When Kali’s Name Becomes Enough — Sri Ramakrishna on Faith and Liberation

Sri Ramakrishna spoke of faith as something that should not be weakened by a constant preoccupation with one’s own sins. He objected to the habit of repeating that one was bound or sinful, and urged people to trust in God’s name. He did not, however, advise them to continue doing wrong. He said that a person should acknowledge past wrongdoing, resolve not to repeat it, and have faith in the divine name.

To illustrate the strength of faith, he told the story of a man who wanted to cross the sea. Bibhishana wrote Rama’s name on a leaf, tied it into the corner of the man’s garment, and told him to walk across the water without losing faith. The man began his journey and moved safely over the sea. Eventually, curiosity led him to untie the knot. When he saw that the leaf bore only Rama’s name, he wondered at the apparent simplicity of what had been given to him. Doubt entered his mind, and he sank beneath the water.

Sri Ramakrishna also referred to the account of Hanuman crossing the sea through faith in Rama’s name, while Rama himself had to build a bridge. He used these stories to speak about the power of faith and the importance of holding firmly to it.

He then sang of Durga, asking how the Divine Mother could deny liberation to one who departed this life repeating Her name, however sinful that person might have been. The song expressed confidence in the saving power of the Mother’s name. Sri Ramakrishna’s accompanying words made clear that faith did not mean refusing to acknowledge one’s actions: a person should admit having done wrong and resolve not to do it again.

His own prayer to the Divine Mother revealed what he desired most. He described offering flowers at Her feet and asking Her to take both his virtue and his vice, his knowledge and his ignorance, his purity and his impurity, his righteousness and his unrighteousness. In return, he asked only for pure love for Her.

Sri Ramakrishna placed these things before the Mother without asking to keep one quality and reject another for himself. His request was for love alone. Alongside his words about faith in the divine name, this prayer shows the emphasis he placed on devotion to the Mother and on the desire to love Her purely.

Source & Note

This article is based on Sri Ramakrishna’s The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The material has been edited and adapted for this publication.