Captain Vishwanath Upadyaya

It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23)

- RUCHIRA MITRA

Introduction

Frequently, Sri Ramakrishna impressed upon his disciples that God incarnates as a guru to show people the spiritual path: ‘God has different forms, and He sports in different ways as Isvara, deva, man, and the universe. In every age He descends to earth in human form, as an Incarnation, to teach people love and devotion. ... The more you proceed towards God, the more you will see that God Himself is the guru and He Himself is the Ishta (spiritual ideal).’

After going through the spiritual practices of all traditions, and reaching the acme of spiritual knowledge, Sri Ramakrishna was eager to play his divine role as the preceptor of this Age. He wanted to share his spiritual experiences with sincere souls. He knew they would come. As he later told his disciples: ‘It was revealed to me that I had devotees - my intimate companions, my very own. The Divine Mother told me that many devotees would come here. I got impatient for them.’