Sri Ramakrishna brought with him sixteen eternal companions to exemplify the different paths by which the Ultimate can be realized. The diligent steady of their lives will illumine our own progress in the spiritual field.
If a piece of burning charcoal be placed on a man's head, see how he struggles to throw it off. Similar will be the struggle for freedom of those who really understand that they are slaves of nature.
-Swami Vivekananda