Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa- A vision of Jesus Christ

In 1874, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came in intimate contact with Śambhu Nātha Mallika of Calcutta, who had a garden close to the Dakṣiṇeśvara Kālī temple. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to spend a good deal of time in this garden-house of Śambhu Mallika, who developed sincere love and esteem for Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Though not a Christian, he used to read the Bible to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, who thus came to know about Christ and Christianity. He felt a strong desire to realize the Divine Mother by this new method, and it was fulfilled in a strange way.

One day, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was sitting in the parlour of a neighbouring house belonging to Jadulāl Mallika, a devotee of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. On the walls were many beautiful portraits, one of them being of Christ. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was looking attentively at the picture of the Madonna with the Divine Child and reflecting on the wonderful life of Christ, when he felt as though the picture had become animated, and that rays of light were emanating from the figures of Mary and Christ and entering into him, altogether changing his mental outlook. With that, his mind became filled with thoughts of Christ. For three days, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was in that condition. Even though he had returned to Dakṣiṇeśvara, he did not visit the Kālī temple for those three days. On the fourth day, when he was walking near the Pañcavaṭī, he found a wonderful person of serene countenance coming towards him. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa wondered who he could be, when he heard an inner voice, “This is Christ who poured out his heart’s blood to save mankind.” Then the glorious figure embraced him. At this, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa went into samādhi and lost all outward consciousness. Thus, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was convinced that Jesus Christ was an incarnation of the Lord.