Shri Ramakrishna

Lore & Background

Ramakrishna was born in a poor Bengali Brahmin family in Kamarpukur. His parents experienced supernatural visions regarding his birth. At age nine, he received the sacred thread and began experiencing bhava-samadhi. Around age twenty, he became a temple priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Calcutta, where his devotional temperament led to various spiritual visions, assured by several religious teachers. He was married in 1859 to Sarada Devi, a marriage never consummated. He took spiritual instruction from gurus in various paths and was initiated into sannyasa in 1865 by Tota Puri. He gained widespread acclaim as a guru, attracting social leaders, elites, and common people. He eventually taught disciples and founded the Ramakrishna Order. He died of throat cancer on the night of 15 August 1886.

Reader's Guide

Ramakrishna's significance lies in his emphasis on direct spiritual experience over scriptural injunctions and his advocacy for the essential unity of all world religions, which he described as 'so many paths to reach one and the same goal.' His parable-based teachings attracted a diverse following, including social leaders and common people. After his death, his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda continued and expanded his spiritual mission in India and the West. Ramakrishna's life and teachings have had a lasting influence on modern Hindu thought and interfaith dialogue. His native language was Bengali, but he also spoke Hindi and understood Sanskrit, with instances of using a few English words recorded in the Gospel of Ramakrishna.

Did You Know?

• Ramakrishna's childhood nickname was Gadadhar.
• He was initiated into sannyasa in 1865 by Tota Puri, a vedanta monk.
• He described his first superconsciousness experience at age ten or eleven while walking through a paddy field.
• His marriage to Sarada Devi was never consummated.