Talk:Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṃsa (1836–1886 C.E.)
By Vishal Agarwal
Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṃsa was born as Gadādhara Caṭṭopādhyāya in 1836 at Kāmārpukur in West Bengal. From childhood, he showed a deeply spiritual nature and many saintly qualities. Some inspiring anecdotes from his life are given below.
Story: Do not disrespect your employees just because they are poor
As a child, Gadādhara was looked after by a maidservant whom he fondly called Dhāḍī. At the age of three, he promised her: “When I undergo my upanayana (sacred thread ceremony), my first food will be from your hands.”
Years later, at age seven, when he had his upanayana, family members urged him to beg his first meal from his mother or aunts, as was the custom. But Gadādhara insisted, “I promised my Dhāḍī. If I do not keep my word, what use is this sacred thread? Our dharm teaches us to be truthful.”
Deeply moved, the elders allowed him to keep his word. Thus, he demonstrated from a young age that poverty or social status should never determine respect.
Story: The greatness of saints is in their simplicity
Dr. Mahendranātha Sarkar, a renowned physician of Kolkātā, once came to Dakṣiṇeśvara temple to meet Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa. On the way, he saw a man strolling in the garden and assumed he was a gardener. He asked him to pluck some flowers as an offering for the Swāmī. The man quietly obliged.
When Dr. Sarkar finally reached the room of the saint, he was stunned to see that the man he had mistaken for a gardener was none other than Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa himself. True saints reveal their greatness through humility, not external appearances.
Story: How Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa met Swāmī Vivekānanda
Naren (later Swāmī Vivekānanda) was a seeker who doubted the existence of God. He had asked many scholars whether they had seen God, but none claimed to have done so.
One day, he came to meet Swāmī Rāmakṛṣṇa. The saint rushed forward and embraced him, saying, “Where were you hiding all this while? I have been waiting for you!” Naren was astonished, for they had never met before.
He asked, “Have you seen God?” Rāmakṛṣṇa replied, “Of course. I have seen Mā Kālī as clearly as I see you now.” Later, when Rāmakṛṣṇa gently touched Naren, he experienced a vision where the whole universe swirled before him, and he felt the presence of Bhagavān.
This divine experience transformed Naren. He accepted Rāmakṛṣṇa as his Guru, took saṃnyāsa, and became Swāmī Vivekānanda, who later carried the message of Hindu dharm to the West, crediting all his spiritual strength to the blessings of his Guru.