''Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master,'' translated by Swami Jagadananda (a disciple of
Sarada Devi), is an English translation of the
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
biography ''Sri Ramakrishna Leela Prasanga'', of
Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th-century Indian saint and mystic. Its Bengali original was written by
Swami Saradananda, which is based on interviews of persons who knew or interacted with him. It is therefore a first-hand source. The original Bengali version published was composed in five volumes and was the first full-scale biography of the saint.
This is an eyewitness account and therefore carries more credibility than later books on Sri Ramakrishna. The English translation was first published in 1952. The original Bengali book was written from 1909 to 1919, over a period of ten years, in order to repay the debt incurred for constructing
Udbodhan House for Holy Mother
Sri Sarada Devi.
History
Saradananda was one of the direct monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and was the first Secretary of the
Ramakrishna Math and
Ramakrishna Mission. He first met Ramakrishna when he was in his teens and started writing the book almost two decades after the death of Ramakrishna in 1886. Besides ''
Gospel of Ramakrishna
''The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna'' is an English translation of the Bengali religious text ''Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita'' by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded ...
'', it is considered a major biographical source.
However, this biography and later biographies by his disciples have been "heavily influenced by the later systematic reinterpretation" of the tradition, and should therefore be used "with critical caution" and "checked against the recorded sayings".
The original Bengali book was translated to English by Swami Jagadananda in 1952 and published by
Sri Ramakrishna Math Chennai. This is the original and most complete biography of Sri Ramakrishna. More recently, another English translation has been brought out by Swami Chetanananda, named ''Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play''.
Overview
The book is made up of two parts. Part 1 of the book deals with the early life of Sri Ramakrishna, including his birth and childhood and his spiritual practices, while part 2 deals with Sri Ramakrishna as a spiritual teacher, his relationship with Narendranath Dutta, later
Swami Vivekananda, and the later stages of his life.
References
External
* {{cite web, title = Sri Ramakrishna The Great Master, url = http://estudantedavedanta.net/ramakrishna_great_master.pdf
Ramakrishna
Indian biographies
Translations into English
1952 non-fiction books
Indian non-fiction books
20th-century Indian books