SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA
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SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA (1836 - 1886)
Born : 18th February 1836 at Kamarpukur in Calcutta
Passed Away : 16th August 1886 at Cossipore, Calcutta
Father : Sri Khudiram Chattopadhyaya
Mother : Smt Chandramani Devi
On 18 February, 1836, a child was born at Kamarpukur near Calcutta, in Bengal. This divine child was destined to return to Hinduism the glory it had enjoyed before the foreign conquest of India.
The child was named Gadadhar. He later grew to become Sri Ramakrishna, who was described by Romain Rolland as "the perfection of two thousand years of the spiritual life of three hundred million people".
As a child, Sri Ramakrishna showed wonderful qualities of purity and love. He loved the company of Sadhus. When he was nineteen, his elder brother, Ramkumar, appointed him priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineshwar. It was the duty of the young priest to dress and decorate the image of the Divine Mother, Kali. His love for the Mother began to grow beyond all bounds.
To him, She alone was real and the world became a mere shadow. He poured his soul into his daily worship, and longed to obtain a vision of the Mother of the universe.
Sometimes, in agony he would rub his face against the ground and weep bitterly. Such was his longing to obtain Her vision. He reached a point when his agony was so great that life held no more meaning for him. It was then that he had his first vision of the Divine Mother. Thereafter, he would see the form of the Divine Mother often and get Her instructions and guidance.
Sri Ramakrishna was initiated into Vedantic meditation by Totapuri, a reputed monk who attained oneness with God after forty years of penance. Such was the devotion of Sri Ramakrishna that, to the amazement of his Guru, he attained in one day, what the Guru took forty years to achieve! In his very first sitting, he remained absorbed in the state of Samadhi or God-vision for three days!
Sri Ramakrishna was unique in every respect. He explored each of the world's great religions and found that he could have the vision of God by following any one of their paths. He could neither read nor write, yet he soon knew the basic teachings of all the sects of Hinduism.
When a Sufi taught him about Islam, Sri Ramakrishna lived the life of a devout Muslim and soon had the vision of Prophet Mohammed. Not long afterwards, he was attracted to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Soon he had the vision of Jesus also, and another of Mother Mary and the holy child. In the same manner he had a vision of Lord Buddha.
When Sri Ramakrishna was twenty-three, he selected as his bride, Sarada Devi, who was then five years old. But the couple never led a householder's life. The marvellous girl, who was herself a great soul, later became the Holy Mother, showering her Grace and blessings on the thousands who eagerly flocked to her for solace and comfort.
Sri Ramakrishna taught the world that God can be realised through all religions. This great truth came to him through his direct spiritual experience.
A great part of Sri Ramakrishna's life was spent in training his disciples, among whom Swami Vivekananda stood foremost. Swami Brahmananda, Swami Shivananda and Swami Saradananda were some of his other well-known disciples who expanded and spread his mission far and wide.
Sri Ramakrishna's teachings are given in a great work entitled, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It consists of his daily talks recorded by one of his very faithful disciples, Mahendra Nath Gupta.
It is a marvellous book giving us the teachings of the great Master in a simple, lucid form.
Sri Ramakrishna left his physical body in the year 1886, after suffering for some time from throat cancer. His teachings, given by means of many stories and parables, are today read by almost every spiritual aspirant treading the path of Yoga. His spiritual impact on India and the world has been tremendous.
Mahatma Gandhiji said in a tribute to this great soul: "The story of Sri Ramakrishna's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. Sri Ramakrishna was a living image of Godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages taken from the book of life."
Source : http://www.dlshq.org/saints/ramakrishna.htm
********************
Sri Ramakrishna's biography has been reproduced from Swami Sivananda's"Yoga Lessons for Children (Vol. 7)", published by the Divine Life Society of South Africa.
***********************************************************
Source : http://www.culturalindia.net/reformers/ramakrishna-paramhansa.html
Contributions
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was a popular saint of India. He had a strong faith in the existence of god. He regarded every woman of the society, including his wife, Sarada, as holy mother. Swami Vivekananda was one of the prominent disciples of Ramakrishna, who later formed the Ramakrishna Mission.
Life
The original name of Ramakrishna Paramhansa was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was born into a poor and orthodox Brahmin family on 18 February, 1836 in Kamarpukur, Hooghly district of West Bengal. His parents were Khudiram Chattopadhyaya, and Chandramani Devi.
Though Gadadhar was very reluctant going to school, he had a god-gifted ability of painting and creating clay models. He was also good at learning things. He easily mastered the tales, based upon the religion. Young Gadadhar loved the nature so much that he used to spend much of his time in orchards and on the river-banks.
After the death of his father in 1843, the responsibilities of the family were handled by his elder brother Ramkumar. Ramkumar left home for Calcutta and started teaching Sanskrit in a local school. Ramkumar also served as a priest at different socio-religious functions. Young Gadadhar, back in his village started performing regular worshipping of their family-deity.
Ramkrishna at Dakshineswar
Few months later, Ramkumar was invited to Dakshineswar temple by Rani Rasmoni, the founder of the temple. Ramkumar was appointed as the chief-priest of the temple. In 1852, Ramakrishna went to Calcutta and started assisting his brother at the same temple.
In 1856, after the death of Ramkumar, Ramakrishna took his place as the chief-priest of the Kali temple. It is believed that the name Ramakrishna was given to Gadadhar by the son-in-law of Rani Rasmoni.
After being given more responsibilities, Ramkrishna began to spend much time in the "Thakur-Ghar" (home of the deity). He considered Goddess Kali as the mother of all. He wanted to see the glimpse of the god. At times, he would go into the jungle and spend the entire night worshipping goddess Kali. The activities of Ramakrishna were viewed by many as gimmick. Many believed that Ramakrishna has become "mad". With an effort to bring Ramakrishna back into the normal life, her mother began to search for a bride. In 1959, Ramakrishna was married to five year old Sarada.
Sri Ramakrishna was the most 'rational mystic'. With scientific precision he put forward in most simple terms, as parables and stories, the eternal truth regarding God and God realization. He talked about God only after directly experiencing the reality of God. To get rid of the thought that he belonged to a higher brahmanical caste, he began to eat food cooked by the shudras or lower-caste.
Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's wife
At the age of eighteen, Sarada, the bride of the Ramakrishna, was sent to Dakshineshwar to join her husband. It was believed that the Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as the holy mother. Sarada Devi is considered as the first disciple of Ramakrishna. Even after Ramakrishna's death in 1886, Sarada Devi led the movement and worked hard to make it a success.
With Vivekananda
Ramakrishna met Vivekananda for the first time in November 1881 when Vivekananda visited Dakshineswar to know if the god really exists. In his reply Ramakrishna said, "Yes, I see God, just as I see you here, only in a much intenser sense, God can be realized."
At first Vivekananda did not believe Ramakrishna. He felt, how such a simple man could see the God. But, gradually he started developing faith in Ramkrishna. Few days later, Vivekananda realized that Ramakrishna's words were honest and uttered from a deep experience. Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineswar frequently and a relationship of "Master and disciple" developed between the two.
At Death-Bed
In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer. In order to consult the best physicians of Calcutta, Ramakrishna was shifted to Shyampukur by his disciples. But with the time, his health started deteriorating and he was taken to a large house at Cossipore. His condition worsened and on 16 August, 1886, he expired at the Cossipore garden house. After the death of Ramakrishna, the monastic disciples formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar, headed by Vivekananda. This was the initial stage of Ramakrishna Mission.
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SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA (1836 - 1886) Born : 18th February 1836 at Kamarpukur in Calcutta
Passed Away : 16th August 1886 at Cossipore, Calcutta
Father : Sri Khudiram Chattopadhyaya
Mother : Smt Chandramani Devi
On 18 February, 1836, a child was born at Kamarpukur near Calcutta, in Bengal. This divine child was destined to return to Hinduism the glory it had enjoyed before the foreign conquest of India.
The child was named Gadadhar. He later grew to become Sri Ramakrishna, who was described by Romain Rolland as "the perfection of two thousand years of the spiritual life of three hundred million people".
As a child, Sri Ramakrishna showed wonderful qualities of purity and love. He loved the company of Sadhus. When he was nineteen, his elder brother, Ramkumar, appointed him priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineshwar. It was the duty of the young priest to dress and decorate the image of the Divine Mother, Kali. His love for the Mother began to grow beyond all bounds.
To him, She alone was real and the world became a mere shadow. He poured his soul into his daily worship, and longed to obtain a vision of the Mother of the universe.
Sometimes, in agony he would rub his face against the ground and weep bitterly. Such was his longing to obtain Her vision. He reached a point when his agony was so great that life held no more meaning for him. It was then that he had his first vision of the Divine Mother. Thereafter, he would see the form of the Divine Mother often and get Her instructions and guidance.
Sri Ramakrishna was initiated into Vedantic meditation by Totapuri, a reputed monk who attained oneness with God after forty years of penance. Such was the devotion of Sri Ramakrishna that, to the amazement of his Guru, he attained in one day, what the Guru took forty years to achieve! In his very first sitting, he remained absorbed in the state of Samadhi or God-vision for three days!
Sri Ramakrishna was unique in every respect. He explored each of the world's great religions and found that he could have the vision of God by following any one of their paths. He could neither read nor write, yet he soon knew the basic teachings of all the sects of Hinduism.
When a Sufi taught him about Islam, Sri Ramakrishna lived the life of a devout Muslim and soon had the vision of Prophet Mohammed. Not long afterwards, he was attracted to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Soon he had the vision of Jesus also, and another of Mother Mary and the holy child. In the same manner he had a vision of Lord Buddha.
When Sri Ramakrishna was twenty-three, he selected as his bride, Sarada Devi, who was then five years old. But the couple never led a householder's life. The marvellous girl, who was herself a great soul, later became the Holy Mother, showering her Grace and blessings on the thousands who eagerly flocked to her for solace and comfort.
Sri Ramakrishna taught the world that God can be realised through all religions. This great truth came to him through his direct spiritual experience.
A great part of Sri Ramakrishna's life was spent in training his disciples, among whom Swami Vivekananda stood foremost. Swami Brahmananda, Swami Shivananda and Swami Saradananda were some of his other well-known disciples who expanded and spread his mission far and wide.
Sri Ramakrishna's teachings are given in a great work entitled, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It consists of his daily talks recorded by one of his very faithful disciples, Mahendra Nath Gupta.
It is a marvellous book giving us the teachings of the great Master in a simple, lucid form.
Sri Ramakrishna left his physical body in the year 1886, after suffering for some time from throat cancer. His teachings, given by means of many stories and parables, are today read by almost every spiritual aspirant treading the path of Yoga. His spiritual impact on India and the world has been tremendous.
Mahatma Gandhiji said in a tribute to this great soul: "The story of Sri Ramakrishna's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. Sri Ramakrishna was a living image of Godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages taken from the book of life."
Source : http://www.dlshq.org/saints/ramakrishna.htm
********************
Sri Ramakrishna's biography has been reproduced from Swami Sivananda's"Yoga Lessons for Children (Vol. 7)", published by the Divine Life Society of South Africa.
***********************************************************
Source : http://www.culturalindia.net/reformers/ramakrishna-paramhansa.html
Contributions
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was a popular saint of India. He had a strong faith in the existence of god. He regarded every woman of the society, including his wife, Sarada, as holy mother. Swami Vivekananda was one of the prominent disciples of Ramakrishna, who later formed the Ramakrishna Mission.
Life
The original name of Ramakrishna Paramhansa was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was born into a poor and orthodox Brahmin family on 18 February, 1836 in Kamarpukur, Hooghly district of West Bengal. His parents were Khudiram Chattopadhyaya, and Chandramani Devi.
Though Gadadhar was very reluctant going to school, he had a god-gifted ability of painting and creating clay models. He was also good at learning things. He easily mastered the tales, based upon the religion. Young Gadadhar loved the nature so much that he used to spend much of his time in orchards and on the river-banks.
After the death of his father in 1843, the responsibilities of the family were handled by his elder brother Ramkumar. Ramkumar left home for Calcutta and started teaching Sanskrit in a local school. Ramkumar also served as a priest at different socio-religious functions. Young Gadadhar, back in his village started performing regular worshipping of their family-deity.
Ramkrishna at Dakshineswar
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| Dakhineswar MAAKALI Temple |
 |
| Dakhineswar MaaKali Temple |
Few months later, Ramkumar was invited to Dakshineswar temple by Rani Rasmoni, the founder of the temple. Ramkumar was appointed as the chief-priest of the temple. In 1852, Ramakrishna went to Calcutta and started assisting his brother at the same temple.
In 1856, after the death of Ramkumar, Ramakrishna took his place as the chief-priest of the Kali temple. It is believed that the name Ramakrishna was given to Gadadhar by the son-in-law of Rani Rasmoni.
After being given more responsibilities, Ramkrishna began to spend much time in the "Thakur-Ghar" (home of the deity). He considered Goddess Kali as the mother of all. He wanted to see the glimpse of the god. At times, he would go into the jungle and spend the entire night worshipping goddess Kali. The activities of Ramakrishna were viewed by many as gimmick. Many believed that Ramakrishna has become "mad". With an effort to bring Ramakrishna back into the normal life, her mother began to search for a bride. In 1959, Ramakrishna was married to five year old Sarada.
Sri Ramakrishna was the most 'rational mystic'. With scientific precision he put forward in most simple terms, as parables and stories, the eternal truth regarding God and God realization. He talked about God only after directly experiencing the reality of God. To get rid of the thought that he belonged to a higher brahmanical caste, he began to eat food cooked by the shudras or lower-caste.
Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's wife
At the age of eighteen, Sarada, the bride of the Ramakrishna, was sent to Dakshineshwar to join her husband. It was believed that the Ramakrishna regarded Sarada as the holy mother. Sarada Devi is considered as the first disciple of Ramakrishna. Even after Ramakrishna's death in 1886, Sarada Devi led the movement and worked hard to make it a success.
 |
| Vivekananda, Ramakrishna & Sarada Devi |
Ramakrishna met Vivekananda for the first time in November 1881 when Vivekananda visited Dakshineswar to know if the god really exists. In his reply Ramakrishna said, "Yes, I see God, just as I see you here, only in a much intenser sense, God can be realized."
At first Vivekananda did not believe Ramakrishna. He felt, how such a simple man could see the God. But, gradually he started developing faith in Ramkrishna. Few days later, Vivekananda realized that Ramakrishna's words were honest and uttered from a deep experience. Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineswar frequently and a relationship of "Master and disciple" developed between the two.
At Death-Bed
In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer. In order to consult the best physicians of Calcutta, Ramakrishna was shifted to Shyampukur by his disciples. But with the time, his health started deteriorating and he was taken to a large house at Cossipore. His condition worsened and on 16 August, 1886, he expired at the Cossipore garden house. After the death of Ramakrishna, the monastic disciples formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar, headed by Vivekananda. This was the initial stage of Ramakrishna Mission.
 |
| Deho rakhchen thakur swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa |
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