Sri Ramakrishna (Love That Knows No Limits)

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Sri Ramakrishna is one of the greatest spiritual masters to have lived on this earth. The God-man of nineteenth-century India did not establish any cult, nor did he show a new path to salvation. His message was his God-consciousness. A truly divine, God-realised soul, Sri Ramakrishna's life demonstrated the meaning of spirituality and the harmony of all religions.

In this delightfully evocative book, the author brings out the endearing simplicity and catholicity of Sri Ramakrishna. The Master is not one of those serious, formidable figures of dry religiosity. Indeed, Sri Ramakrishna's life is a mart of joy and dipped in irresistible humour. Sri Ramakrishna illustrates the exquisite art of living; a radiant love without limit suffuses his being. This book provides fresh insights into the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and is a valuable addition to the existing literature on the Great Master.

Prof. M. Sivaramkrishna is former Chair, Dept. of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and has a doctorate from Osmania University in American Literature. His involvement with the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition finds expression in numerous books: Ramakrishna: The Unique Phenomenon, Art of Sadhana in the Stories of Ramakrishna, Poet Saints of India, Pathways to Paramahamsa Ramakrishna and Re-Visioning Ramakrishna. He writes regularly for journals such as Prabuddha Bharata (Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata), Vedanta Kesari (Ramakrishna Math, Chennai), and Nectar of Non-Dual Truth (Portland, Oregon, USA) among others. His diverse interests include literature, philosophy, psychology and spirituality.

The life of Sri Ramakrishna is inexhaustible to contemplation. It is like a pushpak, the flying airplane mentioned in the Ramayana, with infinite potential for narrativising. It is a gripping narrative, a revelatory spiritual classic and, above all, a deeply moving human saga. The spectrum of experiences and emotions, events and incidents it unveils is any narrator's delight. The Great Master is not one of those serious, formidable figures of dry religiosity. Serious themes assume artless simple communicative forms. Songs and tales and parables abound. Indeed, Sri Ramakrishna's life is a mart of joy and dipped in irresistible humour, a cosmic comic-sense. In short, Ramakrishna illustrates the exquisite art of living which embodies making every little bit of experience an occasion for a leap into the lap of Divine Mother, Bhavatarini, or simply, Kali. No wonder, a radiant love without limit suffuses his being and fills ours.

I have quoted liberally from both primary and secondary sources. I avoided, by and large, my paraphrasing so that the authenticity does not get a garbled version. Moreover, I have given references in the text itself, for greater convenience to the reader. I also tried to add, in some contexts, contemporary discourses from other areas to illumine the far-ranging richness of Sri Ramakrishna's Significance.

My immense gratitude to Swami Chetanananda, Chief of Vedanta Society of St. Louis, (USA) for graciously permitting me to quote from the classic source, Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Playas also from his other books on the disciples and admirers of Sri Ramakrishna. His books were my constant companions for reference, as also exploring various aspects of the Master's life.

Swami Bodhasarananda, President of Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, gave permission to quote from the Ashrama's publications specially the standard Life of Sri Ramakrishna and the invaluable recent publication Western Admirers of Ramakrishna and His Disciples. This book is the result of Gopal Stavig who must have worked on it for a long period. My gratitude to him and to Swami Shuddhidananda who edited the volume.

I am also grateful to Swami Yuktatmananda, Chief of Ramakrishna- Vivekananda Center, New York and Swami Gautamananda, President, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, publishers of the American and Indian editions of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

For Paulo Coelho I have had great admiration for many years. I have quoted his retelling of a parable of Sri Ramakrishna from his volume Like a Flowing River (HarperCollins) for which I extend my gratitude.

Swami Satya Swarupananda, former editor of Prabuddha Bharata, suggested my name to the publisher. The Swami gave me constant encouragement to write for Prabuddha Bharata and made me aware how meticulous one's writing should be. My grateful thanks to him.

Ms. Sonavi Desai, the architect of Indus Source (Books) put up with my intolerable schedules and also gave me guidance about the content of the book-meant for the new reader. Talking to her enriched my awareness of what a publisher expects from a book of this nature. Indus Source has already launched some titles (on Buddha and Nanak) in the Spiritual asters series, which show immense potential. I wish to thank her and her editorial staff, who, like any such competent group, saves the author from slips of language and content.

Prof. Sumita Roy of the Dept. of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad, typed the whole script with great devotion and care. In spite of her academic pressures, she found time to go through the MS in its final stages. My affectionate thanks to her.

K. Raviprabha and K. Haragopal from Hyderabad prepared the final text with their characteristic care, concern and patience. Anything entrusted to them is done within schedules and is flawless. My thanks to them.

Finally, my gratitude goes to my mentor SRI RAM SIR whose affection and love keeps me going in activities of this nature.