Vivekananda’s View of Holy Mother

Vivekananda’s View of Holy Mother 

One can know God only by His grace and not by means of austerity, or by japa and meditation. Grace dawns upon those, who are endowed with purity and renunciation, humility and unselfishness, devotion and passionate yearning. Swami Vivekananda recognized Holy Mother’s divinity long before he left for the West. From America he wrote to his brother disciples about Holy Mother: 

“You have not yet realized how precious Mother is. People will not understand her now, but they will, gradually. Brother, there will be no Salvation of the world without the help of the Divine Power. ... Why is it that our country is the weakest and most backward of all countries? Because Shakti is held in dishonour here. Without the grace of Shakti nothing will be accomplished. What do I find in America and Europe? The worship of Shakti, the worship of Power. Yet they worship Her ignorantly, through sense gratification. Imagine then what a lot of good they will achieve, when they worship Her with purity, looking upon Her as then Mother! I am coming to understand things every day, my insight is opening out more and more. ... Let Ramakrishna disappear, that does not frighten me. But it will be a calamity, if people forget Mother. ... 

Don’t be angry with me. None of you has understood Mother. Her grace upon me is one hundred thousand times greater than that of the Master. … About Mother I am a little fanatic. I can do anything, if she gives the order. I shall give a sigh of relief, when you purchase a piece of land and install this living Durga there. ... Brother, when I think of Mother, I say to myself: “Who is this Ramakrishna?” I say this because of my fanaticism. Whether Ramakrishna was God or man, you may say whatever you like. But, Brother, shame upon him, who is not devoted to Mother!” …

By Holy Mother’s grace, Swamiji realized her true nature. Once he remarked at Belur Math: “Mother is the incarnation of Bagala* in the guise of Saraswati. Outwardly she is all peace, but inwardly she is the destroyer of evil”. 

Once Vivekananda and Turiyananda went to Visit Holy Mother in Calcutta. In the boat from Belur Math, Turiyananda noticed that Vivekananda was drinking the muddy Ganges water. He warned him: “Swamiji, you will become sick”. 

Swamiji replied: “No, brother, I am afraid, when I visit Holy Mother. Our minds are not pure enough, so I am purifying my mind by drinking Ganges water”. Swamiji was afraid that Holy Mother would absorb his impurities and suffer.

(* Bagala represents one of the terrible aspects of the Divine Power, as the slayer of a fierce demon, and Saraswati represents wisdom.)

(Swami Chetanananda “Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play”, Vedanta Society of St. Louis 2015, Ch. 13 “Holy Mother and Vivekananda”, pp. 199-200, 209)