Wednesday, August 16th-Sri Ramakrishna's Mahasamadhi (Sri Krishna Janmasthami)

August 14, 2006

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay on February 18, 1836. He is considered by many of his followers to be an Avatar or even to be the Avatara varishthya, the Greatest Avatar.

He taught what he practised ceaselessly for fifteen years or so through parables, metaphors, songs and above all by his own noble life, the basic truth of all religions.

He had developed throat cancer (It is being said that true yogis are prone to get throat cancer) and attained Mahasamadhi at the Garden House in Cossipore in the early hours of Monday, August 16th, 1886 leaving behind a devoted band of 16 young disciples headed by the well known saint-philosopher and orator, Swami Vivekananda and a host of householder disciples. Among his contemporaries, Keshab Chandra Sen, Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, who were known to be against Hindu idol worship, were his admirers.

On the midnight of Sunday, August 15th, 1886, Sri Ramakrishna told to his disciples who were in deep sorrow and practically weeping, that he was feeling hungry. They offered him a small quantity of liquid diet, but he was not swallow and took very little. Then the disciples cleaned his mouth and slowly let him lie on his back and kept his legs on a pillow. Within no time Sri Ramakrishna went to samadhi. His body was like stone, and he was not able to breath. Everybody there began to weep. Narendra asked everybody to chant "Hari Aum Tatsath." After a while Sri Ramakrishna became conscious and told to his disciples that he was very hungry. They gave him a big bowl of liquid rice. To their surprise, he took the whole lot and said that he felt better. In spite of his condition, Sri Ramakrishna shouted loudly 'Mother Kali, Mother Kali, Mother Kali' thrice and went to bed again. Narendra went downstairs to rest.

It was two minutes past one (early, Monday, August 16th, 1886), Sri Ramakrishna while lying on his bed suddenly felt ecstatic with a gentle smile on his face, went to samadhi. This is not his usual samadhi but Mahasamadhi and his sole went to the lap of Ma Kali and never returned to his physical body on Monday, August 16th. On hearing this news, Sarada Ma ran to Sri Ramakrishna's bed room and shouted "Ma Kali where you have gone". On the evening of August 16th, when Sarada Ma was trying to take away of her Sumangali and her gold bangles, Sri Ramakrishna appeared in front of her "Where did I go? I am here and I just went from one room to another room, that is all" These are the last words of Sri Ramakrishna to Sarada Ma. The similar episodes happen later on twice and again Sri Ramakrishna stopped her removing Sumangali and her gold bangles. Then Sarada Ma remind all her life with Sumangali and her gold bangles.

Dr.Kurri Pakirareddy