SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA (1836 - 1886)

Life of Thakur spoken with his own Holy Lips

[Three Classes of Evidences]

It has been a long cherishing desire to publish the life of Thakur since his childhood incidents in a serial form. After completing the Kathamrita in six or seven volumes, material would be available to write his life spoken with his own holy lips. In this regard three classes of evidences would be available.

First: Direct and recorded on the same day. This is what Thakur Sri Ramakrishna said about his childhood, his states of sadhana (spiritual practices) etc. and what the bhaktas recorded on the same day. The life of Thakur spoken with his own holy lips that is published in Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita belongs to this class of evidence. The day M. saw Thakur's acts, or heard from his holy lips, he recalled it and recorded in his daily dairy that very day during the night (or in day time). This kind of version is obtained by direct seeing and hearing - along with the year, the date, the day of the week and the lunar date.

Second: Direct but unrecorded at the time of the Master. This is what the bhaktas themselves heard from the holy lips of Thakur, they are recalling it and speaking out now. This kind of version is also very good. The record of the other avataras is generally of this kind. Even then twenty four years have passed. Herein there is a greater possibility of mistakes than what is recorded immediately.

Third: Hearsay and unrecorded at the time of the Master. What one hears about Thakur's childhood, or his states of sadhana from his contemporaries like Hridya Mukherji, Roy Chatterji and other bhaktas, or what one hears about the life of Thakur from the residents of Kamarpukur, Jairambati, Shyam Bazaar, or from the circle of Thakur's devotees belongs to the third class evidence.

At the time of writing Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, M. has relied upon the first class evidence. If M. publishes Thakur's life in a serial form, for that too he would rely mainly on the first class evidence. In other words, its contents would be written relying on the life of Thakur spoken with his own holy lips.

 

Calcutta, 1317 B.Y., 1910 A.D.