Prabuddha Bharata
38
(c) To remove some of the misconceptions about Sri Ramakrishna’s avatara-hood. (d) To show the important historical role of Sri Ramakrishna in the ongoing spiritual transformation of human consciousness. (e) Lastly, this study is intended to serve as our humble homage to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna on the occasion of the celebration of his 175th birth anniversary. This study has covered only certain aspects of the avatara-hood of Sri Ramakrishna. It may take several centuries for the great possibilities and immense Shakti involved in the avatara-hood of Sri Ramakrishna to manifest themselves fully for the welfare of the world. No one in the world ever understood, or can possibly understand, the true significance and implications of Sri Ramakrishna’s avatara-hood more than Swami Vivekananda. Moreover, Swami Vivekananda was not only endowed with extraordinary intellectual and spiritual powers as well as a prophetic vision capable of seeing far into the future, but also he was a highly rational person who never allowed himself to be limited by narrow emotional or cultic considerations or made unauthenticated statements to mislead people. Hence, Swamiji’s statements on Sri Ramakrishna have veracity and trustworthiness ingrained in them. The present discourse on the avatara-hood of Sri Ramakrishna can have no better conclusion than the following statement of Swamiji. So at the very dawn of this momentous epoch, the reconciliation of all aspects and ideals of religious thought and worship is being proclaimed; this boundless, all-embracing idea had been lying inherent, but so long sealed, in the Religion Eternal and its scriptures, and now rediscovered, it is being declared to humanity in a trumpet voice. This epochal new dispensation is the
268
harbinger of great good to the whole world, specially to India, and the inspirer of this dispensation, Shri Bhagavan Ramakrishna, is the reformed and remodelled manifestation of all the past great epoch-makers in religion. O man, have faith in this, and lay it to heart. The dead never return; the past night does not reappear; a spent-up tidal wave does not rise anew; neither does man inhabit the same body again. So from the worship of the dead past, O man, we invite you to the worship of the living present; from the regretful brooding over bygones, we invite you to the activities of the present; from the waste of energy in retracing lost and demolished pathways, we call you back to the broad new-laid highways lying very near. He that is wise, let him understand (6.185–6).
In order to respond to this clarion call of Swamiji all that one has to do is to release one’s faith. Everyone has in him or her inborn faith, but it usually remains imprisoned by the walls of ignorance and delusion. In the Pali scriptures of Buddhism there is the following anecdote. After attaining Bodhi, full spiritual illumination, when Buddha decided to preach the new Dharma to the world, the gods rejoiced. They declared in one voice: Apāvṛtaṁ teṣāṁ amṛtasya dvāram, He śrotṛvantaḥ pramuñcantu śraddhām. Opened is the door to immorality for you; he who has heard this [news] let him release his faith.28
This declaration is true for the avatara-hood of Sri Ramakrishna as well. P References 2 6. Complete Works, 3.283–4. 2 7. Eric Fromm, The Revolution of Hope (New York: Bantam Books, 1968), 87. See also Eric Fromm, To Have or To Be (New York: Continuum, 1977). 28. Mahavagga, 1.5; translation by the author. PB May 2012