Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Sri Ramakrishna A Life Divine
Citation preview
SRI RAMAKRISHNA - A LIFE DIVINE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 2
WHO IS SRI RAMAKRISHNA
• Ramakrishna was born on 18 February 1836, in the village of
Kamarpukur, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, into a very
poor but pious, orthodox brahmin family.[ Located far from the
railroad, Kamarpukur was untouched by the glamour of the city
and contained rice fields, tall palms, royal banyans, a few lakes,
and two cremation grounds. His parents were Khudiram
Chattopâdhyâya and Chandramani Devî. According to his
followers, Ramakrishna's parents experienced supernatural
incidents, visions before his birth. His father Khudiram had a
dream in Gaya in which Lord Gadadhara (a form of Vishnu),
said that he would be born as his son. Chandramani Devi is said
to have had a vision of light entering her womb from Shiva's
temple DR.T.V.RAO MD 3
SRI RAMAKRISHNA • He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple,
dedicated to the goddess Kali, which had the influence of the
main strands of Bengali bhakti tradition. His first spiritual
teacher was an ascetic woman skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava
bhakti. Later an Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual
meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he experienced
nirvikalpa samadhi under his guidance. Ramakrishna also
experimented with other religions, notably Islam and
Christianity, and said that they all lead to the same God.Though
conventionally uneducated, he attracted the attention of the
middle class, upper middle class and numerous Bengali
intellectuals
DR.T.V.RAO MD 4
• If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled.
MADE THE RELIGION SIMPLE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 5
• God can be realized
through all paths. All
religions are true. The
important thing is to
reach the roof. You can
reach it by stone stairs
or by wooden stairs or
by bamboo steps or by
a rope. You can also
climb up by a bamboo
pole.
ALL RELIGIONS ARE TRUE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 6
• Knowledge leads to
unity, but Ignorance to
diversity.
So long as God seems
to be outside and far
away, there is
ignorance. But when
God is realized within,
that is true
knowledge.
REALIZATION OF GOD
DR.T.V.RAO MD 7
• God is in all men, but all
men are not in God; that is
why we suffer.
• It is easy to talk on religion,
but difficult to practice it.
• More are the names of God
and infinite are the forms
through which He may be
approached. In whatever
name and form you worship
Him, through them you will
realize Him.
A TRUE DIVINITY IN MAN REALIZE IT
DR.T.V.RAO MD 8
• Those who wish to
attain God and
progress in religious
devotion, should
particularly guard
themselves against
the snares of lust and
wealth. Otherwise
they can never attain
perfection.
HOW TO ATTAIN THE GOD
DR.T.V.RAO MD 9
RAMAKRISHNA AND HIS DISCIPLES BY
CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD,
• Chant the name of God and sing his glories unceasingly; and keep holy
company. Now and then one should visit holy men and devotees of God. If a
man lives in the world and busies himself day and night with worldly duties
and responsibilities, he cannot give his mind to God. So it's important to go
into solitude from time to time, and think about God. When the plant is
young, it should be fenced on all sides. Unless there's a fence around it,
goats and cattle may eat it up.
When you meditate, go into the solitude of a forest, or a quiet corner, and
enter into the chamber of your heart. And always keep your power of
discrimination awake. God alone is real, that is to say, eternal;
everything else is unreal, because it will pass away. As you discriminate
in this manner, let your mind give up its attachment to the fleeting objects of
this world. … Attend to all your duties but keep your mind fixed on God.
Wife, son, father, mother — live with all of them and serve them, as if they
were your very own. But know in your heart of hearts that they are not your
own DR.T.V.RAO MD 10
• In the Kaliyuga, man, being
totally dependent on food for life,
cannot altogether shake off the
idea that he is the body. In this
state of mind it is not proper
for him to say: "I am He".
When a man does all sorts of
worldly things, he should not
say, "I am Brahman". Those
who cannot give up attachment
to worldly things, and who find no
means to shake off the feeling of
"I", should rather cherish the
idea, "I am God's servant; I am
His devotee."
GIVE UP THE ATTACHMENT ……
DR.T.V.RAO MD 11
GOD ALONE HELPS EVERYONE
• Man cannot really help the world. God alone does that — He
who has created the sun and the moon, who has put love for
their children in parents' hearts, endowed noble souls with
compassion, and holy men and devotees with divine love. The
man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really
does good to himself. There is gold buried in your heart, but you
are not yet aware of it. It is covered with a thin layer of earth.
Once you are aware of it, all these activities of yours will lessen.
… Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart.
Then, through His grace, one realizes Him in course of time.
God can be seen, one can talk to Him, as I am talking to you
DR.T.V.RAO MD 12
THE MASTER SAID – TRY TO PRACTICE
…
• Everything that exists is God." The pupil understood it
literally, but not in the true spirit. While he was passing
through a street, he met with an elephant. The driver (mahut)
shouted aloud from his high place, "Move away, move away!"
The pupil argued in his mind, "Why should I move away? I am
God, so is the elephant also God. What fear has God of
Himself?" Thinking thus he did not move. At last the
elephant took him up by his trunk, and dashed him aside.
He was severely hurt, and going back to his Master, he related
the whole adventure. The Master said, "All right, you are God.
The elephant is God also, but God in the shape of the
elephant-driver was warning you also from above. Why did
you not pay heed to his warnings?" DR.T.V.RAO MD 13
• He laughs when the physician says
to the patient's mother, "Don't be
afraid, mother; I shall certainly cure
your boy." God laughs, saying to
Himself, "I am going to take his life,
and this man says he will save it!"
The physician thinks he is the
master, forgetting that God is the
Master. God laughs again when two
brothers divide their land with a
string, saying to each other, "This
side is mine and that side is yours."
He laughs and says to Himself, "The
whole universe belongs to Me, but
they say they own this portion or
that portion."
GOD LAUGHS…AT YOUR PRIDE.
DR.T.V.RAO MD 14
• ... A brāhmin without
this love is no longer
a brāhmin. And a
pariah with the love
of God is no longer a
pariah. Through
bhakti an
untouchable
becomes pure and
elevated.
LOVERS OF GOD DO NOT BELONG TO
ANY CASTE.
DR.T.V.RAO MD 15
• This māyā, that is to
say, the ego, is like a
cloud. The sun cannot
be seen on account of
a thin patch of cloud;
when that disappears
one sees the sun. If by
the grace of the guru
one's ego vanishes,
then one sees God.
THE WORLD IS MAYA – REALIZE …
DR.T.V.RAO MD 16
• One cannot attain
divine knowledge
till one gets rid of
pride. Water does
not stay on the top of
a mound; but into
low land it flows in
torrents from all
sides.
GET RID OF PRIDE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 17
• You have been born in this world
as a human being to worship
God; therefore try to acquire love
for His Lotus Feet. Why do you
trouble yourself to know a
hundred other things? What will
you gain by discussing
philosophy? Look here, one
ounce of liquor is enough to
intoxicate you. What is the use of
your trying to find out how many
gallons of liquor there are in the
tavern?
REALIZE THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES…
DR.T.V.RAO MD 18
• The goal can never
be reached unless a
man makes his mind
strong, and firmly
resolves that he
must realize God in
this very birth, nay,
this very moment.
REALIZE THE GOAL OF HUMAN LIFE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 19
• One should not think,
"My religion alone is
the right path and
other religions are
false." God can be
realized by means of
all paths. It is enough
to have sincere
yearning for God.
Infinite are the paths
and infinite the
opinions.
GOD IS ONE - OPINIONS ARE MANY
DR.T.V.RAO MD 20
• By constantly repeating, "I am
free, I am free", a man verily
becomes free. On the other
hand, by constantly repeating, "I
am bound, I am bound", he
certainly becomes bound to
worldliness. The fool who says
only, "I am a sinner, I am a
sinner", verily drowns himself in
worldliness. One should rather
say: "I have chanted the name of
God. How can I be a sinner?
How can I be bound?"
WHO IS A FREEMAN
DR.T.V.RAO MD 21
• O man, because you
cannot find God in the days
of your ignorance, say not
that there is no God.
• The vain man of intellect
busies himself with finding
out the "why" and
"wherefore" of creation,
while the humble man of
wisdom makes friends with
the Creator and enjoys His
gift of supreme bliss.
WHY DO NOT FIND GOD..
DR.T.V.RAO MD 22
• When you grow strong
in faith, no worldliness
or evil inclination will
dare approach your
holy presence; and
many who are wicked
will become godly
through their holy
contact with you.
WHEN YOU BECOME STRONG
DR.T.V.RAO MD 23
• One can easily realize
God if one is free from
guile. Spiritual instruction
produces quick results in a
guileless heart. Such a
heart is like well cultivated
land from which all the
stones have been removed.
No sooner is the seed sown
than it germinates. The fruit
also appears quick
IT IS EASIER TO ATTAIN THE GOD ….
DR.T.V.RAO MD 24
• Unless one always
speaks the truth, one
cannot find God Who
is the soul of truth
• God alone is the
guide and Guru of
the universe.
SPEAK THE TRUTH YOU ARE NEAR TO
GOD
DR.T.V.RAO MD 25
• For Ramakrishna, bhakti
cannot be defined in a
single word, rather, a
cluster of words is
necessary. … A path will
do only if it is
characterized by
sincerity, earnestness,
and single-minded
devotion. Only then will
we find that all paths lead
to God
• R. W. Neufeldt
ALL PATHS LEAD TO GOD
CHOICE IS YOURS
DR.T.V.RAO MD 26
• Who is whose
Guru? God
alone is the
guide and
Guru of the
universe.
WHO IS YOUR GURU – THE TRUTH IS
GOD ALONE
DR.T.V.RAO MD 27
