Sri Ramakrishna was born in a rural Bengal village on February 18, 1836, to deeply religious parents. At that time, Bengal and other parts of India were in a state of social upheaval and Hinduism was under threat of extinction. Its concepts were challenged from within and without the country. This Indian mystic and his movement (the Ramakrishna Mission) was largely responsible for the revival of Hinduism in the 19^th century.

Gadadhar Chatterji or Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (as Ramakrishna was previously known) was not inclined towards traditional education. Yet he had an uncanny  knack for mastering religious scriptures at a very early age just by hearing them sung by monks and Kathaks. He could read and write in Bengali and understand Sanskrit though he could not speak it. He was able to attract the masses of Bengal (middle class and the intellectuals too) through stories and parables and was soon hailed as a spiritual embodiment of God. Ramakrishna spent his whole life in the contemplation of God.

Ramkumar (Ramakrishna’s elder brother) became the head of the family when his father passed away in 1843. In 1855, Ramkumar was appointed as a priest of Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Unfortunately, he didn’t hold that position for long as he died in 1856. Ramakrishna took over the reins and made the Maa Kali temple his home.

Goddess Kali as his Divine Mother

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was an ardent devotee of Maa Kali and as far as he was concerned, the Goddess was a living entity. Maa Kali became his mother and the mother of the whole universe and he lived only for her. Such was his ecstasy, such was his deep-seated devotion and worship that he often believed that Maa Kali was moving in front of him and eating from his hands. Ramakrishna was in an extreme state of bliss and bonded ecstasy and hence longed to go beyond that realm and actually see Maa Kali before him.

Nothing could comfort him but the vision of Maa Kali- to this end, he meditated for long periods in the jungle oblivious of his personal appearance and everything around him. He cried and pleaded that the ‘Divine Mother’ reveals herself in front of him. When this didn’t happen, he would lament loudly and weep bitterly while worshiping her and sink into throes of despair. Ramakrishna even contemplated suicide but was saved in the nick of time by a vision of “an ocean of blissful light that he attributed to Maa Kali”. This limitless and infinite sea of light, shining waves weaving one after the other in all directions was the marvelous vision that he had been waiting for. Everything around him sank into insignificance and only the visions remained. His ecstasy was viewed by some as ‘madness’ and by others as ‘his deep love for God.’ So engrossed was he in the divinity that lay before him that Ramakrishna began to regard himself and Goddess Maa Kali as one.

Goddess Kali

Maa Kali is believed to represent the infinite. Her three eyes depict time (Kala in Sanskrit- feminine form is Maa Kali) in its three forms- the present, the past, and the future. She also has a dark form and this is symbolic of the darkness from which everything was created. The dark blue complexion is compared to the blue of the sky and ocean waters. She is depicted as ‘fierce’ with a red tongue ready to devour anything that comes her way. Her white teeth stand for her inner purity and the quality of calmness.

The skulls of human heads around her neck represent ‘speech’- the 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, while the girdle of human hands stands for activity. Maa Kali is often depicted with 4 arms- a sword in the upper left hand represent enlightenment that aims to sever sense of servitude and do away with ignorance. The head of the demon in the lower left hand is symbolic of the human ego that needs to be done away with. The other two hands are for blessing all those who worship her. Sometimes she is shown in the Mahakali form (with ten arms).

Although Maa Kali is generally associated with pure awareness and death of evils, she is also regarded as the ‘Mother of the Universe’ and the ‘Divine Protector’. She is often referred to as Kali Maa- the most loving and kindest of all the goddesses.

Many forms of Maa Kali are worshiped in Bengal and Dakshinakali is the most popular. Others include- Chamunda Kali, Raksha Kali, Bhadra Kali, and Guhya Kali.                                       

Attainment of Enlightenment

Totapuri was a wandering monk, who came into contact with Ramakrishna on the banks of the river Hooghly. Totapuri eschewed the worship of Gods and Goddesses and only believed in the formless Brahman. He realized the potential of Ramakrishna and initiated him into sanyas as he wanted him to take the ultimate step that would lead to formless meditation and hence enlightenment. However, Ramakrishna’s devotion to Maa Kali was so deep and profound that nothing Totapuri said swayed him.

Finally, the monk managed to convince him that Maa Kali was only a figment of his imagination that Ramakrishna had nurtured. To become enlightened, Maa Kali would have to make an exit. In spite of Totapuri’s instruction that he needed to empower his awareness instead of empowering his emotion and body, Ramakrishna was unable to let go of Maa Kali and the ecstasy that she produced in him.

When Totapuri threatened to leave the place, Ramakrishna made a tremendous effort to do away with Maa Kali’s presence. Under the monk’s guidance, he conjured up a sword in the same way that he conjured Maa Kali and cut ties with her. It was not easy for Ramakrishna to do it- with Maa Kali gone, he saw himself left alone without mother. Maa Kali dissolved, and Ramakrishna’s individuality merged with the formless concept. Ramakrishna forgot everything else and stayed in silence for six whole days feeling neither hunger nor thirst. When he opened his eyes, he became enlightened!

Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna

Ramakrishna’s spiritual energy and his own personality attracted people from across India, Europe and the United States. Though Swami Vivekananda was skeptical about Ramakrishna’s teachings and questioned them but later he became a favorite disciple. Over a period of time, Vivekananda was overwhelmed by the spiritual magnetism that emanated from Ramakrishna and he completely surrendered to the ‘Divine Mother.’ He soon experienced the bliss of Samadhi and profound states of consciousness. On Ramakrishna’s death, he took over the reins of leadership and helped establish the era of spiritual enlightenments. The Ramakrishna movement gathered momentum and today its missions have sprung up across the country.