Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on July 15, 2012.
In this lecture, Swami Bhaskarananda explores the meaning of Sri Sarada Devi’s universal motherhood and its place within Vedantic understanding. He begins by explaining why the Divine, though beyond form and gender, is most naturally approached as Mother—one who gives birth, sustains life, and forgives without condition. Drawing on scriptural references from the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, and long-standing cultural traditions, he shows how motherhood is regarded as the highest human relationship and the clearest symbol through which divine love can be understood. Sri Sarada Devi, he explains, came to demonstrate this truth in lived form, revealing how God’s love can be experienced as intimate, protective, and all-embracing.
Through numerous incidents from her life, Swami Bhaskarananda illustrates how Sri Sarada Devi’s motherliness knew no boundaries of caste, religion, morality, or nationality. She regarded monks, householders, animals, strangers, the virtuous, and even those considered sinful as her children, responding to all with the same tenderness and care. Her interactions showed neither judgment nor exclusion, but a steady awareness of inherent divinity in every being. The talk emphasizes that she taught little through formal instruction, yet revealed the deepest spiritual truths through her conduct—demonstrating how universal love, rooted in awareness of the Divine, can transform human relationships and dissolve divisions. In this way, Sri Sarada Devi stands as a living expression of God as Mother, inviting all to recognize the world itself as one family.
