Overview
Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886), also known as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, was an Indian Hindu mystic. Born Ramakrishna Chattopadhyay in Kamarpukur, Bengal Presidency, he was known in childhood by the nickname Gadadhar. He is regarded by his followers as an avatar, or divine incarnation.
A devotee of the goddess Kali, Ramakrishna engaged with a wide range of religious practices drawn from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism and Advaita Vedanta, as well as from Christianity and Sufi Islam. His parable-based teachings advocated the essential unity of religions, proclaiming that the world's religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal".
Around the age of twenty, Ramakrishna became a temple priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple near Calcutta. While serving at the temple, his devotional temperament and intense religious practices led him to a series of spiritual visions, the authenticity of which was affirmed by several religious teachers who visited him. In 1859, in keeping with prevailing customs of the time, he was married to Sarada Devi; the marriage was never consummated. According to the Gospel of Ramakrishna, he received spiritual instruction from several gurus across different paths and religions, and was initiated into sannyasa in 1865 by Tota Puri, a Vedanta monk.
Ramakrishna's native language was Bengali; he also spoke Hindi (Hindustani) and understood Sanskrit, with a few recorded instances of his use of English words. He gained wide recognition among the temple-visiting public as a guru, drawing social leaders, members of the elite and ordinary people alike. Though initially reluctant to consider himself a guru, he eventually accepted disciples and laid the foundation for the monastic Ramakrishna Order, which was later organised by his disciples, most notably Swami Vivekananda.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on English Wikipedia page for Ramakrishna