Quotes by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, also known as Sri Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century Indian mystic, sage, and spiritual teacher. He was born in 1836 in the small village of Kamarpukur in West Bengal, India, and died in 1886. Ramakrishna's spiritual quest led him to practice various Hindu and Islamic religious traditions, as well as Christianity, and he ultimately developed a philosophy that was inclusive of all religions. He gained a large following of disciples, including Swami Vivekananda, who would go on to spread his teachings and establish the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Ramakrishna was known for his simple teachings and his emphasis on direct spiritual experience. He taught that God could be found in all things and all people, and he emphasized the importance of faith, devotion, and surrender to the Divine. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the most important spiritual figures in the history of India.

“Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realize that they know nothing.”

― Sri Ramakrishna, Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

“You speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First, realize God, and see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power you can do good to others; otherwise not.”

― Sri Ramakrishna, Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

“What Brahman is cannot be described. All things in the world — the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras, the six systems of philosophy — have been defiled, like food that has been touched by the tongue, for they have been read or uttered by the tongue. Only one thing has not been defiled in this way, and that is Brahman. No one has ever been able to say what Brahman is.”
― Sri Ramakrishna, Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

“The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“Common men talk bagfuls of religion but do not practise even a grain of it. The wise man speaks a little, even though his whole life is religion expressed in action.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“Do not seek illumination unless you seek it as a man whose hair is on fire seeks a pond.”

― Sri Ramakrishna

“God is everywhere but He is most manifest in man. So serve man as God. That is as good as worshipping God.”

“God has revealed to me that only the Paramatman, whom the Vedas describe as the Pure Soul, is as immutable as Mount Sumeru, unattached, and beyond pain and pleasure. There is much confusion in this world of His maya. One can by no means say that 'this' will come after 'that' or 'this' will produce 'that'.”
― Sri Ramakrishna, Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

“That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge.”
― Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole.”

“If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled.”
― Ramakrishna

“Many good sayings are to be found in holy books, but merely reading them will not make one religious.”
― Ramakrishna

“Why should you renounce everything? You are all right as you are, following the middle...”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“He is born in vain, who having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize God in this very life.”
― Ramakrishna

“If you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you.”

“To work without attachment is to work without the expectation of reward or fear of any punishment in this world or the next. Work so done is a means to the end, and God is the end.”
― Ramakrishna

“Do you know my attitude? Books, scriptures, and things like that only point out the way to reach God. After finding the way, what more need is there of books and scriptures? Then comes the time for action.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“When the flower blooms

The bees come uninvited.”

― Ramakrishna

“Disease is the tax which the soul pays for the body, as the tenant pays house-rent for the use of the house.”
― Ramakrishna

“Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.”
― Ramakrishna

“The nearer you approach to God, the less you reason and argue. When you attain Him, then all sounds—all reasoning and disputing—come to an end. Then you go into samadhi—sleep—, into communion with God in silence.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“If a householder is a genuine devotee, he performs his duties without attachment; he surrenders the fruit of his work to God - his gain or loss, his pleasure or pain. Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Abridged)”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“Can he rectify false weight whose own scales are uncertain? Can you enlighten your neighbor while you yourself have no light?”
― Ramakrishna

“How dare you talk of helping the world? God alone can do that. First, you must be made free from all sense of self; then the Divine Mother will give you a task to do.”-Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“In the scriptures you will find the way to realize God. But after getting all the information about the path, you must begin to work, Only then can you attain your goal.”-Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“become.It is said in the Bhagavad Gitâ that the future is determined by the thought that is uppermost at the moment of death, and in the Purâna there is a story that King Bharata was born as a deer p. 48 because when he died, his mind was fixed on the thought of a deer. He who passes away thinking of God and meditating on Him, does not come back to this world. A devotee:”
― Sri Ramakrishna,

“The depth of the heart, the retired corner, and the forest are the three places for meditation.”- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“However much a bhakta may experience physical joy and sorrow, he always has knowledge and the treasure of divine love. This treasure never leaves him. Take the Pāndava brothers for instance. Though they suffered so many calamities, they did not lose their God-Consciousness even once.”
― Ramakrishna, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

“There is no hope for a worldly man if he is not sincerely devoted to God.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“The Eternal Religion, the religion of the rishis, has been in existence from time immemorial and will exist eternally. There exists in this Sanatana Dharma all forms of worship--worship of God with form and worship of the impersonal Deity as well. It contains all paths--the path of knowledge, the path of devotion and so on. Other forms of religion, the modern cults, will remain for a few days and then disappear.-Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“You speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First realize God, and see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power you can do good to others; otherwise not.”

“The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.”

“If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God.”

“Do not seek illumination unless you seek it as a man whose hair is on fire seeks a pond.”

“God is everywhere but He is most manifest in man. So serve man as God. That is as good as worshipping God.”

“God has made different religions to suit different aspirants, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion...One may eat a cake with icing either straight or sidewise. It will taste sweet either way.”
― Sri Ramakrishna, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

“Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is of the mind. If you say 'I am a free soul. I am a son of God who can bind me' free you shall be.”
― Ramakrishna

“That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge.”
― Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

“Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,p.81”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“When divine vision is attained, all appear equal; and there remains no distinction of good and bad, or of high and low.”
― Ramakrishna

“God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole.”
― Ramakrishna

“It is easy to talk on religion, but difficult to practice it.”
― Ramakrishna

“If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled.”
― Ramakrishna

“Many good sayings are to be found in holy books, but merely reading them will not make one religious.”
― Ramakrishna

“Why should you renounce everything? You are all right as you are, following the middle...”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“If you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you.”
― Ramakrishna

“To work without attachment is to work without the expectation of reward or fear of any punishment in this world or the next. Work so done is a means to the end, and God is the end.”
― Ramakrishna

“To work without attachment is to work without the expectation of reward or fear of any punishment in this world or the next. Work so done is a means to the end, and God is the end.”
― Ramakrishna

“The nearer you approach to God, the less you reason and argue. When you attain Him, then all sounds—all reasoning and disputing—come to an end. Then you go into samadhi—sleep—, into communion with God in silence.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“ Is anything impossible for the grace of God? Suppose you bring a light into a room that has been dark a thousand years; does it remove the darkness little by little? The room is lighted all at once. Intense renunciation is what is needed.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

“In the scriptures, you will find the way to realize God. But after getting all the information about the path, you must begin to work, Only then can you attain your goal.”
― Sri Ramakrishna

" The Man who works others, without any selfish motive really does well to himself."- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa