Passages from Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play! 17-October-2021 - 310
Satwik Joglekar
17-October-2021
Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play! 310
Passages from “Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play” : 312-313
By Swami Chetanananda
Vedanta Society of St Louis
CHAPTER 19
RADHU – 19
With Holy Mother in Koalpara – 06
Brahmachari Barada wrote in his diary about Holy Mother’s ordeal with Radhu during this period:
Radhu’s baby was now six months old, but still Radhu could not stand up because of weakness. To make things worse, she became addicted to opium for her stomach trouble. Holy Mother, too, of late had not been well. She was having occasional attacks of fever. She tried to wean Radhu from her opium habit, but Radhu was adamant. One morning Holy Mother was cutting vegetables when Radhu came for opium. Holy Mother understood her intention and said to her: “Radhi, you have had enough of this. Why don’t you stand up? It is impossible for me to take care of you anymore. For your sake I have given up my devotion and everything else. Can you tell me how I can possibly meet all your expenses?”
At these words, Radhu lost her temper, picked up a big eggplant from the vegetable basket, and threw it at Holy Mother’s back with great force. It struck her hard and she arched her back in pain. Her back became red and swollen. Looking at a photograph of the Master, Holy Mother prayed with folded hands: “Lord, please forgive her misdemeanor. She is not sane.” Then she took the dust of her own feet, put it on Radhu’s head, and said: ‘Radhi, the Master never hurt me, not even with a rude word, and you torture me so much. How can you understand where I really belong? Simply because I live with you all, you do not think anything of me.” Radhu burst into tears. Holy Mother continued: “Radhi, if I get angry with you, there will be no one in the three worlds to give you shelter.” Addressing Sri Ramakrishna, she said, “O Master, please do not be offended with her.”
A few months earlier, Narayan Iyenger, a devotee from Bangalore, had spent some time with Holy Mother at Koalpara. He gave her 100 rupees per month for Radhu’s expenses. As he was leaving Koalpara, he said: “Mother, whenever you need money, please let me know without the slightest hesitation.” At Jayrambati her expenses increased a great deal. Swami Saradananda had written to her that since he had to collect money from here and there, he found it difficult to send her monthly expenses on time. Holy Mother said to a disciple: “I think Sharat does not have much money to spare, or he would not have written that way. The other day the devotee from Bangalore promised to send me money. But how can I write to him about it? Shall I disobey the Master’s last injunction about not asking for money from others?” To Radhu she said: ‘Look here, Radhu, I am going to lose everything for your sake! The Master asked me not to stretch out my hand to anybody even for a pice. He assured me that I shall never lack simple food and clothing. He admonished me, saying that if I begged even a pice from any person, I would sell my head to that person in return.”36 [36 Swami Nikhilananda, Holy Mother, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre: New York, 1962, p. 142-43; Swami Ishanananda, Matri Sannidhey, Udbodhan Office: Calcutta, 1969, p. 150-51, 134-35]
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