Turning point of Narendranath's life

This incident acted as a turning point in the life of Narendranath. The hidden meaning of the Motherhood of God and of Her worship in symbols and images had not been comprehended by him so long. Before this he had looked upon the images of the dieties installed in the temples  with contempt, never with love and respect. The whole mystery of such worship now became clear to his mind and made his spititual life fuller and richer. Ramakrishna felt an unspeakable joy on account of that.

Once in the year 1883 Sri Vaikunthanath Sanyal, a common friend, came to Dakshineswar and saw Ramakrishna extremely anxious, because Narendranath had not come for a long time. Sanyal said, " Ramakrishna's mind was filled to the brim by Narendra, as it were; he spoke of nothing else but Narendra's good qualities.He used to say;  " there is no limit to his good qualities.' He became much worried and was shedding incessant tears like a mother separated from her child. Sanyal became puzzled to see his behavior. After wipping for some time he said; " Ah! I cannot do without seeing him." saying this he sobbed out with a choked voice.
Narendranath was great friend,  Tarapada Ghosh  with whom  Vaikunthanath Sannyal was also acquainted . Tarapada told him in the course of conversation that Paramangsa Deva loved Narendra very much. One day at about noon, Vaikuntha came to Dadakshineswar and saw Ramakrishna sitting alone in his room and Narendra sleeping on one side, outside the room.Ramakrishna's face was beaming with delight. No sooner had he approached and bow down to him than he pointed out to Narendra and said , " look here; that boy is very good. His name is Narendra. He never accepted the divine Mother before; it was only last night that he did so. He was in straitened circumstances. I therefore advised him to ask Mother for money.He, however, could not ask her for it. he said he felt ashamed to do so. Coming back from the temple, he asked me to teach him a song addressed to MotherkI taught the song;
" Thou art the saviour, O Mother!......."
He sang that song the whole night.Now, he is sleeping.
         

Narendranath after the death of his father (contd-1)

A firm faith arose in the mind of Narendranath that all the sufferings would come to an end as soon as he would pray to the Mother. He waited for the night. But when he was going to the temple a sort of inebriation possessed him and he was reeling. Having entered the temple, he saw  the mother actually in the state of Pure Consciousness, actually living, and really the fountain-head of infinite love and beauty. His heart swelled with loving devotion and he forgot for what he had come to the temple.He paid a salute to Her and prayed;

" Mother, grant me discrimination , grant me detachment, grant me divine knowledge and devotion.; ordain me that I may always have an unobstructed vision of thee."
His heart became flooded with peace and devotion and the Mother only occupied his heart.

Ramakrishna again enquired whether he had gone to the Mother or not.    
In the beginning of his discipleship Narendranath denounced imgae-worship. But, after his father's sudden death,  when he had to witness heart-rending sight of extreme poverty at home, he was forced to approach Ramakrishna and to request him to plead with Mother Kali (Bhavatarini) on his behalf. Ramakrishna , however, sent Narendra to pray personally, and and he later expressed his experience thus;
" Reaching the temple, as I cast cast my eyes upon the image, I actually found a serene of peace reigned in my soul and the world was forgotten."
This time also Narendranath could not ask for worldly benefits and he prayed for, divine knowledge and devotion.
After failing for three times,  he thought this might be due to play done by Ramakrishna, he insisted him " this won't do sir. You must utter the prayer for my sake," when Ramakrishna assured him that they would face any difficulty to get plain food and clothing.    

Narendranath after the death of his father

Being unable to find a job, Narendranath was about to be frustrated when he found a solution to get rid of the problems. He became absolutely indifferent to the praise or blame of the world. He thought in himself that he was not born to earn money and lead a family life and determined to take the path his grand father had taken. But when the date for his itinerary became fixed, he came to know that Ramakrishna would come to a devotee's house at Calcutta that day. He thought this to be a good opportunity to see him before he was renouncing home for ever. As soon as he met him  he was asked  by Ramakrishna in a compelling manner to come to Dakshineswar with him just now . Narendranath had to drive with him in his carriage. there was not much talk on the way. After reaching Dakshineswar, he sat with others in the room of Ramakrishna when Ramakrishna entered into ecstasy and within a few moment he came to Narandra , took his hand and began singing in tears. After some time Ramakrishna asked all others to leave the-place as he had some talk with Narendranath. Sending all others, he called him at night and said ; " Know that you have come to the world for the Mothir's work; you can never live a woldly life. But remain in your family for my sake as long as I live."
He took leave of Ramakrishna and decided to stay at home. He earned some money previously by working in the office of an attorney and by translating a few books. But those jobs were temporary. He tried to pull on with that small income.
He thought that he would ask Ramakrishna to pray to the Mother for him. He hurried to Dakshineswar and asked Ramakrishna persistently that he must pray to the mother that the pecuniary difficulty of my mother and brothers might be removed. Ramakrishna said to him affectionately ; " My child, I cannot say such words, you know. Why don't you youself pray ? You don't accept the mother ; that is why you suffer so much." Narendranath replied that he had no idea about Mother; Please pray to the Mother Yourself for himself. Ramakrishna again said affectionately; " I prayed to the Mother many times indeed to remove you sufferings. But as you donot accept the Mother, She doesnot grant the prayer. Well, today is tuesday, a day specially sacred to the Mother. The Mother will, I sway, grant you whatever you ask for. Go to the temple tonight, and bowing down to Her, pray for a boonMy affectionate Motheris the power of Brahman, She is pure Consciousness embodied. She has given birth to the Universe by Her will. What is it that she cannot do, if she wills ?"       

Narendranath's Father died - 1884

Narendra's life got a violent stroke early in the year 1884, sometimes before the result of B.A. examination was out. His father Viswanath suddenly died at 10 PM of heart failure when Narendra was engaged in singing devotional songs till about eleven at night. His father was suffering from a nervous breakdown due to over work. Narendra was attending invitation of one of his friend at Baranagar.Narendra had gone there  in the afternoon took meat at night and was engaged in conversation with his friend till late in the night. At about 2 AM his friend Hemali arrived with the startling news of his father's sudden demise. Narendra started immediately for Calcutta to his residence.

Narendra returned home and performed obsequies of his father. On making inquiries afterwards, he came to know that the worldly circumstances of the family were extremely deplorable. Instead of leaving some property behind, his father had left only a debt, having spent more than what he had earned.  Their relatives had increased their worldly properties with the help of Narendra's father, but instad of being grateful to the family, they found them in its present  helpless condition, a splendid opportunity for self- aggrandisement. They turned inimical and even plotted to eject the family from their home.It might well be said that there was in fact no income for the family and yet five or six persons had somehow to be maintained. Brought up in a grand style of living till now, Narendra now found himself helpless. He did not know  what he should do to maintain his family.He went about from place to place in search of a job, only to meet with frustration. .Days after days, months after months passed but Narendra did not get any service.

The rainy season followed the summer but Narendra continued his search for a job. One day renched in rain and with no food for the whole day he was returning home at night with his legs being tired and his mind more weary for the night. The exhaustion was so great that he being unable to proceed a single step further laid himself like log of wood on the open verandah of a nearby house. He was about to be fainted while thinking about the mystery of god. He thought to see Ramakrishna for the solution.
       

Ramakrishna and Narendranath (contd-3)

In a very critical moment of our national life Gadadhar (Ramakrishna ) was born in 1836. If one takes a seed of a banyan tree on his palm, one can hardly imagine that a huge tree may grow in due course from this seed if it is planted on the ground. In this connection Vivekananda said ;
" A big tree does not grow over night if its seed is planted in the ground. It remains as it is for some time on the bed of the ground. With the help of heat, water and air its cover bursts and the sapling gradually begins to grow and ultimately, in due course, it takes the shpe of a huge tree." The 'seed' of Ramakrishna was planted (1836) as Gadadhar in a remote village of Kamarpukur which, in due course, took the shape as the savior of the mankind and threw new light on the meaning of the supreme power.
At that time our National life was deeply immersed in crisis. Our Independence was under the feet of a big foreign power like British. Not only independence our day to day life, our 'culture'  for the first time was going to be shattered by a new 'system', not for our benefit but for exploiting all our wealth. They wanted even to change our faith of religion and asked us to throw all our valuable scriptures which were created by our ancestors for thousands and thousands years ago, far more earlier than theirs. the western wind had devastated the life of Bengalis to be dipped into a drug-addicted one. Our religion is the only eternal one in the whole world which could not have been damaged till date.A Hindu Brahmman came forward to save us from this calamity, whose name was Rammohan Roy. He read Bedh, Bedanta, Upanishad, Bible and Koran and explained that in Hindu religion there is the idea of one God. He quoted relevant portion from Bedh and Upanishad. He wrote a book taking five chapters - Isha, Kena, Latha, Mundaka and Mandukya.  He launched a movement where many people like Devendranath Tagore etc joined.
Ramakrishna established his war-front at Dakshineswar. He was simply a worshipper with no bookish knowledge.    

Ramakrishna and Narendranath (contd-2)

Ramakrishna was a great artisan. Ramakrishna took the help of a blacksmith's wife during putting on his sacred thread to offer him alms. He wanted to put on flames of fire , some times of low temperature and sometimes of high temperature. He wanted to put on high temperature fire for mons and low temperature fires for domestic persons. He wanted to prepare Narendranath etc by high temperature fire. When he was in death bed at Cossipore Garden House he said to Narendranath the real thing. Narendranath etc was very much shocked at the pain Ramakrishna had to suffer. He was physically fatigued but his countenance was flashing with heavenly glows. Smile was visible at the end of his lips and he began to say, " I am taking all the sufferings of the world so that you will remain free from suffering. Only you are to endure what is coming before you. he lives, who endures. all the sorrows and sufferings of the world will remain as it is, I have nothing to do with it . Even God will be able to do nothing. This is illusion, illussion of promordial energy. Look illusion of  Brahmma, not Brahmma of illusion. God is nowhere in the universe, He is within you. I am not Guru, Iam like yours. I am not a scholar or a knowledgable man, I am simply illiterate. I know only my mother, I donot know anything else.
I have given my work to be done by Narendra. and I left my wife  as the mother of the world."
 

Ramakrishna and Narendranath (contd-1)

Ramakrishna was conscious about music. Lyrics of  songs which are not inspiring, Ramakrishna termed them as rubbish. He mentioned, for example, " Ma tomar jiv laklak karche, ,ma tomar galay mundamala, ma tomar payer talay shiv pare achen " etc. are not songs in his opinion.
Ramakrishna took his lunch and would be taking rest. Master Mashai, the writer of "Kathamrita", and  other disciples were sitting on the floor. Musical sound of the "Nahabat" of Dakshineswar was audible from the room. Having heard the sound of the Sanai, he became glad. He used to say, " the latent power in man gradually opens up by the sound of the Sanai. It is known to devotees that music leads one, very easily, to God. We shall not be able to know ourselves if the latent power does not open.
Many used to say, how Ramakrishna knew all such things. He had not studied books. He knew all such things by practicing  deep meditation. He had not to attend any school or college, or he had not submitted any doctoral thesis. What he said were found in Gita, Bhagbat or  Bedanta.
Ramakrishna said, " there are three stages when a man gets the knowledge of Supreme Power (Brahmmagnan). 1. One becomes inert (jarhabat), 2. one becomes devil, 3. One becomes childish.
Ramakrishna became childdish. He began to laugh like a child. He was laughing and saying; " A Bird is sitting in its nest. She is warming up the eggs she laid.Have you seen its eyes ?  It is looking vacantly. The eyes of a sage is like that."
Ramakrishna said while strolling, " I have seen a great ascetin under the banyan tree of
 Dakshineswar " and was laughing again. He was talking with the Goddess. He began to say, " what is in the Upanishad." .. 
He said from his perception which might be found in Upanishad. " One can  read many books, one can participate in many debates and may acquire mountainous knowledge. But that may not increase his perception, may not lead him to consciousness.
  

Ramakrishna and Narendranath

Ramakrishna was telling stories of his own life to Narendranath.  He was telling stories about his coming from  Kamarpukur , Burdwan .   He had to come from Kamarpukur to Dakshineswar by various means of conveyances. First he had to come by foot, and then by Bullock cart. While coming by bullock cart he asked the driver to wait for sometime and he went to see the things around him in the open field. He went to see how the living beings were passing their lives and saw some ants going from one place to another in a long que. He thought, "there is god every where, in every living being."
He asked Narendranath , " Keep your God , and keep your meditation. Go round India. See what peoples are doing there ? How they are living ? I had in my mind to become a successful man. But I couldn't. I want to do mission done by you. Do you know, what is that ? Uplift the nation. Listen Narendranath, religion is not which can be injected in empty stomach.  This body is made up of five things - earth, water, light, air, atmosphere. The body is made up with these five primary elements. Bible, too, mentioned this.You have come from this earth and you will be merged in earth."
I came to understand this by observing the life of ants. "Look, there are many flowers, like that of many human beings. In some flowers there are rows of petals. Smaller to bigger. World is also like that. Smaller world to bigger world. Like thousands petals in a lotus.Sometimes Ramakrishna absorbed in deep meditation. I must die, when I was born.There is none, who is immortal.
But one thing is there, everywhere, in every time and eternal that is the supreme body. He will never die because He was not been born. Again Ramakrishna absorbed in deep meditation.          

Devotees of Ramakrishna (contd-3)

Devotees of Ramakrishna (contd-2)

Ramakrishna stayed in the south-east room of the Garden House at Cossipore.It was situated in such a way that on the west side of the room there was the Ganges, on the north there was the garden of Rani Rasmoni under the tamarisk tree, on the east there is the main gate of the house, and on the south there is the temple, Bally- bridge and Calcutta. Ramkrishna was sitting on the veranda. Around him there were sitting Rakhal, known later as Swami Brahmmanandaji, Latu, later known as Adbhutanandaji, The master sir, Mahendra Gupta and Harish. Ramakrishna was having talks with them. They have come from  different corners of the society. They have demands, families, sorrows and sufferings, they have deaths. But they became happy at the presence of Sri Ramakrishna.
Thakur said, " blue die was mixed with water in a vat, in another there was red die, in another yellow die,  if one outs clothes in those vats, it will turn into blue, or red, or yellow. Like this, if one comes in front of Sri Ramakrishna one feels happy because he is the creator of happiness.. There is no sorrow. Then why Ramakrishna was attacked with cancer in his throat? This too he explained . There is sorrows and sufferings but one has to convert it onto his happiness.He taught us by carrying disease and cancer in his throat. this too he mentioned that he will show everything in his life as an example. When you will be attacked with illness, you think of myself. "How much sufferings I had in Cossipore garden House ? You too grasp the technique of overpowering sufferings like me."
When Ramakrishna was advised to ask Mother to get relief of his wound in his throat , he replied , I asked for knowledge, I asked for devotion - after coming to Dakshineshwar, I said taking mud in one hand and money in another, " taka mati, mati taka (mud is money and money is mud)'' and then have thrown both the mud and the money.Many have laughed at me."
At first Narendranath didnot have faith on Ramakrishna. Just to examine him, he put a coin under his bed on the cot. But when coming from outside Ramakrishna wanted to sit on the cot, he felt uneasiness. After searching it was found that a coin was under his cot. Narendra became ashamed. But Ramakrishna said, " you have done right. You should examine a person, whehter he is a sage or a hypocrite. observe him during daytime and during night.Test him. This is why he is Narendranath .        

Devotees of Ramkrishna (contd-1)

Ramakrishna said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left his domestic life. Gautam Budhdha, on seeing the infirmity, death and sickness, went for complete emancipation. Jesus Christ wanted to offer love to everybody. But he made a distinction between virtue and sin. Ramakrishna said there is no virtue nor there is sin. There is only sinless soul. If you say constantly sin, you will be entangled with sin. He made Swamiji to say, " No negative thoughts. Don't say no.Always say yes."

Ramakrishna said to Naren," Look, Naren, if you say constantly negative,  the poison of a snake also becomes negative. We are to say, " yes I posses, though there is no rupees in the safe-vault , no money in the bank, no situation vacant, no shoe in leg, still you should say, yes, I have. I posses infinite strength with which I can stand  bravely before any sorrow , what you can do to me. Because sorrow could not touch me, joy, do you want to make me dancing. But I shall not dance.Because the treachery of the world is known to me.The world is beautiful. 

Devotees of Ramkrishna

Ramkrishna was looking from the top of the roof of Garden House of Kassipore to its bottom. At the bottom of the Garden House of Kassipore there were waiting more than thirty devotees. All of them were family members, namely, Girish and his brother Atul, Ram, Nabagopal, Haramohan,Baikuntha, Kishoree, Haran, Ramlal, Akshoy, Upendranath Majumdar, Cook Brahmman Gangulee, Bhupati, Upendranath Mukhopadhyay, Harish and Narendranath. Narendranath used to do meditation every night by lighting incense-pot at one end of the Garden house.
The devotees were ready to receive cloth dyed with red ochre.and string with beads.
Ramkrishna came down along with Ramlal to hand over their dues.Girish was at the front of the que.  
Ramakrishna went into a trance. he began to say " Chaitanya hok, Chaitanya hok ( get into senses)." After few hours he went upstairs.
A truth came out by interaction with Ramakrishna.
" The 'soul' , one believes, is not born nor  will it die." It is easy to say, but it is difficult to practice. That is why Rasmakrishna said, " became death-conscious" . Why he said so? Because men are fond living in which he or she belongs. What is living ? It is nothing but revolving in a wheel of practices and by this way we gradually come nearer to our death or in other words to go into a non-existence state from a existence state. That is what "I". Ramkrishna said this is the state of 'raw I', which says that the objects earmarked in my name is mine. Nobody has any right in that. ramakrishna said nothing is yours, because when your eyes will shut down for ever, nothing will be marked as yours. All these objects are transient. then what is eternal ? Ramakrishna  said , "It is God".
it is God