In the entire corpus of Ramakr sn a research, carried out mostly by his disciples, devotes, and admirers, only a handful have attempted to analyze his divine reputation. Yet none has examined the Ramakr sn a phenomenon fully.
This is the first comprehensive psychoanalysis of Ramakr sn a's sexuality in general and his androgyny in particular, as well as a critical examination of his sermons samadhis. Instead of the popular paramahamsa there now emerges the less attractive but more authentic profile of an utterly selfish, capricious but highly intelligent spiritual master who elicited awed submission from everybody by his unpredictable and frenzied behaviour.
The author asserts that Ramakr sn a's spiritual odyssey is better explained as his desperate but successful effort to deal with his emotional and sexual crisis, rather than as the universally acknowledged outcome of a divine teleology. Attempting to distinguish the historical Ramakr sn a from the godhead of hagiography, this study offers a challenging debate on mystic phenomenon.