Great Modern Exemplars---Sri Ramakrishna

Since the Vedic Age, throughout the following centuries India gave birth to innumerable illumined saints and sages.

These illumined souls articulated the universal message of her religion, the message of peace, goodwill, and the spirit of accommodation. This great heritage found eloquent expression in Shri Ramakrishna (1836-86) and Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). In them India's ancient vision of universality found modern expression. Their message is of special interest because they are the creators of a new age, the age of synthesis of yoga, knowledge, devotion, and work.

Romain Rolland wrote of Shri Ramakrishna,

"The man whose image I here evoke was the consummation of two thousand years of the spiritual life of three hundred million people." (Rolland, The Life of Ramakrishna, p. 14)

Ramakrishna's life encompassed everything and rejected nothing. Theists, agnostics, and atheists had full access in his loving embrace. His life was the meeting ground of all religions, all paths, and all sects. In his comprehensive scheme of life everyone can find something to inspire him or her to lead the spiritual life. He worshiped God as Divine Mother, accepted a woman teacher, and made his wife his first student. Again, he was never dogmatic and never claimed any superiority for himself.

Shri Ramakrishna, a great scientist in the domain of religion, practiced all the disciplines of Hinduism. Like a scientist he made experiments with religion and found that religious truth is verifiable. He also practiced the disciplines of Islam and Christianity and through them found different faces of the same God. His amazing singleness of mind, sincerity of purpose, and passionate love for the divine demolished all superficial obstacles of dogmas, creeds, and beliefs. Thus he taught:

"As many minds, so many paths to the ultimate Reality." (The Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna, p. 572)

He discovered the true import of universal religion which is not a new faith or a new mode of living but the ultimate truth of all religions, the experience of divine joy. He respected the uniqueness of each path and asked people to love the followers of all religions without disowning one's own faith. Elucidating this principle through a parable, he says that as a married woman serves her in-laws with love, without affecting her intimacy with her husband in the least, so our love and respect for other paths will not diminish our loyalty to our own faith. Spiritual experience alone can help us to have real peaceful coexistence. He also asked people to learn from other traditions to make up for the deficiencies of one's own faith, as no religion is perfect and hence there is great scope for learning from others to enrich one's spiritual as well as social life. Hinduism can be highly profited by emulating the noble and practical examples of equality from Islam and philanthropy from Christianity.

The Hindu doctrines of unity in variety, respect for other religions, and the central importance of mystical experience can be immensely helpful to others. His personal experience of the unity of Godhead did help many in different faiths, including Hindus themselves, to have a deep and abiding faith in God.

Ramakrishna's experience of universal religion encourages votaries of all religions to live together in peaceful coexistence without any dissension. He said:

"I have practiced 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 different ways once. Wherever I look, I see men quarreling 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 (bathing place on a lake or river). 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. (Ibid., p. 35)

The democratic and humanistic temper of the age, demanding the inherent rights of liberty, equality, and fraternity for all persons, is immensely fulfilled in Shri Ramakrishna's vision of truth embracing God, man, and the universe. He said:

"I clearly see that He Himself has become everything; that He Himself has become the universe and all living beings. (Ibid.)

To Shri Ramakrishna the entire universe is saturated with divine consciousness, but there is greater manifestation of God in humans than other created beings. As such to serve humanity in this spirit is to serve God himself. Ethnic religion brings artificial differences between one individual and another due to their dogmatic attachment to the superficial aspects of religion. Shri Ramakrishna wanted people to be friendly on the basis of their divine heritage. The solidarity of humanity can be achieved by recognizing the divine essence in people.

  Part 11   Vedanta 101

Comments on this article can be sent to: VedantaSoc@aol.com

Books by Swami Tathagatananda:

1. The Vedanta Society of New York -- A Brief History, 2000
2. Mahabharat--Katha (Bengali), 1998
3. Ramayan Anudhyan (Bengali), 1996
4. Healthy Values of Living, 1996
5. Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, 1994
6. Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, 1993
7. Glimpses of Great Lives, 1989
8. Shubha Chinta (Bengali), 1988
9. Smaran--Manan (Bengali), 1987

You can order these and other books on Vedanta from The Vedanta Society of New York.

You can also order books on Vedanta from any Vedanta Center nearest you.

Please check out our Lecture and Class Schedules.