DescriptionLook inside the bookUse the “X” symbol to make the flipbook full screen; click it again to return.More informationFor those of us fascinated by India, with its teeming spirituality and its extraordinary women of spirit, Sri Sarada Devi stands out as a heroine whose courage, unique lifestyle, and social impact call out for us to pay her a visit.If we had been in Bengal when Sarada was born there in the 1850s, few of us might have imagined this village girl would grow up to become one of the most beloved and respected saints in the world. Marriage transported her to Kolkata where her husband, the legendary holy man Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, served as chief priest at the magnificent Dakshineswar temple devoted to the fierce mother goddess Kali.Sarada devotedly tended to her husband while absorbing his ecstatic love for the Divine Mother and pondering the wisdom he shared with his disciples. After his death Sarada transformed into a spiritual master herself, though she was more likely to teach by example than by preaching. Sometimes Sarada stood up to certain social norms. For example, and very controversially for that era, she supported female literacy, and learned to read herself.In this pictorial Swami Chetanananda brings Sri Sarada Devi to life with his deeply researched account of her words and experiences. The pictures in this volume help us visualize this great woman while we take in the atmosphere of her era. Sri Sarada Devi: A Divine Life in Pictures carries us back to an earlier time, allowing us to visit with a profoundly great soul. We finish the book feeling we know and love the humble village girl who transformed into a kind of goddess herself, and who challenges us to find the divine in ourselves too.About the AuthorSwami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, India. Before coming to the United States he worked in the editorial and publication departments of Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Himalayas, and also at its Kolkata branch. He served as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1971 to 1978 before taking his present position as the minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis.Among his many publications are: Stories of Vedanta Monks – Volumes 1 & 2, Sri Ramakrishna: A Divine Life in Pictures, See God with Open Eyes: Meditation on Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play, Mahendra Nath Gupta (M.): The Recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Girish Chandra Ghosh: A Bohemian Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, How to Live with God: In the Company of Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play, God Lived with Them, Vivekananda: East Meets West, Spiritual Treasures: Letters of Swami Turiyananda, Ramakrishna as We Saw Him, They Lived with God, A Guide to Spiritual Life: Teachings of Swami Brahmananda, Vedanta: Voice of Freedom, Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya, How a Shepherd Boy Became a Saint: Life and Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda, and Meditation and Its Methods: According to Swami Vivekananda.
