Om sthâpakâya cha dharmasya sarva dharma svarupine;
avatâra varishthâya râmakrishnâya te namah.
It was on 6th February 1898 on the occasion of the consecration ceremony of a newly built shrine at the house of Sri Navagopal Ghosh that Swami Vivekananda spontaneously composed this verse. Since this verse is treated as mantra, Om has been added at the beginning. Swami Vivekananda revealed to us the greatness of Sri Ramakrishna in this mantra.
In this mantra Swamiji praises Sri Ramakrishna as Dharma-sthâpaka — meaning that Sri Ramakrishna laid the foundation of Dharma. Dharma is that which holds a human being together in a manner that while living in this world nothing can disintegrate his personality or nothing can reduce his level of awareness. The meaning of the real concept of the word Dharma had slowly worn out and was subject to misinterpretation. So the word dharmasya sthâpaka means: 'You (Sri Ramakrishna) have rehabilitated the lost value of dharma.' Sri Ramakrishna did not start a new sect or a new religious concept but restored the lost values of the essence of true religion.
How did he do this? Sarva dharma svarupine — to the personification of all dharmas. He did this by transmuting his own personality. By accepting the disciplines of different religions, he became the establisher, living that religion in his life. Not only that, he became the svarupinah — he identified the essence of every religion by accepting and experimenting the disciplines of every major religion in totality. Thus he came to know firsthand the truth that 'all paths lead to the same goal.'
Swamiji specifically used the term avatara varishtha. The term varishtha qualifies the word avatara, meaning the 'foremost' or the 'best'. The term avatara varishtha is used not to denigrate the previous avataras but to expand the role of an avatara. Sri Ramakrishna showed us how to live in the world and remain at the height of spiritual awareness. One day in an ecstatic mood Sri Ramakrishna said: "Jiva is Shiva (human beings are Divine). Who can show mercy? Not mercy, but service — by looking upon human beings as God." In other words, service to humanity is the way of spiritual life. This concept does not make one exclusive. This is the significance of Sri Ramakrishna's life in the present day.
