Sri Ramakrishna's Smile

Friday, January 21, 2011, 15:02

AMONG the several gifts Sri Ramakrishna gave to the world are three of his divine visions, preserved in the form of photographs. His physical appearance may continue to distance itself from us in space and time, but these three divine visions will always keep Sri Ramakrishna in the eternal NOW, ever close to us, in the eternal HERE. Each of these three visions is a revelation in itself. Each is dynamic and each speaks.

Taken together, we see several common features in them. One of these features is Sri Ramakrishna's smile. There is something special about it. Rather, one should say that there is hardly anything commonplace about it. Ordinary smiles we see plenty around us. Any smile is a spontaneous expression of joy. The smiles we are accustomed to result from the joy that seems to come from our environment, from the people and things around. But when we remember that Sri Ramakrishna was in a deep spiritual ecstasy (samadhi) when every one of the three photos was taken, we know that he was then in direct communion with the Source of all joys, and his smile therefore is not only different but also divine. This divine smile, playing on the lips of Sri Ramakrishna, speaks to the soul that is willing to hear. It has a message to deliver, and we can receive it if we are awake and vigilant.

Real joy comes from God — and from Him alone

The first thing that Sri Ramakrishna's smile (in Ramakrishna's photos) tells us is that real joy is to be found in God alone. All the so-called joys of the world are really just sorrow in a different form; they are impermanent' and give no lasting fulfilment. Worse still, every ounce of joy extracts a heavy price in the form of tonnes of suffering. This suffering may not necessarily come through poverty or hunger, but it certainly comes in the form of disease, old age and death. None is exempt from these existential forms of suffering. And the only way to overcome this suffering is to realize God or, in Vedantic language, to realize one's own real nature. The Upanisad declares, 'The knower of the Self transcends all sufferings.'

About the author

This article is written by Swami Tyagananda of the Ramakrishna order, published in the Vedanta Kesary.