Ramakrishna Sees God in All Forms

Dadi: "Guddu, if I gave you a glass of water and called it "jal," then gave you another glass and called it "pani," would they be different?"

Guddu: "No, Dadi! They're both water, just different names!"

Dadi: "Exactly! Now, there was a great saint named Ramakrishna who taught that this is exactly how God works. Whether you call God "Krishna" or "Allah" or "Jesus" - it's all the same divine water."

Guddu: "But Dadi, people fight about whose God is the real God!"

Dadi: "I know, beta. That's why Ramakrishna's story is so important. He didn't just say all religions are the same - he actually LIVED every religion to prove it."

Guddu: "How can one person live every religion?"

Dadi: "He started as a devotee of Mother Kali. He worshipped her with such intense love that she would appear before him in visions. Then he practiced Vedantic meditation, where you focus on God without any form - just pure, infinite consciousness."

Guddu: "That sounds hard. No pictures, no stories?"

Dadi: "Very hard! But Ramakrishna achieved it. Then - and this surprised everyone - he decided to follow Islamic practices."

Guddu: "A Hindu priest practicing Islam?"

Dadi: "Yes! A Sufi teacher came and initiated him. For three days, Ramakrishna lived completely as a Muslim. He changed his clothes, he ate only what Muslims eat, he prayed only to Allah. And do you know what happened?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "He had a vision of a radiant being filled with light - and this being merged into him. The same divine experience he had found through Kali, he now found through Islam!"

Guddu: "Then what did he do?"

Dadi: "He turned to Christianity. He meditated on Jesus Christ. And Christ appeared to him, embraced him, and they became one. Same experience, different path."

Guddu: "So he found God in every religion?"

Dadi: "Every single one. He said, "The river of Hinduism, the river of Islam, the river of Christianity - they are different rivers, but the ocean is one.""

Guddu: "That's such a nice way to explain it!"

Dadi: "He had another beautiful example. He said think of it like a mountain. There are many paths to climb it - some steep, some gentle, some through forests, some over rocks. But they all reach the same peak."

Guddu: "Or like his devotee said - it's like recognizing your husband no matter what clothes he wears!"

Dadi: "Ha! That's exactly what one of his followers said, and Ramakrishna loved it. Whether God wears the "clothes" of Krishna, or Shiva, or Jesus - a true lover recognizes the Beloved."

Guddu: "Dadi, did this make him confused? Following so many paths?"

Dadi: "Not at all. In fact, it made him clearer. He said his mind would constantly move from the personal God with a form to the formless infinite, and back again. Both were real, both were true."

Guddu: "So what should I do? Follow all religions?"

Dadi: "No, beta. You don't need to do what he did. He did it to show us that all paths work. What you need to do is follow YOUR path with your whole heart. If you love Krishna, love Krishna completely. If you feel peace in a church, go to church. If the Gurdwara calls you, go there."

Guddu: "But then how do I know my path is right?"

Dadi: "If it makes you kinder, more peaceful, and closer to God - it's right. Ramakrishna's real teaching wasn't that you should try everything. His teaching was that you should respect everything. When you see someone praying differently, don't think "they're wrong." Think "they're climbing from a different side of the same mountain.""

Guddu: "I like that, Dadi. We're all going to the same place."

Dadi: "Yes, beta. And Ramakrishna showed us that God is so vast, so loving, so generous, that He makes Himself available through every door. You just have to walk through the door that feels like home."