Venerabilis Opus
Sri Ramakrishna, Short Biography of a Mystic

Sri Ramakrishna

Short Biography of a Mystic

By Venerabilis Opus

Born in 1836 in Bengal, India, Gadâdhara Chattopadhyâya manifested from a very early age an extraordinary attraction for the Divine. He, who was later called Ramakrishna, experienced Samadhi for the first time at the age of five. Awestruck by the beauty in Nature, in profound adoration of the Divine Mother, he fell into Ecstasy many times while in the fields.

Born into a humble family of Brahmans, small in stature, Ramakrishna barely knew how to write and yet, his reputation quickly grew worldwide. For years, from every corner of the globe, princes, politicians, the wealthy as well as the poor and destitute made their way to the Temple where he officiated (below), hoping to meet the man who exalted the world

His message, though rich, was nonetheless simple! Love God (your inner Being) in every possible way or just in one, but love Him. Here are two of his sayings: “If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God,” and “Men weep abundantly for their children, their wife, their money but who weeps because he hasn’t seen God?”

For his entire life, Ramakrishna preached the unity of all religions, which he directly experienced himself, one by one, each time with the mystic fervor that so characterized him. Married since his youth to Sarada (left), he also practiced Tantrism or the Sacred Sexuality in its noblest and most authentic form, which he taught secretly to his disciples.

While in Samadhi, Ramakrishna experienced the Divine in all its forms. With an almost childlike simplicity, he revealed the great mysteries of life, creation, and the Creator (with form and without form). A fervent adorer of his Divine Mother, he could actually converse with her, and he thereby developed a very close relationship with her. And she, in return, guided him through many extraordinary and unbelievable experiences: for six months, he remained in a state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, a form of Samadhi “without seed”, from which normally no one ever returns. He spent six years without sleeping a single minute, adoring the Mother. At another time in his life, separation from his Divine Mother caused him such intense pain that when he recovered, the ground below him was burnt by his ardent devotion.  

Being too practical and not wanting to create any new dogma, Ramakrishna left no written legacy. All that remains of him in the world are a few biographies and sayings recorded by his disciples. And yet, it is thanks to him that we know about Hinduism and Yoga today. His best disciples, Swami Vivekananda and Shivananda, were the first Hindu Masters to transmit the millennial Wisdom of India to the entire world beginning in the 1900s.

“He is born in vain who, having attained human birth so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize God in this very life.” - Sri Ramakrishna