Ramakrishna Order. - Sri Ramakrishna: love that knows no limits

CONTENTS

The life of Sri Ramakrishna is inexhaustible to contemplation. It is like a pushpak, the flying aeroplane mentioned in the Ramayana, with infinite potential for narrativising. It is a gripping narrative, a revelatory spiritual classic and, above all, a deeply moving human saga. The spectrum of experiences and emotions, events and incidents it unveils is any narrators delight. The Great Master is not one of those serious, formidable figures of dry religiosity. Serious themes assume artless simple communicative forms. Songs and tales and parables abound. Indeed, Sri Ramakrishnas life is a mart of joy and dipped in irresistible humour, a cosmic comic-sense. In short, Ramakrishna illustrates the exquisite art of living which embodies making every little bit of experience an occasion for a leap into the lap of Divine Mother, Bhavatarini, or simply, Kali. No wonder, a radiant love without limit suffuses his being and fills ours.

I have quoted liberally from both primary and secondary sources. I avoided, by and large, my paraphrasing so that the authenticity does not get a garbled version. Moreover, I have given references in the text itself, for greater convenience to the reader. I also tried to add, in some contexts, contemporary discourses from other areas to illumine the far-ranging richness of Sri Ramakrishnas significance.

My immense gratitude to Swami Chetanananda, Chief of Vedanta Society of St. Louis, (USA) for graciously permitting me to quote from the classic source, Sri Ramakrishna and HisDivine Play as also from his other books on the disciples and admirers of Sri Ramakrishna. His books were my constant companions for reference, as also exploring various aspects of the Masters life.

Swami Bodhasarananda, President of Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, gave permission to quote from the Ashramas publications specially the standard Life of Sri Ramakrishna and the invaluable recent publication Western Admirers of Ramakrishna and His Disciples. This book is the result of Gopal Stavig who must have worked on it for a long period. My gratitude to him and to Swami Shuddhidananda who edited the volume.

I am also grateful to Swami Yuktatmananda, Chief of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York and Swami Gautamananda, President, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, publishers of the American and Indian editions of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

For Paulo Coelho I have had great admiration for many years. I have quoted his retelling of a parable of Sri Ramakrishna from his volume Like a Flowing River (HarperCollins) for which I extend my gratitude.

Swami Satyaswarupananda, former editor of Prabuddha Bharata, suggested my name to the publisher. The Swami gave me constant encouragement to write for Prabuddha Bharata and made me aware how meticulous ones writing should be. My grateful thanks to him.

Ms. Sonavi Desai, the architect of Indus Source (Books) put up with my intolerable schedules and also gave me guidance about the content of the bookmeant for the new reader. Talking to her enriched my awareness of what a publisher expects from a book of this nature. Indus Source has already launched some titles (on Buddha and Nanak) in the Spiritual Masters series, which show immense potential. I wish to thank her and her editorial staff, who, like any such competent group, saves the author from slips of language and content.

Prof. Sumita Roy of the Dept. of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad, typed the whole script with great devotion and care. In spite of her academic pressures, she found time to go through the MS in its final stages. My affectionate thanks to her.

K. Raviprabha and K. Haragopal from Hyderabad prepared patience. Anything entrusted to them is done within schedules and is flawless. My thanks to them.

Finally, my gratitude goes to my mentor SRI RAM SIR whose affection and love keeps me going in activities of this nature. I have had the profound blessings of Revered Swami Yatiswarananda, who initiated me. Swami Yatiswarananda was a disciple of Swami Bramhanandaji, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna himself.

M. SIVARAMKRISHNA

Hyderabad

There is a story in one of the Upanishads: a small fish was kept in a bowl. In a few days it grew too big to be in the bowl. It was taken out and kept in a bigger vessel. But it outgrew even thatso much that it needed, they felt, a pond. It went on growing immeasurably until nothing else but an ocean could hold it!

This is, of course, a symbolic story. But it reflects the incredible phenomenon which we know as Sri Ramakrishna. Born in a remote village near Calcutta, his stature now is global. His life is as fascinating as the life-skills that flow from it. From Kamarpukur (his village), he has teleologically travelled all over the globe. His biographies are no longer confined to his mother tongue Bengali or even English. Most European languageswithin a short interval after his demisehave translations of his teachings. From 1907 to date, he appears in so many forms: as a figure which enormously interests psychologists, sociologists, mythologists, linguists, narrators of various hues, harmonisers of religious paths, and even filmmakers. In essence, he has touched and transformed our perceptions not of spirituality alone but the various aspects of life in which it is situated. And recently, feminist or gender studies, too, find him fascinating.

This is the life story, in every sense, of Sri Ramakrishna himself. He remained a child of mother Bhavatarini whom he worshipped and with whom he played, joked, and often sulked. Equally often, he was amazed at her splendour, her majesty, and her shakti. She could even hold Shiva enthralled by her shakti. But, for Sri Ramakrishna, she was his affectionate Mother Kali. There is nothing to worry about, Mother looks after us! is the essence of his teaching. For he taught with such unique charm that none realised that one was being taught! Only later were his teachings collected.

Let me reproduce a story narrated by Paulo Coelho in one of his books.

A widow from a poor village in Bengal did not have enough money to pay for her sons bus fare, and so, when the boy started going to school, he would have to walk through the forest all on his own. In order to reassure him, she said: Dont be afraid of the forest, my son. Ask your brother Krishna to go with you. He will hear your prayer. The boy followed his mothers suggestion; Krishna duly appeared and from then on accompanied him to school everyday.

When it was his teachers birthday, the boy asked his mother for some money in order to buy a present. We havent any money, son. Ask your brother to give you a present. The following day, the boy explained his problem to Krishna who gave him a jug of milk. The boy proudly handed the milk to the teacher but the the other boys presents were superior and the teacher didnt even notice the gift. Take the jug of milk to the kitchen, said the teacher to an assistant. The assistant did as he was told. However, when he tried to empty the jug, he found that it immediately filled up again of its own accord. He informed the teacher, who was amazed and asked the boy: Where did you get that jug and how does it manage to stay full all the time?

Krishna, the god of the forest, gave it to me.

The teacher, the students and the assistants all burst out laughing. There are no gods in the forest. That is pure superstition, said the teacher. If he exists, lets all go and see him.