'The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi', is the full translation of the Bengali work 'Sri Sri Mayer Katha', parts of which have already come out in translation under other titles. This Math itself had published some important sections of it as early as 1940 under the title 'Conversations of the Holy Mother', incorporated in her biography 'Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother'. The present book, however, embodies the whole of the Bengali text. Most of the reminiscences and conversations of the Holy Mother, except what appears in the great work of Swami Saradeshananda, entitled 'The Mother as I saw her', also published by this Math, are now available for the English reading public in one volume.
Recorded as it is by a large number of the devotee-children of the Mother, the present book reveals to mankind a great character that chose to remain outside public notice behind the Purdah and in the obscurity of the village of Jayrambati. Even under these conditions the great lady's greatness could not be obscured. Through the impressions and recollections of a large number of men and women of various stations in life, who came into contact with Sri Sarada Devi, her greatness emerges in the bright colours of Universal Motherhood, never before witnessed in so striking a manner in any personality we know of. Therefore, while the contents of this book are of special importance to the followers of Sri Ramakrishna, they can make an appeal to all who appreciate the great human value of motherliness.
The book is divided into three parts, as the translation has been done by three different persons. The reminiscences are of several people numbering 38. These recorders are both men and women, monastics and lay, and the reminiscences are of varying length and importance. But all the recorders were close to the Mother, some of them being very intimate with her as her personal attendants. It would have been possible to give greater perfection to the book, if we were able to give a few details at least about these recorders; but at this distance of time, it is not possible to gather precise