Sri Ramakrishna: The ‘New Man’ of the Age -- Swami Bhajanananda 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.............................................................26 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...................................................33 Message of Faith and Hope..........................................................................33 Message of Purity and Strength....................................................................33 Message of Love and Service........................................................................35 Message of Acceptance and Harmony.............................................................37 Sri Ramakrishna’s Types of Harmony ..............................................................38 Harmony of Religions................................................................................38 PB July 2011.................................................................................................. 41 Harmony within Hinduism...........................................................................42 Harmony of Spiritual Paths..........................................................................43 Harmony of Spiritual Life and Social Life.........................................................45 Harmony of the Ancient and the Modern.........................................................47 Principle of Acceptance.............................................................................48 SECTION IV.................................................................................................... 49 PB October 2011............................................................................................. 49 Indian Spirituality....................................................................................49 Peaceful Dialectics of Indian Culture..............................................................50 Unique Features of the Spiritual Renaissance....................................................51 1. Universal Significance............................................................................51 2. Emphasis on Direct Experience..................................................................52 3. Separation of Spirituality from Religion.......................................................53 1 Sri Ramakrishna: The ‘New Man’ of the Age -- Swami Bhajanananda 4. Harmony of Religions.............................................................................53 5. A Universal Scripture.............................................................................54 PB November 2011..........................................................................................56 6. Setting in Motion a New Spiritual Movement..................................................56 (i) The New Monastic Order.........................................................................56 (a) Universal Outlook................................................................................59 (b) Modernity.........................................................................................59 (c) Discipline and Freedom.........................................................................60 (d) Synthesis of Yogas................................................................................60 (e) Service as a Way of Life.........................................................................61 (f) Brotherly Love....................................................................................62 (g) Centred around Sri Ramakrishna...............................................................62 PB December 2011........................................................................................... 63 (ii) Community of Lay Devotees....................................................................63 (iii) Other Streams of the Ramakrishna Movement..............................................64 7. Strengthening the Moral Foundations of Culture and Spirituality..........................64 8. Manifestation of Divine Glory in the Human Being...........................................67 SECTION V.................................................................................................... 70 PB February 2012............................................................................................70 SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS THE SPIRITUAL IDEAL OF THE MODERN AGE.............................70 Meaning of ‘Ideal’....................................................................................70 Four Global Trends...................................................................................71 Meaning of Spirituality and Spiritual Life.........................................................72 PB March 2012................................................................................................ 75 Traditional Spirituality...............................................................................75 Modern Spiritual Movement.........................................................................75 The First Phase.......................................................................................76 The Second Phase....................................................................................76 The Third Phase......................................................................................77 Change in Attitude towards Spirituality...........................................................77 (i) Quest for the Ultimate...........................................................................78 (ii) Existential Problems.............................................................................78 (iii) Overcoming Stress in Life......................................................................78 (iv) Shift in Management Philosophy...............................................................79 (v) Support of Science and Technology............................................................80 PB April 2012................................................................................................. 81 Universal Spirituality: Its Salient Features.......................................................81 Drawbacks of Modern Secular Spirituality........................................................83 Dawn of the Golden Age.............................................................................85 Power of Religion and Spirituality..................................................................85 Sri Ramakrishna