SWAMI VIVEKAANADA ON SRI RAMAKRISHNA A Campilation:- Whenever virtue subsides & vice prevails, I come down to help mankind,’ declared Krishan in the Ghagavad Gita. Whenever this world of ours, on account of growth, on account of added circumstances, requires a new adjustment, a wave of power comes…. [In the present age, Sri Ramakrishna is the] one man who has put in motion such a wave in India. [When he came] the time was ripe for one to be born who in one body would have the brilliant intellect of Shankara & the wonderfully expansive, infinite heart of Chaitanya; one who would see in every sect the same spirit working, the same God; one who would see God every being, one whose heart would weep for the poor, for the weak, for the outcast, for the down-trodden, for everyone in this would, inside India or outside India; & at the same time whose grand brilliant intellect would conceive of such noble thoughts as would harmonize all conflicting sects, not only in India but outside, & bring a marvelous harmony, the universal religion of head & heart into existence… The time was ripe , it was necessary that such a man should be born, & he came… SRI RAMAKRISHNA Swami Shivnanda:- Even as a child I had an inherent tendency towards spiritual life & an innate consciousness enjoyment was not the object of life. As I grew older & my knowledge increased, these two ideas took a firmer hold over my mind. I went about the city of Calcutta seeking knowledge of God among its various religious societies & temples. But I could not find real satisfaction anywhere: none of them emphasized the beauty of renunciation nor could I discover a single man among them who was possessed of true spiritual wisdom. Then in 1880 or ’81, I heard about Sri Ramakrishna & went to see him in the house of one of his devotees in Calcutta. This was the time when Swami Vivekananda & those other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna who afterwards renounced the world to carry on his divine mission, had begun to gather round him. On that first day of my visit, I saw Sri Ramakrishan passing into Samadhi; & when he returned to normal consciousness, he spoke in detail about Samadhi & its nature. I felt in my inmost heart that here was a man who had indeed realized God & I surrendered myself forever at his blessed feet. RAMAKRISHNA Swami Ramakrishnananda:- Sri Krishna, after describing to Arjuna a little of his own glory, said to him: ‘Whatever being there is, great, prosperous, or powerful, that it has sprung from but a part of My splendor.’ Everyone in India who is within the fold in Minduism regards the son of Devaki (Sri Krishna) as the Lord Himself. But what is a matter for regret is that nowadays, people imbued scientific & materialistic ideas of the West doubt the existence of God. If we think a little, we shall understand that this doubt the existence of God can be entertained only by thoughtless people. O man, if you had the power to acquire everything you desire, I would not hesitate to call you God. If not one had the power to obstruct you, if you could enjoy unbroken bliss, being free from the fear of death & thus live in great happiness, if you could, at all time, easily & according to your sweet will, have gratified your innumerable desires, then you yourself would have been God. But just think for a moment & see whether your condition is not just the reverse. If so, it is mere foolishness to be an atheist, to dethrone God, & set yourself up in his place. That Supreme Power which you cannot obstruct & which easily obstructs you at every step, that power of all-conquering Time known as Kali, rules you & all this universe of movable & immovable things. This power of Time is what is known as Ishwara, the Power God. This power is the cause of the creation, preservation, & destruction of this universe. Wherever we see a concentration of this Power, there we find & manifestation of God. Everyone knows to what a geart extent this Power was manifest in Sri Krishna. No power on earth was able to obstruct Him. On the other hand He was able to put under His feet all the monarchs of His time & let only such of them live as were pious & righteous, thus fulfilling His own words in the Gita: ‘Whenever there is decline of righteousness & rise of unrighteousness, then I body Myself forth, for protection of the good & the destruction of the wicked, & for the establishment of righteousness.’ The power of time is ever favourable to righteousness & man cannot help admitting that He in whom this power is manifest to a great extent is an Incarnation of God. For it is such great souls who are all-powerful & all-merciful that are real Masters of this world. These great souls control this great power for they have been ruling this world from time immemorial. Just as Kali, the power of time, is the ruler of this world, even so do these great souls rule this world. Their words are the scriptures of the world & are working for the good of mankind. They alone have shown mankind the way out of this relative existence (samsara) by treading the pathg themselves.