Advantage of a householder's life

Sri Ramakrishna now addressed Mahimacharan, who was a householder.

MASTER: “What need is there of renouncing the world altogether? It is enough if you can rid yourself of attachment. But you must have sādhanā you have to fight the sense- organs.

“It is a great advantage to fight from inside a fort. You get much help from the fort. The world is the place for enjoyment. After enjoying different things, you should give them up one by one. Once I had a desire to put a gold chain around my waist. I obtained one at last and put it on, but I had to take it off immediately.

“Once I ate some onion. While eating it I discriminated, ‘O mind, this is onion.’ Then I moved it to different places in my mouth and at last spat it out.”

A musician was expected. He was to sing with his party. Sri Ramakrishna asked the devotees every now and then, “Where is the musician?”

MAHIMA: “We are quite all right as we are.”

MASTER: “No, sir. You get this all through the year.”

A devotee outside the room said, “The musician has come.”

Sri Ramakrishna was filled with joy and said, “Ah! Has he?”

Mats were spread on the floor of the long verandah northeast of the Master’s room. Sri Ramakrishna said: “Sprinkle a little Ganges water on the mats. Many worldly people have sat on them.”

The ladies of Pyari Babu’s family, from Bali, had come to visit the temples. They wanted to listen to the kirtan. A devotee said to Sri Ramakrishna: “These ladies have been inquiring whether there would be any place in the room for them. Can they have seats?”

The kirtan had already begun. The Master said, “No, no! Where is any room here?” Master and Narayan

Narayan arrived and saluted Sri Ramakrishna. The latter said tenderly: “Why have you come? Your people at home have beaten you so much!” He signed to Baburam to give Narayan something to eat. Narayan entered the Master’s room. Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna followed him. He wanted to feed Narayan with his own hands. Afterwards he returned to the verandah.

Many devotees were present, including Vijay, Mahimacharan, Narayan, M., and the younger Gopal. Soon Narayan came back to the verandah and took his seat by the Master.

About 3pm, Adhar arrived.

At the sight of him Sri Ramakrishna appeared excited.

The devotee saluted the Master and sat on the floor. Sri Ramakrishna beckoned to him to come nearer.

When the music was over the gathering of devotees broke up. Some began to stroll in the garden and some went to the temples to watch the evening service.

In the evening arrangements were made for kirtan inside the Master’s room. Sri Ramakrishna eagerly asked a devotee to have an extra lamp. The two lamps lit the room brightly.

Sri Ramakrishna said to Vijay: “Why are you sitting there? Come nearer to me.” This time the kirtan created an intense atmosphere. The Master danced in an ecstasy of joy; the devotees also danced encircling him. While Vijay was dancing his cloth dropped. He was unconscious.

When the music was over, Vijay began to look for his key, which had fallen somewhere. The Master said to him with a laugh, “Why bother about it any more?” He meant that Vijay should have nothing more to do with boxes and keys.

Kishori saluted Sri Ramakrishna and was about to take his leave. The Master blessed him, touching his chest tenderly, and bade him good-bye. His words were full of love. M. and Gopal saluted the Master. They too were about to take their leave. He said to them with the same affection: “Couldn’t you go tomorrow morning? You may catch cold at night.”

M. and Gopal decided to spend the night with Sri Ramakrishna. They sat on the floor with a few other devotees.

Sri Ramakrishna had had no rest the whole day: the devotees had been with him all the time. He went out for a few minutes. Returning to the room he saw M. taking down a song from Ramlal.

MASTER: “What are you doing?”

M. said that he was writing down a song. On being told what the song was, the Master remarked that it was a rather long song. M. wrote a line or two and then stopped writing.

A little later Sri Ramakrishna took his supper of farina pudding and one or two luchis. A lighted lamp stood on a stand by his side. M. sat near him. The Master asked if there were any sweets in the room. M. had brought some sandesh which he had put on the shelf. Sri Ramakrishna asked M. to give him a sweet. M. searched for the sweets but could not find them. He was embarrassed. They had been given to the devotees.

After finishing his supper, Sri Ramakrishna sat on the small couch and M. seated himself on the foot-rug. The Master, talking about Narayan, was overcome with emotion.

MASTER: “I saw Naran today.”

M: “Yes, sir. His eyes were moist. When I looked at his face I felt like weeping.”

MASTER: ‘The sight of him arouses a mother’s love in me, as it were. His relatives beat him at home because he comes here. There is none to defend him.“M : ‘The other day he left his books at Haripada’s house and fled to you.

MASTER: “It was not good for him to do that.”

Sri Ramakrishna was silent. After a few minutes he continued.

MASTER: “You see, he has much substance in him. Otherwise, how could I be attracted to him even though I was listening to the kirtan at the time? I had to leave the music and go into the room. That never happened before.”

Again Sri Ramakrishna fell silent. A few minutes later he began to talk.

MASTER: “In an ecstatic state I asked him how he was feeling. He just said he was happy. (To M.) Feed him now and then-as parents do their child.”

Sri Ramakrishna then spoke about Tejchandra.

MASTER (to M.): “Please ask him what he thinks of me. Does he thinkof me as a Jnāni?

Or what does he say about me? I understand that he is very reticent. (To Gopal) Ask Tejchandra to come here Saturdays and Tuesdays. (To M.) Suppose I go to your school and look for-”

M. thought that Sri Ramakrishna wanted to go to his school to see Narayan. He said to the Master, “You might as well wait at our house.”

MASTER: “No, I have something else in mind. I should like to see whetherthere are other worth-while boys in the school.”

M: “Of course you can go. Other visitors come to the school. You cancome too.”

Sri Ramakrishna was smoking. M. and Gopal finished their supper. They decided to sleep in the nahabat. M. again sat on the floor near Sri Ramakrishna.

MASTER (to M.): ‘There may be some pots and pans in the nahabat.Why not sleep here in this room?”

M: “Very well, sir.”