Menu
Menu
There are countless saints and mystics in history who have spoken about the divine, but very few have lived with God as intimately as Ramakrishna Paramhansa did with Maa Kali. His connection with the Divine Mother was not just an act of devotion, it was a living, breathing relationship, filled with love, surrender, and intense spiritual experiences. He spoke to her, played with her, cried to her, and experienced her presence every moment of his life.
For Ramakrishna Paramhansa, there was no difference between Maa Kali and the ultimate truth. She was not an abstract concept or just a divine figure to be prayed to, she was the very essence of his existence. To him, Maa Kali was the source of all creation, the force behind every action, and the one who held the entire universe in her hands.
His devotion to Maa Kali was so intense that it often left people around him amazed, confused, and even skeptical. Some believed he was mad, while others saw him as a living saint who had completely surrendered to the Divine Mother. His relationship with Maa Kali was unlike anything seen before, so personal, so deep, that even the most rational minds struggled to comprehend it.
The story of Maa Kali and Ramakrishna Paramhansa is not just about religious worship; it is about what happens when someone gives themselves completely to the divine, expecting nothing in return. His life was a testament to the fact that God is not distant but can be as close as one’s own breath, as real as one’s own heartbeat.
This connection with Maa Kali defined every aspect of his life. It was through her that he experienced visions, entered deep spiritual states, and eventually merged with the infinite consciousness. His journey, filled with divine ecstasies, moments of despair, and overwhelming joy, shows that true devotion is not about rituals or mere belief, but about complete surrender, where the devotee and the deity become one.
Even before Ramakrishna Paramhansa became the priest of Dakshineswar, there were signs that his connection with Maa Kali was something special. As a child in Kamarpukur, he was often lost in spiritual moods, singing devotional songs, and immersing himself in stories of gods and goddesses. While other children played games, he would often sit alone, staring at the sky, lost in another world.
One of the most well-known incidents from his childhood was when he experienced his first trance. He was walking in the fields when he saw a flock of white cranes flying against the backdrop of dark clouds. The beauty of the scene was so overwhelming that he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. When he woke up, he had no explanation for what had happened, but those around him realised that he was not an ordinary child.
His natural love for devotion and spirituality only grew stronger as he got older. He would often refuse to study or take part in activities that others his age were interested in. His heart was drawn to gods, goddesses, and the world beyond the material.
The real turning point in his life came when he was appointed as the priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. The temple, built by Rani Rashmoni, was dedicated to Maa Kali, and it was here that Ramakrishna Kali became inseparable.
From the very first moment he saw the idol of Maa Kali, something inside him changed. Unlike other priests who saw the idol as a sacred image, Ramakrishna saw her as a living being. To him, the stone idol was not just a representation of the goddess, it was Maa Kali herself, standing before him, waiting to embrace him.
After becoming the temple priest, Ramakrishna Paramhansa was filled with an uncontrollable longing to see Maa Kali. He wanted to experience her not just in prayer, not just in rituals, but as a living presence. His devotion became so intense that it started to worry those around him.
He would spend hours in the sanctum of the temple, praying, crying, and calling out to Maa Kali. Sometimes, he would roll on the ground in agony, feeling separation from her as unbearable pain. His cries were so heart-wrenching that even strangers who passed by the temple felt moved.
There were days when he could not eat, sleep, or function like a normal person. His only thought, his only desire, was to see Maa Kali and speak to her. He would sometimes ask other priests, “Why does Mother not appear before me? Why does she not speak to me?”
But there was no answer.
One of the most famous and dramatic moments in Ramakrishna and Maa Kali’s relationship happened when his longing reached an unbearable peak.
One evening, unable to bear the separation from Maa Kali, he decided that if he could not see her, there was no point in living. He ran to the temple, picked up the ritual sword kept in the sanctum, and was about to end his life.
At that very moment, everything changed.
Suddenly, a blinding light filled the temple, and before him stood Maa Kali, in all her divine glory. She was no longer an idol, she was alive, radiant, smiling, full of love and power.
Ramakrishna Paramhansa collapsed, overwhelmed by the vision. He entered a deep spiritual trance, losing all awareness of his physical body. He later described the experience as an ocean of bliss, where waves of divine love washed over him, dissolving his ego and sense of separateness.
For the first time, he had seen Maa Kali with his own eyes.
From that day onwards, Maa Kali and Ramakrishna Paramhansa were never apart. He spoke to her, laughed with her, asked her questions, and even argued with her. To others, he seemed like a man talking to himself, but to Ramakrishna, he was simply speaking to his Mother.
He later described the vision in these words:
“She was neither just an image nor a mere imagination. She was real! She was alive, standing before me, filling my heart with love and joy beyond words.”
This vision was just the beginning. Maa Kali continued to appear before Ramakrishna Paramhansa, guiding him, testing him, and revealing deeper spiritual truths.
After his first vision of Maa Kali, his behavior changed completely. He could no longer function like a regular temple priest.
His family and the temple authorities started to worry. Some thought he had gone mad, while others believed he was possessed by a divine force. But for Ramakrishna, none of this mattered. He had found his Mother, and nothing else in the world was important anymore.
After Ramakrishna’s first vision of Maa Kali, his entire life became centered around his direct interactions with the Divine Mother. Unlike most devotees who pray and hope for answers, Ramakrishna spoke to Maa Kali as if she were physically present with him.
To him, Maa Kali was not just an idol, not just a belief, but a real, living being who listened to his prayers, guided his actions, and sometimes even played with him like a mother with her child.
People at Dakshineswar would often find him sitting before Maa Kali’s idol, laughing, crying, or whispering. It was as if they were watching a child having a conversation with his mother.
When asked what he was doing, Ramakrishna Kali would reply:
“I am speaking to Mother. Why wouldn’t I? She is here, she is always here!”
This was not poetic imagination or religious symbolism, he truly saw her, heard her, and lived with her presence every moment of his life.
He would ask Maa Kali even the most ordinary questions, like:
And, as he described it, Maa Kali always answered.
Sometimes her voice came as a whisper in his heart. Other times, she would appear before him in visions, smiling, giving advice, or scolding him playfully.
One of the most famous incidents of Ramakrishna and Maa Kali’s relationship happened when someone asked him:
“Does Kali really speak to you?”
Ramakrishna laughed and replied:
“Of course! Just because you do not see or hear her does not mean she is not speaking!”
This deep connection made him completely free from fear, doubt, or any worldly attachments. He had no need for wealth, recognition, or even food, his only reality was Maa Kali.
What made Maa Kali and Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s relationship even more unique was that he did not see himself as a powerful saint or a wise teacher, he saw himself as Maa Kali’s child.
He would often say:
“I have no father, no mother, no wife, no possessions, only my Mother, Maa Kali!”
This childlike attitude was central to his devotion. Unlike other seekers who tried to “control” their minds through discipline, Ramakrishna surrendered to Maa Kali completely, like a baby in its mother’s arms.
One time, when he was sitting before Maa Kali’s idol, he suddenly started making faces at her, giggling like a small boy.
When someone asked what he was doing, he said:
“I am teasing Mother! Sometimes, she plays with me, so today, I am playing with her!”
This innocent love and complete surrender made him different from other spiritual seekers. He did not approach Maa Kali with complex rituals or philosophies, he loved her, trusted her, and gave himself to her completely.
One of the most well-known stories of Maa Kali with Ramakrishna happened in the temple when he was performing the daily bhog (food offering) for the goddess.
According to tradition, the priest was supposed to place the food before the deity, chant prayers, and wait for some time before distributing it as prasad.
But one day, something unusual happened.
Instead of placing the food before Maa Kali’s idol, Ramakrishna picked up a morsel and held it near her mouth, as if feeding a real person.
The temple authorities were shocked. They rushed to stop him, saying:
“What are you doing? This is just an idol! You must follow the rituals properly!”
Ramakrishna turned to them, confused, and said:
“What do you mean, an idol? Can’t you see she is here? She is hungry, I must feed her!”
For him, the stone image was not a symbol of Kali, it was Kali herself, living and breathing.
This event caused a lot of controversy among the temple priests, but it also became one of the most famous examples of Ramakrishna’s direct experience of Maa Kali.
One day, Ramakrishna Paramhansa was in deep conversation with Maa Kali inside the temple. He was so lost in his devotion that he forgot the physical world.
A skeptical visitor saw this and thought, “Is he really talking to someone, or is it just his imagination?”
Wanting to test him, the visitor quietly came up behind him and pinched his skin very hard.
To everyone’s surprise, Ramakrishna didn’t react at all.
It was as if he had no body, no pain, only Maa Kali’s presence filled his consciousness.
When he finally came out of his trance, the visitor asked:
“Didn’t you feel that?”
Ramakrishna smiled and said:
“No, my dear. When Mother is with me, I do not feel anything else. My body, my pain, this world, they all disappear.”
Over the years, Maa Kali gave Ramakrishna Paramhansa many kinds of spiritual experiences. Sometimes, she would appear as a gentle mother, sometimes as a terrifying goddess, and sometimes as the cosmic force behind everything.
Here are some of the most famous types of visions and trances he experienced:
One of the most well-known visions of Maa Kali with Ramakrishna happened when he saw her dancing in a cremation ground.
In this vision, Maa Kali appeared as her fearsome form, wearing a garland of skulls, laughing wildly, surrounded by burning pyres.
At first, Ramakrishna was afraid. But then he realised:
“She is the creator and the destroyer! Life and death are both her divine play!”
From that moment on, he lost all fear of death, knowing that everything was under Maa Kali’s control.
Another time, Maa Kali showed Ramakrishna the entire universe within herself.
He saw:
After this vision, Ramakrishna Paramhansa understood that Maa Kali is not just a goddess, but the very fabric of existence itself.
One of the sweetest visions he had was of Maa Kali appearing as a small girl, running to him and laughing.
She played with him, tugging at his clothes, and even asked for sweets.
This vision made Ramakrishna Paramhansa realise that God is not only powerful and vast but also innocent and full of love.
There were times when Ramakrishna and Kali became one.
He would enter such deep trances that he lost all awareness of the world. People had to shake him or even force-feed him water, because he would stay in these states for hours, sometimes days.
During these moments, his disciples saw something incredible, his body would stop moving, his breathing slowed down, and his face shone with an unearthly glow.
When he came back from these states, he would say:
“I was with Mother. She is pure bliss, beyond words, beyond the mind!”
There were times when Ramakrishna’s longing for Maa Kali became unbearable.
He would wake up in the middle of the night, weeping like a lost child, calling out for Maa Kali.
His disciples and temple priests would watch in both awe and confusion.
“Why is he crying?” they would ask.
Ramakrishna would reply:
“You will not understand. When you have known the sweetness of the Divine Mother’s love, even a moment of separation feels like death.”
This intense pain, this burning agony for Maa Kali, is what made his devotion so powerful, so unique. Unlike ordinary seekers who pray when they feel like it, Ramakrishna lived in constant remembrance, where even a moment without her felt unbearable.
Finally, after years of these divine trials, Maa Kali rewarded him with her permanent presence.
From that point on, Ramakrishna and Maa Kali were inseparable. He no longer had to cry for her, she was always with him, guiding him, speaking to him, and living through him.
Once he realised that Maa Kali was not just inside the temple, but everywhere, Ramakrishna Paramhansa started teaching this truth to others.
He taught that Maa Kali is not just an idol or a vision, she is the entire universe.
For him, every face, every object, every experience was an expression of the Divine Mother.
This was one of his most profound realisations, and it became a central teaching of his spiritual path.
Even though Ramakrishna Paramhansa had fully surrendered to Maa Kali, he had one last spiritual step to take, going beyond even her form.
For years, he had lived in total devotion, seeing Maa Kali as the Divine Mother, the most real presence in his life.
But then, a new challenge appeared.
A great Advaita Vedanta master, Totapuri Maharaj, came to Dakshineswar. He was a monk who had renounced everything, believing only in the formless, infinite Brahman, beyond all gods, rituals, and personal devotion.
When he saw Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s deep devotion to Maa Kali, he challenged him:
“You are still attached to form. If you want to realise the highest truth, you must go beyond even Maa Kali!”
This was a terrifying challenge for Ramakrishna.
How could he let go of Maa Kali, the very core of his existence?
But something inside him knew that this was the final test.
Sitting in deep meditation, Ramakrishna tried to focus on the formless Brahman, but every time he closed his eyes, the image of Maa Kali appeared before him.
He could not remove her presence, she was too real, too alive.
Seeing this, Totapuri Maharaj took a piece of glass and held it before Ramakrishna’s forehead.
“Use your mind like this sharp glass,” he said. “Cut through the image of Kali and merge into the formless!”
With all his strength, Ramakrishna focused and mentally “cut” through the image of Maa Kali.
In that instant, everything disappeared.
He fell into Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest state of non-dual consciousness, where there is no form, no thought, no separation, only infinite bliss.
After this experience, Ramakrishna Paramhansa came back from his samadhi with a new understanding.
He realised that:
This was a revolutionary realisation.
Most spiritual paths separate devotion (Bhakti) and non-dual realisation (Jnana), but Ramakrishna merged them into one.
He saw that:
This became one of the most important spiritual messages of his life.
What made Ramakrishna and Maa Kali’s relationship unique was the way he approached her, not with the formality of a worshipper, not with the intellectual curiosity of a scholar, but with the pure innocence of a child.
To Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Maa Kali was not just a goddess, not even just a mother, she was his entire world.
Unlike most devotees, who maintain a sense of separation from the divine, Ramakrishna did not see any difference between himself and Maa Kali. She was not an entity outside of him, she was within him, around him, and part of him.
Many times, he was seen playing before Maa Kali’s idol, laughing, dancing, and even making jokes with her.
One day, when someone saw him behaving in this way, they asked:
“Why are you acting like a child? The Divine Mother is so great and powerful! Shouldn’t you show some respect?”
Ramakrishna laughed and replied:
“How can a child be formal with his own mother? Does a baby bow and do rituals before his mother, or does he run into her arms?”
This was the essence of his devotion, simple, pure, and overflowing with love.
Though Ramakrishna was a spiritual master to many, he always considered Maa Kali as his guru.
Whenever someone asked him, “Who is your teacher?”, he would answer:
“My Mother, Maa Kali, is my only teacher.”
He did not learn from books, scriptures, or human teachers, he learned everything directly from her.
Whenever he had a question about life, suffering, or the nature of God, he would simply ask Maa Kali and wait for her response.
And the amazing thing? She always answered.
For example, once he was confused about why there was so much pain and suffering in the world.
He asked Maa Kali:
“Mother, if you love your children so much, why do you allow them to suffer?”
Suddenly, he had a vision.
He saw Maa Kali weaving a vast cosmic tapestry. She was placing both bright and dark threads together.
When he looked closely, he saw that the dark threads (suffering) made the bright threads (joy) even more beautiful.
At that moment, he understood, suffering is not separate from divine grace. It is all part of the great design.
This was the kind of direct teaching he received from Maa Kali, not through words, but through visions, experiences, and inner realisations.
As his devotion deepened, Ramakrishna’s visions of Maa Kali were no longer limited to the temple.
One day, while walking along the Ganges, he suddenly stopped and bowed down to the water.
Someone asked, “What are you doing?”
He smiled and said, “Can’t you see? It is Mother flowing as the river!”
Another time, he was offered some rice and vegetables for lunch. Before eating, he folded his hands and whispered:
“Mother, you have come to me as food today!”
For Ramakrishna Paramhansa, everything in existence was just Maa Kali in different forms.
One of the most touching stories about his unshakable faith in Maa Kali happened when he was practicing a strict religious vow.
One day, while performing a ritual, he saw a small cat enter the temple courtyard.
The cat looked weak and hungry. Its ribs were visible, and it meowed pitifully, looking for food.
Seeing this, Ramakrishna immediately ran to the kitchen, took some food, and started feeding the cat.
When some temple priests saw this, they were shocked. They scolded him:
“What are you doing? You were in the middle of a sacred ritual! Why did you interrupt it to feed a cat?”
Ramakrishna calmly replied:
“It was not a cat, it was Mother. Can’t you see? She came to me in that form, and she was hungry.”
This was his greatest spiritual truth, Maa Kali is not just in the temple; she is everywhere, in everything.
As the years passed, Ramakrishna’s connection with Maa Kali became even deeper.
He could no longer remain in the normal world for long, his mind was always lost in divine ecstasy.
His disciples worried for him. They knew that he was slowly leaving the material world, preparing to merge fully with Maa Kali.
In 1885, Ramakrishna Paramhansa fell seriously ill. He had developed throat cancer, and his body was growing weaker by the day.
Despite this, he never stopped speaking about Maa Kali.
One day, a disciple asked:
“Master, you are in so much pain. Why don’t you pray to Maa Kali to cure you?”
He smiled and replied:
“Why should I ask Mother to remove this pain? She has given it to me with love, so I accept it with love.”
This was his final test, complete surrender to Maa Kali’s will.
But something incredible happened.
Even as his body was breaking down, his spiritual presence became stronger than ever.
In his final days, his disciples often saw him in a semi-conscious state, whispering to Maa Kali.
Sometimes, he would suddenly sit up, his face glowing, and say:
“Mother is calling me!”
Finally, on August 16, 1886, in the early hours of the morning, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa left his body.
But those who were present said that he did not die, he simply merged into Maa Kali’s infinite presence.
The love between Ramakrishna and Maa Kali was so intense and so pure that it naturally influenced everyone around him. It was impossible to be in his presence and not feel the power of his devotion. Those who visited Dakshineswar, whether they were believers, skeptics, or intellectuals, were deeply moved by how alive and real his relationship with the Divine Mother was.
Some came to mock him, thinking he was just another priest lost in religious delusion. But when they saw him talking to Maa Kali, crying for her, laughing with her, or collapsing into ecstasy at the mere thought of her, they left transformed.
One of his disciples once said:
“I came to Dakshineswar full of doubts. But after seeing Thakur lost in divine love for Kali, I knew, this was real. This was beyond logic, beyond reason. He had seen God.”
Many of his closest disciples did not initially have devotion to Maa Kali. Some were drawn to Vedanta, some were influenced by Western rationalism, and others were simply curious seekers. But Ramakrishna’s presence changed them all.
He didn’t force anyone to believe in Maa Kali, he simply lived his devotion so deeply that it awakened something in them.
Perhaps the most significant example of this transformation was Narendranath Dutta, who later became Swami Vivekananda.
When Narendra first met Ramakrishna, he was a fiery young man full of skepticism and doubt. He had read Western philosophy, studied logic, and questioned everything about religion. He did not believe in idol worship or in the idea that God could take a personal form.
But Ramakrishna knew that deep inside, Narendra was destined for a great spiritual awakening.
During one of their first conversations, Narendra asked Ramakrishna directly:
“Have you seen God?”
Without hesitation, Ramakrishna Paramhansa smiled and replied:
“Yes, I have seen God. I see Him as clearly as I see you, but even more intensely!”
Narendra was stunned. He had never met anyone who spoke of God with such certainty, such confidence, such direct experience.
But even then, he could not accept Maa Kali. He believed in a formless, impersonal God, but he could not bring himself to bow before Kali’s image.
One day, when Narendra was suffering from extreme poverty and hardship, Ramakrishna told him:
“Go to the temple and ask Maa Kali for whatever you need.”
At first, Narendra refused. But finally, desperate for help, he agreed.
When he entered the Dakshineswar temple and stood before Maa Kali’s idol, something unexpected happened.
He had come to ask for material help, but as soon as he saw Maa Kali, his heart melted.
Instead of asking for money or security, he found himself saying:
“Mother, grant me devotion. Grant me wisdom. Grant me strength to know you.”
When he returned to Ramakrishna, the saint smiled knowingly. Maa Kali had touched his heart.
Years later, when Swami Vivekananda traveled across the world, he carried with him the same spiritual power that Ramakrishna had received from Maa Kali. He may have preached Vedanta, but deep within, he remained the child of the Divine Mother.
He once said:
“I never believed in Kali. But I stood before her, and I felt, she is real. My logic melted before her love.”
Is material life an obstacle to spiritual awakening? This book is an invitation to dissolve that illusion.
For years, I lived two lives: one dedicated to work, relationships, and responsibilities, and another spent seeking stillness and deeper truths in meditation, until I realized the divide wasn’t real. It was something I’d created in my mind.
Online Spiritual Meetup
A beautiful space to ask questions & draw inspiration on the spiritual path. This is an audio only meetup.
Melbourne Time – Every Wednesday, 6:30pm to 7:30pm Use this Whatsapp to join the group.
Zoom Meetups
Due to Covid, all Spiritual talks are now held via Zoom. The talks are held on alternate Sundays, 3:30-5:00 pm Melbourne time.
For details, please visit or join our meetup group
Subscribe for new articles, videos & events
