Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda - The Tree Principle

I. RAMAKRISHNA AND VIVEKANANDA

“I was astonished to find a man [Ramakrishna] who spoke so simply, yet whose words carried such depth. He seemed like a child, but there was something extraordinary about him that I couldn’t quite grasp.”

-Swami Vivekananda

The Relationship

The guru-sishya relationship between Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda, the revolutionary 19th century Hindu mahatmas, is extraordinary and perhaps unique in the annals of history. The superlative love and respect that the exalted guru showered unreservedly on his iconic shishya were reciprocated equally superlatively by the latter through his boundless admiration, bordering on disbelief and awe, and profound humility towards the former. While Ramakrishna had self-assuredly predicted years in advance that “the time will come when Noren[1] shall shake the world to its very foundations by the strength of his intellectual and spiritual powers”, Vivekananda, years later, perched at vertiginous heights of celebrity, would ironically remark with a touch of pathos, “If there has ever been a word of truth, a word of spirituality, that I have spoken anywhere in the world, I owe it to my Master; only the mistakes are mine.”[2] The rare integral bonding between the duo is at the very base of the Hindu renaissance that was set in motion more than a century ago and the impact of which may take many a century more to subside, if ever. The depth and intensity of the relationship the twosome lived and celebrated transcend rational bounds.

The Roles

Much has been said about the respective roles of the two men, who were separated in their individual natures by light-years; the outward difference in their personalities could not have been starker: while the disciple was an intellectual giant, gifted with oceanic knowledge, the looks of a devata, a keen sense of aesthetics, disarming charm, exceptional oratory and an x-factor which escapes reasoning, the guru was unlettered and could barely sign his name, presented an ordinary rustic appearance, would wear unremarkable clothing, was limited in expression and carried a slight stutter. It is agreed wisdom that Ramakrishna was the principle of which Swami Vivekananda acted as the vehicle. The following words of Swami Vivekananda, written in a separate context[3], gives a glimpse – likely inadvertently – into the roles played by the two:

“…most great thinkers have to leave to time the practical realisation of their great ideals. Their thoughts must wait for more active brains to work them out and spread them.”

Ramakrishna was thus the ideal of which Swami Vivekananda was the manifestation and practical expression. It is this complementarity, this inseparability, this integrity that produced the undying movement the two started and it is this aspect of the relationship between Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda that I would like to view through a rich analogy.

II. The Tree Principle

“It takes twenty years to make an overnight success.”

One of the most celebrated and loved physicists, Richard Feynman, accentuated on reframing and reimagining common objects and phenomena, in order to overcome the indifference and the dousing of one’s curiosity towards them on account of their being commonplace and routine[4]. He credits his father for this insightful advice, which he suggests, piqued his own creativity that he would apply to his scientific study, with evidently commendable results.

A short video[5] that I watched recently, brilliantly invokes Feynman’s proposed approach to look afresh at the good old tree, an otherwise mundane object, that does not ordinarily warrant a second glance, thereby giving a new insight into not only our understanding of the tree but into a variety of aspects of life itself.

So according to the video, a tree simultaneously grows in two opposite directions, based on its two distinct natures – the phototropic (guided by light, upwardly directed) and the gravitropic (guided by gravity, downwardly directed.) The part of the tree above the ground – the stem, the branches, the leaves, the flowers and the fruits – is the phototropic part and the complex root system – looking like an inverted leafless tree – is the gravitropic part, and the two are, more or less, mirror images of each other. While the phototropic side is visible to the world as the tree, with all its pride and prestige, the gravitropic side is ordinarily invisible and hence suffers disregard and oblivion. Quite ironically, however, it is the gravitropic side of the tree’s development that undertakes the backbreaking hardship: it painstakingly, night and day, sucks up nutrients from the soil, that give life and growth to the whole phototropic body, while all this while struggling and fighting the soil around it in order to expand its network to further support the ever-growing phototropic side. It is the gravitropic part, hidden in the dark and damp recesses of the netherworld that toils and labours to enable and nurture the phototropic part. The ever-silent, ever-invisible, self-effacing, tireless gravitropic root brings about the beauty, the majesty, the grandeur, the acclaim of the phototropic tree. The phototropic glory is thus predicated absolutely on the gravitropic grit and grind, while it is the phototropic through which the gravitropic could bear fruits and flowers, expressing its beauty and utility.

III. The Analogy

“Nature is the unfolding of the Divine will."

I like to view the relationship between Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda within the paradigm of the Tree Principle, which I feel captures it accurately. While the Swami is the magnificent phototropic tree, fruits of which the world has been partaking of for over a century, the Paramahansa is the splendid gravitropic network of roots that gave birth to and nurtured the former into his unmatched character, spiritual attainments and universal, timeless renown.

The Gravitropic Ramakrishna

When Narendra initially met Ramakrishna, he was a boy of extraordinary possibilities – an intellectual powerhouse, full of vigour and vivacity and armed with a character that was unimpeachable. However, such excellence in youth could give rise to arrogance and unrestraint. Narendra’s intellect was marred by scepticism and excessive rationality and his excellence was accompanied by outspokenness, sometimes bordering on the irreverent[6]. Ramakrishna was himself not beyond the boy’s candid scepticism. It was with utmost patience and firm faith that the guru tackled the modern Calcutta boy, bursting at the seams, with his desire to attain the Truth. Swami Vivekananda has himself written about the intense struggle, over years, in accepting Ramakrishna as his guru[7]. Ramakrishna successfully channelled Narendra’s copious internal resources and slowly but surely turned him into a yugapurusha, a greatest teacher of humanity.

Finally at the death bed, the guru transmitted all his spiritual powers[8] and willed his legacy along with his spiritual progeny[9] to the young maharshi, less than 2 dozen years of age.

The Phototropic Vivekananda

As Swami Vivekananda rose, ironically reluctant and nervous, in front of the august assemblage at the World Parliament of Religions, on that fateful September morning of 1893, little did the world know that it was about to be changed forever. The young boy of 30, possessing the Himalayan wisdom of his ancestral rishis of yore, carrying the unfathomable depth and illimited breadth of Dharma, and wielding the authority of self-realisation, delivered a speech that would become a watershed and redirect the course of history, not only of India or of Hinduism, but of the whole world, in ways still unfolding, its impact “slow and silent, as the gentle dew that falls in the morning, unseen and unheard, yet producing a most tremendous result.”[10]

Much has been written on the illustrious life of Swami Vivekananda and I lack the literary prowess to add much of value. As the phototropic side of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda combine, with a public life spanning a mere 9 years, the Swami has ably justified his guru's placing of infinite faith in his shishya.

IV. The Illusion of Dichotomy

“As inseparable is Sita from me, as is from the Sun its effulgence.”

-Ramachandra

Amidst all the musings on the two divisions of the tree, it is important to not lose sight of the fact that, despite the apparent dichotomy, the tree remains one single organism. While the two divisions are demarcated physically and in terms of their lifestyles and roles, the two form nonetheless one inseparable whole: the laborious gravitropic and the glorious phototropic are complementary and mutually fulfilling.

In the exact same way, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda together form the complete indivisible integrated whole. While the exalted Swami, in his own words, owes all his attainments – spiritual and social – to his guru, it was Vivekananda who took Ramakrishna’s philosophy out of the confines of the small room in the precincts of the Dakshineshwar garden temple of Kali and poured it on the world like a cloudburst. The unrelenting ovation that Vivekananda received at his first public words, “Sisters and Brothers of America,” was simply in response to the spirit of Ramakrishna that the words and the persona of Vivekananda carried. The glory of Vivekananda is as much the glory of Ramakrishna. The Swami was only the physical culmination, the concretisation, if you will, of the grand principles as imparted to and through him by Ramakrishna.

The sons of Kali were indeed the obverse and reverse of the same coin.

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[1] Affectionate Bengali variant of Narendra, Swami Vivekananda’s pre-monastic name

[2] Swami Vivekananda’s humble reverence of Ramakrishna is reflected in many of his observations. E.g., in the course of a conversation in the US he remarked about his guru, “I am not worthy to undo his shoes.” He also remarked once thus: “One glance of [Ramakrishna’s] gracious eyes can create a hundred thousand Vivekanandas at this instant.” While the Swami wore an assertive face in his public conduct, taking up the mantle of a Master, his inner humility was exemplary.

[3] Written in the context of Pavhari Baba, a mahapurusha whom Swami Vivekananda greatly admired.

[4] This video from Feynman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhlNSLQAFE) describes how viewing the world from another point of view gives you fresh creative insights. He mentions how simply knowing the names of objects makes one lose one’s curiosity towards them.

Similar ideas have been expressed by Swami Vivekananda himself, that naming something should not be confused to mean that one understands it. Similarly, in an essay he wrote anonymously in an American journal, he brilliantly observes: “The ordinary experiences of our lives are no less wonderful than any miracles recorded in any sacred book of the world; nor are we any more enlightened as to the cause of these ordinary experiences than of the so-called miracles. But the miraculous is ‘extraordinary’, and the everyday experience is ‘ordinary’. The ‘extraordinary’ startles the mind, the ‘ordinary’ satisfies.”

[5] The video featuring Myron Golden can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5BUDCjAW8P/.

[6] Narendra’s audacity was on account of his restless search of truth and his own candour and honesty. He would challenge social luminaries of the time with his rather direct but genuine query, “Have you seen God?”, a question he also put to his future guru, only to be startled by his response.

[7] However, once he did, his surrender to the guru was absolute and unflinching.

[8] In Swami Vivekananda’s own words:

“Two or three days before Sri Ramakrishna's passing away, she whom he used to call ‘Kali’ entered this body. It is she who takes me here and there and makes me work, without letting me remain quiet or allowing me to look to my personal comforts.

“Before his leaving the body, he called me to his side one day, and asking me to sit before him, looked steadily at me and went into samadhi. Then I felt that a subtle force like an electric shock was entering my body! In a little while I also lost outward consciousness and sat motionless. How long I stayed in that condition I do not remember. When consciousness returned, I found Sri Ramakrishna shedding tears. On questioning him, he answered me affectionately: ‘Today, giving you my all, I have become a beggar. With this power you are to do much work for the good of the world before you return.’ I feel that that power is constantly directing me to this or that work. This body has not been made for remaining idle.”

[9] According to a brother disciple of Swami Vivekananda: “One day [Ramakrishna] called Narendra to his side and said, ‘I leave these young men in your charge. See that they practice spiritual disciplines and do not return home. Teach them, guide them, and make them grow in spirituality. I have given them to you.’ Narendra was deeply moved and promised to fulfill the Master’s wish. The Master then turned to the other disciples and said, ‘Look upon Narendra as your leader. Follow him, for he will guide you to God. I have given him my power, and he will show you the way.’”

[10] The metaphor of a dew was used numerously by Swami Vivekananda in terms of how one should work: selflessly, diligently and silently. The Swami seems to have followed his own advice in his style of work.