RAMAKRISHNA

born Feb. 18, 1836, Hooghly, Bengal state, India died Aug. 16, 1886, Calcutta also called Gadadhar Chatterji, or Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya Hindu religious leader, perhaps the best known example in modern times of a man who demonstrated by personal example the essential unity of all religions. Son of a poor Brahman family, he had little formal schooling. All his life he spoke a coarse dialect of Bengali and knew neither English nor Sanskrit. At the age of 23 he was married to Sarada-devi, age five; the marriage was never consummated, because one of his principles was celibacy. Sarada-devi later was deified and is still considered a saint by the Ramakrishna sect, which calls her the Divine Mother. When he was offered the opportunity for an education by his eldest brother, Ramkumar, a noted Sanskrit scholar, Ramakrishna declined. He wanted no mere bread-winning education. Rather than learning about God from books, he wished to realize him through the way he lived and worshipped. Moderation was alien to his nature, and he oscillated between exaltation and deepest gloom. He became God-intoxicated at the age of seven, apparently falling into a mystical trance. So much legend surrounds him as a revered figure, however, that the true man is somewhat obscured. Only the essence of his philosophy is quite clear. Ramakrishna fought against sexual passion and money. He believed that those twin evils caused men to fail in achieving spiritual enlightenment. Later in life, his objection to gold became so intense that it was said to have an allergic effect upon him, and finally he could not touch metal of any kind. He rejected the idea of caste, repudiating any kind of artificial social division. He viewed Kali, the Hindu goddess of creation and destruction, as the supreme manifestation of God. He called her the Divine Mother and worshipped her upon becoming a priest at a temple devoted to her near Calcutta. He wept for hours at a time and felt a burning sensation all over his body while imploring Kali to reveal herself to him. Some attributed his condition to possession, madness, or a nervous disorder, but exorcism and available medical treatments had no effect. Eventual visions of Kali or other deities brought ecstasy and peace; he once described Kali as a limitless, infinite, effulgent ocean of spirit. His relatives had hoped that his marriage in 1859 would be a steadying influence, but the God-intoxication reappeared upon his return to the temple. He then began 12 years of ascetic exercises in various states of samadhi (self-induced spiritual trance). Under the guidance of a wandering Brahman woman, he became acquainted with Yoga and the practices of Tantrism. He also mastered the practice of Vaisnava, which culminated in a vision of Sri Krishna. His initiation as a true sannyasin (ascetic) came from Totapuri, a monk who taught him the philosophy of Advaita; Ramakrishna quickly achieved the Nirvikalpa samadhi, in which a person becomes one with the Eternal Brahman. It was at this time that he acquired the name Ramakrishna. In 1866 Ramakrishna followed the path of Islam and is said to have had a vision of Muhammad. Later, as he studied Christianity, he apparently also saw Jesus. From these studies and visions he came to the conclusion that all religions are in essence the same and all are true. His revelations became known throughout the world. Thousands crowded near his Calcutta home to hear him speak. Though famous he remained a basically simple man. He never wrote, but several volumes of his sayings were later published by disciples. Ramakrishna saw God in everything and everyone. All paths, he believed, led to the same goal. There are in a tank or pool, he said, various ghats (steps to the water). The Hindus draw out the liquid and call it jal. The Muslims draw out the liquid and call it pani. The Christians draw out the liquid and call it water, but it is all the same substance, no essential difference. The order bearing his name has its headquarters in Calcutta and sends missionaries throughout the world. His most noteworthy disciple, Vivekananda, represented Hinduism at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.