Sri Ramakrishna was born on 18
February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur about sixty miles northwest of
Kolkata. His parents were poor but very pious and virtuous. As a child,
Ramakrishna (his childhood name was Gadadhar) was dearly loved by the
villagers. From early days, he had strong disinclination towards formal
education and worldly affairs. He was, however, a talented boy, and could sing
and paint well. He was fond of serving holy men and listening to their discourses.
He was oftentimes found to be absorbed in spiritual moods. His father’s death
when he was seven years old served only to deepen his introspection and
increase his detachment from the world.
As a Priest
Ramakrishna was appointed the
priest of Dakshineswar Temple. Ramakrishna developed intense devotion to Mother
Kali.
Intense Spiritual Practices
Unaffected by his marriage, Sri
Ramakrishna plunged into even more intense spiritual practices. Sri Ramakrishna
practised various difficult disciplines of the Tantrik path, and attained
success in all of them. He also attained Nirvikalpa
Samadhi, the highest spiritual experience mentioned in the Hindu
scriptures. He remained in that state of non-dual existence for six months
without the least awareness of even his own body.
He expressed the quintessence of
his twelve-year-long spiritual realizations in a simple dictum: “As many
faiths, so many paths.”
Worshipping His Wife
He worshipped her as the Divine
Mother in his room at the Dakshineswar temple. They lived immaculately pure
lives, and their marital relationship was purely spiritual.
Sri Ramakrishna came into contact
with several leaders. His teaching on harmony of religions attracted people
belonging to different denominations, and Dakshineswar became a veritable
Parliament of Religions.
He divided his devotees into two
categories. The first one consisted of householders. He taught them how to
realize God while living in the world and discharging their family duties. The
other more important category was a band of educated youths, mostly from the
middle class families of Bengal, whom he trained to become monks and to be the
torchbearers of his message to mankind. The foremost among them was Sri Swami
Vivekananda, who carried the universal message of Vedanta to different parts of
the world and awakened the soul of India.
The Gospel
Sri Ramakrishna did not write any
book, nor did he deliver public lectures. Instead, he chose to speak in a
simple language using parables and metaphors. His conversations were noted down
and published them in the form of a book. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, was
released in 1942.
Last Days
Sri Ramakrishna’s developed throat
cancer in 1885. He was shifted to a spacious suburban villa where his young
disciples nursed him day and night. On 16 August 1886 Sri Ramakrishna gave up
his physical body, uttering the name of the Divine Mother, and passed into
Eternity.
People across the world especially in India celebrate his death anniversary on this particular day.