Birth of Sri Ramakrishna

After six years. residence in Kamarpukur, Khudiram got his son and daughter married. Ramkumar, his eldest son, in the meanwhile had become quite proficient in Hindu lore, and was able to relieve, to a certain extent, his father’s family burden by earning something. So Khudiram had now more time at his disposal to devote himself to religious practices. In the year 1824 he went on foot on a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram in South India, which lasted about a year. Twelve months later, in 1826, his wife Chandra gave birth to her second son, who was named Rameshwar. About eleven years later, in 1835, Khudiram went on another pilgrimage. This time to Gaya. Here, after the performance of the sacred rites, he had a divine vision at night. He dreamt that he was in the temple of Vishnu, where his forefathers were feasting on the sacred offerings he had made. Suddenly a flood of celestial light filled the holy precincts of the shrine, and the spirits of the departed fell on their kness to pay homage to a Divine Presence seated on a throne. The effulgent One beckoned to Khudiram, who, coming near, prostrated himself before Him and heard the luminous Person saying, .I am well pleased at your sincere devotion. I shall be born in your cottage and accept you as my father.. Khudiram awoke with his heart thrilled with joy. He understood that a Divine Being would bless his house very soon. About the same time Chandra Devi was also having strange visions at Kamarpukur. One night she dreamt that a luminous person exactly like her husband was lying by her side. Another day, while standing with Dhani (a village blacksmith woman and neighbour) before the Shiva temple adjacent to her house, Chandra saw a bright beam of divine effulgence dart from the image of Lord Shiva and enter her. Chandra was overpowered, and fell unconscious on the ground. Dhani nursed her back to consciousness, but from that time Chandra began to feel as if she were quick with child. On Khudiram.s return to Kamarpukur, Chandra narrated this event to her husband with her characteristic candour and simplicity. But Khudiram, who had already had the strange vision at Gaya, was now completely convinced that they were soon to be blessed with a divine child. He advised her not to speak of her visions to any one. Chandra was greatly consoled, and passed her days in complete surrender to the will of Raghuvir.

The blessed hour for which Khudiram and Chandradevi were anxiously waiting at last drew near. In the early hours of the morning, before sunrise, of February 18, 1836, Chandradevi gave birth to a boy whom the world was to know afterwards by the name of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Dhani, Sri Chandradevi’s neighbour who was with Sri Chandradevi for the whole night, as she was expecting a delivery any moment, helped in the delivery of the child. She saw the new born child in the dim lamp light and was surprised to see that the new born baby was very beautiful and as big as a 6 month old! She could not take her eyes off the baby. Just born baby was washed and kept down by Dhani. Later, after few moments she turned her face towards the baby, but she could not see the baby. The child was not in the place where she had left him.. Fear crawled from her spine. She desperately looked here and there. She was shocked to see that the new born baby has just rolled himself in the vessel filled with ash. The baby was happily playing in the ash and he was entirely covered with the ash. She ran towards her with mixed emotions and just picked him, cleaned him and returned him to his mother.

The Child was born in very auspicious time ‘tithi’ (Purva Bhadrapad Nakshatra). It was Siddhi Yog. Astrology says that such a person (born in this star sign) will be highly spiritual and he will be always respected and engaged in the divine karma. He will be encircled by many disciples and that person will stay in God’s Temple and he will initiate a new sect and that he will become very famous in the whole world as the part (ansh) of Lord Narayana. Khudiram was overjoyed that the prospective greatness of his son confirmed his previous vision and the experience of Chandra, which they had earlier before conception. According to the Star Sign, he named the child as ‘Shambhuchandra’. But in memory of the divine vision he had in holy Gaya, he named the child as ‘Gadadhar’.

Source: 

1. Sri Ramakrishnadev / Sri Ramakrishna Jivan Charitra by M (Vol. 1 of Complete works by Swami Vivekananda)
2. Life of Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Tejasananda