Ramakrishna as We Saw Him

Swami Chetanananda

Mar 2015 · Vedanta Society of St. Louis

About this ebook

Ramakrishna as We Saw Him offers the reader a penetrating view into the spiritual wisdom of India. Ramakrishna (1836-1886) was a unique Indian saint who experienced Truth in his own faith as well as in other religious traditions.  He taught, "So many faiths, so many paths." The forty-five reminiscences in Ramakrishna as We Saw Him are from disciples, friends, and relatives. They describe in detail Ramakrishna's God-intoxicated life, his daily activities, his teachings and parables, his love and humor. 

REVIEWS

 “Ramakrishna As We Saw Him is a rich addition to the literature available on Sri Ramakrishna. These extensive, detailed and interesting reminiscences of those who knew him document an important moment in India’s modern spiritual history. They provide the modern reader with a vivid sense of how Sri Ramakrishna lived daily the spiritual message he taught, and how he excelled in opening a path for God into the human heart. Readers of every culture and religion will profit from reflection on these accounts and the spiritual and human truths they communicate.”

Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University

 “The true measure of a collection of reminiscences is the manner in which the subject of reminiscence emerges. In this regard, the present collection is a masterful achievement....”

Gerald James Larson, Religious Studies, U.C., Santa Barbara

“The picture that emerges from these various testimonies is of a saint perpetually in samadhi, one who drew others mystically into God, who astonished officials and students alike with his profundities.”

The Book Reader

“This remarkable work covers forty-five personal accounts of relatives, 14 monastic disciples (including Vivekananda), householder disciples and admirers who knew Ramakrishna well. Many of these sources have been translated into English for the first time, thus adding to the almost video-real picture of 19th century Ramakrishna.”   HINDUISM TODAY

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: A Biography in Pictures; Sarada Devi: A Biography in Pictures; Spiritual Treasures; How a Shepherd Boy Became a Saint: Life and Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda; They Lived with God; How to Live with God; Vedanta: Voice of Freedom; Swami Vivekananda: East Meets West; Girish Chandra Ghosh, and Mahendra Nath Gupta (M.): The Recorder of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.