No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
Sri Sarada Devi
The Whole World
Theme: Everyday Divinity
I tell you one thing—If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
Sri Sarada Devi (1853–1920) was born Saradamani Mukhopadhyay in the quiet village of Jayrambati, near Kamarpukur in West Bengal, into a deeply spiritual and humble family. From a young age, she exhibited a calm strength and devotion—helping her mother, caring for siblings, and tending to simple household tasks—even before any formal spiritual training.
At the age of six, she was married to Sri Ramakrishna, a mystic whose heart embraced all faiths. In her late teens, she went to live with him at Dakshineswar, where she supported his spiritual mission not out of duty, but from a shared devotion. Though they lived with purity and mutual reverence, she remained inwardly focused, attending lovingly to disciples and household responsibilities while nurturing inner awareness.
After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing, she quietly became the spiritual anchor of the movement, regarded as the Holy Mother—embodying both divine grace and maternal care. She offered profound counsel with simple words. Over decades, she guided disciples with compassionate insight, all the while reinforcing that each person belongs, that every moment holds the sacred, and that divine love is present in ordinary life.
Sarada Devi. The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi: The Mother of the Sri Ramakrishna Order. Translated by Swami Nikhilananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1984, p. 60.
Sri Sarada Devi
Theme: Everyday Divinity
About This Sri Sarada Devi Quotation [Commentary]
Sri Sarada Devi begins her counsel with plain direction: “If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults.” Peace is found not in judging those around us, but in turning inward and facing what is truly ours to correct. Her words are simple, yet they reach to the root of discord, showing that self-examination is the first condition of a calm heart.
She then widens the vision: “Learn to make the whole world your own.” This guidance is both practical and inclusive. When the habit of fault-finding is set aside, the way opens to recognize our bond with all. To make the world our own is to move beyond division, to live with a sense of belonging that is not limited by difference.
At the center of her counsel is a tender reassurance: “No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.” Addressing each listener as “my child,” Sri Sarada Devi speaks as the universal Mother. Her words hold both clarity and compassion, affirming that no one is outside the circle of care and that the sacred is present in every relationship and every day.
Eknath Easwaran About “The Whole World Is Your Own” [Commentary]
These words are revered as the last message of Sri Sarada Devi (1853-1920), wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramakrishna, the Hindu mystic and world teacher. Their remarkable partnership was largely hidden during Ramakrishna’s lifetime, but after his passing this simple village woman helped Ramakrishna’s disciples establish a legacy that continues to flourish, and gave initiation and comfort to thousands who sought her blessing.
—From Holy Mother, by Swami Nikhilananda (Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, 1962).
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