A Meditation On Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 15:14

We are gathered here in the holy precincts of Belur Math to spend sometime in contemplating his life. This contemplation is not just for today; it will go on for ages and through this process, all our lives will attain to fulfillment. By 'Sri Ramakrishna' I do not mean any specific person, or a fixed mode of thought. I am using the word 'Sri Ramakrishna' in a comprehensive sense. It is the contemplation of the ideal life he has set before all of us; and thinking of what he has taught will be beneficial to us.

This sport of man with God, or the sport of God with man, has been going on for ages. Though He is immanent in all beings as an omnipresent being, He has hidden Himself in such a way that through the ages, man has been seeking Him, searching for Him. But he is unable to delimit Him. Our scriptures also declare Him to be infinite; so it is futile to seek to delimit Him. But for man, there can be no higher fulfillment than to spend birth after birth seeking Him, trying to realize Him. If we want to attain any fulfillment in our lives, then we must spend our lives this way, in seeking Him.

Through his life and teachings, Sri Ramakrishna teaches us not to spend our lives in vain. If we examine our lives since birth, to see how far we have utilized it, then most of us will find it a matter of regret. Much time has been wasted, much time is being wasted. But what about Sri Ramakrishna? If we look at the human aspect of his life, we see that it is centred on an ideal—truth, renunciation, love, purity, and above all, God-realization. He used to weep, 'Another day has passed, Mother; yet Thou hast not granted me Thy vision!' To his disciple Niranjan, he said, 'Niranjan, my boy, another day has gone by! But you have not realized God yet. When will you attain to realization?' We do not know when we will do so; but the eagerness, the zeal, the earnest seeking that Sri Ramakrishna has demonstrated is a great lesson for us. Pratyyanti gatah punarna divasah—the days that are gone by do not return. We have lost so many days. But can we not spend the days that are left in trying to follow the ideal set forth by Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna?

Sri Ramakrishna has said, 'I have made the mould. You cast yourself in this mould.' Again, this mould is so wonderful that we can each cast ourselves in it without losing our individual characteristics. This wondrous mould is suitable for all. Whatever one may be—householder, monk, youth, aged, Hindu, Muslim, Christian—Sri Ramakrishna offers a totally new mould, a new ideal; anybody can make his life worthwhile by following this ideal in the way most suited to him.

We have to study deeply this uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna's life. Often we analyze his philosophy, various aspects of his life and glory, his contribution and so on. But the first thing that we should think about is how far we can utilize him in our lives. What we should especially realize is that it is not just for us he has come; it is for me. He has created a mould for me. I have to cast myself in that mould. Sri Ramakrishna is such an ideal that by comparing ourselves with him, we shall discover our own limitations and try our best to remove them. Sri Ramakrishna's life should have a practical impact on our lives in this way. That is to say, we should be able to apply it in our lives.

About The Author

Revered Maharaj was the twelfth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. This is the text of the presidential address he delivered at the Belur Math on the occasion of Sri Ramakrishna's tithipuja on 9th March 1989.

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