As a realised master, Ramakrishna Paramhansa felt the pulse of the people, their spiritual

whereabouts, their amnesia of essential divinity and their compulsive obsession for sense-
gratification and material possessions. Accordingly, he prescribed remedy in progressive,
digestible chunks. So his curative remedy never became worse than the disease.
Although Self-realisation is the sole purpose of life and renunciation is the key to divine
realisation, it cannot be adopted by the majority. So he advised mental or inward
renunciation which can be more easily adopted by all. Once the spirit of renunciation
enters the subconscious, the umbilical cord is smoothly severed from delusive reality and
lo and behold, Self-realisation blossoms forth.
The gravitational pull of diehard worldly attachment drags us down and blinds us to the
true mission of life and our final destination. Cosmic delusion is so blinding that we
overlook universal suffering and absolute impermanence of all worldly things. God is
nearest of the near and dearest of the dear. But until and unless we seek Him alone He
keeps us engrossed in endless desires. As an adequate antidote Ramakrishna prescribed
cultivation of divine love for God, our innermost essence of being. The more we cling to
Him the more we get detached from worldly attachments.
Serving our own expanded Self gives birth to divine love by which the Absolute is
always attracted. His nature is love, the centripetal force of creation. Divine love between
devotee and God is a transcendental joy for ever which is inseparable from Brahmn,
cosmic consciousness.
Unconditional service of man is for Ramakrishna, the divine service of God. But instead
of being pitiful and egoistic one should be loving and worshipful of suffering humanity in
which too, the omnipresent is present. It’s an opportunity to serve Him. This gospel of
inspired service is vibrant in his teachings.
Since Divine realisation is preconditioned by dissolution of the ego, nothing succeeds
like complete surrender to the Almighty. God alone is the doer. The best course is to
assert our instrumentality as devotees and thereby execute complete self-effacement for
elevation to cosmic Self.
People follow diverse ways of worship according to their religion. Some worship the
Omnipresent as image while others believe in the formless Absolute. Some are keen on
rituals while others are analytical, inquisitive and meditative. Such wide diversity could
give rise to religious intolerance of another, with a sense of comparative superiority.
Ramakrishna confirmed that every way of worship is a valid way to divine destination if
followed with honesty, sincerity and intense aspiration for realisation.
Significantly, Ramakrishna asked a visitor, “Do you have faith in any image of the Spirit
or you prefer to worship God as formless Absolute?” The visitor replied, “I am inclined
to think God as formless Spirit.” Sri Ramakrishna approved, “Well, stick to your
conviction. But never think that this alone is true. God with form is just as true as God
without form. Attracted by the soothing devotion of the devotees the Absolute manifests
as solid ice but before the bright sun of wisdom the same evaporates away into formless
air. He is limitless, and so are the ways to realize Him.”
The master of the people highlighted the quintessence of religions ending in spirituality,
pointed out the essential unity of religions amidst apparent diversity and love for all
beings as a form of worship. He pointed out the ultimate aim of human life and gave us
vision, mission and direction to live a purposeful life.
Tags : Master