Visiting the Ramakrishna Temple of Dhaka-Part I

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 10:07

Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God? So long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties. But when the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother. Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms. (Like that cry out for God and thus you shall attain).

You have been born in this world as a human being to worship God; therefore try to acquire love for His Lotus Feet. Why do you trouble yourself to know a hundred other things? What will you gain by discussing philosophy? Look here, one ounce of liquor is enough to intoxicate you. What is the use of your trying to find out how many gallons of liquor there are in the tavern?"

- from the sayings of Ramakrishna

August 16, 1886) was a remarkable mystic saint of Bengal, may God be well pleased with him. For his profound divine wisdom, his spiritual title was the Great Swan (Paramahamsa). He truly was a living example of one whom the sufis call majdhub (God-intoxicated one) of 19th century and still today remains as one of the most celebrated saint.

Born in a simple Brahmin Vaishnava family in rural Bengal, he became priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated to goddess Kali, which had the influence of the main strands of Bengali bhakti tradition. His first spiritual teacher was an ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti. Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he experienced Nirvikalpa Samadhi under his guidance. Ramakrishna also experimented with other religions, notably Islam and Christianity, and said that they all lead to the same God.

I have always felt a great spiritual affinity with Ramakrishna. His great inclusiveness and compassionate love for all faith traditions resonate always and its easy to fall in love with this simple minded yet God intoxicated mystic. One of his remarkable 'Christ like' ability was to speak of highest wisdom using the simplest parables of daily life. Whenever I pick up the Gospel of Ramakrishna (Kathamrita) I instantly fall in love with his words again and again.

Its more so perhaps because he is from my native land, he spoke the same language as my mother tongue and embodied the inclusive spiritual nature of this fertile land that have made ample room for multiplicity of spiritual traditions. As a genuine mystic Ramakrishna truly believed at his core that the infinitely expansive Door of Divine Mother welcomes all and excludes none no matter in what form the children of Divine Mother worship and adore Her.

Chat With The Devotees Of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa