From Līlā to Nitya and Back: Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Vedānta
Religions October 31, 2020 Arpita Mitra
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa's religious orientation is best understood as Vedāntic but not sectarian or exclusive. He used different states of consciousness to explain varying attitudes toward the Divine, harmonizing diverse streams within Vedānta. He taught that as long as one has I-consciousness, one operates within the jurisdiction of śakti and must accept it as real; only in the state of samādhi, where I-consciousness disappears, is there neither One nor many. The article argues that Rāmakṛṣṇa was probably not as distant from the Advaita Vedānta philosopher Ādi Śaṁkara as previously claimed.