Sri Ramakrishna

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(1836 - 1886)

Prayer to Sri Ramakrishna
by Swami Vivekananda

Sthâpakâya ca dharmasya, sarva dharma svarûpine
Avatâra varishtâya, râmakrishnâya te namah

"O Ramakrishna, the establisher of religion universal, and the embodiment of all religions, to Thee the noblest of divine incarnations, I offer my salutation."

Born amidst the utter simplicity of a Bengali village, Sri Ramakrishna felt, from his very boyhood, a passionate yearning for the vision of God. At the age of sixteen he went to Calcutta, but was disgusted by the materialistic ideals of the people of the great metropolis. Refusing to direct his attention to secular studies, he became a priest in the Dakshineswar temple, where God is worshipped as the Mother of the universe. By dint of intense prayer and longing, and practically without the help of any teacher, he obtained the vision of God. He then desired to realise Him by following the paths laid down in the scriptures. Through the differing disciplines of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam he reached always the single goal, realisation of the one God-Consciousness. In various ways he tasted the bliss of communion with God, sometimes merging himself totally, sometimes as a child of the Divine Mother, maintaining an appearance of individuality.

There came to him, attracted by his irresistible spiritual power, people of all classes - men and women, young and old, educated and illiterate, agnostic and orthodox. All felt the radiation of his spirit and were uplifted in his presence. His love for men knew no barriers of race, colour or creed, and he gave without stint to all who sought his counsel and blessing. He specially trained a small band of young monastic disciples, who, at his bidding, took the vows of God-realisation for themselves and of service to humanity. After their Master's passing away they carried his message to distant countries, across lands and oceans.

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