Sri Ramakrishna was initiated into Vedantic meditation by Totapuri, a reputed monk who attained oneness with God after forty years of penance. Such was the devotion of Sri Ramakrishna that, to the amazement of his Guru, he attained in one day, what the Guru took forty years to achieve! In his very first sitting, he remained absorbed in the state of Samadhi or God-vision for three days! He was a devotee of the goddess Kali, but adhered to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as Christianity and Islam. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a Hindu mystic and priest whose teachings and religious thought inspired the founding of the Ramakrishna Order. He was also the spiritual guru of the renowned Hindu monk Vivekananda, who promulgated Ramakrishna’s teachings and Vedanta philosophy in India and overseas. Ramakrishna (February 18, 1836 – August 16, 1886), also known as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, was a revered Indian saint and mystic. Born in the village of Kamarpukur in Bengal to a humble Brahmin family, he showed an inclination toward spirituality from a very young age and remained a devoted worshiper of Goddess Kali throughout his life. While he primarily worshiped Kali, he also practiced Vaishnavism, Tantric Shakta traditions, Advaita Vedanta, as well as elements of Islam and Christianity ...
