A Story about Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi

Before giving Darshan on the third October 2009, Sri Swami Vishwananda told us a story about Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna and his wife Sarada Devi:

You all know Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna- Don't you? If you don’t know Him: There is a beautiful book called “The gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.” Read it. It’s very inspiring. It will help you a lot on the spiritual path. Sri Ramakrishna lived in the 19th century. He died on the 16th of august 1886. When he died, in the Hindu tradition it is like that : when the husband dies, the wife has to break or remove all the jewellery. I guess it’s the same thing here also, no? (laughter) Or they put more jewellery on? So in the Hindu tradition it is like that: You have to remove all the jewellery. So Sarada Devi, the wife of Ramakrishna was always wearing the bangles, which she received from Ramakrishna when they got married. Ramakrishna was 23 years old when he married Sarada Devi, she was five years old. Shocking, isn't it? But that was normal that time. (laughing) So when Ramakrishna died, he was 50 years old. For 27 years she had these bangles on her arm and never removed them. She grew up and of course the bangles became were very tight in her hand. Then she was wondering how to break these bangles. So they decided to cut it. As she was going to cut the bangle out, she heard the voice of Ramakrishna saying “Sarada Devi, What are you doing? Why are you breaking these bangles that I gave you? Do you think I am dead? I am not dead. I am still alive. I just moved from one room to the other.” It’s like the sun. When the sun is setting, we all say that it is dark no? But when the sun sets, it’s day somewhere else. Same: When death happens there is birth somewhere else. In other spheres or another level of spirituality. So in reality you are not dead.