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Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Ramakrishna at Dakshineshwar
Date of birth	February 18, 1836(1836-02-18)
Place of birth	Kamarpukur, West Bengal, India
Birth name	Gadadhar Chattopadhyay
Date of passing	16 August 1886 (aged 50)
Place of passing	Garden House in Cossipore
Quote	He is born in vain, who having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realise God in this very life.[1]
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Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস Ramkṛiṣṇo Pôromôhongśo) (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886), born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay^[2] (Bangla: গদাধর চট্টোপাধ্যায় Gôdadhor Chôţţopaddhae), is a famous mystic of nineteenth century India.^[3] His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda^[4][5][6]—both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance^[7] and the Hindu renaissance of the late 20th century.^[8][9] Ramakrishna practiced Vaishnava and Śakti bhakti, Vedanta, Tantra, and other spiritual disciplines and taught that all paths lead to the same ultimate goal.^[10] He was considered an avatar or incarnation of God by many of his disciples, and is considered as such by many of his devotees today.^[11]

Ramakrishna came from a poor Brahmin Vaishnava family in rural Bengal. After the death of his father, he went to Calcutta to assist his brother in the newly constructed Dakshineswar Kali Temple, which also had shrines to Shiva, Radha and Krishna and had the influence of the main strands of Bengali and Indian bhakti. After his brother's death, Ramakrishna became priest of Mother (Kali) and became absorbed in ecstasies related to her and practiced sever asceticism.^[2] His first spiritual teacher was a ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and vaishnava bhakti. Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual meditation, under whom Ramakrishna experienced Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Ramakrishna also experimented with other religions, Islam and Christianity.^[2] Ramakrishna was a teacher of popular appeal, speaking in rustic bengali with stories and parables. He attracted attention among the middle classes of Calcutta. One of his chief disciples was Narendranath Dutta who later became Swami Vivekananda and established the Ramakrishna Mission.^[2] Ramakrishna's main teachings included God realization as the supreme goal of life, renunciation of Kama-Kanchana, Harmony of Religions and Jiva is Shiva.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Birth and childhood 1.2 Priest at Dakshineswar Kali Temple 1.3 Marriage 1.4 Religious Practices and Teachers 1.4.1 Bhairavi Brahmani and Tantra 1.4.2 Vaishnava Bhakti 1.4.3 Totapuri and Vedanta 1.4.4 Islam and Christianity 1.5 Sarada Devi 1.6 Influence on Keshub Chunder Sen and Bhadralok 1.7 Devotees and Disciples 1.8 The Last Days 2 Teachings 2.1 God-realisation 2.2 Kama-Kanchana 2.3 Avidyamaya and vidyamaya 2.4 Harmony of religions 2.5 Jiva is Shiva and other teachings 2.6 Parables 3 Impact 4 Views on Ramakrishna 5 Notes on Biographical sources 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

Biography

Birth and childhood

Ramakrishna was born in 1836, in the village of Kamarpukur, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, into a very poor but pious, orthodox brahmin family. His parents were Khudiram Chattopâdhyâya, and Chandramani Devî. Various supernatural incidents are recounted in connection with Ramakrishna’s birth. It is said that Ramakrishna was named Gadadhar in response to a dream Khudiram had in Gaya before Ramakrishna’s birth, in which Lord Gadadhara, the form of Vishnu worshipped at Gaya, appeared to him and told him he would be born as his son. Chandramani Devi is said to have had a vision of light entering her womb before Ramakrishna was born. Ramakrishna was born as the fourth and last child to his parents.^[12]

Gadadhar, as Ramakrishna was known in his early days, was an extremely popular figure in his village. He had a natural gift for the fine arts like drawing and clay modelling. However, he disliked attending school, and rejected his schooling saying that he was not interested in mere "bread winning education". Though Ramakrishna shunned the traditional school system, he showed great desire and ability to learn.^[13][14] He easily mastered the songs, tales and dramas which were based on the religious scriptures.^[15] At a very early age he was well versed in the Purāṇas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, hearing them from wandering monks and the Kathaks — a class of men in ancient India who preached and sang the Purāṇas for the uneducated masses.^[16] He learned to read and write in Bengali^[17] and was able to follow Sanskrit even though he could not speak the language.^[18] He would serve wandering monks who stopped in Kamarpukur on their way to Puri and listen to their religious debates with rapt attention. Ramakrishna loved nature and spent much time in fields and fruit orchards outside the village.

At the age of six or seven, Ramakrishna described an intense experience of spiritual ecstasy. He was walking along the paddy fields and suddenly looked up to find a flock of white cranes flying with dark thunder-clouds as a background. He became so absorbed that he lost consciousness of everything outward. He later said that in that state he had experienced an indescribable joy.^[15][19] Ramakrishna had experiences of similar nature a few other times in his childhood—while worshipping the goddess Vishalakshi, and portraying Shiva in a drama during Shivaratri festival. From his tenth or eleventh year on, trances became common.^[20]

Ramakrishna's father died in 1843, after which the responsibilities of the family were handled by his elder brother Ramkumar. This event had a profound effect on the boy and is considered as one of the determinative points in Ramakrishna's religious life. This loss drew him closer to his mother, and he spent his time in household activities, including the daily worship of the household deities. He also became more involved in contemplative activities such as reading the sacred epics.^[21]

When Ramakrishna was into his teens, the family's financial position worsened. Ramkumar started a Sanskrit school in Calcutta and also served as a purohit priest. Ramakrishna moved to Calcutta in the year 1852 and started assisting his elder brother in the priestly work.^[22]

Priest at Dakshineswar Kali Temple

In 1855 Ramkumar was appointed as the priest of Dakshineswar Kali Temple, built by Rani Rashmoni—a rich woman of Calcutta who belonged to the untouchable kaivarta community.^[23] Ramakrishna moved in with his brother only after some persuasion, since the temple was constructed by a low caste woman. Ramakrishna, along with his nephew Hriday, became assistants to Ramkumar, with Ramakrishna given the task of decorating the deity. When Ramkumar passed away in 1856, Ramakrishna took his place as the priest of the Kāli temple. He was allotted a room in the northwestern corner of the temple courtyard, where he spent the rest of his life.^[24] The name Ramakrishna is said to have been given him by Mathur Babu, the son-in-law of Rani Rasmani.^[25]

After Ramkumar's death Ramakrishna became more contemplative. He began to look upon the image of the goddess Kāli as his mother and the mother of the universe. He became seized by a desire to have a vision of Kāli—a direct realization of her reality—and believed the stone image to be living and breathing and taking food out of his hand. At times he would weep bitterly and cry out loudly while worshiping, and would not be comforted, because he could not see his mother Kali as perfectly as he wished. At night, he would go into a nearby jungle and spend the entire night meditating on God, without any consciousness of even his clothes falling off.^[26] People became divided in their opinions—some held Ramakrishna to be mad, and some took him to be a great lover of God.^[27]

One day, he was so impatient to see Mother Kāli that he decided to end his life. Seizing a sword hanging on the wall, he was about to strike himself with it, when he is reported to have seen light issuing from the deity in waves. Ramakrishna describes his first vision of Kali as follows:

I had a marvelous vision of the Mother, and fell down unconscious.…It was as if houses, doors, temples and everything else vanished altogether; as if there was nothing anywhere! And what I saw was an infinite shoreless sea of light; a sea that was consciousness. However far and in whatever direction I looked, I saw shining waves, one after another, coming towards me. ^[28]

… 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.^[29]

After the vision, Ramakrishna surrendered himself more and more to Kali. Childlike, he obeyed what he called the will of the Mother in everything, no matter how trivial or philosophical. Although Rani Rasmani and her son-in-law Mathur Babu had faith in Ramakrishna and left him free do whatever he liked, they thought that Ramakrishna was suffering from the effects of unduly prolonged continence. So Mathur arranged for prostitutes to visit Ramakrishna, but their attempts to seduce Ramakrishna only failed. He took the prostitutes to be forms of Divine Mother herself.^[30][31]

Marriage

Rumors spread to Kamarpukur that Ramakrishna had gone mad as a result of his over-taxing spiritual exercises at Dakshineswar. Ramakrishna's mother and his elder brother Rameswar decided to get Ramakrishna married, thinking that marriage would be a good steadying influence upon him—by forcing him to accept responsibility and to keep his attention on normal affairs rather than being obsessed with his spiritual practices and visions.^[32] Far from objecting to the marriage, Ramakrishna mentioned Jayrambati, three miles to the north-west of Kamarpukur, as being the village where the bride could be found, at the house of one Ramchandra Mukherjee. The five-year-old bride, Sarada, was found and the marriage was duly solemnised in 1859.^[33] Ramakrishna was 23 at this point, but the age difference was typical for 19th century rural Bengal. Ramakrishna left Sarada in December 1860 and did not return until May 1867.^[33]

Religious Practices and Teachers

After his marriage Ramakrishna returned to Calcutta and took upon himself the charges of the temple again, but instead of toning down, his spiritual fervour and devotion only increased. To get rid of the thought that he belonged to a higher brahmanical caste, he would eat food cooked by the lowest classes and serve the Pariahs—servants and cleaners who belonged to the lowest caste.^[34][35]

Similarly, he would take gold and silver coins, and mixing them with rubbish, repeat "money is rubbish, money is rubbish". He later said that "I lost all perception of difference between the two in my mind, and threw them both into the Ganges. No wonder people took me for mad."^[35] It is said that he had become so instinctive that his body would shrink back convulsively if were touched with a coin, even when asleep.^[36] He was unable to attend to any external duties, he suffered from sleeplessness, and burning sensations throughout his body. Physicians were consulted, and one of them told, "It seems to me that the patient's condition is due to some kind of spiritual excitement—medicine won't cure him."^[37][38]

Bhairavi Brahmani and Tantra

See also: Views on Ramakrishna#Ramakrishna's Tantra Sadhana

In 1861, Bhairavi Brahmani, an orange robed female ascetic appeared at Dakshineshwar. Her real name was Yogeshwari and she was in her late thirties.^[39] Other details about her life before her arrival in Dakshineswar are unknown.^[40] She was well versed in scriptures and was adept in Tantric and Vaishnava methods of worship.^[41][42]

Ramakrishna described the Bhairavi about his spiritual experiences and his seemingly abnormal physical conditions. The Bhairavi assured him that he was not mad but was experiencing phenomena that accompany mahabhava—the supreme attitude of loving devotion towards the divine^[43] and quoting from the bhakti shastras, said that religious figures like Radha and Chaitanya had similar experiences.^[44] The Bhairavi also recommended the cure for Ramakrishna's physical ailments.^[45]

The Bhairavi initiated Ramakrishna into the tantric practices, which expose the sense and spirit to all the disturbances of the flesh and imaginations, so that these may be transcended.^[46][47] Under her guidance, he went through a full course of sixty four major tantric sadhanas.^[43] He began with mantra rituals such as japa and purascarana and many other rituals designed to purify the mind and establish self-control. The tantric sadhanas generally include a set of heteredox practices called vamachara (left-hand path), which utilize as a means of liberation, activities like eating of parched grain, fish and meat along with drinking of wine and sexual intercourse.^[43] According Ramakrishna and his biographers, Ramakrishna did not directly participate in the last two of those activities, that all he needed was a suggestion of them to produce the desired result.^[43] Though Ramakrishna acknowledged the left-hand tantric path as another means of spiritual enlightenment, he did not recommend it to anybody.^[48] Later, when Ramakrishna's chief disciple Vivekananda asked him about the left-hand path, he would say, "It is not a good path. It is very difficult and often brings about the downfall of the aspirant."^[49]

The Bhairavi also taught Ramakrishna the kumari-puja, a form of ritual in which the Virgin Goddess is worshiped symbolically in the form of a young girl.^[33] Under the tutelage of the Bhairavi, Ramakrishna also became an adept at Kundalini Yoga.^[43] Ramakrishna completed his tantric sadhana in 1863.^[50]

Ramakrishna took the attitude of a son towards the Bhairavi.^[51] The Bhairavi on the other hand looked upon Ramakrishna as an avatara, or incarnation of the divine, and was the first person to openly declare that Ramakrishna was an avatara.^[51] But Ramakrishna was indifferent and unconcerned about people calling him an incarnation.^[52] The Bhairavi, with the yogic techniques and the tantra played an important part in the initial spiritual development of Ramakrishna.^[2][53][54]

Vaishnava Bhakti

The Vaishnava Bhakti traditions speak of five different bhāvas—different attitudes that a devotee can take up in order to express his love for the God. They are: śānta , the serene attitude; dāsya, the attitude of a servant; sakhya, the attitude of a friend; vātsalya, the attitude of a mother toward her child; and madhura, the attitude of a woman toward her lover.^[55] Ramakrishna is known to have practised some of these bhavas^[56]

At some point in the period between his vision of Kali and his marriage, Ramakrishna practiced dāsya bhāva—the attitude of a servant towards his master. He started worshiping Rama in the attitude of Hanuman, the monkey-god, who is considered to be the ideal devotee and servant of Rama. In doing so, Ramakrishna completely identified himself with Hanuman, he ate and walked like a monkey, spent much of his time in trees and his eyes got a restless look like the eyes of a monkey. According to Ramakrishna and his biographers, there was even a small growth in the lower part of his spine resembling the tail of a monkey.^[57] As a climax to his dāsya experiment, Ramakrishna had a vision of Sita, the consort of Rama, merging into his body.^[56][57]

In 1864, Ramakrishna practiced vātsalya bhāva, the attitude of a mother towards God. During this period, he worshipped a metal image of Ramlālā (Rama as a child) in the attitude of a mother. As he was doing so, his character became filled with motherly tenderness, and he began to regard himself as a woman. His speech and gestures changed to that of a woman. According to Ramakrishna and his biographers, he could actually feel the presence of child Rama as a living God in the metal image.^[58][59]

Ramakrishna later engaged in the practice of madhura bhāva— the attitude of Gopis and Radha towards their lover, Krishna.^[56] Ramakrishna, in order to realise this love, dressed himself in women's attire for several days and regarded himself as one of the Gopis of Vrindavan. At the end of this sadhana, he attained savikalpa samadhi—vision and union with Krishna.^[60]

At some point, Ramakrishna visited Nadia, the home of Chaitanya and Nityananda, the 15th-century founders of Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava bhakti. He had an intense vision of two young boys merging into his body.^[60]

Earlier, after his vision of Kali, he is said to have cultivated the Santa bhava — the passive "peaceful" attitude — towards Kali.^[56]

Totapuri and Vedanta

In 1864, Ramakrishna was initiated into sanyassa by a vedantic ascetic, a wandering monk named Totapuri. Ramakrishna described Totapuri as "a teacher of masculine strength, a sterner mien, a gnarled physique, and a virile voice".^[61] He addressed Totapuri as Nangta or Langta ("Naked One"), because as a wandering monk of the Naga sect^[62] he did not wear any clothing. Totapuri looked at the world as illusory and the worship of Gods and Godesses as fantasies of the deluded mind. Instead, he believed in formless Brahman.^[63]

Totapuri first guided Ramakrishna through the rites of sannyasa—renunciation of all ties to the world. Then he instructed him in the teaching of advaita—that "Brahman alone is real, and the world is illusory; I have no separate existence; I am that Brahman alone."^[64] Under the guidance of Totapuri, Ramakrishna experienced Nirvikalpa Samadhi which is considered to be the highest state in spiritual realisation.^[65]

Totapuri stayed with Ramakrishna for nearly eleven months and instructed him further in the teachings of advaita. After the departure of Totapuri, Ramakrishna reportedly remained for six months in a state of absolute contemplation.^[66] Ramakrishna said that this period of nirvikalpa samadhi came to an end when he received a command from the Mother Kali, "Remain in Bhavamukha; for the enlightenment of the people, remain in Bhavamukha", referring to a state of existence intermediate between samadhi and normal consciousness.^[67]

Islam and Christianity

In 1866, Govinda Roy, a Hindu guru who practiced Sufism, initiated Ramakrishna into Islam. Ramakrishna said^[68]:

I devoutly repeated the name of Allah, wore a cloth like the Arab Moslems, said their prayer five time daily, and felt disinclined even to see images of the Hindu gods and goddesses, much less worship them—for the Hindu way of thinking had disappeared altogether from my mind.

After few days of practice he had a vision of a "radiant personage with grave countenance and white beard resembling the Prophet and merging with his body". ^[69]

Seven years later, at the end of 1873 he started the practice of Christianity, when his devotee Shambu Charan Mallik read the Bible to him. For several days he was filled with Christian thoughts and no longer thought of going to the Kali temple. One day when he was sitting in the room he saw on the wall a picture of Madonna and Child Jesus. He felt that the figures became alive and had a vision in which Jesus came and merged with him.^[70][60] In his own room amongst his Divine pictures was one of Christ, and he burnt incense before it morning and evening. There was also a picture showing Jesus Christ saving St.Peter from drowning in the water.

Sarada Devi

When the child bride, Sarada Devi attained the age of seventeen or eighteen, as the customs dictated, she had to join her husband, Ramakrishna. She had heard rumours that her husband had become mad, and was in deep grief. Then again she heard that he had become a great religious man.^[71]

As a priest he performed the ritual ceremonies, the Shodashi Puja—the adoration of womanhood and considered her as the Divine Mother. Sarada Devi was made to sit in the seat of Kali, and worshipped her with flowers and incense. His view of woman as Mother was not limited to his companion Sarada Devi. He recognised the mother even in the most degraded prostitutes.^[72] The marriage was never consummated because he regarded Sarada as the Divine Mother in person.^[73]

With respect to Ramakrishna's treatment of her, Sarada Devi said that, "I was married to a husband who never addressed me as 'tui.'(you) Ah! How he treated me! Not even once did he tell me a harsh word or wound my feelings."^[74]

Sarada Devi is considered as his first disciple. Ramakrishna referred to his wife as the Holy Mother, and it was by this name that she was known to his disciples. After Ramakrishna's death in 1886, Sarada Devi continued to play an important role in the nascent religious movement.^[75]

Influence on Keshub Chunder Sen and Bhadralok

See also: Keshub Chunder Sen

In 1875, Ramakrishna met the influential Brahmo Samaj leader Keshab Chandra Sen.^[76][77] Keshab had accepted Christianity, and had seperated from the Adi Brahmo Samaj. Formerly, Keshab rejected Idoltary, but under the influence of Ramakrishna he accepted Hindu polytheism and established the religious movement, "New Dispensation" (Nava Vidhan) which emphasized the "Worship of God as Mother", "All religions as true" and "Assimilation of Hindu polytheism into Brahmoism".^[78] Keshab also publicized Ramakrishna's teachings in the journals of New Dispensation over a period of several years.^[79] Keshab was instrumental in bringing Ramakrishna to the attention of a wider audience, especially the Bhadralok (English-educated classes of Bengal) and the europeans residing in India.^[80][81]

Following Keshab, other Brahmos such as Vijaykrishna Goswami started to admire Ramakrishna, propagate his ideals and reorient their socio-religious outlook. Many prominent people of Calcutta—Pratap Chandra Mazumdar, Shivanath Shastri and Trailokyanath Sanyal—began visiting him during this time (1871-1885). Mozoomdar wrote the first English biography of Ramakrishna, entitled The Hindu Saint in the Theistic Quarterly Review (1879), which played a vital role in introducing Ramakrishna to Westerners like the German indologist Max Muller.^[79] Some former Brahmos proclaimed Ramakrishna's message to the educated public of Bengal through their speeches and writings, published in several newspapers and journals. Newspapers reported that Ramakrishna was spreading "Love" and "Devotion" among the educated classes of Calcutta and that he had succeeded in reforming the character of some youths whose morals had been corrupt.^[79]

Ramakrishna also had interactions with Debendranath Tagore, the father of Rabindranath Tagore, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a renowned social worker. He also met Swami Dayananda.

Not all Brahmos were uncritical admirers of Ramakrishna. Some disapproved of his ascetic renunciation. They measured him according to their own deals of the householder's life. Some could not understand his Samadhi and considered it to be a nervous malady.^[76] Upadhyay Brahma­bandhab was originally a critic of Ramakrishna and refused to recognize him as an avatara.^[82]

Ramakrishna's influence was not confined to the elite educated class of Calcutta. During his lifetime (1836-86) his ideas and influence spread beyond the intelligentsia to other sections of Bengali society, including the Bauls and the Kartabhajas, and beyond Bengal itself. During his lifetime, however, there was little of an active movement.^[79] Ramakrishna played an important role in the Bengali Renaissance as the link between the Brahmo Samaj and the emergence of the Hindu Revival Movement.^[7][8]

Among the Europeans he influenced was Principal Dr. W.W. Hastie of the Scottish Church College, Calcutta.^[83] In the course of explaining the word trance in the poem The Excursion by William Wordsworth, Hastie told his students that if they wanted to know the real meaning of it, they should go to Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar. This prompted some of his students, including Narendranath Dutta (later Swami Vivekananda), to visit Ramakrishna.^[79]

Devotees and Disciples

Main articles: Disciples of Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda

Most of his prominent disciples came between 1879-1885. Many were highly educated, atheists and a few of them came to meet him out of curiosity. However, they were deeply influenced by Ramakrishna's teachings and a few became his ardent disciples. Devotees like Surendranath Mitra, a confirmed libertine, first approached Ramakrishna with an intent to "twist his ears" (a gesture of insult), only to end up as an inveterate follower.^[84] Ramakrishna had an extraordinary style of preaching and instructing, convincing even the most skeptical visitors.^[75]

His chief disciples consisted of:^[59]

• Grihastas or The householders—Mahendranath Gupta, Girish Chandra Ghosh, Akshay Kumar Sen and others.
• Monastic disciples who renounced their family and became the earliest monks of the Ramakrishna order—Narendranath Dutta (Swami Vivekananda), Rakhal Chandra Ghosh (Swami Brahmananda), Kaliprasad Chandra (Swami Abhedananda), Taraknath Ghoshal (Swami Shivananda), Sashibhushan Chakravarty (Swami Ramakrishnananda), Saratchandra Chakravarty (Swami Saradananda) to mention a few.
• A small group of women disciples including Gauri Ma and Yogin Ma. A few of them were initiated into sanyasa through mantra deeksha. Among the women, Ramakrishna emphasized service to other women rather than tapasya.^[85]

As his name spread, an ever shifting crowd of all classes and castes visited Ramakrishna—"Maharajas and beggars, journalists and pandits, artists and devotees, Brahmos, Christians, and Mohammedans, men of faith, men of action and business, old men, women and children".^[86][87] According to his biographers, Ramakrishna was very talkative and would out-talk the best-known orators of his time. For hours and hours he would reminisce about his own eventful spiritual life, tell tales, explain abstruse Vedantic doctrines with extremely mundane illustrations, raise questions and answer them all by himself, crack jokes, sing songs, even mimic the ways of worldly people of all types which kept visitors enthralled.^[88][89]

Even though he had a band of dedicated renunciates, he never asked householders to renounce their family life.^[90] In preparation for monastic life, Ramakrishna ordered his monastic disciples to beg their food from door to door without distinction of caste. He gave them the saffron robe, the sign of the Sanyasin, and initiated them with Mantra Deeksha.^[89]

The Last Days

In the beginning of 1885 he suffered from clergyman's throat, which gradually developed into throat cancer. Ramakrishna moved to Calcutta ( Shyampukur ), where some of the best physicians of that time, such as Dr.Mahendralal Sarkar, were engaged. But the illness showed signs of aggravation and he was moved to a large garden house at Cossipore on December 11, 1885.

During his last days, he was looked after by his disciples and Sarada Devi. Ramakrishna was advised by the doctors to keep the strictest silence; but he ignored them and incessantly conversed with visitors^[80].

Before his death, it is reported that Ramakrishna said to Naren,^[91] "Today I have given you my all and am now only a poor fakir, possessing nothing. By this power you will do immense good in the world and not until it is accomplished will you return to the absolute."

It is reported that when Naren, doubted Ramakrishna's claim of avatara^[92], Ramakrishna said, "He who was Rama, He who was Krishna, He himself is now Ramakrishna in this body."

His condition worsened gradually and he expired on early morning hours of August 16, 1886 at the Cossipore garden house. According to his disciples, this was Mahasamadhi.^[93]

After the death of their master, the monastic disciples formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar near Ganga, with the financial assistance of the householder disciples. This became the first Math or monastery of the disciples, headed by Narendranath Dutta, as indicated by Ramakrishna. The Ramakrishna Mission was in its nascent stage at this point of time.^[75]

Teachings

God-realisation

Key concepts in Ramakrishna’s teachings included the oneness of existence and the unity and truth of all religions.^[94]

Ramakrishna emphasised that God-realisation is the supreme goal of all living beings.^[95] Ramakrishna’s mystical experiences through different religions led him to teach that various religions are different means to reach absolute knowledge and bliss—and that the different religions cannot express the totality of absolute truth, but can express aspects of it.^[96]

Kama-Kanchana

Ramakrishna taught that that the primal bondage in human life is Kama-Kanchana (lust and gold). When speaking to men, Ramakrishna warned them against kamini-kanchana, or "women and gold",^[97]

"Through the discipline of constant practice one is able to give up attachment to 'woman and gold'. That is what the Gita says. By practice one acquires uncommon power of mind. Then one doesn't find it difficult to subdue the sense-organs and to bring anger, lust, and the like under control. Such a man behaves like a tortoise, which, once it has tucked in its limbs, never puts them out. You cannot make the tortoise put its limbs out again, though you chop it to pieces with an axe."^[98] "The renunciation of 'woman and gold' is the true renunciation."^[99]

When speaking to women, he warned them against purusha-kanchana, or "man and gold." Gauri-Ma, one of Ramakrishna's prominent women disciples, said that:

[Ramakrishna] has uttered this note of warning, against gold and sensuality, against a life of enjoyment, but surely not against women. Just as he advised the ascetic-minded men to guard themselves against women's charms, so also did he caution pious women against men's company. The Master's whole life abounds with proofs to show that he had not the slightest contempt or aversion for women; rather he had intense sympathy and profound regard for them.^[100]

Avidyamaya and vidyamaya

See also: Avidyamaya and vidyamaya and mayatita

Devotees believe that Ramakrishna’s realisation of nirvikalpa samadhi also led him to an understanding of the two sides of maya, or illusion, to which he referred as Avidyamaya and vidyamaya. He explained that avidyamaya represents dark forces of creation (e.g. sensual desire, evil passions, greed, lust and cruelty), which keep people on lower planes of consciousness. These forces are responsible for human entrapment in the cycle of birth and death, and they must be fought and vanquished. Vidyamaya, on the other hand, represents higher forces of creation (e.g. spiritual virtues, enlightening qualities, kindness, purity, love, and devotion), which elevate human beings to the higher planes of consciousness.^[101]

Harmony of religions

Ramakrishna recognised differences among religions but realised that in spite of these differences, all religions lead to the same ultimate goal, and hence they are all valid and true.^[102] Amiya P. Sen writes that the deep foundations in bhakti or devotion and faith in God makes Ramakrishna's teachings look universalistic and not his culturally determied forms.^[103] The distinguished British historian Arnold J. 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.” ^[104][105]

Rergarding Harmony of Religions, Ramakrishna said,^[69]

"I have practised all religions—Hinduism, Islam, Christianity—and I have also followed the paths of the different Hindu sects. I have found that it is the same God toward whom all are directing their steps, though along different paths. You must try all beliefs and traverse all the different ways once. Wherever I look, I see men quarrelling in the name of religion—Hindus, Mohammedans, Brahmos, Vaishnavas, and the rest. But they never reflect that He who is called Krishna is also called Siva, and bears the name of the Primal Energy, Jesus, and Allah as well—the same Rama with a thousand names…"

Bhawuk in his journal, Culture’s influence on creativity: the case of Indian spirituality wrote that Ramakrishna's contribution to humanity is particularly significant for the world after the bombing of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Bhawuk writes that, Islam is not to be blamed for the incident of September 11, and no religion should be blamed for any act of terrorism, because the life of Ramakrishna proclaims that all religions lead to the same God.^[106]

Jiva is Shiva and other teachings

Ramakrishna’s proclamation of jatra jiv tatra Shiv (wherever there is a living being, there is Shiva) stemmed from his Advaitic perception of Reality. This taught his disciples, "Jive daya noy, Shiv gyane jiv seba" (not kindness to living beings, but serving the living being as Shiva Himself). According to scholars, Vivekananda derived his inspiration from this message and took initiative in social activities like famine relief, manitenance of orphanages, opening of training centers, educational institutions, dispensaries and the like—"Where should you go to seek for God? Are not all the poor, the miserable, the weak, good? Why not worship them first?...Let these people be your God..."^[107] Ramakrishna did not directly participate in social service, but entrusted the task to his chief disciple Vivekananda.^[108]

Ramakrishna, though not formally trained as a philosopher, had an intuitive grasp of complex philosophical concepts.^[109] According to him brahmanda, the visible universe and many other universes, are mere bubbles emerging out of Brahman, the supreme ocean of intelligence ^[110].

Like Adi Sankara had done more than a thousand years earlier, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa revitalised Hinduism which had been fraught with excessive ritualism and superstition in the Nineteenth century and helped it become better-equipped to respond to challenges from Islam, Christianity and the dawn of the modern era^[111]. However, unlike Adi Sankara, Ramakrishna developed ideas about the post-samadhi descent of consciousness into the phenomenal world, which he went on to term "vignana". While he asserted the supreme validity of Advaita Vedanta, he also stated that "I accept both the Nitya and the Leela, both the Absolute and the Relative."^[112]

Parables

Parables formed a very important part of Ramakrishna's teachings.^[113] Like Christ, Ramakrishna conveyed his spiritual and moral messages through tales and parables.^[114]

The Parable of the Greatest Devotee, is one of his famous parables—

“

Once upon a time conceit entered into the heart of Narada and he thought there was no greater devotee than himself. Reading his heart, the Lord said, "Narada, go to such and such a place, a great devotee of mine is living there. Cultivate his acquaintance; for he is truly devoted to me." Narada went there and found an farmer who rose early in the morning, pronounced the name of Hari (God) only once, and taking his plough, went out and tilled the ground all day long. At night,. he went to bed after pronouncing the name of Hari once more. Narada said to himself "How can this rustic be a lover of God? I see him busily engaged in worldly duties and he has no signs of a pious man about him." Then Narada went back to the Lord, and spoke what he thought of his new acquaintance. There upon the Lord said, "Narada,take this cup of oil and go round this city and come back with it. But take care that you do not spill even a single drop of it." Narada did as he was told, and on his return the Lord asked him, "Well, Narada, how many times did you remember me in the course of your walk round the city?" "Not once, my Lord," said Narada, "and how could I, when I had to watch this cup brimming over with oil?" The Lord then said, "This one cup of oil did so divert your attention that even you did forget me altogether. But look at that rustic, who, though carrying the heavy burden of a family, still remembers me twice every day."

”

Impact

Part of a series on Hindu philosophy

Schools Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)

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Main articles: Ramakrishna's impact and Ramakrishna Mission

Ramakrishna was born during a social upheaval in Bengal in particular and India in general. During Ramakrishna's time, Hinduism faced a huge intellectual challenge in the 19th century, from Westerners and Indians alike. The Hindu practice of Idol worship came under attack specially in Bengal and several young men had denounced Hinduism and embraced Christianity or atheism. Ramakrishna and his movement—Ramakrishna Mission played a leading role in the modern revival of Hinduism in India, and on modern Indian history. His life and teachings were an important part of the renaissance that Bengal, and later India, experienced in the 19th century. Many great thinkers including Max Muller, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sri Aurobindo, Leo Tolstoy have acknowledged Ramakrishna's contribution to humanity. Ramakrishna's influence is also seen in the works of the artists like Franz Dvorak and Philip Glass.

The Ramakrishna Mission was founded on his principles by Swami Vivekananda in 1897. The Mission conducts extensive work in health care, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education. The movement is considered as one of the revitalization movements of India.^[115]

Views on Ramakrishna

Main article: Views on Ramakrishna

Ramakrishna's personality, religious experiences and his sadhanas such as tantra, Madhura Bhava have been studied by many philosophers, academic scholars. Ramakrishna's samadhi which showed all signs of death has been studied by psychologists and academics. Another area of study has been on the Psychoanalysis including scholars Romain Rolland, Sudhir Kakar, Narasingha Sil, Jeffery Kripal, Alan Rolland, Dr.Jean Openshaw, Somnath Bhattacharyya, Kelley Ann Raab, J.S. Hawley. The psychoanalysis has generated considerable debate and controversy. His personality and teachings which led to the formation a socio-religious movement, the Ramakrishna Mission has been studied by scholars including Leo Schneiderman, Walter G Neevel, Cyrus R. Pangborn, Amiya P. Sen.

Notes on Biographical sources

Ramakrishna never wrote down the details of his own life. Sources for his life and teachings come from the writings of his disciples and live witnesses. Ramakrishna's recorded sayings mainly come from the last four years of his life.^[116]

• The book Sri Sri Rāmakrishna Kathāmrita by Mahendranath Gupta under the pseudonym M., belongs to this class of evidence. Mahendranath Gupta recorded his daily interactions with Ramakrishna in his dairy which were subsequently published as Sri-Sri-Ramakrishna-Kathamrta in 5 Volumes in bengali. The information in these volumes is available with "stenographic precision".^[117]
• Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsadever Jivan-vrittanta (1880) by Ram Chandra Dutta,^{[103]not in citation given} is one of the earliest published biography of Ramakrishna. Religious scholar, Narasingha Sil^[118] and Jeffery Kripal^[119] argue that Datta's Jivanvrttanta is the most scandalous biography of Ramakrishna, "containing the lurid details of his sadhana as well as his quite suggestive encounters with his patron Mathur." They cite a letter written by Swami Vivekananda in 1884 asking to "Avoid all irregular indecent expressions about sex etc...because other nations think it the height of indecency to mention such things, and his life in English is going to be read by the whole world"^[120] and calling Ramchandra Dutta's translation a "bosh and rot"^[120]. They also argue that Ramchandra Dutta faced a possible law suit from Swami Vivekananda. However, Swami Atmajnanananda and Pravrajika Vrajaprana argue that as of 1995, this book has been published in nine Bengali editions^[121][122]. Kripal later withdrew these arguments.^[123]
• In 1887, Akshay Kumar Sen wrote Ramakrishna's life in verse — Sri Sri Ramakrishna Punthi in Bengali. Akshay Kumar Sen later wrote Padye Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Dever Upadesh and Sri Sri Ramakrishna Mahima.

• Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga by Swami Saradananda. The book was begun in 1909 and left partially incomplete at the author's death in 1927.^[124] Scholars Romain Rolland, Isherwood consider Swami Saradananda an authority both as a philosopher and as an historian on Ramakrishna.^[117][125]
• My Master, speeches by Swami Vivekananda in 1896.^[126] Religious Scholar Sil argues that Ramakrishna is a product of Vivekananda's "Mythmaking and Propaganda"^[127], other scholars have expressed the opinion that Vivekananda has presented a accurate picture of Ramakrishna.^{[128][129][130]} Scholar Amiya P. Sen argues that Sil's thesis, "naively overlooks" several factors.^[131]

• Other Biographic works include, Mahendranath Dutta's Sri Ramakrishner Anudhyan, ("Sacred Memories of Sri Ramakrishna")^[103], Satyacharan Mitra's 1897 Sri Sri Ramakrsna Paramahamsadeber Jiboni o Upadesh ("The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa")^[103], and Sureshchandra Datta's 1886 Sriramakrsnadeber Upades ("Teachings of SriRamakrishna").

• Max Muller's book Râmakrishna: His Life and Sayings (1898) is one of the earliest works by a Western scholar on the life of Ramakrishna and a relatively independent source of biography.^[132].It is based on first-hand evidence, analysed in "broad and clear critical spirit".^[117] Max Muller based this book on the testimonies of Swami Vivekananda and several independent witnesses, both favorable and unfavorable to Ramakrishna.^[133] Scholars consider this book to be "containing the just criticism needed for a true valuation of Ramakrishna's personality and teaching".^[134] Max Muller, regarded Ramakrishna as The Real Mahatman.^[135]

• Romain Rolland's book : Life of Ramakrishna (1929) is another biographic work which is based on direct disciples of whom Romain Rolland writes —"I have received glowing testimony at their hands. I have talked with some among them, who were the companions of this mystic being - of the Man-Gods- and I can vouch for their loyalty. Moreover, these eye-witnesses are not the simple fishermen of the Gospel story; some are great thinkers, learned in European thought and disciplined in its strict school."^[136], and independent eye-witnesses of Ramakrishna who were alive at his time. He had consulted the Christian missionaries who had interview Ramakrishna.^[137]

• The English translations of Kathamrita were published by Swami Nikhilananda in his book The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The book provides authentic information^[138][139] about Ramakrishna. The book was voted as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by the American scholars convened by HarperCollins publishers,^[140][141] However, scholars argue that the book has been bowdlerized.^[142]. Kripal argues that although Nikhilananda calls it a literal translation, he "substantially altered Gupta's text, combining the five parallel narratives", "as well as deleting some passages which he claimed were "of no particular interest to English-speaking readers.".^[143] However other scholars Sil, Swami Tyagananda^[144], Somnath Bhattacharrya^[145], Swami Atmajnananda^[146] argue that Kripal's observations are incorrect. They also argue that Nikhilananda's translations were faithful and took into consideration the western decorum.^[146][147] Peter Heehs argues,^[148] that the translation in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna turns Ramakrishna's vigorous and occasionally coarse Bengali into English of near-Victorian propriety and do not convey as much as the Bengali originals, however, the works on M and Saradananda remain documents of considerable value, which have allowed Ramakrishna to speak to a worldwide audience.

• Life of Sri Ramakrishna, compiled from various authentic sources (1925) by Swami Madhavananda is also one of the primary sources of Ramakrishna's biography and contains first hand accounts of his disciples, live witnesses.^[117]

Notes