monk spoke in an amusing tone.
“The marriage was solemnized and the five-year-old bride went to her husband’s house riding on her uncle’s shoulder. After a 10 days stay in Kamarpukur, Sharodamoni came back to her parental home. The elders, according to societal norms, decided to reunite the couple after the bride attained her teens.
“People who came to know Sharodamoni, felt that she was not just a normal child. Her behaviour and her caring nature attracted people of every age. She was a symbol of love and purity in her village.
During the famine, along with her parents she took care of the poor and the hungry by cooking and distributing food to them for days, even when they themselves lived on meagre food.
“Few mystical incidents in her life astonished Sharodamoni, for which she didn’t find any explanation. In her childhood, whenever Sharodamoni was alone, a girl of her age used to give her company, and would simply disappear when others came around. Sharodamoni never asked her name nor tried to know anything about her. The mysterious girl remained as her companion for years, helped her in household activities and played with her in her leisure hours.” The monk looked at the sky above and closed his eyes for sometime. We all sat in a state of wonderment.
“Sharodamoni used to visit her in-laws sometimes and used to stay with them even in her husband’s
absence.” The monk began his story.
“One day, during her stay in Kamarpukur, Sharodamoni was looking for someone to accompany her to the village pond for a bath, as she was afraid to go alone to the pond. Suddenly, to her surprise, eight girls appeared before her and offered to accompany her. Sharodamoni silently walked towards the pond with four of them walking on her front and four girls walking behind her. They all went to the pond, took bath, played merrily in the water together and then they escorted her back to her home. Surprisingly, that arrangement went on regularly during her stay in Kamarpukur. But as usual, Maa didn’t try to know their identity. She told her disciples that she read in holy scriptures, Goddess Jagajjanani had eight virgin female companions.
“Sri Ramakrishna, Sharodamoni’s husband, stayed in Dakshineswar temple. He seldom visited his hometown. But after completing his spiritual learning in 1869, he came back to his home for a few days. Sharodamoni was 14 then and was in Kamarpukur. Sri Ramakrishna felt his duty towards her and started giving spiritual teachings to his young wife, who hardly had had any formal education. He also used to teach her how to behave and converse with others. Sri Ramakrishna was wholeheartedly inclined towards spiritualism and never ever established any worldly relationship with his wife.
Sharodamoni loved and respected her spiritual husband and followed his teachings with her heart and soul. But as usual, he couldn’t stay for long in his village and had to leave for Kolkata to resume his temple duties. As the years passed, rumours started spreading to the villages of Bengal that Sri Ramakrishna, the head priest of Dakshineswar temple, had gone mad. His behaviour was absurd and he was not carrying out his priestly duties properly. Sharodamoni was very disturbed to hear this news.
Being his wife she thought she should take care of him. Hence, she pleaded before her father to arrange for her journey to Dakshineswar. Those days the distance between Joyrambati and Kolkata was around 60 miles. Due to the lack of a proper transportation system, people had to walk on foot for days to cover the distance. Sharodamoni started her journey with a group of pilgrims from her village. But as she was not accustomed to such strenuous journey by foot, she got sick with high fever on the second day and had to halt in a roadside home shelter. The young lady lost all hope of meeting her husband in Dakshineswar, as she was not in a condition to take the rest of the journey. As her physical and mental condition worsened and she was almost in an unconscious state, she saw an extremely beautiful woman enter her room and sit beside her. The deep black complexion of the woman was radiating light all around. The woman touched her face and body softly and immediately Sharodamoni was relieved of the pain and uneasiness that she was going through.
An astonished Sharodamoni asked her, “where did you come from, beautiful lady?”
“Dakshineswar.” The woman replied with a mystic smile.
“Dakshineswar?” Sharadamoni looked sad. “I wanted to go there to meet my husband and to take care of him. But now in this ill health it is not possible.” She sighed.
“But you are definitely going there once you fully recover from your ailments.” The woman smiled. “I
have forcefully kept your husband in the temple for you only, my dear.” She said.
“But, who are you?” Sharodamoni asked.
“Your sister,” she said.
Sharodamoni saw a sparkle in her eyes.
“Oh, so that’s why you have come to me! Didn’t anybody give you water to wash your feet?”
Sharadamoni enquired looking at her soiled feet.
“But I can’t stay here anymore and have to go back now itself.” Saying this, the mysterious woman suddenly disappeared from her sight.
Sharodamoni realised that the woman was none other than Maa Kali who gave an appearance to her. Soon Sharodamoni recovered from her illness and resumed her journey. Around the fourth day she reached Dakshineswar.
“Sri Ramakrishna welcomed her heartily and arranged for her stay and treatment in the temple premises. There was no sign of insanity in him which relieved her of her anxiety. Sharodamoni cooked for her husband and other devotees and took care of other household activities without any complaints. The spiritual discussions with her husband enchanted her and she felt a completeness in her life. Worldly pleasures never allured her pious soul. She exuded love and compassion for everyone. Though, somewhere deep, there was an urge for motherhood in her just like any other woman, which one day during their conversation she revealed incautiously before her husband. Sri Ramakrishna was amused to know about her secret wish and started laughing loudly, though at heart he knew the purity in her yearnings. An embarrassed Sharodamoni ran away to her tiny room and never tried to discuss her dormant wish with anybody. Later, her husband apprised her lovingly. Why should you aspire for children from your womb, when the whole world calls you Mother and is thirsty for your love and care? Sri Ramakrishna’s words would flow like nectar through her ears.
“Once Sri Ramakrishna asked her, did you come here to tie me in a worldly relationship? Sharodamoni knew well for what purpose she came to Dakshineswar. In a soft voice she replied, no, to help you in your spiritual journey.
“Ramakrishna wanted to test the genuineness of her words. He asked her to sleep in his bed with him. Every night both of them would immerse themselves in spiritual discussions and their hearts and souls would overflow with heavenly bliss. There was no space for worldly desires to creep into their thoughts and actions.
“Sri Ramakrishna attained spiritual enlightenment after he performed Sharoshi Puja, worshipping the living Sharodamoni, his own wife, in the form of Maa Jagajjanani. In a jolly mood he would tell his disciples that they should not ignore Sharodamoni as a simple and illiterate woman. Do you know who she is? She is Maa Jagajjanani. In this birth she has preferred to conceal her splendour and live a simple and uneventful life. Maa descended on our earth to wipe out the darkness lurking around us. She came to eradicate the evils from our minds and deeds. She is the Mother, who only loves and gives us solace when we are in pain.
“Sri Ramakrishna could not live with Maa Sharodadevi for long. He left for the heavenly abode when she was about thirty two years old. But before leaving his body he advised her to spread the words of God to every soul of the world, as human beings’ only motto was realisation of the ultimate truth.
“Maa Sharodadevi devoutly followed her Saint husband’s advice. Though it was hard for her to accept the untimely death of her husband, she tried to immerse herself in the relentless service of the people around her.
“Once, after the death of a child of a relative, Sharodadevi cried just like the other women of the village. Her devotees asked her why she behaved like an ordinary woman. Maa replied thoughtfully.
Sri Ramakrishna once said that when God and Goddess take birth as human beings, they have to endure joy and sorrows. Hunger and thirst affects them just like normal beings.
“Jagajjanani Maa Sharoda took her last breath on July 6, 1920, leaving behind thousands of her followers in tears. Her words echoed in their hearts.
Whenever you are distressed or in pain, remember a Mother is there to take care of you.
We all were in tears. The monk took off his spectacles and wiped his eyes.
“Maa wished to build a home for the wandering monks. And Belur Math came into existence. She is the Mother, how can she see her children suffer?” The sun had slipped behind the horizon long back. The sounds of conch shells started reverberating across the evening sky. It was prayer time. The monk picked up his jute bag and books and folded his hands.
“Now you have to excuse me. I must attend the evening prayers.”
We profusely thanked him for spending his time with us and sharing the anecdotes from Maa Sharodamoni’s life and also for making our day a memorable one.
However, before leaving he insisted that my children must read about Maa Sharodadevi and follow her teachings.
We stood there silently watching the saffron clad figure walk away towards the prayer hall emanating an aura of mystery. At heart, we felt blessed having spent the day in the virtuous company of a pious soul.
This is the story from the Anthology 'When Goddesses Walked the Earth' by the Editor of book Moushumi Bhattacharjee. If you wish to read more stories then pick the book from the link below...
Moushumi Bhattacharjee is a teacher by profession and has a great passion for writing. Few of her short stories and articles have come up in various e-papers, magazines and newspapers. She picks up social issues for her writing. A mother of two young adults, she manages her time between her job, home and writing quite efficiently.
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