Ramakrishna Paramahansa

Ramakrishna Paramahansa appeared on the spiritual scene when science had thrown a challenge to the existence of God. By sheer intensity of devotion and spiritual aspiration he merged himself into divine consciousness and proved that discipline could raise one to supreme heights. Like a scientist he approached each religion with openness of mind and came to the conclusion that all paths eventually lead to the quintessential truth. It was his unique achievement to have followed the discipline of each religion to its full fruition and then to have integrated them all in a rare synthesis. Speaking about the different paths he says" "let a man be a Christian in the matter of mercy, a Muslim in the matter of strict observance of external forms and a Hindu in the matter of universal charity towards all living creatures".

Born on 17th February, 1836 in a Brahmin family of Bengal, Ramakrishna inherited the love for God from his parents. The devotional atmosphere of his home and the village environment of bhajans, kirtans and religious dramas had a deep impact on his life. He experienced the first trance at the early age of six. He was indifferent to school education. However, he read the Ramayana, Mahabharata and some other religious books. The death of his father was a great blow to the family. After struggling hard along with his brother for some years to make a living, he became the priest in the temple of Dakshineshwar in Kolkata.

Ramakrishna started his spiritual practice at Dakshineshwar. He respected the image of Goddess Kali as his own Mother. He was restless to have a glimpse of Goddess Kali.

He himself describes how he was successful in having a vision. He says, "I was overpowered by a great restlessness. I could not bear the separation any longer. Life did not seem worth living. Suddenly my eyes fell on the sword that was kept in the temple. Determined to put an end to my life, I jumped and seized it. Then suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself to me and I fell unconscious on the floor. What exactly happened after that, or how that day or the next passed, I do not know, but within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss altogether new. I felt the presence of the Divine Mother".

Ramakrishna was not satisfied by one type of spiritual pursuit. He followed the Tantra technique and attained perfection. He proved by his personal experiences that it was not necessary for a Tantra seeker to go through all the exercises physically as some of them were dangerous and disgusting from the moral point of view. He learnt Vedanta from Totapuri, a Punjab monk. After initiating Ramakrishna, Totapuri asked him to concentrate on his ‘atman’. Ramakrishna immediately went into samadhi and remained in that state for three days. Totapuri, impressed by this masterly feat, said, "Great God, it is nothing short of a miracle. It was undoubtedly a case of Nirvikalpa Samadhi- the culmination of Advaita practice."

Then he took up Islam and forgot for the time being that he was a Hindu. Describing his new pursuit he says, "Then I used to repeat the name of Allah, wear my clothes in the fashion of the Mohammedans and recite the ‘Namaz’ regularly. All Hindu ideas having been wholly banished from my mind, not only did I not salute the Hindu Gods, but I had no intention even to visit them. After three days I realised the goal of that form of devotion." He also tried the Christian way of God realisation. He later approached God as a woman by wearing female clothes and assuming the role of Radha. It is believed that he took up this role to emphasize that women are as competent as men.

Though he was married, he had no conjugal relationship with his wife Sarada Devi. He regarded her as a symbol of motherhood while she looked upon him as her God. One day his wife while massaging his feet asked him: "What do you think of me?" Ramakrishna was prompt in his reply: "The mother who is worshipped in the temple is the mother who has given birth to this body and is now living in the concert room, and she again is massaging my feet at this moment. Verily I always look upon you as the visible representation of the Blissful Mother.". After the death of Ramakrishna, she became the Mother of the ashram and carried out successfully the mission of spiritual awakening.

The meeting of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda symbolises the Union of modern India with ancient India. In Vivekananda, he found a good disciple and after giving him the experience of Reality, he moulded him to carry the message of Vedanta.

Ramakrishna Paramahansa was the true embodiment of India’s religious and cultural heritage. He believed in the unity of all religions. His religion means ecstasy and welfare of mankind. Jawaharlal Nehru has rightly remarked: "Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa obviously was completely outside the run of average humanity. He appears to be in the tradition of the great rishis (saints) of India, who have come from time to time to draw our attention to the higher things of life and of the spirit."

Romain Rolland, who called him Godman, gives a pen portrait of his personality in these words, "Ramakrishna was small brown man with a short beard and beautiful, long dark eyes, full of light, obliquely set and slightly veiled, never very wide open, but seeing half closed a great distance both outwardly and inwardly. His mouth was half open over his white teeth in a bewitching smile, at once affectionate and mischievous. Of medium height, he was thin to emaciation and extremely delicate. He was indeed a living reflection of all that happened before the mirror of his eyes, a two-sided mirror turned both out and in".

Ramakrishna taught more by his trances and silence. He never indulged in long discussions and preaching. He generally gave similes from common life to explain the underlying idea of any religious thought. Sometimes he was seen singing and dancing like a child. He proved beyond doubt that a man can live in constant consciousness of divinity. His advice to the householders was, " To live in the world as a worldly man is not in itself an evil, it is the attitude that matters. Running away from life or escapism of some kind is not the remedy nor the proper way. One should adopt the right attitude and arm oneself with devotion and knowledge of God. Action done in the spirit of self-surrender to God leads man to higher life."