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[[File:SriRamakrishnaTheGreatMaster.jpg|thumb|First edition]]<br />
'''''Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master,''''' translated by Swami Jagadananda, is an English translation of the [[Bengali language|Bengali]] biography ''Sri Ramakrishna Leela Prasanga'', of [[Sri Ramakrishna]], the 19th-century Indian saint and mystic. Its Bengali original was written by [[Swami Saradananda]], which is based on interviews of persons who knew or interacted with him. It is therefore a first-hand source. The original Bengali version published was composed in five volumes and was the first full-scale biography of the saint.<ref name="Heehs2002">{{cite book|author=Peter Heehs|title=Indian Religions: The Spiritual Traditions of South Asia : an Anthology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl1xeE8dCCMC&pg=PA431|year=2002|publisher=Permanent Black|isbn=978-81-7824-079-4|pages=431–}}</ref> This is an eyewitness account and therefore carries more credibility than later books on Sri Ramakrishna. The English translation was first published in 1952. The original Bengali book was written from 1909 to 1919, over a period of ten years, in order to repay the debt incurred for constructing [[Udbodhan]] House for Holy Mother [[Sri Sarada Devi]].<ref>''Reminiscences of Swami Saradanandaji'', by Swami Bhuteshananda, Sri Ramakrishna Bhavadarsha, Udbodhan Publishers, Kolkata</ref><br />
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==History==<br />
Saradananda was one of the direct monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and was the first Secretary of the [[Ramakrishna Math]] and [[Ramakrishna Mission]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master (Chapter 1) <br />
| url = http://www.ramakrishna.org/catalog/archive/SR_GreatMaster_Ch1.htm |publisher=Ramakrishna Mission| accessdate = 2014-02-18 }}</ref> He first met Ramakrishna when he was in his teens and started writing the book almost two decades after the death of Ramakrishna in 1886. Besides ''[[Gospel of Ramakrishna]]'', it is considered a major biographical source.<ref name="Isherwood1965">{{cite book|author=Christopher Isherwood|authorlink=Christopher Isherwood<br />
|title=Ramakrishna and His Disciples|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6qVMrumO-g0C&pg=PA2|year=1965|publisher=Vedanta Press|isbn=978-0-87481-037-0|page=2}}</ref> However, this biography and later biographies by his disciples have been "heavily influenced by the later systematic reinterpretation" of the tradition, and should therefore be used "with critical caution" and "checked against the recorded sayings".<ref>The Transformation of Sri Ramakrisha, Walter Neevel, In: Hinduism: New Essays in the History of Religions, Bardwell L. Smith. {{ISBN|9789004044951}}</ref> <br />
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The original Bengali book was translated to English by Swami Jagadananda in 1952 and published by [[Sri Ramakrishna Math Chennai]]. This is the original and most complete biography of Sri Ramakrishna.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vedanta.com/store/Ramakrishna_Great_Master_large_ed.htm | title=Ramakrishna the Great Master - original edition Back In Paperback! | publisher=Vedanta | accessdate=3 February 2020}}</ref> More recently, another English translation has been brought out by Swami Chetanananda, named ''Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vedanta.com/store/ramakrishna_and_his_divine_play.htm | title=Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play | publisher=Vedanta | accessdate=3 February 2020}}</ref><br />
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==Overview==<br />
The book is made up of two parts. Part 1 of the book deals with the early life of Sri Ramakrishna, including his birth and childhood and his spiritual practices, while part 2 deals with Sri Ramakrishna as a spiritual teacher, his relationship with Narendranath Dutta, later [[Swami Vivekananda]], and the later stages of his life.<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External==<br />
* {{cite web| title = Sri Ramakrishna The Great Master| url = http://estudantedavedanta.net/ramakrishna_great_master.pdf}}<br />
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[[Category:Ramakrishna]]<br />
[[Category:Indian biographies]]<br />
[[Category:Translations into English]]<br />
[[Category:1952 non-fiction books]]<br />
[[Category:Indian non-fiction books]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian books]]</div>imported>Riquix