Question: I was reading the question and answers on your web site. I read the following lines:”I request you to read that portion from the life of Sri Ramakrishna who worshipped his wife as the Mother of the universe.” Will you please give me the detailed reference of the ‘portion’ you are referring to? (Author, Book, Volume if any and chapter). Is this portion available on line? If yes, please give me the web address. This will be of great use to me.
Answer: Please read the book The Sri Ramakrishna – The Great Master by Swami Saradananda (Apostle of Sri Ramakrishna) published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004 Pp. 334-336. The relevant extract is appended.
Extract from the Sri Ramakrishna - The Great Master by Swami Saradananda
Preparations for the worship of Shodasi:
A little more than half of the month of Jyaishtha, B.E 1280 (A.D. May 25,1873) had elapsed.
It was the new-moon day, the holy occasion for the worship of the Phalaharini Kalika Devi. It was the day of a special festival at the
Dakshineswar temple. The Master had made special preparations on that day with a view to worshipping the Mother of the universe. These
preparations, privately, in his own room at his desire. A wooden seat painted with Alimpana, the pigment of rice powder, for the Devi to
sit on at the time of worship, had been placed to the right of the worshipper. The sun had set. The now-moon night, veiled in deep
darkness, had alighted on the earth. Hriday, the Master's nephew, had to perform a special worship of the Devi in the temple. He had,
therefore, helped as much as possible in the preparations for the Master's worship and had gone away to the temple. Having finished the
nocturnal service and worship of Radha-Govinda, the first priest, Dinu, came to help the Master in the preparations. It was 9 p.m. when
all the preparations for the mystery-worship of the Devi were completed. In the meantime, the Master had sent word to the Holy Mother to
be present during-the worship. She came to the room and the Master started the worship. The Holy Mother worshipped as the Deity
The articles of worship were purified by the Mantras and all the rites preliminary to the worship were finished. The Master beckoned to
the Holy Mother to sit on the wooden seat decorated with the Alimpana. While witnessing the worship, the Holy Mother had already entered
into a divine semi-conscious state. Not clearly conscious, therefore, of what she was doing, she like one charmed with Mantras, sat facing
north to the right of the Master, who was seated with his face to the east. According to scriptural injunctions the Master sprinkled the
Holy Mother repeatedly with the water purified by Mantras from the pitcher placed before him, then uttered the Mantra in her hearing and
then recited the prayer:
"O Lady, O Mother Tripurasundari who art the controller of all powers, open the door to perfection! Purify her (the Holy Mother's) body
and mind, manifest thyself in her and be beneficent."
Afterwards the Master performed the Nyasa of the Mantras in the Holy Mother's person according to the injunctions of the Sastras, and
worshipped her with the sixteen articles, as the Devi Herself. He then offered food and put a part of it into her mouth with his own hand.
The Holy Mother lost normal consciousness and went into Samadhi. The Master too, uttering Mantras in the semi-conscious state, entered
into complete Samadhi. The worshipper in Samadhi became perfectly identified and united with the Devi in Samadhi.
A long time passed. The second quarter of the night was over and the third had far advanced, when the Master, whose delight was, only in
the Self, showed a little sign of regaining normal consciousness. Returning to the semi-conscious state again, he offered himself to the
Devi. He now gave away for ever at the lotus feet of the Devi his all -- the results of his Sadhanas, his rosary etc.-- along with his
self, and saluted her, uttering the Mantras:
"O Thou, the auspiciousness of all auspicious things! O door of all actions! O refuge! O the three-eyed One! O the fair complexioned
spouse of Siva! O Narayani! I bow down to Thee, I bow down to thee! "
The worship was at an end.1 The Master's Sadhana reached its culmination with the worship of the Ruler of the universe, the Divine Mother
in the body of a woman, the embodiment of spiritual knowledge itself. The god-man attained perfection in all respects.