What was the incident of Sri Raamakrishna having the vision of god at maNikarNikA ghat?

Question

Sri Ramakrishna had some remarkable experiences at the banks of Ganges river. What were his experience related to maNikarNikA ghat ?

Answer 1

Sri Ramakrishna saw Shiva Parvati liberating the dead at Manikarnika Ghat of Kashi. He saw Lord Shiva covered with ashes imparting Taraka Mantra into right ears of the dead and Mata Parvati removing bonds of Samsara. He literally saw Kashi as described in Puranas with his Yogic eye.

From Pilgrimage, Introduction, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:

The party entered holy Benares by boat along the Ganges. When Sri Ramakrishna's eyes fell on this city of Siva, where had accumulated for ages the devotion and piety of countless worshippers, he saw it to be made of gold, as the scriptures declare. He was visibly moved. During his stay in the city he treated every particle of its earth with utmost respect. At the Manikarnika Ghat, the great cremation ground of the city, he actually saw Siva, with ash-covered body and tawny matted hair, serenely approaching each funeral pyre and breathing into the ears of the corpses the mantra of liberation; and then the Divine Mother removing from the dead their bonds. Thus he realized the significance of the scriptural statement that anyone dying in Benares attains salvation through the grace of Siva. He paid a visit to Trailanga Swami, the celebrated monk, whom he later declared to be a real paramahamsa, a veritable image of Siva.

Same is answered in this answer as well.

Answer 2

Here is a bit detailed description of Sri Ramakrishna's vision at Manikarnika ghat, Kashi by Swami Chetanananda in his book, 'How to Live with God' - pg.259 :

One day Mathur took the Master on a boat trip. The main cremation ground of Varanasi is near Manikarnika ghat. When Mathur's boat approached the Manikarnika ghat, the air of the cremation ground was full of smoke because many bodies were being cremated on the funeral pyres. The Master's face expressed ecstatic joy at the sight, and the hairs of his body stiffened. He emerged from the covered part of the boat and walked over to the bow, where he went into samadhi. Mathur's guide and the boatmen all rant to catch him, lest he fall into the water. But the did not need to do anything. The Master remained standing, calm and motionless, with a wonderful smile on his face. The whole place appeared to be serene and holy. Mathur and Hriday stood protectively nearby but did not touch the Master. In astonishment, the boatmen gazed at this extraordinary figure.

When the Master's ecstasy came to an end sometime later, everyone disembarked at the Manikarnika ghat, had their bath, performed rituals, and then returned to the boat to continue their journey. The Master then described his vision to Mathur and the others: "I saw a tall white figure with tawny matted hair steadily approach each funeral pyre in turn, carefully raise each individual soul from its cast-off body, and whisper into its ear the particular name of Brahman that liberates a soul. Seated on the opposite side of the pyre, the all powerful Divine Mother Kali untied the gross, subtle and casual knots of bondage created by each individual soul, thus sending the soul to the Absolute by opening the gate of liberation. Lord Vishwanath was blessing those souls by bestowing in an instant the experience of nondual, infinite bliss that people can attain only after ages of concentration and austerity."