Sri Ramakrishna: The ‘New Man’ of the Age by Swami Bhajanananda (The author is Assistant-Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.) Published in Prabuddha Bharata January 2011 thru May 2012 Table of Contents SECTION I....................................................................................................... 3 PB January 2011............................................................................................... 3 The Epochs.............................................................................................. 3 Paradigm Shifts.........................................................................................4 The Power of Ideas....................................................................................5 Swamiji’s Concept of Epochal Ideas.................................................................6 Role of the Prophet....................................................................................7 The Epochal ‘New Man’...............................................................................8 PB February 2011............................................................................................12 Significance of Sri Ramakrishna’s Avatarahood...................................................12 Avatara as Kapāla-mocana..........................................................................12 The Avatara as the Door to the Infinite...........................................................13 The Avatara as the Revelation of the Noumenon................................................14 The Avatara as Iṣṭ a Devatā..........................................................................16 Om Hrīm Ṛtam........................................................................................18 SECTION II.................................................................................................... 19 PB April 2011................................................................................................. 19 Premārpaṇ a...........................................................................................20 Prāṇ ārpa ṇ a............................................................................................21 Divine Yoga, Divine Tapas, Divine Lila.............................................................22 Identification with Divine Motherhood............................................................22 PB May 2011.................................................................................................. 25 Culmination of Five Thousand Years of Indian Spirituality.....................................25 Living Commentary on the Scriptures.............................................................25 Revitalization of Spiritual Paths....................................................................27 Integration of Spiritual Experiences of the Past.................................................29 SECTION III.................................................................................................... 31 PB June 2011................................................................................................. 31 Message of Sri Ramakrishna as World Teacher...................................................32 Message of Faith and Hope..........................................................................32 Message of Purity and Strength....................................................................33 Message of Love and Service........................................................................35 Message of Acceptance and Harmony.............................................................36 Sri Ramakrishna’s Types of Harmony ..............................................................37 Harmony of Religions................................................................................37 PB July 2011.................................................................................................. 41 Harmony within Hinduism...........................................................................41 Harmony of Spiritual Paths..........................................................................43 Harmony of Spiritual Life and Social Life.........................................................44 Harmony of the Ancient and the Modern.........................................................46 Principle of Acceptance.............................................................................47 SECTION IV.................................................................................................... 48 PB October 2011............................................................................................. 48 Indian Spirituality....................................................................................49 Peaceful Dialectics of Indian Culture..............................................................49 Unique Features of the Spiritual Renaissance....................................................50 1. Universal Significance............................................................................50 2. Emphasis on Direct Experience..................................................................51 3. Separation of Spirituality from Religion.......................................................52 4. Harmony of Religions.............................................................................52 Sri Ramakrishna: The ‘New Man’ of the Age -- Swami Bhajanananda 5. A Universal Scripture.............................................................................54 PB November 2011..........................................................................................55 6. Setting in Motion a New Spiritual Movement..................................................55 (i) The New Monastic Order.........................................................................55 (a) Universal Outlook................................................................................58 (b) Modernity.........................................................................................58 (c) Discipline and Freedom.........................................................................59 (d) Synthesis of Yogas................................................................................59 (e) Service as a Way of Life.........................................................................60 (f) Brotherly Love....................................................................................61 (g) Centred around Sri Ramakrishna...............................................................61 PB December 2011........................................................................................... 62 (ii) Community of Lay Devotees....................................................................62 (iii) Other Streams of the Ramakrishna Movement..............................................63 7. Strengthening the Moral Foundations of Culture and Spirituality..........................63 8. Manifestation of Divine Glory in the Human Being...........................................66 SECTION V.................................................................................................... 69 PB February 2012............................................................................................69 SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS THE SPIRITUAL IDEAL OF THE MODERN AGE.............................69 Meaning of ‘Ideal’....................................................................................69 Four Global Trends...................................................................................70 Meaning of Spirituality and Spiritual Life.........................................................71 PB March 2012................................................................................................ 73 Traditional Spirituality...............................................................................73 Modern Spiritual Movement.........................................................................74 The First Phase.......................................................................................75 The Second Phase....................................................................................75 The Third Phase......................................................................................76 Change in Attitude towards Spirituality...........................................................76 (i) Quest for the Ultimate...........................................................................76 (ii) Existential Problems.............................................................................77 (iii) Overcoming Stress in Life......................................................................77 (iv) Shift in Management Philosophy...............................................................77 (v) Support of Science and Technology............................................................78 PB April 2012................................................................................................. 79 Universal Spirituality: Its Salient Features.......................................................79 Drawbacks of Modern Secular Spirituality........................................................82 Dawn of the Golden Age.............................................................................83 Power of Religion and Spirituality..................................................................83 Sri Ramakrishna and the Satya Yuga...............................................................84