What was Sri Ramakrishna’s message?

One distinguishing feature of almost all Indian spiritual Gurus is that they were all great poets. A poet is not necessarily someone who has a great command over a particular human language or someone who uses very flowery language in his/her writings and sayings. A poet is one whose words carry very deep spiritual meanings which keep evolving over many centuries and millennia to come. This is very important for conveying spiritual truths since, unlike mathematics, their meanings are very subjective and heavily dependent on time, space and situation. There is an element of objectivity present since the words spoken are still valid, but the meanings are subjective. It is like the eternal relation between Purusha and Prakriti. One aspect of reality is changeless and another keeps changing at every moment! Spiritual groups and organizations, which stick to the literal meanings of the words spoken by their Gurus, are often found to deteriorate quite quickly. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has rightly said, “There is only one way to put mystical experiences into words, and that is poetry.”

Sri Ramakrishna perhaps does not qualify to be called a poet in the usual sense of the word since he never really composed any verses. But in the broader sense of the term, his words also carry very deep spiritual truths which keep evolving with time. And he was a master story teller! In this sense, it is perhaps appropriate to call him a poet. Among all his sayings and teachings, the most important one, which has perhaps stuck to the mind of all his followers, is that of renouncing lust and gold. The words lust and gold (Kamini and Kanchana, in Bengali) are perhaps two of the most commonly occurring words to be found in his Gospel. These words have usually been taken to imply renunciation, both internal and external. Monks usually begin with external renunciation, and then slowly move towards the internal aspect. Householders are expected to begin by internal renunciation, and then slowly move towards the external aspect.

Though the above interpretation of Sri Ramakrishna’s emphasis on renouncing lust and gold are still valid, there is also another interpretation which is perhaps more relevant in the current times. And this interpretation comes from the science of Kriya Yoga, also known as Kundalini Yoga. The human nervous system is said to have seven chakras beginning from Muladhara at the base of the spine to Sahasrara at the top of the head. The chakras are said to be important centers for many nerves and nadis to meet and distribute energy over the rest of the body. For most human beings, their mind and consciousness keep moving between the lower three chakras where the predominant thought is that of procreation and wealth accumulation (lust and gold). The goal of Kriya Yoga is to make the mind rise to higher chakras where deeper spiritual experiences start manifesting and finally culminating in Samadhi when the mind reaches the Sahasrara.

It can now be seen that Kriya Yoga has a direct connection with Sri Ramakrishna’s stress on renouncing lust and gold. Sri Ramakrishna was himself an accomplished Yogi who had complete mastery over his Kundalini. His words are often implied to mean practice of renunciation through Bhakti, but perhaps he also was directly referring to the path of Kundalini Yoga. In those days and times, the situation in India was not conducive for the practice of Kriya Yoga for the masses, since it requires stable societal conditions with access to good food and secured living conditions. It was perhaps for this reason that he did not explicitly ask his disciples to practice this path at that time. But now the situation in our country has changed drastically and many parts of India have a very conducive environment for these practices. With the announcement of International Yoga Day, there is also immense activity happening in this domain with many genuine Yoga teachers available to provide these lessons in a convenient manner. When wisely combined with the other three paths of Bhakti, Karma and Jnana as per each individual’s disposition, the path of Kriya Yoga can provide wonderful spiritual progress (Yoga cocktail). As Swami Vivekananda once said, "He who combines in himself both Yoga and knowledge, with him the Lord is pleased."