Totapuri and Vedanta
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In 1864, Ramakrishna was initiated into sanyassa by a vedantic ascetic, a wandering monk — Totapuri. Totapuri was "a teacher of masculine strength, a sterner mien, a gnarled physique, and a virile voice". Ramakrishna address the monk as Nangta or Langta — the "Naked One".[1]
Totapuri first guided Ramakrishna through the rites of sanyasa — renunciation of all ties to the world. Then he instructed him in the teaching of advaita — that "Brahman alone is real, and the world is illusory;I have no separate existence; I am that Brahman alone."[2] Under the guidance of Totapuri, Ramakrishna experienced the Nirvikalpa Samadhi which is considered to be the highest state in spiritual realisation:[3]
I [Ramakrishna] said to Totapuri in despair: "It's no good. I will never be able to lift my spirit to the unconditioned state and find myself face to face with the Atman." He [Totapuri] replied severely: "What do you mean you can't? You must!" Looking about him, he found a shard of glass. He took it and stuck the point between my eyes saying: "Concentrate your mind on that point." [...] The last barrier vanished and my spirit immediately precipitated itself beyond the plane of the conditioned. I lost myself in samadhi.
There is a view that it was Totapuri who gave him the title of Ramakrishna after initiating him formally into Sanyasa.[4]
Totapuri stayed with ramakrishna for nearly eleven months and instructed him further in the teachings of advaita. After the departure of Totapuri, Ramakrishna reportedly remained for six months in a state of absolute contemplation:[5]
For six months in a stretch, I [Ramakrishna] remained in that state from which ordinary men can never return; generally the body falls off, after three weeks, like a mere leaf. I was not conscious of day or night. Flies would enter my mouth and nostrils as they do a dead's body, but I did not feel them. My hair became matted with dust.
Ramakrishna said that this period of nirvikalpa samadhi came to an end, when he received a command from the Mother Kali, — "Remain in Bhavamukha; for the enlightenment of the people, remain in Bhavamukha." — Bhãvamukha being a state of existence, intermediate between samadhi and normal consciousness.[6]
Notes
edit- ^ Swami Nikhilananda, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1972), Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York
- ^ The Great Master, p. 255
- ^ Roland, Romain The Life of Ramakrishna (1984), Advaita Ashram
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rr_bbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna, Prophet of New India, New York, Harper and Brothers, 1942, p. 28.
- ^ Isherwood, Christopher. "Tota Puri". Ramakrishna and his Disciples. pp. p.123.
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