Life History of Sri Ramakrishna Deva
Sri Ramakrishna, the prophet of modern India was born in the village of Kamarpukur, 70 miles west of Calcutta, on 18th February 1836, and brought up in a pious, devout and simple rural atmosphere. Gadadhar (childhood name) grew up into a healthy and restless boy, full of fun and sweet mischief. He was intelligent precocious and endowed with a prodigious memory, which enabled him to repeat, just after hearing only once. To listen to recitations of stories from Hindu mythology and the epics was his greatest delight. Painting he enjoyed, the art of moulding images of the gods and goddesses he learnt from the potters. But arithmetic was his great aversion. He was endowed with a yearning for the vision of God from his very childhood, at the age six or seven Gadadhar had his first experience of spiritual ecstasy. Neglecting his studies, he sat with wandering monks and pilgrims, and played religious dramas with his young companions. To turn his mind to a useful education, he was brought to Calcutta in his seventeenth year. Gadadhar, however, observed that the aim of all secular knowledge was mere material advancement, and he resolved to devote himself solely to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge, which would ensure eternal peace. Being insisted by his brother to studies, his reply was - "Brother, what shall I do with a mere bread-winning education? I would rather acquire that wisdom which will illumine my heart and give me satisfaction for ever".
Circumstance now so shaped themselves that within a short time he became the priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. The worship of God was after his heart and he took to the duties of the new vocation with great zeal and enthusiasm. As his love for God deepened, he began either to forget or to drop the formalities of worship. Sitting before the image, he would spend hours singing the devotional songs of great devotees of the Mother. Those soul stirring songs, describing the direct vision of God, only intensified Sri Ramakrishna's longing. He felt the pangs of a child separated from its mother. Sometimes, in agony, he would rub his face against the ground and weep so bitterly that people, thinking he had lost his earthly mother, would sympathize with him in his grief. Sometimes, in moments of scepticisim, he would cry: "Are you true, Mother, or is it all fiction-mere poetry without any reality? If you do exist, why do I not see Thee? Is religion a mere fantasy and are You only a figment of man's imagination?" He began to behave in an abnormal manner, most of the time unconscious of the world. He almost gave up food; and sleep left him altogether.
But he did not have to wait very long. He has thus described his first vision of the Mother: "I felt as if my heart were being squeezed like a wet towel. I was overpowered with a great restlessness and a fear that it might not be my lot to realize Her in this life. I could not bear the separation from her any longer. Life seemed to be not worth living. Suddenly my glance fell on the sword that was kept in the Mother's temple. I determined to put an end to my life. When I jumped up like a madman and seized it, suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself. The buildings with their different parts, the temple and everything else vanished from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me up! I was panting for breath. I was caught in the rush and collapsed, unconscious. What was happening in the outside world I did not know; but within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I felt the presence of the Divine Mother."
Ramakrishna now plunged into hard spiritual practices, and realized by following the multifarious paths of Hinduism and also through the disciplines of Christianity and Islam. Thus in various ways Sri Ramakrishna tasted the bliss of communion with God-sometimes merging himself totally in the Absolute, sometimes as a child of the Divine Mother maintaining an appearance of duality. After all these experiences he declared, 'I have found that it is the same God toward whom all are directing their steps as all rivers mingle at last in the ocean. He lived rest of his life in the state called Bhavamuka, the threshold between normal consciousness and super consciousness. His visions became deeper and more intimate. He no longer had to meditate to behold the Divine Mother. Even while retaining consciousness of the outer world, he would see Her as tangibly as the temples, the trees, the river and the men around him,
While he was going through his spiritual ecstasies, rumors had reached Kamarpukur, his village home, that he had gone mad. As a remedy his mother and elder brother got him married to Sri Sarada Devi, a six years old child but what a marriage it was! Sri Ramakrishna literally worshipped her as the Divine Mother with all rituals. Once while massaging Sri Ramakrishna's feet Holy Mother asked him " how do you look upon me?" Sir Ramakrishna replied, "The Mother in the Kali Temple, is the same that gave birth to this body and now resides at the Nahabat, and she, again, is now massaging my feet. Truly do I see you as a veritable form of the blissful Divine Mother" Their union was on the spiritual plane only. Yet he taught her everything from housekeeping to the knowledge of Brahman. He instructed her in all the practices of the spiritual life. Like him she was purer than purity itself. She was chastity incarnate.
"When the Lotus blooms, bees come of their own accord," Sri Ramakrishna said. Men and women from all walks of life and of different religion came to him for spiritual solace. Whoever came with earnestness felt his unbounded love, and got spiritually uplifted by his presence and words. When God-consciousness falls short, traditions become dogmatic and oppressive and religious teachings lose their transforming power. At a time when the very foundation of religion, faith in God, was crumbling under the relentless blows of materialism and scepticisim, Sri Ramakrishna, through his burning spiritual realizations, demonstrated beyond doubt the reality of God and the validity of the time-honoured teachings of all the prophets and saviours of the past, and thus restored the falling edifice of religion on a secure foundation. Drawn by the magnetism of Sri Ramakrishna's divine personality, people flocked to him from far and near, men and women, young and old, philosophers and theologians, philanthropists and humanists, atheists and agnostics, Hindus and Brahmos, Christians and Muslims, seekers of truth of all races, creeds and castes. His small room in the Dakshineswar temple garden on the outskirts of the city of Calcutta became a veritable parliament of religions.
He passed away on the 16th August 1886. But before that he had specially trained a band of young men to carry on his spiritual mission. These young men renounced the world after his passing away, and formed the monastic Order bearing his name with the motto "For one's own salvation and also for the welfare of the world." Led by the most dynamic and brilliant of them, Swami Vivekananda, they spread his message in India and abroad.
Teachings
Like stars in the daylight, God is invisible. Can you therefore say that there are no stars in the sky. During the day? O man! Because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God. A man thickly imbedded in maya is like a piece of iron thickly imbedded in mud. Just like the iron with mud is unmoved by the power of the magnet, so also the man is unaffected by the Lord. When the mud is washed away with water, it frees the iron. Likewise, when maya is washed away with prayer, man is automatically attracted to God. To explain God after merely reading the scriptures is like explaining a city after seeing it on a map. A meteorological report may forecast heavy rainfall, but you cannot squeeze a single drop from the paper on which the report is written. So also many good sayings are found in holy books, but merely reading them won't make you spiritually wise. An unbaked cake of flour sizzles loudly when put in heated oil. The more its fried, the less the noise. When it is fully fried, the noise ceases altogether. Likewise, when a man has a little knowledge, he goes about talking and preaching. A truly wise man does not make a vain display of his wisdom. Young bamboo bends easily, while full-grown bamboo breaks when bent with force. Likewise young minds bend easily towards spiritual thoughts as their minds has not yet stored up with contamination. All women are parts of the Blessed Mother and should be looked upon as mothers. A spiritual aspirant may live in the world but the world should not live in his mind. A boat may stay in water but water should not stay in the boat. Live like a lotus-leaf in water, or like a mud-fish in the marsh. A spiritual person lives in the material world without being obsessed with it. Milk poured into water mixes readily with it. When converted into butter, it no longer gets mixed but floats on top. Do all your duties, but keep you mind on God. Live with all - with wife, children, Father and mother and serve them. Serve them as if they were very dear to you. But know in your heart of hearts, that they do not belong to you. 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. Vision of God is obtained when the mind is perfectly tranquil. When the sea of one's mind is agitated by the waves of desires, it cannot reflect God. A kite with a fish in its beak was chased by a large number of crows and screaming kites, pecking at it and trying to snatch away the fish. Wherever it went, the flock of birds followed it. Tired of the chase, the kite threw away the fish. Instantly the flock veered off in the direction of the fish. The kite now sat calm and undisturbed upon the branch of a tree. As long as a man does not cast aside the burden of worldly desires, he cannot be at peace with himself. Ceremonies and rituals are useful up to a certain point, for the growth of spiritual thoughts. However, they become useless for him who has realized the highest truth, namely, God. Just as the oyster shell that contains a precious pearl is in itself of very little value, but is essential for the growth of the pearl. To acquire the power of concentration a person must begin by fixing the mind on a God with a form. Only then can he meditate on the Formless. Once a mind has been trained to focus on an idol, it is easy for it to focus on the Formless. A marksman learns to shoot by first aiming at big objects. As he gets more skilled in shooting, he targets smaller and smaller objects. After fourteen years of hard penance a man acquired the super natural power to walk on water. When he displayed of it, his brother rebuked him "What you have accomplished in fourteen years, ordinary men can do by paying a few pennies to the boatman. There are several bathing banks or ghats on a large river. A person goes to whichever ghat he pleases, but reaches the same water. There's no point in quarrelling over the merits of the various ghats. Every religion of the world is like a ghat, each has its own plus and minus points. And each leads to the water of Eternal Bliss. The one and the same water is called by different names in different languages. So, the one Sat-Chit-Ananda, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is invoked by some as Allah, by some as Hari and by others as Jesus. Two persons were hotly disputing over the color of a chameleon they had seen on a tree. One said that it was red, the other asserted it was blue. Unable to resolve their difference, they went to a man who lived under that tree and had watched the chameleon in all its phases. He knew that the chameleon constantly changes color. So he agreed with both the men. For the chameleon was red, as well as blue. Likewise, a devotee who has seen God only in one aspect knows that aspect alone. None but he who has seen him in manifold aspects can say "All these forms are of the one God, for God is multiformed." God is both formless and with form, and infinite are his forms. Viveka and vairagya, discrimination and dispassion, are the two purifying agents in our life. Put a purifying agent like alum into a vessel of muddy water, and see how impurities settle down at the bottom, making the water clear again. Similarly, viveka and vairagya help our restless senses to settle down and clear our minds of tensions and anxieties. A person who is fond of fishing first gathers detailed information about a pond, the type of fish it contains and the most suitable bait to catch them. He then goes to the pond with his fishing rod and bait, and waits there patiently until he gets an attractive catch. Similarly, a spiritual aspirant should first gain knowledge from scriptures and spiritual masters. He should try to seek God with the bait of faith and devotion, with his mind as the fishing rod. With unceasing patience he must wait for the fullness of time. Only then will he realize the Divine.
Once a disciple asked his Guru - When shall I see God? Then Guru took his disciple to the sea and immersed his head in water. After some time he released him and asked, "How did you feel?" "Desperate for breath", replied the devotee. On hearing the Guru said, "You shall see God when you are as desperate for Him, as you were for breath.Love can be unselfish, samartha; reciprocal, samanjasa; or selfish, sadharana. The unselfish lover seeks only the welfare of his beloved, even at the cost of personal hardship and pain. In reciprocal love, the lover desires happiness both for self and his beloved. When love is selfish, the lover cares only for his own happiness. Four blind men went out to 'see' an elephant. One touched the leg of the elephant and said, "The elephant is like a pillar." The second touched the trunk and said, "The elephant is like a thick club." The third touched the belly and said, "The elephant is like a big wall". The fourth touched the ears and said, "The elephant is like a big winnowing basket." Thus they began to dispute hotly among themselves as to the shape of the elephant. A passer-by, seeing them thus quarreling, said, "What is it you are disputing about?" They told him everything and asked him to arbitrate. The man said, "None of you has seen the elephant. The elephant is not like a pillar, its legs are like pillars. It is not like a winnowing basket, its ears are like winnowing baskets. It is not like a club, its trunk is like a club. The elephant is the combination of all these-legs, ears, belly, trunk and so on." In the same manner, those who quarrel about the nature of God have each seen only one aspect of the Deity. "O! Breaker of Bonds, We Adore Thee" Mahatma GandhiTributes to Sri Ramakrishna
"The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life is a story of religion in practice. His 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. Ramakrishna was a living embodiment of godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages from the Book of Life. They are revelations of his own experiences. In this age of scepticism, Ramakrishna presents an example of bright and living faith, which gives solace to thousand of men and women who would otherwise have remained without spiritual light. Ramakrishna's life was an object-lesson in Ahimsa. His love knew no limits, geographical or otherwise. May his divine love be an inspiration to all."
Prof Max. Muller
"The state of His religious exaltation has been witnessed again and again by serious observers of exceptional psychic states. It is in its essence some thing like our talking in sleep, only that with a mind saturated with religious thoughts and with the sublimest ideas of goodness and purity the result is what we find in the case of Ramakrishna, no mere senseless hypnotic jabbering, but a spontaneous outburst of profound wisdom clothed in a beautiful poetical language. His mind seems like a kaleidoscope of pearls diamonds, and sapphires shaken together at random but always producing precious thoughts in regular, beautiful outlines."
Ravindranath Tagore
"To the Paramahamsa Ramakrishna Deva
Diverse courses of worship
from varied springs of fulfillment
have mingled in your meditation.
The manifold revelation of the joy of the Infinite
has given form to a shrine of unity in your life
Where from far and near arrive salutations
to which I join mine own."
Romain Rolland
"I am bringing to Europe, as yet unaware of it, the fruit of a new autumn, a new message of the Soul, the symphony of India, bearing the name of Ramakrishna. With his victorious sign he marks a new era. The man whose image I here evoke was the consummation of two thousand years of the spiritual life of three hundred million people. He was no hero of action like Gandhi, no genius in art or thought like Goethe or Tagore. He was a little village Brahmin of Bengal, whose outer life was set in a limited frame without striking incident, outside the political and social activities of his time. But his inner life embraced the whole multiplicity of men and gods."
"It is my desire to bring the sound of the beating of that artery to the ears of fever-stricken Europe, Which has murdered sleep. I wish to wet its lips with the blood of Immortality. It is always the same Man-the Son of Man, the Eternal, Our Son, Our God reborn. With each return he reveals himself a little more fully, and more enriched by the universe. Allowing for differences of country and of time, Ramakrishna is the younger brother of our Christ."
Sri Aurobindo
"Of all these souls Sri Ramakrishna was the last and greatest, for while others felt God in a single or limited aspect, he felt Him in His illimitable unity as the sum of an illimitable variety. In him the spiritual experiences of the millions of saints who had gone before were renewed and united. A new era dates from his birth; an era in which the peoples of the earth will be lifted for a while into communion with God and spirituality will become the dominant note of human life. This is the reason of India's resurgence, this is why God has breathed life into her once more. What was Ramakrishna? God manifest in a human being; but behind there is God in His infinite impersonality and His universal Personality. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is the epitome of the whole."
Christopher Isherwood
"This is a story of phenomenon. A phenomenon is often something extraordinary and mysterious. Ramakrishna was extraordinary and mysterious; most all to those who were best fitted to understand him. I myself am a devotee of Ramakrishna; I believe, or am at least strongly inclined to believe, that he was what his disciples declared that he was an incarnation of God upon earth."
Jawaharlal Nehru
"Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa obviously was completely outside the run of average humanity. He appears to be in the tradition of the great rishis of India, who have come from time to time to draw our attention to the higher things of life and of the spirit."
Arnold J Toynbee
"Sri Ramakrishna's message was unique being expressed in action; the message itself was the perennial message of Hinduism. To know this is good, but it not enough. Religion is not just a matter for study: it is something, that to be experienced and to be lived, and this is the field in which Sri Ramakrishna manifested his uniqueness. He practised successively almost every form of Indian religion and philosophy and he went on to practise Islam and Christianity as well. His religious activity and experience were, in fact, comprehensive to a degree that had perhaps never before been attained by any religious genius in India or elsewhere."
S Radhakrishnan
"It is not necessary to speak of the great influence of Ramakrishna on modern thought. It has become a part of India's history, and there is no necessity to emphasize Ramakrishna's achievements."
Pitirim A Sorokin
"A successful growth of Sri Ramakrishna and of the Vedanta movements in the West is one of many symptoms of two basic processes, which are going on at the present time in the human universe."
C Rajagopalachari
"But the greatness-the uniqueness, if I am say so, of Sri Ramakrishna was this, that he was hundred percent Hindu. There are many books on Hinduism, both ancient and modern, books like the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. But they are books for scholars. You may read them and be benefit. But nothing explains the true core of Hinduism so well as the written records of the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa."
Muhammad Daud Rahbar
"His open, passionate, and transparent devotion humbles and chastens us. He is no common mortal. He is a man of phenomenal gifts. His presence is a heaven. His experiments with psychology of religion are of both spiritual and scientific value for us. Was not the unsophisticated Sri Ramakrishna a gifted scientist in his own right? In his blissful life we find a happy union of religion and science."
Nicholas De Roerich
"Thought turned to the radiant giant of India-Sri Ramakrishna. Around this glorious name, there are so many respectful definitions. Sri, Bhagavan, Paramahamsa-all best offerings through which the people wish to express their esteem and reverence. The personal name has already changed into a great all-national, universal concept. Who has not heard the Blessed Name! The conception of goodness and benevolence truly befits him. Except for petrified hearts, who would oppose the Good!"
P. C. Mazumdar
"A living evidence of the sweetness and depth of Hindu religion is this holy and good man. He has wholly controlled, and nearly killed his flesh. He is full of soul, full of reality of religion, full of joy, full of blessed purity. His religion means ecstasy, his worship means transcendental perception, his whole nature burns day and night with the permanent fire and fever of a strange faith and feeling."
Henry R. Zimmer
"To speak of Sri Ramakrishna's teachings with regard to our present world-situation means, as the wicked jester-king in Hamlet puts it, 'In equal scale weighing delight and dole'. It means putting the question, what can the spiritual forces of the enlightened and perfect, of the teacher who embodies the Divine, effect in the world-wide struggle and suffering caused by the demoniac forces of man's nature."
Joseph Campbell
"The Europeans who protested against the empire of mediocrity, themselves failed to attain to the springs of power. So their world of ideas went down before the steamroller. But in Dakshineswar, only a few miles outside the Victorian metropolis of Calcutta, practising his Sadhana not according to enlightened, modern methods, but after the most ancient, most superstitious, most idolatrous traditions of timeless India, Sri Ramakrishna cut the hinges of the heavens and released the fountains of divine bliss."
George Williams
"On the philosophical level, in Ramakrishna we find a formula for adapting the philosophy of India, Vedanta. Without the impulse of Ramakrishna, the great treasures of the Indian philosophical speculation might not have become so available, in the present flexible and constructive form, to the Western world."
Thomas Merton
"You have to experience duality for a long time until you see it's not there. In this respect I am Hindu. Ramakrishna has the solution."
nice post...
ReplyDeletethis is first time i came across what eminent people like nehru, aurobindo, tagore said abt Sri Ramakrishna.
u may like this beautiful blog on Sri Ramakrishna
http://ramakrishnateachings.blogspot.com/