Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play - IV

When devotion is at an immature stage, weakness is observed in a devotee. At the early stage of devotion, a devotee cannot imagine God as being the devoid of power. In course of the time, devotion deepens and love for God is established. Thinking of God as all-powerful then becomes an obstacle in the path of devotion; the mature devotee shuns that attitude. All devotional scriptures declare this repeatedly. It is well known that Yashoda, the foster mother of Lord Krishna every day, and yet she nurtured and disciplined Him as her own son. The gopis knew that Krishna was the creator of the Universe, yet they could think of Him only as their beloved. There are many such instances in the scriptures.

When devotees fervently asked Sri Ramakrishna to grant them the vision of a particular manifestation of God’s majestic power, he would tell them: “Look, it is not good to ask for that kind of vision. You will be terrified when you see His power. Serving Him food, dressing Him with clothes, and the loving ‘You and I’ relationship with Him will all cease.” Alas, many times we sadly thought the Master refused our request because he did not wish us to have visions. Sometimes a bold devotee would beseech him passionately, saying, “Sir, your grace can make the impossible possible. Please be merciful and grant me the vision of God.” At this the Master would say tenderly: “My child, can I bring about anything? What the Divine Mother wills, happens.” If the devotee would insist, saying, “Whatever you wish shall be the Mother’s will,” the Master’s usual reply was: “My child, I do wish that all of you would have all kinds of spiritual states and visions. But does it happen?” If the devotee still insisted with dogged faith, the Master would express his love for that devotee with an affectionate look and a sweet smile. Then he would either remain silent or say: “My child, what more shall I say? Let the Mother’s will be done.” Even when pressed with destroying his erroneous but firm faith. Quite often we saw the Master respond in that manner and heard him say repeatedly, “My child, never destroy another’s spiritual attitude.”

Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play - III

The Puranas mentions many wonderful stories regarding the great teachers. Although those stories are supported by reason, the human mind still does not believe them completely. The human mind relies above all on its own experience, so without direct experience it cannot unequivocally believe in the reality of Atman, God, liberation, the afterlife, and so on. Although this is true, a person with an impartial and discriminating intellect does not reject anything simply because it is uncommon or supernatural. Rather, such a person acts as witness and calmly collects all the data for and against a particular subject. At the right time, the subject is either rejected as false or accepted as true.

Then there should not be an Iota of doubt in accepting the fact that Sri Ramakrishna’s Parents that THEY WERE HIGHLY EVOLVED PARENTS.

With the exception of Buddha and Chaitanya, there are no detailed accounts of the avatars’ spiritual practices in the religious history of the world. In all there life stories we cannot find any detailed descriptions of their exuberant passion, or of the zeal with which they must have struggled to attain the Truth, or of how they were carried away in their spiritual journeys by hope and hopelessness, fear and awe, and joy and longing. Surely they were sometimes elated and other times depressed, but they never let their focus waver from the goal. In addition, it is difficult to trace the natural cause-and-effect relationship between the amazing actions performed in the latter part of their lives and the education, enthusiasm, and actions of their earlier years.

For example, it is not clear how Krishna, the darling of gopis of Vrindaban, was transformed into the Krishna of Dwarka, the reviver of religion. Moreover, only a few episodes are known about the great life of Jesus before he reached the age of thirty; and only the stories of Shankara’s conquest of other philosophical schools are recorded in detail. So it is with all the other avatars.

Devotees always want to see their masters as perfect. Even though their masters have assumed human bodies, devotees do like to admit that they have ever experienced any human weakness or lack of insight or power. Devotees are always eager to hear of something miraculous, such as Lord Krishna’s beholding the whole universe in His mouth for mother Yashoda. They not only expect to find mature intelligence and vast experience in their masters’ irrelevant childhood activities, but they are also eager to see them as perfect embodiments of omniscience, omnipotence, universal love, and kindness. It is therefore no wonder that devotees conclude that avatars do like to reveal their divine natures to the masses, and that mental efforts such as spiritual practices, as well as physical activities such as eating and sleeping, and conditions such as fatigue, disease, and death, all are mere show. Even during His own lifetime we have witnessed how some prominent devotees of Sri Ramakrishna were convinced that His Throat Cancer was feigned.

Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play - II

Of those Great souls who are still worshipped as incarnations of God, all except Sri Ramachandra and Lord Buddha began their lives in sorrow, poverty, and hardship. Here are some examples: Although Sri Krishna belonged to a royal dynasty, he was born in a prison and spent his early life in a community of poor cowherds, separated from his relatives. Lord Jesus was born in the stable of an inn, glorifying his poor parents. Sri Shankara was born after his father’s death, the son of poor widow. Sri Chaitanya’s parents most ordinary people. Finally, the prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, also came from a poor family. All of these great souls were born in families where there was contentment amidst suffering and poverty; where there were selflessness and love in the midst of hardship; and where the hearts of their poor parents were filled with a blend of renunciation, purity, steadfast humaneness, compassion, charity and other noble qualities.

Through careful reflection one can see a subtle connection between the avatar’s births in poverty and future courses of their lives. If they had no previous awareness of and sympathy for the condition of the poor, how could they in later life accomplish their mission to give solace and peace to society’s afflicted, poor, and persecuted? However, this is not the sole purpose for their advent. We have previously discussed the fact that avatars come to halt the decline of religion. To fulfill that mission, they first become intimately familiar with the traditional religious law; after reflecting upon the causes of religion’s present degradation, the avatars discover a new dispensation according to that particular time and place in order to revive those ancient laws. The huts of the poor, not in the palaces of the rich, offer the opportunity to become intimate with religious traditions. It is the poor person, deprived of worldly enjoyment, who always holds fast to God and His dispensation. Therefore, in spite of widespread religious degradation, a glimpse of the ancient religion keeps the poor person’s hut luminous. That is why, it seems, the great teachers of the world are attracted to take birth in poor families. The same situation occurred in the life of Sri Ramakrishna.


Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions have shown that devoutly worshipping God is the easiest way to attain liberation. As they all hold the same premise, a question spontaneously arises in mind of an impartial investigator as to whether there is any truth underlying this assertion, and if there is, how much of the life stories of those great teachers is to be accepted or rejected.

Reason implies that there may be some truth in the nativity stories of the great souls. Modern science concedes that highly evolved parents are capable of begetting children of noble character. It is therefore to be admitted that the parents of great souls like Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus were endowed with divine qualities. Moreover, it is clear that when these great souls were born, the minds of their parents dwelt in exalted planes of consciousness that ordinary minds cannot reach. As a result, they had wonderful visions and spiritual experiences.

HOLY SAINTS OF MODERN INDIA

I am starting a new series of HOLY SAINTS OF MODERN INDIA, where in I will try to give background information of ADVENT OF THEIR LIVES ON THIS EARTH and SOME OTHER BASIC information.

I am beginning with SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANS (1836-1886). I will be extremely obliged and thankful if ANY OF YOU ALSO CAN SEND ANY INFORMATION OR LINKS TO ALL SAINTS OF MOTHER INDIA...

SRI RAMAKRISHNA AND HIS DIVINE PLAY
It cannot be said that India’s national life was free from defects before the conquest of the West. But the nation was then vigorous and full of life, so its people constantly strove to rectify those defects. As we observe a certain lack of effort on the part of the nation and society today, we understand that the application of medicine in the form of materialistic Western idea is about to kill the patient along with the disease.

It is now evident that the degradation of religion in the West has also affected India. In fact, it is striking to see how far that degradation has spread all over the world in this present age.

If there is any truth in religion, and if by God’s grace one can attain that truth, then undoubtedly the present hedonistic age has deviated far from it. Modern science has improved the condition of human life by providing people with various objects of enjoyment, but it has failed to bring peace. Who will not set it right? Who will be so moved by the constant restlessness and agony of the world’s people as to relinquish personal enjoyment and find a new religious path suitable for the present age? Who will halt the degradation of religion in the East and the West and teach people to follow the new path of peace?

Lord Krishna has promised in the Gita whenever there is a decline in religion, he embraces his own maya in order to become incarnate, to restore religion and help people to regain peace. Will not the need of the age intensely arouse his compassion? Will not the need of the age intensely arouse his compassion? Will not humankind’s emptiness and anxiety induce God to assume a body?

The need of the age has accomplished that task! The Lord has truly reappeared as a world teacher. Listen with faith to His blessed messages: “As many faiths, so many paths'; ' you will realize the Lord through any spiritual practice performed with a sincere heart.' (And also ' All will certainly realize God if they are earnest and sincere.') Reflect intensely upon the superhuman renunciation and austerities Sri Ramakrishna practiced to revive the Supreme Knowledge! Come, let us purify ourselves by studying and meditating on his pure, divine life. ....Continued