Master Singing

Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees rested awhile. Narendra said to the Master in a low voice, “Will you kindly sing that one?”

Ramakrishna

“My voice has become a little hoarse.”

After a few minutes he asked Narendra, “Which one?”

Narendra

“Gaur, whose beauty delights the world.”

Sri Ramakrishna sang, describing the beauty of Sri Chaitanya:

Who has brought Gaur to Nadia? Gaur, whose beauty delights the world? His face, covered with ringlets of hair, Shines like lightning against a dark cloud. . . .

Again he sang, this time about the grief of a Gopi at her separation from Sri Krishna:

I have not found my Krishna, O friend! How cheerless my home without Him! Ah, if Krishna could only be the hair upon my head, Carefully I should braid it then, and deck it with bakul-flowers; Carefully I should fashion the braids out of my Krishna-hair. Krishna is black, and black is my hair; black would be one with black. Ah, if Krishna could only be the ring I wear in my nose, Always from my nose He would hang, and my two lips could touch Him. But it can never be, alas! Why should I idly dream? Why should Krishna care at all to be the ring in my nose? Ah, if Krishna could only be the bracelets on my arms, Always He would cling to my wrists, and proudly I should walk, Shaking my bracelets to make them sound, shaking my arms to show them; Down the king’s highway I should walk, wearing my Krishna bracelets.

The music was over. The Master began to talk with the devotees.

Ramakrishna

(smiling): “Hazra danced.”

Narendra

“Yes, a little.”

Ramakrishna

“A little?”

Narendra

“Yes. His belly danced too.” (All laugh.)

Pundit Shashadhar’s host had been thinking of inviting the Master for dinner.

Ramakrishna

“I have heard that his host is not an honest man. He is immoral.”

Narendra

“That is why you didn’t drink the water he touched. It happened the first day you met Shashadhar at his house. How did you come to know he was immoral?”

Ramakrishna

(smiling): “Hazra knows of another instance. It happened at Sihore in Hriday’s house.”

Hazra

“The man was a Vaishnava. He came with me to see you [meaning Sri Ramakrishna]. As soon as he sat in front of you, you turned your back on him.”

Ramakrishna

“We learnt later that he led an immoral life. (To Narendra) You used to say, at first, that these were all hallucinations.”

Narendra

“How was I to know? Now I see that you are always right.”

Adhar had prepared a feast for the Master and the devotees, and now he invited them to the meal. The Master said to the Mukherji brothers: “What? Won’t you eat?” They said humbly, “Please excuse us.”

Ramakrishna

“But why? You are doing everything else. Why this hesitation only about eating the meal?”

Adhar was a low-caste Hindu. Therefore some of the Master’s brahmin devotees hesitated to eat at his house. They came to their senses at last when they saw Sri Ramakrishna himself eating.

It was about 9AM. The Master was resting in the drawing-room with the devotees. He would soon leave for Dakshineswar.

The Mukherji brothers had arranged with a singer of Kirtan to entertain the Master the following day. Ram was taking singing lessons from this musician. Sri Ramakrishna asked Narendra to come to Dakshineswar to hear the Kirtan.

Ramakrishna

(to Narendra): “Come tomorrow, won’t you?”

Narendra

“I shall try, sir.”

Ramakrishna

“You can bathe there and also take your meal. (Pointing to M.) He may dine there too. (To M.) Are you quite well now? I hope you are not on a diet.”

M

“No, sir. I shall come.”