Disciple:
Greetings, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Greetings, greetings. Speak.
Disciple:
Today, we would like to hear from you about a specific monk who was both a traveler and a Vedantic monk. Most notably, he was the Vedantic guru of our Thakur, Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. We want to hear the name of that great soul and learn more about him.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
During Ramakrishna's life, as long as he practiced his spiritual disciplines, many people came to him. You know that even the Holy Mother came from what is now Bangladesh. Besides her, there was Totapuri. History doesn't provide many details about Totapuri's birth or background, unlike what we know about the Mother. No one even knows exactly when he passed away. I tried many times to search for his origins, but I found very little. What I did discover is that he was from the Sikh community.
Disciple:
From Punjab?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, from the Sikh community in Punjab. He was a firm believer in Vedanta. He traveled throughout the Himalayas for a long time—about 40 years—visiting various caves and gaining immense knowledge.
Disciple:
His period of spiritual practice was very long, wasn't it?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, nearly 40 years of sadhana (spiritual practice) in the Himalayas and Garhwal. He lived in caves and met many great saints of that time. He was a very powerful and robust man. After completing his penance in the Himalayas, he came down to Gangasagar, where Kapil Muni's ashram is located. After finishing his work there, he heard that there was someone practicing intense penance on the banks of the Ganges in Dakshineswar. He thought he should go and meet him. That was the beginning. He traveled from Gangasagar to Dakshineswar. He was a "Naga Sadhu" (an unclothed monk).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He came to Dakshineswar and saw Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He observed him closely and then they spoke. Now, when two great spiritual practitioners meet, their conversations are often beyond ordinary understanding. Though history records him simply as "Totapuri," he was a practitioner of the highest order, just as Ramakrishna was. However, their paths were different. Totapuri believed in Vedanta—the idea that God is one and there is no second (Advaita). Ramakrishna, on the other hand, believed in Dualism—he believed that for those who live on the banks of the Ganges, 330 million gods and goddesses reside with them. He believed that if a monk practices on the banks of the Ganges, all those deities are present.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Totapuri had long discussions with Ramakrishna. No one knows exactly what they discussed, but it was deeply spiritual. Totapuri tried to explain to Ramakrishna, "Look, all this worship of Kali you are doing is not the ultimate thing." Since Totapuri practiced the formless (Nirakara) Brahman, he didn't initially appreciate Ramakrishna's devotion to a form. He tried many times to explain the Vedas and Vedanta to him—that God is one and indivisible. But Ramakrishna was a child of the Mother; he couldn't think of anything without Kali. Ramakrishna would say, "Look, forget your Vedanta. My Mother is here, and so are many other deities."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This clash of perspectives continued for a long time. It was difficult for one to convince the other because Ramakrishna wouldn't listen to anything that excluded his Mother. If anyone suggested the Mother wasn't everything, he would get upset. Totapuri was equally firm in his formless meditation. However, the rule of spiritual progression is to move from "form" (Sakara) to "formless" (Nirakara). Eventually, a miraculous thing happened. Ramakrishna listened to the Advaita philosophy from Totapuri and realized, "Yes, this is also a great truth. I shouldn't just stay with the Mother; I must understand Vedanta." So, he began practicing Vedanta.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
During his Vedantic practice, he found great joy. He realized that it wasn't just about Kali; the addition of Vedanta made his realization complete. He practiced this for two years. What he realized during that time is between him and the Divine; we can't fully know or describe it. Following this, he had several miraculous visions. He said that while he was at the Panchavati, he saw Jesus Christ as a child in Mother Mary's arms, radiating light. He spoke of this openly. He also spoke of Hazrat Muhammad—seeing him as a tall, bearded, powerful figure with light radiating from his body. He said, "I have seen him; this is no one else but the Muhammad mentioned in the Quran."
Disciple:
So, are you saying that Ramakrishna had these visions of Christ and Muhammad only after his Vedantic practice?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, after he realized through Vedanta the "harmony of all religions." He realized that Jesus, Muhammad, and God are one and the same. Once he had this realization, he even stopped going to the Kali temple as frequently. I'm telling you this based on my own realization, regardless of what others might say. After spending two years in Vedanta, he even wanted to see if he could practice Islam. He performed the Namaj (Islamic prayer) to see if his faith would be affected. He found that his essence remained the same.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In this way, he harmonized all religions. Not only that, he had a close relationship with other great saints like Bama Khepa, Trailanga Swami of Benares, and others. Saints recognize each other through a kind of spiritual telepathy. They all respected one another. Ramakrishna respected Totapuri, Bama Khepa, and Trailanga Swami, and they respected him in return.
Disciple:
And he also practiced the paths of Jesus and Muhammad?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. When he moved beyond the exclusive worship of Kali through Totapuri's influence and spent those two years in Vedanta, he realized that the Quran, the Bible, and the Hindu scriptures all point to the same truth. He realized that there's no point in all this conflict. However, his core connection with Totapuri remained significant. One day, while talking to Totapuri, things got heated. Totapuri, in frustration, said, "It's better to die than to argue with you! I will go drown myself in the Ganges." Ramakrishna told him, "Go ahead." But no matter how far Totapuri walked into the Ganges, the water never rose above his knees. He couldn't drown. This was Ramakrishna's Lila (divine play). In that moment, Totapuri bowed his head to Ramakrishna. Later, Ramakrishna was officially initiated into Vedanta by Totapuri.
Disciple:
In which year did this initiation happen, Gurudev?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It was around 1864. In 1864, he took Vedantic lessons from Totapuri and accepted him as his Vedantic Guru. After that, there isn't much record of where Totapuri went. But he had opened Ramakrishna's eyes to the harmony of all faiths. That is what usually happens—someone comes to "hit" your consciousness to open your eyes. Ramakrishna was "mad" for the Mother and didn't look beyond that initially. Totapuri came and showed him the broader perspective. He realized that the Veda, Vedanta, Quran, and Bible all say the same thing. The differences are only in our minds.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
From that point on, Ramakrishna became a vessel for all religions. He taught that no religion is small; all are great and should be respected. He gave recognition to every path. After this, we don't know where Totapuri went, but these two great souls had a profound impact on each other. Ramakrishna used to call him "Nangta" (the naked one) because he wore no clothes. He would say, "Hey Nangta, what do you have?" Eventually, they both accepted each other's greatness.
Disciple:
So they both acknowledged each other?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, both did. The same happened with Bama Khepa. Mokshadananda came from Benares to teach Bama Khepa Vedanta. These saints—whether they worshiped Tara or Kali—eventually had their "third eye" opened to the universal truth through Vedanta and the Gita. This is the way of great saints; if there is any gap in their realization, another great soul appears to rectify it.
Disciple:
Gurudev, through you, we learned about Totapuri, who taught Ramakrishna the harmony of all religions. Pranam to him, and pranam to you, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam to Ramakrishna. Pranam to everyone. It is because of such great souls that we can still experience peace and live in this world today. Respect everyone. Give honor to every path.
Disciple:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam.