The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is the
English translation of the Sri Sri
Ramakrishna Kathamrita, the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna
with his
disciples, devotees, and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who
wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M." The conversations in Bengali
fill five volumes, the first of which was published in 1897 and the
last
shortly after M.'s death in 1932. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, has
published in two volumes an English translation of selected chapters
from the
monumental Bengali work. I have consulted these while preparing my
translation.
M., one of the intimate disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was present
during
all the conversations recorded in the main body of the book and noted
them
down in his diary. They therefore have the value of almost stenographic
records. In Appendix A are given several conversations which took place
in
the absence of M., but of which he received a first-hand record from
persons
concerned. The conversations will bring before the reader's mind an
intimate
picture of the Master's eventful life from March 1882, to April 24,
1886,
only a few months before his passing away. During this period he came
in
contact chiefly with English-educated Bengalis; from among them he
selected
his disciples and the bearers of his message, and with them he shared
his
rich spiritual experiences.
I have made a literal translation, omitting only a few pages of no
particular interest to English-speaking readers. Often literary grace
has
been sacrificed for the sake of literal translation. No translation can
do
full justice to the original. This difficulty is all the more felt in
the
present work, whose contents are of a deep mystical nature and describe
the inner experiences of
a great seer. Human language is an altogether inadequate vehicle to
express
supersensuous perception. Sri Ramakrishna was almost illiterate. He
never
clothed his thoughts in formal language. His words sought to convey his
direct realization of Truth. His conversation was in a village patois.
Therein lies its charm. In order to explain to his listeners an
abstruse
philosophy, he, like Christ before him, used with telling effect homely
parables and illustrations, culled from his observation of the daily
life
around him.
The reader will find mentioned in this work many visions and
experiences
that fall outside the ken of physical science and even psychology. With
the development of modern knowledge the border line between the natural
and
the supernatural is ever shifting its position. Genuine mystical
experiences
are not as suspect now as they were half a century ago. The words of
Sri
Ramakrishna have already exerted a tremendous influence in the land of
his
birth. Savants of Europe have found in his words the ring of universal
truth.
But these words were not the product of intellectual cogitation; they
were rooted in direct experience. Hence, to students of religion,
psychology, and physical science, these experiences of the Master are
of
immense value for the understanding of religious phenomena in general.
No
doubt Sri Ramakrishna was a Hindu of the Hindus; yet his experiences
transcended the limits of the dogmas and creeds of Hinduism. Mystics of
religions other than Hinduism will find in Sri Ramakrishna's
experiences a
corroboration of the experiences of their own prophets and seers. And
this
is very important today for the resuscitation of religious values. The
sceptical reader may pass by the supernatural experiences; he will yet
find
in the book enough material to provoke his serious thought and solve
many of
his spiritual problems.
There are repetitions of teachings and parables in the book. I have
kept
them purposely. They have their charm and usefulness, repeated as they
were in different settings. Repetition is unavoidable in a work of this
kind.
In the first place, different seekers come to a religious teacher with
questions of more or less identical nature; hence the answers will be
of
more or less identical pattern. Besides, religious teachers of all
times
and climes have tried, by means of repetition, to hammer truths into
the
stony soil of the recalcitrant human mind. Finally, repetition does not
seem tedious if the ideas repeated are dear to a man's heart.
I have thought it necessary to write a rather lengthy Introduction to
the
book. In it I have given the biography of the Master, descriptions of
people
who came in contact with him, short explanations of several systems of
Indian religious thought intimately connected with Sri Ramakrishna's
life,
and other relevant matters which, I hope, will enable the reader better
to
understand and appreciate the unusual contents of this book. It is
particularly important that the Western reader, unacquainted with Hindu
religious
thought, should first read carefully the introductory chapter, in order
that
he may fully enjoy these conversations. Many Indian terms and names
have
been retained in the book for want of suitable English equivalents.
Their
meaning is given either in the Glossary or in the foot-notes. The
Glossary
also gives explanations of a number of expressions unfamiliar to
Western
readers. The diacritical marks are explained under Notes on
Pronunciation.
In the Introduction I have drawn much material from the Life
of Sri
Ramakrishna, published by the Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati,
India. I have
also consulted the excellent article on Sri Ramakrishna by Swami
Nirvedananda, in the second volume of the Cultural Heritage
of India.
The book contains many songs sung either by the Master or by the
devotees. These form an important feature of the spiritual tradition
of Bengal and were for the most part written by men of mystical
experience.
For giving the songs their present form I am grateful to Mr. John
Moffitt, Jr.
In the preparation of this manuscript I have received ungrudging help
from several friends. Miss Margaret Woodrow Wilson and Mr. Joseph
Campbell have worked hard in editing my translation. Mrs. Elizabeth
Davidson has typed, more than once, the entire manuscript and rendered
other
valuable help. Mr. Aldous Huxley has laid me under a debt of gratitude
by
writing the Foreword. I sincerely thank them all.
In the spiritual firmament Sri Ramakrishna is a waxing crescent. Within
one hundred years of his birth and fifty years of his death his message
has
spread across land and sea. Romain Rolland has described him as the
fulfilment of the spiritual aspirations of the three hundred millions
of
Hindus for the last two thousand years. Mahatma Gandhi has written:
"His life
enables us to see God face to face. . . . Ramakrishna was a living
embodiment of godliness." He is being recognized as a compeer of
Krishna,
Buddha, and Christ.
The life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna have redirected the thoughts
of the denationalized Hindus to the spiritual ideals of their
forefathers.
During the latter part of the nineteenth century his was the
time-honoured
role of the Saviour of the Eternal Religion of the Hindus. His
teachings
played an important part in liberalizing the minds of orthodox pundits
and
hermits. Even now he is the silent force that is moulding the spiritual
destiny of India. His great disciple, Swami Vivekananda, was the first
Hindu
missionary to preach the message of Indian culture to the enlightened
minds
of Europe and America. The full consequence of Swami Vivekananda's
work is still in the womb of the future.
May this translation of the first book of its kind in the religious
history
of the world, being the record of the direct words of a prophet, help
stricken
humanity to come nearer to the Eternal Verity of life and remove
dissension
and quarrel from among the different faiths! May it enable seekers of
Truth
to grasp the subtle laws of the supersensuous realm, and unfold before
man's restricted vision the spiritual foundation of the universe, the
unity
of existence, and the divinity of the soul!
NIKHILANANDA
New York
Sri Ramakrishna's Birthday
February 1942