Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna Paramahansa (Bengali: রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, romanized: Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; pronounced [ramɔkriʂno pɔromoɦɔŋʃo] ⓘ ; IAST: Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṃsa, 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886), also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay was an Indian Hindu mystic. A devotee of the goddess Kali, Ramakrishna after adhering to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as from Islam and Christianity, proclaimed that various world religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal", thus validating the essential unity of religions. His parable-based teachings espoused the ultimate unity of diverse religions as being means to enable the realization of the same God. He is regarded by his followers as an avatar or divine incarnation of God.
"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. A lake has several Ghats. At one, the Hindus take water in pitchers and call it ' Jal ' ; at another the Mussalmans take water in leather bags and call it ' pani '. At a third the Christians call it ' water '. Can we imagine that it is not ' Jal ' , but only ' pani ' or ' water '? How ridiculous! The substance is One under different names, and everyone is seeking the same substance; only climate, temperament, and name create differences. Let each man follow his own path. If he sincerely and ardently wishes to know God, peace be unto him! He will surely realize Him."
— Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna Paramahansa | |
|---|---|
Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Ramakrishna Chattopadhyaye 18 February 1836 |
| Died | 16 August 1886 (aged 50) |
| Cause of death | Throat cancer |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Sarada Devi |
| School | Vedanta |
| Lineage | Daśanāmi Sampradaya |
| Temple | Dakshineswar Kali Temple |
| Founder of | Ramakrishna Order |
| Philosophy | Advaita Vedanta Shaktism |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Totapuri, Bhairavi Brahmani, and others |
Disciples | |
| Honors | Paramahamsa |
| Part of a series on |
| Advaita |
|---|
|
Hindu philosophy |
| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
|---|
Born in Kamarpukur, Bengal Presidency, India, Ramakrishna was the fourth and the youngest child of his parents. He encountered several religious experiences starting from his childhood, and later began his career, at age twenty, as a temple priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Calcutta. The devotional temperament of Ramakrishna coupled with his intense religious practices at the temple premises led him to experience various spiritual visions. Soon few religious teachers visited Ramakrishna and assured him the sanctity of his visions. He later gained widespread acclaim amongst the temple visiting public as a guru, attracting to him social leaders, elites, and common people alike.
Although initially reluctant to consider himself a guru, Ramakrishna eventually taught his disciples, and founded the monastic Ramakrishna Order. Ramakrishna died due to throat cancer on the night of 15 August 1886. After his demise, his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda popularized his ideas in India and the West.