Keshav Chandra Sen, one of the co-founders of Brahmo Samaj, was opposed to the worship of idols. He expressed his disapproval of the increasing popularity of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, who was widely revered as a sage with direct visions of the Mother Goddess. Keshav Chandra challenged Ramakrishna to a debate on the existence of God, with the agreement that the winner would accept the other as a disciple. During the debate, Keshav Chandra based his arguments on the content he found in Ramakrishna's small books, which contained his teachings, sayings, and anecdotes from his life. Ramakrishna, however, received these criticisms with delight and acknowledged their effectiveness. He would often praise Keshav Chandra's critical analysis and even embrace him, recognizing his genius. Keshav Chandra, on the other hand, emphasized that he had come to argue, not seeking approval. Ramakrishna responded by saying that there was no need for an argument as Keshav Chandra himself was the proof (Without God how is such intelligence possible).The profound significance of Ramakrishna's words began to deeply affect Keshav Chandra, touching his heart in a way that astonished his followers. By the end of their discussion, Ramakrishna humbly asked Keshav Chandra to determine who had emerged victorious, promising to follow that judgment. To everyone's surprise, Keshav Chandra fell at Ramakrishna's feet. People were curious about the sudden change and asked Keshav Chandra what had happened. In response, Keshav Chandra said he was unsure but acknowledged that Ramakrishna had experienced something that he had only been talking about. Keshav Chandra could articulate his thoughts skillfully, but Ramakrishna possessed an inner radiance and depth. Sitting by his side, Keshav Chandra felt a transformation occurring within him—the dissolution of his antagonism and aggressiveness. This was the first time he had experienced such a profound change in the presence of someone. While some considered Ramakrishna to be mad, Keshav Chandra expressed his desire to also embrace such "madness," recognizing the superiority of Ramakrishna's sanity compared to their conventional notions. This story of Ramakrishna shows that enlightened Gurus have a special way of looking at things, as they see divinity in everything within and beyond them.
2. In Chapter Ten of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks Bhagwan Krishna as to in what forms, aspects, and states of being should one contemplate the countless wonders of the divine being. Shri Krishna replies that there is no limit to his endless forms and expansions (Vibhutis). Still, due to compassion for Arjuna, Bhagwan Krishna listed some of his major expansions in brief which are tabulated below:
3. Bhagwan Krishna says that there is no end to his divine manifestations, and he shared the above examples with Arjuna merely as a small example of the vistas of his unlimited opulence manifested by his personal energies. He further says “O Arjuna, what is the need for sharing all this detailed knowledge with you, since with a single fragment of Myself, I support everything that exists?”(BG10.42). Further, in Chapter Seven, Bhagwan has given a few more of his Vibhutis (7.8/9/10/11 and 12) before he finally concludes “O Arjuna, there is nothing greater than Me or beyond Me. All that exists is held in place by Me, just like the jewels strung on a necklace are held together by invisible threads”(BG 7.7).
4. Thus, whenever one comes across a thing of beauty, talent, courage, intelligence, or anything exceptional, it should be remembered that all of that emanates from the diving force of Shri Hari. When one looks at a bird with a special plumage, one often wonders what was the need of so many colors when a simpler color could also have sufficed for the biological purpose of impressing the partner. Is it because the ultimate painter decided to have some fun someday?
Shri Krishna says “Whenever you see anything that is shrimad ‘a splendid, powerful, prosperous, truthful, glorious reality, full of vigor and powerful urges to greatness’, just try to understand that in every case, every being or object is merely endowed with just a tiny spark of My unlimited being and energies.”. (BG 10.41)
(Translations of Bhagavad Gita Verses sourced from - Armstrong, Jeffrey. The Bhagavad Gita Comes Alive: A Radical Translation (p. 161). VASA Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
