The Original Gospel of Rāmakrishna

Based on M.’s English Text, Abridged Foreword by Alexander Lipski Introduction by Swāmī Vivekānanda Edited by Swāmī Abhedānanda & Joseph A. Fitzgerald This original version of The Gospel of Rāmakrishna is based on the author M.’s own English translation from the Bengali. A classic but until recently neglected work, it is presented here in an edited form for the contemporary reader. It is introduced with a comprehensive biography of Shrī Rāmakrishna (1836-1886), written by his most famous disciple, Swāmī Vivekānanda. Also included are several b/w photographs of Rāmakrishna and his disciples. “The story of Rāmakrishna Paramahamsa’s life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face.... His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages from the Book of Life.... They, therefore, leave on the reader an impression which he cannot resist.” MAHATMA GANDHI “Rāmakrishna’s teachings on the essential unity of the great religions comprise Hinduism’s finest voice on this topic.” HUSTON SMITH, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University, author of The World’s Religions “The fervent love of God, nay, the sense of complete absorption in Godhead, has nowhere found a stronger and more eloquent expression than in the utterances of Rāmakrishna. How deep he has seen into the mysteries of knowledge and love of God we see from his sayings.” MAX MÜLLER, Oxford University, general editor Sacred Books of the East “The spirit of Rāmakrishna, as given in his reported conversations, and his life . . . constitute a unique and absorbing document for any serious student of the philosophy of religion. Rāmakrishna is revealed as that rarity, the real thing in metaphysical mysticism and saintliness. He belongs in the great tradition of classic religious leaders.” IRWIN EDMAN, Columbia University, author of Four Ways of Philosophy “Rāmakrishna shows Christians like myself a way to respond to the mystery, beauty, and holiness of non-Christian religious experiences.” FFRANCIS X. CLOONEY, Harvard Divinity School, author of Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across Religious Borders