Description
'This is the story of a phenomenon.
'I will begin by calling him simply that, rather than "holy man", "mystic", "saint", or "avatar"; all emotive words with mixed associations which may attract some readers,
repel others. 'A phenomenon is often something extraordinary and mysterious, Ramakrishna was extraordinary and mysterious; most of all to those who were best fitted to understand him. A phenomenon is always a fact, an object of experience.
That is how I shall try to approach Ramakrishna.' With these words, Christopher Isherwood introduces the subject of his biography. He does not attempt to interpret the life of Ramakrishna, but is content to state the facts, incorporating all available data. 'His prose is easy and flowing, not a word is wasted, and everything is seen in precise and day-light-clear shape. His style impresses itself on the reader's mind as expressive of a calm conviction, unmixed with emotion.
Unlike earlier foreign biographers of Ramakrishna-Max Muller and Romain Rolland-Isherwood did not write of him as a distant admirer, but as a devotee who enjoyed an advantage over them; for he had at his disposal more material, collected through a careful study of not only Ramakrishna literature, but also Hindu religion and philosophy, besides two visits to India.
ISBN:8185301182
