Kshudiram had three family deities — Raghuvir (Sri Ramachandra), Rameshwar Shiva, and the goddess Shitala. The symbol of Shitala that Kshudiram worshipped is actually a pot full of water with a mango twig on the top and red vermillion marks on the outside. The goddess is meditated on as wearing a red cloth and using the twig to sprinkle water for peace and prosperity. Now it so happened that when Sri Ramakrishna was living in Dakshineswar, he often received various kinds of sweets and fruits from devotees. One day a thought came to his mind: “I get so many nice things to eat here and Mother Shitala at Kamarpukur does not get any of them.” A few days later he had a dream in which Mother Shitala told him: “I dwell in one form in the water pot and in another form in your niece Lakshmi. It will be equivalent to feeding Me if you feed her.” After that, whenever Sri Ramakrishna was given any good food, he would feed Lakshmi with his own hands. (Source: They Lived with God)
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Lakshmi was married at the age of eleven to Dhanakrishna Ghatak of Goghat village. The marriage had been arranged by her father, Rameshwar, before he passed away in 1873. When Ramlal brought the news of Lakshmi’s marriage to the Master, who was then at Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna immediately said, “Lakshmi will be a widow,” and went into samadhi. Hriday was shocked. After a while the Master came back to the normal plane of consciousness and Hriday said to him: “You have so much affection for Lakshmi. Upon hearing news of her marriage, you are supposed to bless her. But instead of that, you have said an awful thing!” Sri Ramakrishna replied: “What can I do? The Divine Mother spoke that through me. Lakshmi is a partial incarnation of Shitala, who is a powerful goddess, while the person who has married her is an ordinary human being. It is not possible for him to enjoy Lakshmi. Only if Lord Shiva would incarnate as a man, then she could be his wife. Now she is definitely going to be a widow.” (Source: They Lived with God)