About Sri Sarada Math

“O Divine Mother! Possessor of all power! Please open the gate of perfection. Purify her body and mind and manifest thyself through her for the welfare of all…..”

With this invocation, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa awakened the dormant Primordial Energy (Adya Shakti) within Sri Sarada Devi, His divine consort. This is a unique phenomenon in the recorded history of mankind. This ushered in an era of unstoppable women’s movement.

Swami Vivekananda with his prophetic vision had realized and said, ”There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved….” The deplorable condition of Indian women intensified the anguish in Swami Vivekananda’s heart. He wrote from America to his brother disciple Swami Shivananada, “Why is it that our country is the weakest and the most backward of all countries? Because Shakti is held in dishonor there. Mother has been born to revive that wonderful Shakti in India; and making her the nucleus, once more will Gargis and Maitreyis be born into the world”.

Swamiji tried his utmost to turn his dream into a reality. With a firm conviction he had said to Sarat Chandra Chakraborty, "With the Holy Mother as the centre of inspiration, a Math is to be established on the eastern bank of the Ganga…. On the other side of the Ganga a big plot of land will be acquired, where Brahmacharinis and Sadhvis will live....”  

Swamiji founded Ramakrishna Math and Mission. But Swamiji had cherished a dream to found women’s Math first. ”Without the grace of Shakti nothing is to be accomplished…. Hence we must first build a Math for Mother.” However, his idea could not take shape at that time because of the prevailing social conditions. So, as a first move, he instructed Sister Nivedita to start a school for girls to educate them with modern views and patriotism. Sister Christine and Sister Sudhira came forward to help her. Subsequently, Sister Sudhira formed 'Sarada Mandir' in that school, where women who were willing to dedicate their lives for the service of mankind could stay. That had formed the nucleus of Sri Sharada Math. A number of educated women, inspired with his ideals of renunciation and service, came to dedicate their lives for their spiritual growth as well as for the welfare of the world. 

On the auspicious occasion of The Holy Mother’s Birth Centenary (that was on 2nd December, 1954), Swamiji’s dream turned into a reality and Sri Sarada Math had seen the light of the day. Sarala Devi (a disciple of The Holy Mother and a student of Sister Nivedita) later Pravrajika Bharatiprana become the first President of Sri Sarada Math.

 All the activities carried out by Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in the spiritual, intellectual, educational, moral, cultural and service to the humanity in different fields are administered solely by women. The Ramakrishna Sarada Movement, committed specially to the awakening of women power, is an integral part of a great movement.

Women have an inherent capacity to love as their divinity is encompassed with this motherly love. It is the principle of sacrifice which is embraced with love, endurance and compassion that brings the peace and harmony in human life and makes this world a better place to live. Swami Vivekananda believed that the Holy Mothers life is the highest ideal of modern women as she was an embodiment of unconditional and selfless love, so full of compassion.  Now Sri Sarada Math stands apart as an institute to the rise of women power in the world. It is an indispensable and integral part in the spiritual wave brought forth by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ma Sarada and Swami Vivekananda.