English Translation of Shree Maa Sharada Baavanee - A Gujarati Hymn on Shree Maa Sharada Devi and Her Divine Life

 

Shree Maa Sharada Devi was the wife and spiritual consort of Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the great Swami Vivekananda’s Guru. Here is the English translation of a Gujarati Hymn, called that describes Shree Maa Sharada Devi’s life and works ….

Shree Maa Sharada Devi ....

Shree Maa Sharada Devi (also written as Sarada Devi, pronounced as Shaaradaa Devi; 22nd December, 1853 to 21th July, 1920), was the wife and spiritual consort of Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa (18th February, 1936 to 16th August, 1886), the Guru of the great Swami Vivekananda .

Shree Shree Maa, as Shree Maa Sharada Devi is fondly called, is the Sangha-Maataa (the Mother of the Sangha or Community / Organization) of the Ramakrishna Mission, established by the disciples of her husband Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa, under the leadership of Swami Vivekananda, on the 1st of May, 1897.

The Ramakrishna Mission ....

Ramakrishna Mission has over 200 branches across the world, which spreads the message of the Indian Vedantic Philosophy of Life of spreading Love, Peace, Harmony and Oneness, as realized, lived and put forth by Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Maa Sharada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, by practicing the Vedic ideal of Aatmano mokshaartham jagat hitaaya cha which means "For the salvation of our individual self and for the well-being of all on Earth" by "Service to the Almighty through service to man".

Inspiration for writing this Hymn ....

In the later half of 2015, Swami Atmadipanandaji a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission order and presently the Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, Porbandar, Gujarat, once inspired me to write a Baavanee of Shree Shree Maa Sharada Devi, " .... Sister, why don't you write a Baavanee of Sharada Maa ? .... " I had not thought about that and I responded saying, I would be happy if I could do it, with his blessings and the Grace of Shree Sharada Maa.

After a couple of month, I wrote this Hymn, which got published in the December, 2016 edition of Shree Ramakrishna Jyot published by Shree Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Rajkot, Gujarat.

About Baavanee ....

A Baavanee is a 52-lines hymn in the praise of a Deity (Baavan means 52 in Gujarati, Hindi and some other similar Indian languages).

The Baavanee of all popular Deities like Shree Gurudev Datt, Shree Ranchhodray of Dakor (Gujarat), Shree Jalaram Bapa of Virpur (Gujarat) and so on are a part of regular prayers of crores of devotees across the world. There is a simple traditional tune to which a Baavanee is sung, familiar to almost every Gujarati. These days, new compositions, set to different classical Raagas have also come up and are available online.

The lyrics of a Baavanee are set to a specific meter / strophe and they generally cover the entire life of the Deity, from birth to the incidents of their life that inspire devotees.

This Baavanee describes the life of Shree Shree Maa Sharada, including her birth, childhood, marriage, married life, spiritual awakening, Thakur's life and work, her role as the Guru / Patron / Mother of Ramakrishna Mission, experiences of disciples and devotees and so on .....

Shree Maa Sharada Baavanee .... Translation into English from Gujarati with elaborations ....

Gujarati Text in English Script	English Translation	Elaboration of the meaning
Jay Shaaradaa Maateshwari, Sanaatanee Vishwambharee,	Glory to Goddess Mother Shaarada, Immortal Omnipresent,	Vishwambharee means the embodiment of the Omnipresent Divine Energy which Creates and Sustains the Creation.
Shree Ramakrishna Hridayeshwaree, Jagadambaa Jagadeeshwaree,	Shree Ramakrishna's Beloved, Mother Goddess of Universe	Hridayeshwaree means the Goddess of (dwelling in) one's Heart, here, Shree Ramakrishna's Heart
Jayrambati punyadharaa, jagahit kaaje avataryaa,	At Jayrambati, holy place, for welfare of the World You took birth,	Jayrambati is Sharada Maa's birthplace in Bankura district of West Bengal in India.
Ramachandra Shyamasundari, taat-maat dwij dharamachari,	Ramachandra Shyama Sundari, parents Religious Brahmin folks,	Sharada Maa's parents - Ramachandra and Shyamasundari Mukhopadhyay were pious and religious Brahmin.
Janma poorve Maa Jagadambaa, paame darshan Shyama Maa,	Before birth Maa Jagadambaa, gave Darshan to Shyama Maa	Sharada Maa's mother Shyamasundari (Shyama Maa) had obtained vision of Mother Goddess Jagadambaa some days before the birth of Maa Sharada
Utaree rumjhum baalakee, vruksh tale kaalaa karatee,	A little girl with anklets sounding sweet, climbed down a tree, caressing,	In the vision, Shyama Maa saw a little girl wearing sweet sounding anklets climbing down a Bel tree (stone apple tree), caressing her,
Kanthhe baahyu gheri ne, tandraa aave samaaee kukhe	Hugging lovingly from behind, absorbing in the womb in a reverie	The little girl loving put her hands around Shyama Maa's neck from behind, leading her to a state of reverie and then unconsciousness. Shyama Maa felt the girl (her consciousness) enter her womb.
Sihar graame jyaan mosaal, ghatanaakram aa thayo saakaar,	At Sihar village, maternal ancestral place, this incident took place.	This incident took place at the native place of Sharada Maa's maternal family, in a village called Sihar (or Sihore in Bengali) near Jayrambati, below a Bel tree that still stands there.
Nhaanakadee Shaaradaamani, kutumb ni moti deekaree	Little Sharadamani, eldest daughter of the family,	Maa Sharada was the eldest among her siblings.
Anujo ne nit saachavati, gruhkaaryo Maa sang karatee	Looked after younger brothers, did household chores with mother,	Maa Sharada used to look after her younger brothers and helped her mother with household chores.
Veenatee kapaasiyaa honshe, janoee banaavavaa te kaante	Plucked cotton-buds zealously, spinning them to sacred threads	Maa Sharada used to help her father gather cotton buds from fields and spinned them to make sacred threads, called Janeu in Hindi / Janoee in Gujarati.
Dushkaale bhookhyaa tanee, Pitaa sang sevaa karatee,	During tragic famine days, served hungry people with father,	During Maa's childhood, there was a severe famine in Bengal. She helped her father serve famine stricken hungry people with food, fanning the hot food with her saree ....
Paanch varsh ni kuamalee vay, Thakur sang paamya parinay	At the tender age of five, got married to Thakur	Maa Sharada married Thakur when she was five and Thakur was twenty three years old.
Shvashurgruhe pagalaa karee, Pitrugruhe aavyaa faree,	Setting feet at her in-law's, returned to her father's place,	As per the tradition, the young bride Maa Sharada returned to her father's place soon after the ceremonies of marriage were over.
Thakur Dakshineshware jaay, taposaadhanaa maa parovaay	Thakur then goes to Dakshineshwar and immerses into austerities	After marriage, Thakur went back to Dakshineshwar and immersed himself into deep devotion and austerities.
Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Dev, Maa Kali bhakti ni khev	Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Dev, immensely devoted to Maa Kali	Thakur's devotion to Maa Kali was pure, intense, immense and focused.
Raat-divas Maataa nu ratan, dhyaan-samaadhi bhaav-magan,	Day-night, chanting Maa Kali, immersed in meditation-bhaav-samadhi	Thakur had lost the sense of time, passing days and nights immersed in the devotion of Maa Kali, in deep states of meditation - samadhi and bhaava
Ter varsh aayu umbar, patigruhe aavaagaman	At thirteen years of age, came to husband's place again	At the age of thirteen, Maa Sharada came to stay at Kamarpukur with Thakur and his family for one year.
Snehabharyaa vairaagi pati, Aadhyaatma panthe jaay dori	Renounced husband, lovingly, leads her to spirituality	Thakur was a very loving and kind husband. He affectionately and tenderly led Sharada to the path of spirituality.
Kamarpukur ae varsh rahee, Thakur paachhaa gayaa faree	Staying at Kamarpukur that year, back to his place Thakur returns	After a stay of one year at Kamarpukur with his family and Maa Sharada, Thakur returned to Dakshineshwar.
Chaar varsh sudhee tyaar pachhee, vikat saadhanaa aacharee	Four years hence-after, practices severe austerities,	At Dakshineshwar, Thakur performed severe austerities for four years.
Unmatt thayaa aavyaa vaaval, Shaaradaa to aakal-vikal	Lost sanity, so said rumours, making Shaaradaa anxious	Lost and intoxicated in devotional states, Thakur's condition prompted rumours that He had lost sanity, which aroused anxiety and concerns in Maa Shaaradaa.
Pati-sevaa par mann khainchaay, tyaan javaanee tak sarjaay,	Longing to serve her husband, chance to go there arises soon,	She silently longs to go to Thakur and look after him. Soon, that opportunity arrives.
Pita paamyaa maun vyathaa, sange chaalyaa Calcutta,	Father senses silent grief, took her along to Calcutta,	Ramachandra Mukhopadhyay sensed his daughter plight and went with her to Calcutta / Kolkata to Thakur
Pagpaalaa ae laambee vaat, jwar thee thaay haal behaal,	Long journey on foot, fever causes immense troubles,	Father-daughter walked their way to Dakshineshwar, Kolkata. Maa Sharada caught fever and had to halt on the way, unable to move, almost unconscious.
Jagadambaa nee thaay krupaa, sankat naa poor osaryaa,	The Grace of Jagadambaa comes by to ebb away the flooding troubles,	As Maa Sharada lay semi-conscious, a beautiful bright lady comes to look after her, introducing herself as her sister and nurses her back to health.
Dakshineshware thaay aagaman, peeda-chintaao nu shaman,	Arrival at Dakshineshwar, alleviates pains and concerns,	On arriving at Dakshineshwar and meeting Thakur, all pains and worries vanished.
Nau-das maas divya sahavaas, Shodashee Poojaa jemaa khaas,	Divine companionship of nine-ten months, highlighted by Sodashee Poojaa,	The 9-10 months of divine togetherness was the most memorable phase of Maa Sharada's life, during Thakur performed Shodashee Pooja of Maa Sharada.
Falahaarinee Kalee Poojaa, Thakure karee tyaare tyaan,	When Thakur performed there, Falahaarinee Kali Pooja,	It is also called Falahaarinee Kali Pooja, worshiping Maa Sharada as the Divine Mother of Universe.
Divyatva paamyu jeevan, jagamaatrubhaav prakateekaran,	Divinity descended into life, arousing Universal Motherhood,	This resulted in arousing and illuminating Universal Motherhood in Maa Sharada.
Jap-tap sevaa Thakur nee, Naahaabaat maa rahee karee,	Japa-penance, serving Thakur, carried on, staying at Naahaabaat,	At Dakshineshwar, Maa Sharada stayed in a small room in the Temple's Music Tower called Naahaabaat, serving Thakur and performing her spiritual practices.
Shaant-bhaav lajjaamayee, janaay pan naa haajaree,	Quiet natured, graceful, shy, her very presence noticed hardly,	Sharada Maa was shy, quiet, full of grace and hardly ever noticed around.
Dheere-dheere bhaktajan vrund, karavaa laagyaa aagaman,	Slowly and gradually, groups of devotees began assembling,	Slowly, Thakur's circles of devotees and followers started developing and expanding.
Sevaa karya-kshetra prasaraay, aanand no melo ubharaay,	Expanding work-service domains, overflowing fairs of ecstasy,	The gatherings around Thakur invariably focused on spiritual upliftment of seekers, overflowing with divine moods, talks, singing and dancing, as if fairs of ecstasy.
Satsang keertan bhajanaanand, raat-divas Eeshwar-chintan,	Satsang, Keertan, devotional singing, day and night, contemplating	Satsang - gatherings of like-minded, devotional people for community spiritual services / practices; Keertan - special Devotional songs / singing
Brahma-Shakti nee ananyanataa, sarva dharmo nee ekataa,	Oneness of Brahma-Shakti, all religions leading to the Same One	Essence of Thakur’s teachings …. Brahma means Impersonal God, inactive, not creating, preserving or destroying; Shakti means Personal God, active - creating, preserving or destroying.
Nar maa Naaraayan darshan, Shiv roope jeev sevaa pran,	Seeing Narayana in men, Oath to serve Jeeva as Shiva	Thakur’s way of serving …. Narayana means the Omnipresent God, a name of Vishnu - the all-pervasive Protector and Preserver of Universe; Jeeva means living being; Shiva - Lord Shiva, the Auspicious One present in the entire Creation.
Thakur karataa sancharan, bhakti-chaitanya uddipan,	Thakur transmitted Divineness, arousing devotion, consciousness,	Bhakti means Devotion; Chaitanya means Consciousness.
Avirat uddeshyamay jeevan, Thakur kanthhe vyaadhi daman,	Continuous purposeful life, Thakur's throat grew weak, diseased,	Thakur's throat grew sore and painful day by day. Later it was found that he had throat cancer that could not be cured.
Dharmakranti nu karee sthaapan, Thakur kare svalok gaman,	Igniting Religious Revolution, Thakur left for His Abode,	On 16th August, 1886, Thakur left, leaving behind a vast spiritual legacy and tasks.
Maa ne haiye dukh daaroon, shaataa kaaje teerth-gaman,	Grief-laden Maa's heart, seeks solace in pligrimage	Maa Sharada's grief knew no limits. She set out for a pilgrimage with a group of disciples and devotees.
Thakur darshan satat samran, shishyo-bhakto nu jatan,	Thakur's visions, continuous remembrance, caring devotees-disciples,	Thakur's visions and appearances gave some comfort to Maa, as also the love and care of devotees and disciples.
Ramkrishna Sangh nu sthaapan, Sangha-Maataa banee pathdarshan,	Ramakrishna Sangh when established, showed path as Sangha-Maataa,	Ramakrishna Sangha / Mission was established to spread Thakur's Universal message globally. Maa Sharada showed path as the Sangha-Maataa, the Mother of the Organization.
Karyu satat jeevanparyant, Jagmaataa swaroop jeevant,	All through the life, uninterrupted, personified Mother of the World,	All her life, she nurtured Ramakrishna Mission and its activities. Maa Sharada was embodied Divine Motherhood.
Tap-saadagee bharyu jeevan, aadarsh naaritva darshan,	Simple, devoted austere life, examplering ideal womanhood,	Maa Sharada was a living example of simple living, high thinking, devoted purposefulness full of determination and compassion.
Nivedita hoy ke Yogananda, Vivekananda ke Saradananda,	Be it Nivedita or Yogananda, Vivekananda or Saradananda,	Sister Nivedita, Swami Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Saradananda ....
Sau shishyo-bhakto nee Maa, sacharaachar nee pan Maataa,	Mother of all disciples-devotees, Mother of all Living Beings,	Maa Sharada was the Mother of all disciples, devotees and All ....
Leelaamayee karunaamayee, kan-kan vyaapee chinmayee,	Mystically playful, compassionate, omnipresent consciousness,	Maa Sharada is worshipped as the embodiment of Omnipresent Consciousness
Gruhajeevan nee saathosaath, jankalyaan kaarya dinraat,	Along with domestic duties, immersed in welfare, day and night,	She looked after her family, more than any normal lady would do and at the same time remained busy all the time in the welfare of All.
Deen-dukhee paatak-ghaatak, ur palato paame Amajad,	Mother to humiliated-aggrieved, sinner-killer, Amjad's life transformed forever,	She was a solace to those who were humiliated, grief-stricken, those who lost ways in life, took to wrong-doings, such as Amjad who was a dacoit, whom she transformed into a respectable human being.
Tam aadarsho dhare jeevan, aevaa aashish dyo paavan,	Grace us with Blessings that we uphold your ideals in our lives,	Prayer to Maa Sharada.
Bhakto par karjo krupaa, Jay Jay Maataa Shaaradaa !!	Bestow your Grace upon devotees, Glory, Glory to Maa Sharada !!	Prayers for bestowing the life of devotees with Divine Grace.

Maa Sharada’s Birth Anniversary as per Hindu Calendar ….

Today is the Birth Anniversary of Maa Sharada this year, as per the Hindu Calendar - the Saptamee (seventh day) of the Krishna Paksha (darker half between Poornima - Full Moon day and Amavasyaa - New Moon day) of the month of Margashirsha, that falls during the months of December-January of the Gregorian calendar.

Prayers !!!

From HubPages .... Published on 26th December, 2021

Quotes And Parables of Shree Ramakrishna Paramahansa

Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramahansa had a light, witty, subtle, catchy and convincing way of imparting knowledge. His Parables are a source of inspiration, insight, realization and knowledge to millions of devotees, aspirants and readers. Here are some sparkles of that profound knowledge ....

 Shree Ramakrishna Paramahansa ....

Shree Ramakrishna Paramahansa (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886) was the great Indian mystic of the nineteenth century.

He was popularly and fondly known as Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Deva, having been established as divine incarnation and worshipped across the world.

He is the Guru of the great Swami Vivekananda and the divine inspiration and energy that brought The Ramakrishna Math, The Ramakrishana Mission and allied organizations / institutions of the Ramakrishna Order into existence.

Thakur Shree Ramakrishna had a light, witty, subtle, catchy and convincing way of imparting knowledge to spiritual aspirants and devotees.

Shree Mahendranath Gupta, also known as Shree M. and Master Mahashay, was an ardent devotee of Shree Ramakrishna Paramahansa. He had noted down the accounts of his visits to see his Guru, Thakur Shree Ramakrishna, including, the interactions, experiences and reflections, in a personal diary, which later got published as Shree Ramakrishna Kathamrita (translated to English as The Gospel of Shree Ramakrishna).

The Parables that Shree Ramakrishna used to narrate are a source of inspiration, insight, realization and knowledge to millions of devotees, aspirants and readers.

These parables highlighted messages, visions, insights and knowledge from very simple everyday life situations / incidents, which Thakur narrated in his witty, humour-flavoured style. He conveyed with spontaneous ease, in the lightness of laughter and the joy of pure intelligence, much awed and too-difficult-to-understand Spirituality / Religion, covering its fundamentals, conceptual elaborations and subtleness of applicability in everyday life.

Here are some parables that Thakur Shree Ramakrishna narrated and were recorded by Shree Mahendranath Gupta ....

 

The Story of "Elephant Naaraayan"

The Story of "Elephant Naaraayan" - One Who Sees Naaraayan In Elephant Should Also Listen To "Mahaavat Naaraayan" ....

God dwells in every form of life. But, being in good company helps and is advisable, whereas one should stay away from bad company.

As such, Naaraayan (The Omnipresent God) dwells in a tiger. But does that mean one can go and greet the tiger with a hug ??!! If someone says, "There is Naaraayan in the tiger, so, why run away from the tiger ?", the reply is that the one who says, "Run away from the tiger" - is also Naaraayan. Why not listen to him ?

Here is a story -

There was a Sage living in a forest. He had many disciples. One day, he preached his disciples on the omnipresence of the Almighty saying, "Naaraayan is omnipresent, in every particle of existence. Knowing this, offer Namaskaar (respect / salutation) to everyone."

One day, a disciple went deep into the forest to collect firewood for worship. As he was collecting the wood logs, he heard someone calling out, "Please make way !! Vacate the pathway !! Run, Run for life !! A mad elephant is on his way ...."

Everyone around fled for life, except this disciple. He thought, "The elephant is Naaraayan. Why run away ?" Thinking thus, he stood where he was, folded his hands to offer Namaskaar and started praying.

Not far away, the Mahaavat (caretaker) of the elephant kept shouting, "Run away, run away !!" Still the disciple did not move. Finally, the mad elephant seized him in his trunk, threw him away towards one side and moved ahead. The disciple lay there, injured, bleeding and unconscious.

Upon hearing this news, the Guru and his other disciples brought him to the Aashram (Hermitage) and started his treatment immediately.

After some time, when he came back to senses, one of his friends asked him, "Why did you not run away for life when you heard about the elephant coming your way ?"

He replied, "Gurudev had told us that Naaraayan only is dwelling in every man, animal, creature .... everywhere in the creation. So, seeing the Elephant-Naaraayan approach, I did not move from there."

The Guru said, "It is true that Elephant-Naaraayan was coming, but had the Mahaavat Naaraayan not asked to flee ? When all are Naaraayan, why did you not listen to Mahaavat Naaraayan ? Should you not listen to him ?"

 

 

Speaking About Brahma - The Ultimate Reality Of Existence .... The Parable of Salt Doll

In the Vedas, the Almighty is described as Blissful - embodiment of Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. Shukadev and others like Him had reached and just beheld and touched the shores of That Infinite Ocean of Bliss. There is a prevalent view that they had not immersed themselves in that Ocean of Bliss. One who gets in cannot come out.

In the highest, deepest state of meditation - Samaadhi - one attains the knowledge of, the vision of Brahma. It is a state beyond the domain of thoughts. There are no thoughts anywhere in that state. Man becomes quiet .... What is Brahma - is beyond thoughts and beyond the words a mouth can utter - it is beyond the capacity of spoken words ....

Here is a parable ....

A salt doll went to find out the depth of the sea. She wanted to know how deep was the water in the sea. But, there were no news about her. The moment she went in, she dissolved. Then, who would come to the shore to tell what she found out ??!!

So it is with the knowledge of Brahma ....

Infinite "I" Or No "I"

Shankaraachaarya had a disciple who was serving him without gaining any knowledge from his master.

One day, Shankaraachaarya heard footsteps behind him and asked, "Who is there ?"

The disciple replied, "I am here ...."

The master said, "If this 'I' is so dear to you, then either stretch it infinite or get rid of it."

Unprecedented Faith ....

A milkmaid used to cross a river to deliver milk to a Brahmin who was staying there. She used to often get late, as getting a boat to reach the other bank was very difficult. On hearing complains about delays, one day she said, "What can I do ? I start in time, but on the river bank, the boatman has to wait for his other passengers and I have to keep waiting ...."

The Brahmin said, "Lady, people cross oceans chanting God's name and you are unable to cross this little river ?"

The simple milkmaid was overjoyed to hear that crossing a river can be so easy !! From the next day onwards, the Brahmin started getting milk early in the morning and in time.

One day he asked the milkmaid, "How is it that you don't get late now ?"

She replied, "As per what you told the other day, I no more wait for the boatman. I chant God's name and cross the river." The Brahmin found it difficult to believe and puzzled, he asked the milkmaid to show him how she crossed the river.

The milkmaid took him to the river bank and started walking on the river water. After walking a little way, she looked behind to see the sorry Brahmin struggling behind.

She called out, "Maharaj, how is it that you chant the name of God from your mouth and bother about your clothes getting wet ? Don't you have faith in God ?"

Complete surrender and immense faith in God are at the root of all miraculous deeds and happenings. 

 

Further reading .... Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna : Sri Ramakrishna : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Int

A collection of tales and parables told by Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of Dakshnishwar, Kolkota, India.

From HubPages ... Published on 03rd May, 2022