From Līlā to Nitya and Back

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Vedānta

Bibliographic Data

ID3463857
AuthorsArpita Mitra (0000-0001-8265-3459, Independent Scholar, New Delhi 110019, India, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume11
Issue11
Pages569
Publication date2020-10-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel11110569
OpenAlexW3096181923
LanguageEN
References cited2

There has been a long-standing academic debate on the religious orientation of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa (1836-1886), one of the leading religious figures of modern India. In the light of his teachings, it is possible to accept that Rāmakṛṣṇa's ideas were Vedāntic, albeit not in a sectarian or exclusive way. This article explores the question of where exactly to place him in the chequered history of Vedāntic ideas. It points out that Rāmakṛṣṇa repeatedly referred to different states of consciousness while explaining the difference in the attitudes towards the Divine. This is the basis of his harmonization of the different streams within Vedānta. Again, it is also the basis of his understanding of the place of śakti. He demonstrated that, as long as one has I-consciousness, one is operating within the jurisdiction of śakti, and has to accept śakti as real. On the other hand, in the state of samādhi, which is the only state in which the I-consciosuness disappears, there is neither One nor many. The article also shows that, while Rāmakṛṣṇa accepted all of the different views within Vedānta, he was probably not as distant from the Advaita Vedānta philosopher Ādi Śaṁkara as he has been made out to be

Aesthetics · Consciousness · Epistemology · Harmonization · Jurisdiction · Political science · Religious orientation · Theology · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

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