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are the names of God and infinite
are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and
form you worship Him, through them you will realise Him.
by Sri
Ramakrishna
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Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
(1836 - 1886)
Sri Ramakrishna, well known as the 'Paramahamsa'
is the brightest star that rose on the spiritual firmament of the India
of the nineteenth century. Born of pious parents in the little village
of Kamarpukur in a remote part of Bengal (b.18th February 1836) he
spent his early life there itself. Ever since he shifted to Calcutta in
1852 to assist his elder brother, until his Mahasamadhi on the 16th
August 1886, it was a long life as an unknown temple priest - which
vocation was not considered as a very honorable one - he rose to be a
world teacher of religion and spirituality, by dint of intense sadhanas
culminating in a uniquely comprehensive spiritual experience.
From simple image worship right up to the highest flights of Advaita
philosophy, the whole gamut of Indian spiritual life was traversed by
him. Not being satisfied with it, he experimented with alien religions
like Christianity and Islam and found, to his amazement, that they too
lead to the same super conscious mystic state. Being thus armed with
the direct experience of Truth through the known paths of various cults
and religions, he proclaimed the great message of his life:
The essential unity of all religions and the consequent need for harmony among the votaries of various religions.
He specially prepared a band for disciples under the leadership of Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda)
to give a practical shape to his teachings and spread them far and wide
for the benefit of humanity. The Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna
Mission are the direct offshoots of this. Through Sri Sarada Devi,
his consort, he has exhibited to the world the possibility of raising
conjugal life to the highest spiritual level and the nature of
universal motherhood.
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