Superphysics
Master And Disciple
4 minutes • 814 words
Table of contents
February 1882
M.’s first visit to the Master
M. met Ramakrishna for the first time on a Sunday in spring, a few days after Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday. Sri Ramakrishna lived at the Kailibari, the temple garden of Mother Kali on the bank of the Ganges at Dakshineswar.
M. was at leisure on Sundays. He had gone with his friend Sidhu to visit several gardens at Baranagore. As they were walking in Prasanna Bannerji’s garden, Sidhu said:
There is a charming place on the bank of the Ganges where a paramahamsa lives. Should you like to go there?
M. assented and they went to the Dakshineswar temple garden. They arrived at the main gate at dusk and went straight to Sri Ramakrishna’s room. They found him seated on a wooden couch, facing the east, with a smile on his face he was talking of God.
The room was full of people, all seated on the floor, drinking in his words in deep silence.
M. stood there speechless and looked on. It was as if he were standing where all the holy places met and as if Sukadeva himself were speaking the word of God, or as if Sri Chaitanya were singing the name and glories of the Lord in Puri with Ramananda, Swarup, and the other devotees.
Formalities and essentials of religion
When, hearing the name of Hari or Rāma once, you shed tears and your hair stands on end, then you may know that you do not have to perform such devotions as the sandhya any more. Then only will you have a right to renounce rituals. Or rather, rituals will drop away of themselves. Then it will be enough if you repeat only the name of Rāma or Hari, or even simply Om.
The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, and the Gayatri merges in Om.
What a beautiful place! What a charming man! How beautiful his words are! I have no wish to move from this spot.
Let me see the place first; then I’ll come back here and sit down.
As he left the room with Sidhu, he heard the sweet music of the evening service arising in the temple from gong, bell, drum, and cymbal. He could hear music from the nahabat, too, at the south end of the garden. The sounds travelled over the Ganges.
A soft spring wind was blowing, laden with the fragrance of flowers. The moon had just appeared. It was as if nature and man together were preparing for the evening worship.
M. and Sidhu visited:
- the 12 Siva temples
- the Radhakanta temple
- the temple of Bhavatarini.
Sidhu told M. that the temple garden had been founded by Rani Rasmani. He said that God was worshipped there daily as Kali, Krishna, and Siva, and that within the gates sadhus and beggars were fed.
When they reached Sri Ramakrishna’s door, they found Brinde, the Maid, standing outside. M. had been trained in English manners and would not enter a room without permission.
Is the holy man in? How long has he lived here? Does he read many books?
Oh, he has been here a long time. He does not read books. They’re all on his tongue. Go right in, children. Go in and sit down.
They found Sri Ramakrishna alone, seated on the wooden couch. Incense had just been burnt and all the doors were shut. As he entered, M. with folded hands saluted the Master.
Then, at the Master’s bidding, he and Sidhu sat on the floor.
Where do you live? What is your occupation? Why have you come to Baranagore?
M. answered. He noticed that the Master seemed to become absent-minded. Later he learnt that this mood is called bhava, ecstasy.
It is like the state of the angler who has been sitting with his rod: the fish comes and swallows the bait, and the float begins to tremble; the angler is on the alert; he grips the rod and watches the float steadily and eagerly; he will not speak to anyone.
Such was the state of Sri Ramakrishna’s mind. Later M. heard, and himself noticed, that Sri Ramakrishna would often go into this mood after dusk, sometimes becoming totally unconscious of the outer world.
M: “Perhaps you want to perform your evening worship. In that case may we take our leave?”
SRI RAMAKRISHNA (still in ecstasy): “No-evening worship? No, it is not exactly that.”
After a little conversation M. saluted the Master and took his leave. “Come again”, Sri Ramakrishna said.
On his way home M. began to wonder: “Who is this serene-looking man who is drawing me back to him? Is it possible for a man to be great without being a scholar? How wonderful it is! I should like to see him again. He himself said, ‘Come again.’ I shall go tomorrow or the day after.”
