Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna (1836–1886) was a famous saint of 19th century India. He was born on 18 February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India, in a very poor but revered religious Brahmin family. He became a priest of Dakshineswar Kali Temple, which is dedicated to Goddess Kali. He is famous among his devotees as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. His full name was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. Thus, every year, Ramakrishna Jayanti is celebrated in his memory and in 2021, his birth anniversary is going to be on March 15.

He was married to Sarvadevi Devi, who later became his spiritual icon. Swami Vivekananda was one of his famous disciples. In honour of his Guru, Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math, which works for the welfare of others and spreads the spiritual movement in the form of the Ramakrishna Movement around the world. Belur Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.

According to the Hindu lunar calendar, the time of Ramakrishna's birth was Dwitiya, Phalgun, Shukla Paksha, Vikram Samvat 1892. Every year Ramakrishna's birth anniversary is celebrated in all Ramakrishna monasteries according to the Hindu lunar calendar.

Life of Ramakrishna

Ramakrishna was born on 18 February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India, in a very poor, pious and orthodox Brahmin family. His parents were Khudiram Chattopadhyay and Chandramani Devi. According to his followers, Ramakrishna's parents had experienced supernatural events and visions before his birth. In Gaya, his father Khudiram had a dream in which Gadadhar (a form of Vishnu), said that he would be born as his son. Chandramani Devi is said to have seen the light entering her womb from Shiva's temple.

Rumours spread in Kamarpukur that Ramakrishna had become unstable as a result of his practice at Dakshineswar. Ramakrishna's mother and his elder brother Rameshwar decided to get Ramakrishna married, thinking that the marriage would have a good effect on him - forcing him to accept responsibility and take care of ordinary matters rather than his spiritual practices and philosophy. . He was then married in 1859 to the five-year-old bride, Saradmani Mukhopadhyay (later known as Sarada Devi). Ramakrishna was 23 years old at that time. Ramakrishna became a very influential figure in Sarada's life, and he became an ardent follower of his teachings.

Thus Ramakrishna is celebrated every year as Ramakrishna Jayanti for his good works. In 2021, his birth anniversary is to be celebrated on Monday, 15 March.