The Advent of a Paramahamsa

||Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

 

Aum Namo Narayanaya

 

Master - Bhagwan Ramakrishna

As I walked down from the main shrine towards the Swami Nischalananda Hall (at the Ramakrishna Centre of SA headquarters in Glen Anil), where the Birth Anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna were being held - my eye caught sight of two swans (hamsa) that graced the verandah entrance. They stood bright and exuberant, like the full moon. I am accustomed to be greeted by the two large golden lions that welcome you at the temple entrance, which is frequented more often due to satsangh, but was sent into a divine bhav as I saw the swans which are compared to great spiritual beings (Paramahamsas) in Hindu Dharma.

 

 

As much as stories or puranas are used to express profound spiritual truths in Sanathan Dharma, it is not unique, as many children’s fables also convey inspiring moral and ethical messages. My divine bhav was immediately augmented when I entered the hall which adorned a shrine atmosphere, where devotees silently sat facing the colourfully decorated stage ,drawing attention to the illumined images of Master, Mother and Swamiji.

 

 

With at least ten minutes to spare before the commencement of the programme, I became infected with a little nostalgia and frantically scourged my memory for the wonderful story of the 'Ugly Duckling' which is the only one I could remember from my school days that centred on the swan... and indeed I recall how it brought much delight to us all.

 

 

It spoke of how a cygnet -which grew up with some ducklings felt so out of place and was treated differently because of its appearance- became so uninspired about life until after

some time when it grew into a beautiful swan. Noticing its reflection in the water, the swan welled with self respect and courage to move freely in the wild. It's beauty was adored by all thereafter.

 

 

This little recollection formed the backdrop and introduction to the life of our beloved Master ,that was so picturesquely portrayed by Swami Vimokshananda in His keynote address and also aided by the vibrant and descriptive dance items on Lord Rama and Lord Krishna which verily underpin the character of Bhagwan Sri Ramakrishna.

 

 

Like the 'Ugly Duckling', Master stood out conspicuously from the rest of society due to His intense longing and love for God. He would frequently fall into deep states of divine ecstasy on any thought or resemblance of God. To shed some light on His intoxication for God, here are some words by Sri Ramakrishna Himself: "I practiced austerities for a long time. I cared very little for the body. My longing for the Divine Mother was so great that I would not eat or sleep. I would lie on the bare ground, placing my head on a lump of earth, and cry out loudly: Mother, Mother, why dost Thou not come to me? I did not know how the days and nights passed away. I used to have ecstasy all the time.”

 

Many have failed to cognitively understand Master or even explain some of the incidents in His life. Therefore, we grasp onto the expositions of His disciples who lived with Him for many years. Swami Vimokshananda aptly chose the words of Swami Abedananda who described the mission of Sri Ramakrishna -in the embodied form- as to distribute knowledge, devotion and peace to a humanity who, at that time, were living unaided in a storm of ignorance, confusion, turmoil, anger and other adharmic qualities that failed to invoke deep devotion to God and hold peace and tranquillity. Like Lord Rama, Master's entire life was a practical scripture that if one closely analysed it and followed it, they would immediately feel a huge difference in their life.

 

Being born illiterate and poor, He taught realistically that attaining prashanti (highest peace), knowledge and devotion does not need wealth, many degrees, or being a famous person in society. One simply needs to have firm conviction of faith, sincere longing for God, and absolute love for the divine.

 

Pain, suffering and struggle is synonymous with life as explained by Swami Vivekananda in many of His lectures... and even Sri Ramakrishna was not immune to such, as it forms the basis of developing tenets of discrimination, detachment and devotion - which are essential for spiritual progress. Like Master said: "If you want a copper vessel to remain shiny, it has to be cleaned daily." These challenges in life come as the scourer... and with the detergent of the Guru’s divine instruction, we can transform from the 'Ugly Duckling' to the beautiful Swan.

 

 

Amidst all His hardships and criticism, Master never once waivered from His devotion to the Divine Mother. Everyday, He simply grew his faith and devotion exponentially, until one day He had the vision of the Mother. Thereafter, through various spiritual disciplines, He proved that varied paths lead to the same realisation... that the conflict between man over religion and other matters was futile... as the goal or result is the same.

 

So long as there is knowledge of variety, so long there is bondage, when perfect knowledge comes, man realises one Spirit in all. In that state, he also sees that the same One has become the individual soul, and the phenomenal world with its various states and elements. It is true that the Universal Spirit dwells everywhere, but His manifestation varies. In some places, there is greater manifestation and in others less. Wherever there is greater manifestation of the Spirit, there is also greater manifestation of divine power. First you will have to realise unity by discrimination: "Not this, not this." Then after reaching this state of realisation, when you come down to phenomena, you will discover that variety has come from unity and the same unity is the goal of variety.

 

Like the cygnet, we have all forgotten our swadharma (self nature). Engrossed with the body and world, we feel insecure, insignificant and hopeless. Success is based entirely on material exploits. Pursuing this path, we will always remain the 'Ugly Duckling'. If we study the lives of great spiritual beings like Sri Ramakrishna, we understand that our swadharma is divinity... and by living a disciplined life within the frameworks of dharma, we can enjoy the world as a swan.

 

 

May Master -our eternal Father and dear friend- eternally inspire us to live a divine life, is my sincere prayer.

 

 

With love and prayers always

Yogan