137 quotes
Knowledge leads to unity, but Ignorance to diversity.
So long as God seems to be outside and far away, there is ignorance. But when God is realised within, that is true knowledge.
Hindu Psychology : Its Meaning for the West (1946)
When the tail of the tadpole drops off, it can live both in water and on land. When the tail of ignorance drops off, man becomes free. He can then live both in God and in the world equally well.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
The manifestation of the Divinity must be understood to be in greater degree in those who are honoured, respected, and obeyed by a large following, than in those who have gained no such influence.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
None of you has seen the elephant.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge. (138)
Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna (1960)
Many are the names of God, and infinite the forms that lead us to know Him. In whatsoever name or form you desire to call Him, in that very form and name you will see Him.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
It is one and the same Avatara that, having plunged into the ocean of life, rises up in one place and is known as Krishna, and diving again rises in another place and is known as Christ.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
Suppose someone says that the thing is not "jal" but "pāni", or that it is not "pāni" but "water", or that it is not "water" but "jal", It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
Four blind men went to see an elephant.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
He who has realized God does not look upon a woman with the eye of lust; so he is not afraid of her. He perceives clearly that women are but so many aspects of the Divine Mother. He worships them all as the Mother Herself.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
God now and then assumes various forms for His lovers and reveals Himself to them as a Person. But with the rising of the sun of Knowledge, the blocks of ice melt. Then one doesn't feel any more that God is a Person, nor does one see God's forms. What He is cannot be described.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
Many people think they cannot have knowledge or understanding of God without reading books. But hearing is better than reading, and seeing is better than hearing. Hearing about Benares is different from reading about it; but seeing Benares is different from either hearing or reading.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
As one can ascend to the top of a house by means of a ladder or a bamboo or a staircase or a rope, so diverse also are the ways and means to approach God, and every religion in the world shows one of these ways.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal, and you will also have bliss. The Bliss indeed is eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment is towards the senses, the more will be your love towards God.
Hindu Psychology : Its Meaning for the West (1946)
This world is like a stage, where men perform many parts under various disguises. They do not like to take off the mask, unless they have played for some time. Let them play for a while, and then they will leave off the mask of their own accord.
Râmakrishna : His Life and Sayings (1898)
I had to practise each religion for a time — Hinduism, Islām, Christianity. Furthermore, I followed the paths of the Śāktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedāntists. I realized that there is only one God toward whom all are travelling; but the paths are different.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942)
To love only members of the Bramho Samaj
or of one's own family is maya;
to love one's own countrymen is maya.
But to love the people of all countries,
to love the members of all religions, is daya.
Such love comes from love of God, from daya (compassion).
Men are quick to praise and quick to blame; so pay no heed to what others speak of you. (1023)
Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna (1960)
The devil nevetf" enters the house wherein songs in praise of Hari are always sung. (1043)
Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna (1960)