This original, authentic biography of Sri Ramakrishna, written by the prominent householder disciple Ram Chandra Datta and first published in 1890, was unavailable in English translation until 2014. This new rendering, the only English translation of the unexpurgated fourth edition published during the author’s lifetime (1897), contains new information about Ramakrishna and different versions of familiar stories. The author movingly narrates his transformation from worldly, amoral atheist to faithful devotee through the redeeming power of the living Avatāra. Ram Chandra, a distinguished chemist and elder paternal cousin of Swami Vivekananda, was the first to proclaim publicly that Ramakrishna was an Avatāra (Incarnation of God) and the first to establish a temple for his worship. This original biography of Ramakrishna complements the other, later authentic biographies that all together help us better visualize the life and teachings of the saint.
