Ramakrishna Books

New Arrival! Sri Ramakrishna — A Divine Life in Pictures beautifully illustrates the spirit of nineteenth-century Bengal in words and pictures. It focuses on the remarkable life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886), whose disciples introduced yoga and meditation to the West in 1890s. By Swami Chetanananda

1st Edition.
Hardback, 11″x 9½”. 232 pages.

This book transports us back in time to the sites where the worldwide spiritual revolution inaugurated by Ramakrishna began. We see for ourselves the lively political and cultural atmosphere of Calcutta under British India, while the vibrant ancient spiritual traditions of rural Bengal come to life. 

Readers will witness the temple garden of Dakshineswar, where Ramakrishna led his god-intoxicated life, and the places and people he encountered during his spiritual journey. They will learn how his broad, ecumenical vision of the harmony of religions — “As many faiths so many paths” — influenced India as well as the whole world.

This pictorial biography consists of more than 600 rare and evocative images that show us Ramakrishna’s vibrant divine life. The photos in this book, accompanied by his teachings and stories, transport us through time and space, and we feel his living divine presence. 

In addition, Swami Chetanananda gives us a personal introduction to the great nineteenth-century saint Ramakrishna who demonstrated that spiritual revelation is not a thing of the past, but a resource still available to us today when we reconnect with the living spirit.

About the Author

Swami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, India. Before coming to the United States he worked in the editorial and publication departments of Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Himalayas, and also at its Calcutta branch. He served as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1971 to 1978 before taking his present position as the minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis.

Among his many publications are: Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play, Ramakrishna as We Saw Him, They Lived with God, God Lived with Them, How to Live with God: In the Company of Ramakrishna, See God with Open Eyes: Meditation on Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play, Vivekananda: East Meets West, Vedanta: Voice of Freedom, Meditation and Its Methods: According to Swami Vivekananda, A Guide to Spiritual Life: Teachings of Swami Brahmananda, Spiritual Treasures: Letters of Swami Turiyananda, How a Shepherd Boy Became a Saint: Life and Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda, Mahendra Nath Gupta (M.): The Recorder of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Girish Chandra Ghosh: A Bohemian Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, and Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya.

This is the marvelous story of Sri Ramakrishna's life—the intimate details of how he realized God and how he taught his disciples to do the same. It is the authentic, factual, descriptive, interpretive, and comprehensive biography of Ramakrishna, the spiritual phenomenon of our age.

Written by Swami Saradananda and Translated from the Bengali by Swami Chetanananda

Hardback
1,008 pages

This is the marvelous story of Sri Ramakrishna’s life—the intimate details of how he realized God and how he taught his disciples to do the same. It is the authentic, factual, descriptive, interpretive, and comprehensive biography of Ramakrishna, the spiritual phenomenon of our age.

This source biography of Ramakrishna (1836-1886) is based on interviews with those who knew him. It is also an interpreted description of the entire range of Ramakrishna’s spiritual disciplines and experiences, explained as much as possible in terms of reason and common empirical experience, with reference to Hindu scriptures and spiritual traditions, western philosophy, Hindu psychology, and Western religious tradition. The setting is Northeast India from 1775 to 1886.

• for experienced meditators this book offers delightful and profound answers to deeper questions about traveling the spiritual path.
• for scholars this book offers the source biography for Ramakrishna’s life and teachings, as well as an authentic look into India’s spiritual history and its various religious and philosophical traditions.
• for those simply interested in adventure, this book provides absorbing details of the journey through consciousness of one of the greatest spiritual figures of all time.

By Swami Chetanananda. How did Ramakrishna’s aptitude for inner experience translate into the lives of the ordinary man and women he inspired? The 31+ devotees in They Lived with God had to face addiction, abusive husbands, disobedient children, indifferent or hostile relatives, bereavements, and spiritual doubts and misgivings. Particular attention is paid to the way they faced death. Their failures and triumphs are entertaining, practical examples for anyone seeking to work and live with an awareness of God’s abiding presence. The revised second edition has been enlarged to include three new biographies; Bhavanath Chattopadhyay, Narendra Nath Mitra, and Tejchandra Mitra.

Excerpts

M. (MAHENDRA NATH GUPTA)

Sri Ramakrishna had asked M. to work for the Divine Mother, and he did so for fifty years. Even though his health was delicate, he never gave up working. Swami Nityatmananda wrote of a touching incident in his memoirs: ‘I was responsible for the printing of the Kathamrita [the Bengali Gospel] while it was at the printer’s, but I had many things to do and was unable to finish the proofreading in time. At one o’clock at night I saw a light in M.’s room. I entered and found he was reading the proofs of the Gospel by a kerosene lantern. He was not well at all, and moreover, as he was working at an odd hour, his eyes were watering. I was pained at this. I lovingly chastised him and he replied with affection: “People are finding peace by reading this book, the Master’s immortal message. It is inevitable that the body will meet its end, so it is better that it is used for spreading peace to others. We are in the world and have utterly experienced how much pain is there, yet I have forgotten that pain through The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. I am hurrying so that the book may come out soon.” Indeed, M. died while the last portion of the last volume was at the press. He was born to write and teach The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.’

On June 4, 1932, M. left his body in full consciousness. He breathed his last saying this prayer, ‘Mother–Guru Deva–take me up in thy arms.’ The Mother took her child up in her arms and the curtain fell.

NAG MAHASHAY (DURGA CHARAN NAG)

When a wild lion is encaged, he roars and tries his utmost to break out of the cage. Similarly, Durga Charan was desperately trying to sever the bonds of maya. His heart was crying for freedom. Once he met a holy man who told him, ‘However strong might be your faith, and intense be your love for God, unless you are initiated by a guru and practise sadhana according to his instructions, you cannot have the vision of God.’

The lives of the mystics prove that when intense longing for God dawns in a soul, God responds and makes everything favorable for the devotee. One morning Durga Charan was seated on the bank of the Ganga when his family guru arrived there, unexpectedly, on a boat. When he was asked the reason for his coming to Calcutta, the guru replied, ‘I have come at the special command of the Divine Mother to initiate you.’ However, the initiation only created in him more hunger for God. He was carried away by divine intoxication and often lost outward consciousness. Once, while he was meditating on the bank of the Ganga, the flood tide rose and swept him into the river. It was several moments before full consciousness returned to him and he was able to swim ashore.

See God with Open Eyes is a meditation on Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Chetanananda, a senior monk with the Ramakrishna Order. This book is a must-have for seekers of Truth; devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Sarada Devi; and students of Vedanta and Bhakti traditions alike. Swami Chetanananda breaks down important concepts about Sri Ramakrishna as an avatar and also explains Hindu concepts such as categorizations of the Vedas in an easy-to-understand manner that is so characteristic of his writing. All of his books are highly recommended. We carry his most popular titles in our Inspiring Books collection.

From the publishers: "This title raises several questions: Does God have a form? Can we see God as we see other objects and beings in this world? Can we hear or touch God? Ramakrishna answered these questions with his words and through his life — and many of those answers are collected in this book.

"When God takes a human form, we want to see how that avatar lives, acts, talks, walks, laughs, cries, eats, and sleeps like other human beings. This book depicts how lovers of God can establish and deepen their relationship with Ramakrishna through prayer and meditation, and that strong bond makes them feel safe and secure."

2nd Edition
Revised and enlarged with five new reminiscences
Edited and translated by Swami Chetanananda

572 pages

The revised edition has new reminiscences by Swami Yogananda, Swami Subodhananda, Ramendra Sundar Bhattacharya, Narayan Chandra Ghosh, and Trailokya Nath Dev, as well as additional information in Ramlal Chattopadhyay’s chapter. These new, eyewitness accounts are not found in Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play or The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. A total of 45 reminiscences by persons who knew him, show vividly how Sri Ramakrishna lived daily the spiritual message he taught, and how he excelled in opening a path for God into the human heart.

Reviews

The soul of Ramakrishna comes through splendidly in these deeply felt pages.

For the first time I found a man who dared to say that he had seen God, that religion was a reality to be felt, to be sensed in an infinitely more intense way than we can sense the world.” So said Swami Vivekananda of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna as We Saw Him is a collection of writings by 45 persons who actually knew him in one capacity or another: his wife Sri Sarada Devi, monastic disciples, friends, even acquaintances who had met him only a few times. No matter in what category the writer falls, each makes it very clear that Ramakrishna could, by his very presence, affect fundamental change in a person’s spiritual life.

Chetanananda’s meticulously researched, lucidly written encounters — ranging from Vivekananda to M. (the recorder of the Gospel) and beyond — evoke the encompassing love of the Master as the core of all spirituality. No wonder one of these admirers describes Sri Ramakrishna’s company as sheer ‘fun’. Chetanananda’s vivid, exquisite art of narration makes the readers see the myriad aspects of this joy which the disciples saw as the essence of their Master’s life itself: an evident affirmation of what he, with such disarming simplicity, taught.

What this book serves is to show, as close as we can after the fact, what it was like to actually be around this unique man, to talk to him, to serve him food, to play with him, to sing and dance with him, to worship him, to cry with him, to celebrate God with him. Indeed, the feeling of spiritual joy is so strong here that, though he died from cancer of the throat, the life of Sri Ramakrishna seems to be the ultimate happy movie, a true story of perfect love and bliss many times more beautiful than the wildest Hollywood fantasy.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Biographical Introduction

I. RELATIVES AND MONASTIC DISCIPLES

1. Sri Sarada Devi
2. Lakshmi Devi
3. Ramlal Chattopadhyay
4. Swami Vivekananda
5. Swami Brahmananda
6. Swami Adbhutananda
7. Swami Premananda
8. Swami Yogananda
9. Swami Shivananda
10. Swami Ramakrishnananda
11. Swami Saradananda
12. Swami Turiyananda
13. Swami Abhedananda
14. Swami Akhandananda
15. Swami Vijnanananda
16. Swami Trigunatitananda
17. Swami Subodhananda

II. HOUSEHOLDER DISCIPLES AND DEVOTEES

18. Ram Chandra Datta
19. Manomohan Mitra
20. M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta)
21. Girish Chandra Ghosh
22. Vaikuntha Nath Sanyal
23. Yogin-ma (Yogindra Mohini Biswas)
24. Golap-ma (Golap Sundari Devi)
25. Nistarini Ghosh
26. Kedarnath Bandyopadhyay
27. Manmatha Nath Ghosh
28. Bepin Behari Sen
29. Manindra Krishna Gupta
30. Ramendra Sundar Bhattacharya
31. Narayan Chandra Ghosh

III. BRAHMO DEVOTEES AND ADMIRERS

32. Pratap Chandra Majumdar
33. Shivanath Shastri
34. Trailokya Nath Dev
35. Girish Chandra Sen
36. Krishna Kumar Mitra
37. Upadhyay Brahmabandhav
38. Sarada Sundari Devi
39. Trailokya Nath Sanyal
40. Priyanath Mallick
41. Kshirod Chandra Sen
42. Kamakhya Nath Bandyopadhyay
43. Nagendra Nath Gupta
44. Dr. Abdul Wajij
45. Aswini Kumar Datta

IV. APPENDIXES

A. Sri Ramakrishna: Some New Findings – Swami Saradananda
B. The Photographs of Ramakrishna – Swami Vidyatmananda
C. The Temple Garden of Dakshineswar – M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta)

Excerpts

RAMENDRA SUNDAR BHATTACHARYA

When I was eight years old, I went with my father to visit Rani Rasmani’s temple garden in Dakshineswar. As far as I recall, it was a summer morning. Our country home was in Khunbaria Village in the district of Medinipur, which is twenty miles from Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna. My father and the Master were contemporaries. They had known each other since childhood and were friends. My father lived both in the village and in Calcutta. He always visited the Master when he travelled to and from Calcutta. If the Master had any news to send to Kamarpukur, my father would get it before leaving for the village, and then he would bring the news from Kamarpukur to the Master when he returned to Calcutta. One day, before leaving for his village, my father told me: “Today I shall take you to Dakshineswar. There you will see a famous Kali temple and a living God.”

SWAMI YOGANANDA

When I was a little boy and had some knowledge about the world, I would think: “This world is not my home.” While watching the sky, I felt that I had come here from one of those higher starry realms. When my friends invited me to play with them, I felt that they did not belong to me and that my real playmates were in that higher realm. So I was reluctant to play with them. Then an indistinct dream world would manifest in my mind. So quite often I was unmindful and indifferent to this world.

I heard the name of Sri Ramakrishna in my boyhood days, and I saw him many times in Rasmani’s temple garden from a distance. But I didn’t dare enter his room because of the large crowd. After bathing in the Ganges, I would pick some flowers and return home. However, I always felt a desire to be with the Master. From my boyhood I had no attraction for worldly things, but I had a natural affinity for the deities. After I was initiated in the sacred thread ceremony, I used to go to pick flowers regularly in the temple garden.

SWAMI SUBODHANANDA

Subodh and his friend Kshirod first visited Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in August 1885. They entered the room and saluted him with folded hands. Kshirod approached the Master, who was seated on his bed, but Subodh remained by the door. “Where do you come from?” asked Ramakrishna. Pointing to Subodh, the Master said: “Why is that gentleman standing so far away? Come nearer.” This encouraged Subodh to move closer. “Do you not belong to the family of Shankar Ghosh?” asked the Master.

Subodh was surprised and said, “Yes, sir, but how did you know?”

“When I was staying in Jhamapukur,” said the Master, “I often visited your home as well as your Kali temple at Thanthania. That was before you were born. I knew you would come. Well, the Divine Mother sends here those who will attain spirituality. You belong to this place.”

“Sir, if I belong to this place, why did you not call me earlier?”

SWAMI AKHANDANANDA

Whenever I went to the Master I noticed that he talked about nothing but God and religion. He was never dry or boring. During talks on the most exalted topics he created much laughter by making jokes. One day he said: “You know there are various kinds of siddhas [perfected souls]. Do you know what siddha means? Literally, it means ‘boiled.’ As potatoes and squash become soft when boiled, so men are when perfected or illumined.”

Once I spent the night at Dakshineswar with several other disciples, and the Master had us all sit for meditation. While communing with our Chosen Deities, we often laughed and wept in ecstasy. The pure joy we experienced in those boyhood days cannot be expressed in words. Whenever I approached the Master he would invariably ask me, “Did you shed tears at the time of prayer or meditation?” And one day when I answered yes to this, how happy he was! “Tears of repentance or sorrow flow from the corners of the eyes nearest the nose,” he said, “and those of joy from the outer corners of the eyes.” Suddenly the Master asked me, “Do you know how to pray?” Saying this he flung his hands and feet about restlessly – like a little child impatient for its mother. Then he cried out: “Mother dear, grant me knowledge and devotion. I don’t want anything else. I can’t live without you.” While thus teaching us how to pray, he looked just like a small boy. Profuse tears rolled down his chest, and he passed into deep samadhi. I was convinced that the Master did that for my sake.

SWAMI VIJNANANANDA

Another day I went in the afternoon to visit the Master at Dakshineswar. Many devotees were seated in his room. After saluting the Master I sat quietly in a corner. The Master was conversing with the devotees seated on his small cot. In physical appearance he was like any other man, but his smile was something divine. I have never seen such a smile in my life. When he smiled, a wave of bliss rolled not only over his face but over his whole body. And that blissful smile would wipe out the worries and troubles of those who looked at him. His voice was so sweet and melodious that one never tired of hearing it. His eyes were keen and bright, and when he would look at a person, it seemed that he was seeing everything inside him.

I felt Sri Ramakrishna’s room vibrating with a tangible atmosphere of peace, and the devotees present seemed to be listening in blissful absorption to the words that poured from the Master’s lips. I don’t recall what he said, but I experienced tremendous joy within. For a long time I sat there, my whole attention concentrated on Sri Ramakrishna. He did not say anything to me, nor did I ask him anything. Then one by one the devotees took their leave, and suddenly I found myself alone with him. The Master was looking at me intently. I thought it was time for me to depart, so I prostrated before him. As I stood up to go, he asked: “Can you wrestle? Come, let me see how well you wrestle!” With these words he stood up, ready to grapple with me. I was surprised at this challenge. I thought to myself, “What kind of holy man is this?” But I replied, “Yes, of course I can wrestle.”

Sri Ramakrishna came closer, smiling. He caught hold of my arms and began to shove me, but I was a strong, muscular young man and I pushed him back to the wall. He was still smiling and holding me with a strong grip. Gradually I felt a sort of electric current coming out of his hands and entering into me. That touch made me completely helpless. I lost all my physical strength. I went into ecstasy, and the hair of my body stood on end. Releasing me, the Master said with a smile, “Well, you are the winner.”

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as translated by Swami Nikhilananda offers the reader a penetrating view into the spiritual wisdom of India. On account of his deep mystical experiences and constant absorption in God, Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886) is regarded as being of the stature of Krishna, Buddha, and Christ. The Gospel is the record of Sri Ramakrishna's conversations, which are unique in their breadth and depth. Profound spiritual truths are described in simple words and vivid stories, revealing the divinity of man and the spiritual foundation of the universe. This volume is a mine of inspiration, wisdom, theology, and metaphysics.

This 1106 page volume contains an introduction (70 pages) by Swami Nikhilananda that narrates the main events of Sri Ramakrishna's life and briefly sketches the people and the doctrines associated with him. Also, includes 26 photographs, a detailed glossary, and an index.

 Complete conversations of Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886). With introductory biography, foreword by Aldous Huxley.  "His life enables us to see God face to face."— Mahatma Gandhi

Foreward by Aldous Huxley:

In the history of the arts genius is a thing of very rare occurrence. Rarer still, however, are the competent reporters and recorders of that genius. The world has had many hundreds of admirable poets and philosophers; but of these hundreds only a very few have had the fortune to attract a Boswell or an Eckermann.

When we leave the field of art for that of spiritual religion, the scarcity of competent reporters becomes even more strongly marked. Of the day-to-day life of the great theocentric saints and contemplatives we know, in the great majority of cases, nothing whatever. Many, it is true, have recorded their doctrines in writing, and a few, such as St Augustine, Suso and St. Teresa have left us autobiographies of the greatest value. But all doctrinal writing is in some measure formal and impersonal, while the autobiographer tends to omit what he regards as trifling matters and suffers from the further disadvantage of being unable to say how he strikes other people and in what way he affects their lives. Moreover, most saints have left neither writings nor self-portraits, and for a knowledge of their lives, their characters and their teachings, we are forced to rely upon the records made by their disciples who, in most cases, have proved themselves singularly incompetent as reporters and biographers. Hence the special interest attaching to this enormously detailed account of the daily life and conversations of Sri Ramakrishna.

'M", as the author modestly styles himself, was peculiarly qualified for his task. To a reverent love for his master, to a deep and experiential knowledge of that master's teaching, he added a prodigious memory for the small happenings of each day and a happy gift for recording them in an interesting and realistic way. Making good use of his natural gifts and of the circumstances in which he found himself, "M" produced a book unique, so far as my knowledge goes, in the literature of hagiography. No other saint has had so able and indefatigable a Boswell. Never have the small events of a contemplative's daily life been described with such a wealth of intimate detail. Never have the casual and unstudied utterances of a great religious teacher been set down with so minute a fidelity. To Western readers, it is true, this fidelity and this wealth of detail are sometimes a trifle disconcerting; for the social, religious and intellectual frames of reference within which Sri Ramakrishna did his thinking and expressed his feelings were entirely Indian. But after the first few surprises and bewilderment's, we begin to find something peculiarly stimulating and instructive about the very strangeness and, to our eyes, the eccentricity of the man revealed to us in "M's" narrative. What a scholastic philosopher would call the "accidents" of Ramakrishna's life were intensely Hindu and therefore, so far as we in the West are concerned, unfamiliar and hard to understand; its "essence", however, was intensely mystical and therefore universal. To read through these conversations in which mystical doctrine alternates with an unfamiliar kind of humor, and where discussions of the oddest aspects of Hindu mythology give place to the most profound and subtle utterances about the nature of Ultimate Reality, is in itself a liberal education in humility, tolerance and suspense of judgment. We must be grateful to the translator for his excellent version of a book so curious and delightful as a biographical document, so precious, at the same time, for what it teaches us of the life of the spirit.

Preface

Swami Nikhilananda

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-band 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 be 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 skeptical 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 fulfillment 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-honored role of the Savior 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 molding 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!

By Swami Chetanananda

584 pages

Ramakrishna (1836-1886) was one of the most influential spiritual masters of modern India. He entered the highest mystical states as easily as other men step through a door, and described his extraordinary experiences with an innocent eloquence that brought spiritually to life for millions around the globe. How to Live with God transports us into Ramakrishna’s world with lucidity and breathtaking detail. Sitting alongside his closest disciples, we witness the master’s spiritual ecstasy, his astonishing insights, his humor, and his practical advice for common people yearning to know God.

Swami Chetanananda peals away time and space to introduce us to this god-intoxicated mystic as a living presence. How to establish a relationship with God, how to love God, and how to live with God are the themes of this book. Much of the information is translated into English for the first time.

Reviews

In my study of the world’s religions I have been fortunate in coming upon inspiring firsthand accounts of the world’s great spiritual geniuses, including Sri Ramakrishna, India’s greatest 19th century saint…. Swami Chetanananda has infused Ramakrishna with new life for our time. He has produced an important book that puts us all in his debt.

For over thirty years Swami Chetanananda has researched the details of the life of Sri Ramakrishna, and performed for us the great service of making available in attractive form many valuable archival and historical resources that had long been inaccessible.

As one moves through the twenty-nine chapters of this book, one begins to get a sense of what it means to live with God through every aspect of one’s personal and professional life…. Regardless of one’s religious or philosophical tradition, How to Live with God: In the Company of Ramakrishna is a wonderful and rich testament to the value of authentic spirituality.

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface

1. Various Forms of Ramakrishna
2. Ramakrishna: His Name and the Science of Japa
3. How to Understand Ramakrishna
4. Ramakrishna’s Desires
5. Ramakrishna and the People of Calcutta
6. The Stage for Ramakrishna’s Divine Play
7. Dakshineswar: An Object of Meditation
8. Christmas Vacation with Ramakrishna
9. Ramakrishna in the Streets and Meadows
10. The Story of Rasik
11. Ramakrishna and the Bohemians
12. The Mysterious Kalpataru
13. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
14. The Centenary of TheGospel of Sri Ramakrishna
15. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Girish Chandra Sen
16. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Suresh Chandra Datta
17. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Ram ChandraDatta
18. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to MahendraNathGupta
19. The Gospel of Ramakrishna According to Swami Brahmananda
20. After Ramakrishna’s Passing Away By M.(MahendraNathGupta)
21. Ramakrishna and His Divine Play According to Swami Saradananda
22. My Master According to Swami Vivekananda
23. Disciples of Ramakrishna in the West
24. Ramakrishna and the Renaissance of Art
25. Ramakrishna and Monasticism
26. If Ramakrishna Were Alive Today
27. The Second Coming of Ramakrishna
28. Some Glimpses of Ramakrishna

Appendix
29. Centenary of the Ramakrishna Mission
30. The Ramakrishna Order: Sources of Inspiration
References
Index

Excerpts

RAMAKRISHNA: HIS NAME AND JAPA

When we study Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we find that the Master practiced various kinds of sadhana as described in various scriptures. He also practiced some new disciplines that he invented himself. For example, he said to the devotees: “During meditation, think that your mind has been tied to the feet of your Chosen Deity with a silk thread, so that it cannot run away. Why do I say a silk thread? Because those feet are extremely soft and delicate. It would hurt the deity if a different type of string were used.” Again, he said: “Should one think of the Chosen Deity during meditation only and then forget Him? Always try to keep part of your mind on the deity. You have seen how a vigil lamp is kept burning during Durga Puja. One should always keep a lamp near the deity; it should not be allowed to go out. It is inauspicious if a householder’s lamp goes out. Likewise, after placing the Chosen Deity in the lotus of the heart, one’s meditation should be like the flame of a vigil lamp. While performing household duties one should look inside from time to time to see if the lamp is still burning.”

Sri Ramakrishna once said: “During my sadhana, before starting meditation on the Chosen Deity I would first imagine that I was washing the mind thoroughly. You see, there are various kinds of dirt and dross [bad thoughts and desires] in the mind. I would imagine that I was flushing out all impurities and placing the Chosen Deity there. Adopt this method.”

RAMAKRISHNA IN THE STREETS AND MEADOWS

Just as Ramakrishna loved to travel through the streets of Calcutta and along village roads, he also enjoyed traveling along various religious paths. He showed people how to move through this impermanent world. However, his body was very delicate, so he lamented: “Gaur and Nitai carried the message of God from door to door, and I cannot go anyplace without a carriage.” Driven by his desire to rescue people from the whirlpool of maya, he visited his devotees, walking or travelling by palanquin, bullock cart, horse carriage, and train. Whenever he heard of anyone who had a sincere longing for God, he would rush to see that person. He did not care about formal invitations, and he disregarded social etiquette. His attitude was: “Hello! You are a devotee and think of God, so I have come to see you.” He said: “If a man takes one step towards God, God comes a hundred steps towards him.” A devotee once said: “I did not take even one step, but the Master took hundreds of steps and came to me.”

Although Ramakrishna was mostly absorbed in a divine mood, he would move around to locate hungry souls. Once he said to M.: “You don’t want anything from me, but you love to see me and hear my words. My mind also dwells on you. I wonder how you are and why you don’t come. Could you give me your address?” Thus collecting the devotees’ addresses, the Master travelled through the streets of Calcutta to look after their welfare. Sometimes the devotees’ intense longing pulled Ramakrishna from Dakshineswar to Calcutta at night. If someone found it difficult to see him in Dakshineswar, when visiting another devotee’s home in Calcutta, he would send for that person.

This epic biography of Sri Sarada Devi is a must-have for devotees of Sri Ramakrishna and followers of Vedanta, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about exemplary motherhood and selfless service to humankind. Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play is the story of Sarada Devi (1853–1920), the wife of the Indian sage Ramakrishna. The God-man of the nineteenth century, Ramakrishna is known worldwide for demonstrating religious tolerance and respect for all traditions. He was truly a spiritual phenomenon, and his disciple Swami Vivekananda was among the first to bring the wisdom of yoga and Vedanta to the West.

The author, Swami Chetanananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, describes how Sarada Devi, known affectionately as “Holy Mother,” carried out her husband’s spiritual ministry for 34 years after his passing. Her life is a glowing example of Vedanta in practice, as exemplified by her final message: “My child, if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. See your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.”

Visit our Inspiring Books collection for more works on Vedanta and how to meditate.

Hardback; Includes 876 pages. 125 illustrations.

This biography of Ramakrishna was written for the West by one of England's most talented authors, Christopher Isherwood. This is simply a great introduction to Sri Ramakrishna. Highly recommend to the reader who is curious about lives of Avatars, mysticism, devotion and Vedanta philosophy. Isherwood lived at the Vedanta center in Hollywood for a time with the senior monk there, Swami Prabhavananda and was a very influential writer in Hollywood and all of the US and the West.

The writing is beautiful in itself, but the story of a most unusual man with unheard of spiritual yearning is what this book is really about.

Excerpt: "This is the story of a phenomenon. I will begin by calling him simply that, rather than "holy man,""mystic,"or "saint"; all emotive words with mixed associations which may attract some readers, repel others.

"A phenomenon is always a fact, an object of experience. That is how I shall try to approach Ramakrishna . . . I only ask you to approach Ramakrishna with the same open-minded curiosity you might feel for any highly unusual human being."

• 368 pages, US paperback

Sri Ramakrishna in all his beautiful glory in this 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 black and white photo. This particular photo comes from a senior monk in the Ramakrishna order who has edited the original version from the 1800s to capture the fine details of Sri Ramakrishna's body and face.

This makes a perfect picture for a home shrine or altar.

• Choose from 8 x 10 or 5 x 7
• Pair with our Sarada Devi or Swami Vivekananda pictures to make the Holy Trio.

This picture was taken in front of the Krishna temple at Dakshineswar in 1884, when Sri Ramakrishna was 48 years old. According to Swami Nirvanananda, “Bavanath Chatterjee, the Master’s devotee from Baranagore, wanted to take a photograph of the Master. One day he requested him very strongly to give his consent, and on the afternoon of the next day brought a photographer along with him from Baranagore. He could not make the Master agree. The Master just went away near the Radhakanta [Krishna] temple.

“In the meantime Narendra arrived on the scene and heard everything; he said, ‘Wait a bit. I shall put everything straight.’ Saying this, he went to the veranda to the west of the Radhakanta temple where Sri Ramakrishna was sitting and started a religious conversation with him. The Master went into samadhi. Swamiji went and called the others and ordered them to get ready quickly to take the picture.

“In the state of samadhi the Master’s body was bent on one side and therefore the cameraman went to make him sit erect by softly adjusting his chin. But as soon as he touched his chin the whole body of the Master came up like a piece of paper – so light it was!

“Swamiji then told him, ‘Oh, what are you doing? Be quick. Get the camera ready.’ The cameraman took the exposure as hurriedly as possible. The Master was completely unaware of this incident.

“After some days when Bavanath brought the printed copy of the photo the Master remarked: ‘This represents a high yogic state. This form will be worshipped in every home as time goes on.’” (“Concerning the Photographs of Sri Ramakrishna” by Swami Vidyatmananda; Vedanta and the West, No. 172).

Swami Vishuddhananda stated that when Sri Ramakrishna saw the photo he went into ecstasy and touched the photo to his head several times, saying: “The photo is nicely taken. This mood is very high – fully merged in Him. Here the Lord is fully depicted in his own nature.”

The following is a quotation from Sri Sarada Devi: The Holy Mother, (p. 416) concerning one of the prints of this photograph:

“Disciple: Mother, that photograph of Sri Ramakrishna which you have with you is a very good one. One feels it when one sees the picture. Well, is that a good likeness of the Master?

“Mother: Yes, that picture is very, very good. It originally belonged to a brahmin cook. Several prints were made of his first photograph. The brahmin took one of them. The picture was at first very dark, just like the image of Kali. Therefore it was given to the Brahmin. When he left Dakshineswar for some place – I do not remember where – he gave it to me. I kept the photograph with the pictures of other gods and goddesses and worshipped it. At one time I lived on the ground floor of the nahabat. One day the Master came there, and at the sight of the picture he said, ‘Hello, what is all this?’ Lakshmi and I had been cooking under the staircase. Then I saw the Master take in his hand the bel leaves and flowers kept there for worship, and offer them to the photograph. This is the same picture. That brahmin never returned, so the picture remained with me.”

This picture which Sri Ramakrishna worshipped is now on the shrine at the Udbodhan Office in Calcutta, where it is worshipped daily. This fact was authenticated by Swami Madhavananda, Swami Vireswarananda, and Swami Nirvanananda. Swami Atmabodhananda, who was the head of Udbodhan for many years until his death in 1959, stated that the Udbodhan print was the same one that Sri Ramakrishna worshipped at the nahabat. (“Concerning the Photographs of Sri Ramakrishna” by Swami Vidyatmananda; Vedanta and the West, No. 172).

In 1982 Swami Chetanananda received a negative from the original picture of Sri Ramakrishna mentioned above. It was made by Braja Kishore Sinha, the Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta. Swami Chetanananda brought that negative to the United States and gave it to Mr. John Hench, Vice President for Creative Development of Disneyland, who worked on this picture for two years. Mr. Hench carefully removed the scratches, black dots, and other imperfections from this historical, one hundred-year-old photograph without disturbing its originality.

Back in stock soon!

Swami Vivekananda's famous meditation pose. 5 x 7 black and white photo. This particular photo comes from a senior monk in the Ramakrishna order who has edited the original version from the 1800s to capture the fine details of Swamiji's body and face.

This makes a perfect picture for a home shrine or altar.

• 5 x 7

Pair with our Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi pictures to make the Holy Trio.

This book is a relatively short biography of Sri Ramakrishna, one of Indian's greatest spiritual figures. This is a great introduction to Sri Ramakrishna's life in a short read.

• 128 pages, Indian paperback

"Sri Ramakrishna’s life is a life of spirituality in practice, a sublime sonnet with a singular note of God consciousness, a summary of all that the scriptures of the world have to say, and even much more. To contain such a boundless life and personality within a few pages is certainly as audacious a task as to attempt to contain the ocean in a pot. Yet this book humbly attempts to portray his life and personality in a clear and candid style." Advaita Ashram Publications. 

"A good introduction to the life of the quiet, unassuming women who some say was greater than Sri Ramakrishna."

This short biography gives a brief overview of Holy Mother's life and mission. It gives inspiration to all with the comforting accounts about Sri Sri Sarada Devi and her Motherhood to one and all. Perfect for those who want a brief introduction to Holy Mother to find out more about this Divine Incarnation.

• 92 pages Indian paperback

"In the pages of this book will be found the story of a life which was lived so silently and unostentatiously that its very simplicity was bewildering. Yet the depth of its richness seemed unfathomable even to those who were universally respected for their spiritual greatness. Indeed such a life defies analysis, and it is much more difficult to portray it. Even if we fail to comprehend the greatness of this Great Wonder fully, still will not even a partial glimpse of it bring us infinite good? Thus this attempt to portray the life of Sri Sarada Devi, the spiritual consort or Sri Ramakrishna, in short." Advaita Ashram Publications. 

A Pictorial biography of Swami Vivekananda By Swami Chetanananda

2nd Edition.
Hardback, 11″x9 ½”. Pages 176.

Today, as the global community grows more interconnected, we discuss — even encourage and accept — other cultures, ideas, religions, and ways of life, as we become more aware of our common human bond. This was envisioned over 120 years ago by Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a monk from India.

In 1893 Vivekananda brought the universal message of Vedanta to the West. He wanted to infuse the ancient, spiritual values of Vedanta into the dynamic, creative power of the West. He hoped the West would temper its materialism by learning from India, the home of ancient Vedic culture. In exchange, he wanted the West’s vitality to rub off on India, to help India shake off its lethargy. His life and teachings stand as a meeting point between East and West.

This pictorial biography celebrates Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary and his universal message of Vedanta. He reiterated the great Vedantic truth — “unity in diversity.” People, languages, cultures, customs, and religious beliefs may differ, but “human consciousness, human nature, and the aspiration for freedom are always the same.” Vivekananda called for the acceptance of universal truths common to all humanity; he called for the spiritual awakening of the world. His ability to communicate spiritual ideas in a practical, straightforward way has always appealed to Western minds; his universal message has enriched the spiritual lives of countless Westerners.

Vivekananda: East Meets West is an excellent survey of Vivekananda’s life and teachings and his encounter with many distinguished Western savants; it reveals where the eastern and western cultures and religions can find a common ground to live in harmony and derive benefit from each other; and finally it provides what the West needs badly today — pure spirituality devoid of narrowness and bigotry, commercialism and politics.

Michlet wrote in The Bible of Humanity: “Man must rest, get his breath, refresh himself at the great living wells, which keep the freshness of the eternal.” This book fulfills that purpose.

About the Author

Swami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, India. Before coming to the United States he worked in the editorial and publication departments of Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Himalayas, and also at its Calcutta branch. He served as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1971 to 1978 before taking his present position as the minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis.

Among his many publications are: A Guide to Spiritual Life; Avadhuta Gita; Meditation and Its Methods; Ramakrishna and His Divine Play; Ramakrishna as We Saw Him; Ramakrishna: A Biography in Pictures; Sarada Devi: A Biography in Pictures; They Lived With God; God Lived with Them; How to Live with God; How a Shepherd Boy Became a Saint; Spiritual Treasures; Vedanta: Voice of Freedom; Girish Chandra Ghosh; and Mahendra Nath Gupta (M.).

Front Cover: A photo illustration using Swami Vivekananda’s portrait from a poster printed by Goes Lithographing Company in 1893. The swami delivered his epoch making speech on the universal message of Hinduism at the Columbian Exposition’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893.

This is a wonderful introduction to the Goddess Kali, known lovingly by her devotees as Ma Kali or Kali Ma. This particular book on Kali focuses on detailed descriptions of Kolkata’s famous Dakshineswar temple and Ma Bhavatarini, the form of Kali worshipped there.

Authored by Elizabeth (Usha) Harding, President of Kali Mandir Temple in Laguna Beach, California. Usha Ma is an ardent and pure devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and Kali. Writing this book with a Western audience in mind, she has truly captured the spirit of Dakshineswar and the Saints that have graced its holy grounds.

It provides a wealth of information about the worship of Goddess Kali by giving an intimate account of her history and worship. Learn about the temple’s festivals & daily rituals, and discover inspiring accounts of some of this tradition’s ecstatic saints. A great introduction to Kali worship of the Divine Mother at one of Her most living temples.

Paperback, with many original photographs including a full color photo of Ma Bhavatarani Dakshineswari, taken by Usha herself in the 80s and is famously known all over Kolkata.

Excerpt from Chapter 1, a quote from a song by the famous mystic/poet Ramprasad:

"O Mother! my desires are unfulfilled;

My hopes are ungratified;

But my life is fast coming to an end.

Let me call Thee, Mother, for the last time;

Come and take me in Thy arms.

None loves in the world;

This world knows not how to love;

My heart yearns, O Mother, to go there,

Where love reigns supreme."

This is one of the first comprehensive biographies of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi in English. Swami Tapasyananda has incorporated all relevant biographical materials from various literary sources in Bengali, along with first-hand testimonials and information gathered from monks and women disciples of the Holy Mother. He has interpreted the life of the Holy Mother as the expression of the ideal of Divine Motherhood.

• 359 pages, Indian paperback

The original edition of this book, published in 1940, contained a chapter called Conversations which has been deleted from this 6th edition. This has been done because these Conversations , along with many others, have been included in the book The Gospel of the Holy Mother This 6th edition has, however, included an additional forty pages of new material discovered since the book’s original publication.

Swami Tapasyananda was president of Sri Ramakrishna Math from 1971 to 1991. A profound scholar, deep thinker, and prolific writer and translator, he was never happier than when an individual approached him for spiritual clarification.

Swami Brahmananda was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and the first president of the Ramakrishna order. Sri Ramakrishna regarded him as his spiritual son.

Spiritual teachings and selected letters of Swami Brahmananda.

• Indian paperback, 303 pages 81-7505-408-5

The translator writes:

When I first joined the monastery of the Ramakrishna Order, I used to ask many spiritual questions of senior monks who were disciples of Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Brahmananda, or Swami Shivananda. On one occasion, a monastic disciple of Swami Brahmananda told me: “Read Dharma-prasange Swami Brahmananda (Spiritual Teachings of Swami Brahmananda); then you will not have to ask spiritual questions of anybody.” Truly speaking, that book became my spiritual guide…

An illustrated young people's biography of Sri Sarada Devi, The Holy Mother. This is an excellent introduction to Holy Mother for children. It tells of special and interesting incidents in her life that children enjoy listening to.

• 39 pages, Indian paperback

With special reference to Patanjali’s Yoga philosophy and psychology. Addresses the issues of finding a spiritual teacher and dealing with the spiritual dangers and obstacles. Includes chapter on stress management through Yoga.

• 253 pages; US paperback; illustrated; glossary

Here's a delightful little children's paperback written in simple English with colorful drawings to go with the text. Children can learn the story of Ramakrishna including the major events of his life. A nice book to read to children.

An illustrated children's biography of Sri Ramakrishna.

• 43 pages, Indian paperback

A companion book to The Story of Sarada Devi and The Story of Vivekananda.