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Ramakrishna’s abiding vision
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Christianity touched the life of even Ramakrishna Paramahansa, the saint-reformer of Bengal and a staunch Hindu spiritual guru, says R.V. SMITH
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When Swami Gokulananda was head of the Ramakrishna Mission in Delhi (he died recently), one had the good fortune of meeting him. “How many of you know about Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s attraction to Christ”? he asked . And without wai
ting for an answer, related an incident, also highlighted by Swami Vivekananda when he visited the Baptist Church in Chandni Chowk in February 1891.
Are the bones of St. Thomas still in India or were they shipped to Syria some years after his death? The hint of a mystery persists due to diverse accounts. Judas Thomas was chosen by lot to preach in India but be did not wish to go, saying that due to weakness of the flesh he could not travel.
Jesus appeared to the Apostle by night and said, “Fear not Thomas go to India and preach the word there.” Just then a merchant from India arrived in Jerusalem. His name was Abban and he had been sent by King Gondophorus and had received orders to hire a carpenter and bring him back with him.
Martyrdom
The following morning the Apostle prayed and said, “I go whither thou wilt Lord”. The rest of the story is well known – about how St. Thomas accompanied Abban, preached in South India and eventually suffered martyrdom. Bishop Dudi (David) of Basra came to India in AD 295 and found a big community of Indian Christians.
According to some accounts cited by Fr M.K. Kuriakose, who compiled “The History of Christianity in India”, source materials republished for the Senate of Serampore College by ISPC, the bones of St. Thomas are said to have been carried away by a merchant to Edessa in Syria.
But Marco Polo, who visited Malabar in AD 1292, says that the body of the saint was still in the tomb at San Thome in Madras and held in great reverence.
In 1515 the church of St. Thomas was visited by Duarte Barbose and he too confirmed that the body was still there. The account of it being carried away to Edessa is thus open to doubt. It is recorded though that the king who killed him could not extract a bone from the tomb which he thought would cure his son. Christianity influenced many people including Ramakrishna Paramahansa. And it is in connection with him that we come to the second part of the story – Jesus’s nose.
Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886) had a vision of Christ according to an account given by Swami Jagadananda after the saint-reformer of Bengal had visited the garden house of Jadunath Malick, south of the Kali temple at Dakshineswar. There he had gazed at a picture of the Christ-child seated on his mother’s lap and was filled with a great love for Jesus and the Apostle who had brought his word to India.
Ramakrishna Paramahansa returned to Dakshineswar temple and on the third day while walking under the Panchavati he saw a marvellous godman whom he hailed as Christ. The apparition embraced him and vanished as he uttered the words, “Son of the Father”.
Long after Ramakrishna Paramahansa asked his disciples what description of Christ was given in the Bible. They replied that his appearance had not been given but that they thought being a Jew he must have been fair in complexion with long eye-lashes and a Qulin nose.
At this Ramakrishna Paramahansa replied: “But I saw that the tip of his nose was a little flat. I don’t know why I saw him like that”.
The disciples did not understand their master’s contention then but after his death they came to know that there were three different descriptions of Jesus’s physical features and according to one of them the tip of his nose was a little flat.
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