One of the greatest souls to ever grace his presence on Earth was Sri Ramakrishna. With his birthday let us know a bit about him.
Sri Ramakrishna was one of the most famous saints in the 19th Century who is known worldwide. He marked his presence on the earth on 18th February 1836. His family was deeply religious but very poor. Being a brahmin in those days was not easy. However, his devotees grandly celebrate Ramakrishna Jayanti. This year, it has fallen on 24th February and it will continue till 26th February midnight. The followers pay tribute to this great soul with his favourite puja thali items.
As he grew up, he became an ardent devotee of Goddess Kali so much so that he dedicated his entire life to her service. He was a priest of the famous Dakhineswar Kali Temple. His followers and devotees call him as Ramakrishna Paramahansa among his devotees. His full name was Gadadhar Chattopadhyay.
The Story of Ramakrishna:–
His real name is Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. He hailed from the small village of Kamarpukur in Hooghly District of West Bengal. According to the internet ” Ramakrishna‘s father died in 1843, after which family his elder brother Ramkumar had to take the responsibilities of his family. Losing his father got him closer to his mother. As a result, he spent most of his time in household activities and daily worship of the household deities. Hence, he got involved in thoughtful activities such as reading the holy epics. When Ramakrishna was in his teens, the family’s financial position worsened. Ramkumar started a Sanskrit school in (Jhama poker lane) Kolkata and also served as a priest. Ramakrishna moved to Kolkata in 1852 with Ramkumar to assist in the priestly work.
After his brother, Ramakumar’s demise Ramakrishna became more introspective. He took goddess Kali as his mother and the mother of the universe. He was desperate to get a vision of her. After meditating and praying for many days, he failed to get her vision. He broke down completely and wanted to end his life. So, he saw a sword hanging in a nearby room in the temple. He ran to take it and as he was about to reach for the sword he had a vision of the goddess Kali. It was overwhelming for him and he fainted. Quoting him
“ houses, doors, temples and everything else vanished altogether; as if there was nothing anywhere! And what I saw was an infinite shoreless sea of light; a sea that was consciousness. However far and in whatever direction I looked, I saw shining waves, one after another, coming towards me.”
Rumours started spreading that Ramakrishna was mentally unstable due to his deep devotion and relationship with Goddess Kali. As a result, everyone started preparing for his marriage. He was 23 at the time and his bride was 5 years old. It was a normal scene in a typical scenario of West Bengal during the 19th century. According to everyone, marriage was a good excuse to make him stable. So, a 5-year-old Sarada Devi was married to a 23-year-old Ramakrishna. But, everything was in vain as Sarada Devi took him as his idol and became a follower of his teachings.
Later on, he took sannyasa and called Sarada Devi as his mother. Swami Vivekananda was one of his most famous disciples. In his memory, Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math which teaches his principles and works for the welfare of the people. Belur Math is the headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
The Rituals of Ramakrishna Jayanti:-
Ramakrishna is beyond any materialism. He led a simple and spiritual life which is why one can easily win his heart with simple offerings, and a puja Vidhi did with pooja samagri bought from the puja store online. The rituals of Ramakrishna are easy but important. That is why you need to do them with the utmost love and care. Purchasing the correct Indian puja saman is necessary. You can avail premium puja kit in Delhi from puja items store online in Delhi. It is a great way for people who don’t have the time to go to stores and shop for the Indian puja thali items. You can do pooja samagri online shopping from puja thali items stores.
Ramakrishna was a follower of Goddess Kali. Therefore worshipping her is the best way you can pay tribute to this great soul. Other than this, you can also do:
- Guru Puja – The guru puja pays tribute to teachers and souls we admire. It gives peace.
- Brihaspati Shanti Puja – Brihaspati or Jupiter is the leader of planets. Doing a Shanti puja removes obstacles in life.
- Shani Graha Shanti Puja – This puja helps in carrying on life smoothly.
If you want to get pooja things online, type Indian puja samagri/saman/item store shop near me or visit the website of Pujashoppe and shop from the best.