Approaching Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna is an ocean in whose heart the universe is nestled like an island. Awed by the expanse of infinite depth around, we in the universe constantly try to perceive this personality in our own way. Our perception is unique every time as is the knowledge we obtain thereby. Approaching Ramakrishna becomes our prayer to the supreme reality. Published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India in commemoration of the 175th Birth Anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna.

Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a famous saint of nineteenth century India was the Guru of Swami Vivekanand. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in 1836, in a small town near Calcutta, West Bengal. His life was devoted to mysticism and religious pursuit. A great believer in goddess Kali he often lost consciousness while praying to her. Many disciples were attracted to him. His main disciple was Swami Vivekananda. Ramakrishna started a mission – Ramakrishna mission which was very influential during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries and even now. The mission that was founded by Ramakrishna was universally spread by Swami Vivekananda. His promotion of Hinduism started with his keynote address at the world Parliament of religious meeting in Chicago. It won accolades and people were mesmerised by the speaker and his message. In his last days he gave Vivekananda the responsibility of looking after the disciples and running the mission. He left for his heavenly abode on August 16, 1886 and till the last moment the name of his goddess was on his lips. Biography of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa by Pradeep Pandit: Embark on a spiritual journey with this enlightening biography of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa, a revered Indian saint and mystic. Pradeep Pandit chronicles the life and teachings of Ramakrishna, whose spiritual insights and devotion continue to inspire millions. From his early spiritual experiences to his profound encounters with various religious paths, the biography unveils the soul-stirring story of Ramakrishna's quest for divine realization and his role in shaping the spiritual landscape of India. Key Aspects of the Book "Biography of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa": Spiritual Quest: The biography captures Ramakrishna's profound spiritual journey, exploring his devotion and insights into various spiritual traditions. Interfaith Harmony: Readers witness Ramakrishna's deep respect for different religious paths and his message of universal spirituality and tolerance. Influence on Swami Vivekananda: The book also sheds light on Ramakrishna's significant influence on his disciple, Swami Vivekananda, and the founding of the Ramakrishna Mission. Pradeep Pandit is a skilled biographer known for his expertise in narrating the lives of spiritual luminaries. "Biography of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa" reflects Pandit's dedication to presenting the transformative journeys of spiritual leaders, offering readers a deeper understanding of their teachings and impact on humanity.

Every human life form encapsulates an idea of humankind and humanity. Today, this very idea is challenged by the various and diverging needs for cultural orientation in the age of globalization. One of the recent attempts to meet these challenges is provided by a new humanism with an intercultural intent. Such humanism can be conceptualized only by the collaborative efforts of different academic disciplines at exploring the human being as the gist of what is meant by humanity. Thus, this volume explores the pertinent fields of knowledge from the perspectives of philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, economy, psychology, neurobiology, history, and gender studies. Focusing on the guiding question of what is meant by being a human, the contributions of this volume encompass a fascinating spectrum of insights, which will orientate future discussions on humanity and humanism.

Sri Ramakrishna is widely known as a nineteenth-century Indian mystic who affirmed the harmony of all religions on the basis of his richly varied spiritual experiences and eclectic religious practices, both Hindu and non-Hindu. In Infinite Paths to Infinite Reality, Ayon Maharaj argues that Sri Ramakrishna was also a sophisticated philosopher of great contemporary relevance. Through a careful study of Sri Ramakrishna's recorded oral teachings in the original Bengali, Maharaj reconstructs his philosophical positions and analyzes them from a cross-cultural perspective. Sri Ramakrishna's spiritual journey culminated in the exalted state of "vijñana," his term for the "intimate knowledge" of God as the Infinite Reality that is both personal and impersonal, with and without form, immanent in the universe and beyond it. This expansive spiritual standpoint of vijñana, Maharaj contends, opens up a new paradigm for addressing central issues in cross-cultural philosophy of religion, including divine infinitude, religious pluralism, mystical experience, and the problem of evil. Sri Ramakrishna's vijñana-based religious pluralism--when grasped in all its subtlety--proves to have major philosophical advantages over dominant Western models. Moreover, his mystical testimony and teachings not only cut across long-standing debates about the nature of mystical experience but also bolster recent defenses of its epistemic value. Maharaj further demonstrates that Sri Ramakrishna's unique response to the problem of evil resonates strongly with Western "soul-making" theodicies and contemporary theories of skeptical theism. A pioneering interdisciplinary study of one of India's most important philosopher-mystics, Maharaj's book is essential reading for scholars and students in philosophy of religion, theology, religious studies, and Hindu studies.

Ramakrishna Paramhansa; a famous saint of nineteenth century India was the guru of Swami Vivekanand. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in 1836; in a small town near Calcutta; West Bengal. His life was devoted to mysticism and religious pursuit. A great believer in goddess Kali he often lost consciousness while praying to her. Many disciples were attracted to him. His main disciple was Swami Vivekananda. Ramakrishna started a mission – Ramakrishna Mission which was very influential during the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries and even now. The mission that was founded by Ramakrishna was universally spread by Swami Vivekananda. His promotion of Hinduism started with his keynote address at the world Parliament of Religious meeting in Chicago. It won accolades and people were mesmerised by the speaker and his message. In his last days he gave Vivekananda the responsibility of looking after the disciples and running the mission. He left for his heavenly abode on August 16; 1886 and till the last moment the name of his Goddess was on his lips.

The Hindu thinker Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was and remains an important figure both within India, and in the West, where he was notable for preaching Vedanta. Scholarship surrounding Vivekananda is dominated by hagiography and his (mis)appropriation by the political Hindu Right. This work demonstrates that Vivekananda was no simplistic pluralist, as portrayed in hagiographical texts, nor narrow exclusivist, as portrayed by some modern Hindu nationalists, but a thoughtful, complex inclusivist. The book shows that Vivekananda formulated a hierarchical and inclusivistic framework of Hinduism, based upon his interpretations of a four-fold system of Yoga. It goes on to argue that Vivekananda understood his formulation of Vedanta to be universal, and applied it freely to non-Hindu traditions, and in so doing, demonstrates that Vivekananda was consistently critical of ‘low level’ spirituality, not only in non-Hindu traditions, but also within Hinduism. Demonstrating that Vivekananda is best understood within the context of ‘Advaitic primacy’, rather than ‘Hindu chauvinism’, this book will be of interest to scholars of Hinduism and South Asian religion and of South Asian diaspora communities and religious studies more generally.

This Combo Collection (Set of 3 Books) includes All-time Bestseller Books. This anthology contains: The Life and Times of Ramakrishna Parmahamsa The Life and Times of Gautam Buddha The Life and Times of Swami Vivekananda