Ramakrishna and the Host

Sri Ramakrishna bowed down to the host and said, with folded hands:

“‘That Rāma dwells in all beings; He exists everywhere in the universe. “I am your servant. It is Rāma Himself who has become all men, animals, and other living beings.”

HOST: “But sir, we do not know that.”

MASTER: “Whether you know it or not, you are Rāma.”

HOST: “You are free from love and hatred.”

MASTER: “How so? I engaged a carriage to bring me to Calcutta and advanced the coachman three ānnās . But he didn’t turn up. I became very angry with him. He is a very wicked man. He made me suffer a lot.”

Sri Ramakrishna was resting. The Mārwāri devotees had been singing bhajan on the roof. They were celebrating the Krishna festival. Arrangements had been made for worship and food offering. At the host’s request the Master went to see the image. He bowed down before the Deity.

Sri Ramakrishna was profoundly moved as he stood before the image. With folded hands he said: “O Govinda, Thou art my soul! Thou art my life! Victory to Govinda! Hallowed be the name of Govinda! Thou art the Embodiment of Satchidananda! Oh, Krishna! Ah,

Krishna! Krishna is knowledge. Krishna is mind. Krishna is life. Krishna is soul. Krishna is body. Krishna is caste. Krishna is family. O Govinda, my life and soul!” Uttering these words,” Sri Ramakrishna went into samādhi. He remained standing. Ram Chatterji supported him.

After a long time the Master regained consciousness of the world. The Mārwāri devotees were about to take out the image. The offering of food was to take place outside the room. The Master joined the procession of devotees. The food was offered with Ārati and music. Sri Ramakrishna fanned the image.

Then began the ceremony of feeding the brahmins. They were seated on the roof. The Master and his devotees also partook of the prasad.

Sri Ramakrishna took leave of the host. It was evening and the street was jammed as before with people and vehicles. He said: “Let us get out of the carriage. It can go by a back street.”

Proceeding on foot, he found that a betel-leaf seller had opened his stall in front of a small room that looked like a hole. One could not possibly enter it without bending one’s head. The Master said: “How painful it is to be shut in such a small space!

That is the way of worldly people. And they are happy in such a life.”

The carriage came up after making the detour. The Master entered it with Baburam, M., and Ram Chatterji. The younger Gopal sat on the roof of the carriage.

A beggar woman with a baby on her arm stood in front of the carriage waiting for alms.

The Master said to M., “Have you any money?” Gopal gave her something.

The carriage rolled along Burra bazar. Everywhere there were signs of great festivity.

The night was dark but illuminated with myriads of lights. The carriage came to the Chitpur road, which was also brightly lighted. The people moved in lines like ants.

The crowd looked at the gaily decorated stores and stalls on both sides of the road. There were sweetmeat store and perfume stalls. Pictures, beautiful and gaudy, hung from the walls.

Well-dressed shopkeepers sprayed the visitors with rose-water. The carriage stopped in front of a perfume stall. The Master looked at the pictures and lights and felt happy like a child. People were talking loudly. He cried out; “Go forward! Move on!” He laughed.

He said to Baburam with a loud laugh: “Move on! What are you doing?” The devotees laughed too. They understood that the Master wanted them to move forward to God and not to be satisfied with their present state.

The carriage drove on. The Master noticed that M. had brought some cloths for him. M. had with him two pieces of unbleached and two pieces of washed cloth. But the Master had asked him only for the unbleached ones. He said to M.: “Give me the unbleached ones. You may keep the others. All right. You may give me one of them.”

M: “Then shall I take back one piece?”

MASTER: “Then take both.”

M: “As you please, sir.”

MASTER: “You can give me those when I need them. You see, yesterday Beni Pāl wanted me to carry away some food for Ramlal. I told him I couldn’t. It is impossible for me to lay up for the future.”

M: ‘That’s all right, sir. I shall take back the two pieces of washed cloth."

MASTER (tenderly): “Don’t you see, if any desire arises in my mind, it is for the good of you all? You are my own. I shall tell you if I need anything.”

M. (humbly): “Yes, sir.”

Referring to a devotee, Sri Ramakrishna said: “I said to him yesterday, ‘Tomorrow I shall go to Burra bazar; please meet me there.’ Do you know what he said? He said: The tram fare will be one ānnā . Where shall I get it?’ He had been to Beni Pāl’s garden yesterday and had officiated there as priest. No one had asked him to do it. He had put on the show himself. He wanted people to know that he was a member of the Brahmo Samaj.

(To M.) Can you tell me what he meant when he said that the tram would cost him one ānnā ?”

The conversation turned to the Annakuta festival of the Mārwāris.

MASTER (to the devotees): “What you have seen here one sees at Vrindāvan too. Rakhal has been seeing the same thing there. But the mound of food at Vrindāvan is higher, and more people gather there. There you also see the Govardhan hill. That’s the only difference.

“Did you notice the Mārwāris’ devotion? That is the real Hindu ideal. That is the Sanatana Dharma. Did you notice their joy when they carried the image in procession? They were happy to think that they bore the throne of God on their shoulders.

“The Hindu religion alone is the Sanatana Dharma. The various creeds you hear of nowadays have come into existence through the will of God and will disappear again through His will. They will not last forever. Therefore I say, ‘I bow down at the feet of even the modern devotees.’ The Hindu religion has always existed and will always exist.”

M. was going home. He saluted the Master and got out of the carriage near Sobha bazar.

Sri Ramakrishna proceeded to Dakshineswar in a happy mood.