Sri
Ramakrishna was born on
18 February 1836
in the village of
Kamarpukur
about sixty miles northwest of Kolkata. His parents, Kshudiram
Chattopadhyaya and Chandramani Devi, were poor but very pious
and virtuous. As a child, Ramakrishna (his childhood name was Gadadhar)
was dearly loved by the villagers. From early days, he was disinclined
towards formal education and worldly affairs. He was, however, a talented
boy, and could sing and paint well. He was fond of serving holy men and
listening to their discourses. He was also very often found to be
absorbed in spiritual moods. At the age of six, he experienced the first
ecstasy while watching a flight of white cranes moving against the
background of black clouds. This tendency to enter into ecstasy
intensified with age. His father’s death when he was seven years old
served only to deepen his introspection and increase his detachment from
the world.
As a Priest at
Dakshineswar Temple
When Sri
Ramakrishna was sixteen, his brother Ramkumar took him to Kolkata
to assist him in his priestly profession. In 1855 the Kali Temple at
Dakshineswar built by Rani Rasmani was consecrated and Ramkumar
became the chief priest in that temple. When he died a few months later,
Ramakrishna was appointed the priest. Ramakrishna developed intense
devotion to Mother Kali and spent hours in loving adoration of her image,
forgetting the rituals of priestly duties. His intense longing culminated
in the vision of Mother Kali as boundless effulgence engulfing everything
around him.
Intense Spiritual
Practices
Sri
Ramakrishna’s God-intoxicated state alarmed his relatives in Kamarpukur
and they got him married to Saradamani, a girl from the
neighbouring village of
Jayrambati.
Unaffected by the marriage, Sri Ramakrishna plunged into even more intense
spiritual practices. Impelled by a strong inner urge to experience
different aspects of God he followed, with the help of a series of Gurus,
the various paths described in the Hindu scriptures, and realized God
through each of them. The first teacher to appear at Dakshineswar (in
1861) was a remarkable woman known as Bhairavi Brahmani who was an
advanced spiritual adept, well versed in scriptures. With her help Sri
Ramakrishna practised various difficult disciplines of the Tantrik path,
and attained success in all of them. Three years later came a wandering
monk by name Totapuri, under whose guidance Sri Ramakrishna
attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest spiritual experience
mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. He remained in that state of non-dual
existence for six months without the least awareness of even his own
body. In this way, Sri Ramakrishna relived the entire range of spiritual
experiences of more than three thousand years of Hindu religion.
Following Other Faiths
With his
unquenchable thirst for God, Sri Ramakrishna broke the frontiers of
Hinduism, glided through the paths of Islam and Christianity,
and attained the highest realization through each of them in a short span
of time. He looked upon Jesus and Buddha as incarnations of
God, and venerated the ten Sikh Gurus. He expressed the
quintessence of his twelve-year-long spiritual realizations in a simple
dictum: Yato mat, tato path “As many faiths, so many paths.”
He now habitually lived in an exalted state of consciousness in which he
saw God in all beings.
Worshipping His Wife
In 1872, his wife Sarada,
now nineteen years old, came from the village to meet him. He received
her cordially, and taught her how to attend to household duties and at the
same time lead an intensely spiritual life. One night he worshipped her
as the Divine Mother in his room at the Dakshineswar temple. Although
Sarada continued to stay with him, they lived immaculately pure lives, and
their marital relationship was purely spiritual. It should be mentioned
here that Sri Ramakrishna had been ordained a Sannyasin (Hindu monk), and
he observed the basic vows of a monk to perfection. But outwardly he
lived like a lay man, humble, loving and with childlike simplicity.
During Sri Ramakrishna’s stay at Dakshineswar, Rani Rasmani first acted as
his patron. After her death, her son-in-law Mathur Nath Biswas took care
of his needs.
Contact
with Some Notables
Sri Ramakrishna’s name as an
illumined saint began to spread. Mathur once convened an assembly of
scholars, and they declared him to be not an ordinary human being but the
Avatar of the Modern Age. In those days the socio-religious movement
known as Brahmo Samaj, founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, was
at
the height of popularity in Bengal. Sri Ramakrishna came into contact
with several leaders and members of Brahmo Samaj and exerted much
influence on them. His teaching on harmony of religions attracted people
belonging to different denominations, and Dakshineswar became a veritable
Parliament of Religions.
Coming
of the Devotees
As bees swarm around a fully
blossomed flower, devotees now started coming to Sri Ramakrishna. He
divided them into two categories. The first one consisted of
householders. He taught them how to realize God while living in the world
and discharging their family duties. The other more important category
was a band of educated youths, mostly from the middle class families of
Bengal, whom he trained to become monks and to be the torchbearers of his
message to mankind. The foremost among them was Narendranath, who
years later, as Swami Vivekananda, carried the universal message of
Vedanta to different parts of the world, revitalized Hinduism, and
awakened the soul of India.
The
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
Sri Ramakrishna did not
write any book, nor did he deliver public lectures. Instead, he chose to
speak in a simple language using parables and metaphors by way of
illustration, drawn from the observation of nature and ordinary things of
daily use. His conversations were charming and attracted the cultural
elite of Bengal. These conversations were noted down by his disciple
Mahendranath Gupta who published them in the form of a book, Sri
Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in Bengali. Its English rendering,
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, was released in 1942; it continues
to be increasingly popular to this day on account of its universal appeal
and relevance.
Last
Days
The intensity of his spiritual life and untiring spiritual
ministration to the endless stream of seekers told on Sri Ramakrishna's
health. He developed cancer of the throat in 1885. He was shifted to a
spacious suburban villa where his young disciples nursed him day and
night. He instilled in them love for one another, and thus laid the
foundation for the future monastic brotherhood known as Ramakrishna Math.
In the small hours of
16 August
1886
Sri Ramakrishna gave up his physical body, uttering the name of the Divine
Mother, and passed into Eternity.
Chronology of
Main Events related to Sri Ramakrishna’s Life |
Year |
Event |
1775 |
Birth of Kshudiram, Sri
Ramakrishna’s father. |
1791 |
Birth of Chandra Devi,
Sri Ramakrishna’s mother. |
1805 |
Birth of Ramkumar, Sri
Ramakrishna’s eldest brother. |
1814 |
Kshudiram settles at
Kamarpukur, Sri Ramakrishna’s birthplace. |
1826 |
Birth of Rameshwar, Sri
Ramakrishna’s elder brother. |
1835 |
Kshudiram's pilgrimage
to Gaya. |
1836 |
Birth of Sri
Ramakrishna, known in boyhood as Gadadhar, February 18, about 5:15
a.m. |
1842 or 1843 |
First trance of Gadadhar
at the sight of white birds and dark clouds. |
1843 |
Death of Kshudiram.
|
1845 |
Gadadhar's sacred thread
ceremony. |
1850 |
Ramkumar opens his
school in Kolkata. |
1852 |
Gadadhar comes to
Kolkata. |
1853 |
Birth of the Holy Mother
Sri Sarada Devi, December 22. |
1855 |
Dakshineshwar Kali
temple founded. Ramkumar became priest of Kali Temple. Gadadhar,
known as Sri Ramakrishna, took over the dressing and decorating of the
Divine Mother. Hriday, nephew of Sri Ramakrishna, assisted Ramkumar
and Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna appointed first priest of the
Vishnu temple and then of the Kali temple. Ramkumar appointed priest
of the Vishnu temple. |
1856 |
Death of Ramkumar. Sri
Ramakrishna’s first vision of Mother Kali as ocean of Light.
|
1857 |
Sri Ramakrishna remains
mostly in a God-intoxicated state. His treatment under Ganga Prasad
Sen. |
1858 |
Haladhari, Sri
Ramakrishna’s cousin, appointed priest at Dakshineshwar. Sri
Ramakrishna goes to Kamarpukur. |
1859 |
Sri Ramakrishna's
marriage. Stays at Kamarpukur for 1½ years. |
1860 |
Return to Dakshineshwar.
Mathur's vision of Sri Ramakrishna as Shiva and Kali. |
1861 |
Death of Rani Rasmani.
Meeting with Bhairavi Brahmani. Tantra practice under the Brahmani
starts. |
1863 |
Completion of Tantra
practice. Chandra Devi comes to live at Dakshineshwar. |
1864 |
Sri Ramakrishna's
practice of vatsalya bhava
under Jatadhari. Practice of madhur bhava.
Initiation into sannyasa by Totapuri. |
1865 |
Akshay, Sri
Ramakrishna’s nephew, replaces Haladhari. Totapuri leaves
Dakshineshwar. |
1866 |
Sri Ramakrishna in the
Advaita plane for six months. Practice of Islam. |
1867 |
Sri Ramakrishna at
Kamarpukur. Brahmani bids farewell. |
1868 |
Pilgrimage with Mathur
to Deoghar, Varanasi, Allahabad and Vrindaban. Meeting with Ganga
Ma, a Vaishnava woman devotee. |
1870 |
Visit with Mathur to
eastern parts of Bengal including Kalna and Navadvip. Meeting with
Bhagavandas Babaji at the Colootola Harisabha. |
1871 |
Death of Mathur. |
1872 |
The Holy Mother's first
visit to Dakshineshwar. The Shodashi Puja. |
1873 |
Death of Rameshwar,
elder brother of Sri Ramakrishna. |
1874 |
The Holy Mother’s second
visit to Dakshineshwar. Sri Ramakrishna’s practice of Christianity,
and vision of Christ. |
1875 |
Sri Ramakrishna's first
visit to Keshab Chandra Sen. Sri Ramakrishna's last visit to
Kamarpukur. |
1876 |
Death of Chandra Devi. |
1877 |
Death of Shambhu Mallick.
The Holy Mother's third visit to Dakshineshwar. |
1878 |
Close contact with
Keshab and the Brahmos. |
1879 |
Coming of disciples
begins. Ramachandra Datta and Manomohan Mitra come to the Master. |
1880 |
Surendra Nath Mitra
comes to the Master. |
1881 |
Dismissal of Hriday.
Rakhal (later Swami Brahmananda), Narendra (later Swami Vivekananda)
and Balaram Bose come to the Master. |
1882 |
M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta)
and Baburam (later Swami Premananda) come to the Master. Visit to
Pundit Vidyasagar. The Holy Mother again at Dakshineswar. |
1883 |
Adhar, Shashi (later
Swami Ramakrishnananda) and Sarat (later Swami Saradananda) come to
the Master. |
1884 |
Kalipada and Kaliprasad
(later Swami Abhedananda) come to the Master. Death of Keshab. Meeting
with Pundit Shashadhar. Gopal’s Ma and Nag Mahashay come.
|
1885 |
The Holy Mother comes to
live at Dakshineswar for the last time. The “inner circle” of
disciples becomes complete with the coming of Purna. Last visit to
Panihati. Illness and removal to Shyampukur. Association with Dr.
Sarkar. Removal to Cossipore. |
1886 |
Treatment at Cossipore.
Organization of disciples. Mahasamadhi on 16 August, at two minutes
past 1 a.m. |
The message of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern
world, which he gave through his life and through his recorded
conversations, may be briefly stated as follows:
The goal of
human life is the realization of the Ultimate Reality which alone can
give man supreme fulfilment and everlasting peace. This is the essence of
all religions.
The Ultimate
Reality is one; but it is personal as well as impersonal, and is
indicated by different names (such as God, Ishvar, etc) in different
religions.
The Ultimate
Reality can be realized through various paths taught in world religions.
All religions are true in so far as they lead to the same ultimate
Goal.
Purity
of mind is an essential condition for the
attainment of the Ultimate Reality; real purity is freedom from lust and
greed. External observances are only of secondary importance.
Through
spiritual practices man can overcome his evil tendencies, and
divine grace can redeem even the worst sinner. Therefore one should
not brood over the past mistakes, but should develop a positive outlook on
life by depending on God.
God
realization is possible for all. The
householders need not renounce the world; but they should pray sincerely,
practise discrimination between the Eternal and the temporal and remain
unattached. God listens to sincere prayer. Intense longing (vyakulata)
is the secret of success in spiritual life.
God
dwells in all people but the
manifestation of this inner Divinity varies from person to person. In
saintly people there is greater manifestation of God. Women are special
manifestations of Divine Mother of the Universe, and so are to be treated
with respect.
Since God
dwells in all people, helping the needy should be done not out of
compassion (which is an attitude of condescension) but as humble
service to God.
Egoism,
caused by ignorance, is the root-cause of all suffering.
Life is an
expression of the spontaneous creativity (Lila) of God. Pleasure
and pain, success and failure, etc are to be borne with patience, and
one should resign oneself to God’s will under all circumstances.
1.
Spiritual Ideal
: One of the important contributions of Sri
Ramakrishna is the reestablishment of the ideal of God
realization in the modern world. In a world in which
people’s faith in traditional religions has been considerably
reduced by the relentless attack of the forces of atheism,
materialism and scientific thinking, Sri Ramakrishna established
the possibility of having direct experience of transcendent
Reality. His life has enabled thousands of people to gain
or regain faith in God and in the eternal verities of religion.
As Mahatma Gandhi has stated: “His (Ramakrishna’s) life enables
us to see God face to face. No one can read the story of
his life without being convinced that God alone is real and that
all else is an illusion.”
2. Harmony
of Religions:
Sri Ramakrishna, however, is more well known all over the world
as the Prophet of Harmony of Religions. He did not say
that all the religions are the same. He recognized
differences among religions but showed that, in spite of these
differences, all religions lead to the same ultimate goal, and
hence they are all valid and true. This view is nowadays
known as “Pluralism”: Sri Ramakrishna is its primary originator.
The uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna’s view is that it was based,
not on speculation, but on direct experience gained through
actual practice. Since conflicts among religions and the
rise of religious fundamentalism are a major threat to the
peace, prosperity and progress of humanity, Sri Ramakrishna’s
doctrine of harmony of religions has immense importance in the
modern world. Regarding this, the distinguished British
historian Arnold Toynbee has written: “… Mahatma Gandhi’s
principle of non-violence and Sri Ramakrishna’s testimony to the
harmony of religions: here we have the attitude and the spirit
that can make it possible for the human race to grow together
into a single family – and in the Atomic Age, this is the only
alternative to destroying ourselves.”
3. Bridge
between the ancient and the modern:
Sri Ramakrishna is the real link between the ancient and the
modern. He showed how the ancient ideals and experiences
could be realized even while following the normal modern way of
life.
4. Boost
to moral life:
Sri Ramakrishna’s emphasis on truthfulness and renunciation of
lust and greed has given a great boost to moral life in modern
times. He also cleansed religious life of immoral
practices, external pomp, miracle mongering, etc.
5. Divinization
of love:
Sri Ramakrishna elevated love from the level of emotions to the
level of the unity of all Selves in God. Although the
principle of oneness of the Supreme Self and its immanence in
all beings is a central point in the Upanishads, it was seldom
applied in practical life. Sri Ramakrishna saw the Divine
in his wife, in his disciples, in others, even in fallen women,
and treated them all with respect. The famous dictum of
the New Testament, “God is Love”, found its verification in Sri
Ramakrishna. Divinization of love and human relationships
is another contribution of Sri Ramakrishna which has immense
significance for the welfare of humanity.
Some sayings
of Sri Ramakrishna: |
He
is born in vain who, having attained the human birth, so difficult to get,
does not attempt to realize God in this very life.
You
see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you
therefore say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day? O
man, because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not
that there is no God.
One cannot have the vision of God as long as one has these three – shame,
hatred, and fear.
Be not a traitor in your thoughts.
Be sincere; act according to your thoughts; and you shall surely succeed.
Pray with a sincere and simple heart, and your prayers will be heard.
Do not let worldly thoughts and anxieties disturb your mind. Do
everything that is necessary in the proper time, and let your mind be
always fixed on God.
You
should remember that the heart of the devotee is the abode of God. He
dwells, no doubt, in all beings, but He especially manifests Himself in
the heart of the devotee. The heart of the devotee is the drawing room of
God.
Pure knowledge and pure love are one
and the same thing. Both lead the aspirants to the same goal. The path of
love is much easier.
Who
is the best devotee of God? It is he who sees, after the realization of
Brahman that God alone has become all living beings, the universe, and the
twenty-four cosmic principles. One must discriminate at first, saying 'Not
this, not this', and reach the roof. After that one realizes that the
steps are made of the same materials as the roof, namely, brick, lime, and
brick-dust. The devotee realizes that it is Brahman alone that has become
all these — the living beings, the universe, and so on.
Live
in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird
shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the
mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.
I
tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the world. But
you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will not succeed. Do
your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is
over you will hold to God with both hands.
The
breeze of His grace is blowing day and night over your head. Unfurl the
sails of your boat (mind), if you want to make rapid progress through the
ocean of life.
One should constantly repeat the name
of God. The name of God is highly effective in the Kaliyuga. The practice
of yoga is not possible in this age, for the life of a man depends on
food. Clap your hands while repeating God's name, and the birds of your
sins will fly away.
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