Ramakrishna Paramhansa was born in AD 1836. He was primarily a religious reformer. He was a deeply spiritual man who believed that the basic meaning of all religious was the same.
Ramakrishna Paramhansa
Ramakrishna Paramhansa was born in AD 1836. He was primarily a religious reformer. He was a deeply spiritual man who believed that the basic meaning of all religious was the same. He said that meditation and devotion were the paths to religious salvation. He emphasized the concept of service to man because for him, man was the symbol of God. Other religious reformers of the time such as Keshab Chandra Sen, Dayandand Saraswati and others often called on him for religious discussions and spiritual guidance.
Ramakrishna’s greatest disciple was Swami Vivekananda. Born in AD 1863, Vivekananda was a brilliant scholar who found the answers to his spiritual questions in the teachings of Ramakrishna. However, he felt that just religious reforms were not enough. He stressed social action. He said- “the best way to serve God is to serve mankind”.
Vivekananda also felt that it was the Indians themselves who were responsible for the backward state of Indian society. He wanted Indians to work for their own upliftment. He encouraged people to get educated and work to make India a great country. All his life, he worked to revive the pride of Indians in their civilization. He even travelled abroad in an effort to promote an understanding of Indian culture. His speeches at All World Religions Conference (Parliament of Religions) at Chicago (USA) in AD 1893 made people sit up and take notice of India as a nation.
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In AD 1897, Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission to propagate the teachings of his guru and to carry on social work. The mission established many schools, libraries, hospitals and orphanages. It was also actively involved in organizing relief during floods, famines and epidemics.