ABSTRACT
Rāmakrishna was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable religious leaders of his time. Born in the Bengal village of Kamarpukur, which today houses a temple dedicated to him, he was involved from his early days in the religious festivals of the region. At the age of six or seven he is reputed to have experienced a mystical trance, an experience that was to occur many times subsequently during his life. Though lacking formal education because of inadequate schooling he possessed an abundance of native intelligence and welcomed the opportunity to join his brother Ramkumar at the Sanskrit school in Calcutta and later with the help of a wealthy lady named Rani Rasmani at the Kālī temple at Dakshineswar. It was here from 1856 that he remained for the rest of his life as a Brahmin priest devoted to the worship of the goddess Kālī.
