Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886)
Sri Ramakrishna, the “God man” of modern times and represents the very core of spiritual realizations of all the seers and sages of India. Ramakrishna’s whole life was one of contemplation of God where it was an endless search and realization of God in the supreme form. He was a universal symbol for his simplicity of God realization where his life itself represents the very essence of what he wanted to teach. Those who seek God in any religion find him irresistible through his teachings and life which has a tremendous impact on the spiritual teachings of today. He is Rama and Krishna and yet he is a man of modern times and is not at all obscured by myths and legends. While it can be said that Rama and Krishna are read through the Ramayana and the Geetha, Ramakrishna was a figure of recent history. He was real in the sense he lived among men of the modern times. He was not part of any mythology or legend dressed up with elaborate colours and ornaments. His was a simple life but of intense divinity.
God intoxication is a phrase used to describe his craze for God and through this life he showed that God realization takes place at times and was not the monopoly of any race, religion, particular age, country or people. To Ramakrishna, deepest spirituality and broadest catholicity stood side by side and he had no place for the bigot and the narrow minded people who sought God with a mind that was polluted with prejudice and worldliness.
Ramakrishna was not a cult figure nor did he want to create a cult. He did not try to show a new path to salvation for his simple message to the seeker of God was “God consciousness”. His teachings was through his own personal experience of God realization. To him when traditions become dogmatic, oppressive and religious teachings loose their power to change and transform people to seek God, then God consciousness too becomes unreachable.
Ramakrishna’s emergence as a spiritual force happened at a time of need. It was a period of time in India, where the very foundation of religion, faith in God and the very fabric of Hinduism was crumbling under the relentless search for materialism and skepticism created by western life style. It was Ramakrishna , who through his burning spiritual experiences and realization of God who demonstrated to man that God is real and is attainable. He also proved the validity of the teachings of the seers, sages, prophets, saviors and this restored the crumbling religion of Hinduism back onto a strong foundation.
Born on Gadadhar and who become Ramakrishna, he attracted millions of people purely through the magnetism of his divine personality. The young and old men and women, philosophers, theologians, philanthropists, humanists, atheist, agmasteas, Hindus, Christians, Muslims and seekers of God of all races, creed and caste were attracted and consumed by his love and simplicity. The Dakshineswar Kali temple where his little room was at the outskirt of the Kolkattra became a place for congregation for all. Everyone who came to him experienced his profound God consciousness, boundless love and universal outlook. The impure became pure, the pure became even purer and the slime became a saint.
The greatest contribution of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world is his message on the harmony of all religions. Sri Ramakrishna saw all religions as the revelation of God in all the diverse aspects to satisfy the manifold demands of mankind. To him different religions give us differing pictures of one truth from different standpoints. It is like seeing a picture from different angles. To him name of it was contradictory but seen to complement one another. Sri Ramakrishna was a Hindu and faithfully practiced the spiritual disciplines of different religions and came to realize that all of them lead to the same God i.e. God realization. His famous saying was “As many faiths, so many paths.” The paths may vary, but the ultimate goal remains the same. In religions he says unity in diversity where there was a fellowship of religions based one ultimate goal i.e communication with God. The harmony can be attained by deepening and strengthening the individuals God consciousness. In this age of intolerance, fanaticism and terrorism, the harmony of all religions is the key teaching of Sri Ramakrishna that should give mankind hope and show the way to peace. His life and teachings should inspire man to live with God as the Sri Ramakrishna did.
A Parable of Sri Ramakrishna
When will we see God?
A disciple asked his teacher, “Sir, please tell me how I can see God.” “Come with me”, said the Guru, “ and I shall show you.” He took the disciple to a lake and both of them got into the water. Suddenly, the teacher pressed the disciple’s head into the water. After a few moments he released him and the disciple roused his head and stood up. The Guru asked “how did you feel?” The disciple said, “Oh! I thought I should die; I was panting for breath”. The teacher said “when you feel like that for God, then you will know you haven’t long to wait for his vision ”.