A great spiritual luminary of India of the 19th century, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa was born of poor but pious parents at Kamarpukur in Wext Bengal on the 18th of February, 1936. From a very early age, he showed signs of a spiritual bent of mind. The first experience of 'Samadhi' came to him when he was about ten years old- it was inspired by the sight of a flight of cranes under a dark-blue cloud. The major part of his life as spent in the temple of Kali at Dakshineshwar, a suburb of Calcutta.

The image in the Temple was to him a living diety and the intense longing for God-vision carried him to the realisation of God as Mother in the image of Kali. Kali became a living companion to this young amn who, to all appearance, was mad. In his 23rd year he was married to a young girl, Sarada, but their life remained free from physical pleasures. Sri Sarada Devi ffectionately known as the Holy Mother, accepted him as her Guru and carried on the work as laid down by him. Having successfully practised the discipline of the various religious cults of India and proved the efficacy of different paths in realising God-head, his attention was turned to the faiths of Islam and Christianity here his efforts were rewarded with the realisation of the Divine. He proved by his personal experiences the truth of the Vedic saying "Ekam sat viprah bahudhah vadanti".

Just as a flower in full bloom attracts bees, many ardent souls in search of God were attracted to him and he could aaken the latent spiritual impulses in them by a touch, a word or a glance. Narendranath utt, who later became the world-famous Swami Vivekanand, was one of the most important disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and after the Master's passing away on 16th August, 1886, he founded the Ramakrishna Math and ramakrishna Mission. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa symbolised the efflorescence of the Indian spiritual life which was withering under the impact od a predominantly materialistic allen culture. He taught that service to man amounted to worship of God and that all religions are true.

The P & T Department feels honoured to bring out a commemorative stamp of this prophet of New India.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India