Kathamrita English 4 PDF

Section I
Sri Ramakrishna at the

Dakshineswar Temple with Rakhal,
Prankrishna, Kedar, and Other
Devotees
Chapter I
At Dakshineswar with Prankrishna, M., and others
Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees in his

room at the Kali Temple. He remains intoxicated day
and night with ecstatic love for God – with an intense
love for the Divine Mother.
A mat is spread on the floor. Sri Ramakrishna comes

and takes his seat on it. In front of him are
Prankrishna and M. Rakhal is also in the room. Hazra
is sitting outside on the southeastern verandah.
It is winter, the month of Pausha. Thakur has

wrapped himself in a moleskin shawl. It is Monday at
eight o’clock on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of
the month of Agrahayana, 1 January 1883.
A number of devotees belonging to Thakur’s inner

circle have now come in contact with him. For more
than a year Narendra, Rakhal, Bhavanath, Balaram,
M., Baburam, Latu, and others have been visiting him
regularly. Ram, Manomohan, Surendra, and Kedar
had come a year earlier.
Almost five months ago Thakur had visited

Vidyasagar’s Badurbagan house. Two months ago he
went with Keshab Sen on a pleasure trip by steamer
to Calcutta. They were accompanied by Vijay and
some Brahmo devotees.
2 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section I
Prankrishna Mukherji lives in Calcutta’s Shyam-

pukur locality. His ancestral home is in the village of
Janai. He is a high government exchange officer who
supervises auctions. Since he had no child from his
first wife, he married a second time, with the former’s
consent. The second wife has given birth to a son.
Prankrishna has great love and devotion for Sri
Ramakrishna. Because he is rather stout, Thakur
sometimes calls him “the fat brahmin.” He is very
good-natured. Some nine months ago, Thakur
accepted his invitation to visit his home with the
devotees. Prankrishna had prepared various dishes
and sweets to offer him.
Thakur is sitting on the floor. Close to him is a
basket of jilipis brought by a devotee. Thakur
breaks off a piece and eats it.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Prankrishna, smiling):
“You see, I repeat the name of the Divine Mother,
so I get all these things to eat. (Laughter.)
“But She doesn’t give gourd and pumpkin. She
gives the fruit of amrita, immortality – divine
knowledge, intense love for God, discrimination,
and dispassion.”1
A young boy six or seven years old enters the
room. Sri Ramakrishna is childlike. Just as a child
conceals sweets from another child lest he should
eat them, Thakur behaves in the same childlike
manner. He covers the small basket of jilipis with
his hand to conceal it and then pushes it aside.
Though Prankrishna is a householder,2 he
discusses Vedanta. He says, “Brahman is real and
the world illusory. I am indeed He – So ’ham.”
1. Jnana, prema, viveka, and vairagya.

2. Garhasthya.
1 January 1883 3
Thakur says to him, “Life depends on food in the

Kaliyuga. The path of devotion enjoined by Narada1
is best suited to this age.
“God is a matter of the heart. How can He be
held devoid of any feelings of the heart?”
As he is covering the sweets with his hand to
conceal them, like a child, Thakur merges into
samadhi.
Chapter II
In the domain of ecstasy and vision of divine forms

Thakur is in samadhi for a long time; he
remains absorbed in ecstasy. His body does not
move, his eyes are fixed. One is not sure if he is
breathing.
He exhales a long breath, as if returning to the
domain of the senses.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Prankrishna): “God is not
just formless. He has form too. You can behold His
form. You can have the vision of His wondrous
divine form through feeling, through love, through
devotion for Him.2 The Divine Mother reveals
Herself in various forms.”
Vision of Gauranga – Divine Mother in the form of

Rati’s mother
“I saw the Divine Mother yesterday. She wore
an ochre garment with an unstitched hem. She
talked with me for some time.
1. Naradiya bhakti: self-surrender and loving devotion to God.

2. Bhakti.
“On another day She came to me in the form of a

Muslim girl. She had the sectarian holy mark1 on
her forehead, and She was naked – a girl six or
seven years old. She walked with me and joked and
chatted like a child.
“When I was at Hriday’s house, I had the vision
of Gauranga. He wore a black-bordered cloth.
“Haladhari used to say, ‘God is beyond being
and non-being.’ I went to the Mother and said,
‘Mother, Haladhari says this. So are Your forms
illusory?’ The Mother came to me in the form of
Rati’s mother and said, ‘You must remain in an
ecstatic state.’2 I told Haladhari what She said.
“Time and again when I forget Her command, I
suffer. I broke my tooth when I was not in that
state. So I will remain in an ecstatic mood until I
hear a divine command directly or have a different
experience. I’ll follow the path of love for God. What
do you say?”
Prankrishna: “Yes, sir.”
Why does an incarnation of God entertain devotion? –

it is Rama’s will
Sri Ramakrishna: “But why should I ask you
about it? There is someone within me who does all
this through me. Sometimes I used to go into a
divine mood when I could not be at peace without
offering worship.
“I am the machine and He is the operator. I do
as He makes me do. I speak as He makes me speak.
1. Tilak.
2. Bhava.
1 January 1883 5
“Ramprasad, the poet, says:

I sail my boat in the ocean of the world.
I rise with the tide and subside with the ebb.
“During a storm a dry leaf is sometimes blown
onto a clean surface and sometimes into a gutter.
The wind carries it where it wills.
“The weaver said, ‘It was by Rama’s will that a
robbery took place. It was by Rama’s will that the
police arrested me. And it was by Rama’s will that I
was set free.’
“Hanuman said, ‘O Rama, You are my only
refuge,1 I surrender to You. Bless me that I may
have pure love2 for Your lotus feet and grant that I
may never be enchanted by Your world-bewitching
maya.’
“A bullfrog, at the point of death, said to Rama,
‘Rama, when I’m seized by a snake, I shout for Your
help, “Rama, protect me!” But since I’m dying now
by Rama’s own arrow, I can only stay silent.’
“Before, I used to see God with these physical
eyes, the way I see you. Now I behold visions in
ecstasy.3
“After realizing God, one develops the nature of
a child. One acquires the nature of Him on Whom
one meditates. God’s nature is like that of a child.
Just as a child builds a house, breaks it down, and
then rebuilds it in play, in the same way God
creates, preserves, and dissolves. Just as a child is
1. Sharanagata.
2. Shuddha bhakti.
3. Bhava.
not subject to any guna,1 He too is beyond the three

gunas of sattva, rajas, and tamas.
“That’s why a paramahamsa keeps five or ten
children with him – to absorb their nature.”
A young man between twenty and twenty-two
years old has come from Agarpara. Whenever he
comes, he takes Thakur, by a sign, to a solitary
corner and whispers his thoughts to him. He has
only recently begun visiting Thakur. Today he is
sitting on the floor near Sri Ramakrishna.
Feminine attitude2 and conquest of lust –

guilelessness and God-realization
Sri Ramakrishna (to the young man): “You can
change your nature by imitating something. If you
cultivate a feminine nature, you gradually slay
enemies like lust. Then you begin to act just like a
woman. Men who play the role of women in a
religious theatrical performance,3 begin to brush
their teeth like women and talk like women when
they bathe.
“Please come again, either on Saturday or
Tuesday.
1. One of three types of universal energies: sattva, rajas and tamas.

2. Prakriti bhava.
3. Yatra.
1 January 1883 7
(To Prankrishna) “Brahman and His Power1 are

one and the same. If you don’t believe in His Power,
the world becomes illusory for you. I, you, hearth
and home, and the family – all of them become
illusory. It is because of the Primordial Energy that
the world stands firm. A framework can’t be made
without bamboo poles. You can’t even make a
beautiful image of Durga.
“A person can’t attain spiritual awakening and
realize God without getting rid of worldliness.
Worldly desire leads to hypocrisy. God cannot be
realized unless one is guileless at heart.
Let go of cleverness and hypocrisy, and be sincerely
devoted to God.
Embracing service, worship, and self-surrender, you will
easily attain Ragurai.2
“People who are engaged in worldly activities –
in office work or some business – should also follow
the path of truth. Truthfulness is the spiritual
austerity in the Kaliyuga.”
Prankrishna: “‘On this spiritual path, one
should speak the truth, control the senses, serve
others unceasingly, remain steadfast, and be a
refuge to others.’3 This is what the Mahanirvana
Tantra says.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, one must internalize all
these qualities.”
1. Shakti.
2. A name for Rama.
3. asmindharme maheçi syät satyavädé jitendriyaù|
paropakäranirato nirvikäraù sadäçayaù||
Chapter III
Sri Ramakrishna’s attitude in ecstasy akin to

Yashoda’s
Sri Ramakrishna goes to the smaller cot and sits
down. Filled with God-consciousness, he looks at
Rakhal.1 In an ecstatic mood he becomes
overwhelmed with maternal affection as he gazes at
him. The hair on his body stands on end. Is he
seeing Rakhal as Yashoda used to see baby
Krishna?2
Thakur merges again into samadhi. The
devotees sit speechless with wonder as they watch
his marvelous state of God-consciousness.
Coming down a little to normal consciousness,
Sri Ramakrishna says, “Why am I inspired at the
sight of Rakhal? The more one advances towards
God, the less one sees of His glories and splendour.
A spiritual aspirant first beholds the vision of a
deity with ten arms. There is a greater
representation of splendour in this image. Then
there is a vision of a two-armed deity – no longer
holding weapons and missiles. Still later is the
vision of Gopala. There is no show of power, only
the form of a little child. Beyond that there is only
divine light.”
1. Later Swami Brahmananda.

2. Gopala.
1 January 1883 9
The state of brahmajnana after attaining samadhi –

reasoning and attachment given up
“After realizing God and communing with Him
in samadhi, all reasoning and discrimination
disappear.
“How long does one reason? As long as there is
the consciousness of plurality. You reason as long
as you are aware of the world and its embodied
beings, ‘I’ and ‘you.’ Attaining true knowledge, you
become silent. Trailanga Swami1 is like that.
“Haven’t you seen a feast when brahmins are
invited? The feast starts with a great uproar. As
their stomachs are filled, the noise lessens. When
curds with sugar drops are served, there is just the
sound of ‘sup sup’ – no other sound is heard then.
And when the feast is over, they go to sleep – that
is samadhi. Then there is no sound at all.
(To M. and Prankrishna): “Most people talk
about the knowledge of Brahman, but their minds
are preoccupied with lower worldly things – home
and hearth, money, name and fame, and sense
pleasures. As long as you stand at the foot of the
monument2 you see carriages, horses, English men
and women, and so on. But when you climb to the
top of the monument, you see the vast expanse of
sky and ocean. Then you don’t enjoy the sight of
buildings, carriages, horses, and people – they all
appear to be so many ants.
1. Trailanga Swami was a famous monk in Benares who had taken a

vow of silence. Sri Ramakrishna met him on his second pilgrimage
there.
2. Ochterloney Monument in Calcutta.
“On attaining the knowledge of Brahman,

attachment to the world and enthusiasm for ‘lust
and greed’ vanishes. You attain perfect peace. A
piece of burning wood produces a crackling sound
and gives out heat. When it is consumed and has
turned to ash, all sound ceases. As soon as you get
rid of attachment, the restlessness for ‘lust and
greed’ vanishes. Finally you attain tranquility.
“The nearer you come to God, the more
tranquility you feel. Peace, peace, profound peace.
The nearer you approach the holy Ganges, the
cooler you feel. A dip in it is even more soothing.
“The world, living beings, and the twenty-four
cosmic principles1 – these exist because God exists.
Give up God and nothing remains. Adding zeroes to
the digit one increases the number. But if you
remove the one, the zeroes have no value.”
Is Sri Ramakrishna hinting at his own state in his
next words to be gracious to Prankrishna?
Sri Ramakrishna’s state – the ‘I of a devotee’ after

attaining the knowledge of Brahman
“After attaining the knowledge of Brahman –
merging in samadhi – some people come down to a
lower plane and live with the ‘I of knowledge,’ or
1. The twenty-four categories or cosmic principles enunciated in the

Samkhya Philosophy are: mahat, cosmic intelligence; buddhi, the
discriminating faculty; ahamkara, the sense of ego; manas,
perceiving mind; chitta (mind-stuff), the recording faculty or
memory; five organs of sense-perception (hearing, touch, sight, taste,
smell); five organs of action (hands, feet, speech, organ of excretion,
organ of generation);l five subtle elements (tanmatras – the potential
of sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell), which, in differing
combinations produce the gross elements (mahabhutas –
ether/akasha/space, air, fire, water, and earth).
1 January 1883 11
the ‘I of devotion.’ When the market shuts down,

some people stay there of their own sweet will – for
example, some like Narada, who retained the ‘I of
knowledge’ to teach people.
“Even if only a little attachment to the world
remains, one cannot realize Him. Just a little fibre
sticking out from a thread keeps it from passing
through the eye of a needle.
“One who has attained God retains only the
appearance of passions like lust and anger – they’re
like a burnt string. There is the shape of a string,
but it is blown away by a mere puff.
“God is seen when the mind is completely rid of
attachment. Whatever rises in a pure mind is the
voice of God. Pure mind is the same as pure
intellect, and it is also the same as pure Atman.
Except for God, there is nothing pure.
“Only by realizing God does one go beyond
dharma and adharma.”1
Saying this, Thakur sings a song of Ramprasad
in his celestial voice.
Come, O mind, let us go for a walk to Kali, the wish-
fulfilling tree,2 and gather there the four fruits of life.3
Of your two wives, Worldliness4 and Dispassion,5 take
only Dispassion along, and ask her eldest son,
Discrimination, for the truth about Reality.6
1. Virtue and vice, righteousness and unrighteousness.

2. Kalpataru.
3. Four fruits: Dharma (virtue), artha (wealth), kama (legitimate
desires), and moksha (liberation).
4. Pravritti.
5. Nivritti.
6. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section II, Chapter VI.
Chapter IV
Sri Ramakrishna in the mood of Radha

Thakur is sitting on the southeastern verandah
of his room. Prankrishna and other devotees are
with him. Hazra is also sitting on the verandah.
Laughing, Thakur says to Prankrishna:
“Hazra is not an insignificant man. If one finds
the big dargah1 here [referring to himself], Hazra is
a small dargah.” (All laugh.)
Navakumar comes to the door of the verandah.
At the sight of the devotees sitting there, he leaves.
Thakur says, “The image of egotism.”
It is about half past nine. Prankrishna salutes
Sri Ramakrishna and takes his leave. He is going to
his house in Calcutta.
In Thakur’s room a renunciate sings a song to
the accompaniment of a single-stringed
instrument: 2
Nityananda’s ship is here.

Catch hold if you want to cross over.
Six handsome angels ever guard it,
Their backs and chests masked by shields.
Opening the main portal, they dole out precious jewels.
He sings another song:
Build your house now, for torrential rains will soon
approach. Be prepared. Take ginger water;3 be up and
doing to construct it.
1. Burial place of a Muslim saint, considered sacred.

2. Gopiyantra.
3. Ginger helps in digestion.
1 January 1883 13
When the month of Shravana1 arrives, you’ll not be able to

see.
Bamboo and thatch will rot, and you will not be able to lay
a roof.
With a gust of wind, the thatch will fly away, along with
its frame,
Leaving a gaping hole.
You will look agape, and you will leave.
Once more he sings:
In what mood are you repeating Hari’s name, while
roaming about Nadia in pauper’s garb, though you
yourself are Hari?
I cannot comprehend why you have assumed this attitude
and such behavior.
Thakur is listening to the songs when Kedar
Chatterji enters and salutes him. He is in his office
clothes, and wearing a cloak and a pocket watch
and chain. Whenever he hears about God, his eyes
fill with tears. He is a very loving soul and
cherishes the attitude of the gopis of Vrindavan.
Seeing Kedar, Thakur is instantly inspired with
the divine sport at Vrindavan. In a mood of ecstatic
love, he stands up and sings, addressing Kedar:
Tell me, friend,2 How far is that grove where my
Shyamasundar is?
I cannot walk much farther.
Singing the song in the attitude of Sri Radha,
Thakur enters into samadhi – he stands still like a
1. A time of incessant downpour during which visibility is very low.

2. Sakhi; gopi friend of Radha in Vraja and female lover of the Lord.
portrait. Tears of joy flow from both corners of his

eyes.
Kedar kneels before him and, touching Thakur’s
feet, sings a hymn:
I bow to Brahman-Consciousness, the primal seed of the
universe, abiding in the lotus of the heart,
Who, without attributes, rests in undifferentiated repose,
known only to Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh,
Who is attained only by yogis in the depth of meditation,
Who removes the fear of life and death and is the essence
of Knowledge and Truth.
After some time, Thakur returns to normal
consciousness. Kedar was going to work in Calcutta
from his home in Halishahar when he stopped to
visit the Dakshineswar Kali Temple to see Thakur.
After a little rest, he leaves.
While Thakur talks to the devotees, midday
approaches. Ramlal brings Sri Ramakrishna a plate
of Mother Kali’s prasad. He eats the prasad facing
south. Like a child, he takes a little of everything.
After eating, Thakur rests awhile on the smaller
cot. Later the Marwari devotees1 arrive.
Chapter V
Yoga of practice2 – two paths: that of discrimination

and that of loving devotion to God
It is three o’clock. The Marwari devotees sit on
the floor and ask Thakur a few questions. M.,
1. Devotees from the Burrabazar district of Calcutta.

2. Abhyasa Yoga.
1 January 1883 15
Rakhal and several other devotees are seated in the

room.
A Marwari devotee: “Sir, what is the way?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are two paths: the
path of discrimination and the path of fervent love
for God.1
“Discrimination means differentiating between
the real and the unreal. The only real or eternal
Substance is God and everything else is unreal or
impermanent. Only the magician is real, his magic
is illusory. One must discriminate in this way.
“Discrimination and dispassion.2 Differentiating
between the real and the unreal in this manner is
discrimination. Dispassion means a distaste for
worldly things. This does not come about all of a
sudden. It has to be practiced daily. To begin with,
you have to renounce ‘lust and greed’ in the mind.
Then, God willing, you can renounce them
externally as well as internally. It is not possible to
ask Calcutta people to renounce everything for the
sake of God. You have to say to them, ‘Renounce
these mentally.’
“One is able to renounce the attachment to ‘lust
and greed’ by the yoga of practice. The Gita says
this. Practice brings extraordinary strength to the
mind. Then you don’t find it difficult to subdue the
senses, to control passions like lust and anger. For
instance, a tortoise doesn’t bring out its limbs once
1. Anuraga.
2. Viveka and vairagya.
it has drawn them inside its shell, even if you cut it

into four pieces with an axe.”
The Marwari devotee: “Sir, you said that there
are two paths. What is the other one?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is the path of ardent love
for God. Weep for Him with a yearning heart, in
solitude or in a secret corner, and cry to Him,
‘Grant me Your vision!’
Cry out with yearning, O mind, and see how Mother
Shyama can withhold Herself from you!1
The Marwari devotee: “Sir, what is the meaning
of worshiping a form of God? And what is the
meaning of God without form or attributes?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Just as you are reminded of
your father when seeing his photograph, similarly,
by continuously worshiping an image of God, you
will have revealed to you in a flash His real nature.
“Do you know what the form of Reality is like?
Just like bubbles rising on an expanse of water.
Different forms arising in the subtle space of
Consciousness,2 in the Great Space3 of Con-
sciousness. An incarnation of God is one of such
forms. As for the divine play of an incarnation, well,
it’s the sport of the Primal Energy.”4
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section I, Chapter V.

2. Chidakasa.
3. Mahakasa.
4. Adyashakti.
1 January 1883 17
Learning and scholarship – Who am I? I am none other

than You
“What is there in learning and scholarship? You
can attain God by calling upon Him with a
yearning heart. Knowledge of different kinds is not
essential.
“Religious teachers need to know many things;
for killing others, you need a sword and a shield. To
kill yourself, even a needle or a nail-knife will do.
“Who am I? When you try to discover that, you
find God. Am I flesh or bone or blood or marrow –
or am I the mind or intellect? Through such
reasoning you ultimately see that you are none of
these – ‘not this, not this.’1 The Atman cannot be
touched or grasped. It is without attributes and
qualities.2
“But according to the path of loving devotion,
God has attributes. Krishna is Consciousness and
His abode is Consciousness. Everything is
Consciousness.”
The Marwari devotees salute Sri Ramakrishna
and take their leave.
Evening worship at Dakshineswar Temple

It is dusk. Thakur is watching the Ganges. A
lamp is burning in his room. He chants the name of
the Divine Mother and, sitting on the smaller cot,
meditates on Her.
1. Neti, neti.
2. Nirupadhi.
In the temple, arati is being performed, and

people strolling in the panchavati or on the
embankment hear the sweet tones of the gong from
a distance. The flood tide on the river flows
northward with a soft murmuring sound. The
music of the arati mingled with its murmur makes
even a sweeter sound. Surrounded by such an
atmosphere, Thakur sits intoxicated with love for
God. Everything is sweet, the heart is filled with
sweetness. Sweet, sweet, sweet.
Section II

Ram, Nityagopal, Choudhury, and
Others
Chapter I
Practicing spiritual discipline in a solitary place –

philosophy – God-realization
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room with the

devotees after the midday service. It is 25 February
1883.
Rakhal, Harish, Latu, and Hazra are living with

Thakur these days. Ram, Kedar, Nityagopal, M., and
other devotees, including Choudhury, have arrived
from Calcutta.
Choudhury has recently lost his wife. He has visited

Thakur many times to attain peace of mind. He has
four university degrees and is employed as a
government official.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Ram and other devotees):
“Rakhal, Narendra, and Bhavanath are ever-
perfect.1 They have been spiritually awake since
birth. They’ve assumed human bodies only to teach
others.
“There’s another class of devotees – those who
are perfected by God’s grace.2 All of a sudden God’s
1. Nityasiddha.
2. Kripasiddha.
20 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section II
grace descends on them and immediately they have

His vision and spiritual wisdom. It is like a room
which has been lying dark for a thousand years; the
very moment a light is brought in, it is lit up. It is
not lighted little by little.
“Those who are householders should practice
spiritual disciplines. They should go to a solitary
place and call upon God with a yearning heart. (To
Choudhury) One cannot attain God by learning and
scholarship.
“What can one comprehend of God by
reasoning? Everyone must do whatever brings
loving devotion to His lotus feet.”
Bhishma Deva in tears – victory and defeat – divine

eyes and the Gita
“Infinite are God’s glories. How much can you
grasp? Can one ever understand the ways of God?
“Bhishma Deva, who was one of the eight Vasus,
even he began to shed tears lying on a bed of
arrows. He said, ‘How strange! The Lord [Sri
Krishna] is a constant companion of the Pandavas,
and yet there is no end to their trials and
tribulations.’ Who can understand God’s ways?
“A person thinks, ‘I have practiced a little
prayer and austerity, so I have won.’ But victory
and defeat lie in God’s hands. I saw a prostitute
dying in the Ganges and retaining consciousness1 to
the end.”
Choudhury: “How can one see God?”
1. It is considered by Hindus a sign of great spiritual merit and pious

living.
25 February 1883 21
Sri Ramakrishna: “Not with these eyes. God

grants divine eyes, and then you have His vision.
The Lord gave divine eyes to Arjuna in order to
reveal His Universal Form.
“Your philosophy is mere calculating and
speculation. It only reasons. You cannot attain God
that way.”
Ahetuki bhakti1 – the main thing is to acquire zealous

love and devotion for God
“If you have loving devotion – zealous love and
devotion – God cannot remain unmoved.
“How great is God’s fondness for devotion! It can
be likened to a cow’s fondness for fodder mixed with
oil cake. She just gobbles it down.
“Fervent love2 and selfless devotion to God, pure
love for its own sake – that’s what Prahlada had.
“You may visit a rich man just because you like
to see him. When you’re asked if you’d like a favour,
you reply, ‘Sir, I want nothing at all. I come just to
see you.’ This is called ahetuki bhakti. You ask God
for nothing – only to love Him.
“Saying this, Thakur begins to sing:
Though I3 am not loath to grant liberation,4 pure love I
hesitate to give.
Whoever wins pure love surpasses all, is adored by all;
Such a one triumphs over the three worlds.
1. Spontaneous love for God.

2. Raga bhakti.
3. Sri Krishna.
4. Mukti.
Listen, O Chandravali,1 I shall tell you of pure love: One

may gain liberation, but devotion is rare indeed.
Out of love alone did I become King Bali’s doorkeeper in
the netherworld.
Only in Vrindavan can pure love be found.
None but the cowherd boys and milkmaids know its
secret.
Out of love alone I dwelt in Nanda’s house;
Taking him as My father, I carried his burden upon My
head.
“The fundamental thing is to acquire passionate
love2 for God. And along with this, you must
develop discrimination and dispassion.”3
Choudhury: “Sir, is it not possible to succeed
without a guru?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Sat-chit-ananda Himself is
the Guru.
“After one has practiced spiritual disciplines on
a corpse4 and is about to attain the vision of the
chosen deity,5 the guru appears and says, ‘See, here
is your ideal.’ And then the guru merges into it. The
guru and the chosen deity are one and the same.
The guru makes you hold the thread that leads to
God. Spiritual aspirants take the ‘vow of the
Infinite,’6 but perform the worship of Vishnu. In
Him are the ‘infinite’ forms of God.”
1. A gopi of Vrindavan.
2. Raga bhakti.
3. Viveka and vairagya.
4. Shava sadhana.
5. Ishta.
6. Anantavrata.
25 February 1883 23
Harmony of religions according to Sri Ramakrishna

(To Ram and other devotees) “If you ask which
form of God should be meditated upon, well you
should meditate upon that form you like best. But
you must keep in mind that all forms of God are
one and the same.
“You must have malice toward none of the forms
of God. Shiva, Kali, and Hari – all are indeed only
different forms of one and the same God. Blessed is
he who knows even one deity.
“Shiva on the outside, Kali in the heart, and
Haribol on the lips.
“The body does not survive without a trace of
lust, anger, and so forth. You should try to
minimize them.
(Thakur points to Kedar) “He’s right. He not
only accepts the Absolute, but also God’s divine
sport. On the one hand, there is the Absolute and
on the other, gods – even divine incarnations.”
Kedar said that God had incarnated Himself in
Thakur’s body.
The sannyasin and woman – women devotees

Pointing at Nityagopal, Thakur says to the
devotees: “He’s in a very nice mood.”
(To Nityagopal) “Don’t go there too often – you
may go once in a while. She may be a devotee, but
she’s also a woman. Do be cautious.
“There is a very strict rule for a sannyasin. He

must not even see the picture of a woman. This
doesn’t apply to householders.
“Even if a woman is a great devotee, it’s not
right to associate with her too much. Even if a
sannyasin has conquered his passions, this rule
must be followed for teaching others.
“Seeing a sadhu renounce sixteen annas,1 others
will learn to renounce. Otherwise, they will sink. A
sannyasin is a world teacher.”
Thakur and the devotees rise and stroll about.
M. stands before the picture of Prahlada and looks
at it thoughtfully. Thakur had said that Prahlada’s
love was absolutely natural.2
1. A figure of speech meaning “one hundred percent” (sixteen annas

make one rupee).
2. Ahetuki bhakti.
Section III
At Balaram’s House with Narendra,

Rakhal, and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Sri Ramakrishna enjoys devotional songs with

Narendra and other devotees
Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees in the

room northeast of the parlour in Balaram’s house. It is
about one o’clock. Narendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal,
Balaram, and M. are with him.
It is Saturday, 7 April 1883, twenty-fifth day of

Chaitra, and Amavasya, the day of the new moon.
Thakur arrived at Balaram’s house in the morning
and had his midday meal there. Narendra,
Bhavanath, Rakhal, and a few other devotees had also
been invited and dined with him. Thakur often says to
Balaram, “Feed them. It will bring you the same merit
as feeding a number of holy men.”
Some days ago Thakur had gone to Keshab’s house to

see the play Nava Vrindavan. Narendra and Rakhal
had accompanied him. Narendra had also acted in the
performance, and Keshab had played the role of
Pavhari Baba.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra and other
devotees): “Keshab was acting the part of a sadhu
and sprinkling the water of peace – something that
I did not like. Sprinkling the water of peace after a
theatrical performance!
26 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section III
“Another person (Ku Babu) played the part of

Sin. It’s not right to play such a role. One should
not commit sin; one should not even feign it.”
Narendra is not feeling well, but Thakur wishes
very much to hear him sing. He says, “Narendra,
everybody is asking for you to sing.”
Narendra sings to the accompaniment of the
tanpura.
Sing, O bird, nesting in the depth of my heart.
Sing, O bird, who are perched on Brahman’s wish-
fulfilling tree.
Sing of the glories of All-pervading God.1
Eat the ripe fruits of righteousness, wealth, fulfillment,
and liberation.2
Sing the name of Atmaram,3 the delight of life. Repeat His
name.
Sing, O bird of life, forever in my heart.
Call on Him like the thirsty chatak bird. Sing and be not
idle!
O Brahman, joy of the universe, the light supreme,
God without beginning, Lord of the universe, Soul of the
soul.
He sings again:
O King of kings, reveal Yourself to me.
At Your feet I dedicate my soul and my life,
Seared by the fire of this world,
1. Vibhu.
2. Dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.
3. The Divine Self.
7 April 1883 27
And a heart stained with wrongful acts.

O compassionate Lord, entangled in maya, I live as one
who is dead.
Revive me by Your life-giving glance.
On the salver of the sky blaze two lamps, sun and moon.
And yet another:

In the firmament of wisdom, the moon of divine love rises
full.1
Narendra now stops and, at Thakur’s request,
Bhavanath sings:
O Compassionate One, who but You is my friend?
Who else remains a friend in happiness and sorrow; who
else can assuage the pain of my misdeeds?
This sea of the world is full of peril; who but You can take
me safely across?
Whose grace but Yours can calm the raging storm of my
passions?
Who but You pours out the water of peace to extinguish
the burning torment of my soul?
And when all others have forsaken me, who but You
embraces me in my dying hour?
Narendra (smiling): “This fellow (Bhavanath)
has given up fish and betel-leaf.”2
Sri Ramakrishna (to Bhavanath, smiling):
“Well, why is that? What’s wrong with fish and
betel leaf? They’re not harmful. Giving up ‘lust and
greed’ is the real renunciation. Where is Rakhal?”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section I, Chapter II.
2. Unnecessary luxuries.
A devotee: “Sir, Rakhal is asleep.”

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “A person went to
see a theatrical performance,1 carrying a mat under
his arm. Seeing that there was still a lot of time
before the play was to begin, he spread the mat on
the floor and went to sleep. He woke up to find that
the play was over. (General laughter.) Taking the
mat under his arm, he went back home.”
(Laughter.)
Ramdayal is very sick. He is lying in bed in
another room. Thakur goes to the doorway and
inquires about him.
Panchadashi – Vedanta scripture and Sri

Ramakrishna – worldly man and discussion on
scriptures
It is about four o’clock. Thakur is sitting in the
parlour with Narendra, Rakhal, M., Bhavanath,
and some other devotees. A number of Brahmo
devotees are among them. Sri Ramakrishna talks
with them.
A Brahmo devotee: “Sir, have you read the
Panchadashi?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “At first one should hear
books like that and reason them out. But later:
Cherish the beloved Mother Shyama in your heart.
O mind, may you and I alone behold Her, and let no one
else intrude.2
“One should hear the scriptures in the early
stages of spiritual practice. But after attaining God,
1. Yatra, a religious play.

2.. For the complete song refer to Section IX, Chapter I.
7 April 1883 29
there’s no lack of spiritual knowledge. The Divine

Mother provides it more and more.
“When learning to write, you have to spell out
every word, but later you can write fluently.
“You have to be up and doing while melting
gold. You have to hold the bellows in one hand, the
fan in the other, and the pipe in your mouth till the
gold is melted. When the gold is melted, you pour it
in the mould and you can sit down in peace.
“Simply studying the scriptures is not much
help. Living in the midst of ‘lust and greed,’ you
can’t understand the real significance of the
scriptures. Attachment to the world keeps spiritual
knowledge from you.
Though I learned many poems and dramas with great
delight,
I have forgotten them all in my love for Krishna.1 (All
laugh.)
Thakur now talks about Keshab with the
Brahmo devotees.
“Keshab has both yoga and bhoga – he performs
spiritual practices but enjoys worldly pleasures as
well. He lives as a householder, but his mind is
turned towards God.”
A devotee talks about a university convocation,
saying, “I saw any number of people there. It was a
forest of human beings!”
1. Ramakrishna is making a play on words. He refers to Krishna by

the word kala, which means “black” or “deaf.” That is why the
devotees laugh.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Seeing big crowds, I’m

inspired with the thought of God. Had I seen that
gathering, I would have been overwhelmed with
spiritual feeling.”
Section IV
Sri Ramakrishna at the Nandan

Bagan Brahmo Samaj with Rakhal,
M., and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Sight of the shrine inspires Sri Ramakrishna – Sri

Radha seized with the madness of ecstatic love
Sri Ramakrishna has arrived at the Brahmo Samaj

temple in Nandan Bagan, accompanied by Rakhal, M.,
and a few other devotees. He is talking with the
Brahmo devotees. It is about five o’clock.
Kashisvara Mitra’s house is in Nandan Bagan. He

was a retired sub-judge and a member of the Adi
Brahmo Samaj who used to worship the Lord in a big
hall on the second level of his house. Now and then he
would invite devotees for a festival. After his death,
his sons Srinath, Yajnanath, and others continued to
hold celebrations on a few occasions in the same
manner as their father had done. It is they who have
earnestly invited Thakur here.
After arriving, Thakur at first sits in the drawing-

room on the ground floor. Gradually, Brahmo devotees
arrive and gather there. Rabindra (Tagore) and other
members of the Tagore family are present. When
asked to go to the worship hall, Thakur and the
devotees go upstairs to the second level. Thakur takes
his seat there. A dais has been set up on the eastern
side of the hall and a piano placed in the southwest
corner. Many chairs are placed in the north part of the
room, to the west of a door leading to the women’s
quarters. The worship will begin in the evening.
Bhairava Bandopadhayaya of the Adi Brahmo Samaj,
32 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section IV
along with one or two devotees, will sit at the dais and
perform the worship.
It is summer, 2 May 1883, Wednesday, the 10th day of

the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra. Many of
the Brahmo devotees are strolling around the big
courtyard below or on the verandah. Janaki Goshal
and a few others come to the worship hall, wishing to
sit near Sri Ramakrishna. They want to hear him talk
about God. When Thakur enters the room, he bows
before the altar and then takes a seat. He says to
Rakhal, M., and others:
“Narendra once asked me, ‘What good is there in
bowing before the shrine of the Samaj?’
“At the sight of a shrine, I’m reminded of Him. I
feel divine inspiration. God is present wherever
people talk about Him. One feels the presence in all
the holy places of pilgrimage. Such places remind
one of God.
“A devotee went into an ecstatic mood at the
sight of a babul tree. It reminded him that the
same wood is used for making the handles of axes
used in Lord Radhakanta’s garden.
“Another devotee had such loving devotion for
his guru that he became overwhelmed with divine
emotion to see a resident from his guru’s
neighbourhood.
“Srimati (Radha) would become inspired with
Krishna at the sight of a cloud or blue clothing1 or a
picture of Krishna. She was so filled with yearning
for him that she would cry like a mad woman,
‘Where are you, my Krishna?’”
1. Krishna’s body was dark blue.

2 May 1883 33
Goshal: “Madness isn’t good.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “What do you mean? Is this
like the madness born of worrying about worldly
things that makes you unconscious? This state of
madness comes after meditating on God. Haven’t
you heard of the madness of love for God1 and the
madness of knowledge?”2
The way: to love God and to turn around the six

enemies3
A Brahmo devotee: “How can one find God?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “By developing love for Him.
You must think constantly that God alone is real
and everything else is of a fleeting nature.
“The Ashwattha tree alone is permanent. Its
fruit lasts but a few days.”
The Brahmo devotee: “Lust and anger are the
real enemies. What can we do about them?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Turn the six enemies around
– towards God.
“Have lust for union with the Atman.
“Show anger to those who are an obstacle in the
way to God. Have greed to attain Him. If you have
to say, ‘Me and mine,’ say it in relation to Him – as,
for example, ‘My Krishna or my Rama.’ If you have
pride, let it be like the pride of Bibhishana who
said, ‘I have bowed to Rama. This head shall never
bow to anybody else.’”
1. Premonmada.
2. Jnanonmada.
3. Lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, and envy.
The Brahmo devotee: “If everything is really

being done by Him, you’re not responsible for your
sins.”
Free will – responsibility

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Duryodhana said: ‘O
Hrishikesh,1 I act as You, seated within my heart,
make me act.’
“If you have the right kind of faith – that God
alone is the Doer and you do nothing, you can’t
commit a sin. The person who knows how to dance
well never takes a wrong step.
“But unless you’re pure in heart, you don’t even
have the faith that God exists.”
Thakur glances at the people gathered in the
worship hall and says, “It’s very good to gather like
this now and then to meditate on God and sing His
name and glories.
“But the love2 of worldly people for God is
momentary, drying up like drops of water falling on
a hot iron. They don’t last long.”
Worship of the Brahmos and Sri Ramakrishna

The worship is about to begin. The large
worship hall is full of Brahmo devotees. Several of
the Brahmo women take their seats on chairs to the
north of the room, holding music books in their
hands.
They sing Brahmo songs to the accompaniment
of piano and harmonium. There is no end to
1. An epithet of Krishna.
2. Anuraga.
2 May 1883 35
Thakur’s joy to hear the music, which is followed by

an invocation, a prayer, and then the worship. The
acharyas1 sitting on the platform recite mantras
from the Vedas.
You are our Father, grant us right understanding. We
bow to You. Pray do not destroy us.
The Brahmo devotees chant in unison with an
acharya:
Om! Brahman is infinite truth and knowledge.
Immortal and blissful, it glitters.
Brahman is peace, all-good, and one without a second.
It is pure, untouched by sin.
Now the acharyas sing a hymn of praise:
Om! We bow to the real, the cause of the universe.
We bow to pure consciousness, the refuge and support of
all.
The religious teachers now pray, reciting
another prayer:
Lead us from the unreal to the Real and from darkness to
Light,
Lead us from death to immortality and reach us through
and through.
O Rudra, protect us always with Your compassionate face.
Thakur becomes absorbed in ecstasy when he
hears these hymns. Now an acharya reads a paper.
1. Religious teachers.
Sri Ramakrishna, without anger and full of supreme

bliss – ocean of motiveless grace
The worship is over. Preparations are underway
to serve luchis and sweets to the devotees. Most of
the Brahmo devotees are enjoying fresh air in the
courtyard below and on the verandah.
It is 9 p.m. Thakur has to return to the
Dakshineswar Temple. The hosts are so busy
attending to their invited guests that they
completely forget to take care of him and his party.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Rakhal and others): “Why,
no one is paying any attention to us!”
Rakhal (angrily): “Sir, let us leave this place and
return to Dakshineswar.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Oh, angry man!
Who will pay the carriage fare of three rupees and
two annas? Such stubbornness won’t get you
anywhere. You have no money and you’re simply
getting angry! Besides, where shall I eat so late at
night?”
After quite some time, they hear that the leaf
plates have been laid. All the devotees are asked to
sit at the same time. Thakur, Rakhal, and others
join the crowd and return to the second storey to
eat. They find no place to sit in such a crowd. With
great difficulty they find a place in a corner for
Thakur to sit.
The spot is not clean. A brahmin woman cook
serves vegetable curry. Thakur doesn’t feel like
eating it. He eats luchi with a pinch of salt and
some sweets.
2 May 1883 37
Thakur is an ocean of compassion. The hosts are

young. How could he be annoyed with them for not
showing him the proper respect? If he had left
without eating anything, it would have been
unlucky for them. Besides, they had arranged the
feast in the name of God.
After eating, Thakur gets into a carriage. Who
will pay the fare? The hosts are nowhere to be
found. Later Thakur relates this incident of the
carriage fare to the devotees with humor: “Someone
went to the hosts to ask for the carriage fare. At
first he was ignored. But finally, with great
difficulty, they scraped up three rupees. He was not
given the two annas! The hosts said, ‘This should
certainly be enough.’”
Section V

Ram, Kedar, Tarak, M., and other
Devotees
Chapter I
At Dakshineswar Temple – worship

of Thakur’s holy feet
After the evening worship in the Kali Temple at

Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna stands before the
image of the Divine Mother. He fans her with a
chamara1 for some time.
It is summer, Friday, 8 June 1883, the third day of the

bright fortnight of the month of Jaishtha. (Some
incidents that happened on the new moon day2 were
recorded in Volume II, Section V of the Kathamrita.)
After dusk Ram, Kedar (Chatterji), and Tarak arrived
from Calcutta in a carriage. They have brought
flowers and sweets for Thakur.
Kedar must be about fifty years old. He is a great

devotee. As soon as there is talk of God, his eyes are
filled with tears. He used to visit the Brahmo Samaj
and then the Kartabhaja and several other new
religious sects. At last he has taken refuge at the feet
of Sri Ramakrishna. He holds a government
accountant’s job. His home is in the village of Halishar
near Kanchdapara.
1. Fan made from the tail of a yak, used in Hindu ritual worship.
2. Amavasya.
40 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section V
Tarak1 is about twenty-four years old. He had married

but his wife died after only a few days. His home is in
the village of Barasat. His father is a spiritual
aspirant of a high order and has visited Sri
Ramakrishna a number of times. After the death of
Tarak’s mother, his father married a second time.
Tarak frequently visits Ram at his house. He often

comes to visit Thakur with Ram and Nityagopal. He
works in an office these days but his attitude is
always one of indifference to worldly things.
Sri Ramakrishna comes out of the Kali Temple
and lies prostrate on the platform in salutation to
the Mother.
He sees Ram, M., Kedar, Tarak, and the other
devotees standing there.
Affection for Tarak – Kedar and ‘lust and greed’

He touches Tarak’s chin affectionately. Indeed,
he is very happy to see him.
Thakur sits on the floor of his room in an
ecstatic mood. He stretches his legs out before him.
Ram and Kedar decorate his feet with various
kinds of flowers and garlands. Thakur is in
samadhi.
Kedar has the attitude of a new devotee. He
holds the big toe of Sri Ramakrishna, believing that
by doing so, he will receive power from Thakur.
Returning somewhat to the normal state, Thakur
says, “Mother, what can he do to me by holding my
toe?” Kedar humbly folds his hands.
1. Later Swami Shivananda.

8 June 1883 41
Sri Ramakrishna (to Kedar, in the state of

ecstasy): “Your mind is attracted to ‘lust and greed.’
What use is it just to say that your mind does not
dwell in them?
“Go forward. There is more after the
sandalwood forest. A silver mine, a goldmine, and
then diamonds and jewels. You’ve attained a little
divine inspiration – don’t think you’ve achieved
everything.”
Thakur again begins to talk to the Divine
Mother, “Mother, please take him away.”
Kedar says to Ram, his throat dry with fear,
“What is Thakur saying!”
God-incarnate and his intimate disciples

Seeing Rakhal, Thakur is again absorbed in
ecstasy and addresses him: “I have been here many
days! When did you come?”
Is Thakur hinting that he is an incarnation of God
and Rakhal is his intimate disciple, a companion of
his inner circle?
Section VI
Sri Ramakrishna with Rakhal, Ram,

M., Bhavanath, and Other Devotees
at the Panihati Festival
Chapter I
Thakur in the joy of devotional songs – is he Gauranga?
Sri Ramakrishna is dancing amidst a kirtan group on

the crowded main road during the festival at Panihati.
It is about one o’clock, Monday, 18 June 1883, the
thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar
month of Jaishtha.
People stand around Sri Ramakrishna in rows to

watch him during devotional singing. He dances
intoxicated with divine love. Some people wonder
whether Gauranga has again incarnated himself. The
sound of the Lord’s name swells from all sides like
ocean waves. Flowers are raining from all directions,
and it appears as if ‘Hari is being looted.’1
Navadvip Goswami was proceeding toward the

Raghava temple singing the Lord’s name all the way.
Suddenly Thakur shot into the kirtan group with the
speed of an arrow and began to dance.
It is the ‘Festival of Flattened Rice’2 of Pundit

Raghava. It is celebrated every year on the thirteenth
day of the lunar month in the bright fortnight. This
festival was first celebrated by Raghunath Das.
Thereafter, Raghava Pundit celebrated it every year.
Nityananda said to Raghunath Das, “Oh, you thief!
1. A Bengali expression meaning to scatter before a crowd something

to be picked up.
2. Chinra Festival.
44 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section VI
You just come running from your home and steal the
taste of divine love without any of us knowing it. I am
going to punish you today. Celebrate a festival of
flattened rice and serve the devotees.”
Thakur visits the event almost every year. Today he

came with Ram and other devotees. Ram had gone
from Calcutta to Dakshineswar with M. in the
morning. They had met Thakur, saluted him, and
then taken their prasad meal on the northern
verandah. Thakur went to Panihati by the same
carriage in which Ram had come from Calcutta.
Rakhal, M., Ram, Bhavanath, and one or two other
devotees were also in the carriage. One of them sat on
top.
The carriage traveled along the Magazine Road before

coming to the Chanke Main Road (trunk road). On the
way Thakur cuts many jokes with the young devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna in mahabhava1 at the Panihati

festival
As soon as the carriage reaches the venue of the
Panihati festival, Ram and the other devotees are
amazed to see Thakur, who had been in such a
joyous state in the carriage, suddenly get down and
shoot forth like an arrow. After looking for him for
a long time, they found him dancing among the
kirtan group of Navadvip Goswami and going into
samadhi every now and then. Navadvip Goswami
carefully supported him when he was in samadhi so
that he would not fall down. Devotees on all sides
were shouting the name of Hari and throwing
flowers and sweet confections2 at his feet. They
were pushing each other to have a view of him.
1. The highest manifestation of divine love.

2. Batasas.
18 June 1883 45
Thakur dances in a semiconscious state.

Returning to full consciousness, he sings:
Behold, the brothers have come! The two who shed tears
while chanting Hari’s name.
They, who weeping, make others weep; they, who in
ecstasy dancing, make the world dance;
They, who receiving the world’s blows, offer Hari’s love.
They are Kanai and Balai of Vraja, who would steal
butter from the gopis’ pots;
Who, indifferent to caste, embrace the lowest of the lowly;
Who, themselves inebriated, inebriate others;
Who chant Hari’s name, though they are none other than
Hari Himself.
They, who redeemed Jagai and Madhai and distinguish
not friend from foe,
These two brothers, Gaur and Nitai, have come to redeem
humanity.
Everyone dances with Thakur, intoxicated with
divine love and feeling that Gaur and Nitai are
dancing in their presence. Thakur sings again:
Behold, the whole of Nadia trembles under the waves of
Gauranga’s love!
The wave of devotees singing the kirtan
advances toward the Raghava Temple. Dancing all
the way and having circumambulated the temple,
they bow to the images of Radha-Krishna. Now the
wave of people moves toward the temple of Radha-
Krishna which was established by the babus of
Gangakul.
Some of the singing party enter the temple of
Radhakanta, but the majority are unable to enter.
They push each other aside, trying to peep inside

the doorway.
Dancing in the Radha-Krishna temple courtyard

Thakur dances again in the courtyard of Radha-
Krishna. He is fully intoxicated with the joy of the
kirtan. He goes into samadhi every now and then,
flowers and sweets falling at his feet from all sides.
Time and again the name of Hari is raised in the
courtyard. The same sound, reaching the main
road, is echoed by a thousand voices. Passengers on
the boats sailing the Ganges1 listen wonderstruck
to the chanting, like ocean waves, of Hari’s name.
They themselves begin to chant, “Haribol, Haribol.”
Thousands of men and women assembled at the
festival think to themselves that Sri Gauranga
himself must assuredly have manifested in this
great saint. One or two feel that he is none other
than Gauranga.
Several people have assembled in the small
courtyard. The devotees bring Sri Ramakrishna out
of the courtyard very carefully.
Sri Ramakrishna in Mani Sen’s drawing room

Thakur comes with the devotees to Mani Sen’s
drawing room and takes a seat. The same Sen
family is in charge of serving Sri Radha and
Krishna in the temple at Panihati. It is also this
family who arranges the great festival every year
and who invites Thakur.
1. Bhagirathi.
18 June 1883 47
After Thakur has rested for a while, Mani Sen

and his spiritual preceptor, Navadvip Goswami,
take him to another room where he is served
prasad. A little while later Ram, Rakhal, M.,
Bhavanath, and other devotees are taken to a room
where they take their seats. The gracious loving
Lord of the devotees, Sri Ramakrishna, stands up,
full of joy, and feeds devotees.
Chapter II
Instructions to Navadvip Goswami
Mahabhava and ecstatic love of Gauranga, his three

states of consciousness
It is afternoon. Thakur is seated in Mani Sen’s
drawing room with Rakhal, Ram, and other
devotees. After prasad and feeling refreshed,
Navadvip Goswami enters the drawing room and
sits beside Thakur.
Mani Sen offers to pay Thakur’s carriage fare.
Thakur, who is sitting on a couch in the drawing
room, says, “Why would these people (Ram and
other devotees) accept the carriage fare from you?
They earn money.”
He then talks with Navadvip Goswami about
God.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Navadvip): “When love and
devotion for God matures, one experiences ecstasy.1
It is followed by mahabhava. After mahabhava
1. Bhava.
comes ecstatic love1 and then the attainment of the

goal (God-realization).
“Gauranga would experience mahabhava and
ecstatic love for God.
“When one feels ecstatic love, one not only
forgets the world but one’s own body which is so
dear. Gauranga experienced this ecstatic love.
Seeing the ocean and thinking it was the Jamuna,
he jumped in.
“An ordinary person does not experience either
mahabhava or ecstatic love – he goes only as far as
ecstasy.2 Gauranga used to experience all three
states of consciousness. Am I right?”
Navadvip: “Yes, sir. The inmost state, the state
of semi-consciousness, and the conscious state.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He would remain in samadhi
during the inmost state. In the state of semi-
consciousness, he could only dance, and in the
outward conscious state he would sing the name
and glories of God.”
Navadvip brings his son and introduces him to
Thakur. His son is a young man and studies
scriptures. He salutes Thakur.
Navadvip: “He studies holy books at home. It
used to be very difficult to get a copy of the Vedas
in this country. Max Müller translated them and
printed them. That’s how people are able to read
them now.”
1. Prema.
2. Bhava.
18 June 1883 49
Scholarship and scriptures – try to understand the

essence
Sri Ramakrishna: “Too much study of the
scriptures brings more harm than good.
“You should know the essence of them. After
that the holy book is not needed.
“Having understood the essence, you should dive
deep to attain God.
“The Divine Mother has told me that the essence
of the Vedanta is that Brahman is the reality and
the world an illusion. The essence of the Gita is
what you get after pronouncing the word Gita ten
times – in other words, tyagi, tyagi [a man of
renunciation].”
Navadvip: “It doesn’t exactly become tyagi, it
becomes tagi. But both words convey the same
meaning. From the root tag you have taga, and
adding the suffix i, it becomes tagi. Both tyagi and
tagi have the same meaning.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The essence of the Gita is: O
man, renounce everything and practice spiritual
disciplines to realize God.”
Navadvip: “But how can we make our minds
willing to renounce?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You who are goswamis serve
the deity. You can’t afford to renounce family life. If
you do, who will carry out the worship and service
of the deity? You must renounce mentally.
“God Himself has kept you in the household to
set an example for mankind. Resolve a thousand
times and still you will not be able to renounce
family life. He has given you such a nature that you

are bound to carry out the affairs of the world.
“Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, ‘What do you mean,
you will not fight? Even if you wish otherwise, you
will not be able to desist from fighting this war.
Your very nature will compel you to fight.’”
Sri Ramakrishna in samadhi – yoga and bhoga of

Goswami
When Thakur says, “Sri Krishna said to
Arjuna,” he passes into samadhi. His body
immediately becomes perfectly still; he does not
even blink. It is not possible to perceive if he is
breathing or not. Navadvip Goswami, his son, and
the devotees watch him, speechless with wonder.
Returning somewhat to normal, Thakur says to
Navadvip: “Yoga and bhoga! You belong to the line
of goswamis who strive for union with God and at
the same time enjoy worldly pleasures.
“Now pray to God – pray sincerely – only this
prayer: ‘O Lord, I don’t want the glories of Your
world-bewitching maya, I want You alone!’
“He is present in all elements and beings, no
doubt. But do you know who a real devotee is? He
who dwells in Him; he whose mind, heart, and soul
have been merged in Him.”
Thakur has now returned completely to the
normal state of consciousness. He says to Navadvip:
“Some people say that the state (of samadhi) I pass
into is a disease. But I ask, can one be unconscious
while contemplating Him whose Consciousness has
made the whole world conscious?”
18 June 1883 51
Mani Sen says goodbye to the visiting brahmins

and Vaishnava devotees. He offers to each of them
a rupee or two, according to his status. He offers
five rupees to Thakur, but Sri Ramakrishna says: “I
cannot accept money.”
Mani Sen insists.
Thakur then says, “In the name of your guru,
please do not offer me anything!” Mani Sen still
offers the money. Thakur anxiously asks M., “Must
I accept it?” M. objects severely, saying, “Certainly
not. By no means.”
Mani Sen’s people give the money to Rakhal on
the pretext of buying mangoes and sandesh.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “I have refused the
money in his guru’s name. I am free now. Rakhal
has accepted it. It is now his responsibility.”
Sri Ramakrishna boards the carriage with the
devotees to return to the Dakshineswar temple.
Meditation on formless God and Sri Ramakrishna

Mati Seal’s shrine is on the way. Several times
Thakur had said to M., “We will go together to see
Mati Seal’s lake and I can teach you how to
meditate on the formless God.”
Thakur has a bad cold. Even so, he goes inside
the shrine with the devotee. In this shrine
Gauranga is worshiped.
It is a little before dusk. Thakur and the
devotees salute the image of Sri Gauranga by lying
prostrate on the ground.
Now they go to the lake in the eastern part of

the temple garden and enjoy the view of the lake
and the fish. People do not harm the fish here. As
soon as they throw puffed rice and other food to the
fish, a swarm of big ones comes to eat it. Then, free
from all fear, they swim and play in the water
joyfully.
Thakur says to M., “Look at these fish
swimming joyfully in the ocean of Blissful
Consciousness.1 Be like these fish.”
1. Chidananda.
Section VII
Sri Ramakrishna as Guru at

Dakshineswar with Intimate
Disciples
Chapter I
Listening to the life of Prahlada puts Thakur into

ecstasy – he condemns cohabiting with one’s wife
Sri Ramakrishna is seated on the floor in his room at

Dakshineswar, listening to Ramlal reading the life of
Prahlada from the Bhaktamala. It is about eight
o’clock.
It is Saturday, 15 December 1883, the first day of the

dark fortnight of Agrahayana. Mani is on retreat with
Thakur in Dakshineswar. Seated near Thakur, he is
listening to the narration of the life of Prahlada.
Rakhal, Latu, and Harish are in the room. Some
devotees are seated, while others are moving about.
Hazra is on the verandah.
Thakur goes into ecstasy while he listens to
Prahlada’s life. When Hiranyaksha was killed by
Narasimha,1 Brahma and the other gods saw his
frightful aspect and heard his mighty roar. Fearing
that such anger might lead to the dissolution of the
world,2 they sent Prahlada to him. Like a child,
Prahlada chanted a hymn of praise to the deity
who, filled with love for devotees, licked Prahlada’s
body affectionately. With deep emotion, Thakur
exclaims, “Ah, ah! What love for the devotee!” As he
1. Vishnu in His incarnation as man-lion.

2. Pralaya.
54 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section VII
says this, he goes into bhava samadhi. His body is

motionless, and tears of intense love fall from the
corners of his eyes.
When Sri Ramakrishna’s ecstasy is over, he goes
to his smaller cot and sits there. Mani sits on the
floor at his feet. Thakur talks with Mani,
expressing his anger and disgust for those treading
the path of God while at the same time cohabiting
with their wives.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Are you not ashamed of
yourself! You have children and you still cohabit
with your wife. This is the conduct of an animal!
Have you no aversion to saliva, blood, excreta,
urine? Whoever contemplates the lotus feet of God
sees even the most beautiful woman as ash from a
cremation fire. To enjoy a body which will not last
and which contains all kinds of impurities – worms,
pus, phlegm and so on! Don’t you feel ashamed of
yourself?”
Thakur is intoxicated with love for God – worship of

Mother Kali
M. sits still, hanging his head from the harsh
rebuke. Sri Ramakrishna adds, “When a person
gets even a drop of God’s ecstatic love, ‘lust and
greed’ become so insignificant! When you get a
drink sweetened with sugar candy, how can you
care for one mixed with molasses? When you pray
to God with a yearning heart, when you chant His
name and glories incessantly, you gradually
develop that kind of love for Him.”
Saying this, Thakur is intoxicated with ecstatic
love and dances around in his room, singing:
15 – 19 December 1883 55
Who is chanting the name of Hari on the bank of the

Ganges?
Is it Nitai, the bestower of love, who has come?
Who but he can bring peace to the soul?
It is now about ten o’clock. Ramlal has ended
the daily worship of Mother Kali in the temple.
Thakur goes to the temple, accompanied by Mani.
Entering the shrine, Thakur sits on the worshiper’s
seat. He offers a flower or two at the feet of the
Mother, and placing a flower on his head, he
meditates. Then he sings a hymn of praise to the
Divine Mother:
I have heard, O Consort of Shiva, Your fear-dispelling
name and have laid on You my burden. Save me as You
will.1
Returning from the temple, Thakur sits on the
southeast verandah of his room. It is about ten
o’clock. The offering of food to the deities and their
worship has not yet been performed. Thakur takes
some butter and fruits which had been offered
earlier to Mother Kali and Radhakanta. Rakhal
and other devotees also have some.
Rakhal is sitting near Thakur. He is reading
Smile’s Self Help, about Lord Erskine.
Work without expectation of any reward – a man of

knowledge reads no scriptures
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “What does he say?”
M.: “That Lord Erskine used to perform his
duties without the expectation of any reward. The
book is about selfless work.”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume III, Section IV, Chapter II.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Then it is very good. But the

mark of a man of perfect knowledge is that he
doesn’t keep a single book with him. For instance,
Sukadeva. All knowledge was on the tip of his
tongue.
“Holy books, scriptures, contain sand mixed
with sugar. A holy man takes only the sugar,
leaving the sand. A holy man takes only the
essence.”
Is Thakur alluding to his own state by referring to
Sukadeva to make the devotees understand?
Vaishnavcharan, the singer, arrives and sings
the kirtan, “Subol Milan.”
After a while Ramlal brings prasad for Thakur
on a tray. After eating it, Thakur rests for some
time.
M. spends the night in the nahabat. Whenever
the Holy Mother came to Dakshineswar to serve Sri
Ramakrishna, she would stay there. For many
months now she has been living in Kamarpukur.
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna with Rakhal, Latu, Mukherji of Janai,

and other devotees
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the western circular

verandah with Mani. In front of them the Ganges is
flowing southward. Close by are flowering oleander,
bela, jasmine, rose, and poinciana. It is about ten
o’clock.
It is Sunday, 16 December 1883, the second day of the

dark fortnight of Agrahayana.
15 – 19 December 1883 57
Thakur sings as he gazes at Mani:

O Mother Tara! You will have to take me across for I have
taken refuge in You.
I am like a bird in a cage.
I have committed wrongdoings beyond number.
I am bereft of spiritual knowledge, and like a cow that has
lost its calf,
I wander to and fro, drowning in maya’s spell.
Earnest longing like Sita’s – thoughts on Rama

“But why? Why should I be like a bird in a cage?
For shame!”
While talking, Thakur goes into ecstasy, his
body and mind still, his eyes shedding tears. After
some time, he prays, “Mother! Make me like Sita.
Grant that I may absolutely forget everything –
body, organ of generation, hands, feet, and breasts
– may I not be aware of any of these. My only
thought should be: Where is Rama?”
Is Thakur inspired with Sita to make Mani realize
how much yearning is needed to attain God? Sita was
mad for Rama. She lived for him and centered all her
thoughts on him. She had forgotten and was oblivious
of the body, which is so dear to everyone.
It is four o’clock. Sri Ramakrishna is again sitting in

the room with the devotees. Mukherji of Janai has
come. He belongs to the same gotra (sub-caste) as that
of Prankrishna. With him is a Brahmo friend well
versed in the scriptures. Mani, Rakhal, Latu, Harish,
Jogin, and other devotees are also present.
Jogin1 is a member of the Savaran Choudhury family

of Dakshineswar. Almost every afternoon he comes to
visit Thakur and goes home at night. Jogin has not
yet married.
Mukherji (after saluting Sri Ramakrishna): “It
is a great joy to meet you.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “God is present within
everyone; all have the same gold within. It is only
that with some there is a greater manifestation; in
the worldly-minded the gold lies buried under so
much dirt.”
Mukherji (laughing): “Sir, what is the difference
between worldly and otherworldly?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “While practicing spiritual
disciplines, one must renounce, saying to oneself,
‘Not this. Not this.’ After attaining God, one
realizes that God Himself has become everything.
“When Ramachandra felt dispassion for the
world, Dasharatha approached Rishi Vasishtha
Deva in great anxiety and asked for his help in
dissuading Rama from renouncing family life. Rishi
Vasishtha went to Ramachandra and found him in
a sad mood, feeling deep dispassion for the world.
Vasishtha said, ‘Rama, why do you want to
renounce worldly life? Is the world outside God?
Let’s discuss this.’ Rama then saw that the world
was also made of the same Supreme Brahman. So
he kept quiet.
“Butter comes out of the same substance that
makes buttermilk. It belongs to the substance to
which buttermilk belongs, as buttermilk belongs to
1. Later Swami Yogananda.

15 – 19 December 1883 59
the substance to which butter belongs. When you

have churned buttermilk assiduously to take out
the butter (that is, attained Brahmajnana), you see
that both butter and buttermilk exist together –
where there is butter, there is also buttermilk. As
long as one feels that Brahman exists, then living
beings, the world, and the twenty-four cosmic
principles also exist.”
How to attain knowledge of Brahman

“One cannot tell what Brahman is from words.
Everything has become polluted through human
speech. No one has been able to say what Brahman
is. Thus It has not been polluted. I said this to
Vidyasagar. He was very pleased to hear it.
“The knowledge of Brahman cannot be attained
when there is the least trace of worldliness. It is
only possible when the mind is completely rid of
‘lust and greed.’ Parvati said to Giriraj, ‘Father, if
you want the knowledge of Brahman, seek the
company of holy men.’”
Is Thakur saying that the knowledge of Brahman is
not possible if a worldly person or a sannyasin lives
amidst ‘lust and greed’?
Fall from yoga – living in the world after attaining

knowledge of Brahman
Sri Ramakrishna, addressing Mukherji,
continues: “You have wealth and riches. Even then
you call on God. This is very good. The Gita says
that the one who falls from yoga is reborn as a
devotee in a rich family.”
Mukherji (laughing, to his friend): “One fallen

from yoga is reborn in the house of the
prosperous.”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “If God wills, He can keep a
man of spiritual knowledge in the world. The world
and all living beings have come into existence at
His will. His will prevails.”
Mukherji (laughing): “Why does He will? Does
He lack anything?”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “What’s the harm
in it? Water remains water whether it is still or in
waves.”
Are the world and its living beings illusory?

“It is the same snake, whether it is coiled up and
motionless or slithering along in an undulating
manner.
“A gentleman remains the same individual
whether he is working or sitting still.
“How can you leave out the world and the living
beings? If you do that, it loses its full weight. A bel
fruit weighs much less when its skin is peeled off
and its seeds taken out.
“Brahman is free from attachment to anything.
Air carries both good and bad smells, but it remains
unaffected. Brahman and His Power are not
separate from each other. The world and its
creatures have been created by the same Primal
Power.”
1. Bhagavad Gita 6:41.

15 – 19 December 1883 61
The way to attain samadhi: weep for God – path of love

and path of meditation
Mukherji: “Why does one fall from yoga?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “There is a saying, ‘When I
was in my mother’s womb, I was in union with God.
Coming into the world, I have eaten its dirt. The
midwife has cut the umbilical cord, but how am I to
cut the cord of maya?
“‘Lust and greed’ is maya. One attains union
with God when the mind is rid of these two. The
Atman, the Supreme Soul, is the magnet. The
embodied soul is like a needle. When the former
pulls the latter, it results in union. But if the needle
is covered with dirt, the magnet can’t pull it. When,
however, the dirt is removed, it is drawn again. You
have to clean yourself of the dirt of ‘lust and greed.’”
Mukherji: “How can we do this?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Weep for God with a longing
heart. The water of your tears will wash off the
dirt. And then the magnet can pull it. Only then
will you attain union with God.”
Mukherji: “Oh, wonderful!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “When you can weep for God,
He grants His vision. And you attain samadhi.
Perfection in yoga is samadhi. When you weep,
suspension of breath1 occurs by itself. Samadhi
comes after that.
“And then there is the practice of meditation.
Shiva manifests especially in the Sahasrara.
1. Kumbhaka.
Meditate on Him. The body is like a saucer, and the

mind and intellect are like water. In this water, the
sun of Sat-chit-ananda is reflected. By meditating
on that reflected sun, one has the revelation of the
real sun through God’s grace.”
Associate with holy men and give the power of

attorney to God
“People living in the world need the constant
company of the holy. It is necessary for everyone.
Even a sannyasin must associate with holy men.
But with householders the disease is chronic. They
have to live amidst ‘lust and greed’ all the time.”
Mukherji: “Yes, sir. Their disease is chronic.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Give your power of attorney
to God. Let Him do what He likes. You just cry to
Him longingly, like a kitten. Wherever a mother cat
places her kitten is all right. Sometimes she places
it on a bed, sometimes she takes it to the kitchen.”
A beginner studies the scriptures – spiritual practice

leads to realization of God
Mukherji: “It is good to read the Gita and such
holy books.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “How will it help to just read,
or listen to holy books? Someone may have heard of
milk, someone else have seen it, another may have
drunk it. You can have the vision of God, you can
even talk to Him.
“The first stage is that of a beginner. He studies
and listens to the reading of scriptures. The next is
that of the aspirant who calls on God, who
meditates and thinks about Him and sings His
15 – 19 December 1883 63
Name and glories. Next, one becomes perfected1

and knows God intuitively.2 In the last stage one
attains God’s vision and becomes the most perfect
of the perfected.3 This was the state of Chaitanya
Deva. He was at times in the attitude of a mother
toward her child4 and at other times that of a
beloved.”5
In amazement Mani, Rakhal, Jogin, Latu, and other
devotees listen to this talk on the highest truth, rarely
heard even by gods.
Now Mukherji and his friends take their leave.
They salute and then stand up. Thakur also stands
up out of respect for them.
Mukherji (smiling): “Why should you have to
stand up or sit?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What is the harm?
Water is water whether it is still or moving. A leaf
plate thrown away is carried wherever a wind
storm carries it. I am the instrument, God is the
operator.”
1. Siddha.
2. Bodhebodha.
3. Siddha of siddhas.
4. Vatsalya.
5. Madhura.
Chapter III
Sri Ramakrishna’s realization and the inner meaning

of Vedanta – non-dualism and qualified non-dualism1 –
is the world an illusion? – identity of the
Undifferentiated and the differentiated
Mukherji from Janai has left. Mani is reflecting that

according to the philosophy of Vedanta everything is
like a dream. Would it be true, then, that the
embodied soul, the world, and oneself are illusory?
Mani has studied the Vedanta, and he has also read a

little Hegel and other German scholars which are an
indistinct echo of Vedanta. But Sri Ramakrishna does
not reason like feeble human beings. The Mother of
the Universe has revealed2 everything to him. Mani
thinks about this.
A little later Sri Ramakrishna talks to him alone on

the western circular verandah. Before them the
Ganges is flowing south with a gurgling sound. It is
cold. The sun is still visible in the southeastern sky.
He whose life is full of the Veda, whose words are the
Vedas, he through whom God speaks, whose sweet
words inspire the hearer to internalize the true import
of the Veda, the Vedanta and the Bhagavata, this very
person, an ocean of motiveless grace, is speaking as
guru.
Mani: “Is the world illusory?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why should it be an illusion?
What you are talking about is only a matter of
philosophical reasoning.
“In the very beginning when a person
discriminates ‘Not this, not this,’ it is perceived that
Brahman is not living beings, or the world, or the
1. Advaitavada and Vishishtadvaitavada.
2. Through transcendental perception, God-vision.
15 – 19 December 1883 65
twenty-four cosmic principles – that all these are

like a dream. Then comes reversal.1 That is, one
has gone up to the Absolute and now comes down to
the phenomenal universe. Then the perception is
that God Himself has become the universe and all
living beings.
“You climb to the roof by the stairs. As long as
you are conscious of the roof, you are aware of the
stairs. The person who is aware of the high is also
aware of the low.
“But after you have climbed to the roof, you see
that the material of which the roof is made – bricks,
lime, and brickdust – has also been used for making
the stairs.
“It is like the bel fruit illustration that I have
given.
“He to whom the Absolute (the Unchangeable)
belongs is the same as He to whom the phenomenal
(the ever-changing) universe belongs.
“‘I-ness’ simply does not go away. As long as
there is the awareness that ‘I am a pot (the body),’
there are the individual soul and the universe.
When one attains God, one realizes that God
1. Consciousness has an eternal pulsation, outward and inward.

Evolution is the outward movement of Consciousness, resulting in
the manifestation of the universe; involution is the reversal or
inward movement of Consciousness in which all names and forms
dissolve back into the unity of the Absolute. M. says in his Gospel of
Sri Ramakrishna, Part I: “You go backwards to the Supreme Being
and your personality becomes lost in His personality. You then
retrace your steps. You get back your ego (personality) and come
back to the point where you started, only to see that the world and
your ego or self were involved in the same Supreme Being.”
Himself has become the living beings and the

universe. Just reasoning about this is of no help at
all.
“Shiva has both states of mind. When immersed
in samadhi, in mahayoga, he is absorbed in the joy
of the Self.1 When he comes down from this state,
he retains a little ‘I-ness.’ Then he dances,
chanting, ‘Rama, Rama.’”
Is Thakur alluding to his own state by describing the
state of Shiva?
It is dusk. Thakur chants the names of the Mother of

the Universe and meditates on Her. The devotees also
go to solitary places to meditate on their ideals.
Vesper services begin and arati is performed in
Mother Kali’s Temple, in Sri Radhakanta’s temple,
and in the twelve temples of Shiva.
Today is the second day of the dark fortnight. The

moon appears at nightfall. Under its light, the temple
spires, the surrounding trees and creepers, and the
Ganges to the west of the temple gain a wonderous
beauty. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room. Mani
is sitting on the floor. Thakur again discusses the
question which Mani had raised earlier.
Visions of Consciousness everywhere – the treasurer

writes a letter to Mathur
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Why should the
world be an illusion? These words are only a matter
of reasoning. After realizing God, you realize that
He Himself has become the universe and its living
beings.
1. Atmarama.
15 – 19 December 1883 67
“The Divine Mother showed me in the Kali

Temple that it is She who has become everything.
She showed me that everything is filled with divine
consciousness – the image, the altar, the water
vessels,1 the door frame, the marble floor – all was
divine consciousness.
“Whatever I saw in the room was filled with the
essence2 – the essence of Sat-chit-ananda.
“I saw a wicked man in front of the Kali Temple.
But even within him I saw the splendour of Her
Power.
“That is why I fed a cat luchis3 that was to be
offered to the Divine Mother. I saw that She had
become everything – even the cat. The treasurer
wrote a letter to Mathur Babu to tell him that the
priest4 was feeding a cat with the food to be offered
to the deity. Mathur Babu knew the state I was in.
He replied, ‘Let him do what he likes. Say nothing
to him.’
“When you have attained God, you see correctly
that He Himself has become the universe, living
beings, and the twenty-four cosmic principles.
“But what happens when God completely wipes
out ‘I-consciousness’ cannot be described in words.
As Ramprasad says in one of his songs, “Only You
know whether You are good or I am good.” I
sometimes get in this state too.
1. Kosha and kushi.

2. Rasa.
3. Fried bread.
4. Bhattacharya.
“When you reason, you see it one way. But

when God reveals it to you, you see it in quite a
different way.”
Chapter IV
The goal of life is God-realization – the way is intense

love
The next day is Monday; it is eight o’clock. Thakur is

seated in his room. Rakhal, Latu, and other devotees
are also there. Doctor Madhu has arrived. He is
sitting close to Thakur on his small cot. Doctor Madhu
is a wise old man. He often comes to see Thakur when
he is not feeling well. He is a very witty man.
Mani enters the room, salutes, and takes his
seat.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Love of Sat-chit-
ananda is the main thing.”
Thakur’s vision of Sita – Gauri Pundit’s comments

“What is the intensity of this love? How can you
develop love for God? Gauri used to say, ‘To
understand Rama, you have to be like Sita. To
understand Bhagavan, you have to be like
Bhagavati (the Divine Mother). You will have to
practice austerities – hard austerities – the way
Bhagavati did for Shiva. To know Purusha (the
Supreme Lord), you have to assume the attitude of
Prakriti – the attitude of a friend, of a handmaid, or
of a mother.’
“I had a vision of Sita. I saw that her whole
mind was given to Rama. She was oblivious to
anything else – body, hands, feet, clothes, jewelry,
15 – 19 December 1883 69
and so on. Her entire life was filled with thoughts of

Rama. Without Rama, without having him, she felt
she could not survive.”
Mani: “Yes, sir. Like a mad woman.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Lovelorn! Oh, you have to be
mad for God to attain Him!
“This does not happen if the mind dwells on ‘lust
and greed.’ What joy is there in intercourse with a
woman? One feels ten million times that joy from a
vision of God. Gauri used to say that in ecstatic love
for God all the pores of the skin on the body become
mahayoni, the great sexual organ. One feels the joy
of union with the Atman in every pore.”
The Guru must be a perfect jnani

Sri Ramakrishna: “You must call on God with
great yearning. You can hear from the lips of the
guru how God can be realized.
“But only when the guru himself is a perfect
man of knowledge can he show the way.
“Desires disappear when you attain perfect
knowledge. You become like a child five years old.
Both Dattatreya and Jadabharata had the nature
of a child.”
Mani: “Yes, I know about them. But there have
also been so many others.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A man of knowledge is freed
from all desires. Whatever little desire remains can
do him no harm. When a sword touches the
philosopher’s stone, it turns into gold. Then it can’t
kill anyone. In the same way, the desire and anger
of a man of knowledge are only superficial, they are

just in name. They can do no harm.”
Mani: “Sir, just as you say, a man of knowledge
is beyond the three gunas. He is not under the
control of any of them – sattva, rajas, or tamas.
These three are robbers.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You must assimilate this
truth.”
Mani: “It seems there are not many people of
perfect knowledge on earth, perhaps no more than
three or four.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why do you say that? You
see a number of sadhus and sannyasins in
monasteries in western India.”
Mani: “Sir, I can also become a sannyasin like
one of them.”
Hearing this, Sri Ramakrishna gazes fixedly at
Mani for a few moments.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “By renouncing
everything?”
Mani: “What can a person achieve without going
beyond maya? If one is not able to subdue maya,
what can mere sannyasa do?”
Everyone is silent for a few moments.
A devotee beyond the three gunas is like a child

Mani: “Sir, what is the love that is beyond the
three gunas?”1
1. Trigunatita bhakti.
15 – 19 December 1883 71
Sri Ramakrishna: “Having developed such

devotion for God that a devotee sees everything
permeated with divine consciousness: Krishna as
consciousness, His abode as consciousness, the
devotees as divine, everything permeated with
consciousness. Only a very few devotees attain such
love for God.”
Doctor Madhu (smiling): “It is the love beyond
the three gunas – that is, the devotee is not subject
to any of the gunas.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Yes. Like a child
five years old. He is not yet under the control of any
guna.”
After the midday meal, Sri Ramakrishna takes
a little rest. Manilal Mallick comes in, salutes him,
and takes his seat on the floor. Mani is also sitting
on the floor. Lying on the cot, Thakur exchanges a
few words with Mani Mallick every now and then.
Mani Mallick: “Did you go to see Keshab Sen?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes. How is he now?”
Mani Mallick: “A little better.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I found him to be very
rajasic. I had to wait a long time before I could see
him.”
Thakur now sits up on his bed and talks with
the devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna’s life story in his own words – he is

mad uttering, “Rama, Rama”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “I went mad
repeating the name of Rama. I used to roam around
with Ramlala, the deity the sannyasin gave me. I’d

give him a bath, feed him, and put him to bed.
Wherever I had to go, I would take him along. I was
mad, repeating, ‘Ramlala, Ramlala.’”
Chapter V
Sri Ramakrishna at the foot of vilwa tree and under

the panchavati
Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani near the vilwa

tree. It is about nine o’clock.
It is Wednesday, 19 December 1883, the fifth day of

the dark fortnight.
Under this same vilwa tree Thakur had practiced

spiritual disciplines – a very solitary spot. To its north
is the magazine and a wall. To the west willow trees
rustle like a soul indifferent to the world. Nearby
flows the Ganges. The panchavati can be seen to the
south. There are so many trees and plants that the
temples are barely visible.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “But nothing will
help without renouncing ‘lust and greed.’”
Mani: “But why? Rishi Vasishtha said to
Ramachandra, ‘Rama, you may renounce the world
if the world is outside God.’”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling a little): “That was
because Ravana had to be killed. It was for this
reason that Rama lived in the world and married.”
Mani stands, like a log of wood, speechless.
After saying this, Sri Ramakrishna goes toward
the panchavati to reach his room.
15 – 19 December 1883 73
Spiritual disciplines for formless God are very difficult

Sri Ramakrishna is talking with Mani at the
foot of the panchavati. It is about ten o’clock.
Mani: “Sir, isn’t it possible to practice disciplines
to attain the impersonal God?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why is it not possible? But it
is a very difficult path.1 The rishis of olden days
used to have the inner experience of God’s
existence2 by practicing a great many austerities.
They would feel the reality of Brahman. But how
hard was their labour? They would leave their huts
early in the morning, practice austerities
throughout the day, and return only at dusk. Then
they would have a small meal of fruits and roots.
“This kind of spiritual practice [on the formless]
is not possible until one is completely rid of
worldliness. The mind has to be completely free
from the sense of form, taste, smell, touch, and
sound. Only then is it purified. That pure mind is
the same as the pure Atman. It must be absolutely
free from ‘lust and greed.’
“Then one has quite a different experience: ‘God
indeed is the doer, I am a non-doer.’ One no longer
thinks that without the ‘I’ one cannot carry on,
whether in happiness or sorrow.
“A wicked fellow beat a sadhu of a monastery
into unconsciousness. When he regained con-
1. kleço 'dhikataras teñäm avyaktäsaktacetasäm |

avyaktä hi gatir duùkhaà dehavadbhir aväpyate || Bhagavad
Gita 12:5
2. Bodhebodha.
sciousness, he was asked who was offering him

milk. He replied, ‘He who beat me is now feeding
me.’”
Mani: “Yes, I know that story.”
Steady1 samadhi and sudden2 samadhi

Sri Ramakrishna: “No, it is not enough to just
know. You have to internalize what it means.
“Worldly thoughts prevent the mind from
entering into samadhi.
“One becomes steady in samadhi when one is
completely free of worldly thoughts. It is possible
for me to quit the body in steady samadhi, but I
still have a little desire to enjoy the love of God and
the company of devotees. So I keep my mind a little
on the body.
“And then there is sudden samadhi, when the
scattered mind is gathered suddenly. You under-
stand this, don’t you?”
Mani: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A scattered mind suddenly
becomes withdrawn. This samadhi does not last
long. Worldly thoughts intrude and end it. The yogi
breaks from his union with God.
“In the village [Kamarpukur] a mongoose was
living in a hole in the wall. As long as it was in the
hole it felt comfortable. Someone tied a brick to its
tail and it was forced to come out of its hole by the
pull of the brick. Every time it tried to go back into
1. Sthita.
2. Unmana.
15 – 19 December 1883 75
the hole for peace, it was pulled out by the pull of

the brick. Worldly thoughts divert the mind of the
yogi from meditation.
“A man of the world can sometimes experience
samadhi. A lotus opens at sunrise. But as soon as
the sun is covered by clouds, it closes its petals
again. Worldly thoughts are the clouds.”
Mani: “Can’t one develop both spiritual
knowledge and love for God through spiritual
disciplines?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “They can both be acquired
through love for God. You get both. When it is
needed, God Himself grants the knowledge of
Brahman. Having a high spiritual ideal, a single
receptacle can hold both knowledge and love of
God.”
Section VIII
Sri Ramakrishna in the Role of Guru

at the Dakshineswar Temple with
Devotees
Chapter I
Thakur in samadhi – his vision of God and state of a

paramahamsa
Sri Ramakrishna is seated with Rakhal, Latu, Mani,

Harish, and other devotees on the southeastern
verandah of his room. The time is about nine o’clock.
It is Sunday, 23 December 1883, the ninth day of the
dark fortnight of the lunar month of Agrahayana.
It is the tenth day of Mani’s stay with the guru.

Manomohan has come from Konnagar this
morning. He will meet with Thakur, rest for a
while, and then go to Calcutta. Hazra is sitting
close to Thakur. A Vaishnava from Nilkantha’s
region sings for him, beginning with a song of
Nilkantha.
He sings:
Like Krishna’s, the complexion of the handsome Sri
Gauranga, the dancing lover of God, is of golden hue.
This time he has incarnated in Nadia in a different guise,
hiding his old marks.
He has come to destroy the deep darkness of the Kaliyuga
and to manifest the joy of intense love in its surpassing
brilliance.
78 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section VIII
This time he has come with three desires1 and three

tastes.2 He has descended for the sake of all these.
The world is intoxicated by the touch of these three,
particularly the delightful nectar of intense love.
This time having exchanged the blue complexion of the
incarnate Krishna with Radha’s golden hue, you have
come.
You have ascended into mahabhava, and sattvic and
lesser bhavas have melted within you.
While you roam about wailing in the forest for a taste of
that sublime mood, the tide of that intensely longing love
floods your surroundings.
You, the new sannyasi seeking holy places, now go to
Nilachal and then to Kashi.
You distribute the abundance of God’s love without any
distinction of caste.
Says Dwija Nilkantha, How my mind longs to know when
my desire to sell3 myself at Gaur’s feet will be fulfilled.
The next song is about mental worship.4
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hazra): “This song about
mental worship sounded a bit peculiar to me.”
Hazra: “It is not for a spiritual aspirant – the
lamp of knowledge, the image of knowledge!”
Totapuri weeps in the panchavati – Padmalochan

weeps
Sri Ramakrishna: “The song felt a bit odd. “The
songs of older times are more genuine. I once sang
for Totapuri in the panchavati – ‘O man, get ready
1. Vanccha, wishes, desires, or longings to be pursued.

2. Asvadan, tastes in the sense of those things that are sweet or
desirable.
3. Surrender.
4. Manas puja
23 – 25 December 1883 79
for battle! Death has entered your house in battle

array.’
“And I sang another song – ‘O Mother, it is no
one else’s fault. I drown in the waters of the well
these very hands have dug.’
“The Naked One1 – such a jnani – did not
understand the meaning of the song. And yet it
brought him to tears.
“What good things were said in these songs – ‘O
man, meditate on Vishnu.2 Then you will be freed
from even the fear of the extremely terrible King of
Death.’3
“Padmalochan also wept to hear me sing a song
of Ramprasad. And you know what a great pundit
he was!”
God vision – one and many; unity in diversity – Sri

Ramakrishna and the philosophy of qualified non-
dualism4
After his midday meal, Thakur takes a little
rest. Mani is sitting on the floor. Thakur greatly
enjoys listening to the sanai5 being played at the
nahabat.
Later, Thakur explains to Mani that Brahman
Himself has become all living beings and the
phenomenal universe.
1. An epithet of Totapuri.
2. Narkantkari Srikanta.
3. Yama.
4. Vishishtadvaitavada.
5. A double-reed wind instrument similar to an oboe with a
somewhat strident, nasal sound.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “I heard someone

say that the name of God is not chanted at a certain
place. No sooner did he say it than I saw that God
Himself had become all living beings and the
phenomenal universe.1 It is like countless bubbles,
reflections, of water. And I saw that they were like
innumerable pills.
“One time when I was going to Burdwan from
Kamarpukur, I ran toward a field to see how the
creatures in it lived and ate. When I got there, I
saw ants crawling on the ground. It seemed that
every place was imbued with Consciousness.”
Hazra now enters the room and sits on the floor.
Sri Ramakrishna: “I also saw flowers with
different kinds of petals. Some were small, and
others were large images.”
While talking of these divine visions, Thakur
enters into an ecstatic state. He says, “I have
become! I have come!”
Saying this, he becomes absorbed in samadhi.
He is absolutely motionless. After a long time, he
regains a little consciousness of the outer world.
He begins to laugh like a child. He paces the room,
laughing.
1. sarvabhütastham ätmänaà sarvabhütäni cätmani |

ékñate yogayuktätmä sarvatra samadarçanaù || Bhagavad Gita 6:29 (The
Self in all beings and all beings in the Self).
23 – 25 December 1883 81
One attains the state of a paramahamsa when one is

rid of grief and desire – Thakur’s description of a
paramahamsa under the banyan tree whom he saw
while practicing spiritual disciplines
Thakur’s eyes emanate a luminosity of joy after
a wonderful vision. A smile plays on his face. His
gaze is unfixed.
Pacing up and down, he speaks: “I saw a
paramahamsa under the banyan tree. He was
walking and smiling in the same way. Has my
nature become like his?”
Having paced the room, Thakur goes to the
smaller cot and sits down. He talks to the Mother of
the Universe, saying, “Well, I don’t want to know.
Mother, may I only have pure love for Your lotus
feet.”
(To Mani) “This stage is attained only when one
is freed from grief and desires.”
Next he speaks to the Divine Mother, “Mother,
You have taken away my worship. Please do not
take away all my desires. Mother, a paramahamsa
is a child. Doesn’t a child need a Mother? You are
the Mother and I am Your son. How can a child live
without his mother?”
Thakur talks to the Divine Mother in a tone of
voice so touching it could melt even a stone. He
says to the Her, “Mother, merely the knowledge of
non-dualism – I spit on that. As long as there is the
feeling of ‘I,’ there is ‘You’ too. A paramahamsa is a
child. Doesn’t a child need its mother?”
Mani gazes in speechless wonder at this state of
Thakur, which is rare even among the gods. He says
to himself, Thakur is an ocean of motiveless grace. It

is for my faith, for awakening my own consciousness,
and for teaching humanity that he has assumed the
role of a guru and taken this state of a paramahamsa.
Mani reflects further. Thakur says, “Non-dualism,

Consciousness, and Eternal Bliss.”1 That it is only
after attaining the knowledge of the non-dual Reality
that Consciousness is awakened. And only then does
one enjoy Eternal Bliss. Thakur not only has the
knowledge of the non-dual Reality, but he is ever-
blissful. He is ever immersed in the joy of intense love
for the Mother of the Universe; he is ever intoxicated!
Observing Thakur in this state, suddenly Hazra
folds his hands and now and then says, “Blessed.
Blessed.”
Sri Ramakrishna says to Hazra, “But where is
your faith? You are here only like Jatila and
Kutila2 who served to develop the play.”
It is late afternoon. Mani is strolling alone in the
temple garden reflecting on Sri Ramakrishna’s
wonderful state of mind. He asks himself, Why did
Thakur say that you attain this state only after
getting rid of sorrow and desires? Who is this Thakur
in the role of a guru? Or is he the advent of God
Himself appearing in human form for our sake?
Thakur says that one cannot come down from jada
samadhi3 unless one is an Ishvarakoti or a divine
incarnation.
1. Advaita, Chaitanya, and Nityananda.

2. Troublemakers in the Radha-Krishna story.
3. Nirvikalpa samadhi, complete absorption, so that all sense of
duality is obliterated.
23 – 25 December 1883 83
Chapter II
Secret talk
Ähus tväm åñayaù sarve devarñir näradas tathä |
asito devalo vyäsaù svayaà caiva bravéñi me ||
[All the rishis have thus acclaimed You, as also

the Deva Rishi Narada, so also Asita, Devala, and
Vyasa, and now you yourself say so to me.]
– Bhagavad Gita: 10:13
The next day Sri Ramakrishna talks alone with Mani

in the Jhautala. It is about eight o’clock, Monday, 24
December 1883, the tenth lunar day of the dark
fortnight. It is the eleventh day of M.’s stay with Sri
Ramakrishna.1
It is winter. The sun has just appeared in the eastern

sky. West of the Jhautala the Ganges is flowing north.
There has just been a flood tide. There are trees and
creepers all around. Not far away one can see the
vilwa tree under which Thakur had practiced spiritual
disciplines. Thakur is speaking now, facing the east.
Mani faces north and listens to him in all humility. To
the right of Thakur is the panchavati and Hanspukur.
The winter sunrise spreads like a smile over the
world. Thakur talks about the knowledge of Brahman.
Totapuri’s instructions to Thakur about the knowledge

of Brahman
Sri Ramakrishna: “God with form is as true as
the formless God.
“The Naked One used to instruct me about Sat-
chit-ananda Brahman. He would say that It is like
1. Prabhu, master.
an infinite ocean, with water above, below, right,

and left, water everywhere – the cause, water. The
water is still. There are waves when it is acting.
Creation, preservation, and dissolution are its
waves.
“And he would say that Brahman is where all
reasoning ends. It is like camphor, which leaves no
residue after it is burnt.
“Brahman is beyond speech and mind. A salt
doll went to fathom the ocean. It never returned to
tell its depth. It dissolved into the ocean itself.
“The rishis said to Rama, ‘Rama, Bharadvaja
and other rishis speak of you as an incarnation of
God. But we don’t say that. We worship the Shabda
Brahman.1 We don’t want a human form of God.’
Rama smiled, accepted their adoration, and left.”
The Absolute and the phenomenal world are both true

“But the Absolute and the phenomenal belong to
the same reality. As I said earlier a roof and the
steps to it are made of the same material. There is
divine sport as God, as gods, as human beings, and
as the world. God-incarnate is His sport as a
human being. You know, the sport as a human
being is like water accumulated on a big roof
rushing down through a drain pipe. It is the power
of Sat-chit-ananda that takes its course through the
pipe. Only twelve rishis, Bharadvaja and others,
recognized Ramachandra as an avatar and declared
him so. Not everyone can recognize a divine
incarnation.”
1. Sound Brahman, referring to Om, the Impersonal.

23 – 25 December 1883 85
Is Sri Ramakrishna an incarnation of God? – life of

Thakur from his own lips – Kshudiram’s dream in Gaya
– his worship by Hriday’s mother – Mathur’s vision of
God within Thakur – possessed by Sri Gauranga in
Phului Shyambazaar
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “God incarnates as
a human being to teach knowledge and love of God.
Well, how do you feel about me?
“My father went to Gaya. Raghuvir appeared to
him in a dream and said, ‘I shall be born as your
son.’ Seeing him in his dream, my father said to
Him, ‘Lord, I am a poor brahmin! How shall I be
able to serve you?’ Raghuvir replied, ‘It will be
taken care of.’
“My sister, Hriday’s mother, used to worship my
feet with flowers and sandal-paste. One day,
touching my feet to her head, I (the Divine Mother
in me) said to her, ‘You will quit your body in
Kashi.’
“Mathur said, ‘Father, there is nothing but God
within you. Your body is like an empty shell, like
the form of a pumpkin outside but with no pulp or
seeds inside. Once I saw you as someone walking
and wearing a veil.’
“I am shown everything beforehand. Once,
under the banyan tree (at the panchavati), I saw a
party of singers with Chaitanya. I think I saw
Balaram in it, and also you.
“I wanted to know Chaitanya’s states of mind
and was shown them at Shyambazaar. There were
men on trees, on walls, people surrounding me day
and night. For seven days I had no time even to
answer the call of nature. So I said to the Divine

Mother, ‘Mother, I have had enough!’ So it is all
over now.
“I shall have to incarnate again. That is why I
don’t give full knowledge to my intimate disciples.
(Smiling) Were I to give you complete knowledge,
would you come to me so readily again?
“I recognized you1 when I heard you read the
Chaitanya Bhagavata. You are my own – the same
substance, like father and son. All of you who come
here are like a bunch of kalmi creeper. Pull one
part and it all comes. You’re related to each other
like brothers. Suppose Rakhal, Harish, and others
have gone to Jagannath Puri. If you also go there,
will you live separately?
“You were in a state of forgetfulness until you
came here. Now you will be able to know yourself.
God comes down as guru to make you know
yourself.”
Totapuri’s instructions – God in the form of the guru

makes one realize one’s Self
“The Naked One told me the tale of the tiger
and the goats. A tigress attacked a herd of goats.
Seeing it from a distance, a hunter killed the
tigress. She was pregnant, so a cub was born. That
cub began to grow up in the midst of goats. At first
it nursed on goat’s milk. When it grew up a little, it
began eating grass, and it began to bleat like the
goats. In due course, it grew into a big tiger, but it
1. Referring to M.
23 – 25 December 1883 87
still ate grass and bleated. If any animal attacked,

it would run away like the goats.
“One day a fierce tiger attacked the herd of
goats. It was amazed to see a tiger in the herd,
eating grass and running away with the goats. He
caught hold of the grass-eating tiger, which began
to bleat and tried to run away. The wild tiger
dragged it to the edge of a pond and said, ‘Look at
your face in the water. See, your face is just like
mine, pot-faced.’ Saying this, he thrust some flesh
into its mouth. At first the grass-eating tiger
absolutely refused to eat it. But after a while,
getting its taste, it began to eat. The wild tiger said
to it, ‘You were living with goats and eating grass
like a goat! Shame on you!’ The grass-eating tiger
felt very ashamed.
“Eating grass – that is, living in the midst of
‘lust and greed’ – bleating like a goat, and running
away is the conduct of ordinary human beings. To
go away with the tiger means to take refuge in the
guru, who awakens spiritual consciousness, and to
know that he alone is one’s own, one’s near and
dear one. To see one’s true face means to recognize
one’s own real Self.”
Thakur stands up. There is silence all around.
Only the rustling of wind in the pine trees and the
murmuring of the Ganges are heard. He passes the
railing and begins walking with Mani through the
panchavati to his room, talking with him all the
while. Mani accompanies him. enchanted as though
by a magic spell.
Sri Ramakrishna bows down at the panchavati
Reaching the panchavati, he stands under the foot of

the banyan tree where a big branch had fallen off.
Facing east, he bows to the brick platform and touches
it with his forehead. This is the place where he had
practiced spiritual disciplines and had wept so with a
yearning heart for the Divine Mother, where he had
had so many visions of the forms of God and
conversations with the Divine Mother. Is it for this
reason that whenever Thakur comes to this spot, he
offers salutations?
After his visit to the bakultala, he comes near
the nahabat. Mani is with him.
Nearing the nahabat, he sees Hazra and says to
him, “Don’t overeat. And give up your worry about
purity and impurity. People who worry excessively
about such things do not attain spiritual
knowledge. Only observe the prescribed rituals that
are necessary. Don’t overdo it.” Then Thakur goes
into his room.
Chapter III
Rakhal, Ram, Surendra, Latu, and other devotees with

Sri Ramakrishna
Thakur is resting after his meal. Today is 24

December and the Christmas holidays have started.
Surendra, Ram, and other devotees are arriving from
Calcutta.
It is about one o’clock. Mani is strolling around
the jhautala alone. Standing near its railing,
Harish calls out to Mani, “Thakur wants you. There
is going to be a reading from the Shiva Samhita.” It
contains instructions on yoga and the six centres.
23 – 25 December 1883 89
Mani enters Thakur’s room, salutes him, and

takes a seat. Thakur is sitting on his cot; the
devotees are on the floor. But there is no reading of
the Shiva Samhita. Instead Thakur himself speaks
to them.
Ecstatic love of God1 and sport at Vrindavan – God-

incarnate and His activity as a human being2
Sri Ramakrishna: “The gopis had intense love
for Krishna. There are two aspects of ecstatic love:
‘I-ness’3 and ‘my-ness.’4 ‘If I don’t serve Krishna, he
will become sick’ – this is I-ness. There is no feeling
of God in this attitude.
“My-ness – that is feeling ‘my and mine.’ The
gopis had such a feeling of my-ness for Sri Krishna
that, lest his soles should get hurt, they laid their
subtle bodies under his feet.
“Yashoda said, ‘I don’t know your Chintamani5
Krishna. I only have my Gopala.’6 And the gopis
said, ‘Where is my sweetheart, my Beloved?’ They
also did not have the feeling of his being God.
“We see young boys saying, ‘My father.’ If
someone says to one of them, ‘No, he is not your
father,’ he would insist that he is indeed his father.
“An incarnation of God conducts himself just
like a human being. That is why it is very difficult
to recognize an incarnation. Born as a human
1. Prema bhakti.
2. Nara lila.
3. Ahamta.
4. Mamta.
5. Beloved God.
6. Baby Krishna.
being, He acts just like one – the same hunger and

thirst, the same disease and sorrow, even fear at
times, just like a human being. Ramachandra was
stricken with grief for Sita. Sri Krishna carried the
shoes and wooden stool of his father Nanda on his
head.
“When an actor plays the role of a holy man in
the theatre, he acts just like a holy man – and not
like the actor who takes the role of a king. He acts
as his role demands.
“A quick-change artist played the role of an all-
renouncing sadhu. Seeing him dressed that way, a
gentleman offered him a rupee. He didn’t accept it,
but left, saying, ‘No.’ After he had washed and
returned in his normal dress, he said, ‘Now let me
have the rupee.’ The gentleman said, ‘Only a while
ago you went away saying you wouldn’t take the
rupee. Now you are asking for it?’ The man said, ‘I
was playing the role of a sadhu. How could I accept
the rupee then?’
“It is the same with God. When He assumes the
form of a human being, He conducts Himself
exactly like a human being.
“When one visits Vrindavan, one can see so
many places associated with Krishna’s life.”
Instructions to Surendra – charity in service of

devotees and telling the truth
Surendra: “I went there during the holidays.
Visitors are pestered constantly for money, ‘Please
give a pice. Please do.’ All the priests started
23 – 25 December 1883 91
asking. I said to them, ‘I’ll be leaving for Calcutta

tomorrow.’ But I fled the very same day.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why did you do that? For
shame! You said you would go the next day but ran
away the same day. Shame!”
Surendra (feeling ashamed): “Here and there I
saw babajis seated in the forest. They were
meditating and repeating the name of God in
solitude.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Did you offer anything to the
babajis?”
Surendra: “No, Sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That was not right. Some-
thing should be offered to sadhus and devotees.
Those who have money should offer something
when they come across such persons.”
Life of Thakur from his own holy lips – visit to

Vrindavan in 1868 with Mathur
“I went to Vrindavan with Mathur Babu.
“As soon as I got to the Dhruva ghat in
Mathura, I suddenly had a vision. I saw Vasudeva
crossing the Jamuna with Krishna in his arms.
“And one evening I was strolling on the bank of
the Jamuna. There were little huts on the beach.
There were also big jujube trees. At dusk the cows
started returning from pasture. I saw them
crossing the Jamuna. They were followed by a
number of cowherd boys.
“No sooner did I see them than I shouted,

‘Where are you Krishna?’ and I became
unconscious.
“I wanted to visit the Shyamkunda and
Radhakunda. I was sent in a palanquin. It was a
long way. They put some luchis and jilipis in the
palanquin. While crossing the meadow, I wept and
said, ‘O Krishna! All these places are here, but you
are not! It is the same field where you used to graze
cows.’
“Hriday was following me on foot. Tears fell
from my eyes. I could not ask the palanquin men to
stop.
“I saw in Shyamkunda and Radhakunda that
the sadhus had built huts for themselves. Lest they
should be disturbed by the sight of anything, they
were practicing spiritual disciplines with their
backs to the outside. The twelve forests are worth
seeing.1
“I went into a deep spiritual mood when I saw
the image of Bankuvihari. I tried to touch Him. I
didn’t feel a desire to see Govindaji a second time.
In Mathura, I had seen Krishna as a cowherd boy
in a dream. Hriday and Mathur Babu had the same
dream.”
Surendra, a devotee of the Divine Mother – union with

God and enjoyment of sense objects2
1. There are twelve forests in the 1453-square-mile area surrounding

Vraja, the scene of Krishna’s play. Each is associated with a different
exploit, and each is a place of pilgrimage.
2. Yoga and bhoga.
23 – 25 December 1883 93
“You have both – striving for union with God

and desire for enjoyment.
“There are brahmarishis, devarishis, and
rajarishis. Sukadeva was a brahmarshi – he didn’t
keep one book with him. Narada was a devarishi,
Janaka a rajarishi – he performed work without
expectation of any reward.
“The devotee of the Divine Mother attains both
virtue and liberation1 and also enjoys wealth and
the fulfillment of legitimate desires.2
“One day I saw you in a vision as a son of the
Divine Mother.3 You have both the desire for God
and for enjoyment. If you didn’t have them, your
face would look dry.”
Sri Ramakrishna meets a devotee of the Divine Mother

at the bathing ghat – Nabin Niyogi’s desire for God and
desire for enjoyment
“A person who has renounced completely looks
dry. I met a devotee of the Divine Mother at the
bathing ghat. He was eating and at the same time
worshiping the Divine Mother. He was like a child
before his mother.
“But it’s not good to have too much money. Jadu
Mallick seems to be sunk in worldliness. You see,
he has now become very wealthy.
“As for Nabin Niyogi, he has both desire for God
and desire for enjoyment. At the time of Durga Puja
1. Dharma and moksha.

2. Artha and kama.
3. Deviputra.
both the father and the son were fanning the

Mother with a chamara.”1
Surendra: “Sir, why can’t I concentrate when I
meditate?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But you remember and think
of God, don’t you?”
Surendra: “Yes sir. I go to sleep repeating,
‘Mother, Mother.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That is very good. Remem-
brance and thinking of God are enough.”
Thakur has taken upon himself the responsibility of
Surendra. Why then should he worry?
Chapter IV
Sri Ramakrishna’s instruction on union with God –

Shiva Samhita
After dusk Thakur sits with his devotees. Mani is

seated on the floor with them. The topic of
conversation is yoga and the six centres of
consciousness. The Shiva Samhita deals with them.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ida, pingala, and sushumna.
All the lotuses are in the sushumna and are formed
of consciousness. Think of a tree made of wax. It
has branches, twigs, and fruit all made of wax. The
kundalini power resides in the bottom, four-
petalled muladhara lotus. The Primal Power dwells
in all bodies in the form of Kundalini. It is like a
sleeping snake coiled up. ‘You have been fast
asleep, coiled up in Your abode of muladhara.’
1. A fan made from the tail of a yak.

23 – 25 December 1883 95
(To Mani) “In the path of Bhakti Yoga, the

kundalini awakens rapidly. One cannot realize God
unless the kundalini wakes up. Sing with full
concentration, in solitude, without the knowledge of
others:
Waken, O Mother Kundalini! You are the very image of
Bliss Eternal.
You have been fast asleep, coiled up in Your abode of
muladhara.
“Ramprasad perfected himself by his songs. If
you can sing with a longing heart, you realize God.”
Mani: “Sir, by experiencing these only once, one
has no more distress of mind.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah! You no more have
distress. Yes indeed.
“I would like to tell you a few important things
about yoga.”
Everything indeed is done by the guru – spiritual

practice and spiritual perfection – Narendra born
spiritually perfect
“You know, a mother bird doesn’t peck the egg
till the chick inside has developed. She breaks it
open just at the right time.
“A little spiritual practice is necessary, however.
Everything is done by the guru, but in the end he
makes the disciple practice a little. When you fell a
big tree, you have to step away from it a little when
it is nearly cut through. Then it falls by itself with a
great crash.
“When a canal is cut from a river to bring water
to the fields, the farmer stands aside when the
canal is about to join the river and only a little

cutting remains. Then the earth itself gets soaked
and falls of itself, letting the water flow into the
canal.
“When you get rid of ego and limitations1 you
realize God. When you get over the feeling of being
a learned man, the son of a certain person, of being
wealthy, famous, and so on, you realize God.
“Only God is real, all else is ephemeral. The
world is transitory. This is called discrimination.
Without discrimination, the mind does not
assimilate spiritual instructions.
“By practicing spiritual disciplines, you attain
perfection by His grace. Of course some effort is
necessary, but it ultimately ends in realization of
God and attainment of bliss.
“A pot of gold lies buried at a certain place.
Hearing about it, a man quickly runs there and
starts digging. He continues to dig, sweating with
the effort. After digging a long time he hears a
sound ‘tan’ at the stroke of the spade. He throws
away the spade and looks for a vessel. Seeing the
pot, he dances with joy.
“Then he takes the pot out and turns it upside
down. Gold coins fall into his hand and he counts
them. It is such a joyful experience – seeing,
touching, enjoying! Isn’t that true?”
Mani: “It is, sir.”
Thakur is silent for a while and then he resumes
speaking.
1. Adjuncts.
23 – 25 December 1883 97
Who are my very own? – instruction about fasting on

ekadashi1
“Those who are my very own will come to me
even if I reprimand them.
“Ah, look what a fine nature Narendra has! In
the beginning, he used to say anything he liked
about Mother Kali. Getting irritated one day, I said
to him, ‘Rascal, don’t come here again!’ He went out
quietly and began to prepare a smoke. He who is
one’s own does not become annoyed even when
scolded. What do you say?”
Mani: “True, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Narendra is born perfect. He
has faith and single-minded devotion2 to the
formless God.”
Mani (laughing): “Whenever he comes, he
creates excitement.”
Thakur laughs, full of joy: “True, he does create
commotion.”
The next day is Tuesday, 25 December, the 11th day
of the dark fortnight. It is about eleven o’clock.
Thakur has not been served his meal yet. Mani,
Rakhal and other devotees are in his room.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “It is good to
observe the ekadashi. It purifies the mind a great
deal and develops love and devotion for God. Do you
think so?”
1 The eleventh day of the lunar month.

2. Nishtha.
Sri Ramakrishna: “But it’s all right to have milk

and puffed rice,1 don’t you think?”
1. Khil.
Section IX
At the Dakshineswar Temple with

Rakhal and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Sri Ramakrishna at the Dakshineswar temple with

Rakhal, Ram, Kedar, and other devotees – conversation
on brahmajnana with a Vedantist sadhu
Sri Ramakrishna is getting into a carriage to visit the

Kali temple at Kalighat. He will first stop at Adhar
Sen’s house, from where Adhar will accompany him. It
is Saturday, 29 December 1883, the new moon day.1 It
is about one o’clock.
The carriage is standing near the northern
verandah of Thakur’s room. Mani approaches the
door of the carriage.
Mani (to Sri Ramakrishna): “Sir, may I go with
you?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why?”
Mani: “I would like to visit my house in
Calcutta.”
Sri Ramakrishna (with concern): “Must you go?
You are all right here.”
Mani wants to go home for just a few hours, but
Thakur is not in favour of it.2
1. Amavasya.
2. M. has been staying with Thakur for two weeks, since 14
December, and intends to stay longer. Sri Ramakrishna is not in
favour of his breaking his retreat with a visit home.
100 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section IX
It is Sunday, 30th December, the first day of the

bright fortnight of the month of Pausha. The time is
about three o’clock.
While Mani is strolling alone under a tree, a
devotee comes and tells him that Thakur wants to
see him. Thakur is sitting with devotees in his
room. Mani salutes him and takes his seat on the
floor with the devotees.
Ram, Kedar, and others have come from
Calcutta. A Vedantist monk is with them. Thakur
had met him the day he went to see Ram’s garden.
The monk had been sitting alone on a cot under a
tree in the adjacent garden. Ram has now brought
him to see Thakur, at Thakur’s request. The monk
had also expressed a desire to see him.
Thakur talks happily with the monk. He has
made him sit close by, on the smaller cot. They are
speaking in Hindi.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What do you feel about all
this?”
Monk: “It is all like a dream.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Brahman is real and the
world unreal.1 Is that not so? Well, what is
Brahman like?”
Monk: “Sound itself is Brahman – the anahata
sound.”2
1 The reference is to Shankara’s dictum “Brahma satyam jagat
mithya….” According to Shankara, what is real (satyam) is eternal
and unchanging, and what is unreal or false is ephemeral and
changing (mithya).
2. Unstruck, a sound produced on its own without two objects being
struck together; Om as the first movement of Shiva-Shakti heard in
higher states of meditation.
29 December 1883 – 5 January 1884 101
Sri Ramakrishna: “But my dear, there is

something which is indicated by the sound. Isn’t
that so?”
Monk: “That itself is both the expresser and the
expressed.”1
Hearing this, Thakur goes into samadhi.
Motionless, he sits like a picture. The monk and
devotees witness this state in speechless wonder.
Kedar says to the sadhu, “Look, sir. This is called
samadhi.”
Thakur slowly returns to the conscious plane
and talks to the Mother of the Universe: “Mother, I
want to be normal. Please don’t make me
unconscious. I want to talk to the sadhu about Sat-
chit-ananda. Mother, I want to enjoy myself talking
about Sat-chit-ananda!”
The monk sits speechless watching and listening
to all this. Thakur says to him, “Now do away with
your ‘I am He’.2 Let us enjoy ‘I’ and ‘You.’”
Is Thakur saying that as long as there is the feeling of
‘I’ and ‘You,’ there is the Divine Mother as well, so
let’s come and enjoy ourselves with Her?
After some time, when the conversation ends,
Thakur strolls in the panchavati. With him are
Ram, Kedar, M., and some others.
1. väcyaväcakabhedena tvameva parameçvara: “O Supreme Lord,

You are distinguished as vachaka, the signifier, and vachya, the
object signified” – Adhyatma Ramayana.
2. So ‘ham.
Sri Ramakrishna instructs Kedar – renunciation of the

world
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What did you think
of the sadhu?”
Kedar: “He has dry knowledge. Just like a pot
that’s been put on the fire but no rice has been put
in it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s true, of course. But he
has renounced the world. Whoever has renounced
the world has progressed a good deal.
“He is in an earlier stage. All your achievements
are of no account unless they lead to the realization
of God. Nothing else is appealing when one is
intoxicated with ecstatic love. Then:
else intrude.
Leaving behind all passions, anger and such vices, come,
O mind, and let us behold her in solitude,
Taking with us only the tongue, that it may call on Her
now and then, repeating, “Mother, Mother!”
O mind, allow neither baseness nor enticement to draw
near, but let the eyes of knowledge, ever alert, keep
watch.
Kedar sings another song of the same mood as
that of Thakur:
O gopi friend! How can I open my heart to you? I am not
allowed to speak.
Without a kindred soul to share my grief, I am about to
die.
He who is one’s own can be known by the look in his eyes.
Such a one is rare who swims on the wave of ecstasy,

immersed in bliss.
Such a one can ride its crest.
Thakur has returned to his room. It is four
o’clock, and Mother Kali’s temple is open. He goes
there, taking the monk with him. Mani
accompanies them.
Entering the temple, Thakur prostrates before
the Divine Mother with full devotion. The monk
folds his hands, bows his head, and salutes the
Mother repeatedly.
Sri Ramakrishna: “My dear sir, what do you
think of the Mother?”
Monk (with devotion): “Kali is the supreme
power.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Kali and Brahman are
identical, are they not?”
Monk: “As long as the mind is outgoing one
must accept Kali. As long as the mind goes out, one
feels there is good and bad, and one has likes and
dislikes.
“Certainly names and forms are illusory, but as
long as the mind sees the outside world, one must
renounce ‘lust.’ One has to distinguish between
what is good and what is not in order to instruct
others in the beginning. Otherwise, there would be
corruption.”
Thakur returns to his room, talking with the
sadhu on the way.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Did you see the

sadhu bow before Kali?”
The next day, Monday, 31 December. The time is
about four o’clock. Thakur is seated in his room in the
company of devotees – Balaram, Mani, Rakhal, Latu,
Harish, and others.
Mere words of knowledge – Thakur rebukes Haladhari

Thakur says to Mani and Balaram:
“Haladhari had the attitude of a jnani. He
studied the Adhyatma Ramayana, the Upanishads,
and similar scriptures day and night. And he would
look with disdain when someone talked about the
forms of God. Once when I took a little food from
the leaf-plates of beggars, he said, ‘How will you be
able to get your sons married?’ I said, ‘What do you
mean, you rascal? Am I going to have children? To
hell with your study of the Gita and the Vedanta.’
“Just see, on the one hand he says that the
world is an illusion, and on the other, he meditates
in the Vishnu temple with nose turned up in
disgust!”1
It is dusk. Balaram and the other devotees have
left for Calcutta. Thakur is meditating on the
Divine Mother in his room. After some time, the
sweet sound of arati emanates from the temples.
It is about 8 p.m. Thakur is in an ecstatic mood
and talking to the Divine Mother in a sweet voice.
Mani is sitting on the floor.
1. He professes to be a Vedantist who has gone beyond duality, but

his behavior shows otherwise.
Sri Ramakrishna and Vedanta

Thakur is chanting the sweet sacred name,
“Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om.” He says to the
Divine Mother, “O Mother, don’t make me
unconscious with the knowledge of Brahman. I
don’t want knowledge of Brahman, Mother. I want
to enjoy myself! I want to be merry!”
Then he says, “I don’t know Vedanta, Mother.
And I don’t want to know it! Having attained You,
the Veda and the Vedanta remain so far below.”
“O Krishna! I say to you, ‘Eat this, take this, my
child.’ And I shall say, ‘Child, you have assumed a
human body for my sake.’”
Chapter II
Path of knowledge and discrimination – path of

devotion and knowledge of Brahman
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room. It is about 8

p.m., Wednesday, 2 January 1884, the fifth day of the
bright fortnight of Pausha. Rakhal and Mani are in
the room. It is the 21st day of Mani’s stay with Sri
Ramakrishna.
Thakur has forbidden Mani to reason.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Rakhal): “It is not good to
reason too much. First God, then the world. Attain
Him and then you will know about His world as
well.
(To Rakhal and Mani) “When you talk to Jadu
Mallick, you will know how many houses, how
many gardens, and how many government
securities he has.
“That is why the rishis asked Valmiki to repeat

the word mara. It has a special meaning. ‘Ma’
means God and ‘ra’ means the world – first God,
and then the world.”
The sacred word mara and Krishnakishore

“Krishnakishore said, ‘Mara is a sacred mantra
since rishis gave it. ‘Ma’ means God and ‘ra’ means
the world.’
“So, like Valmiki, in the beginning one should
call on God secretly, in a solitary place, weeping
with a mind full of yearning, renouncing everything
else. A vision of God is the first thing that is
necessary. Reasoning about the scriptures and the
world come after that.”
Thakur weeps while on the road – Mother, strike a

thunderbolt to my tendency to reason, 18681
(To Mani) “So I say to you, don’t reason any
more. I came from the pine grove just to say this to
you. Reasoning too much causes harm in the end –
ultimately you become a person like Hazra. I used
to walk around alone at night, weeping and saying,
‘Mother, strike my tendency to reason with a
thunderbolt!’”
“Say you won’t reason any more.”
Mani: “No, sir, I shall not.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Everything can be attained
by love for God alone. Those who want the
knowledge of Brahman will have it if they continue
on the path of love.
1. Referring to an incident that took place in 1868.

“Can there be any dearth of spiritual knowledge

if God grants His mercy? In Kamarpukur they
weigh paddy by pushing forward more paddy as
soon as the first heap is done. The Divine Mother
pushes forward heaps of spiritual knowledge.”
Padmalochan’s devotion to Thakur – Thakur’s prayer

in the panchavati during his days of spiritual practices
“When you have realized God, scholars and the
learned appear like mere straw. Padmalochan said,
‘What does it matter if I go with you to the meeting
in the fisherman’s house? With you I can even go
and eat at the house of a person who cremates the
dead.’1
“Everything can be achieved through love for
God. When you can love Him, you feel no lack of
anything at all. Karttika and Ganesha were sitting
beside Bhagavati (their mother). She was wearing a
necklace of jewels round her neck. The Mother said,
‘I will give this necklace to one who goes around the
universe first.’ Immediately, without losing a
second, Karttika set out on his peacock. Ganesha,
on the other hand, went slowly round his mother
and saluted Her. Ganesha knew that the Mother
contained the whole universe within Herself.
Pleased with Ganesha, She put the necklace around
his neck. After a long time Karttika returned and
saw his brother sitting there wearing the necklace.
“I wept and cried to the Divine Mother, ‘Mother,
please make me understand what the Vedas and
the Vedanta contain. Please tell me what is in the
1. Both fisherman and cremation men are low-caste Hindus.

Puranas and the Tantras.’ She made everything

known to me, one by one.
“She made everything known. She has shown
me so much!”
Thakur’s visions while practicing spiritual disciplines:

Shiva and Shakti, heaps of human skulls, guru the
pilot, the ocean of Sat-chit-ananda
“One day Shiva and Shakti were revealed to me
everywhere, the union of Shiva and Shakti.
Everything – human beings, birds and beasts,
plants and creepers, everything – had Shiva and
Shakti within! The union of Purusha and Prakriti!
“And one day I was shown a heap of human
heads as high as a mountain. There was nothing
else. I was seated alone in their midst.
“And another time I was shown a vast ocean. I
went to measure it as a salt doll. As soon as I tried,
through the grace of the guru, I became a stone. I
saw a ship. Immediately I boarded it. The guru was
the pilot. (To Mani) Do you call on Sat-chit-ananda,
who is the guru, every morning?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The guru was the pilot. I saw
then that ‘I’ was one thing and ‘you’ another. Then I
jumped into the ocean and became a fish. I saw that
I was swimming joyfully in the ocean of Sat-chit-
ananda.
“These are all very secret mysteries. How much
can you understand by reasoning? You achieve
everything when God Himself reveals them to you.
Then you lack nothing.”
Chapter III
Meditation under the bel tree during the days of

spiritual practice, 1859-61 – renunciation of “lust and
greed”
Sri Ramakrishna visits his birthplace – registration of

Raghuvir’s land, 1879-80
Thakur has been served his midday meal. It is about

one o’clock, Saturday, 5 January. It is the 23rd day of
Mani’s stay.
After eating, Mani is in the nahabat. He
suddenly hears someone call his name three times.
He comes out and sees Thakur calling him from the
long verandah north of his room. Mani goes to him
and salutes.
Thakur talks with Mani on the southern
verandah.
Sri Ramakrishna: “How do you meditate? I used
to have clear visions of different forms under the
bel tree. One day I saw silver coins, a shawl, a plate
full of sandesh, and two women. I asked my mind,
‘O mind! Do you want any of these?’ The sandesh
looked to me like excrement. One of the women had
a big nose ring. I could see both their insides and
outsides – guts, urine, faeces, flesh, bones, and
blood. My mind did not want any of these. It
remained attached to the lotus feet of God alone.
“Think of a scale, with its lower and upper
needles. The mind is the lower needle. I was always
in fear that my mind would move away from the
upper needle (God). But a person sat beside me
with a trident in his hand. He threatened to attack
me if the lower needle moved away from the upper

one.
“You cannot succeed unless you renounce ‘lust
and greed.’ I renounced three things: land, wife,
and money.1 I went to the village to get some land
registered in the name of Raghuvir. I was asked to
sign the deed. I did not. I didn’t think of the land as
mine. I was shown great respect as the guru of
Keshab Sen. I was given mangoes − but I couldn’t
take them home. A sannyasin must not hoard.
“How can one expect to realize God without
renouncing? If one thing is lying under another,
how can you reach it without removing the one on
top?
“One must call on God without expecting any
reward. But when one worships God with the
intention of fulfilling desires, it finally becomes
selfless. Dhruva practiced austerities to get a
kingdom, but he realized God. He said, ‘If one
comes across gold while picking up glass, why leave
it there?’”
Sri Ramakrishna and compassion, charitable acts –

Chaitanya Deva’s act of charity
“God can be realized only when one has acquired
sattva.
1. bhikñuaù sauvarëädénäà naiva parigrahet|

yasmäd bhikñurhiraëyaà rasena dåñöaà ca sa brahmähä bhavet|
yasmäd bhikñurhiraëyaà rasena spåñöaà ca sa paulkaso bhavet|
yasmäd bhikñurhiraëyaà rasena grähyaà ca sa ätmahä bhavet|
tasbhäd bhikñurhiraëyaà rasena na dåñöaà ca spåñöaà na
grähyaà ca| (paramahaàsopaniñat)
“Charitable acts of the worldly are generally

motivated. This is not good. One should act without
expectation of any reward − but it is very difficult to
work selflessly.
“If God reveals Himself to you face to face, will
you pray to Him to grant you a boon to build
reservoirs, roads, bathing steps, dispensaries,
hospitals, and so forth? When you are in the
presence of God, such desires are left behind.
“Does that mean that an act of compassion or of
charity is of no use?
“No, it is not that. If you have money and you
see someone suffering, you should help him with it.
A jnani, a man of knowledge, says, ‘Give. Give
something to him.’ But he feels, ‘What can I do?
God alone is the doer, everyone else is a non-doer.’
“Stricken by sorrow over the troubles of others,
saintly people show the way to God.
Shankaracharya retained the ego of knowledge to
teach humanity.
“The gift of spiritual knowledge and love for God
is higher than the gift of food. Therefore, Chaitanya
Deva disseminated bhakti even among outcastes.1
The body is prone to sorrow as well as happiness.
You have come here to eat mangoes. Eat them and
leave. Spiritual knowledge and love for God are
what is needed. God alone is the substance, all else
is nothing.”
1. Chandalas.
Does free will exist? Sri Ramakrishna’s dictum

“Indeed, it is God who does everything. You may
say that implies that people may commit sin. That
is not true. A person who truly feels that God is the
Doer and he a non-doer cannot take a false step.
“What the English (westerners) call free will is
also given by God.
“If God had not given free will, sin would have
increased. If God had not given the feeling that I
am responsible for my own actions, there would be
much more sin.
“But those who have realized God know that
free will is only an appearance. In fact, He is the
operator and I am an instrument. He is the driver
and I am the car.”
Chapter IV
Sri Ramakrishna, the guru – he cries and prays for

devotees
It is four o’clock. Rakhal and a few other
devotees are listening to Mani’s singing.
He sings:
Lying prostrate a hundred times outside the room, he
then enters slowly.
Rakhal goes into an ecstatic mood when he
hears the song.
After some time Sri Ramakrishna goes to the
panchavati. Baburam,1 Harish, and Rakhal are
with him.
1. Later Swami Premananda.

After a while Mani arrives.

Rakhal: “He has made us happy by singing such
sweet songs today.”
Sri Ramakrishna, passing into a divine mood,
sings:
O friend! I am revived on hearing Krishna’s name.
(To Mani) “Sing songs like this: ‘All the friends
sat together. O, Radha was quite well only a
moment ago. Perhaps her ecstatic mood has
suddenly disappeared.’”
Then he adds, “And what else? Just live with
love for God and devotees.”
Conversation between Radha and Yashoda – Sri

Ramakrishna’s relatives
“When Krishna went to Mathura, Yashoda came
to Radha. Radha was absorbed in meditation. When
it was over, she said to Yashoda, ‘I am the Primal
Power. You may ask me for a boon.’ Yashoda said,
‘What other boon can I ask? Let me be able to serve
Him with body, mind, and speech. Let me be able to
see God’s devotees with these eyes, to meditate on
Him with this mind, and to sing God’s name and
glories with my tongue.’
“But those who are highly developed spiritually
can even do without the company of devotees. At
times they don’t have a liking for the company of
devotees. The lime of whitewash won’t stick to a
mother of pearl surface. In other words, this is the
state of a person who sees God both within and
without.”
Returning from the pine grove, Thakur says to

Mani under the panchavati, “You have a feminine
voice. Can you practice singing such songs as this:
‘Friend, how far is that wood where my Shyama
Sundara is …’?
(To Mani, looking at Baburam) “See, those who
are my own have become strangers – Ramlal and
other relatives seem no longer to be my near and
dear ones. And those who were strangers have
become my relatives. Just see how I say to
Baburam, ‘Go and answer the call of nature. Now
go and wash your face.’ The devotees have indeed
become my own.”
Mani: “True, sir.”
Thakur practiced spiritual disciplines in the

panchavati in 1857-58, before the state of madness for
God – Consciousness as Power1 and Consciousness as
Self2
Sri Ramakrishna (glancing at the panchavati):
“I used to sit in the panchavati [and practice
spiritual disciplines]. In course of time I became
mad for God. That, too, passed away. Kala (time)
indeed is Brahman. She who sports with Kala is
Kali. She is the Primal Power. She even moves the
immovable.”
Saying this, Thakur sings:
Wondering about Her mystery, my mind is overwhelmed
at the thought of Her who removes the fear of death.
At Her feet lies Mahakala, Death Himself, and I wonder
why She should be so black.
1. Chitsakti.
2. Chidatma.
“Today is Saturday. Please visit Mother Kali’s

temple.”
Approaching the bakul tree, Thakur says to
Mani, “Chidatma and Chitshakti. Consciousness as
Self is the male aspect of God1 and Consciousness
as Power the female aspect.2 Sri Krishna is
Consciousness as Self, and Radha Consciousness as
Power. Each one of the devotees is an individual
form of that Consciousness as Power.
“The devotees should think of themselves as
companions or as servants. This is the important
thing.”
Thakur goes to the Kali temple when it is dusk.
He is pleased to see Mani meditating on the Divine
Mother there.
Thakur weeps before the Mother of the Universe for

the devotees – blessing the devotees
The arati has been performed in all the temples.
Thakur is seated on his wooden cot in his room,
meditating on the Mother of the Universe. Only
Mani is there, seated on the floor.
Thakur is in samadhi.
After some time, he returns to normal
consciousness. He is now filled to the brim with
divine feeling. He talks to the Divine Mother
lovingly, like a baby insisting demands on its
mother. He says in a piteous tone of voice, “Oh
Mother, why have You not revealed Your form to
me, Your world-bewitching form! I have entreated
1. Purusha.
2. Prakriti.
You so many times, but You don’t listen to my

entreaties! You only do as you want.”
The tone of voice he uses would melt even a
stone.
Thakur again talks to the Divine Mother.
“Mother, I want faith. Let that rascal reason
disappear. You reason seven times, but it
disappears at once. I want faith – faith in the words
of the guru, the faith of a child! A mother says to
her child, ‘There is a ghost,’ and the child fully
believes that there is indeed a ghost. The mother
says, ‘There is a bugbear there,’ and the child fully
believes it. The mother says, ‘He is your elder
brother.’ He believes more than a hundred percent
that he is indeed his brother. I want faith!
“But Mother, why should the devotees be
blamed? What else can they do? It is necessary to
reason once before you accept anything. See how
much I implored him the other day, yet nothing
happened. And today, so suddenly –”
Thakur weeps and prays to the Divine Mother
in a sorrowful tone, his voice choked with emotion.
How amazing! He is crying before the Divine Mother
for the sake of devotees!
“Mother, please fulfill the desires of those who
come to you. Don’t make them renounce completely.
Well, do what you like in the end.
“Mother, if you keep him [referring to M.] in the
world, please reveal Yourself from time to time.
Otherwise, how will he live? How will they be
encouraged, Mother, if You don’t reveal Yourself
every now and then? But after that, do what you

like.”
Sri Ramakrishna is still absorbed in an ecstatic
mood when he suddenly says to Mani, “Look here,
you have already reasoned enough. No more of it.
Promise that you will not reason any more.”
Mani folds his hands and says, “I will not.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You have done enough
reasoning. When you came in the beginning, I told
you your spiritual ideal. I know everything about
you.”
Mani (gratefully): “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Hearing that you had
children, I reprimanded you. Now go home and live
with them. Show them that you are their very own.
But know in your heart that you are not their own,
nor are they yours.”
Mani keeps silent. Thakur continues to speak.
Sri Ramakrishna: “And love your father. Since
you have now learned to fly, will you be able to
salute before him?”
Mani (folding his hands): “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What more can I say to you?
You know all this. Understand it?”
Mani keeps silent.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you understand all this?”
Mani: “Sir, I understand only partially.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You understand well enough.
Rakhal is staying here, and his father is pleased.”
Mani folds his hands but does not say anything.

Sri Ramakrishna adds, “What you are thinking will
also happen.”
With devotees in the joy of song – Divine Mother and

earthly mother – why does God play as a human being?
Thakur has now returned to normal con-
sciousness. Rakhal and Ramlal are in the room.
Thakur asks Ramlal to sing. Ramlal sings:
Who is this woman who lights up the battlefield?1
Dancing, deep-dark like the darkest storm-cloud over the
field of battle,
She looks like a freshly bloomed lotus, floating on a blood-
red sea.
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Divine Mother and the
earthly mother. She who pervades everything,
becoming the entire universe, is the Divine Mother.
She from whom you are born is the earthly mother.
I used to merge into samadhi repeating, ‘Mother,
Mother.’ It is as though I would pull the Mother of
the Universe toward myself, the way a fishermen
throws a net and drags it for some time. Then many
big fish are caught in the net.”
Gauri Pundit’s words – Kali and Gauranga are one and

the same
“Gauri said, ‘One gains true spiritual knowledge
when one realizes that Kali and Gauranga are one
and the same.’ That which is Brahman is indeed
1. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section XX, Chapter II.
Shakti (Mother Kali). In human form She is

Gauranga.”
Is Thakur suggesting that the Primal Power has come
in the human form as Sri Ramakrishna?
At Thakur’s behest, Ramlal sings of the divine
sport of Sri Gauranga:
In Keshab Bharati’s hut what did I behold? The exquisite,
bright form of Sri Gauranga, his eyes streaming with
tears of love!1
And again:
The wave of Gaur’s love has touched my body.2
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “He who is the
Absolute is also the phenomenal world. His divine
sport is for the sake of devotees. A devotee can love
Him only when he can be seen in human form.
Then alone is he able to love Him as a brother or
sister, father or mother, or son or daughter.
“For the love of the devotee, He comes down as a
human being to enact His play.”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section XII.

2. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section XVI, Chapter I.
Section X
With Rakhal, Latu, M., Mahima, and

Others at the Dakshineswar Temple
Chapter I
Sri Ramakrishna injures his arm – while in samadhi he

talks to the Mother of the Universe
Sri Ramakrishna is living in the same room at the

Dakshineswar temple. It is three o’clock on Saturday,
2 February 1884, 20th of Magha, 1290 B.Y., the sixth
day of the bright fortnight.
One day when Thakur was going alone to the pine

grove, he fell near the railing in an ecstatic mood. A
bone of his left arm was dislocated and caused him
severe pain. M. has now brought him a splint, a pad,
and bandages from the devotees in Calcutta.
Rakhal, Mahimacharan, Hazra, and some other

devotees are in the room. M. comes in and prostrates
before Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Hello. Have you been ill? Are
you all right now?”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mahima): “Tell me,
brother, why this happened when ‘I am the
instrument and you the Operator?’”
Thakur is seated on his wooden cot, listening to
Mahimacharan talk about his visits to places of
122 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section X
pilgrimage. The visits took place twelve years

before.
Mahimacharan: “I saw a brahmachari in the
Sikrol garden in Benares. He said he had been
there for twenty years. But he didn’t know whose
garden it was. He asked me, ‘Sir, do you work in an
office?’ I replied, ‘No.’ Then he asked, ‘Then are you
a wandering holy man?’
“I saw a sadhu on the bank of the Narmada. He
was chanting the Gayatri mentally. The hair on his
body stood on end. Then he chanted the Gayatri
and Om out loud in such a way that it thrilled
everyone sitting near and made their hair stand on
end.”
Thakur has the nature of a child. Feeling
hungry, he asks M., “Well, what have you brought?”
He looks at Rakhal and goes into samadhi.
When the samadhi is over and he returns to
normal consciousness, he says, “I shall eat jilibi. I
want some water to drink.”
Weeping like a child, he says to the Mother of
the Universe, “Brahmamayi, why have you done
this to me? My arm hurts badly!” (To Rakhal,
Mahima, Hazra, and the others) “Will my hand be
cured?”
The devotees console him as they would a child,
“Why not? It will surely get well.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Rakhal): “It’s not your
fault, even though you’re here to look after me.
Even if you had gone with me, you wouldn’t have
gone as far as the railing.”
2 – 3 February 1884 123
Sri Ramakrishna in the mood of child – ‘a million

salutations to the knowledge of Brahman’.
Thakur again becomes absorbed in a deep
spiritual mood. He says, “Om, Om, Om, Mother!
What am I saying? Please Mother, don’t make me
unconscious by giving me the knowledge of
Brahman. I am only a child – easily afraid. I want
Mother! A thousand farewells to the knowledge of
Brahman! Give it to those who want it. O, All-
Blissful Mother! The All-Blissful Mother!”1
Thakur weeps as he says loudly, “The All-
Blissful Mother, the All-Blissful Mother!” Then he
says:
This is the grief that weighs on my heart: though You, my
Mother, are here and I am wide awake, thieves of passion
rob my house.2
Thakur then says to the Divine Mother, “What
wrong have I done, Mother? Have I done anything
wrong? It is You who do everything, Mother. I am
an instrument, You are the Operator.”
(To Rakhal, smiling) “Take care that you also
don’t fall. Don’t be full of pride and hurt yourself.”
Thakur again says to the Divine Mother: “Am I
crying because of the hurt? No, it’s just that:
rob my house.
1. Anandamayi.
2. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section XX, Chapter V.
Chapter II
How to call upon God: yearn for Him

Sri Ramakrishna now laughs and talks like a
child, just as a child sometimes laughs and plays
even though seriously ill. He talks to Mahima and
the other devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna: “If you have not realized Sat-
chit-ananda, you have done nothing – nothing at
all, my dear sir.
“There is nothing like discrimination and non-
attachment.
“The love of worldly people for God is only
momentary, transient like a drop of water falling on
a hot plate. Seeing a flower, he may say, ‘Ah, how
wonderful is God’s creation!’
“Yearning for God is essential. When a son
bothers his parents for his inheritance, the parents
consult one another and give him his share in
advance. When you are earnest, God is sure to
listen. Since He has created us, we certainly have a
share in His house. He is our Father and Mother.
We can force Him. ‘Reveal Yourself to me or I will
cut my throat with a knife!’”
Thakur is teaching the devotees how to call on
the Divine Mother: “I used to pray to the Divine
Mother this way, ‘O, All-Blissful Mother, reveal
Yourself to me if You are indeed there.’
“And at times I would say, ‘Come, O Lord of the
humble, Lord of the Universe,1 I am not outside the
1. Jagannath.
2 – 3 February 1884 125
universe. Lord, I am without knowledge, without

spiritual discipline, without love and devotion. I
know nothing. Be kind and reveal yourself to me.’”
Speaking in the most touching tone of voice,
Thakur teaches the devotees how to call on God.
When they hear these touching words, their hearts
melt. Tears fall from Mahimacharan’s eyes.
Noticing this, Thakur adds:
Cry out with yearning, O mind, and see how Mother
Shyama can withhold Herself from you!1
Chapter III
Devotees from Shivapur and the power of attorney –

Dr. Madhu
Devotees from Shivapur have arrived. Having
made great effort to come such a distance, Sri
Ramakrishna cannot remain silent. He talks to
them about very important things.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the Shivapur devotees):
“God alone is the reality, all else is ephemeral.
Take the case of the owner of a garden. God and
His splendour. People only see the garden. How
many want to find out who the owner is?”
A devotee: “Sir, what is the way?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Discriminate between what
is real and what is unreal. Reflect constantly on
this: God alone is the reality, all else is ephemeral.
Call on Him with yearning.”
A devotee: “But, sir, where is the time?”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section I, Chapter V.

Sri Ramakrishna: “Those who have time should

practice meditation and chanting of God’s name.
Those who cannot do so should bow down to God
very lovingly and with respect, both morning and
evening. God is the ruler within the heart, He
understands what people of the world have to do.
You have no time to call on Him. Therefore, you
must give Him the power of attorney. If you do not
realize Him, if you do not see Him, you have not
achieved anything.”
A devotee: “Sir, seeing you is the same as seeing
God.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Never say that again. The
waves belong to the Ganges, the Ganges doesn’t
belong to the waves. Unless you rid yourself of the
idea, ‘I am a big man – I am so and so,’ you cannot
realize God. Level the hill of your ‘I’ by drenching it
with the water of love for God.”
Why family life? – when desire for enjoyment is over,

one feels yearning for God and realizes Him
A devotee: “Why has He kept us in the world?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “To keep the creation going.
That is His will. That is His maya. God has
bewitched us with ‘lust and greed.’”
A devotee: “Why has He bewitched us? Why does
He will this?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “If He granted the bliss of
God even once, no one would live a householder’s
life. And that would lead to the end of creation.
“Rice is stocked in big bags in a warehouse. So
that rats don’t find the rice, the grain dealer keeps
2 – 3 February 1884 127
some puffed and sweetened rice in a husking pan.

The rats like the sweetened rice and eat it through
the night. They don’t look for the bagged rice.
“But look, you can make fourteen times the
volume of one seer of rice with puffed sweetened
rice. How great is the bliss of God compared to the
joy of ‘lust and greed!’ Contemplating His beauty,
even the beauty of Rambha and Tilottama1 appears
like ashes from a fire.”
A devotee: “Why don’t we develop that yearning
to realize God?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A person doesn’t feel
yearning for God until the desire for enjoyment is
over. Until the desire for ‘lust and greed’ is
satisfied, a person doesn’t remember the Mother of
the Universe. A child busy playing doesn’t look for
his mother. When his play is over, he says, ‘I want
to go to my mother.’ Once Hriday’s son was playing
with a pigeon. He was calling out to it, ‘Come here,
tee tee!’ As soon as he had enough of playing, he
began to cry. A stranger came by and said, ‘Come,
I’ll take you to your mother.’ The boy even climbed
on the man’s shoulders to be taken.
“Those who are born perfect2 don’t have to go
through the householder’s life. They are already
free from the desire for enjoyments since their
birth.”
1. Two beautiful celestial dancing girls.

2. Nityasiddhas.
Dr. Madhu arrives – Madhusudana and the importance

of God’s name
It is five o’clock. Dr. Madhu has arrived. He is
going to put Thakur’s hand in a splint and bandage
it. Thakur laughs like a child and says, “Here is the
Madhusudana1 of this world and also of the next.”
Dr. Madhu (smiling): “I am burdened carrying
the weight of my name.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Why? Is the name
insignificant? There is no difference between God
and his name. When Satyabhama was weighing the
Lord against gold and jewels in a scale, it didn’t
balance. But when Rukmini put the tulsi leaf with
the name of Krishna written on it, lo, it balanced!”
The doctor is going to tie the splint on Thakur’s
hand. A bed is made on the floor. Thakur, laughing,
lies down on it. He chants, “Radha is in her last
stage. Vrinde says, who knows what else is going to
happen?”
The devotees sit around Sri Ramakrishna, who
sings:
All the gopi friends of Radha sat together on the lake
shore.
Thakur laughs. So do the devotees. When the
splint has been tied, Thakur says: “I don’t have
much faith in doctors from Calcutta. Sambhu was
delirious, but the doctor (Dr. Sarbadhikari) said,
‘This is nothing – it is only the medicine that makes
you feel groggy.’ Just after that, Sambhu died.”2
1. A name of Krishna.
2. Shambu Mallick died in 1877.
2 – 3 February 1884 129
Chapter IV
Instruction to Mahimacharan
Evening arati has been performed in the
temples. Soon after, Adhar arrives from Calcutta
and prostrates before Thakur. Mahimacharan,
Rakhal, and M. are in the room. Hazra comes in
and out of the room.
Adhar: “How are you?”
Sri Ramakrishna (affectionately): “Look how I
have hurt my arm. (Smiling) How could I feel?”
Adhar sits on the floor with the devotees.
Thakur says to him, “Please stroke my hand.”
Adhar, seated toward the north of the smaller
cot, strokes Sri Ramakrishna’s feet instead. Thakur
talks to Mahimacharan.
The important thing is spontaneous love for God1 –

know your own real Self
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mahima): “Love for God
that wells up spontaneously from the depths of the
soul – it would be very good if you could practice
that.
“I want none of these – liberation, name and
fame, wealth, or recovery from disease. I only want
You. This is selfless love. Many people go to visit a
rich gentleman and ask for things. If there is one
who doesn’t want anything from him but has only
come out of love, that person gets any amount of
love from him.
1. Ahetuki bhakti.
“Prahlada had unselfish love. His love for God

was pure and motiveless.”
Mahimacharan says nothing. Thakur adds,
“Well, I’m going to tell you something that you will
agree with. Just listen. According to Vedanta, one
has to know one’s own real Self. But this isn’t
possible without first renouncing ‘I-ness.’ This ‘I’ is
like a stick which appears to split water into two
parts: I am one and You are another.
“On attaining samadhi, ‘I-ness’ disappears and
one has the inner consciousness1 of Brahman.
Perhaps some of the devotees are asking themselves,
Has Thakur attained the knowledge of Brahman? If
he has attained it, why is he using the word I?
Thakur continues, “You must renounce the ‘I’
which says, ‘I am Mahima Chakravarty, a learned
man.’ However, there is no harm in the ‘I of
knowledge.’ Shankaracharya retained the ‘I of
knowledge’ to teach mankind.
“Unless you are very cautious about ‘lust,’ you
cannot attain the knowledge of Brahman. For this
reason, it is difficult for one who leads a worldly
life. However clever you may be, you will get a
black stain on your body if you live in a room of
lampblack. In the company of a young woman, even
a man without desire develops a feeling of passion.
“But there is no harm if a man of knowledge2
cohabits with his wife occasionally. Discharge of
semen is just like other eliminations – defecation,
1. Bodhe bodha.
2. Jnani.
2 – 3 February 1884 131
urine, and so on. After answering the call of nature,

a person forgets all about it.
“It is like eating half a sweetmeat!1 (Mahima
laughs). It is not so harmful for a householder.”
Difficult rules for sannyasin and Sri Ramakrishna

“But it is very wrong for a sannyasin. The
sannyasin must not even look at a picture of a
woman. For sannyasins, keeping the company of
women is like swallowing spit already spat out.
“A sannyasin must not sit near women and talk
with them, even if they are extremely devout. He
should not talk with them even though he may
have controlled his passions.
“A sannyasin must renounce both lust and gold.
Just as he must not look at the picture of a woman,
he must not touch gold – money. Having money
near is bad in itself. With money comes keeping
accounts, worry, pride of wealth, and anger at
others. You are looking for the sun and, lo, it is
covered by clouds!
“That’s why when a rich Marwari wanted to
deposit money with Hriday for our use, I said, ‘No.
Not even this. Clouds will arise wherever there is
money.’
“Why such difficult rules of conduct for a
sannyasin? They are there for the instruction of
humanity as well as for his own good. Even if a
sannyasin lives unattached, having controlled his
1. Sri Ramakrishna is referring to a sweetmeat made of cheese.

senses, he should renounce ‘lust and greed’ in order

to teach mankind.
“People will muster the courage for renunciation
only if they see the one hundred percent
renunciation of a sannyasin. Then only will they
endeavour to renounce ‘lust and greed.’
“If a sannyasin doesn’t impart this instruction of
renunciation, who else will?”
Janaka and others entered worldly life after realizing

God – the rishi and eating pork
“One should lead a householder’s life only after
attaining God. It is like keeping butter in water
after it has been churned. Janaka led the life of a
householder only after attaining the knowledge of
Brahman.
“Janaka wielded two swords: one of spiritual
knowledge and the other of action. A sannyasin
renounces work. Thus he wields only one sword,
that of knowledge. Householders who are men of
knowledge, like Janaka, can eat both the fruit off a
tree and fruit on the ground. They can serve holy
men and entertain guests as well. I said to the
Divine Mother, ‘Mother, I don’t want to be a dry
sadhu.’
“After attaining the knowledge of Brahman, one
doesn’t discriminate about food. The rishis who had
attained the knowledge of Brahman and
experienced the bliss of Brahman could eat any
food, even pork.”
2 – 3 February 1884 133
Four stages of life [ashramas] – the essence of yoga and

Sri Ramakrishna
(To Mahima) “Broadly speaking, there are two
kinds of yoga: Karma Yoga and manoyoga – union
with God through work and union through mind.
“There are four stages of life: brahmacharya
(celibate student life), garhasthya (family life),
vanaprastha (life of retirement, non-attachment,
and contemplation of God) and sannyasa (complete
renunciation). Work is necessary in the first three
stages of life. Although a sannyasin carries a staff,
a water pot, and a begging bowl and may perform
daily Vedic duties,1 his mind is not attached to
them. He is not conscious of them; his mind is
attached only to God. A few sannyasins attend to
daily duties only to teach mankind. If a house-
holder or a person of the other stages of life can
perform work without expectation of any reward,
he attains union with God through such work.
“In the case of a paramahamsa like Sukadeva
and others, all work falls off – such actions as
worship, repetition of the name, offering of water to
the deities,2 and daily evening prayer.3 In this state
there is union with God in the mind alone. Such a
person performs work outwardly at times for the
instruction of mankind. But his mind remains
always in remembrance and contemplation of God.”
1. Nityakarma.
2. Tarpana.
3. Sandhya.
Chapter V
Thakur hears Mahimacharan's reading of the

scriptures and goes into samadhi
The conversation continues to about 8 p.m.
Thakur asks Mahimacharan to chant some verses
from the scriptures. Mahimacharan takes a book
and chants the first verse of the Uttara Gita
concerning the Supreme Brahman:
He, Brahman, is one – partless, stainless, and beyond the
ether.
Without beginning or end, unknowable by mind or
intelligence.
In due course, he chants the seventh verse from
the third chapter.
Fire is the deity of brahmins;
the deity of sages is in the heart;
for people of average intelligence, the deity is the image;
and for the great yogi who perceives oneness, the deity is
everywhere.
When Mahimacharan chants the phrase “for the
great yogi who perceives oneness, the deity is
everywhere,” Thakur suddenly rises from his seat
and goes into samadhi. His arm is still bound with
splints and bandages. The devotees are wonder-
struck as they watch this great yogi of similar
vision.
He stands in this way for quite some time before
returning to normal consciousness and resuming
his seat. He asks Mahimacharan to chant the
verses about love for God. Mahima chants from the
Narada Pancharatra:
2 – 3 February 1884 135
If God is worshipped with devotion, what is the need for

austerities?
If He is not so worshipped, what again is the use of
austerities?
If Hari is both inside and outside, what need is there of
austerities?
And if He is not there, what is the use of austerities?
If you worship Hari, what need is there of austerities?
And if you do not, what is the use of austerities?
So, O brahmin, detach yourself, dear boy.
What is the need of austerities?
Go at once to Shankara, the ocean of Knowledge.
Attain the deep devotion for Hari, of which the
Vaishnavas speak.
From Him you’ll learn how to love the Lord. Such love has
been spoken of by Vishnu’s worshipers,
A love that never fails, a love that like a sword cuts
asunder the fetters of this world.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah! Ah!”
Vessel and the universe – You are Knowledge and Bliss

Absolute – not I, not I
Hearing these verses, Thakur is again about to
go into ecstasy and controls it only with difficulty.
Now a passage from the Yatipanchaka is chanted:
I am She, the Divine Mother, the embodiment of
consciousness, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, who is the
Self of the universe, in whom this appearance of the
moving and unmoving is seen, being the play of Her mind.
Hearing, “I am She, the embodiment of

consciousness,” Thakur laughs, “What is in the
vessel1 is also in the universe.”2
Now he recites the Six Stanzas on Nirvana from
the Nirvana Ashtakama.
Om, I am neither the mind, the intellect, the ego, nor the
mind-stuff,
Nor I am the ears, the tongue, the nostrils, the eyes.
I am neither the sky nor earth nor fire nor air.
Neither am I ether, sky, nor the earth; neither heat nor
air.
I am pure Knowledge and Bliss. I am Shiva, I am Shiva!
Whenever Mahimacharan repeats, “I am pure
Knowledge and Bliss. I am Shiva, I am Shiva!”
Thakur says with a smile:
“Not I, not I – You, You, You are pure
Knowledge and Bliss!”
Mahimacharan reads the description of the six
spiritual centers from the Jivanmukti Gita. He says
that he himself had witnessed the death of a yogi in
the state of yoga at Benares. He describes the
terrestrial and aerial mudras.3 He also talks about
sambhavi, when one wanders about aimlessly.
His earlier story – Thakur hears narration of the Rama

Gita from sadhus
Mahima: “The Rama Gita has many beautiful
things to say.”
1. Bhanda.
2. Brahmanda.
3. Bhuchari and khechari mudras, expressions of particular states of
consciousness or yogic awareness.
2 – 3 February 1884 137
Ramakrishna (smiling): “You are a confirmed

Vedantist to talk so much of the Rama Gita. How
many books like it the sadhus used to read here!”
Mahima reads the description of Om:
It is like an unceasing flow of oil, like the long peal of a
bell.
Then he reads about the characteristics of
samadhi:
The man established in samadhi sees the upper region
filled with Atman, the nether region filled with Atman,
the middle region filled with Atman. He sees all filled
with Atman.
Adhar and Mahimacharan salute Sri
Ramakrishna and leave.
Chapter VI
State of intoxication – guilelessness and telling the

truth
The next day is Sunday, 3 February 1884, 21st day of

Magha, 1290 B.Y., the seventh day of the bright
fortnight of Magha. Thakur is seated on his cot after
the midday meal. Worried when they heard of his
injury, Ram, Surendra, and some other devotees have
come from Calcutta. M. is seated near Sri
Ramakrishna, who has his hand in a splint. He talks
with the devotees.
His earlier story – state of divine inebriation, stay in

Janbazar – guilelessness and telling the truth
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “The Divine
Mother has kept me in such a state that I can’t hide
anything. It is the state of a child.
“Rakhal doesn’t understand. Lest anybody

should notice it and then talk ill of me, he covers
my arm by wrapping a cloth around my body. He
took Doctor Madhu aside and told him all about it.
Then I shouted, ‘Where are you, Madhusudana?
Come and see, I have broken my arm!’
“I used to sleep in the same bedroom with
Mathur Babu and his wife.1 They loved me and
looked after me as if as I were their child. I was in a
state of divine inebriation at that time. Mathur
Babu would say, ‘Father, do you hear what we say?’
I would say, ‘Yes, I do.’
“Suspecting her husband of something, Mathur’s
wife said, ‘If you go anywhere, Bhattacharya
Mahashay (Sri Ramakrishna) will accompany you.’
Once he went to a certain place and made me sit
downstairs. Returning in half an hour, he said,
‘Come on, Father, let’s go to the carriage.’ When his
wife questioned me, I told her exactly what had
happened. I said to her, ‘Look, we went by carriage.
He made me sit downstairs, and he went upstairs
alone. Returning in half an hour, he said to me,
‘“Come on, father! Let’s go.”’ She figured it out as
well as she could.
“A partner of Mathur’s estate used to take cart-
loads of cauliflower and fruits from the temple
garden to his home. When the other partners asked
me, I told them all this exactly.”
1. Sejo Ginni.
Section XI
With Rakhal, M., Manilal, and

Others at the Dakshineswar Temple
Chapter I
Why is Thakur impatient? He instructs Mani Mallick
Thakur is resting after the midday meal while Mani

Mallick sits on the floor of the room. Thakur’s arm is
still in a splint. M. enters, salutes him, and then sits
on the floor near Mani Mallick. It is Sunday, 24
February 1884, 13th of Phalgun, 1290 B.Y the
thirteenth day of the dark fortnight.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “How did you come?”
M.: “Sir, I came by carriage to Alambazar and
then walked from there.”
Manilal: “Oh, you are sweating!”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “This makes me
think that all my experiences are not fantasies. If
that were so, why would ‘Englishmen’1 take so
much trouble to come here?”
The topic of conversation is now about Thakur’s
injured arm and how he is feeling.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Sometimes I get impatient
because of my arm. I show it to one person after
another and ask if it will heal. Rakhal gets angry.
He doesn’t understand my condition. Sometimes I
say to myself, let him leave me if he likes. But then
I ask the Divine Mother, ‘Where will he go, Mother?
1. Anglicized men.
140 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XI
Where will he go to be scorched and burnt in the

fire of the world?’
“I had this childlike impatience before. I used to
show my pulse to Mathur Babu and ask him,
‘Brother! What am I suffering from?’
“Well, where is my faith in God if I did this?
When I was going to Kamarpukur in a bullock cart,
some men with long sticks came up. They looked
like dacoits.1 I began to chant the names of God. I
chanted Rama, then I chanted Durga, then Om Tat
Sat, hoping that one would be helpful.
(To M.) “Tell me, why am I so impatient?”
M.: “You’re always in samadhi. You have kept a
little of your mind on the body for the sake of the
devotees. That is why you sometimes become
impatient to save it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes. I only have a little of my
mind on the body, and that for the sake of the
devotees and to enjoy the love of God.”
Proposal to visit an exhibition – talk about Thakur’s

visit to the zoo
Manilal Mallick is talking about an exhibition.
Thakur’s eyes are filled with tears to hear about
a beautiful image of Yashoda with the baby
Krishna in her arms. He is inspired by Yashoda’s
embodiment of maternal love and thus weeps.
Manilal: “You are not well, or you could visit the
exhibition in the maidan of the fort.”
1. Highwaymen.
24 February 1884 141
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and others): “I won’t be

able to see everything even if I go. I might lose
consciousness just seeing one thing that is special. I
wouldn’t be able to see anything more than that.
Once I was taken to the zoo. I went into samadhi
when I saw a lion, the vehicle of the Mother
Goddess. How could I see the other animals? I only
saw the lion and then came back. That’s why Jadu
Mallick’s mother first said that I should go to the
exhibition and then, on second thought, said, ‘No,
No.’”
Mani Mallick has been a member of the Brahmo
Samaj for many years. He is about sixty-five years
old. Thakur is teaching him according to his nature.
His earlier life story – visit to Jai Narayan Pundit –

Gauri Pundit
Sri Ramakrishna: “Jaynarayan Pundit was a
very liberal person. I visited him once and liked his
attitude. His sons were all wearing boots. But he
said, ‘I shall go to Kashi.’ He finally did so. He lived
in Kashi and he died there.1
“When you get old, it’s good to leave the
household and devote yourself to contemplating
God. What do you think?”
Manilal: “Yes. I don’t like the problems of the
world.”
1. Sri Ramakrishna had met the pundit for the first time in 1869.
Pundit Jai Narayan (1804-1873) visited Kashi in 1869.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Gauri used to worship his

wife with offerings of flowers. All women are
different manifestations of the Divine Mother.
(To Manilal) “Please tell that story of yours.”
Manilal (laughing): “Several people were going
across the Ganges in a boat. One among them, a
pundit, talked very highly of his learning. ‘I have
studied various scriptures – the Vedas, the
Vedanta, and the six systems of philosophy.’ He
asked someone, ‘Do you know the Vedanta?’ The
man replied, ‘No, sir.’ ‘Do you know Samkhya and
Patanjali?’ He said, ‘No, sir.’ ‘Have you no
philosophy at all?’ ‘No,’ again.
“The pundit was talking proudly of himself, and
the other man was sitting there silent. Just then a
terrible storm arose. The boat was about to sink.
The man asked the pundit, ‘Revered sir, do you
know how to swim?’ The pundit said, ‘No.’ The man
replied, ‘I don’t know Samkhya and Patanjali, but I
do know how to swim.’”
God alone is the substance, all else is unsubstantial –

hitting the target
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What is the use of
knowing many scriptures? All you need is to know
how to cross the river of the world. God alone is the
real substance, all else is unsubstantial.
“While Arjuna was aiming at the target, Drona
asked him, ‘What are you seeing? Do you see the
kings?’ Arjuna said, ‘No.’ ‘Do you see me?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do
you see the tree?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you see the bird perched
on the tree?’ ‘No.’ ‘Then what do you see?’ ‘Only the

eye of the bird.’
“He who only sees the eye of the bird can hit the
target.
“He alone is clever who sees that God alone is
the real substance and all else is unsubstantial.
What is the need for any other information?
Hanuman said, ‘I don’t know much about the date
or the position of the planets. I only contemplate
Rama.’
(To M.) “Buy a few fans to use here.
(To Manilal) “Please visit his (M.’s) father.
Inspiration comes from seeing a devotee.”
Chapter II
Advice to Manilal and others – God’s manifestation as a

human being
Sri Ramakrishna is seated on his bed. Manilal
and other devotees are sitting on the floor, listening
to Thakur’s sweet words.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “A deep change is
coming over me since I hurt my arm. Now I only
like God’s manifestation as a human being.
“The Absolute and the phenomenal.1 The
Absolute is the indivisible Existence-Knowledge-
Bliss Absolute.
1. Nitya and lila.

“The divine play, or the phenomenal, is play as

God, play as deities, play as human beings, and
play as the universe.”
You are Sat-chit-ananda – instruction by

Vaishnavcharan – Thakur watches the Ramlila
“Vaishnavcharan used to say, ‘One attains the
highest knowledge after having the faith that God
sports as a human being.’ I didn’t listen to him
then. Now I see that he was right. Vaishnavcharan
liked pictures of men expressing tenderness and
love.
(To Manilal) “It is God who manifests in the
form of a human being. He Himself has become
Mani Mallick. The Sikhs teach: You are Existence-
Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.
“Sometimes, seeing a glimpse of his real self,
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, a man
becomes speechless with wonder. He begins to swim
in joy. It is just like suddenly coming across a near
and dear relative. (To M.) Just as it happened to me
the other day in the carriage when I saw Baburam
– and you were also in the carriage.
“When Shiva sees his own real self, he dances
around exclaiming, ‘What am I! What am I!’
“The Adhyatma Ramayana also talks about this.
Narada said, ‘O Rama! All men are your forms, and
all women are Sita’s.’
“When I saw the actors in the Ramlila, I felt as
if Narayana (the Lord) Himself was dwelling in
their various forms. I felt that the real and the
imitations were the same.
“Why do people worship young virgins?1 All

women are different forms of the Divine Mother,
but She manifests Herself more in pure, unmarried
girls.”
Why is Thakur impatient with his injury? – his state as

a child and a devotee
(To M.) “Why do I become impatient when I’m
ill? The Mother has kept me in the state of a child.
A child depends entirely on its mother.”
Sri Ramakrishna is photographed in the Radhabazar

by Surendra – A.D. 1881
“I was taken to the Radhabazar for a
photograph. I was supposed to go to Rajendra
Mitra’s house that day and was told that Keshab
Sen and others would be there. I had planned to
talk about a few important things but forgot them
all when I went to Radhabazar. I said, ‘Mother, You
please speak. What can I say?’”
His earlier story – Koar Singh – Ramlal’s mother –

worship of the unmarried girl
“I don’t have the disposition of a man of
knowledge. A man of knowledge thinks very highly
of himself. He says, ‘How can I be ill?’
“Koar Singh said, ‘You are still concerned with
your body.’
“This is my nature: my Divine Mother knows
everything. She would talk in Rajendra Mitra’s
house. Only Her words are ‘real words.’ A thousand
1. Kumari puja.
pundits are struck dumb before the knowledge of

Saraswati.1
“The Divine Mother has kept me in the state of
a devotee, in the state of a vijnani. That is why I
make jokes with Rakhal and others. If I were in the
state of a jnani, I couldn’t do this.
“I see in this state that the Divine Mother alone
has become everything. I see Her everywhere.
“I saw in the Kali Temple that the Divine
Mother had become everything – even the wicked,
even the brother of the Bhagavata pundit.
“I was about to reprimand Ramlal’s mother but
couldn’t do it. I saw her as a form of the Divine
Mother. I see the Divine Mother in virgins. That is
why I worship them.
“My wife strokes my feet. I salute her
afterwards.
“You salute me by touching my feet. Who could
touch my feet when Hriday was here? He wouldn’t
let anyone touch them.
“The Divine Mother has kept me in the state of
seeing God in everything. That is why I return your
salutations.
“You see, I can’t exclude even a wicked person. A
tulsi leaf may be dry or small, but it can still be
used for the worship of God.”
1. The Goddess of knowledge and learning.

Section XII
Sri Ramakrishna with Rakhal, Ram,

Nitya, Adhar, M., Mahima, and
Other Devotees at the Dakshineswar
Temple
Chapter I
Why is Sri Ramakrishna restless in illness? – the state

of a vijnani
After the midday meal Sri Ramakrishna is sitting

with Rakhal, Ram, and some other devotees. He is not
completely recovered; his arm is still in a splint. It is
Sunday, 23 March 1884, the 11th day of Chaitra, 1290
B.Y.
Though Sri Ramakrishna himself is not well, he has

created a mart of joy in his room. Groups of devotees
visit him, delighted with his incessant talk about God.
Sometimes there is devotional singing and other times
they watch Thakur in wonder as he enjoys the bliss of
Brahman in samadhi.
Narendra's marriage: Narendra, the leader

Ram: “Narendra is going to be engaged to R.
Mitra’s daughter. Mr. Mitra says he will give a lot
of money.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “He may become a
leader in society, or something like that. Wherever
his path leads, he will prove his worth.”
Thakur does not allow the topic of Narendra to
continue.
148 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XII
(To Ram) “Well, why do I get so restless when

I’m ill? First I ask one man how I can get well, then
I ask another.
“Do you know what the fact is? One should
either believe everyone or no one.
“God Himself has become the doctor or medic.
That’s why you have to put your faith in all of
them. If you simply think of doctors as humans, you
won’t have faith in them.”
His earlier story – illness of Sambhu Mallick and

Haladhari
“Sambhu was seriously ill. Dr. Sarbadhikari
examined him and said, ‘It is due to the heat of the
medicine.’
“Haladhari put out his hand so that the doctor
could feel his pulse. The doctor said, ‘Let me see
your eyes. Oh! You have an enlarged spleen.’
Haladhari said, ‘I have nothing of the sort!’ But Dr.
Madhu’s medicine is good.”
Ram: “It’s not the medicine that heals, but it
does help nature to cure.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “If medicine doesn’t do any
good, why does opium stop diarrhea?”
About Keshab Sen – printing Thakur’s talks in the

Sulabh Samachar
Ram is talking about Keshab’s death.
Ram: “You were right, ‘A gardener exposes the
roots of a superior rose plant so that the roots can
absorb the dew to make the plant grow rapidly.’
The words of perfected man have borne their fruit.”
23 March 1884 149
Sri Ramakrishna: “What do I know, my dear? I

didn’t calculate when I said it. It is you who say so.”
Ram: “The Brahmos have gotten something
printed about you (in the Sulabh Samachar).”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “Printed! What’s this? Why do
they print now? I just eat, drink, and make merry. I
don’t know anything else.
“I asked Keshab Sen, ‘Why do you print
anything about me?’ He said, ‘So people will visit
you.’”
Instruction to mankind by the power of God – the

wrestling match of Hanuman Singh
(To Ram and others) “A man hasn’t the power to
instruct mankind. One cannot subdue ignorance
without the power of God.
“Two people wrestled − Hanuman Singh and a
Punjabi Muslim. The Muslim was physically very
strong. He ate a lot of meat and ghee on the day of
the match and for fifteen days before it. Everyone
thought he’d win. Hanuman Singh, on the other
hand, clad in a dirty cloth, had eaten sparingly but
had chanted the name of Mahavir.2 On the day of
the wrestling match, he kept a complete fast.
Everyone thought he’d surely lose. But he won. The
one who had been eating heavily for fifteen days
lost.
“What is the use of publishing in papers?
Whoever teaches mankind derives strength from
1. Brahmo magazine.
2. A name for Hanuman, the patron deity of wrestlers.
God. Besides, one cannot teach without having

renounced.”
His childhood – Sri Ramakrishna listens to the

scriptures recited by sadhus at the home of the Lahas
in Kamarpukur
“I am a most stupid person.” (All laugh.)
A devotee: “Then how is it that so much of the
Vedas and the Vedanta and other things come out
of your mouth?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “During my child-
hood I could understand what the sadhus read at
the Lahas’ in Kamarpukur, but I would miss a
little. If a pundit comes and speaks to me in
Sanskrit, I can understand him. But I can’t speak
Sanskrit myself.”
Is learning the goal of life? – the ignorant and God’s

grace
“The goal of life is to realize God. While aiming
his arrow, Arjuna said, ‘I can see nothing but the
eye of the bird. I don’t see the kings or the trees, not
even the bird.’
“It is enough to realize God. It doesn’t matter if
you know Sanskrit.
“God grants His grace not only to pundits, but
also to the ignorant if they long for Him. A father
has equal love for all his children.
“Say a father has five sons. One or two call him
‘baba’ while some call him ‘ba,’ and some ‘pa,’ those
who can’t pronounce the whole word. Does the
father love those more who call him ‘baba’ than the
23 March 1884 151
ones who say ‘pa?’ The father knows that they are
little children and can’t pronounce baba correctly.”1
Sri Ramakrishna’s mind drawn to God’s play as a

human being
“My state of mind has been changing since I
broke my arm. It is becoming drawn toward God’s
play as a human being. God Himself is playing as a
human being.
“If God can be worshiped in a clay image, why
can’t He be worshiped as a man?
“The ship of a merchant sank near Ceylon.2 He
swam to the shore and was brought to Bibhishana
on his orders. ‘Ah! He looks like my Ramachandra!
The same human form.’ Saying this, Bibhishana
was filled with exuberant joy. Dressing him with
fine clothes and jewels, Bibhishana worshiped him,
waving holy lights before him.
“When I heard this story for the first time I felt
such great joy, I could not express it.”
His earlier story – Vaishnavcharan – about Kartabhaja

in Phului Shyambazar
“When I asked Vaishnavcharan, he said, ‘The
mind goes quickly to God when one accepts the
beloved as one’s chosen ideal.’3 If someone asks,
‘Whom do you love?’ ‘A certain person.’ ‘Then take
him as your chosen ideal.’ I said to those at
Shyambazar near Kamarpukur, ‘I have a different
1. See Max Muller's Hibbert Lectures [regarding the origin and

growth of the conception of God historically and anthropologically].
2. Sri Lanka.
3. Ishta.
way. I look upon all women as the Divine Mother.’ I

have seen that those who talk big lead immoral
lives. When the women asked me if they could
attain liberation, I said, ‘Yes, you will if you have
single-minded devotion to one man, taking him as
God.’”
Ram: “Perhaps Kedar Babu visited the Karta-
bhaja sect.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He collects honey from many
different flowers.”
Haladhari’s father – my father – ecstasy in Vrindavan

at seeing cows return home
(To Ram, Nityagopal and others) “When you
have one hundred percent faith that so-and-so is
your chosen ideal, you realize God – you have His
vision.
“People used to have great faith. What faith
Haladhari’s father had!
“He was going to his daughter’s house. Seeing
beautiful flowers and bel leaves, he gathered them
for offering to the family deity, and he walked five
or six miles1 back to his home.
“There was a performance of the Ramlila.2
Kaikeyi asked Rama to go into exile. Haladhari’s
father had gone to see the play. He stood up
immediately and went up to the person who was
playing Kaikeyi, exclaiming, ‘You vile wretch!’ He
wanted to burn the actress’s face with an oil lamp.
1. Two or three kosas.

2. A theatrical performance about the life of Rama.
23 March 1884 153
“After taking his bath, he would stand in the

water and chant, ‘Raktavarëaà caturmukham,’1
then meditate, tears flowing down his cheeks.
“When my father walked on the road wearing
wooden slippers, the shopkeepers would respect-
fully rise from their seats. They would say, ‘See,
there he comes.’
“When he would go to the Haldarpukur for his
bath, other people would not have the courage to
bathe at the same time. They would first find out if
he had left after his bath.
“When he would repeat, ‘Raghuvir, Raghuvir,’
his chest would become very red.
“It was the same with me. When I saw the cows
return from pasture in Vrindavan, my body would
become red from ecstasy.
“People in those days had intense faith. I’ve
heard people say that the Lord used to dance in the
form of Kali when the devotees clapped!”
The hatha yogi of the panchavati

A yogi lives in the panchavati hut these days.
Ramprasanna, the son of Krishnakishore of
Ariadaha, and many others are devotees of this
hatha yogi. But his opium and milk cost twenty-five
rupees a month. Ramprasanna came to Thakur and
said, “So many devotees come to you. Perhaps you
could ask them to give something for the hatha
yogi.”
1. Invocation of the Deity as red-hued with four faces.

Thakur asks a number of devotees to go to the

panchavati and see what kind of person the hatha
yogi is.
Chapter II
Advice to Thakur Dada and Mahimacharan

Thakur Dada comes in with a couple of friends
and salutes Thakur. He is about twenty-seven or
twenty-eight years old and lives in Baranagore. He
is the son of a brahmin pundit and practises the
recital of scriptural and mythological stories.1 He is
saddled with family responsibilities. He had
disappeared for some days in a mood of dispassion.
Even now he practices spiritual disciplines.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Have you come on foot?
Where do you live?”
Thakur Dada: “Yes, sir. I live in Baranagore.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What has brought you here?”
Thakur Dada: “Sir, I have come to see you. I
pray to God. Why then do I sometimes become
restless? Three or four days pass joyfully. Why do I
feel so restless later?”
The mechanic – faith in the mantra – a devotee of God –

two signs of knowledge
Sri Ramakrishna: “I understand. There are
teething problems. Things aren’t fitted right yet. A
mechanic adjusts the machine so the cogs of the
wheels fit together smoothly. Even so, it sometimes
gets stuck a little somewhere.”
1. Kathakhatta.
23 March 1884 155
Sri Ramakrishna: “Have you been initiated with

a mantra?”
Thakur Dada: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you have faith in the
mantra?”
A friend of Thakur Dada says that he can sing
well. Thakur asks him, “Please do sing a song.”
Thakur Dada sings:
I shall live as a yogi in a cave of Love’s mountain.
I shall sit absorbed in yoga beside the spring of bliss.
I shall gather the fruit of truth and satisfy my hunger for
knowledge.
I shall worship the lotus feet of God with the flowers of
dispassion.
I shall not go to the well for water to quench the thirst of
separation,
But shall draw the water of peace to fill the vessel of my
heart.
Climbing to the heights of ecstasy, I shall drink the holy
water that has bathed Your feet. I shall laugh and weep
and dance and sing!
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah! What a beautiful song!
‘The spring of bliss! The fruit of truth! I shall laugh
and weep and dance and sing!’
“You sing so beautifully. What more do you
need? You have to face happiness and sorrow in
worldly life. It is natural to feel restless once in a
while. When you live in a room full of soot, you
can’t avoid its stain.”
Thakur Dada: “Please tell me what I should do
now.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Chant the name of Hari

morning and evening, clapping your hands,
‘Haribol, Haribol, Haribol.’
“And come again when my arm is healed a
little.”
Mahimacharan comes in and salutes Thakur.
(To Mahima) “Oh, he sang a very special and
beautiful song! Do please sing it again.”
Thakur Dada again sings: “I shall live as a yogi
in a cave of Love’s mountain.”
When the song ends, Thakur says to
Mahimacharan, “Please recite that verse – the one
about devotion to Hari.”
Mahimacharan recites a verse from the Narada
Pancharatra:
If God is worshipped with devotion, what is the need for
austerities?
If He is not so worshipped, what again is the use of
austerities?
If Hari is both inside and outside, what need is there of
austerities?
And if He is not there, what is the use of austerities?1
Sri Ramakrishna: “Chant that one, too: ‘From
Him, learn how to love the Lord.’ Mahimacharan
chants:
Desist, O my child, desist from further austerities.
Hasten at once to Shiva, the ocean of divine knowledge.
From Him, learn how to love with that pure love extolled
by the lovers of God,
1. For the complete song refer to Section X, Chapter V.

23 March 1884 157
A love that, like a sword, cuts asunder the fetters of the

world.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Shankara will grant love and
devotion to God.”
Mahima: “The Eternal Shiva1 is free from all
bondage.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Shame, hatred, fear and
suspicion – all these are bonds. What do you say?”
Mahima: “Yes, sir. Also secrecy and feeling
embarrassed when praised.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are two signs of
spiritual knowledge. First, a firm understanding.
One may have to face a thousand pains and
sorrows, a number of catastrophes and obstacles,
yet one remains steady, like the anvil in a
blacksmith shop which receives so many hammer
blows. Second is perseverance, inner strength: if
lust and anger can hurt me, I shall immediately
renounce them. When a tortoise pulls its limbs
inside, it doesn’t put them out again, even if you cut
it into four pieces.”
Deep dispassion, mild dispassion, and momentary

dispassion
(To Thakur Dada and others) “There are two
kinds of dispassion, deep and mild. Mild dispassion
is slow, like a slow beat on the tabla. Deep
dispassion, on the other hand, is like the sharp edge
of a razor. It cuts the bondage of maya in two at
once.
1. Sadashiva.
“A farmer was trying to cut a channel from the

lake to his field for some days, but the water did
not reach his field. He had no strength of mind. But
another farmer resolves after three or four days
that he will see to it that the water gets to his field
that day. He postpones his bath, even eating. The
whole day he labours hard, and in the evening
water comes gurgling into his field. Oh, what joy!
Then he returns home and says to his wife, ‘Now let
me have some oil. I’m going to have my bath.’
Having taken his bath and eaten his dinner, he
sleeps peacefully.
“A wife said to her husband, ‘So-and-so has
developed great dispassion, but you have attained
nothing at all.’ The man who had attained
dispassion had a number of wives. He was giving
them up one by one.
“The husband of the woman was just then going
to take his bath. He had a small towel on his
shoulder. Her said to his wife, ‘Silly woman! That
man won’t be able to renounce the world. It can’t be
done little by little. But I can renounce. Just see.
Here I go!’
“Without making any arrangements for his
family, he left home as he was, with the towel on
his shoulder. This is known as intense dispassion.
“There is another kind of dispassion. It’s called
monkey renunciation. A householder burned by the
fire of worldly life puts on gerua and goes to Kashi.
For many days there is no news about him. At last
a letter is received, ‘Please don’t worry. I have
found work here.’
23 March 1884 159
“There are always burning problems in family

life: your wife may be stubborn, you may be earning
only twenty rupees a month, you have no money to
celebrate your son’s rice-eating ceremony,1 you may
have no means to send your boys to school, your
home may be dilapidated, the roof may be leaking
and you can’t afford to get it repaired.
“That is why, when the boys visit me, I ask
about their guardians or relatives.
(To Mahima) “Why do you need to give up
family life? What troubles sadhus have to face! A
wife said to her husband, ‘Why do you want to
renounce the family? You would have to beg alms
from eight different houses. Instead, you get food
from just one house. Isn’t that better?’
“A sadhu may have to go out of his way six
miles2 to find a free meal. I’ve seen sadhus
returning from Jagannath. They’ve had to leave the
main road and take a detour to find an eating place.
“It’s nice if you can fight from a fort. There are
great disadvantages to standing in the open field
and fighting from there. And dangers! Bullets may
hit you.
“But for spiritual knowledge you must retire to a
solitary place for few days. Then you can return to
worldly life. Janaka lived a worldly life after
attaining knowledge. You can live anywhere after
attaining knowledge. Then nothing matters.”
1. Annaprasana.
2. Three kosas.
Mahimacharan: “Sir, why is man bewitched by

things of the world?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Because he lives among them
without having realized God. You don’t get
bewitched after realizing Him. A moth doesn’t like
darkness any more once it has seen light.”
Unbroken continence, restricted continence1 and God-

realization – difficult rules for the sannyasin
“One has to observe strict continence to attain
God.
“Sukadeva and people like him were men of
absolute and unbroken continence.2 They never
discharged semen.
“There are others who have discharged semen
earlier but now conserve it.3 A person conserving
semen for twelve years builds up a special power.
He develops a new nerve of mental power.4 When
this nerve develops, one remembers everything, can
know everything.
“The discharge of semen dissipates a person’s
strength. But there is no harm in nocturnal
emission. That semen is from food. After discharge,
a man retains enough to succeed. But he must not
have intercourse with a woman.
“What remains after nocturnal discharge is very
refined. The Lahas stored pots of molasses5 with
holes in the bottom. After a year it was found that
1. Udharva reta and dhairya reta
2. Udharva reta.
3. Dhairya reta.
4. Medha nadi.
5. Gur.
23 March 1884 161
the molasses had turned into crystals, like sugar

candy. Whatever liquid there was had come out
through the holes.
“A sannyasin must completely renounce woman.
However, there is no harm in your already having
been involved.
“A sannyasin mustn’t even see the picture of a
woman. An ordinary person can’t do this. Do re me
fa so la ti. One can’t stay long on ti.
“It is very harmful for a sannyasin to discharge
semen. He has to be very careful not to even look at
a woman. Even if she is a devotee, he must leave
that place. Even to see the picture of a woman
might cause the discharge of semen in a dream, if
not in his waking hours.
“Even if a sannyasin has mastered his senses,
he should not talk with a woman, as an example to
mankind. Even if she is a devotee, he must not talk
with her very long.
“A sannyasin is like one observing a waterless
fast on the eleventh day of the lunar month.1 There
are two other kinds of fasts on the eleventh day:
One, when one may eat fruits; and the other, when
one eats fried luchi. (All laugh.) With the fried
luchi, maybe you also have two chapattis soaked in
milk. (All laugh.)
(Smiling) “You can’t keep an absolutely
waterless fast of the eleventh day of lunar month.”
1. Nirjala ekadeshi.
His earlier life – Krishnakishore’s ekadashi – Rajendra

Mitra
“I saw Krishnakishore eating luchis and
vegetable curry on an ekadashi day. I said to
Hriday, ‘Hridu, I’d like to observe Krishnakishore’s
ekadashi!’ (All laugh.) I did it for a day. I ate till my
stomach was full. The next day I couldn’t eat a
thing.” (All laugh.)
The devotees who went to see the hatha yogi
have returned. Sri Ramakrishna says to them,
“Well, how did you find him? You measured him
with your own yardstick, didn’t you?”
Thakur noticed that hardly any of the devotees
was willing to offer a rupee to the hatha yogi.
Sri Ramakrishna: “One doesn’t like a sadhu he
has to give money to.
“Rajendra Mitra earns eight hundred rupees a
month. He had been to the kumbhamela in Prayag.
I asked him, ‘What kind of sadhus did you see at
the mela?’ Rajendra replied, ‘I didn’t come across
one real sadhu. I noticed one, but even he accepted
money.’
“I say to myself that if sadhus are not given any
money how will they eat? You don’t have to make
any offering here; that’s why people come here. I
say to myself, ‘Oh, how they love their money! So
let them keep it.’”
Thakur rests for a while. One of the devotees is
sitting on the north end of the smaller cot, gently
stroking his feet. Thakur whispers to him, “He who
is formless also has form. You must also accept
God’s forms. When an aspirant meditates on the
23 March 1884 163
form of Kali, he has the vision of Kali. But later he

finds that the form has merged into the Indivisible.
He who is indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute is also Kali.”
Chapter III
Mahima’s scholarship – Mani Sen, Adhar, and the

meeting
Thakur is on the western circular verandah
talking about the hatha yogi with Mahima and
others. Ramprasanna is the son of Krishnakishore,
the devotee. That is why Thakur is fond of him.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ramprasanna just goes
around doing nothing, like a vagabond. The other
day he came here and sat down but didn’t say a
word. He just pressed his nostrils doing
pranayama. He was given some refreshments, but
he didn’t eat them. Another day I called him and
made him sit here. He sat with one leg over the
other and a foot toward the Captain. I weep at his
mother’s sorrow.
(To Mahima) “He [meaning Ramprasanna]
asked me to tell you about the hatha yogi. His
expenses are six annas and two pice a day. But he
wouldn’t ask for it himself.”
Mahima: “But who would listen if he himself
asked?” (Thakur and others laugh.)
Going into his room, Thakur sits down. Mani
Sen, whose home is in Panihati, has come with a
couple of friends. He asks about Thakur’s fractured
arm. One of his companions is a doctor.
Thakur is under the care of Dr. Pratap

Majumdar. Mani’s doctor friend does not approve of
his treatment. Thakur says to him, “But Pratap is
not a fool. Why do you talk about him this way?”
Just then, Latu1 exclaims that the medicine
bottle has broken.
Hearing about the hatha yogi, Mani (Sen) says,
“What is a hatha yogi? ‘Hath’ [hot] means that it is
warm.”
Thakur later talks to the devotees about Mani
Sen’s doctor, “I know him. I told Jadu Mallick that
this doctor of his was absolutely useless. He is even
less intelligent than the other doctor.”
Sri Ramakrishna talks with M. privately

It is not yet evening. Seated on his cot, Thakur
is talking with M., who sits facing west on the foot
rug near the cot. In the meantime, Mahimacharan
is on the semi-circular verandah, facing west and
discussing the scriptures loudly with Mani Sen’s
doctor. Thakur hears this from his seat and says to
M. with a little smile, “He is delivering himself.
This is rajas. A rajasic person wants to show off his
learning and lecture to others. But sattva makes a
person introverted, wanting to hide himself. But
Mahima is an excellent person. He shows so much
enthusiasm and takes such delight in talking about
God.”
Adhar comes in, salutes Sri Ramakrishna, and
sits near M.
1. Later Swami Adbhutananda.

23 March 1884 165
Adhar Sen, about thirty years old, is a deputy

magistrate. His home is in Banetola of Sobhabazar
in Calcutta. He has been coming to see Thakur
almost daily for quite some time, in the evening
after working hard in his office the whole day.
However, he hasn’t visited Thakur for a few days.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Hello! Why haven’t you been
here for such a long time?”
Adhar: “I got involved in so much work! I had to
attend conferences and school meetings.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “So you forgot everything
because of school meetings.”
Adhar (humbly): “Sir, it was all hidden away
inside. How is your arm?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Just look, it is not yet healed.
I’m taking Pratap’s medicine.”
After a while, Thakur suddenly says to Adhar,
“Look, all this is impermanent – all these meetings,
schools, and offices. God is the only reality, and all
else is unreal. You must worship Him alone with
your whole mind.”
Adhar is silent.
“Everything else is transitory – the body now is
and then is no more. You mustn’t hesitate to call
upon Him.1
“You don’t have to renounce everything. Live in
the world like a tortoise. A tortoise moves around,
feeding itself in the water, but it keeps its eggs on
the dry bank. Its whole mind is where its eggs are.
1. Adhar died just a few months later.

“Captain has developed a beautiful disposition.

When he sits down for worship, he looks like a
rishi. Besides, he performs the arati with lighted
camphor and the hymns and holy text beautifully.
When he rises after the worship, his eyes are
swollen with emotion, as if ants have been biting
them. And he devotes himself to studying sacred
texts such as the Gita and the Bhagavata. Once I
spoke a couple of English words and he was cross
with me. He said, “English-educated people are
irreverent.”
After a while Adhar says very humbly, “You
haven’t visited our house for a long time now. It’s as
if the sitting room smells and there is darkness
everywhere.”
Hearing these words of the devotee, Thakur’s
affection rises like a wave in the sea. He stands up
suddenly and, full of emotion, blesses Adhar and
M., touching their foreheads and hearts. Full of
affection, he says, “I look upon you as Narayana.
You are indeed my own.”
Mahimacharan comes into the room and sits
down.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mahima): “What you were
saying about men of continence is correct. One
cannot hold these spiritual teachings without
conserving semen.
“Someone said to Chaitanya Deva, ‘You give the
devotees so much instruction. Why aren’t they able
to make much progress?’ He replied, ‘They
squander it all by intercourse with their wives.
That’s why they’re not able to hold on to spiritual
23 March 1884 167
instruction.’ If you fill a leaky pail with water, the

water trickles out little by little.”
Mahima and the other devotees remain silent.
After a while Mahimacharan says, “Please pray to
God for us, that we may develop that power.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Be careful even now. It is
difficult to dam water in the rainy season,1 and a
lot of it has already flowed out. But you can stop it
now by raising a dam.”
1 Month of Ashada.
Section XIII

Dakshineswar Temple with Vijay,
Kedar, Rakhal, Surendra, and Other
Devotees on His Birthday
Chapter I
With Vijay and other devotees in the panchavati on his

birthday
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting on the platform around the

old banyan tree in the panchavati with Vijay, Kedar,
Surendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal, and many other
devotees. He is facing south. Some of the devotees are
sitting on the platform; most of them are standing
around below it. It is about one o’clock on Sunday, 25
May 1884; 13th of Jaishtha 1291 B.Y., the first day of
the bright lunar fortnight.
Thakur’s birthday falls on the second day of the bright

fortnight in the month of Phalgun but has not yet
been celebrated because of the injury to his arm. Now
that he is much better, the devotees will celebrate it
today. Sahchari, an elderly, well-known kirtan singer,
will sing.
Not finding Thakur in his room, M. goes to the
panchavati and finds the devotees smiling and
enjoying themselves. He does not see Thakur
sitting under the tree on the platform though he is
standing in front of him. He asks, “Where is he?”
Hearing this, everybody laughs loudly. Suddenly
seeing Thakur, he awkwardly bows down to pay his
respects. He finds Kedar Chatterji and Vijay
170 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XIII
Goswami sitting on Thakur’s left on the platform.

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling, to M.): “See how I have
united them?”
Thakur had brought a madhavi creeper from
Vrindavan and planted it in the panchavati in
1868. Since then it has grown quite large. Young
boys are climbing on it and swinging from it.
Thakur looks at them happily and says, “They are
like young monkeys. They don’t give up even when
they fall.” Surendra is standing below the platform.
Thakur asks him affectionately, “Why don’t you
come up here? You can dangle your feet from here.”
Surendra climbs up and sits down. Seeing
Bhavanath dressed in a shirt, Surendra says, “Tell
me, are you going to a foreign land?”
Thakur laughs and says, “Our ‘foreign land’ is
God.” He talks to the devotees about various things.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Sometimes I used to throw
away my dhoti and roam around naked. One day
Sambhu said to me, ‘I see why you go around
naked. It’s comfortable. I tried it once myself.’”
Surendra: “When I return from the office and
take off my shirt and the long coat I say, ‘Divine
Mother, how many bonds you have tied me with!’”
Surendra’s office – worldly life, the eight bonds, and

the three gunas
Sri Ramakrishna: “Eight bonds bind man:
shame, hatred, fear, pride of caste, suspicion, and
secretiveness are all bonds.1
1. The Tantric scriptures list eight bonds or fetters: shame (lajja),

hatred or contempt (ghrana), fear (bhaya), pride of caste, rank or
25 May 1884 171
Thakur sings:
rob my house.1
Then he sings:
In the world’s bustling marketplace, O Shyama, You fly
kites that soar on the wind of hope, held fast by maya’s
string.2
“‘Maya’s string’ means wife and son. By rubbing

the string with the paste of sensuousness, the
string has become hard. Sensuousness means ‘lust
and greed.’
There follows another song:
One comes to this world to play dice. I came with great
hopes.
But hope is in itself only a broken state.
First I got the piece marked five, and age after age the
twelve, the eighteen, and the sixteen.
Divine Mother, last of all I got the unripe twelve piece,
and I got ensnared by the five and six-mark pieces.
Six and two equal eight, six and four make ten. O Divine
Mother, I have no control over these.
I won neither honour nor fame in this game, which I have
been playing all through the night until dawn.
“The piece marked ‘five,’ that is the five
elements. To get ensnared in the ‘fives’ and ‘sixes’
means to fall under the control of the five elements
race (jati), hesitation or suspicion (shanka), secretiveness (jugupsa),

pride of family, ancestry, or lineage (kula), and pride of good conduct,
character or piety (shila).
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section II, Chapter V.
2. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section II, Chapter V.
and the six passions. To play tricks with the six

piece means not to fall under the control of the six
enemies. To deceive the ‘three’ piece means to be
beyond the three gunas.
“Sattva, rajas, and tamas, the three qualities of
nature, have brought mankind under their control.
They are like three brothers: if there is sattva, it
can call on rajas; and if there is rajas, it can call on
tamas. All three gunas are thieves. Tamas destroys,
while rajas binds. Sattva, though it frees from the
bonds, cannot take one to God.”
Vijay (smiling): “Sattva is also a thief, isn’t it?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It can’t take one to God, but
it does show the way to Him.”
Bhavanath: “Oh, what wonderful words!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, it is a very lofty
thought.”
The devotees are very happy hearing these
words.
Chapter II
Thakur advises Vijay, Kedar, and others about ‘lust

and greed’
Sri Ramakrishna: “‘Lust and greed’ are the
cause of bondage. ‘Lust and greed’ mean
worldliness. In fact it is ‘lust and greed’ that keep
one from seeing God.”
Saying this, Thakur covers his face with a hand
towel and says, “Can you see me now? This is a veil.
25 May 1884 173
When the veil of ‘lust and greed’ is removed, one

attains consciousness-bliss.1
“Just see. Whoever has given up the joy of a wife
has renounced the joy of the world. God is very near
to this person.”
Some of the devotees are standing, others are
sitting, as they silently listen to these words.
(To Kedar, Vijay, and others) “He who has given
up the pleasure of women has given up the
pleasures of the world. This ‘lust and greed’ is truly
the veil. You show off such big moustaches, and you
are still immersed in it. Tell me truly. Search your
mind and see if it isn’t so.”
Vijay: “Sir, it is true.”
Kedar remains silent. Thakur continues.
“I see everybody under the control of women. I
went to Captain’s house. After visiting him, I was
to go to Ram’s house. So I said to Captain, ‘Please
give me the carriage fare.’ Captain asked his wife.
She is like him. She just said, ‘What’s the matter,
what’s the matter?’ At last Captain said, ‘They
(Ram and others) will pay for it.’ And he has the
Gita, the Bhagavata and the Vedanta within him!
(All laugh.)
“A man puts all his money in the hands of his
wife to manage and then says, ‘I have such a simple
nature that I can’t keep two rupees with me.’
“A manager has a number of positions open in
his office, but he doesn’t appoint a candidate.
1. Chidananda.
Someone said to the applicant, ‘Contact Golapi and

you will get a job. Golapi is the manager’s
mistress.’”
His earlier story – visit to the fort – women and the

‘sloping path’
“Men don’t understand how far down they have
gone.
“When I went to the fort in a carriage, I thought
we’d come by an ordinary path. Later I found out
we’d come down four storeys. It was a sloping path.
A person possessed by a ghost doesn’t know that he
is possessed. He thinks he’s quite all right.”
Vijay (smiling): “If you bring an exorcist, he can
get rid of the ghost.”
Sri Ramakrishna does not respond to this. He
only says, “It is the Lord’s will.”
He continues to talk about women.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Whoever I ask says that his
wife is good. No man has a bad wife. (All laugh.)
“Those who live amidst ‘lust and greed’ aren’t
able to understand because of their inebriation.
Chess players often don’t know if a move is right
until the game has continued for some time. But
onlookers from a distance can see and understand
the game better.
“Woman is the embodiment of maya. In his
hymn in praise of Rama, Narada said, ‘O Rama, all
men that are, are parts of you; and all women are
parts of Sita, the embodiment of maya. I ask for no
other boon: only grant that I may have pure love for
25 May 1884 175
Your lotus feet and that I may not be enchanted by

Your world-bewitching maya.’”
Advice to Girindra, Nagendra, and others

Surendra’s younger brother, Girindra, and his
nephew, Nagendra, and others have arrived.
Girindra works in an office; Nagendra is studying
law.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Girindra): “I say to you not
to get attached to worldly life. You see, Rakhal
understands what is knowledge and what is
ignorance. He can discriminate between the eternal
and the transitory. Now I say to him, ‘Go home. You
can come here off and on and stay a day or two.’
“Live amicably with one another. Only then will
you feel good and be happy. A religious theatrical
performance1 is good and brings joy to the audience
when the musicians sing with one voice.
“Keeping most of your mind in God, attend to
worldly work with the rest of it.
“A sadhu keeps seventy-five percent of his mind
in God and twenty-five percent in worldly work. A
sadhu is very alert about words of God. If you step
on the tail of a snake, it reacts furiously. It feels
more hurt in the tail.”
Sahchari sings in the panchavati – suddenly it is

cloudy and stormy
Going to the jhautala, Thakur talks about the
umbrella to Gopal2 of Sinthi. Gopal says to M., “He
1. Yatra.
2. Later Swami Advaitananda.
has asked me to put the umbrella in his room.” A

kirtan has been arranged in the panchavati. When
Thakur has come and taken his seat, Sahchari
sings. Devotees are gathered, some sitting and
others standing.
Yesterday was Saturday, the new moon day1 of
the month of Jaishtha.
Now and then clouds cover the sky. Suddenly a
storm arises. Thakur returns to his room with the
devotees. It is decided that the kirtan will continue
there.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Gopal of Sinthi): “Tell me,
have you brought the umbrella?”
Gopal: “No, sir. I forgot it listening to the
music.”
The umbrella is lying in the panchavati. Gopal
hurriedly goes out to get it.
Sri Ramakrishna: “I am not as absent-minded
as that.
“Rakhal gave the date of an invitation as the
eleventh, though the actual date was the
thirteenth.
“And Gopal – he belongs to a herd of cows. (All
laugh.)
“You know the story about the goldsmiths. One
of them says Keshab, another says Gopal, the third
says Hari, and another Hara. The meaning of Gopal
is a ‘herd of cows.’ (All laugh.)
1. Amavasya.
25 May 1884 177
(Referring to Gopal, Surendra says merrily)

“Where is Krishna?”
Chapter III
Thakur enjoys devotional singing with Vijay and other

devotees – Sahchari sings of Gauranga’s sannyasa
A woman kirtan singer sings of Gauranga’s
sannyasa, adding improvisations now and then:
A sannyasin will not look at a woman, for it is against the
sannyasin’s rule.
The sannyasi, come to remove the sorrows of all created
beings, will not look at a woman.
Otherwise, the coming of Gauranga as God’s incarnation
would be in vain.
Listening to these words of Gauranga’s
renunciation, Thakur stands up and goes into
samadhi. The devotees immediately put garlands
around his neck. Bhavanath and Rakhal hold
Thakur to keep him from falling. Thakur faces
north. Vijay, Kedar, Ram, M., Manomohan, Latu,
and other devotees stand in a circle around him.
Is Gauranga himself celebrating a festival of singing
the Lord’s name with devotees?
Sri Krishna is indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss

Absolute; He is also the universe and all its creatures;
He is finite as well as the all-pervading Spirit in the
form of the universe1
Thakur is slowly coming out of samadhi. He now
talks with Sat-chit-ananda Krishna. Now and then
he says the word Krishna, but sometimes is unable
1. Virat.
to pronounce it. He says, “Krishna, Krishna,

Krishna. Sat-chit-ananda.” I can’t see Your form
these days. Now I see You both within and without.
You are the living beings, the universe, the twenty-
four cosmic principles. You are everything. You are
the mind, the intellect, everything. The salutation
hymn to the Guru says:
Salutations to the Guru who makes it possible to realize
Him who pervades this entire universe of the moving and
the unmoving.1
“You are indivisible. Yet You pervade this entire
universe of the moving and the unmoving. You are
the container and also the contained. Krishna is
life, Krishna is mind, Krishna is intellect, and
Krishna is the Self. O Govinda, my life breath, my
life.”
Vijay is also in an ecstatic mood. Thakur says to
him, “What, dear sir, have you too become
unconscious?”
Vijay (humbly): “No, sir.”
The singer continues, singing “The intense love
for God that makes one blind!” As soon as she adds
an improvised line, “O friend of my life, I keep You
within my heart,” Thakur again goes into samadhi.
His injured arm rests on Bhavanath’s shoulder.
When Sri Ramakrishna returns a little to
normal consciousness, the singer adds another
improvised line, “Why so much pain for one who
has renounced everything for You?”
1. Vishveshvara Tantra 2.
25 May 1884 179
Thakur salutes her. He is seated while he

listens to the music and occasionally goes into
ecstasy. Now the musician stops singing, and
Thakur speaks.
Forgetting the body and the world in ecstatic love –

Thakur dances with the devotees and goes into
samadhi
Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay and other devotees):
“What is ecstatic love?1 He who has developed
intense love for God, like Chaitanya, forgets the
world. He also forgets the body, which is so dear to
all.”
What happens when one has ecstatic love for
God is explained by Thakur through a song:
When will dawn that day when tears stream from my eyes
as I repeat Lord Hari’s name?
When will dawn that day when worldly desires disappear
from my heart?
When will dawn that day when my body thrills and my
hair stands on end?
When will dawn that day?
Thakur now stands up and begins to dance. The
devotees dance with him. Thakur pulls M. by the
arm and makes him join the dancing group.
Sri Ramakrishna again goes into samadhi, while
dancing. He then stands motionless like a picture.
Kedar sings a hymn to break his samadhi:
I bow to Brahman-Consciousness, the primal seed of the
universe, abiding in the lotus of the heart,
1. Prema, intense love for God.

Who, without attributes, rests in undifferentiated repose,

known only to Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh,
Who is attained only by yogis in the depth of meditation,
Who removes the fear of life and death and is the essence
of Knowledge and Truth.
Gradually the samadhi breaks. Thakur sits
down and chants: “Om Sat-chit-ananda! Govinda!
Govinda! Govinda! Yogamaya! Scripture, devotee,
and God in one.”1
Thakur takes the dust of the place where the
kirtan was sung and the devotees danced.
Chapter IV
The difficult vow of the sannyasin – sannyasins and

instruction to mankind
Thakur is sitting on the semicircular verandah
overlooking the Ganges. Vijay, Bhavanath, M.,
Kedar, and other devotees are with him. Now and
then he repeats, “Ah, Krishna Chaitanya.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay and other devotees):
“The Lord’s name has been chanted so much in this
room; devotional songs have been sung with so
much zest.”
Bhavanath: “And there have been talks on
renunciation.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah, what feeling!” He begins
to sing:
Gaur is dispensing the nectar of love, pouring out pitcher
after pitcher of divine ecstasy, love never ceasing.
1. Bhagavata-Bhakta-Bhagavan.
25 May 1884 181
The sweet Nitai summons them all; the beloved Gaur, too,
bids them come.
Shantipur1 is near drowning, flooded with love!
(To Vijay and others): “The song says this
beautifully: the sannyasin must not look at a
woman, for this is his rule. What a high ideal!”
Vijay: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Others learn from a
sannyasin’s example. That’s why there is such a
strict rule of conduct. A sannyasin should not even
look at a picture of a woman. Such a strict rule!
“A black goat is sacrificed as an offering to the
Divine Mother. But if it has the slightest blemish, it
is rejected. The sannyasin, of course, must not have
intercourse with women, but he must not even talk
to them.”
Vijay: “The younger Haridas spoke to a woman
devotee. Chaitanya Deva gave him up.”
His earlier story – Marwari’s offering of money to Sri

Ramakrishna and Mathur’s offering him a piece of land
Sri Ramakrishna: “‘Lust and greed’ for a
sannyasin is like the odour of a goat in the body of a
beautiful woman. Her beauty is useless if she
smells like that.
“A Marwari wanted to put some money in my
name. Mathur also wanted to transfer some land to
my name. I could accept neither.
“The rules of conduct for a sannyasin are very
difficult indeed. When one puts on the guise of a
1. A town in Nadia District.

sannyasin or sadhu, one has to conduct himself

exactly like a sadhu or a sannyasin. It’s like in the
theatre: the person who plays the king acts like a
king, and the one who takes the role of his minister
acts just like a minister.
“Once an impersonator was acting like a
sannyasin who had renounced. Gentlemen offered
him a small bag of money, but he said no and went
away. He didn’t even touch the money. But a little
later, he came back, washed and dressed in his own
clothes. Then he said, ‘Let me have what you were
offering me.’ When he dressed like a sadhu, he
couldn’t touch money. Now he would accept even
four annas.
“But in the state of a paramahamsa one
becomes like a child. A five-year-old does not
distinguish between a man and a woman. Even so,
the paramahamsa has to be careful to set a good
example.”
Why was Keshab Sen not able to teach people?

Keshab Sen was associated with ‘lust and
greed.’ It hindered his teaching of humanity. That
is what Thakur is saying.
Sri Ramakrishna: “He (Keshab) – do you
understand?”
Vijay: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He (Keshab Sen) tried to
take care of both the worldly and the spiritual. So
he couldn’t achieve very much.”
25 May 1884 183
Why did Chaitanya Deva renounce the world?

Vijay: “Chaitanya Deva said to Nityananda,
‘Nitai, if I hadn’t renounced the world, people would
not be helped. They would all want to live a worldly
life. Nobody would try to give his whole mind to the
lotus feet of God by renouncing ‘lust and greed.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Chaitanya Deva renounced
the world to set an example.
“A sadhu renounces ‘lust and greed’ for his own
good. And then even when he has become detached,
he must not allow a woman or gold near him, to set
an example. A man of renunciation, the sannyasin,
is a world teacher. Just seeing him gives spiritual
awakening.”
It is almost evening. The devotees are gradually
leaving, after offering their salutations. Vijay says
to Kedar, “This morning while I was meditating, I
saw you. I wanted to touch your body but I found no
body there.”
Section XIV

Dakshineswar Temple with
Surendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal, Latu,
M., Adhar, and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Character of Baburam, Rakhal, Latu, Niranjan,

Narendra, and others
It is evening. Sri Ramakrishna is seated in his room

with the devotees at the Dakshineswar temple,
chanting the name of the Mother of the Universe and
meditating on Her. Rakhal, Adhar, M., and couple of
other devotees are there.
It is Friday, 20 June 1884, the twelfth day of the dark

fortnight of Jaishtha. The Car Festival will begin in
five days.
After some time the arati begins in the various

temples and Adhar goes to watch. For Mani’s
education, Thakur is talking happily with him about
the devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, does Baburam want to

continue his studies? I said to him, ‘Continue your
studies to set an example.’ After Sita was set free,
Bibhishana refused to accept the throne. Rama
said, ‘You must become king for the benefit of the
ignorant. Otherwise, they will say, “Bibhishana
served Rama, but what did he gain?” They will be
happy to see that you have gained the kingdom.’
186 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XIV
“The other day I saw that Baburam, Bhavanath,

and Harish have a feminine nature.
“I saw Baburam as a goddess, with a necklace
around his neck and female companions with him.
He has received something in a dream. His body is
pure. He’ll have to do only a little, and he will
succeed.
“You know what’s happening? I’m finding it
difficult to take care of my body. It would be good if
he would come and live here. The nature of these
boys is changing. Noto (Latu) remains on a high
plane of spiritual emotion. Gradually he’s going to
merge with God.
“Rakhal is developing such a nature that I
myself have to serve him. He isn’t of much service
to me.
“Where are any other youngsters like Baburam
and Niranjan?1 I feel that if others come, they’ll just
get instruction and leave.
“But I don’t force Baburam to come here; it
could create problems at home. (Smiling) When I
say, ‘Why don’t you come,’ he has a nice reply, ‘Why
don’t you make me come?’ When he sees Rakhal, he
weeps, saying he is so happy here.
“Rakhal lives here now like a son of the house. I
know he won’t be attached to the world now. He
says, ‘All those things appear so tasteless to me.’
His wife came here. She’s fourteen years old. From
here she went to Konnagar. They asked him to go
1. Later Swami Niranjanananda.

20 June 1884 187
too, but he didn’t. He said, ‘I don’t enjoy such fun

and frolic.’
“How does Niranjan appear to you?”
M.: “He is handsome.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, not just his face. He’s
also simple and guileless. One can easily realize
God if he is guileless. Spiritual instructions work
faster in a guileless heart. It is like a well-tilled
field without stones or pebbles. The moment a seed
falls on the ground, it germinates. And it quickly
bears fruit.
“Niranjan won’t marry. Don’t you think it is ‘lust
and greed’ that bind a person?”
M.: “Sir, they do.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What use is it to give up
tobacco and betel leaf? Giving up ‘lust and greed’ is
the real renunciation.
“I saw in a vision that, though he worked in an
office, he would not be touched by it. He works for
his mother’s sake. There’s no harm in that.
“A clerk is jailed. He is bound, chained, and
later set free. Will he dance with gusto after being
released? No, he again takes to clerkship. You don’t
wish to have a paid job, but you have to provide for
your family. If you didn’t, what would happen to
them?”
Mani: “I can leave if someone takes respon-
sibility for them.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, that’s true. But for now

do both this and that, the worldly and also the
spiritual.”
Mani: “It takes great luck to be able to renounce
everything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That is certainly true. But it
depends on inborn tendencies.1 A little work still
remains in your case. When you have completed
that, you will feel peace. You will be released. A
patient is not easily discharged once he has entered
a hospital – only when he is cured.
“Two classes of devotees come here. One class
says, ‘O Lord, please save me!’ The other class, who
belong to the inner circle, don’t say this. They will
succeed by only knowing two things, ‘One, who I
am,2 and then who they are – that is, what their
relationship with me is.’
“You belong to the latter class. Otherwise, how
could you do so much –”
Narendra, Rakhal, and Niranjan have masculine

natures3 – Baburam and Bhavanath have feminine
natures4
“Bhavanath and Baburam have feminine
natures. Harish wears a woman’s cloth when he
goes to bed. Baburam says, ‘I like that attitude.’
That is why they’ve met each other. Bhavanath also
has that attitude. On the other hand, Narendra,
Rakhal, and Niranjan have masculine natures.
1. Samskaras.
2. Referring to himself.
3. Purusha bhava.
4. Prakriti bhava.
20 June 1884 189
Significance of the broken arm – Sri Ramakrishna and

occult powers
“Well, what does breaking my arm mean? Once
before I broke a tooth in a state of ecstasy. This
time it was my arm.”
Seeing that Mani is silent, Thakur himself
answers.
“My arm broke to rid me completely of my I-
ness. I can no longer find ‘I’ within me. Looking for
I, I find only Him. Until one is completely rid of I-
ness, it is not possible to attain Him.
“Look at the chatak bird. It lives on land, but
see how high it flies!
“Captain says I haven’t gained occult powers
because I eat fish.
“Sometimes I tremble at the thought that I
might attain such powers. If I had them, this place
would have turned into a hospital. People would be
coming here begging, ‘Please cure us.’ Are occult
powers good?”
M.: “No, sir. You yourself have said that if one
possesses even one of the eight occult powers, it is
impossible to realize God.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You are right. Only people of
low intelligence want occult powers.
“If you ask a favour of a rich man, he no longer
respects you. He doesn’t allow you to ride in the
same carriage with him. And even if he does, he
doesn’t let you sit near him. So the best is selfless
love for God1 that rises unbidden out of the depths

of the soul.2”
God without form is true, and so is God with form – the

home of a devotee is Thakur’s meeting place
“Well, what do you say, are God without form
and God with form both true? One can’t fix the
mind on the formless God for long. So God assumes
form for the devotee.
“Captain said something beautiful, ‘A bird flies
very high. But when it gets tired, it comes to the
branch of a tree to rest. God with form after God
without form.’
“I’ll have to visit your home once. I saw in a
vision that Adhar’s house, Surendra’s house, and
Balaram’s house are all meeting places for the
devotees.
“But I’m neither happy nor sad if they don’t
come here.”
Merriment with devotees is the magic of magician –

Chandi – grace of God
M.: “Sir, why should that not happen? Whoever
feels happiness also feels sorrow. You are beyond
both happiness and sorrow.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes. And I see it all as a
magician and his magic. Only the magician is real;
all his magic is ephemeral, like a dream.
“I realized this when I listened to a recitation of
the Chandi. First I heard that the demons
1. Nishkama bhakti.
2. Ahetuki bhakti.
20 June 1884 191
Shumbha and Nishumbha were born, and shortly

after I heard that they were dead.”
M.: “Sir, once I was going with Gangadhar to
Kalna, by steamboat. The steamboat collided with
another boat carrying twenty or twenty-five
passengers. It sank, along with all the people. It all
disappeared like the foam churned up by a
steamer’s waves.
“Tell me, does a person watching a play have
compassion for others? Does he feel any
responsibility? Without some feeling of doership,
compassion is not possible, is it?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He sees all these things at
the same time: God, maya, living beings, and the
universe.1
“He sees that maya (vidyamaya and
avidyamaya), living beings, and the universe exist,
and yet do not exist. As long as one is conscious of
‘I,’ he is conscious of others. But once it is cut
through with the sword of spiritual knowledge,
nothing at all exists. Then even the ‘I’ becomes the
magic of the magician.”
Mani contemplates this. Sri Ramakrishna says,
“You know what it’s like? It’s like cutting through a
flower’s twenty-five layers of petals in one stroke.”
“Feeling you are the doer! Rama! Rama!2
Sukadeva and Shankaracharya kept their ego of
knowledge. It is not man’s compassion; that belongs
1. Ishvara, maya, jiva, and jagat.

2. Rama! Rama! means “good heavens!”
to God. Compassion is the ego of knowledge – and

He Himself has become the ‘I of knowledge.’”
Very secret talk – Kali and Brahman – jurisdiction of

Primal Power, Kalki avatar
“You may watch a thousand tricks of magic, yet
everything is under God. You cannot escape. You
are not independent. Indeed, you have to do what
He makes you do. One attains the knowledge of
Brahman only when His Primal Power dispenses it.
Then you can witness the play of the magician.
Otherwise not.
“As long as you have even a little consciousness
of ‘I,’ you are under the jurisdiction of the Primal
Power – and unable to set yourself free.
“The play of an incarnation of God is the play of
the Primal Power. It is by Her power that the
avatar incarnates as a human being. Thus alone
does an incarnation work; it is all by the power of
the Divine Mother.
“Whenever someone would ask for money from
the former treasurer of the Kali Temple, he would
say, ‘Come back in two or three days. Let me ask
the proprietor.’
“At the end of the Kaliyuga, God will incarnate
Himself as Kalki1 – a brahmin’s son who knows
nothing. But suddenly he will be given a horse and
a sword.”
1. The tenth and last incarnation of Vishnu, who is yet to come.

20 June 1884 193
Keshab Sen’s mother and sister – Bhuvanmohini, the

wet-nurse
Adhar returns from the arati. Bhuvanmohini, a wet-

nurse, sometimes comes to see Thakur. He cannot eat
the food brought by everyone.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Adhar and others):
“Bhuvan came to see me. She brought twenty-five
Bombay mangoes, sandesh, and rasagollas. She
asked me if I would eat a mango. I said, ‘My
stomach is heavy today.’ And truly today my
stomach is uncomfortable after eating only a little
kichuri and sandesh.
“Keshab Sen’s mother and sister came here. So I
danced a little. What else could I do? I had to
entertain them. They have suffered great
bereavement.”
Section XV
Sri Ramakrishna with Devotees at

Balaram’s House on the Day of the
Return Car Festival1
Chapter I
Sri Ramakrishna and the harmony of religions
Sri Ramakrishna is a picture of bliss, sitting with an

assembly of devotees in Balaram’s parlour, talking
with them.
Today is the day of the Return Car Festival,

Thursday, 3 July 1884, the tenth day of the bright
fortnight of Ashada. Balaram maintains a shrine for
Sri Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, in his home,
where he performs daily worship. He also has a small
cart. That is why he has invited Thakur on the
occasion of the Return Car Festival. The small cart
will be drawn on the second storey quadrangular
verandah of the outer house. On 25 June, last
Wednesday, the day of the Car Festival, Sri
Ramakrishna had been invited to the home of Ishan
Mukherji2 in Thanthania. That same evening, at the
home of Bhudhar on College Street, he had met
pundit Shashadhar for the first time. Three days ago,
last Monday, Shashadhar had met him for a second
time at the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar.3
At Thakur’s behest, Balaram has invited Shashadhar

to his house today. The pundit explains Hindu
1. Ratha yatra.
2. See Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, Volume I, Section XI.
3. See Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, Volume III, Section IX.
196 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XV
religious ideas to people. Is this why Sri Ramakrishna

is so eager to transmit power to him?
Thakur is talking with the devotees. Sitting close to

him are Ram, M., Balaram, Manomohan, some young
devotees, and Balaram’s father. Balaram’s father is an
extremely devout Vaishnava who lives most of the
time alone in Vrindavan in a garden house he built
himself. There he supervises the worship of Krishna.1
He spends all his time in Vrindavan in the service of
the deity. Sometimes he studies devotional literature
like Chaitanya Charitamrita. Other times he takes a
devotional book and copies it. Yet at other times he
sits and makes garlands of roses or invites
Vaishnavas and serves them. Balaram has written his
father a number of letters, inviting him to Calcutta to
visit Thakur. The topic of conversation that Thakur is
having with the devotees is that all religions have
something sectarian in them, particularly the
Vaishnavas – people of different sects fight among
themselves and don’t know how to harmonize.
Thakur talks about religious harmony with Balaram –

the Bhaktamala, the Bhagavata – his earlier story –
fanaticism of Vaishnavcharan and denouncing Shaktas
before Mathur
Sri Ramakrishna (to Balaram’s father and other
devotees): “One holy book of the Vaishnavas is the
Bhaktamala. It is a beautiful book. It contains
nothing but stories about devotees. But it is one-
sided. It goes so far in one place as to make the
Divine Mother2 adopt a Vishnu mantra.
“Once I praised Vaishnavcharan a lot and asked
Mathur Babu to invite him to his house. Mathur
was very hospitable to him – silver plates for the
1. Shyamasundara.
2. Bhagavati.
3 July 1884 197
refreshments. And what did Vaishnavcharan say to

Mathur Babu but that without a Krishna mantra
nothing would help! Now Mathur Babu is a devout
worshiper of the Divine Mother of the Universe. His
face reddened. I nudged Vaishnavcharan.
“I think you can find such things in the Srimad
Bhagavata also. Such as that without a Krishna
mantra it is as difficult to cross the ocean of the
world as it is to try to cross a mighty ocean by
holding a dog’s tail. All sects talk highly of their
own sects alone.
“Shaktas also try to disparage Vaishnavas when
they say, ‘Sri Krishna is the pilot of the river of the
world; he alone can take one across.’ To this
Shaktas reply, ‘Of course this is true. Will the
supreme Mother, empress of the universe,1 row one
across Herself? She has engaged this Krishna to do
the job.’” (All laugh.)
His earlier story – Thakur’s visit to his birthplace in

18802 – arrogance of Vaishnava weavers of Phului
Shyambazar – Thakur’s advice on harmony
“What arrogance people show because of their
beliefs! There are weavers in my village and in
Shyambazar and other places, most of them
Vaishnavas. They talk very big. They say, ‘Which
Vishnu do they worship? The Vishnu who
preserves! We don’t touch him.’ Or ‘Which Shiva?
1. Rajarajeshvari.
2. Sri Ramakrishna visited his birthplace for the last time in 1880.
During this journey he, together with Hriday, paid a gracious visit to
Phului Shyambazar and performed kirtan there with the devotees
Natwar Goswami, Ishan Mallick, Saday Babaji, and others.
We accept Atmarama Shiva, the Atmarameshwar

Shiva.’ One of them says, ‘Tell me which Hari you
worship.’ Thereupon another says, ‘No, why should
we? Let someone else answer.’ They work at
weaving and talk so big.”
Dogmatism of Rati’s mother, the attendant of Rani

Katyayani
“Rati’s mother – the attendant of Rani
Katyayani, a member of Vaishnavcharan’s group –
was a bigoted Vaishnava. She used to visit here
frequently. Her devotion for God was unusual. But
as soon as she saw me eating Mother Kali’s prasad
she ran away.
“He alone is a real person who has harmonized.
Most people are single-minded. But I see all these
as one. Shaktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedantists
worship the same one Reality. He who is formless
also has forms. All are only His different forms.
Brahman without attributes is my father, and God with
form is my mother.
Whom shall I blame? Whom shall I worship? The pans of
the scale are of equal weight.
“The Tantra also speaks of the same Being as
the Vedas. The Puranas also speak of the same
Being – Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. The
Absolute belongs to the same as the phenomenal
belongs.
“The Veda says, ‘Om Sat-chit-ananda Brahman.’
The Tantra says, ‘Om Sat-chit-ananda Shiva –
Shiva only, only Shiva.’ The Purana says, ‘Om Sat-
chit-ananda Krishna.’ The Vedas, the Puranas, and
the Tantras talk of the same Sat-chit-ananda. And
3 July 1884 199
the Vaishnava scriptures also say that Krishna

Himself has become Kali.”
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna in the state of a paramahamsa – like a

child and like a madman
Thakur goes to the verandah for a while and
then returns to his room. As he was going out, he
was saluted by Vishwambar’s daughter, who is six
or seven years old. When he returns to his room,
she talks to him. She is with some boys and girls
her own age.
Vishwambar’s daughter (to Sri Ramakrishna): “I
saluted you, but you didn’t pay any attention.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What? I didn’t
notice.”
The girl: “Then wait. Let me salute you again.
Please stop. I want to salute your other foot too.”
Thakur sits down laughing and, bending his
head to the ground, salutes the girl. He asks her to
sing a song, but she replies, “I swear, I do not know
how to sing.” When Thakur insists again, she says,
“Should one be pressed after swearing?” Thakur
enjoys the little girl’s company and sings a song to
her. First he sings a light song, and then he sings:
Come, let me braid your hair. What will your husband say
when he visits you?
The children and the devotees laugh when they
hear the song.
Thakur’s earlier story – visit to his birth place –

character of the child Shivaram1 – Durga Puja at
Hriday’s house in Sihore – Thakur worships his own
phallus in a state of divine intoxication
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “The nature
of a paramahamsa is just like that of a five year old
child. He sees everything full of consciousness.
“Once when I was in the countryside (in
Kamarpukur), Ramlal’s brother, Shivaram, was
four or five years old. He was chasing a
grasshopper on the bank of a pond. The leaves were
moving. Lest they rustle, he said to them, ‘Hush! I
want to catch a grasshopper.’ One day during a
windstorm with torrential rain and flashes of
lighting, he would try to open the door and go out.
When I scolded him he didn’t go out, but he kept
peeping out at the flashes of lighting and saying,
‘Uncle, they’re striking flints again!’
“A paramahamsa is like a child. He doesn’t see
the difference between a relative and a stranger.
He doesn’t have ties of worldly relationships. One
day he2 asked me, ‘Are you my father’s younger
brother,3 or the husband of my father’s sister?’4
“Like a child, a paramahamsa isn’t aware of his
whereabouts. He sees everything as Brahman. He
doesn’t know where he is going or on what path he
is proceeding. Ramlal’s brother (Shivaram) went to
1. Ramakrishna’s nephew, Ramlal’s younger brother. He was born on

30 March 1866, 18th Chaitra, 1272 (B.Y.), the full moon day of Holi.
Thakur visited his birthplace when he was three or four years old, in
1869-70.
2. Referring to Shivaram, Ramlal’s younger brother.
3. Chacha.
4. Phupha.
3 July 1884 201
Hriday’s house to see the Durga Puja. From

Hriday’s house he wandered away all by himself.
Seeing a four-year old child, a passer-by asked him,
‘Where have you come from?’ He couldn’t say. He
only said, ‘Hut.’ That is to say, from a house where
the worship of the image was being performed.
When he was questioned further, ‘From which
home did you come?’ he could only say, ‘Elder
brother.’
“And then sometimes a paramahamsa gets into
a state of divine madness. When I was in that state,
I would worship my own phallus as the Shiva
lingam. It was worship of the living lingam. I would
fasten a pearl around it! I can’t do that now.”
Sri Ramakrishna meets a madman of perfect

knowledge after the dedication of Dakshineswar
temple in 1855
“A little while after the dedication of the
Dakshineswar Temple a mad fellow came. He was a
man of perfect knowledge.1 His shoes were torn and
he was holding a potted mango sapling. After a dip
in the Ganges, he performed no worship or
devotions but ate whatever he had tied in the
corner of his cloth. Next he went to the Kali Temple
and began to chant holy verses of praise. The
temple reverberated with them. Haladhari was in
the shrine at the time. The madman wasn’t given
food to eat at the guest-house, but it didn’t upset
him. He gathered up the discarded leaf plates and
ate the remnants of food on them. This was where
the dogs came to eat. He pushed away the dogs and
1. Purna jnani.
helped himself to the food. The dogs didn’t seem to

mind. Haladhari followed him and asked who he
was and if he was a man of perfect knowledge. His
reply was, ‘Yes, I am a perfect jnani. Now keep
quiet!’
“When I heard all this from Haladhari my heart
trembled in my chest. I held tightly to Hriday. I
said to the Divine Mother, ‘Mother! Will I also be
put in this state?’ We went to see him. He spoke
words of wisdom, but when others came, he acted
crazy. When he left, Haladhari accompanied him
for quite some distance. When they passed the gate,
he said to Haladhari, ‘What more can I tell you?
When you see no difference between the water in
this gutter and the water in the Ganges, know that
you have reached perfect knowledge.’ Saying this,
he walked away quickly.”
Chapter III
Practicing spiritual disciplines is more essential than

learning
With the devotees seated close by, Sri
Ramakrishna is talking with M.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “What do you think of
Shashadhar?”
M.: “Sir, he is a good man.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He’s intelligent, isn’t he?”
M.: “Yes, Sir. He’s a real scholar.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “According to the Gita, one
who is respected and accepted by many has the
3 July 1884 203
power of God within. But there’s a little work he

has yet to do.
“What use is mere scholarship? Some austerity
is necessary. One has to practice some spiritual
disciplines.”
His earlier story – spiritual practices of Pundit Gauri

and Narayan Shastri – meeting with Keshab at the
Belgharia garden in 1875 – arrival of Captain in 1876-77
“Gauri Pundit practiced spiritual disciplines.
When he chanted a hymn to the Divine Mother,1
scholars would seem to be no more than
earthworms.
“Narayan Shastri also was not just a pundit; he
also practiced spiritual disciplines.
“Narayan Shastri studied continuously for
twenty-five years. For seven years he studied the
Nyaya system of philosophy. Even then he would go
into ecstasy repeating, ‘Hara, Hara.’ The king of
Jaipur wanted to make him his court pundit, but he
didn’t accept the position. He often came and stayed
at Dakshineswar. He had a great desire to go to the
Vasishtha Ashrama to practice austerities. He
would often tell me about wanting to go there. I
forbade him. He said, ‘Who knows when I may die?
When will I perform spiritual practices? The pot
may crack at any time.’ When he persisted, I let
him go.
“I hear from some that Narayan Shastri has
quit his body. Perhaps he received a slap from
Bhairava while practicing austerities. And there
1. Ho re re niralamba lambodara.
are others who say, ‘He is alive. We have just seen

him off in a train.’
“Before meeting Keshab Sen, I asked Narayan
Shastri, ‘Please go once and see what kind of person
he is.’ After visiting Keshab, he returned and said,
‘That fellow is perfect in japa.’ He knew astrology
and said, ‘Keshab Sen has a good destiny. I spoke to
him in Sanskrit and he talked in Bengali.’
“Then I went with Hriday and met him in the
Belgharia garden house. As soon I saw him, I said,
‘He has cast off his tail. He can now live in water as
well as on dry land.’
“Keshab sent three Brahmos to the temple to
examine me. Prasanna was one of them. They were
to watch me day and night and then report to
Keshab. They were with me at night in my room.
They constantly repeated, ‘Compassionate One’ and
said to me, ‘You should follow Keshab Babu. It will
benefit you.’ I told them, ‘I believe in God with
form.’ Even then they kept on repeating,
‘Compassionate One, Compassionate One!’ Then a
mood came over me. I said, ‘Leave this place.’ I
didn’t let them stay in my room at all. They went
out and slept on the verandah.
“When Captain saw me for the first time, he also
stayed the night.”
3 July 1884 205
Michael Madhusudana1 and conversation with

Narayan Shastri
“Michael visited here when Narayan Shastri
was present. Dwarika Babu, Mathur’s eldest son,
had brought him. A lawsuit was in the offing with
the owners of the magazine2 next door so the
proprietors of the temple had brought Michael to
the garden to seek his advice.
“There is a big room next to the [temple] office. I
saw Michael there. I asked Narayan Shastri to talk
to him. Michael couldn’t speak well in Sanskrit and
kept making mistakes. So they talked in the
vernacular (Bengali).
“Narayan Shastri asked, ‘Why did you give up
your religion?’ Pointing to his belly, Michael said, ‘I
had to give up because of this.’
“Narayan Shastri said, ‘What conversation can I
have with one who gives up his faith for the sake of
the stomach?’ Madhusudana then said to me,
‘Please tell me something.’
“I said, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t feel like
saying anything. It is like somebody is shutting my
mouth.’”
‘Lust and greed’ can deprive a pundit of his

intelligence – worship and rituals of a worldly person
Choudhury Babu was expected to pay a visit to
Thakur.
1. Madhusudan 1824-1873: A poet born at Sagardari who lived in

England from 1862 to 1867 and was a convert to Christianity. He
met Thakur sometime after 1868.
2. Ordnance storehouse.
Manomohan: “Choudhury won’t be coming. He

said he was expecting a Bengali (Shashadhar) from
Faridpur, so had dropped the idea of coming.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “How mean! He has the
arrogance of learning. On top of that, he has
married a second time. He considers the world an
insignificant earthen bowl.”
Choudhury holds an M.A. He developed great
dispassion on the death of his first wife, when he
would visit Thakur often at Dakshineswar. He has
married a second time and is now earning three to
four hundred rupees a month.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Attachment
to ‘lust and greed’ robs a person of understanding.
When Haramohan came to see me for the first time,
he had good signs. I would long to see him. He must
have been seventeen or eighteen then. These days
when I invite him, he doesn’t turn up. He is living
in a separate house now with his wife. He used to
live with his maternal uncle and was fine. He had
no problems of running a household then. Now,
having established a new home, he has to go daily
to the market for his wife. (All laugh.) The other
day he came to Dakshineswar. I said to him, ‘Go
away. Leave this place. I don’t feel like touching
you.’”
Kartabhaja Chandra (Chatterji) has arrived. He
is sixty or sixty-five years old. He recites verses of
the Kartabhaja sect quite fluently. He goes to
gently stroke Thakur’s feet, but Thakur doesn’t let
him touch his feet. He says laughingly, “Now you
are acting prudently.”
3 July 1884 207
Sri Ramakrishna goes to Balaram’s inner

apartments to see Lord Jagannath. The women of
the family are anxious to see him in their quarters.
Now Thakur returns to the parlour, smiling. He
says, “I changed my clothes that I used in the toilet
and then went for the darshan of Jagannath. I
offered some flowers.
“The worship, japa, and austerities of worldly
people are only for the moment. Those who know
nothing but God repeat His name with every
breath. Some unceasingly chant the name of Rama,
or Om Rama mentally. People who follow the path
of knowledge also repeat ‘So ’ham’ (I am He). The
tongues of some people are always moving.
“Indeed there must be constant remembrance
and contemplation of God.”
Chapter IV
Balaram’s house – Shashadhar and other devotees –

Thakur in samadhi
Shashadhar enters the room with one or two
friends. They salute Thakur and sit down.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Like friends of the
bride, after arranging the bridal bed, we are awake
and awaiting the bridegroom’s arrival.”
The pundit laughs. The devotees have gathered
together. Balaram’s father is there, as well as Dr.
Pratap. Thakur talks about various things.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Shashadhar): “There are
signs of spiritual knowledge. The first is a serene
nature. The second is absence of pride. You have

both these signs.
“There are other signs in a man of knowledge,
too. In the company of a sadhu, he is a man of
renunciation; when at work, he’s like a lion – for
example, while lecturing. He’s full of humour in the
company of his wife, witty as a pundit. (The pundit
and others laugh.)
“The vijnani has a different disposition. For
example, Chaitanya Deva acted like a child, or like
a madman, or an inert object, or a ghoul.
“There are, again, in the state of a child,
adolescent as well as youthful moods. In the state of
an adolescent, he is full of fun, but when he teaches
others, he has the strength of a young man.”
Pundit: “What kind of love is necessary to
realize God?”
Shashadhar and talk on the principles of love and

devotion – burning faith is needed – humility of the
Vaishnavas
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are three kinds of
bhakti, depending on one’s nature: the sattva of
bhakti, the rajas of bhakti and the tamas of bhakti.
“In sattvic bhakti, only God knows about it.
Such a devotee loves God secretly, perhaps
meditating under his mosquito net without anyone
knowing about it. When one develops the purest
sattva,1 – sattva of sattva – the vision of God is very
near, just as at dawn one knows that there will be
no more delay for the sun to rise.
1. Vishuddha sattva.
3 July 1884 209
“Those who have rajasic bhakti have a desire for

people to see that they are devotees. They perform
the worship with sixteen items. They go into the
temple wearing pure silk. They wear a rudraksha
rosary round their necks. The rosary has pearls and
here and there gold rudrakshas.
“The tamas of bhakti is devotion like an attack
of dacoits. Dacoits are armed with weapons while
committing dacoity and have no fear even of eight
police officers. They shout, ‘Kill, rob!’ Like mad
people they shout, ‘Hara, Hara, Hara; Vyom, Vyom!
Victory to Kali!’ They have immense strength of
mind, and burning faith.
“Shaktas have this kind of faith. ‘Why, I have
once chanted the name of Kali, the name of Durga.
I have once chanted the name of Rama. How can I
be touched by sin?’
“Vaishnavas have a very meek and humble
disposition. They only tell the rosary (Thakur looks
at Balaram’s father) and weep and sob, ‘O Krishna,
Be merciful to me! I am pitiable, I am a sinner.’
“One should have such burning faith as to be
able to say, ‘I have taken God’s name, how can
there be any sin in me?’ Imagine a person repeating
the name of God day and night, yet calling himself
a sinner!
“While talking, Thakur becomes intoxicated
with ecstatic love and sings:
Mother, can I but die with Durga’s name upon my lips,
I shall see, O Shankari, how in the end you cannot refuse
to rescue me.
Should I have killed a brahmin or a cow, or destroyed a

child in the womb, or indulged in drink, or slain a woman,
For all those heinous deeds I care not in the least; still
may I aspire to Brahman.
Shashadhar begins to weep listening to the
song. Thakur sings another song:
In Shiva’s company the Mother is ever lost in ecstasy;
Though drunk with the wine of bliss, She reels but does
not fall.1
Now Vaishnavcharan, Adhar’s professional mus-
ician, sings:
O my tongue, always repeat the name of Durga.
Who else can save you from danger but She?
O Mother, You are the heaven, the earth, and the nether
world.
From You have sprung Hari, Brahma, and the twelve
Gopalas.
You are the ten great Powers,2 and the ten Incarnations.3
This time You must take me across!
You are the moving and the unmoving, the gross and the
subtle.
You are creation, preservation, and dissolution;
You are the source of the universe.
You are the Mother of the three worlds and their saviour.
You are the Power of all and You are Your own Power
too.4
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section XIV, Chapter III.
2. The ten Mahavidyas, or aspects of Shakti, personified as Kali,
Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvanesvari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi,
Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala.
3. The ten incarnations of Vishnu.
4. For complete song refer to Volume II, Section XVIII, Chapter II.
3 July 1884 211
Hearing these few lines of song, Thakur goes

into ecstasy. When the song ends, he himself begins
to sing:
O Mother Shyama! Yashoda would make You dance when
she called You her precious blue jewel!
Where have You hidden that form, O terrible Shyama?
Vaishnavcharan now sings devotional songs
about the meeting with Subol.1
When the musician adds his own line, ‘I say, one
cannot pronounce Dha without Ra,’ Thakur goes
into samadhi.2
Shashadhar sheds tears of love.
Chapter V
The Return Car Festival – Thakur and the devotees

sing devotional songs and dance in front of the chariot
Thakur comes out of samadhi. The song is over.
Shashadhar, Pratap, Ramdayal, Ram, Manomohan,
some young boy devotees, and others are also
present. Sri Ramakrishna says to M., “Please poke
him.” That is, he wants someone to ask something
of Shashadhar.
Ramdayal (to Shashadhar): “The scriptures
speak of the form of Brahman as an imagination.
Who does the imagining?”
Pundit: “Brahman Himself. It is not the ima-
ginings of a human being.”
1. Subol Milan, one of Krishna’s companions.

2. Dha and Ra are the reversal of Radha, to whom the songs of Subol
relate.
Dr. Pratap: “But why? Why does Brahman

imagine?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why not? He doesn’t consult
anybody before He does anything. It is His
pleasure. He is self-willed.1 Why should we care to
know the reason why God does it? You’ve come to
the orchard to eat mangoes, so eat them. If you
begin to count the trees, how many thousands of
branches and how many hundreds of thousands of
leaves – what use are all these calculations? Futile
reasoning and discussions do not yield the truth.”
Dr. Pratap: “So should we not reason anymore?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You must not argue or
reason for no purpose. However, you must reason
about what is Real and what is unreal, what is
permanent and what is impermanent. You must
reason in times of passion, anger, or grief.”
Pundit: “That’s different. It’s called reasoning by
discrimination.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, discriminating between
what is Real and what is unreal.” (All are silent.)
(To the Pundit) “Formerly, great men used to
visit.”
Pundit: “Do you mean rich people?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, great scholars.”
Meanwhile the little chariot is brought to the
outer verandah of the second storey. Lord
Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balaram are adorned
with flowers and garlands of different kinds. They
1. Icchamaya.
3 July 1884 213
are also bedecked with jewelry and clad in new

yellow apparel. Balaram worships in the sattvic
way, without any pomp or show. People outside
don’t even know that the Car Festival is being
celebrated in the house.
Thakur and the devotees go to the front of the
cart. It will be pulled down this very verandah.
Holding the string of the cart, Thakur pulls it for a
while and then begins to sing:
Gauranga’s love!
Again he sings:
while chanting Hari’s name.1
Sri Ramakrishna dances, and the devotees
dance with him, singing. Vaishnavcharan, the
musician, joins the group in dance and music.
In no time the verandah is filled with people.
The women view this ecstatic celebration from a
nearby room. It looks as if Sri Gauranga Himself,
intoxicated with the love of Hari, is dancing in
Srivas’s home with his devotees. The pundit and his
friends also watch the song and dance in front of
the chariot.
It is not yet evening. Thakur returns to the
sitting room and sits down with the devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the pundit): “This is called
the joy of devotional song.2 Worldly people are
1. For the complete song refer to Section VI, Chapter I.

2. Bhajanananda.
engrossed in the joy of the senses,1 the joy of ‘lust

and greed.’ Through worship, His grace descends.
One attains God’s vision and then enjoys the bliss
of Brahman.”2
Shashadhar and the devotees listen to Thakur
without uttering a word.
Pundit (humbly): “Sir, what kind of yearning for
God is needed for such a blissful state of mind?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “When your heart pants for
His vision. The guru said to the disciple, ‘Come
here. Let me show you what kind of yearning is
needed to attain God.’ Saying this, the guru took
him to a pond. He pushed his head under water and
held him there. When he let him up, he asked the
disciple, ‘How did your heart feel?’ The disciple
said, ‘My heart was panting for breath.’”
Pundit: “Yes, yes. That’s it! Now I understand!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Love of God – that is the
essence. Love and devotion for God. Narada said to
Rama, ‘May I have pure love for Your lotus feet.
And may I never be enchanted by Your world-
bewitching maya.’ Ramachandra said, ‘Ask for
another boon.’ Narada said, ‘I want nothing else. I
only want to have love and devotion for Your lotus
feet.’”
The pundit is about to leave, and Thakur asks a
devotee, “Please bring a carriage for him.”
Pundit: “No, sir. I’ll just walk.”
1. Vishyananda.
2. Brahmananda.
3 July 1884 215
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “How can that be?

You, even Brahma fails to find in meditation.”
Pundit: “I had no particular reason to leave. But
I have to perform my evening devotions.”
Sri Ramakrishna in the state of a paramahamsa –

renunciation of duties – sweet chanting of God’s name
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Divine Mother has taken
away from me sandhya and such ritualistic
worship. They purify the body and the mind. I am
not in that state now.”
Saying this, Thakur hums the lines of a song:
When will you lie down happily between your wives,
Purity and Defilement? When you see no difference
between these two, then shall you see the Divine Mother
Kali.1
Shashadhar salutes Thakur and departs.
Ram: “I went to see Shashadhar yesterday, as
you asked me to.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “When did I ask you to do
that? But it’s good that you went.”
Ram: “The editor of a newspaper (The Indian
Empire) has run you down.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does it matter?”
Ram: “Listen what else. After hearing me, he
wouldn’t let me go. He wanted to hear more about
you.”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section II, Chapter VI.
Dr. Pratap is still sitting there. Thakur says to

him, “Come to Dakshineswar. Bhuvan (the wet-
nurse) says she’ll pay the carriage fare.”
It is evening. Thakur is chanting the name of
the Mother of the Universe. And he repeats the
names of Rama, Krishna, and Hari. The devotees
listen without uttering a word. His chanting of the
name is sweet, as if raining honey. Today
Balaram’s house seems to have become Navadvip –
Navadvip outside and Vrindavan inside.
Thakur will go back to Dakshineswar tonight.
Balaram takes him to the inner apartments to
serve him refreshments. This gives the ladies an
opportunity to see him.
Seated in the sitting room, the devotees await
him as they sing devotional songs together. Thakur
returns and joins in the singing. The singing goes
on:
My Gaur is dancing,
Dancing with the devotees to the kirtan in Srivas’s
courtyard.
His lips repeating “Haribol,”
He glances at Gadadhar.
From reddened eyes, Gaur’s tears stream incessantly onto
his golden body.
Thakur adds his own lines:
Brother, the darling of Shachi is dancing to the kirtan.
My Gaur is dancing;
This Gaur, my life-breath, is dancing.
Section XVI
Thakur at the Dakshineswar Temple

with M., Rakhal, Latu, Balaram,
Adhar, Devotees from Shivapur, and
Others
Chapter I
Conversation on the essence of yoga with the Shivapur

devotees – kundalini and piercing of the six centres
Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees at the

Dakshineswar Temple after the midday meal. It is
about two o’clock.
A group of bauls from Shivapur and devotees from

Bhawanipur have arrived. Rakhal, Latu, and Harish
are now living with Thakur. Balaram and M. are also
in the room.
It is Sunday, 3 August 1884, the twelfth day of the

bright fortnight, the second day of the Swing
Festival.1 The previous day Thakur had visited
Surendra’s house. Shashadhar and other devotees had
met him there.
Thakur addresses the devotees of Shivapur
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “You cannot
achieve union with God when the mind dwells on
‘lust and greed.’ The mind of an ordinary person
remains in the centres of awareness located at the
genital, anal, and naval regions.2 It takes a lot of
1. Jhulan Yatra.
2. Svadhishthana, muladhara, and manipura chakras.
218 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XVI
effort in spiritual discipline for the kundalini to

awaken. There are three nerves – ida, pingala, and
sushumna. And in the sushumna are six lotuses,
the lowest being the muladhara. Then there are
svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, and
ajna. These are the six spiritual centres.
“When the kundalini awakens, after it has
crossed the lotuses of muladhara, svadhisthana,
and manipura, it reaches the anahata lotus located
at the heart. It stays there. The mind is then
withdrawn from the three lower centres of anus,
sex organ, and navel; it attains a spiritual
consciousness and sees a light. The aspirant is
speechless with wonder and exclaims, ‘What is this!
What is this!’
“Having pierced six centres, the kundalini
reaches the lotus of sahasrara and unites with it.
When the kundalini reaches there, the aspirant
passes into samadhi.
“According to the Vedas, these centres are called
bhumis or planes. There are seven planes. The
heart is the fourth, and the lotus at anahata is
twelve-petalled.
“The vishuddha centre is the fifth plane. When
the mind reaches there, the heart yearns only to
talk of God and to hear about Him. This centre is
located in the throat. It has a sixteen-petalled lotus.
The person whose mind has reached this centre
feels great pain to hear any worldly talk, such as
talk of ‘lust and greed.’ When he hears such talk, he
gets up and leaves the place.
3 August 1884 219
“After this comes the sixth plane, the ajna

centre of two petals. When the kundalini reaches
there, one has the vision of God’s form. But there is
still a thin screen of separation. Like a lantern, the
light can’t be touched because of a glass barrier.
“Then one reaches the seventh plane, the
thousand-petalled lotus. When the kundalini
reaches there, samadhi comes about. The
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute Shiva resides
at the sahasrara. Here He unites with Shakti – it is
the union of Shiva and Shakti.
“When the mind reaches the sahasrara, one
becomes absorbed in samadhi. In this state all
awareness of the external disappears, and the
person cannot preserve his body. If milk is poured
into his mouth, it runs out. If one remains in this
state, one dies in twenty-one days. A ship cannot
return after it has entered the ‘black waters.’
“But ishvarakotis,1 such as incarnations of God,
can come down from this state of samadhi. Since
they like to live with devotees and enjoy love for
God, they can descend from this state. God keeps
the ‘I of knowledge,’ the ‘I of devotion’ in them to
teach mankind. Their state of mind is like the swift
movement of a boat, racing up and down between
the sixth and the seventh planes.
“Some people, of their own will, retain the ‘I of
knowledge’ after attaining samadhi. But this ego is
a mere appearance. It is just like a line drawn on
the surface of water.
1. Eternally free and perfect souls.

“Hanuman, having realized God both with form

and without, retained the ‘I of a servant.’ Narada
and others – Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana,
Sanatkumara – also retained the ‘I of a servant’ or
the ‘I of a devotee’ after attaining the knowledge of
Brahman. They are like big steamships which not
only cross the ocean but also carry others to the
opposite shore.”
Is Thakur thus describing his own state?
A paramahamsa – believers in the formless God and

God with form – Thakur’s love for God after attaining
knowledge of Brahman – union of the Absolute and the
phenomenal
He says:
“A paramahamsa may believe either in God with
form or the formless God. Trailanga Swami is an
example of one who believed in the formless God.
They care for their own good alone; they’re satisfied
with their own realization.
“Those who believe in God with form, even after
attaining the knowledge of Brahman, live with love
for God in order to teach mankind. It is like pouring
water from a full pitcher into others.
“All the spiritual practices they have performed
to realize God, they tell others about to help them.
People dig wells for water with great effort, using
spades and baskets. Some of them throw the spades
and other tools into the well itself after it is dug,
thinking, What use are they now? But some put the
tools on the edge of the well so they may be of
benefit to others.
3 August 1884 221
“There are some who eat mangoes and then

secretly wipe their mouths. There are others who
eat and also share the mangoes with others. They
work for the benefit of mankind and to enjoy the
bliss of God. ‘I want to eat sugar.’
“The gopis attained the knowledge of Brahman,
but they didn’t want the knowledge. They preferred
to enjoy themselves with God – as mother and
child,1 as His beloved,2 or as a handmaid of God.”3
Thakur in the joy of devotional song – chanting the

name of Gauranga and of the Mother of the Universe
The devotees from Shivapur are singing to the
accompaniment of a gopi yantra.4 In the first song
was the line, “We are sinners, pray save us.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “It is the
beginner’s attitude to repeat God’s name out of
fear. Please sing songs about the realization of God,
songs of joy. (To Rakhal) What a beautiful song
they were singing the other day in Nabin Niyogi’s
house, ‘Be intoxicated with the wine of Hari’s
name.’
“It is not good to talk only of restlessness and
worries. Rather, one should be happy and become
intoxicated chanting His Name.”
The devotees from Shivapur: “Won’t you sing a
song, sir?”
1. Vatsalya bhava.
2. Madhura bhava.
3. Dasi bhava.
4. A single-stringed musical instrument.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What shall I sing? All right, I

will when I feel like it.”
After a while Thakur begins to sing. His gaze
turns upward.
O Bharati, give me a loincloth. I wish to go to Vraja
disguised as a beggar.
The wave of Gaur’s love has touched my body.1
And another:
Come, O friend, and behold the fair one’s beauty!
See Gauranga, anointed with precious ornaments, glowing
red!
At the very sight, one is overwhelmed with ecstasy.
Vrishabhanunandini is indeed a great mason and
Bhangada a great artisan.
And still another:
Dive deep, dive deep, O my mind, into the ocean of
beauty.2
After chanting the name of Gauranga, he chants
the name of the Divine Mother.
Thakur sings again:
Can everybody gain the treasure of Mother Shyama?
This foolish mind does not know how priceless this
inherited treasure is.
Even with all his penance, indeed rare is Shiva’s vision of
Her.
Only when the mind is intoxicated, can one attain the
crimson feet of the Divine Mother.
1. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section XVI, Chapter I.
2. For the complete song refer to Section XXI, Chapter VI.
3 August 1884 223
And again:
The black bee of my mind is drawn in sheer delight to the
blue lotus flower of Mother Shyama’s feet.1
And yet again:
What a machine Mother Shyama has built!
What a machine Mother Kali has made!
In this machine, three and a half cubits high, what pranks
She plays!
She Herself residing within pulls the cord and makes it
move.
The machine thinks it moves by itself, knowing not who
its operator is.
But the machine who knows it is She will be a machine no
more.
And Mother Shyama will Herself be tied with the cord of
love.
Chapter II
Thakur in samadhi and his conversation with the

Mother of the Universe – essence of ecstatic love
While singing this song, Thakur goes into
samadhi. The devotees gaze at him in silence. After
a while, coming down to a semi-conscious state, Sri
Ramakrishna talks to the Divine Mother.
“Mother, please come down here from above
(from the sahasrara). You torment me! Please sit
quietly!
“Mother, as are one’s tendencies acquired in
past births, so is one fated in this one. What can I
1. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section II, Chapter VII.
say to them? Nothing is achieved without

discrimination and dispassion.
“There are different kinds of dispassion. What is
called ‘monkey renunciation’ is one of them. It is
the dispassion a person feels after being tormented
by the fire of the world. It doesn’t last long. Real
dispassion is when a person possesses everything,
lacks nothing, but it all appears to be unreal.
“This non-attachment doesn’t happen all of a
sudden. It comes in its own time. It’s good to hear
spiritual talk, because when the right time comes,
then one will remember and think, ‘Oh, I heard
about that.’
“And there is something else. When a person
hears about spiritual matters, desire for worldly
enjoyment slowly decreases. To get rid of
intoxication, rice-water has to be taken little by
little. One gradually overcomes the state of
intoxication. There are very few people who are fit
for spiritual knowledge. The Gita says, ‘Scarcely
one out of thousands strives for perfection; of those
who strive, even among the perfected, scarcely
anyone truly knows Me.’
A Tantrik devotee: “Manuñyäëäà sahasreñu
kaçcid yatati siddhaye.”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “The more the attachment to
the world disappears, the more knowledge one will
gain. Attachment means attachment to ‘lust and
greed.’”
1. The devotee quotes in Sanskrit the first half of a verse from the
Bhagavad Gita, 7:3, which states that out of many thousands of men,
perhaps only one endeavours for perfection.
3 August 1884 225
Company of holy men, faith,1 single-minded devotion,2

love for God,3 bhava, mahabhava, and prema
“Not everyone experiences ecstatic love.
Gauranga did. An ordinary human being can
experience ecstasy – this far and no farther. Only
ishvarakotis – for example, incarnations of God –
attain ecstatic love. When one attains this intense
love for God, not only does he feel that the world is
an illusion, but he forgets the body, which is so dear
to everyone.
“A Persian book (by Hafiz) says: Under the skin
there is flesh; under the flesh there is bone; within
the bone there is marrow; and within that there are
many other things – but underlying all these is
ecstatic love.4
“A person becomes soft and tender-hearted
through ecstatic love. In this intense love for God,
Krishna’s body is bent three times.5
“Such intense love acts as a cord to bind
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.6 Then when-
ever you want to see Him, you only have to pull the
cord. Whenever He is called, He appears.
“When love for God matures, one experiences
ecstasy. In the state of ecstasy, one becomes
speechless contemplating Sat-chit-ananda. An
ordinary human being can only go that far. But
1. Shraddha.
2. Nishtha.
3. Bhakti.
4. Prema.
5. Tribhanga: Krishna playing the flute, bent at neck, waist, and
knees.
6. Sat-chit-ananda.
when ecstasy matures, one experiences maha-

bhava, prema. It is like the difference between an
unripe mango and a ripe one.
“Pure love of God alone is the essential thing.
Everything else is illusion.
“When Narada recited a hymn of praise, Rama
told him to ask for a boon. Narada asked for pure
love for God. And he added, ‘Rama, may I never be
enchanted by your world-bewitching maya.’ Rama
said, ‘That’s all right. Ask for another boon.’
Narada replied, ‘I want nothing else, only love and
devotion.’
“How can you develop such love for God?
Initially, you have to associate with the holy. By
keeping their company, faith in God comes. With
faith, single-minded devotion develops. Then you
don’t want to hear anything but talk about God.
And you’ll wish to work for Him alone.
“Single-minded devotion is followed by love for
God. Then ecstasy, mahabhava, and prema – and
then one attains the goal.
“Only incarnations of God and the like attain
mahabhava and prema. The knowledge of worldly
people and devotees is not like the knowledge of an
incarnation of God. The knowledge of the worldly
can be likened to the light of a lamp; it only lights
the inside of the room. This knowledge only helps a
person in eating and drinking and running
household affairs – looking after the body, bringing
up children, and so forth.
“The knowledge of a devotee is like the light of
the moon. He can see both the inside and the
3 August 1884 227
outside of a room with its light – but not a very

small object lying at a distance. On the other hand,
the knowledge of incarnations is like the light of the
sun. They can see inside, outside, the small, and
the large, everything.
“The mind of worldly people is like turbid water;
it can only be cleaned by pouring a cleansing agent1
in it. Discrimination and non-attachment are
cleansing agents.”
Now Thakur talks to the devotees of Shivapur.
The need for hearing about God – ‘the proper time’ –

normal state of Thakur
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ask if you have any
questions.”
A devotee: “Sir, we have listened to everything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It’s good to hear – but
nothing happens before the proper time.
“How can quinine help a patient who is running
a high fever? It should be administered after the
fever mixture has been given and the bowels have
moved – when the fever has subsided. But, of
course, some people are cured naturally; they get
well even without taking quinine.
“When going to bed, a child said, ‘Mother, please
wake me up when I need to go to the bathroom.’ His
mother said, ‘Child, I won’t have to wake you. The
urge itself will wake you up.’
“I see some people coming here with devotees in
a boat. They don’t like to hear about God. They
1. Nirmali: a rare kind of nut that precipitates dirt in water.
poke their friend, asking, ‘When are you leaving?

When are you going?’ When the friend doesn’t rise,
however much pressed, they say, ‘All right, I’ll go
and wait for you in the boat.’
“Those who are born as human beings for the
first time need to enjoy the things of the world.
Spiritual awakening does not come until a lot of
work has been done.”
Thakur is going to the jhautala. He speaks to M.
on the semicircular verandah.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Well, what do you
think of my state of mind?”
M. (smiling): “Sir, outwardly you are very
simple, but within you are deep. It is very difficult
to understand you.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Yes. Just as people
see only the surface of a floor. They don’t know
what lies below its surface.”
At the bathing landing of the chandni, Balaram
and other devotees are getting on a boat bound for
Calcutta. It is four o’clock. It is ebb tide, and a
southern breeze decorates the surface of the Ganges
with a necklace of ripples.
Balaram’s boat sails toward Baghbazar. M.
watches it for a long time, until it disappears from
view. Then he returns to Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna comes down from the western
verandah, on his way to the jhautala. There are
beautiful clouds in the northwest. Thakur says, “Is
it going to rain? Please bring the umbrella.” M.
brings it. Latu accompanies him.
3 August 1884 229
Thakur has reached the panchavati. He says to

Latu, “Why are you looking so unwell?”
Latu: “I can hardly eat anything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Is that the only reason? The
weather isn’t good. And maybe you meditate too
much.”
Thakur now talks to M.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “You must do this.
Please ask Baburam to come and stay here for a
day or two when Rakhal goes away. Otherwise, I
shall feel unhappy.”
M.: “As you wish. I’ll tell him.”
One can realize God when one is simple and
guileless at heart. Thakur asks if Baburam is
simple at heart.
Sri Ramakrishna beholds a beautiful sight in the

jhautala and panchavati
Thakur is returning from the jhautala, passing
along its southern side. M. and Latu stand under
the panchavati to the north and watch him.
Behind Thakur, newly arisen clouds beautify
the sky, their reflection darkening the water of the
Ganges.
Thakur approaches, as if the Lord Himself had
assumed a human form and come to the mortal world
for the welfare of the devotees. He strolls on the bank
of the Ganges, the destroyer of all sins, having
emerged from Lord Hari’s lotus feet. It is as if the
Lord Himself is present. Is that why the trees,
creepers, bushes, garden paths, shrines, images of the
gods, attendants, door-keepers, and every particle of

dust feel so sweet?
Chapter III
Nabai Chaitanya, Narendra, Baburam, Latu, Mani,

Rakhal, Niranjan, and Adhar
Thakur comes into his room and sits down.
Balaram has brought some mangoes, and Thakur
says to Ram Chatterji, “Please take some mangoes
for your son.” Nabai Chaitanya is also in the room,
dressed in a red dhoti.
Thakur is speaking with Hazra on the long
northern verandah. The topic of their conversation
is the harital ash1 that a brahmachari has given to
Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna: “The medicine the brah-
machari gave me suits me very much. The man is
correct.”
Hazra: “But the poor fellow has gotten caught
up in worldly life. What can he do? Nabai
Chaitanya has come from Konnagar. But even
though he’s a householder, he’s dressed himself in a
red dhoti.”2
Sri Ramakrishna: “What can I say? I see that
God Himself has taken the forms of everyone. So,
I’m not able to say anything critical to anyone.”
Thakur comes back into his room and then talks
with Hazra about Narendra.
1. Yellow orpiment, a compound of sulfur and arsenic.

2. A householder traditionally wears white.
3 August 1884 231
Hazra: “Narendra has gotten entangled in a

lawsuit again.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He doesn’t believe in Shakti.
When a person has taken a human body, he must
accept Shakti.”
Hazra: “He says, ‘If I accept it, everyone will
accept it. So how can I?’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It’s not good to go that far.
He has now come under the jurisdiction of Shakti.
Even a judge has to stand in the witness box if he
gives evidence.
(To M.) “Have you seen Narendra?”
M.: “Not recently, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do meet him and bring him
here in a carriage.”
(To Hazra) “Well, what is his relation with this
place [meaning himself]?”
Hazra: “He will receive help from you.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And Bhavanath? Would he
come here so often if he didn’t have good
tendencies?1
“And Harish and Latu – they’re always
meditating. What do you think about that?”
Hazra: “What is the sense in only meditating? It
would be better if they rendered you personal
service.”
1. Samskaras.
Sri Ramakrishna: “That will come about.

Perhaps some others will come to take their place.”
Different instructions to Mani – Sri Ramakrishna’s

simple and natural state1
Hazra goes back to his room. There is still time
before evening worship, and Thakur sits in his
room, talking privately with Mani.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Tell me, are people
attracted by what I say in ecstasy?”
Mani: “Yes sir, a lot.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What do they think of it? Do
they feel anything when they see the state of
ecstasy?”
Mani: “We feel that there is knowledge, intense
love for God, and dispassion all in the same person.
And on top of that, simplicity and guilelessness. So
many ships have sailed through the depths of your
consciousness, but you are natural and so simple!
Not many people can understand it, but a few are
attracted by that state alone.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “According to the Ghoshpara
sect, God is called ‘sahaja,’ or ‘simple.’ They say you
can’t recognize the Simple without being simple
yourself.”
Sri Ramakrishna and pride and egoism – “I am an

instrument and You are the operator”
1. Sahajavastha.
3 August 1884 233
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Well, do I have any

ego?”
Mani: “Yes, you have a little. To preserve your
body and to enjoy love for God – and for the
devotees, to impart spiritual knowledge to them.
You have kept it by praying for it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I haven’t kept it. It is God
who has kept it in me. Tell me, what happens when
I’m in the state of ecstasy?”
Mani: “You said earlier that when the mind
rises to the sixth plane, you see forms of god. Later,
when you speak, your mind comes down to the fifth
plane.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is God who does all this. I
know nothing.”
Mani: “That is why you attract people so much.”
Why so many scriptures? – all religions are true – Sri

Ramakrishna and the reconciliation of contradictory
scriptures
Mani: “Sir, there are different opinions in the
scriptures. According to one Purana, Krishna is
considered pure consciousness1 and Radha the
power of consciousness.2 According to another
Purana, Krishna is said to be Kali, the Primordial
Energy.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Devi Purana says this.
According to it, Kali Herself has become Krishna.
1. Chidatma.
2. Chitshakti.
“That might be true! God is infinite, and so are

the paths to reach Him.”
Mani sits silently for a while after hearing this.
Mani: “Now I understand. It’s like what you say
about climbing to the roof. The aim is to reach the
roof by any way we can – by rope, bamboo, or any
other means.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is God’s grace that you
have understood this much. It’s not possible to
become free from doubt without His grace.
“The important thing is somehow to develop love
for God. What is the use of knowing different
paths? If you can gain love for Him by treading one
particular path, you have achieved everything. It is
only by developing love for Him that you can attain
Him. Later, if there is a need, God will make you
understand everything. He will show the other
paths. It’s enough just to develop love for God.
What is the need to reason and discuss various
ideas? You have come to eat mangoes. Eat them.
What need is there to count how many branches
and leaves there are? Hanuman’s attitude is, ‘I
don’t know the date, the day of the week, or the
position of the stars. I only contemplate Rama.’”
3 August 1884 235
Renunciation of the world and God-realization –

should the devotee save, or be ‘satisfied with whatever
comes of its own accord’?
Mani: “I now desire for my work and duties to be
reduced to a large extent so I can give a lot of my
mind to God.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ah! What else can be needed!
But a man of knowledge can live unattached in the
household.”
Mani: “But sir, a special power is needed to live
unattached.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, that’s true. But perhaps
you wanted a worldly life. Krishna dwelt in Radha’s
heart, but when she wanted, his divine sport was
enacted in human form.
“Now pray that all this work and duties may be
reduced.
“Besides, renunciation from the heart is
enough.”
Mani: “Mental renunciation is for those who
can’t renounce outwardly. For people of a high
class, there is complete renunciation – renunciation
in the heart as well as external renunciation.”
Thakur is silent. Then he continues the
discussion.
Sri Ramakrishna: “How did you like what I said
about renunciation?”1
Mani: “Yes, I did like it, sir.”
1. Vairagya.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does dispassion mean?

Let me hear it from you.”
Mani: “It not only means renunciation of worldly
life. It means love for God together with dispassion
for the world.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, you are right.
“You do need money in worldly life, but you
mustn’t be anxious and worry too much about it.
You must be content with whatever comes of its
own accord1 – this is very good. Don’t worry too
much about saving for the future. Those who
surrender their mind and soul to God, those who
are His devotees and have taken refuge in Him,
don’t worry too much about saving. As they earn, so
they spend – from one side it comes, and out the
other it’s spent. This is what is called accepting
what comes of its own accord. It is mentioned in the
Gita.”
Conversation about Haripada, Rakhal, Baburam,

Adhar, and others
Thakur is talking about Haripada, who had
visited him the other day.
Mani (smiling): “Haripada knows how to relate
stories of the gods. He chants the life of Prahlada
and the story of Sri Krishna’s birth very
melodiously.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Really! The other day, I
looked into his eyes. They were unsettled. I asked
him if he practiced a lot of meditation, but he sat
1. Yadåcchäläbha, Bhagavad Gita 4:22.

3 August 1884 237
with his head down. I said to him, ‘You mustn’t

practice to extremes.’”
It is evening. Thakur chants the name of the
Divine Mother and meditates upon Her.
After some time, evening worship with the waving of
lights starts in the shrines. It is the twelfth day of the
bright fortnight of Shravana and the second day of the
Cradle Festival. The moon is shining, bathing the
temple, the surrounding courtyard, and the garden in
its light. It is eight in the evening. Thakur is seated in
his room with Rakhal and M.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Baburam says,
‘Worldly life – it’s dreadful!’”
M.: “What is he saying? What does Baburam
know of household life?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, undoubtedly that’s true.
Have you seen Niranjan? He is completely
guileless.”
M.: “Yes, sir. He is very attractive. And how
expressive his eyes are!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Not only his eyes – every-
thing. He told me that they were going to get him
married. To that, he said, ‘Why do you want to
drown me?’ (Laughing) But people say what
pleasure they have, sitting in the company of their
wives after a hard day’s work.”
M.: “Certainly they do, those who are so
inclined. (Smiling, to Rakhal) We are being
examined with a leading question.”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “A mother says, ‘I

will feel great relief if I can find a shade tree1 for
my son. He will rest in its shade after being burnt
by the fire of this world.’”
M.: “Sir, there are different kinds of parents. A
spiritually illumined father doesn’t give his sons in
marriage. If he does, he must be well liberated
indeed!” (Thakur laughs.)
Adhar and M. visit the Kali temple – Adhar talks about

the sacred Chandranath and visit to Sitakunda
Adhar Sen arrives from Calcutta and salutes
Thakur by prostrating. After sitting for a short
time, he goes to the Kali Temple for Kali’s darshan.
M. visits Kali with him. Then he comes to the
portico2 of the temple and then goes and sits on the
bank of the Ganges. The river sparkles in the
moonlight as the flood tide has just begun to rise.
Seated alone, M. meditates on the wonderful life of
Thakur, his amazing state of samadhi and repeated
ecstasies, and his intense love for God; his unceasing
talk about God, his genuine love for the devotees, his
childlike nature – he thinks of all these things. He
says to himself, Who is he? Has God Himself come
down in a human body for the sake of His devotees?
Adhar and M. return to Thakur’s room. Adhar
had been in Chattigram on a business trip. He is
talking now about his visit to sacred Chandranath
and the Sitakunda.
Adhar: “I saw tongues of fire burning in the
water of Sitakunda.”
1. A wife.
2. Chandni.
3 August 1884 239
Sri Ramakrishna: “How does that happen?”

Adhar: “There is phosphorous in the water.”
Ram Chatterji comes into the room. Thakur
praises him to Adhar, saying, “As Ram is here, we
don’t have to worry. He finds Harish, Latu, and
others at mealtime. Sometimes they are sitting
alone in different places meditating. It is Ram who
finds them and takes them to eat.”
Section XVII
Thakur with Narendra and Other

Devotees at Adhar’s House
Chapter I
Thakur in the joy of devotional singing with Narendra

and other devotees – in samadhi
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting with devotees in the

parlour on the second storey of Adhar’s home.
Narendra, the two Mukherji brothers, Bhavanath, M.,
Chunilal, Hazra, and other devotees are seated near
Thakur. It is about three o’clock, Saturday, 6
September 1884, 22nd day of Bhadra, 1291 B.Y., the
first day of the dark fortnight.
The devotees salute Sri Ramakrishna. After M.
has saluted him, Thakur says to Adhar, “Isn’t
Doctor Nitai coming?”
Preparations are being made for Narendra to
sing. A tanpura string snaps as it is being tuned,
and Thakur says, “My, what you have done!” Now
Narendra tunes the banyas. Thakur says, “Your
banya tuning is like a slap on the cheek.”
They talk about different kirtans. Narendra
says, “There is no regular beat or rhythm in kirtan
songs. That’s why they’re so popular. People love
them.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What are you saying! There
is such feeling of compassion in them – that’s why
people like them.”
Narendra sings:
242 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XVII
Sweet is Your name, O refuge of the lowly.1

Will my days just pass in vain, O Lord?2
Day and night my eyes are on the path of hope.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling, to Hazra): “He sang
the same song when he visited me for the first
time.”
After Narendra sings a couple of songs more,
Vaishnavcharan sings:
O Hari, how shall I know You now?
O Bankura, living in Mathura, clad in royal splendour
and riding elephants,
Have you forgotten the grazing of cows? Have you
forgotten us?
Do you remember how you stole butter in Vraja?
Sri Ramakrishna: “Sing this song: ‘O my vina,
play Hari, Hari.’”
Vaishnavcharan sings:
O my vina3, sing Hari, Hari!
Without Hari’s holy feet, you will not gain the Supreme
Truth.
The name of Hari destroys all sorrows. Chant ‘Hare
Krishna, Hare.’
By Hari’s grace, I shall have no worldly distress.
O Vina, sing but once the name of Hari. There is no haven
but His name.
1. For the complete song refer to Section XIX, Chapter III.

2. For the complete song refer to Volume III, Appendix, Chapter I.
3. A stringed instrument.
6 September 1884 243
The servant, Govinda, says, ‘In vain my days have passed.

May I no longer drift on the world’s shoreless ocean.’
Thakur occasionally goes into samadhi – he dances

Listening to the song, Sri Ramakrishna becomes
absorbed in ecstasy and exclaims, “Ah, ah! Chant
Hari, Hari.”
While saying this, he passes into samadhi,
surrounded by devotees who watch him. The room
is full of people.
The kirtan singer stops this song and begins a
new one.
The beautiful and youthful Gauranga of golden hue
dances best.
When he sings the line, “Drifting away in the
flood of intense love for Hari,” Thakur stands up
and begins to dance. Then he sits down and,
stretching his arms out, improvises: “O, utter the
name of Hari once.”
Thakur becomes overwhelmed with emotion as
he improvises. Bending his head, he goes into
samadhi. In front of him is a bolster on which he
rests his head. The musician sings another song:
What other wealth is there in the world except the name
of Hari?
Sweetly sing, “Madhai.”
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Another song follows:
My Gaur dances singing Hari’s name,
My Gauranga dances amid a mountain of gold.
Gold anklets sweetly jingle on his red feet.

Dear Narahari, remain beside Gauranga.
His body made of Radha’s love lies in dust.
To his left Advaitananda, to his right Nityananda,
And in the middle dances my Lord Chaitanya.
Thakur rises and dances while he improvises:
“Oh, let us become intoxicated with intense love for
God.”
Watching the wonderful dance, Narendra and
the other devotees cannot remain still. They all join
Thakur in the dance.
Thakur now and then goes into samadhi while
dancing. Then he becomes completely withdrawn
and does not utter a word; his whole body is still.
The devotees dance in a circle around him.
After a while, Thakur regains partial con-
sciousness, like Chaitanya Deva used to do. And
then he dances with the strength of a lion. But even
then there is no word on his tongue – he is nearly
mad with love for God!
Whenever he returns to partial consciousness,
he continues to improvise lines for the song.
Today Adhar’s parlour has become Srivasa’s
courtyard.1 Many people gather on the road when
they hear the chant of Hari’s names.
After dancing with the devotees for a long time,
Thakur again sits down. Still in an ecstatic mood,
1. Srivasa Pundit was a close companion of Sri Chaitanya Deva. It

was at his house that Sri Chaitanya and his associates used to have
sankirtan all night long.
he asks Narendra, “Please sing that song: ‘O

Mother, make me mad with Your love.’”
At Thakur’s behest, Narendra sings:
O Mother, make me mad with Your love.1
Sri Ramakrishna: “And also: ‘In the sea of the
bliss of consciousness.’”
Narendra sings:
The waves of ecstatic love for God rise on the sea of the
bliss of consciousness.
The sweet play of intense bliss2 has overwhelmed me.
All has become one in the great union.3
All divides and distinctions of time and space have
disappeared.
Now raising your arms in the inebriation of bliss, with the
mind sing Hari’s name.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra): “And that song:
‘In the firmament of my soul.’ No, it’s too long, isn’t
it? Well, please sing a little slowly.”
Narendra sings:
full.4
Sri Ramakrishna: “And that one: ‘The wine of
the name of Hari.’”
Narendra sings:
O my mind, be drunk with the wine of divine love;
Rolling on the ground, weep and chant the name of Hari...

2. Mahabhava.
3. Mahayoga.
Thakur improvises, adding lines to the song:

Be drunk O my mind, with intense love for God, and
weep, chanting, ‘Hari, Hari.’
Drunk with ecstasy, weep and chant Hari’s name.
Thakur and the devotees rest for a while.
Narendra whispers to Thakur, “Will you please sing
that song once?”
Sri Ramakrishna says, “My throat is a little
sore.”
After a while, he asks Narendra, “Which one?”
Narendra: “‘Your world-enchanting beauty.’”
Thakur slowly sings:
Who has brought Gaur to Nadia,
Gaur whose beauty enchants the world?
His face, hidden by tresses of hair,
Shines like lightning amidst the clouds.
Bring him near that I may glimpse the Lord.
O gopi friend,1 I have not found Shyama.2
How can I find any joy at home?
Could Shyama but be the tresses of my hair,
I would lovingly braid it with bakul flowers.
I would carefully braid my Keshava-hair.3
Shyama is black, and black is my hair; black would be one
with black.
1. Sakhi.
2 “The Dark One,” a name of Krishna.
3 Keshava: a name of Krishna.
Could Shyama but be my nose ring, He would ever grace

my face,
And know the tender touch of my lips.
But why, O friend, should I dream of what never can be?
Why should Shyama be away from me?
Could Shyama be my bracelets, He would ever adorn my
arms.
I would walk shaking my arms and jingling my bracelets.
Wearing the bracelets of Shyama, O friend, I would walk
down the royal road.
Chapter II
Insight in the state of ecstasy – invitation to Narendra

and others
The singing has ended. Thakur talks with
Narendra, Bhavanath, and other devotees. Smiling,
he says, “Hazra danced.”
Narendra (smiling): “Yes, sir. A little.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “A little?”
Narendra (smiling): “His paunch danced and
also another thing.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “It dances by itself.
You don’t have to move it; it moves on its own.” (All
laugh.)
The conversation now turns to the invitation to
Thakur by the man in whose home Shashadhar
now resides.
Narendra: “Will the master of the house provide
food?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I hear he doesn’t have a good

character, that he’s a scoundrel.”
Narendra: “That’s why, when you met
Shashadhar for the first time, you didn’t drink
water from the glass touched by his host. How did
you know he had a bad character?”
His earlier story – at Sihore in Hriday’s house with

Hazra and a Vaishnava
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Hazra knows of
another instance. It was at Hriday’s house in
Sihore.”
Hazra: “He was a Vaishnava. He went with me
to visit him [Sri Ramakrishna]. As soon as he came
in and sat down, he [Sri Ramakrishna] turned his
back on him.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “We heard afterwards that he
acted lewdly toward his maternal aunt. (To
Narendra) At first you used to say that my states
were only hallucinations.”
Narendra: “What can I say? Now I have seen so
much. It all tallies.”
Narendra means to say that when Thakur is in
ecstasy, he can see the inside and outside of a
person. He has confirmed this a number of times.
Sri Ramakrishna on caste of devotees

Adhar has made great preparations for serving
Thakur and the devotees. He now invites them to
eat.
Thakur says to Mahendra and Priyanath, the
two Mukherji brothers, “Aren’t you coming to eat?”
They humbly ask to be excused.

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “They are doing
everything else. But now hesitating about eating?
“A woman’s father-in-law was named Hari and
her husband’s elder brother, Krishna. Now the
name of Hari had to be chanted, but she wouldn’t
say Hare Krishna. Instead, she repeated:
Phare Phrishta phare Phrishta, Phrishta, Phrishta Phare
Phare.
Phare Rama, Phare Rama, Rama Rama Phare Phare.
Adhar is a goldsmith by caste. That is why some
brahmin devotees are initially hesitant to eat in his
house. But later, when they see that Sri
Ramakrishna himself eats there, they give up this
wrong notion.
It is about 9 p.m. Thakur has joyfully eaten his
meal with Narendra, Bhavanath, and other
devotees.
Now he comes to the parlour to rest.
Preparations are being made for his return to
Dakshineswar.
The Mukherji brothers have arranged for a
kirtan at Dakshineswar tomorrow, Sunday, for
Thakur’s enjoyment. Shyamdas, a professional
musician, will sing. Ram studies devotional music
from him at his home.
Thakur asks Narendra to come to Dakshineswar
the next day.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra): “Will you come
tomorrow?”
Narendra: “I’ll try.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “You can eat there if you like.
“M. can also eat there. (To M.) Are you over your
illness? Are you on a diet?”
M.: “No, sir. I shall be there.”
Nityagopal is in Vrindavan. Some days ago
Chunilal returned from there. Thakur gets news of
Nityagopal from him.
Thakur is ready to return to Dakshineswar. M.
salutes him, touching Thakur’s feet with his
forehead.
Thakur says to him affectionately, “Do come.”
(To Narendra and others, affectionately):
“Narendra, Bhavanath – please come.”
Narendra, Bhavanath, and other devotees
salute him by prostrating. They all return home,
their minds recalling Thakur’s wonderful singing
and dancing with the devotees during the kirtan.
It is the first day of the dark fortnight of the
month of Bhadra. The moon shines brightly in the
night, as if laughing. Sri Ramakrishna proceeds
towards Dakshineswar in a carriage with
Bhavanath, Hazra, and other devotees.
Section XVIII
Sri Ramakrishna with Ram,

Baburam, M., Chuni, Adhar,
Bhavanath, Niranjan, and Other
Devotees at the Dakshineswar
Temple
Chapter I
Life of Thakur in his own words – beliefs of the

Ghoshpara and Kartabhaja sects
Sri Ramakrishna is seated on the smaller cot in his

room at the Dakshineswar temple with devotees. It is
about eleven o’clock. He has not yet been served the
noon meal.
Yesterday, on Saturday, Thakur paid a visit to Adhar

Sen’s house with the devotees. He made everyone
happy by celebrating the Lord Hari’s name through
devotional singing. Today Shyamdas will perform
kirtan. Many devotees are assembling to witness
Thakur’s joy in devotional singing.
The first to arrive are Baburam, M., the brahmin from

Srirampur, Manomohan, Bhavanath, and Kishori.
Then Chunilal, Haripada, and others come, followed
by the Mukherji brothers, Ram, Surendra, Tarak,
Adhar, and Niranjan. Latu, Harish, and Hazra are
now staying at Dakshineswar. Ramlal is the priest in
Mother Kali’s temple, and he looks after Thakur. Ram
Chakravarty is the priest in the Vishnu temple. Today
is Sunday, 7 September 1884 ; 23rd Bhadra, 1291
B.Y., the second day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra.
252 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XVIII
After M. has saluted Thakur, Sri Ramakrishna

says to him, “Hasn’t Narendra come?”
Narendra could not come that day. The brahmin
from Srirampur has brought a book of songs by
Ramprasad. Now and then he reads some of the
songs to Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the brahmin): “My dear, do
continue reading.”
Brahmin: “Put on clothes, Mother – ”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Stop! Songs like this are
absolutely useless. Read only those songs that
inspire love and devotion for God.”
Brahmin: “Who can know what Kali is? Even
the six philosophies cannot reveal Her.”
Thakur’s sympathetic friend – the paramahamsa, the

baul, and the sai
Yesterday at Adhar’s house I felt a pain in one
of my legs when I was in ecstasy. That’s why I take
Baburam with me. He is a sympathetic soul.
Saying this, Thakur sings:
How can I tell you, O friend, what is in my heart?
I am forbidden to speak.
I cannot live without a kindred soul.
Such a one can be recognized from the look of his eyes.
Rare indeed is such a soul who swims in bliss on a tide of
intense love.
The man of the heart trades in love.
Where can one find a man of the heart,
Who carries under his arm only a tattered rag?
He says not a word, but travels on the high road.

A man of the heart only walks along the higher path.
“The bauls sing songs like this. And they also
sing songs like this one:
Wait, O wandering monk, with your water-pot!1
Stand and let me behold your beauty.
“According to Shaktas, a perfected soul2 is
called a kaul. In the Vedanta, he is called a
paramahamsa. The Vaishnava bauls call him a sai.
‘There is none greater than a sai.’
“When a baul attains perfection, he is known as
a sai. For him there is no distinction – half of his
necklace is made of cow-bones and the other half of
the sacred tulsi plant.
“Hindus call him Nir and Muslims call him Pir.”
Alekh (the incomprehensible) – about the spiritual

current – spiritual centre – the function of syrup –
taking the pot off
“A sai calls the Ultimate Reality ‘Alekh.’ In the
Vedas it is called Brahman; the sais call Him
Alekh, the incomprehensible. They say of the
individual soul that Alekh comes and Alekh
departs. That is to say, the individual soul comes
from the unmanifest and then merges back into it.
“The Bauls ask, ‘Do you know about the wind?’
1. Kamandalu, or water pot of a wandering ascetic, a symbol of

renunciation and purification.
2. Siddha.
That is, about the rising of the spiritual current1

within the ida, pingala, and sushumna, when the
kundalini is awakened.
“They ask, ‘In which centre2 are you?’ The sixth
centre is the sixth centre of consciousness.
“If he says that he is in the fifth, it means that
his mind has risen to the vishuddha spiritual
centre.
(To M.) “There is the vision of the formless God
then. As the song says.”
Saying this, Thakur chants: “Within the petals
of this lotus lies hidden a secret, subtle space.
Passing beyond it, one beholds the world dissolve.”
His earlier story – arrival of the Bauls and followers of

the Kartabhaja and Ghoshpara
“A baul once came here. I asked him, ‘Has your
syrup been refined? Is the pot down from the fire?’
The more you boil syrup, the more refined it
becomes. First you have sugarcane juice. Then it
turns into molasses, then into jaggery,3 and then
sugar, then sugar candy; last of all are sugar balls.
It becomes refined more and more only gradually.
“When should the pot be taken down? In other
words, when will spiritual practices end? They will
end when the senses are conquered. Senses are
loosened the same way a leech drops off when lime
is applied to it. Though one might live with a
1. Mahavayu.
2. Pitha.
3.Gur, the stage in the refinement of sugar in which it is moist and
dark brown.
woman, one does not engage in intercourse with

her.
“Many of these people conduct themselves
according to the Radha Tantra. They practise
spiritual disciplines with the five basic elements –
earth, water, fire, air, and ether – through the use
of excrement, urine, menstrual flow, and semen. It
is a very dirty practice, like entering a home
through the toilet.
“One day when I was eating in the courtyard, a
man of the Ghoshpara sect came. He asked, ‘Are
you eating, or are you feeding someone else?’ The
meaning was that the person who attains spiritual
perfection sees that God dwells within.
“Those who perfect themselves in this sect call
people of other sects ‘bound souls.’1 They don’t talk
in the presence of people of different views, saying,
‘There are strangers here.’”
His earlier story – visit to his birthplace. In Shari

Pathar's house with Hriday
“I saw a woman of this belief in my native
village – Shari (Saraswati) Pathar. People of this
sect eat in each other’s houses, but they won’t take
a meal in the homes of people of other sects. The
Mallicks ate at Shari Pathar’s house, but they
didn’t eat at Hriday’s. They say that these people
are ‘bound souls.’ (Laughter.)
“One day when I was taking a stroll, I went to
her house with Hriday. She had a beautiful tulsi
1. Jiva.
garden. She offered parched rice with urad lentils. I

ate some. Hriday ate a lot – then he felt sick.
“They call the state of perfection1 natural
(sahaja). There is a class of people who go around
saying, ‘sahaja, sahaja.’ They mention two
characteristics of this state of sahaja: one, the body
no longer has the ‘smell of Krishna’; two, a bee will
sit on a lotus but will not sip its honey. That there
is no ‘smell of Krishna’ means that all divine
feelings are within and there are no outward signs,
not even the name of Hari on his lips. And the
meaning of the second is that there is no
attachment to women – one has acquired mastery
over the senses.
“They don’t like worship of the deity in an image
or the like. They want a living person. That is why
they are known as Kartabhaja, that is, those who
adore and worship [bhaja] the spiritual preceptor
[karta] – the guru – as God Himself.”
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna and the harmony of religions – why

all scriptures and all religions are true
Sri Ramakrishna: “You see how many doctrines
there are? Every belief is a way to reach God.
Innumerable are the beliefs and paths.”
Bhavanath: “Then, what is the way for us?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You have to hold on to one of
the paths tightly. To reach the roof, you can climb
brick steps. You can also climb a bamboo ladder or
1. Siddha.
a ladder made of rope. Also a piece of rope or a

piece of bamboo will take you up. But if you place
your foot first on one path and then on another,
your effort will be in vain. You have to hold tightly
to one. If you want to attain God, you have to take
one path resolutely.
“And you should think of all religions as so
many paths. You must never entertain the idea
that your path is correct and all others are false.
You must have no feeling of malice toward other
beliefs.”
To which path do I belong? The beliefs of Keshab,

Shashadhar and Vijay
“So, to which path do ‘I’ belong? Keshab used to
say, ‘You have the same path as we do – you are
gradually accepting the formless God.’ Shashadhar
used to say, ‘You belong to us.’ Vijay (Goswami)
also used to say that I belonged to his path.”
Is Thakur saying that since he has reached God by
treading all the paths, he knows all of them? And that
people of all religions will come to him and find peace?
Thakur goes toward the panchavati with M. and
one or two other devotees. He wants to wash his
face. It is twelve o’clock. The flood tide is about to
begin. Hearing about it, Thakur waits for a while
on the path to the panchavati.
Essence of bhava and mahabhava – Thakur watches

the tides on the Ganges
Thakur says to the devotees, “What a wonderful
thing the flood and ebb tides are!
“But notice this – they only occur in the river

when it is near the sea. Away from the sea, the
current flows only in the one direction. What does
this mean? Dwell on that fact. Only those who are
very near to God experience divine emotions and
love for God. One or two (ishvarakotis) may have
mahabhava, intense love for God, and so on.
(To M.) “Well, why are there flood and ebb
tides?”
M.: “Western astronomy says that they are
caused by the pull of the sun and the moon.”
M. draws figures on the ground to show the
movements of the earth, the moon, and the sun.
Looking at them for a moment, Thakur says, “Oh,
stop! It makes my head reel.”
As they are talking, the flood tide rises. Soon the
sound of the rising waters begins to be heard.
Striking the bank near the temples, the flood flows
toward the north.
Thakur watches the tide fixedly. Noticing a boat
in the distance, he suddenly exclaims like a child,
“Look, look! What’s going to happen to that boat?”
While they are talking, Sri Ramakrishna and M.
come to the foot of the panchavati. Thakur places
his umbrella on the platform. He now talks about
Narayan, whom he looks upon as the very
manifestation of Narayana (the Lord Himself). He
is very fond of him. Narayan is a student.
Instructions to M. – right use of money – his concern

for Narayan
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Have you noticed
Narayan’s nature? He can associate with everybody
– with the old as well as the young. This isn’t
possible without some special power. Besides,
everybody loves him. Is he really so simple and
guileless?”
M.: “Yes, sir. He appears to be very guileless.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Does he visit you?”
M.: “Yes, sir, he did come once or twice.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Would you give him a rupee,
or should I ask Kali about it?”
M.: “Very well, sir. I’ll give him one myself.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Very good. It’s good to give to
those who love God. That’s the right use of money.
What good is spending everything in worldly
pursuits?”
Kishori1 has children, but he doesn’t earn much
– not enough to meet his needs. Thakur says to M.,
“Narayan was telling me that he would find work
for Kishori. Do remind him of it.”
M. is standing in the panchavati. Thakur
returns from the jhautala after a while. He says to
M., “Please ask someone to spread a mat outside
my room. I’ll be back soon. I’d like to lie down for a
while.”
Reaching his room, Thakur says, “None of you
remembered to bring the umbrella back. (All
1. M.’s brother.
laugh.) A scattered mind doesn’t notice something

even if it is nearby. A fellow went to a friend’s
house to light some charcoal for his tobacco. And he
was holding a lantern in his own hand!
“Another fellow, looking everywhere for his
hand towel, found it on his own shoulder!”
Thakur’s midday meal – Baburam and other intimate

companions
The prasad of Mother Kali is brought for
Thakur. It is about one o’clock. After eating he
wants to rest for a while, but the devotees remain
sitting in the room. When they are told, they go
outside. Harish, Niranjan, and Haripada will go to
the dining room to have their midday meal. Thakur
says to Harish, “Please take some amsattva (a thin
cake made of mango juice) for yourself.”
Thakur rests for a while. He says to Baburam,
“Baburam, please come sit near me.” Baburam
answers, “I am preparing betel leaf.”
Sri Ramakrishna says, “Leave it. Don’t make
the betel leaf.”
While Thakur rests, a number of devotees sit
under the bakul tree in the panchavati – the
Mukherji brothers, Chunilal, Haripada, Bhavanath,
and Tarak. Tarak has just returned from
Vrindavan. The devotees listen to him talk about
Vrindavan. He was there with Nityagopal.
Chapter III
Thakur in the joy of devotional singing – dancing with

devotees
Thakur has rested for a while. Shyamdas begins
singing songs relating to episodes in Mathura.
First he sings:
Lord, the joy of seeing You…
And then:
The lake of happiness seemed to them1 as dry as the
desert.
The chatak bird dying of thirst gazes at the clouds.
Thakur goes into an ecstatic mood, hearing
about Radha’s state of separation from Krishna. He
is sitting on the smaller cot while Baburam,
Niranjan, Ram, Manomohan, M., Surendra,
Bhavanath, and other devotees sit on the floor. But
the music has not yet picked up rhythm.
He asks Nabai Chaitanya of Konnagar to sing.
Nabai is Manomohan’s uncle.2 Having retired with
a pension, he practices spiritual disciplines and
devotional singing3 on the bank of the Ganges at
Konnagar. He often visits Thakur.
Nabai sings in a loud voice. Leaving his seat,
Thakur begins to dance. Immediately Nabai and
the devotees begin to dance and sing the kirtan in a
circle around him. The kirtan atmosphere becomes
1. The gopis of Vrindavan.

2. Nabai is the younger brother of Manomohan’s father.
3. Sadhan and bhajan.
intense with spiritual fervour. Even Mahimacharan

begins to dance with Thakur.
Thakur returns to his seat when the kirtan
ends. After repeating Hari’s name, he repeats the
name of the All-Blissful Mother. He is absorbed in
divine emotion and repeats the name of the Divine
Mother. He begins to sing of Her, his eyes turned
upward.
He sings:
O Mother, who are Bliss itself, do not deprive me of Your
bliss…
Again he sings:
As is one’s meditation, so is his heart moved by love.
As one feels, so does he gain. The root of all is faith.
If the mind can dip into the reservoir of nectar that is
Mother Kali’s feet,
Then worship and oblations,1 sacrifices and rituals are of
no avail.
And again:
O Mother Tara, this world is Your madhouse!
What shall I say of Your virtues?
Giving up Your elephant you ride on a bull like one
depraved. Willfully you cast aside Your jewels and pearls
and put on a garland of skulls.
Unmindful of others, You roam the cremation grounds.
Says Ramprasad, You must lead me beyond my
wanderings in this maze of the world.
And again:
1. Homa.
Why go to Gaya, Ganga, Prabhas, Kashi, or Kanchi, if I

can breathe my last chanting Kali’s name?
Of what use are rituals for one who utters Kali’s name at
dawn and noon and dusk? Worship itself will follow in his
footsteps, never catching up.
Charity, vows, and almsgiving no longer appeal to
Madan’s mind. His worship alone is surrender at the
Mother’s blessed feet.
Lord Shiva Himself, the God of Gods, with all His powers,
sings Her praises. Who, then, can conceive of the power of
Her holy name?
Then he sings:
Dwell, O my mind, within yourself,
And enter no one else’s house.
If you search within yourself,
You will find there all you seek.1
He sings:
The black bee of my mind is drawn in sheer delight to the
blue lotus flower of Mother Shyama’s feet.2
And once more he sings:
else intrude.3
Thakur stands up while singing this song. He is
nearly intoxicated with intense love for the Divine
Mother. He repeats again and again the words ‘the
revered Mother Shyama,’ as though for the benefit
of the devotees.
1. For the complete song refer to Section XII, Chapter IX of Volume I

2. For the complete song refer to Volume II, Section II, Chapter VII.
3. For the complete song refer to Section IX, Chapter I.
He appears intoxicated, as though he has drunk

too much wine. He dances now as he sings:
Is my Mother really black? The Naked One, in her
blackness, lights up the lotus of my heart.
Noticing that Thakur is staggering while he is
singing, Niranjan goes up to him to hold him. In a
sweet voice, Thakur stops him, saying, “Don’t touch
me, you rascal.” Seeing Thakur dancing, the
devotees rise to their feet. He grasps M.’s hand and
says, “Dance, you rascal!”
Mahima, the Vedantist, in the company of Thakur –

dancing during the kirtan, and Thakur’s joy
Thakur sits on his bed. He is filled with divine
intoxication.
When the ecstasy subsides a little, he says, “Om,
Om, Om, Om, Om, Om, Kali.” And then he says, “I
want a smoke.” Most of the devotees are standing.
Mahimacharan fans Thakur as he stands.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Please sit down, all of you.
(To Mahima) Please recite something from the
Vedas.”
Mahimacharan recites “Victory to Jajjman” and
so forth. And then he recites a verse from the
Mahanirvana Tantra.
Om, I bow to You, the true origin of the universe.
I bow to You, the support of all the universe, whose
essence is pure Consciousness.
I bow to You who are non-dual, the One, the liberating
truth.
I bow to the eternal Brahman, all-pervading and beyond
all qualities.
You alone are the refuge; You alone are worthy of

adoration.
You are truly the cause of the universe, the Creator, the
Preserver, the Destroyer.
You are whole and beyond all thought,
Most frightening of all that is frightening, most terrible of
all that is terrible,
The purifier of the pure, the goal of all creatures.
You are the Ruler of those in high places,
The Chief of chiefs, the Protector of protectors.
We meditate on You and sing hymns in Your praise.
We bow to You, the witness of the universe.
You are the vessel that takes one across the sea of life, the
self-existent divinity, the refuge of all. We take shelter in
You.
Thakur listens to the verse with folded hands.
When it is over, he salutes devotedly. The devotees
also salute.
Adhar arrives from Calcutta and salutes
Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “We had fun today!
Mahima Chakravarty is beginning to agree with us.
Didn’t you see his joy in the recitation of Hari’s
name?”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Mahimacharan is interested in the path of
knowledge. Today he has chanted the name of Hari
and even danced during the kirtan. Thakur is very
happy about it.
It is almost evening. Most of the devotees bow to

Thakur and take their leave, one by one.
Chapter IV
Worldliness1 or non-worldliness2 – Adhar’s job –

admiration of the worldly and taking a job under them
It is evening. The lamplighter has lit the lamps
in the long southern verandah and the western
semi-circular verandah. In Thakur’s room the lamp
has already been lit and incense burnt. Soon the
moon rises. The temple courtyard, the garden path,
the bank of the Ganges, the panchavati, and the
tops of trees are all flooded with moonlight.
Thakur is sitting on his bed, repeating the name
of the Divine Mother and meditating upon Her.
Adhar comes in and sits down. M. and Niranjan
are also in the room. Thakur talks with Adhar.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, my dear, you have
come now. How much kirtan and dancing we had!
The kirtan was by Shyamdas, Ram’s music teacher.
But I didn’t like it very much. I felt no desire to rise
from my seat and dance. Later I came to know
about him. Gopidas’ substitute told me, ‘He has as
many mistresses as I have hair on my head.’ (All
laugh.) Did you get the job?”
Adhar is a deputy magistrate with a salary of
three hundred rupees a month. He had applied for
the vice chairmanship of the municipality of
Calcutta, which paid a salary of one thousand
1 Pravritti: inclination to outer enjoyment.

2. Nivritti: inwardness of the mind.
rupees a month. Adhar had met many prominent

people of Calcutta to get this job.
Non-worldliness is better – to adore worldly people of

poor understanding to get a job
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and Niranjan): “Hazra
said, ‘Please pray to the Divine Mother a little so
Adhar can get the job.’ Adhar also asked me. I
prayed to the Mother a little: ‘Mother, he comes to
see You very often. If it’s all right, let him get the
job.’ But I also said: ‘Mother, what poor
understanding he has! Instead of asking for
knowledge and devotion, he asks You for things like
this.’
(To Adhar) “Why do you associate so much with
people of poor understanding? You have seen so
much and heard so much! To read the seven
sections1 of the Ramayana and yet ask whose wife
Sita was! Such-and-such Mallick is a man of low
intelligence. He arranged for a service boat when I
planned to go to Mahesh. And when we reached his
home, he asked Hriday, ‘Hriday, have you arranged
for the carriage?’”
Adhar: “One has to do all this to run a
household. You haven’t forbidden me from doing
that.”
About the temple treasurer asking Thakur to sign a

receipt for his monthly salary when his state of
madness for God was over
Sri Ramakrishna: “Indeed, desirelessness is
good, not worldliness. After that state of mine, I
1. Kanda.
was called by the treasurer to sign a receipt for my

salary, like all the others. I told him, ‘I can’t do
that. I’m not asking for any salary. Give it to
someone else if you want.’
“I’m only the servant of the Lord. How can I be
the servant of anyone else?
“Noticing that I would be late for my meals,
Mallick engaged a brahmin cook for me – for only
one rupee a month. I was embarrassed. I had to run
to the kitchen as soon as he called for me. It would
have been different if I could have gone there of my
own will.
“Worshipping people of mean intelligence! Such
things do happen in household life – and much
more.”
His earlier story – Thakur’s prayer after his state of

divine intoxication – contentment
“When I attained that state and saw how the
affairs of the world are run, I said to the Divine
Mother, ‘Mother, please change the direction of my
mind right now.’ No more food from the beautiful
lady. I cry after taking it. No more, no more of it.”1
(All laugh.)
Childhood story – about seeing the deputy magistrate,

Ishwar Goshal, in Kamarpukur
“Go on with the job that you are doing now.
People hanker after a salary of fifty or a hundred
rupees. You are receiving three hundred. I saw a
deputy magistrate in the village of Kamarpukur,
1. A Bengali remark about distasteful cooking by a sweet lady. Sri

Ramakrishna was referring to not having to flatter rich people.
Ishwar Goshal. He wore a turban on his head.

People trembled at his sight. I saw him when I was
a child. Is being a deputy such a small thing, my
dear?
“Go on serving him whom you are serving now.
Service to one person soils the mind and you are
seeking service under so many!”
Condemns service – Sambhu and Mathur’s love and

regard for money – Narendra as headmaster
“Once a woman felt attracted to a Muslim. She
invited him to talk to her. The Muslim was a holy
person. He said that he wanted to urinate and
would go and get his piss pot. The woman said, ‘You
can do it here. I can give you a piss pot.’ He said,
‘That won’t do. I will use the same piss pot to which
I have already been exposed. I don’t want to be
immodest before a new piss pot.’ Saying this, he
left. The woman came to her senses. She under-
stood that the piss pot meant a paramour.”
Narendra has fallen on very difficult days after
his father’s death. He is looking for a job to feed and
support his mother and brothers. For a few days he
had worked as headmaster in Vidyasagar’s Bow-
bazar school.
Adhar: “Well, would he accept a job?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, he would. He has his
mother and brothers.”
Adhar: “Well, Narendra can manage with fifty
rupees. He can manage with a hundred, too. Will
Narendra not try for a hundred?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Worldly people have great

regard for wealth. They think there’s nothing like
money. Sambhu said, ‘This is my desire – to place
all this wealth at His feet when I depart.’ Does God
need worldly wealth? He wants spiritual know-
ledge, love, discrimination and dispassion.1
“When the jewelry was stolen from the temple,
Mathur Babu said, ‘O Bhagavan, could You not
guard Your own jewelry? Goddess Hamseshwari
protected hers so well!’
Difficult rules of conduct for sannyasins – Mathur's

suggestion of gifting some land
“Mathur Babu said that he would transfer a
piece of land to my name. I overheard it when I was
in the Kali temple. Mathur Babu and Hriday were
in consultation. I came out and said to Mathur
Babu, ‘Look, give up this idea. It would be very
harmful to me.’”
Adhar: “There may not have been more than six
or seven people like you since the beginning of
creation!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why do you say that? There
have surely been men of renunciation.2 People come
to know of them only when they have renounced
their wealth. And there are others whom the world
does not know. Are there not such people in
western India (Punjab and United Provinces)?”
Adhar: “I know one such person in Calcutta,
Devendra Tagore.”
1. Jnana, bhakti, viveka, vairagya.

2. Tyagis.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What are you saying! Who

else has enjoyed pleasures of life the way he has?
When I went to his house with Mathur Babu, I saw
many small children. A physician had come and
was writing out prescriptions. If the one who is a
father of eight sons and some daughters will not
meditate on God, who else will? The world
condemns people who have enjoyed so much wealth
but don’t meditate on God.”
Niranjan: “He repaid all the debts of
Dwarkanath Tagore [his father].”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Stop this. Don’t bother me
anymore about it. Is he a real man who has the
wherewithal and yet does not pay off the debts of
his own father?
“But worldly people remain completely im-
mersed in worldliness. Compared to them, he is a
great deal better. They can learn from him.
“There is a tremendous difference between a
householder devotee and a genuine all-renouncing
devotee. A true sannyasin, a devotee of real
renunciation, is like a bee. A bee sits nowhere else
but on a flower. It drinks nothing but honey. The
other – the householder devotee – is like a fly. It
sits on sandesh as well as on a festering wound. He
is sometimes in a fine spiritual mood and other
times he is busy with ‘lust and greed.’
“A real all-renouncing devotee is like a chatak
bird. A chatak bird won’t drink any water but
rainwater when the star Svati is ascendant. The
seven seas and the rivers are full of water, but it
doesn’t drink from them. A person of real
renunciation will not touch ‘lust and greed,’ nor will

he keep them near him lest he become attached.”
Chapter V
Chaitanya Deva, Sri Ramakrishna and name and fame

Adhar: “Chaitanya also enjoyed worldly plea-
sures.”
Sri Ramakrishna (surprised): “What did he
enjoy?”
Adhar: “Such a big pundit! What name and fame
he enjoyed!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It may have been name and
fame according to others – for him it was nothing.
“You have respect for me and so has Niranjan.
It’s just the same for me. I tell you the truth. It’s
not my desire to have a wealthy man under my
control. Manomohan told me that Surendra said, ‘It
isn’t correct that Rakhal should live with him. His
family complained about it.’ I said to him, ‘Who is
this Surendra? He has kept this carpet and pillow
here and gives some money.’”
Adhar: “He gives ten rupees a month, doesn’t
he?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Ten rupees meet expenses
for two months. Some devotees live here. He gives
for their support, the virtue accrues to him. What is
it to me? I love Rakhal and Narendra. Do I derive
any benefit from it?”
M.: “It is like a mother’s love.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Even a mother does so much

for her child, hoping that he will provide for her
after getting a job. I love them because I see them
as living Narayana – I don’t just say this.”
God takes on the burden of an all-renouncing devotee –

‘who, precluding all else, meditates on Me’1
Sri Ramakrishna (to Adhar): “Listen. When you
light a lamp, there is no scarcity of moths. When
you realize God, He provides everything. There is
no dearth of anything. When He resides in the
heart, many people arrive to serve.
“A young sannyasin went to beg alms at a
householder’s home. He was a sannyasin from
birth. He knew nothing about the world. A young
woman came to the door to offer him alms. The
sannyasin asked, ‘Mother, does this girl have an
abscess on her chest?’ The mother of the girl said,
‘No, my child. She will bear an infant. God has
given her breasts, so that the baby can drink milk
from them.’ The sannyasin then said, ‘Why do I
need to worry then? Why should I beg for alms? He
who has created me will provide me with food.’
“Listen, she who has given up her all for the
sake of her paramour can say, ‘O rascal, I’ll sit on
your chest and eat.’”
Story of Totapuri – king’s service to sadhus – Thakur

meets the leader of Nanak’s followers in their math
near the Durga Temple in Kashi, in 1868
“The Naked One (Totapuri) told me that a king
served food to sadhus using gold plates and
1. ananyäçcintayanto, Bhagavad Gita 9:22.

tumblers. I saw in Kashi what reverence the head

of the math was given. A number of very rich and
wealthy Hindustani men stood there with folded
hands, saying, ‘At your command.’
“The right kind of sadhu, a true holy man, does
not want gold plates, nor reverence. But God does
not let him lack anything. He provides for
everything that is necessary for realizing Him.
(Everybody keeps silent.)
“You are a magistrate. What can I tell you? Do
what you think is right. I am a fool.”
Adhar (laughing, to the devotees): “He is
examining me.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling, to the devotees):
“Dispassion1 is better. Just see, I didn’t sign [for
receiving a salary]. God indeed is the Reality,
everything else is unreal.”
Hazra comes in and sits on the floor near the
devotees. Hazra sometimes repeats, “So ’ham, so
’ham (I am He).” He says to Latu and other
devotees, “What is the use in making offerings to
God in worship – giving His own thing back to
Him? One day he said the same to Narendra.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hazra): “I explained to
Latu. Who is it the devotee worships?”
Hazra: “The devotee calls upon his own self.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That is a very elevated idea.
Vrindavalli said to King Bali, ‘What wealth can you
give to Brahman?’
1. Nivritti.
“All spiritual practices, all chanting of His name

and glories are done to realize what you are saying.
“When you see your Self within yourself you
have attained the goal. It is to attain this that all
spiritual practices are undertaken. The body is also
to carry out spiritual practice. As long as a gold
image is not cast, one needs a clay mould. When the
image is made, the clay mould is thrown away. One
can give up the body after God-realization.
“He is not only within – He is both within and
without. The Divine Mother showed me in the Kali
Temple that everything is filled with divine
consciousness. The Divine Mother Herself has
become everything – the deity, myself, the worship
vessels,1 the door sill, the marble floor. All is
consciousness.
“It is to experience this that one calls upon Him,
carries out spiritual practices – chanting His name
and glories, and so on. It is for this that one
practices devotion to God. These people (Latu and
others) are like this – they have not yet reached
such a high state. They practice love of God. Don’t
say ‘I am He’ (So ’ham) and such things to them.”
The compassionate Gurudeva, Sri Ramakrishna, is
protecting the devotees like a mother bird sheltering
its young ones under its wings.
Adhar and Niranjan go to the verandah for
refreshments, then they return. M. is sitting on the
floor near Thakur.
1. Kosha, kushi, etc.

A Brahmo boy with four university degrees –

discussing and reasoning with him
Adhar (smiling): “We talked so much, but he
(M.) didn’t say even one word.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A boy of Keshab’s group with
four university degrees (named Varda?) laughed
when he saw people arguing with me. ‘What?’ he
said, ‘To reason even with him!’ I saw him again at
one of Keshab’s gatherings. Somehow his
appearance had changed.”
Ram Chakravarty, the priest of Vishnu temple,
enters the room. Thakur says, “Look here, Ram.
Did you talk about sugar candy with Dayal? No,
there is no need for it. There have already been
many discussions.”
Thakur’s evening meal – ‘I can’t eat food offered by

everybody’
Thakur’s evening meal is the prasad from
Mother Kali – one or two luchis and a little farina
pudding. He is seated on the floor to eat. M. is
sitting near him. Latu is also in the room. The
devotees have brought some sandesh and other
sweets. Touching one piece of sandesh with his
hand, Thakur says to Latu, “What rascal has
brought this sandesh?” He drops it from the plate of
pudding. (To M. and Latu) I know about it all. It
was brought by one of the boys of the Anand
Chatterji family, the one who visits the Ghoshpara
woman.”
Latu: “Shall I give you this sweet?”1
1. Gaja.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Did Kishori bring it?”

Latu: “Will it be agreeable to you?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Yes.”
M. is an English-educated man. Thakur says to
him, “I can’t eat food offered by everybody. Do you
believe this?”
M.: “Sir, I shall gradually have to believe in
everything.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes.”
Thakur goes to the western verandah to wash
his hands. M. pours water on them.
It is winter. As the moon rises, the clear sky and
the water of the Ganges begin to sparkle. It is ebb
tide and the Ganges is flowing south. Washing his
face, Thakur says to M., “So will you give a rupee to
Narayan?”
M.: “Yes, of course. Would I not?”
Section XIX
Thakur at Dakshineswar Temple

with Narendra and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Go beyond both knowledge and ignorance – dry

knowledge of Shashadhar
Sri Ramakrishna is resting in his room at the

Dakshineswar temple after his midday meal. Devotees
are with him. Narendra, Bhavanath, and other
devotees have come today from Calcutta. The two
Mukherji brothers, Jnan Babu, the younger Gopal, the
elder Kali, and others have also arrived. Three
devotees from Konnagar have come. There is news
that Rakhal, who is with Balaram in holy Vrindavan,
has suffered a bout of fever. Today is Sunday, 14
September 1884, 30th Bhadra, 1291 (B.Y.), the tenth
day of the dark fortnight of the lunar month..
Narendra is very worried about his mother and

brothers after the death of his father. He is preparing
for a law examination.
Jnan Babu has received four university degrees and is

a government official. He arrives between ten and
eleven o’clock.
Sri Ramakrishna (seeing Jnan Babu): “Well,
knowledge [a play on Jnan’s name] has suddenly
appeared!”
Jnan (smiling): “Sir, knowledge appears only
with great good fortune.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Why, you are
jnana. Why then are you in ajnana [ignorance]? Oh,
280 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XIX
I understand, where there is knowledge, there is

also ignorance. Rishi Vasishtha, though endowed
with such knowledge, wept at the death of his sons.
So go beyond knowledge and ignorance. The thorn
of ignorance has pierced your foot. To take it out,
you need the thorn of knowledge. After you have
pulled it out, throw away both thorns.”
The unattached householder – Thakur observes the

work of the women carpenter women in his native
village
“A man of knowledge says that worldly life is a
veil of deception. He who is beyond both knowledge
and ignorance calls it a mart of joy. He sees that
God Himself has become the world and its living
beings, and that He has become the twenty-four
cosmic principles.
“One can live in the world after attaining God.
Then one can live unattached. I have seen the
carpenter women in my native village. They pound
flattened rice with a pestle connected to a treadle.
They push the paddy with one hand and hold a
suckling child with the other. At the same time
they bargain with a buyer, ‘You owe me two annas.
You must pay before you leave.’ But seventy-five
percent of their mind is on their hand, lest it should
be crushed by the falling pestle.
“You should fix seventy-five percent of your
mind on God and work with twenty-five percent.”
Sri Ramakrishna now talks to the devotees
about Pundit Shashadhar: “I saw him as one-
tracked – he’s only interested in dry knowledge and
reasoning.
“Only that person who has matured in

knowledge and has ripened his love for God, having
reached the Absolute, can also dwell in the relative
and then again ascend from the relative to the
Absolute.
“Narada and other saints lived with love for God
after attaining the knowledge of Brahman. This is
called vijnana.
“Just dry reasoning! It’s like a firework’s rocket
which shoots up into the air with a noise but falls
down with a thud after sparkling momentarily. But
the knowledge of Narada and Sukadeva is like a
superior rocket that sparkles for some time, then
goes out, but again sparkles with a new spray.
Narada, Sukadeva, and others like them have
intense love1 for God. Ecstatic love is the rope for
getting hold of Sat-chit-ananda.”
Sri Ramakrishna at the foot of the bakul tree –

becomes absorbed in ecstasy in the jhautala
After his midday meal, Sri Ramakrishna rests a
while.
A few devotees are sitting on a bench under the
bakul tree and talking – Bhavanath, the two
Mukherji brothers, M., the younger Gopal, Hazra,
and some others. Thakur is going to the jhautala.
On his way there, he sits with the devotees for
some time.
Hazra (to the younger Gopal): “Prepare a smoke
for him.”
1. Prema.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “You want it. That’s

why you ask for it.” (They all laugh.)
Mukherji (to Hazra): “You have learnt a lot
living with him.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “No, he has been
like this since childhood!” (All laugh.)
The devotees watch Thakur return from the
jhautala. He is in ecstasy, walking like he’s drunk.
When he enters his room, he returns to normal
consciousness.
Chapter II
Thakur is worried about Narayan – devotees from

Konnagar – Thakur in samadhi – Narendra sings
Many devotees have assembled in Thakur’s
room. Among the devotees from Konnagar there is
a newcomer, a sadhaka who looks over fifty years
old. He seems to be very proud of his scholarship.
When he talks, he says, “Was there no moon before
the churning of the ocean? Who will explain this?”
M. (laughing): “When there was no universe,
where did the Mother get Her garland of skulls?”
The Sadhaka (irritated): “That’s different.”
Standing in the middle of the room, Thakur
suddenly says to M., “Did he come – Narayan?”
Narendra is talking with Hazra and some others on
the verandah. A murmur from their discussion can
be heard in Thakur’s room.
Sri Ramakrishna: “He (Narendra) can talk a lot!

But now he’s very worried about his family at
home.”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Wasn’t he saying a while ago
that he’d consider the trials of life as good for him?
Didn’t he?”
M.: “Sir, he has great strength of mind.”
The elder Kali: “In what respect is he less
strong?” Thakur is sitting.
A devotee from Konnagar says to him, “Sir, he
(the sadhaka) has come to see you. He has
something to ask.”
The sadhaka is sitting with his body and head
erect.
Sadhaka: “Sir, what is the way?”
Way to see God – faith in the words of the guru – when

does one internalize the scriptures?
Sri Ramakrishna: “Have faith in the words of
the guru. One attains God by following his words
step by step. The way to reach one object is by
holding the end of a thread.”
Sadhaka: “Can one see God?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He is beyond the worldly
intellect. You cannot attain Him if there is the least
trace of attachment for ‘lust and greed.’ But He is
visible to the pure intellect and pure mind – that
intellect and mind which do not have the least trace
of attachment. Pure mind, pure intellect, pure

Atman are one and the same.”
Sadhaka: “But the scripture says, ‘From where
words turn back along with the mind, unable to
comprehend.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Leave the scriptures out of it.
Without practicing spiritual disciplines, you cannot
understand the true meaning of the scriptures.
What use is it to shout, ‘Hemp, hemp?’ Scholars
quote verses from the scriptures, but what use is
that? You feel no intoxication by just rubbing hemp
on your body. You have to swallow it.
“What use is it to just repeat that there is butter
in milk? You have to curdle the milk and then
churn it. Only then do you get butter.”
Sadhaka: “Churning the butter – these words
are in the scriptures.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What good will it do you just
to speak or listen to the words of the scriptures?
You have to internalize them. The almanac says it’s
going to rain a certain amount, but you don’t get
even a drop by squeezing the almanac.”
Sadhaka: “Churning butter – have you done it?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Don’t bother about what I
have and haven’t done. It’s very difficult to make a
person understand these things. If someone asks,
‘What does ghee taste like?’ the only reply is, ‘Sir,
ghee tastes just like ghee.’
“You have to keep the company of the holy to
understand these things. You have to live with an
Ayurvedic physician1 to know which pulse beat

indicates phlegm, which bile, and which wind.2”
Sadhaka: “Some people become irritated living
with others.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That comes after gaining
knowledge, after realizing God. Doesn’t a beginner
need the company of the holy?”
The sadhaka keeps silent.
Sadhaka (after a while, excitedly): “Please tell
me if you have known Him, whether you have
gained His direct vision or experienced Him. Please
tell me if you’d like to, but don’t if you don’t want
to.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling a little): “What can I
say? One can only give a hint of what one feels.”
Sadhaka: “Please tell us about that.”
Narendra is going to sing. He says, “No one has
brought a pakhavaj.”
The younger Gopal: “Mahima (Mahimacharan)
has one.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, there is no need to bring
anything of his.”
A devotee from Konnagar first sings a song in
Dhrupada style.3
While the singing goes on, Thakur from time to
time notes the sadhaka’s different moods. The
1. Vaidya.
2. Kapha, pitta and vayu.
3. A style of North Indian classical music.
singer is having an intense argument with

Narendra about singing and music.
Sadhaka (to the singer): “You are no less strong
in argumentation! What is the use of such a
discussion?”
Another person has joined in the discussion.
Referring to him, Thakur says to the sadhaka, “But
you haven’t scolded him, too.”
Sri Ramakrishna says to the devotees of
Konnagar, “It appears that even you are not on
good terms with him.”
Narendra sings:
Will my days just pass in vain, O Lord?
Day and night my eyes are on the path of hope.1
The sadhaka closes his eyes in meditation as he
listens to the song. Thakur is seated on his cot
facing south. It is between three and four o’clock.
From the west the sun falls on the sadhaka’s body.
Thakur quickly takes an umbrella and positions it
to shade him.
Narendra sings:
How can I call on You with this stained and soiled mind?
Can a straw survive a flaming fire?
You are like that flaming fire, the source of all good,
And I, the sinner, am like a straw. How can I worship
You?
I hear that by the glory of Your name the worst of sinners
have been saved.
1. For the complete song refer to Volume III, Appendix, Chapter 1.

But, alas, my heart trembles when I recite Your holy

Name.
My life passes by in the pursuit of habitual wrong-doing.
How can I find shelter in Your holy way?
Pray save this wretch with Your compassionate name,
Pull me up by the hair of my head; give me shelter at
Your feet.
Chapter III
Instruction to Narendra and others – Vedas and

Vedanta give only a faint idea
Narendra sings:
Sweet is Your name, O refuge of the lowly, raining like
nectar in our ears and comforting us, O beloved of our
souls!
The treasure of Your name is the abode of immortality.
He who chants Your name becomes immortal.
When the nectar of Your name touches our ears, it erases
in that instant the deep anguish of our hearts.
The sweet music of Your name fills the heart with
sweetness. O Master of our hearts, and Soul of our souls!
As Narendra sings, “The sweet music of Your
name fills the heart with sweetness,” Thakur goes
into samadhi. Immediately his fingers, and
particularly his thumbs, become stiff. The devotees
of Konnagar have never witnessed samadhi.
Noticing that Thakur is silent, they prepare to
leave.
Bhavanath: “Please sit down. He is in the state
of samadhi.”
The devotees from Konnagar sit again.

Narendra sings:
I have made a seat for You in my heart, striving day and
night.
O Lord of the Universe, in your mercy will you not enter
there?
In ecstasy, Thakur comes down and sits on the
floor beside Narendra.
full.
What a joyous sea of love has swelled up!
Victory to the Compassionate One! Victory to Him, the
Compassionate One.1
When he hears the words, “Victory to the
Compassionate One,” he stands and again goes into
samadhi.
After a fairly long time, Sri Ramakrishna
returns somewhat to his normal state and sits
down again on a mat on the floor. Narendra has
finished the song. He has put the tanpura away.
Still in ecstasy, Thakur says, “What is this,
Mother? Please tell me. Churn the butter and place
it at their mouths. They won’t throw bait into the
pond. Nor will they sit with a fishing rod. Someone
has to catch the fish for them and give it to them.
What a situation! I won’t listen to any more
reasoning. The rascals are forcing reason on me!
What a situation! I will shake it off.”
“God is beyond the Vedas and their rituals. Can
you realize God by studying the Vedas and the
Vedanta? (To Narendra) Do you understand? The

Vedas only give a faint idea of God.”
Narendra again asks for the tanpura. Thakur
says, “I will sing now.” He is still in an ecstatic
mood. He sings:
rob my house.1
“Mother, why do You make me reason?” Again
Thakur sings :
Once for all, this time, I have thoroughly understood.
From one who knows it well, I have learned the secret of
contemplation, from one who came from a realm where
there is no night.
And now I can distinguish day from night no longer;
rituals and devotions have all grown profitless for me.
I’ve shaken off my sleep; how can I fall into slumber
again? For I am wide awake in the sleeplessness of
union.
O Divine Mother, made one with you at last, my slumber
I have lulled asleep forevermore.
Thakur says, “I am conscious.” But he is still in
an ecstatic mood. He sings again:
I drink no ordinary wine, but the nectar of everlasting
bliss, as I repeat “Jai Kali – to Kali, victory!”
Seeing me drunk on this wine of the mind, by drunkards
am I taken for a drunk.2
Thakur says, “Mother, I won’t listen to
discussions anymore.”
1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section XX, Chapter V.

2. For the complete song refer to Section XXX, Chapter II.
Narendra sings:
O Mother, make me mad with Your love.
What need have I for knowledge or reason?
With the wine of Your love make me drunk,
You who steal the hearts of Your devotees!
Drown me in the ocean of Your love.
Thakur smiles a little when he says, “O Mother,
make me mad with Your love. You cannot attain
Her by Your knowledge or reason, by discussing
scripture.”
He is happy to hear the Dhrupada musical airs
by the singer from Konnagar. He says to him
humbly, “Brother, please sing a song about the All-
Blissful Mother.”
Musician: “Sir, please excuse me from doing
that.”
Sri Ramakrishna (folding his hands and
bowing): “No, my dear. Just one song. I can compel
you.”
Saying this, he sings a song referring to [gopi]
Vrinda’s speech from Govinda Adhikari’s musical
play:
Radha can surely speak out!
She has kept awake for Krishna.
She has kept awake throughout the night,
And has good reason to be piqued.
“My dear sir, you are the son of the All-Blissful
Mother. She resides in every being. I shall certainly
enforce my demand. A peasant said to his guru, ‘I
will get the mantra from you by beating if

necessary.’”
Singer (smiling): “Beating with a shoe!”
Sri Ramakrishna (bowing as to the revered guru,
and smiling): “Not that far.”
Then he adds, again abstracted in ecstasy, “The
beginner, the aspirant, the perfect, and the perfect
among the perfect! Are you perfect, or perfect of the
perfect? Well, do sing.”
The singer plays the notes of the melody,
“Manvaran.”
Enjoying the bliss of Shabda Brahman (the word as

Brahman) – ‘Mother, is it You or me?’
Sri Ramakrishna (listening to the notes of
melody): “My dear sir, even this gives me joy.”
The song has ended. The devotees from
Konnagar salute Sri Ramakrishna and leave. The
sadhaka salutes and then says with folded hands,
“Holy sir,1 may I leave?” Thakur is still absorbed in
ecstasy and talking to the Divine Mother, “Mother,
You or I? Do I do anything? No, no. You.
“You heard the discussion – or was it I who
heard it? No, not me. It was You who heard it.”
His earlier story – a sadhu teaches Thakur – a sadhu

with the quality of tamas
Thakur has returned to the normal state of
consciousness. He is talking to Narendra,
Bhavanath, the two Mukherji brothers, and some
1. Gosain.
other devotees. The conversation turns to the

sadhaka.
Bhavanath (smiling): “What kind of a man is
he?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He is a tamasic devotee.”
Bhavanath: “He can quote any number of
Sanskrit verses.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Once I said to someone, ‘So
and so is a rajasic sadhu. Why give him food and
other provisions?’ Another sadhu taught me not to
say such things. He said, ‘There are three kinds of
sadhus: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic.’ Since that
day, I respect sadhus of all kinds.”
Narendra (smiling): “What? Like the elephant is
Narayana, all are Narayana?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “God Himself is
playing the game as both knowledge and
ignorance.1 I bow to both of them. The Chandi says,
‘She is Lakshmi [good fortune] in the house of the
blessed, and misfortune personified2 in the house of
the unfortunate.’ (To Bhavanath) Is this in the
Vishnu Purana?”
Bhavanath (smiling): “I don’t know about that,
sir. The devotees from Konnagar didn’t understand
your samadhi and got up to leave.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Then who said, ‘Please stay
seated’?”
Bhavanath (smiling): “I did.”
1. Vidya and avidya.

2. Alakshmi.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Child, you are as good in

gathering people as in making them leave.”
Narendra’s argument with the singer is now the
topic of conversation.
Doctrine of non-resistance and Sri Ramakrishna –

Thakur teaches Narendra – the tamas of sattva – the
great importance of God’s name
Mukherji: “Narendra didn’t leave him alone.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, he didn’t. One must have
such grit. It is called the tamas of sattva. Should
you listen to everything that people say? Should
you let a prostitute do what she likes? Should you
have to listen to what the prostitute says? One time
Radha became sullen. A gopi friend said, ‘Radha
has become proud.’ Brinda replied, ‘Whose pride is
it? It is His pride – she is proud with Krishna’s
pride.’”
Now the conversation turns to the great
importance of chanting God’s name.
Bhavanath: “I feel such relief by chanting the
name of Hari.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is Hari indeed who rids us
of sins.1 Hari removes the three afflictions of the
world.2
1. A name of Vishnu or His incarnation, Krishna, applied to God in

personal form.
2. The three afflictions are adhidaivika, misfortunes caused by
natural disasters or the forces of nature; adhibhautika, misfortunes
caused by other livings beings, i.e. war, physical or verbal assault,
attacks of animals, snake bites, and so on; adhyatmika, misfortunes
arising from the harm we do ourselves by mental anguish,
addictions, and self-destructive behavior.
“And Chaitanya Deva propagated the name of

Hari, so it must be good. Look, what a scholar
Chaitanya Deva was! Besides, he was an
incarnation of God. Since he preached the name, it
must certainly be good. (Laughing) Once some
peasants were invited to a feast. They were asked,
‘Would you like some hog plum pickles?’ They
replied, ‘If the gentlemen have eaten it, give it to us
too.’ If they ate it, it most certainly must be good.”
(Everybody laughs.)
Thakur’s desire to meet Shivanath – Mahendra’s

proposal to go on pilgrimage
Thakur feels a desire to see Shivanath (Shastri).
He says to the Mukherji brothers: “I would like to
go to see Shivanath. If I go in your carriage, there
won’t be the need to hire one.”
Mukherji: “As you please. Let’s decide on a
date.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Well, would
he like for me to visit? Brahmos criticize those who
believe in God with form.”
Mahendra Mukherji tells Thakur about wanting
to go on pilgrimage.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What do you mean,
my dear? The plant of love has not yet sprouted and
you are leaving? Let the plant grow and develop
into a tree and bear fruit. We were having a nice
conversation.”
Mahendra: “I feel that I should visit holy places.
I’ll return soon.”
Chapter IV
Narendra’s love and devotion for God – Thakur in the

mood of Gauranga at Jadu Mallick’s garden – with
devotees
It is afternoon, about five o’clock. Thakur gets
up from his seat. Devotees are strolling in the
garden. Many of them will soon take their leave.
Thakur talks with Hazra on the northern
verandah. These days Narendra often visits
Annada, the eldest son of the Guhas.
Hazra: “I hear that Annada, Guha’s son, is
practicing difficult austerities. He lives on very
little food, eating rice only once every four days.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Oh, really? Who knows
through what practice one may meet the Lord.”
Hazra: “Narendra sang an agamani1 song.”
Sri Ramakrishna (eagerly): “How was it?”
Kishori is standing nearby. Thakur says, “Are
you all right?”
Thakur is on the western circular verandah. It
is winter. He is putting on a flannel shirt dyed
ochre. At the same time he asks Narendra, “Did you
sing the agamani?” Going down from the semi-
circular verandah, he walks to the embankment of
the Ganges with Narendra. M. is with them.
Narendra sings:
Tell me, my daughter Uma, how you fared in the
stranger’s house.
1. A class of songs welcoming the Divine Mother, Uma, Shiva’s wife,

to her father’s house.
The stories people tell! My heart is rent by grief.

His body smeared with ashes from the funeral pyre,
My son-in-law roams about, filled with delight!
Do you, like him, also rub your golden skin with ash?
How can a mother bear her son-in-law to beg from door to
door?
This time when he comes to fetch you again, I shall say,
“Uma is not here.”
Thakur stands and listens to the song. He goes
into an ecstatic mood standing there.
There is still a little daylight. The sun is low on
the western horizon. Thakur is absorbed in ecstasy.
On one side of him is the Ganges flowing north; the
flood tide came some time ago. Behind him is a
flower garden. And to the right the nahabat and the
panchavati can be seen. Narendra stands close to
him as he sings.
Now twilight has come. Narendra and other
devotees salute Thakur and leave. Thakur returns
to his room, recites the name of the Divine Mother,
and meditates on Her.
Today Jadu Mallick has come to the adjoining
garden house. He often sends word to Thakur to
visit him when he is there. Today a messenger from
him has come. Thakur will go. Adhar Sen, having
come from Calcutta, salutes Thakur.
Thakur in Jadu Mallick’s garden with devotees –in

Gauranga’s feelings
Thakur is about to go visit Jadu Mallick’s
garden. He says to Latu, “Light the lantern. Let’s
go.”
He is going alone with Latu, but M. is present.

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Why haven’t you
brought Narayan with you?”
M.: “May I accompany you?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you want to go? Adhar
and some others are there. All right, come along.”
The Mukherji brothers were standing on the
path. Thakur says to M., “Do they want to
accompany us?” (To the Mukherji brothers) “That’s
nice. Come on. Then we can return quickly.”
Conversation with Jadu about Chaitanya’s life – about

Adhar’s work
Thakur goes to Jadu Mallick’s parlour, a well
furnished room. Lamps are shedding light in the
room and on the verandah. Jadu is sitting with a
couple of friends playing with some little boys. One
of the kitchen help is awaiting orders. Another is
fanning the company. Smiling, Jadu greets Thakur,
still sitting. He acts with Thakur as if he is an old
acquaintance.
Jadu is a devotee of Gauranga. He has already
seen the performance about Chaitanya’s life at the
Star Theatre. He tells Thakur, “A new play of
Chaitanya’s life is being enacted. It is wonderful.”
Thakur listens to the account of the play with
joy and plays with one of Jadu’s little sons, holding
his hand. M. and the Mukherji brothers are sitting
beside him.
Adhar Sen was trying to get the job of Vice
Chairman of the municipal committee of Calcutta.
This post carried a salary of a thousand rupees a

month. Adhar is a deputy magistrate, with a salary
of three hundred rupees a month. He is thirty years
old.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Jadu): “Well, Adhar hasn’t
been successful in getting that job.”
Jadu and his friends say, “He is still young.”
After a short time Jadu says, “Please chant His
name a little.”
Thakur begins singing, depicting Gauranga’s
mood.
He sings:
My Gaur is dancing,
courtyard.1
He sings:
My Gaur is a jewel of a man.
And he sings again:
Gauranga Deva casts a glance toward Vrindavan,
And from his eyes flow tears of ecstasy.
What is this, if not divine rapture?
Gauranga is an ocean of bliss.
In ecstasy he laughs, weeps, dances, and sings.
Every wooded grove he sees as Vrindavan, and the ocean
as the Jamuna.
He places his head on his own feet,
For he is Gaur without, but Sri Krishna within.
1. For the complete song refer to Section XV, Chapter V.

And then he sings:

Why has my body become fair of complexion? Tell me,
what has happened?
O friend, it is not the hour of dawn. Why has it taken on
this hue before its time,
Before the time of the day’s brightening?
The play of the Lord of the Dwaparayuga has not yet come
to a close.1
Tell me, why has all this happened?
Wherever I cast my glance, the cuckoo and the peacock
brightly gleam.
What has happened? Why do I see everything filled with
golden light?
Perhaps Radha has reached Mathura, and that is why
this body shines golden.
Radha was like a weevil,2 so she has given her complexion
to it. The limb that was dark has suddenly become golden.
Have I become Radha by thinking of her? What has
happened?
Does Radharani bestow her radiant complexion on him
who does not recite the Radha mantra?
I cannot tell, brother, whether I am in Mathura or
Navadvip.
Mahadeva has not yet become advaita.
Why has my body turned fair-complexioned?
Balaram, the elder brother, has not yet become Nitai nor
Vishakha Ramananda.
Brahma has also not become Haridas, nor Narada
Srivasa, or Mother Yashoda Shachi.
1. Dwaparayuga: the second of the four cosmic ages (yugas).

2. Kumro poka, an insect that bores.
Why have I alone taken on this fair complexion, when

Balai, the elder brother, has not become Nitai?
I think I have come to Mathura and that is why my body
has become golden-hued.
I have become golden-hued though father Nanda has not
yet become Jagannath, nor has Radhika become
Gadadhar.
Why has my body become golden-hued?
Chapter V
Thakur’s worry for Rakhal – Jadu Mallick – Bholanath

testifies
As the song ends, the Mukherji brothers rise.
Thakur also rises, though he is absorbed in an
ecstatic mood. He comes to the verandah of the
room and goes into deep samadhi as he stands
there. A number of lamps have been lit on the
verandah. The gate keeper of the garden is a
devotee who sometimes invites Thakur to his house
for a meal. While Thakur is still standing in
samadhi, the gate keeper comes and fans him with
a big fan.
Ratan, the garden manager, comes and bows to
Thakur.
Thakur returns to a normal state. He says,
“Narayana, Narayana,” and then talks to him.
Thakur goes to the main gate of the temple
accompanied by the devotees. The Mukherji
brothers have been waiting there for him.
In the meantime Adhar has been looking for
Thakur.
Mukherji (laughing): “Mahendra Babu [M.] has

played truant to come here.”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing, to Mukherji):
“Please keep regular contact with him and talk
with him.”
Priya Mukherji (smiling): “He is going to be our
teacher now.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The nature of a hemp smoker
is that he is filled with joy to see another hemp
smoker. He does not even talk to a good gentleman,
but if a wandering hemp smoker comes, he may
embrace him.” (All laugh.)
Thakur proceeds west to his room by the garden
path. On the way, he says, “Jadu is a great Hindu.
He quotes many tales from the Bhagavata.”
Mani comes to the Kali Temple, salutes, and
takes some holy water.1 Thakur arrives. They will
both visit the Divine Mother.
It is around 9 p.m. The Mukherji brothers salute
Thakur and leave. Adhar and M. are sitting on the
floor. Thakur talks to Adhar about Rakhal.
Rakhal is in Vrindavan with Balaram. News
about him had come by letter, saying that he was
sick. Two or three days ago Thakur had become so
worried to hear of his illness that he had cried like
a child at the time of his midday meal, asking
Hazra, “What is going to happen?” Adhar had
written a registered letter to Rakhal but even the
receipt of the letter has not yet been acknowledged.
1. Charanamrita.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Narayan got a letter but you

have not received any reply to yours.”
Adhar: “No sir, I haven’t received a reply yet.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And he has written to M. as
well.”
They begin to talk about Thakur’s seeing the
Chaitanya Lila.
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing, to the devotees):
“Jadu said, ‘You can see it nicely from a one-rupee
seat. That’s cheap!’
“Once there was talk about taking us to
Panihati. Jadu said that we might take a country
boat that carries a crowd of passengers. (All laugh.)
“He used to listen a little to spiritual talk. One
devotee used to visit him quite frequently. But he is
no longer seen. He always seems to have so many
flatterers with him – they have misled him.
“He is very calculating. As soon as I arrive at his
house, he asks, ‘How much is the carriage fare?’ I
tell him, ‘You don’t have to bother about it. Just
pay two and a half rupees.’ Then he is silent and
pays exactly two and a half rupees.” (All laugh.)
A latrine has been built to the south of the
temple. Because of it, a dispute with Jadu Mallick
and the Temple authorities arose. Jadu’s garden is
close to it.
Bholanath, the garden clerk, has given a
deposition before a judge. Perhaps because of it, he
has become fearful, and he told Thakur about it.
Thakur had replied, “Adhar is a deputy magistrate.
I’ll ask him when he comes.” Ram Chakravarty had

brought Bholanath to Thakur and explained the
whole matter to him, “Bholanath is afraid after
giving deposition to the judge.”
Thakur is worried and sits up. He asks for the
whole case to be explained to Adhar. After Adhar
has heard everything, he says, “There is nothing to
it – just a little inconvenience.” It helped rid
Thakur of a deep worry.
It is dark. Adhar is about to leave. He offers his
salutations.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Bring Narayan with
you.”
Section XX
Thakur at Dakshineswar with

Mahendra, Rakhal, Radhika
Goswami, and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Advice to Mahendra and others – Captain’s devotion to

God and service to his parents
Sri Ramakrishna is in his room at the Kali temple in

Dakshineswar with the devotees. It is autumn,
Friday, 19 September 1884, the 4th of Ashwin, 1291
B.Y. The time is two o’clock. It is the amavasya1 of the
month of Bhadra, mahalaya.2 Mahendra Mukherji
and his brother Priya Mukherji, M., Baburam, Harish,
Kishori, and Latu are there. Some are seated on the
floor and the others either stand or move about the
room. Hazra is sitting in the verandah. Rakhal is in
Vrindavan with Balaram.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mahendra and other
devotees): “I went to Captain’s house in Calcutta. It
was late at night when I returned.
“What a good nature Captain has! What love for
God! He wears a short cloth3 when he performs the
arati – once with an earthen lamp with three wicks
and then with a lamp with one light. Finally he
performs arati with camphor.
1. New moon day.

2. The sacred day of invocation of Mother Durga prior to Her
worship.
3. Short dhoti.
306 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XX
“He doesn’t speak when he performs worship.

He motioned for me to take a seat.
“While he worships, his eyes show great
emotion, red and swollen as if a wasp has stung
them.
“He can’t sing, but he chants beautifully.
“In the presence of his mother, he sits below her,
on the floor.
“His father was an officer1 in the British army.
On the battlefield, he would hold a gun in one hand
and worship Shiva with the other. His servant
made clay images of Shiva for him. He wouldn’t
even drink water before worshiping. He was paid
six thousand rupees a year.
“Captain sends his mother to Kashi now and
then. Twelve or thirteen people serve her there. It
is a big expense. Captain knows Vedanta, the Gita,
and the Bhagavata by heart.
“He says, ‘The gentlemen in Calcutta conduct
themselves like malechhas.’2
“In his early years, he practiced Hatha Yoga.
That’s why he strokes my head when I’m in
samadhi or ecstasy.
“His wife has another deity – Gopala. This time
I didn’t find her so miserly. She also knows the Gita
and other scriptures. What devotion they have!
Whenever I sit for meals, they pour water on my
hands to wash them. They even give me a wooden
toothpick.
1. Subadar; officer in a company of native Indian soldiers.
2. Non-Hindus; a term of deprecation.
“They made a goat curry. Captain said, ‘It stays

good for fifteen days.’ But his wife said, ‘No, no. It’s
only good for seven days.’ It was tasty. She served a
little of some other dishes. Since I eat more than
they do these days, she served me more.
“After eating, Captain or his wife fan me.”
Jung Bahadur’s sons accompany Captain to see Thakur

in 1875-76 – an unmarried Nepali girl sings the Gita
Govinda – ‘I am a handmaid of God’
“They have great love for God. They show great
reverence for sadhus. The people of western India
(Punjab and Uttar Pradesh) have great devotion for
sadhus. Jung Bahadur’s sons and a nephew came
here. They didn’t wear their English trousers. They
were somewhat in awe.
“Once a girl from his country came with
Captain. She was a great devotee and hadn’t
married. She could sing the Gita Govinda from
memory. Dwarika Babu1 and his family came to
hear her sing. I said, ‘They want to hear you. They
are good people.’ While she was singing the Gita
Govinda, Dwarika Babu began to wipe tears from
his eyes. When asked why she had not married, she
said, ‘I am a handmaid of God. Whom else can I
serve now?’ Everybody respects her very much as a
goddess, as the scriptures direct.
(To Mahendra and others) “Do you feel benefited
by coming here? I would be quite pleased to hear
1. Dwarika Babu, Mathur’s eldest son, died in 1877 (Pausha, 1284

B.Y.) at the age of 40. Captain first came in 1875-76, so this
performance of Gita Govinda probably took place between 1875 and
1877.
that it helps. (To M.) Why do people come here? I

am not much of a scholar.”
M.: “Sir, when Krishna himself became cows
and cowherd boys (after the original ones were
abducted by Brahma), their mothers stopped going
to Yashoda after they found the new cowherd boys.
Even the cows followed the calves, bellowing when
they heard them.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does that mean?”
M.: “That the Lord Himself had become every-
thing – such an attraction was generated. The mind
is attracted by the presence of God.”
Explanation of Krishna’s sport – love of the gopis –

significance of stealing their clothes
Sri Ramakrishna: “This is the attraction of
Yogamaya. She casts a spell. Radhika disguised
herself as Subol1 with a calf in her arms, she was so
afraid of Jatila (her sister-in-law). Jatila blessed
her. When one takes refuge in Yogamaya, then
even a Jatila blesses.
“The whole sport of Lord Hari is played out with
the help of Yogamaya.
“The gopis, though married, felt great love for
Krishna. They were madly in love with him – a
woman doesn’t feel so much love for her husband. If
someone says to her, ‘Look, your husband has
come,’ she replies, ‘Let him. He can help himself to
something to eat.’ But if she hears that it is another
man who is handsome and a master of wit, she will
1. Krishna’s cowherd companion.

run to see him and peep at him from behind a

screen.
“If the gopis had not seen him, how could their
minds feel such attraction for him? This attraction
is possible even by hearing about him. ‘My mind is
absorbed with him just by hearing his name, even
without knowing him.’”
A devotee: “Sir, what is the meaning of the theft
of the gopis’ clothes?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The eight fetters – the gopis
were rid of all the fetters except the feeling of
shame. So he snapped even that bondage. All
bondages are removed when one realizes God.”
He who has fallen from yoga attains God after his

desire for sense enjoyments is over
(To Mahendra Mukherji and other devotees)
“Not everybody is attracted to God. There has to be
a special receptivity. You have to have the right
samskaras to feel such attraction. If that were not
so, why should you be the only one to come here out
of so many residents of Baghbazar? The ones
without good tendencies don’t come. The Malaya
breeze turns every tree into sandalwood. But the
shimul, the ashwattha, the banyan, and some
others are not transformed.
“You don’t lack money. When a person falls from
yoga, he takes birth in a prosperous family. This
enables him to renew his spiritual practices for the
realization of God.”
Mahendra Mukherji: “Why does a person fall
from yoga?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Perhaps while contemplating

God, he suddenly develops a desire for enjoyment.
This craving makes him fall from yoga. In the next
life he will have the same spiritual tendencies.”
Mahendra: “Then what is the way out?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “There is no liberation as long
as you nurse some desire for enjoyment. That is
why you should fulfill all desires. Eat, dress, enjoy
sex, and so on in time. (Smiling) What do you
think? Should it be with your own wife or another
woman?” (M. and Mukherji laugh.)
Chapter II
Life of Thakur told by himself – various desires of

Thakur
His earlier story – first visit to the Nath’s garden in

Calcutta – bath in the Ganges
Sri Ramakrishna: “It’s not good to have a desire
for enjoyment. That’s why I used to fulfill any
desire which arose in my mind right away.
“When I saw some colourful sandesh at
Burrabazar, I wanted to eat them. They brought
them to me and I ate a lot of them, but then I got
sick.
“One day in my childhood, when I was taking a
dip in the Ganges, I saw a boy with a golden band
around his waist. I was in the garden of the Naths.
During a state of ecstasy, I felt I should also wear a
band of gold. But I couldn’t wear it long. When I
put it on, a creeping sensation rose up inside me, a
rapid, slithering movement. You see, my body had
touched gold. I had to take it off right away. If I

hadn’t, I would have had to tear it off.
“I also felt a craving for the parched rice-balls1
of Dhanekhali and the fried milk sweetmeat2 of
Krishnanagar.” (All laugh.)
His earlier story – listening to chanting of Chandi by

Sambhu and Raj Narayana – Thakur serves the sadhus
“I wanted to hear the recitation of the Chandi by
Sambhu. After hearing it, I wanted to hear the
chanting again by Raj Narayana. I heard it, too.
“Many sadhus used to visit at that time. I felt
the desire to have a separate bhandara (free
kitchen) for their service. Mathur Babu complied
with my wish. The sadhus were given food, fuel,
and so on from that bhandara.
“Once a wish arose in my mind to wear an
expensive robe made of gold thread and to smoke a
silver hubble-bubble. Mathur Babu sent the new
robe, hubble-bubble, everything. I put the robe on
and puffed at the hubble-bubble in different ways,
first this way and then another, once from above
and then from below. Then I said to myself, ‘O
mind, this is what is known as smoking a silver
hubble-bubble.’ And I gave it up. I wore the robe for
a little while and then took it off. I stamped on it,
spat on it, and said, ‘So this is an expensive robe.
This robe brings rajas.’”
1. Khaichur, a round sweetmeat prepared by boiling coarsely

powdered parched rice in sugar malt.
2. Sarbhaja, a sweetmeat prepared by frying milk-film.
Rakhal and Balaram in Vrindavan – Thakur’s earlier

story – Rakhal experiences his first ecstasy in 1881
Rakhal is in Vrindavan with Balaram. In the
beginning he used to write letters praising
Vrindavan. He wrote to M., “It is really a very nice
place. You must come. Peacocks and peahens dance
together. And there is music and dance – there is
perpetual joy.” After that Rakhal fell ill with a fever
common to Vrindavan. Thakur was very worried
when he heard about it. He took a vow to worship
the Chandi for his sake. Talking about Rakhal, he
said, “It was here that Rakhal first experienced
ecstasy, while he was massaging my feet. A
Bhagavata pundit was in the room speaking about
the Bhagavata. Listening to what he was saying,
Rakhal first began to tremble every now and then,
and then he became perfectly still.
“He experienced ecstasy a second time in
Balaram’s house. He lay down in that state.
“Rakhal’s spiritual ideal is God with form. He
will leave a place where the formless God is
mentioned.
“I made a vow to worship Chandika1 for his
sake. He has renounced his home and family and
depends on me. I used to send him to his wife – he
had a little desire for enjoyment left.
“He wrote to him (pointing to M.) from
Vrindavan, ‘It is a good place. Peacocks and
peahens dance together. These birds have put me in
a difficult situation.’
1. A form of Durga.
“He’s there with Balaram. Ah, what a sweet

nature Balaram has! He doesn’t go to Kathar in
Orissa for my sake. His brother has stopped
sending him a monthly allowance saying, ‘Come
live here. Why are you wasting so much money
there?’ He didn’t listen, just because he wants to
see me.
“What a fine nature he has! Day and night he is
busy with worship. His gardeners make garlands
for the Deity. He will stay in Vrindavan for four
months just to save money. He gets a monthly
allowance of two hundred rupees.”
His earlier story – he weeps for Narendra – Narendra’s

first visit to him in 1881
“Why am I so fond of these young men? The idea
of ‘lust and greed’ has not entered their minds yet. I
see them as ever-perfect.
“When Narendra came the first time, he was
dressed in a dirty cloth. But looking at his face and
eyes, I felt that he had mettle within. He didn’t
know many songs then. He sang one or two: ‘O
mind, return to thy abode’ and ‘Will my days just
pass in vain, O Lord?’
“When he came, the room would be full of
people, but I would talk looking only at him. He’d
say, ‘Please talk to them.’ Then I would.
“I used to weep for him in Jadu Mallick’s garden
house. I was mad with longing to see him. I would
hold Bholanath’s hand and weep. Bholanath said,
‘Sir, it’s not right for you to do this for the sake of a
kayastha boy.’1 The fat brahmin2 one day folded his

hands and said, ‘Sir, he’s only moderately educated.
Why do you get so restless for him?’
“Bhavanath and Narendra are a twosome,
they’re a couple like husband and wife. That’s why I
asked Bhavanath to associate closely with
Narendra. The spiritual ideal of both of them is the
formless One.”
Strict rules for sannyasins – renunciation for teaching

others – Ghoshpara spiritual practices
“I forbid the youngsters from visiting with
women frequently or staying long with them.
“Haripada fell into the snare of a Ghoshpara
woman. She exhibits motherly affection, and
Haripada is a child. He doesn’t understand
anything. These women act like this when they see
youngsters. I hear that Haripada lies in her lap,
and she feeds him with her own hands. I shall tell
him that all this is not good. This motherly
affection may later turn to lower conduct.
“These women carry out spiritual disciplines
with men, taking them to be Sri Krishna. They say,
‘He is Raja Krishna.’ Their guru asks, ‘Have you
found your Raja Krishna?’ They say, ‘Yes, I have.’
“The other day that woman came here. I saw her
furtive glances. Not good! Gauging her sentiments I
said, ‘Treat Haripada as you are doing now – and
don’t change your feelings.’
1. The Kayasthas were a community noted for their adaptability to

secular society. Under British rule many Kayasthas learned English
and gave their children a British education.
2. A nickname for Prankrishna.
“The young men are in the stage of practicing

spiritual disciplines. Their only practice now must
be renunciation. A sannyasin must not even see a
picture of a woman. I tell them, ‘Even if a woman is
a devotee, do not sit beside her and talk. Speak
very briefly, while standing.’ Even after attaining
perfection, you have to do this. It is both for your
own protection and for setting an example. When
women come here, I also say to them after a while,
‘Now go and visit the temples.’ If they don’t leave
when I say this, I myself leave. Seeing me do this,
others will learn.”
His earlier story – visit to Phului Shyambazar in 1880 –

attraction of an incarnation
“Well, you see, all these youngsters are coming
here, and so are you. What does it mean? There
certainly must be something here (within me). Why
else would you feel attracted, why would I draw
people here?
“When I was in Hriday’s home in the
countryside (in Sihore, near Kamarpukur), they
took me to Shyambazar. I could see that they were
devotees of Gauranga. It was revealed to me before
I entered the village. I saw Gauranga. There was
such an attraction that crowds of people came for
seven days and nights. And there was only kirtan
and dance. People sat on walls and some in the
trees.
“I stayed at Natabar Goswami’s house. There
were crowds of people there day and night. I’d run
away to a weaver’s house in the morning, but
people would gather there in no time. They’d bring
drums and cymbals. The drums would play ‘takuti,

takuti.’ We’d have our meal at three in the
afternoon.
“News went around that a man had died and
come to life again seven times. Lest I should fall ill
from the heat, Hriday would pull me out into the
fields. But there, too, crowds gathered like rows of
ants. Again the same playing of drums and
cymbals: ‘Takuti, takuti!’ Hriday would say to them
angrily, ‘Have we never heard kirtan before?’
“The Vaishnava priests1 came to create a row,
thinking that we were there to take away their fees.
But then they saw that I didn’t touch a piece of
cloth or even a thread. One of them said, ‘He is a
knower of Brahman.’ So the gosais wanted to test
me. One of them asked, ‘Why doesn’t he have a
rosary or a holy mark on his forehead?’ Another of
them answered, ‘The dry branch of the coconut tree
has dropped off on its own.’ I learned about the
‘coconut branches’ from there – that after one has
attained knowledge of Brahman, all adjuncts fall off
by themselves.
“People from distant villages would come and
spend the night there. A number of women slept in
the courtyard of the house where I was staying.
Hriday was going out to urinate one night. They
said, ‘You might do it here (in the courtyard) itself.’
“I came to understand there in Shyambazar the
attraction of the Divine Incarnation. When God
descends to play His part, attraction is generated
by Yogamaya. A spell is cast.”
1. Gosais.
Chapter III
Sri Ramakrishna and Radhika Goswami

It is almost three o’clock. Thakur has been
talking to the two Mukherji brothers and other
devotees. Radhika Goswami, who is about thirty
years old, arrives and salutes Thakur. This is his
first visit. He takes a seat.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you belong to the Advaita
family?”
The Goswami: “Yes, sir.”
Hearing that the goswami is a descendent of
Advaita Goswami, Thakur salutes him with folded
hands.
Reverence for the family of goswamis and brahmins –

birth in the family of a saint
Sri Ramakrishna: “Born into the family of
Advaita Goswami! Surely one inherits the qualities
of one’s ancestors.
“A high quality mango tree yields only high
quality mangoes. (The devotees laugh.) No bad fruit,
though there is some difference in size. Some small,
others large, because of the quality of the soil. Isn’t
that right?”
The goswami (humbly): “Sir, what do I know?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Whatever you may say,
people won’t let you off so easily.
“A brahmin may have a thousand faults but he

is revered if he belongs to the lineage1 of
Bharadvaja or Shandilya. Please narrate the tale of
the falcon with conch-like markings on its wings.”2
M. remains silent. Thakur continues.
Sri Ramakrishna: “If you have a saintly person
as a predecessor, he will certainly pull you up, even
if you have a thousand faults. When the
Gandharvas captured the Kauravas, Yudhisthira
had them liberated. He set free even Duryodhana,
who had shown him so much enmity and was the
cause of his exile.
“Besides, one should respect the holy garb. It
reminds one of the real thing. Chaitanya Deva put
religious robes on a donkey and then bowed to it.
“Why do people salute the shankhachila? When
Kamsa tried to kill the Divine Mother,3 she flew
away as a falcon with conchlike markings on her
wings. That’s why, everyone bows to see this kind of
bird.”
1. Gotra, one of forty-nine subdivisions of the brahmin caste, each

the lineage of a celebrated teacher.
2. Shankhachila.
3. When the evil King Kamsa learned that a son of his sister Devaki
would slay him, he imprisoned her and her husband Vasudeva. At
birth Krishna was switched with the Divine Mother, who had taken
the form of an infant. When Kamsa came to kill the baby, the Divine
Mother transformed herself into a bird (the shankhachila) and flew
away.
His earlier story – Koar Singh worships Thakur at

Chanak – Thakur’s loyalty to the king
“Soldiers saluted an Englishman who came to
the cantonment of Chanak. Koar Singh explained to
me that the country is under English rule, so one
must salute an Englishman.”
Thakur condemns sectarianism before the goswami –

Shaktas and Vaishnavas
“Shaktas follow the Tantra while Vaishnavas
follow the Puranas. It is not wrong for Vaishnavas
to speak about their spiritual practices. But the
followers of Tantra keep their practices secret.
That’s why you can’t completely understand a
Shakta.
(To the goswami) “You are good people. You do
so much japa and chant the name of the Lord so
much.”
The goswami (humbly): “We do nothing great. I
am worthless.”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “Humility is good,
but there’s another attitude: ‘I repeat the name of
Lord Hari. How can sin touch me?’ People who say
every day, ‘I am a sinner, sinner I am; I am
worthless, worthless I am,’ indeed become so. What
lack of faith! A person who has chanted His name
so much and yet says, ‘Sin, sin!’”
The goswami is amazed to hear this.
His earlier story – Thakur dresses as a Vaishnava in

Vrindavan – 1868
Sri Ramakrishna: “I dressed myself in the garb
of a Vaishnava in Vrindavan and wore it for fifteen
days. (To the devotees) I used to practice the
disciplines of all the different paths of religion for a
few days. Only then would I feel at peace.
(Laughing) “I practiced them all. And I accept
all paths. I accept the Shaktas as well as the
Vaishnavas. And also the Vedantists. That’s why
people of all faiths come here. They all think I
belong to their faith. I also respect the modern
Brahmos.
“Somebody had a large tub with a single dye in
it. But it had this wonderful quality: it would dye
cloth any colour someone desired.
“One clever fellow said, ‘You have to give me the
dye which you used to dye their clothes.’ (Thakur
and all others laugh.)
“Why should I be one-sided? I’m not worried
that people of a certain faith won’t visit. It doesn’t
matter to me if someone comes or not. I also have
no thought that a certain person should be in my
control. Adhar Sen wanted me to pray to the Divine
Mother so that he’d get a high position. He didn’t
get it. As a consequence, if he thinks in a different
way about me, let him. I don’t care.”
His earlier story – feeling of the formless One in

Keshab Sen’s house – with Vijay Goswami in the school
of Gadadhar from Ariadaha – Vijay’s character
“And then when I went to Keshab Sen’s house
my attitude changed. They are always talking there
of the formless One. So I said to the Divine Mother

in an ecstatic mood, ‘Mother, don’t come here.
These people don’t believe in Your forms.’”
The goswami is quiet when he hears all these
words against sectarianism.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Vijay is in a very
good state of mind.
“He falls on the ground when he chants, ‘Hari,
Hari.’
“He spends his time until four in the morning in
devotional singing and meditation. He wears ochre
cloth now. When he sees an image of God, he
prostrates to offer his salutations.
“He went to Gadadhar’s schoolhouse with me. I
said, ‘Here, he [Chaitanya Deva] used to practice
meditation.’ Immediately Vijay prostrated there.
“He again prostrated himself before Sri
Chaitanya’s picture.”
The goswami: “And before the image of Radha-
Krishna?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He fell prostrate there too.
All his actions are orthodox.”
The goswami: “He can now be taken into
Vaishnava society.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He doesn’t care much what
people say.”
The goswami: “But Vaishnava society would be
benefited by having such a person.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He has great respect for me.
“It is difficult to find him. Today he is invited to

Dacca, tomorrow to another place. He is always so
busy.
“There are lots of problems in the (Sadharan
Brahmo) Samaj.”
The goswami: “Why, sir?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “They say to him, ‘You
associate yourself with believers in God with form.
You’ve become an idolater.’
“He is broad-minded and straightforward.
Unless one is simple at heart, one doesn’t receive
the grace of God.”
Instructions to the Mukherjis – household life – go

forward – yoga of practice1
Now Thakur is talking with the Mukherji
brothers. The elder brother, Mahendra, is in
business. He has not taken service under anyone.
The younger, Priyanath, used to be an engineer. He
has now made some provision and no longer works.
The elder Mukherji is thirty-five or thirty-six. His
home is in the village of Kedati. He also has a
house at Baghbazar in Calcutta.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “If you feel a little
inspiration, don’t rest content. You must go
forward. There is more after the sandalwood trees –
there are silver mines and gold mines.”
Priya (smiling): “Sir, our legs are shackled. We
can’t move forward.”
1. Abhyasa yoga.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What can shackles on the

feet do? It is the mind that matters.
“You are bound or freed by the mind. There were
two friends. One of them went to visit a prostitute
and the other to listen to a recital of the Bhagavata.
The former said, ‘I am damned. My friend is
listening to a recital of the story of Lord Hari and I
am here in such a dirty place!’ The one listening to
the Bhagavata said to himself, ‘I am cursed. See
how my friend is enjoying himself and having fun.
What a fool I am!’ Just see, the first one was taken
after death by the messengers of Vishnu to
Vaikuntha.1 The latter was taken to the nether
world of Yama.”2
Priya: “But the mind is not under my control.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What do you mean? There is
the yoga of practice.3 Practice it. You will see that
your mind will go wherever you take it.
“The mind is like a freshly laundered cloth. It
will get dyed red if you put it in red dye, and you
can dye it blue by putting it in blue dye. Whatever
colour you dye it in, it will take that colour.
(To the goswami) “Have you anything to ask?”
The goswami (very humbly): “No, sir. I’ve been
able to see you and have been listening to all you
are saying.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Now go and visit the deities
in the temples.
1. Heaven.
2. God of death.
3. Abhyasa yoga.
The goswami (very humbly): “Could you sing a

little on the greatness of Sri Chaitanya?1
Thakur sings for the goswami:
Why has my body turned fair-complexioned?
Then:
Gauranga Deva casts a glance toward Vrindavan,
And from his eyes flow tears of ecstasy.
And again:
What is this, if not divine rapture?
Gauranga is an ocean of bliss.
In ecstasy he laughs, weeps, dances, and sings.
Every wooded grove he sees as Vrindavan, and the ocean
as the Jamuna.
He places his head on his own feet,
For he is Gaur without, but Sri Krishna within.2
Advice to Radhika Goswami about harmony of

religions
Thakur speaks again after the song is over.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the goswami): “All these
songs suit you (Vaishnavas). But if a Shakta or
someone from the Ghoshpara sect comes, what
shall I sing?
“You will find all kinds of attitudes here, for
different kinds of people – Vaishnavas, Shaktas,
Kartabhajas, Vedantists, as well as Brahmos.
“It is by His will that so many different
religions, so many beliefs, have come into existence.
1. Mahaprabhu.
2. For the complete song refer to Section XIX, Chapter IV.
“God has given to everyone what agrees with his

stomach. A mother doesn’t serve rice and fish1 to all
her children. It doesn’t suit everyone. So for some,
she prepares fish soup.
“A person clings to the attitude which is
agreeable to his nature and feelings.
“In a community festival where different kinds
of people visit, images of various kinds are made.
There are images of Radha-Krishna, Hara-Parvati
and Sita-Rama – different images placed in
different places. And you see people crowding
before each one. Vaishnavas are seen standing for a
long time to view Radha-Krishna, Shaktas near
Hara-Parvati, and those who are devotees of Rama
crowd around Sita-Rama.
“But those whose minds are not inclined toward
any deity at all belong to a different class. At a
community festival, they also prepare images such
as a prostitute beating her paramour with a broom.
People who have no deity in mind stand there with
mouths agape, and the people look at them and call
out loudly to their friends, ‘Tell me, what are you
looking at there? Come here, come here.’” (Everyone
laughs.)
The goswami salutes and takes his leave.
1. Pulao.
Chapter IV
Thakur makes merry with the young devotees – he

watches the arati of Mother Kali and fans Her with a
chamara
The Mother and son talk. Why do you make me reason?

It is five o’clock. Thakur is on the western
verandah. Baburam, Latu, the two Mukherji
brothers, M., and some others are with him.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and the others): “Why
should my mind run in a single track? These people
are Vaishnavas and bigoted. They think that only
their belief is correct and that all others are wrong.
What I have said has gone deep into him [meaning
Radhika Goswami]. (Smiling) An elephant needs to
be goaded on the head because that’s where it is
sensitive.”
Now Thakur begins to have fun with the
youngsters.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “I don’t serve
them [the youngsters] only vegetarian food. I also
give them a little water smelling of fish. Otherwise,
why would they come?”
The Mukherjis leave the verandah to stroll for a
while in the garden.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “I used to practice japa
– and go into samadhi. What does that mean?”
M. (very seriously): “That is very good, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Good! Good! But
what would they (the Mukherjis) think about it?”
M.: “Why? Didn’t Captain say that you are like a

child? After realizing God, one becomes like a
child.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That person at times acts
like a child, a boy, and sometimes like an adult. In
boyhood he talks nonsense. Sometimes he even uses
foul language. But when he is in the state of
adulthood, he teaches forcefully like a lion.
“You’d better talk to the Mukherjis and explain.”
M.: “I don’t have to explain. Don’t they know
already?”
After a few jokes with the youngsters, Sri
Ramakrishna says to a devotee, “It is new moon
today.1 Please go to the Divine Mother’s temple.’
The sound of arati can be heard after dusk.
Thakur says to Baburam, “Come, let’s go to the Kali
temple.” Then he and Baburam and M. go. Seeing
Harish sitting on the verandah, Thakur says, “Is he
again in ecstasy?”
Crossing the courtyard, they watch the arati of
Sri Radhakanta for a while. Then they continue
toward Mother Kali’s temple. Thakur raises his
arms and calls out to the Mother of the Universe,
“Mother, O Mother. O, Brahmamayi!” Coming to
the raised platform in front of the temple, he
prostrates in salutation to the Divine Mother. The
arati is being performed before the Mother. Thakur
enters the shrine and begins to fan Her with a
chamara.
1 Amavasya.
The worship ends. The people who had been

watching the arati all prostrate together. Sri
Ramakrishna comes out of the shrine and salutes
Her. Mahendra Mukherji and the other devotees
also salute.
Today is new moon day, the darkest day of the
fortnight. Thakur becomes fully absorbed in
ecstasy, in divine intoxication. He holds Baburam’s
hand and returns to his room staggering like a
drunkard.
The lamp-lighter has lit a lamp on the western
verandah of his room. Thakur comes and sits there
for some time. He chants, “Hari Om, Hari Om,” and
several other mantras from the Tantras.
In a little while Thakur goes and sits on his
small bed, facing east. Even now he is fully
absorbed in a divine mood.
The Mukherji brothers, Baburam, and others sit
on the floor.
Origin of language – the philosophy of prayer

Absorbed in ecstasy, Thakur talks with the
Divine Mother. He says, “Mother, that You will
only do it when I speak to You – that cannot be
true.
“What does talking really mean? It is just giving
a hint. Someone says, ‘I shall eat.’ Another person
says, ‘Go on, I won’t listen to you.’
“Well, Mother, if someone says, ‘I want to eat,’
doesn’t he still feel hungry? It cannot be that You
will listen only when I pray to You, that You will
not listen when I long within. This cannot be true.
“You are what You are. Then why do I speak?

Why do I pray?
“Oh, I do what You make me do.
“Oh, it is all confusion. Why do You make me
reason?”
Thakur is talking to God. The devotees listen to
him, speechless with wonder.
Samskaras and necessity of austerities – instruction to

the devotees – service to sadhus
Now Thakur glances at the devotees.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Good
tendencies of past birth1 are essential to realize
God. You have to have done something, practiced
some austerities. Whether it is done in this life or
in a past one.
“When Draupadi was being disrobed, the Lord
appeared before her when he heard her earnest cry.
He said, ‘Try to remember if you have ever given a
piece of cloth in charity. If you have, your modesty
will be saved.’ Draupadi said, ‘I remember a rishi
bathing in a river and his loin cloth floated away
with the current. I tore off half of my cloth and gave
it to him.’ The Lord said, ‘Then you have nothing to
fear now.’”
M. is sitting on a foot rug east of Thakur’s bed.
(To M.) “Have you understood this?”
M.: “Yes sir, about tendencies.”
1. Samskaras.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Please repeat what I have

said. Let me hear.”
M.: “Draupadi had gone for a bath –” (Hazra
enters.)
Chapter V
Hazra Mahashay
Hazra has been living here for the last two years. He
first met Thakur in 1880 in the village of Sihore near
Kamarpukur. Thakur’s nephew, Hriday
Mukhopadyaya, the son of his cousin Himangani
Devi,1 lived there. At the time Thakur was staying at
Hriday’s house.
Hazra’s native village is Madagod near Sihore. He has

some land there. He is married and has children and
other relatives. They get by somehow, though he has a
debt of about a thousand rupees.
Hazra has felt dispassion since youth. He has a habit

of seeking out sadhus and devotees. When he first
came to the Kali temple at Dakshineswar and wanted
to stay there, Thakur, already having met him in the
village and seeing his devotional nature, asked him to
stay and look after him.2
Hazra’s attitude is that of a man of knowledge. He

doesn’t like Thakur’s devotional nature and his
interest in the youngsters. Now and then he thinks of
1. Daughter of Thakur’s father’s sister.

2. Hazra (Pratap Chandra Hazra): When he was about thirty-eight
years old, Pratap left his wife and children to lead a spiritual life at
Dakshineswar. Argumentative and critical of others, he nevertheless
had extraordinary faith and devotion to Ramakrishna, who joked
that he was there to “thicken the plot.” He returned to his native
village of Madagod, near Kamarpukur, where he died at the age of
sixty-three or sixty-four, in the month of Chaitra, 1306 B.Y. (A.D
1900).
Sri Ramakrishna as a great soul, but at other times,

he looks upon him as an ordinary individual.
He has taken a seat in the southeastern verandah of

Thakur’s room. There he repeats God’s name on a
rosary. Rakhal and other devotees do not spend as
much time practicing japa, and Hazra criticizes them
because of it.
He is a stickler for religious rules of conduct, which

have become a sort of mania with him. He is about
thirty-eight years old.
Hazra enters the room. Thakur enters a
somewhat ecstatic mood and begins to talk.
Does God listen to prayers? – weep for Him, He will

listen
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hazra): “What you are
doing is all right. But somehow it doesn’t come
together right.
“Don’t find fault with anyone. Not even an
insect. You yourself tell the tale of the sage
Lomasha. Just as you pray for love of God, you
must also pray that you may not find fault with
others.”
Hazra: “Does He listen if you pray for divine
love?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A hundred times – if it is
genuine and sincere. Does a worldly man weep for
God as he does for his wife or son?”
His earlier life – the trembling of a resident of

Kamarpukur over his wife’s illness
“The wife of a person fell ill. Thinking that her
illness was incurable, this fellow began to shake
with fear and was about to fall down unconscious!
“Who does that for God?”
Hazra takes the dust of Thakur’s feet.
Sri Ramakrishna (hesitating): “What are you
doing?”
Hazra: “Shall I not take the dust of the feet of
the man I live with?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Satisfy God and everyone
will be satisfied! The whole world is pleased when
God is pleased. When the Lord felt satisfied after
eating the greens in Draupadi’s pot and said, ‘I am
full,’ all the beings of the whole world were
satisfied. Indeed, they felt they had eaten more
than their fill. But when the sages ate, was the
whole world satisfied? Did it feel that it had eaten
more than its fill?”
Thakur is saying that some work is necessary for the
teaching of mankind.
His earlier story – a sadhu under the banyan tree

worships his guru’s sandals and a shalagram
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hazra): “Even after
attaining spiritual knowledge, one performs
worship and other rituals in order to set an
example.
“I visit the Kali temple and also bow before all
these pictures in my room. That’s why others do it.
If a habit is formed, the mind feels uncomfortable if

it is not done.
“I saw a sannyasin under the banyan tree. He
had placed his guru’s sandals on a small carpet.
And he placed a shalagram on the same carpet! He
was worshipping them! I asked, ‘If you have
attained so much spiritual knowledge, what is the
need of ritualistic worship?’ The sannyasin said,
‘I’m doing everything else, why not this too? I can
place a flower on the guru’s foot, and also on the
emblem.’
“As long as one has a body, one cannot give up
work. As long as there is mud at the bottom of the
lake, there are bound to be some bubbles.”1
The three stages: the scripture, the word of the guru,

and spiritual practice; then one achieves the Goal
(To Hazra) “If there is knowledge of one, there is
also knowledge of many. What help is there in mere
reading of the scriptures?
“Scriptures contain sugar mixed with sand. It is
very difficult to take out only the sugar. Therefore,
one should hear the essence of a scripture from a
sadhu or guru. After that, what is the need for
scripture anymore?
“Say you’ve received a letter requesting five
seers of sandesh and a piece of wearing cloth. If the
letter is lost, you look for it anxiously. Finding it
1. It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to renounce action

entirely. But he who renounces the fruit is regarded as one who has
renounced (Gita 18:11).
after a long search, you read it: ‘Send five seers of

sandesh and a piece of cloth.’ Then, you can throw
the letter away. What use is it now? Your work now
is to procure the sandesh and cloth.
(To Mukherji, Baburam, M., and other devotees)
“After getting all the information, dive in. Having
made sure where the pot is lying on the bottom of
the pond, dive only there.
“You have to hear the essence of the scriptures
from the lips of the guru and then take to spiritual
practices. When you are absolutely sure what the
right spiritual practice is for you, you begin to
perceive God directly.
“And you can be sure of the right spiritual
practice only when you dive. What use is it to sit
down and reason about what you have read in the
scriptures? Fools just reason about the way and
then perish, because they don’t dive. Let them go!
“If you say that in diving there is the fear of
sharks and crocodiles – the fear of desires and
anger – then rub your body with turmeric powder
before you dive. They won’t come near you.
Turmeric powder is discrimination and non-
attachment.”
Chapter VI
His earlier story: Sri Ramakrishna’s practice of

spiritual disciplines according to the Purana, the
Tantra, and the Vedanta – spiritual practices in the
panchavati, under the bel tree and in the chandni –
initiation into sannyasa from Totapuri in 1866
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “God made
me practice various kinds of spiritual disciplines,
first according to the Puranas, then according to
the Tantras and also the disciplines of the Vedas.
At first I practiced them in the panchavati. I
planted a grove of tulsi plants, and I used to sit
inside it and meditate. Sometimes I would call out
with great longing, ‘Mother, Mother,’ or at times
repeat, ‘Rama, Rama.’
“When I repeated the name of Rama, I would
sometimes tie a tail on my body in the spirit of
Hanuman. It was a state of deep intoxication.
During that time, I’d put on a silk cloth to worship.
What joy was in that worship!
“The spiritual practices according to the Tantra
were performed under the bel tree. At that time I
could see no difference between a tulsi plant and
the fruit of a sajina.1
“In that state, I used to eat the leftovers from
the previous night’s offering to Mother Durga;2 they
could have been defiled by a snake or something.
“Sometimes I would ride a dog and push fried
bread into its mouth and then eat it myself. The
1. Sajina: A vegetable of the genus Moringa, appearing as sticks

growing on trees, and known in English as “drumstick leaves.”
2. Shivani.
whole world is Vishnu. I would rinse my mouth1

with water fallen in puddles on the ground; I
brought water from the pond and put it in the
puddles to rinse my mouth with.
“One cannot have spiritual realization without
destroying ignorance. So I used to assume the
attitude of a tiger and eat it up.
“When I performed disciplines according to the
Vedas, I became a sannyasin. I used to lie down in
the chandni and say to Hriday, ‘I have become a
sannyasin. I shall eat in the chandni.’”
Thakur sees various divine forms during his practice

of spiritual disciplines – Mother of the Universe
instructs him on the Vedanta and the Gita
(To the devotee) “I remained on my seat
resolutely and said to the Divine Mother, ‘I am a
fool. Pray, let me know what is in the various
scriptures – in the Vedas, the Puranas, and the
Tantras.’
“The Divine Mother said, ‘The essence of the
Vedanta is that Brahman alone is real, that the
world is illusory. He who is mentioned as Sat-chit-
ananda Brahman in the Vedas is called Sat-chit-
ananda Shiva in the Tantra. It is He who is known
as Sat-chit-ananda Krishna in the Puranas.’
“What you hear when the word gita is repeated
ten times is the essence of the Gita; that is, ‘tagi,
tagi’ [renounce, renounce].
1. Perform achamana, a preliminary purification rite of ritualistic

worship, sipping and sprinkling water.
“When a person realizes God, the Vedas, the

Vedanta, the Purana, and the Tantra all become
insignificant.
(To Hazra) “He is no longer able to pronounce
Om. Why does this happen? I cannot utter the word
Om unless I come down very far from samadhi.
“The scriptures describe various states one has
after a direct vision of God. I had them all – the
state of a child, of a ghoul, and of lifeless matter.
“I also used to have visions the way they are
described in the scriptures. At times I would see the
whole universe filled with sparks of fire.
Sometimes, I saw lakes of mercury all around me,
shining brightly. And sometimes I would see it as
molten silver. At times, I saw, as it were, torches
giving out many-coloured lights.
“All these conform to what is said in the
scriptures. That was reassuring.”
Sri Ramakrishna’s state – union of the phenomenal and

the Absolute
“And then it was revealed to me that God
Himself had become the living beings, the universe,
and the twenty-four cosmic principles. Climbing up
to the rooftop and then coming down the stairs. It’s
the process of involution and evolution.
“Oh, what states I was kept in! One state would
follow another like the movement of a husking
machine. When one goes down, the other goes up.
“When I am in meditation, in samadhi, I see
God. I also see Him when my mind comes back to
the external world. I see Him on this side of the
mirror, and I also see Him on the back of the

mirror.”
Both the Mukherji brothers, Baburam, and
other devotees listen to Thakur, amazed.
Chapter VII
His earlier story – detachment of Sambhu Mallick –

takes shelter with a saintly person
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mukherji and others):
“Captain now is in the state of a spiritual aspirant.
“It isn’t necessarily true that one remains
attached (to the world) just by being rich. Sambhu
(Mallick) used to say, ‘Hridu, I sit here ready with
my bundle packed.’ I would say, ‘What an ominous
thing you are saying!’ Then Sambhu would say, ‘No,
please say that I may go to Him, having renounced
everything.’
“Devotees of God have no fear. They are near
and dear to Him. He will draw them. When
Duryodhana and his companions were made
prisoners by the Gandharvas, it was Yudhisthira
who had them released. He said, ‘It would be a
disgrace if our relatives remain in such difficulty.’”
Brahmins of the temple – Sri Ramakrishna preaches

devotion to them
It is about 9 p.m. Both the Mukherji brothers
are getting ready to return to Calcutta. Thakur gets
up and strolls for a while through the room and the
verandah. He hears loud singing in the Vishnu
temple. Asking about it, a devotee tells him, “Latu
and Harish have joined them.” Thakur says, “That’s

it.”
Thakur goes to the Vishnu temple with the
devotees. They prostrate before Sri Radhakanta.
Thakur notices that the brahmin servants of the
temple, those who cook and prepare offerings for
the deities and who serve it to the guests, have
gathered together in a large number to sing the
kirtan. Thakur stands there for a while and
encourages them.
Returning to his room through the courtyard, he
says to the devotees, “Look, some of these fellows
wash the pots and pans, and some of them visit
houses of prostitution.”
Reaching his room, Thakur sits down on his cot.
Those who were engaged in singing kirtan come
and salute him.
Thakur says to them, “As you sweat to earn
money, so you should perspire chanting Lord Hari’s
name, dancing and singing.”
“I thought of dancing with you. But then I saw
that the vegetable was seasoned perfectly – even
fenugreek had been put in. (All laugh.) What
seasoning could I add to it?
“Please come here now and then to sing Lord
Hari’s name.”
Mukherji and others bow to Thakur and take
their leave.
Their carriage comes right up to the smaller
verandah north of Thakur’s room. Its lights are lit.
Departure of devotees – Thakur’s affection for them

Thakur is standing on the northeastern side of
the verandah facing north. A devotee brings a light
to show the devotees the way to the carriage.
Today is the dark new moon night, the night of
Amavasya. The Ganges flows to the west of Thakur
and in front is the nahabat, the flower garden, and
the kuthi. The path to the main gate is to the right
of Thakur.
The devotees bow their heads at Thakur’s feet
and then get into the carriage one after the other.
Thakur says to a certain devotee, “Why don’t you
tell Ishan to find some work for him?”
Seeing that there are too many people riding in
the carriage, creating a hardship for the horse,
Thakur asks, “Aren’t there too many people for one
carriage?”
He remains standing. The devotees leave for
Calcutta, watching Thakur’s image full of love and
grace for the devotees.1
1. Bhakta vatsala.
Section XXI
Thakur with Latu, M., Manilal,

Mukherji, and Other Devotees at the
Dakshineswar Temple
Chapter I
Instruction to Manilal, the Brahmo, to give up

dogmatism
Sri Ramakrishna is at the Dakshineswar temple with

devotees.
It is Thursday, 2 October 1884, 17th of Ashwin, 1291

B.Y. – the twelfth and thirteenth day of the bright
fortnight of Ashwin, two days after the Vijay Dashami
day. The previous day Thakur had graced Adhar’s
house in Calcutta with a visit. A number of people
were there – Narayan, Baburam, M., Kedar, Vijay,
and others. During the kirtan Thakur danced with the
devotees. [See Volume II of the Kathamrita.]
Latu, Ramlal, and Harish are living with Thakur

these days. Ramlal is the priest of Mother
Bhavatarini. Baburam stays there at times, and
Hazra also lives there.
Manilal Mallick, Priya Mukherji, his relative Hari, a

Brahmo devotee from Shivapur (Dari), and some
Marwari devotees from 12 Mallick Street in
Burrabazar are present. Gradually, some youngsters
from Dakshineswar, Mahendra Kaviraj from Sinthi,
and other devotees arrive. Manilal is an old member
of the Brahmo Samaj.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Manilal and the others):
“It’s better to salute mentally. What is the need to
342 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXI
touch the feet with your hand? Besides, mental

salutation won’t embarrass anybody.
“It isn’t good to feel that only your religion is
true and all others are false.
“I see that God Himself has become all – human
beings, images of the deity, Shalagram.1 In
everything, I see only one. I see none else.
“Many people think that only their belief is
correct and that all others are wrong, that only we
have won and all others have lost. Those who have
advanced a little may perhaps have been stopped
for a while. But those who had lagged behind might
have advanced in the meantime. In the game of
golakdham, the piece may advance a great deal –
but it may fail to reach the goal because one fails to
throw the right dice.
“Victory and defeat are in God’s hands. A person
can’t understand God’s ways. You see, a green
coconut grows high in the tree so it gets a lot of sun,
yet its fruit is cool. On the other hand, a water-
chestnut2 grows in water, but its nature is to heat
the body.
“Just consider the human body. The head, which
is the foundation (the root), is at the top.”
Sri Ramakrishna, the four ashramas and the essence of

yoga – Brahmo Samaj and concentration on God with
the mind3
Manilal: “What is our duty now?”
1. An abstract image of Vishnu in the form of an oval stone bearing

certain markings.
2. Singhara.
3. Mano yoga.
2 – 4 October 1884 343
Sri Ramakrishna: “To remain united with God

no matter what work you do. There are two paths:
the path of karma yoga, or work, and the path of
manoyoga, or mental effort.
“Householders unite themselves with God
through work. There are four stages of life:
brahmacharya,1 garhasthya,2 vanaprastha3 and
sannyasa.4 A sannyasin has to give up working
with desire5 (i.e. hankering after health, wealth,
long life, progeny, name, fame, title, and social
status) but must perform his daily duties without
any desire for reward.6 Carrying a staff, begging for
food, pilgrimage, worship, and japa – this work
unites one with God.
“Whatever work you do, if you renounce the
desire for its fruit, without craving anything, you
will be united with Him.
“The other way is union with God through the
mind. Such a yogi shows no outward sign. It is all
within. For example, Jada Bharata and Sukadeva.
There are so many others, but these two are well
known. Such people don’t cut their hair or beard;
they let them grow naturally.
“Work falls off in the stage of a paramahamsa.
Such people remember God and meditate upon Him
always. Their minds ever remain united with Him.
1. The first stage in the four stages of life according to the Vedas,
that of a celibate student.
2. Married household life.
3. Detaching from family affairs and concentrating on God.
4. Renunciation of the world.
5. Kamya karma.
6. Refer to Bhagavad Gita 18:2-3.
If a paramahamsa ever performs work, it is to teach

others.
“Whether union with God is achieved by work or
through concentration, a person knows everything
when love of God is developed.
“Through love of God suspension of breath1
comes about by itself. When the mind is
concentrated, the breathing becomes regular. Only
when the mind is concentrated is the breath2
steadied, and when the breath is steady, the mind
becomes one-pointed – the intellect becomes steady.
The person who experiences this isn’t even aware of
it.”
His earlier story – prays to the Mother of the Universe

during the period of spiritual disciplines – bhakti yoga
“You can achieve everything through bhakti
yoga. I said to the Divine Mother, weeping, ‘Mother,
let me know what yogis came to know by practicing
yoga, what men of knowledge have known by
discrimination. Please reveal it to me.’ The Divine
Mother showed it all to me. When one weeps before
Her with yearning, She conveys all knowledge. She
has revealed to me everything that is in the Vedas,
the Vedanta, the Puranas, the Tantra – all these
scriptures.”
Manilal: “What about hatha yoga?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Hatha yogis are sadhus who
are concerned with their bodies. They practice neti,
and dhauti3 – they take care of the body only. Their
1. Kumbhaka.
2. Vayu.
3. Internal washing.
2 – 4 October 1884 345
aim is to add years to their life. Day and night they

serve the body – this is not good.”
Mani Mallick, the worldly man, and mental

renunciation – about Keshab Sen
“What is your duty? You should mentally
renounce ‘lust and greed.’ You can’t look on the
world as nothing but the droppings of a crow.
“The goswamis are householders. So I said to
them, ‘You have the duties of worship and service
to the deity. How can you renounce the world? You
can’t brush family life aside by calling it maya.’
“Chaitanya Deva listed the duties of house-
holders as: compassion for living beings, service to
Vaishnavas, and chanting God’s holy name.
“Keshab Sen once said, ‘Now he [Sri Rama-
krishna] asks us to attend to both, but one day he
will sting us.’ But that’s not true. How can I sting?”
Mani Mallick: “So please sting us.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Why? You are quite
all right as a householder. Why should you
renounce?”
Chapter II
A religious teacher’s renunciation of ‘lust and greed ’ –

only then is he able to teach – difficult rules for the
sannyasin – advice to Brahmani Lal
Sri Ramakrishna: “Those through whom God
will teach mankind must renounce the world. It is
essential for religious teachers to renounce ‘lust
and greed.’ Without it, their teachings are not
accepted. It is not enough for them to renounce

inwardly. They must also renounce outwardly. Only
then can they teach mankind. If they don’t, people
will think that they are being asked to renounce
‘lust and greed,’ while they secretly enjoy them.
“An Ayurvedic physician1 prescribed some
medicine to a patient and said, ‘Please come again
another day and I will tell you about diet.’ That
day, there were a number of jars of molasses2 in his
room. The patient lived quite far away. He came
another day. The physician said to him, ‘Be careful
about your diet. Molasses is not good for you.’ When
the patient had left, somebody asked the physician,
‘Why did you cause him the trouble of coming here
again, all that way? You could have said this to him
the first day.’ The physician laughed and said,
‘There is a reason. I had some jars of molasses in
my room that day. If I had asked him to give up
molasses, he wouldn’t have trusted me. He would
have thought, He has so many jars of molasses in
his room, he must surely be eating some of it. In
that case it can’t be so bad. Today I have hidden the
jars; he will now believe me.’
“I have seen the religious teacher3 of the Adi
[Brahmo] Samaj. I hear that he has married two or
three times. And that he has grown sons. Such are
religious teachers! If these people say that only the
Lord is real and all else is an illusion, who will
believe them? You can guess very well what kind of
disciples they will have.
1. Kaviraj.
2. Gur.
3. Acharya.
2 – 4 October 1884 347
“‘If a guru goes to relieve himself, his disciple

must at least emit gas.’ If a sannyasin has
renounced mentally but lives with ‘lust and greed,’
he can’t teach. People will say that he secretly eats
molasses.”
Sri Ramakrishna’s renunciation of gold – he returns

five rupees to the physician
“Mahendra of Sinti (a physician) gave five
rupees to Ramlal, but I didn’t know about it.
“When Ramlal told me, I asked him, ‘For whom
was that money given?’ He replied, ‘For you.’ At
first I thought I should use it to pay what I owed for
milk. But, my mother! I woke up in the night very
disturbed. It felt like a cat was scratching my chest.
I went to Ramlal again and asked if the money was
for his aunt.1 He said no. So I said to him, ‘Please
go right now and return it.’ He returned the money
the next day.
“Do you know what it’s like for a sannyasin to
accept money, or to be greedy? Like a brahmin
widow who has lived for a long time on vegetarian
food and observed celibacy taking a man of low
caste as her paramour. (Everybody is stunned.)
“In my native village, the low caste oil woman,
Bhagi Teli, had many devotees and disciples.
Noticing that so many people paid respect to a
shudra,2 the landlord sent a wicked man to tempt
her. He corrupted her and all her spiritual practices
1. Meaning Holy Mother.

2. Caste of laborers and servants.
and strivings ended in dust. A fallen sannyasin

meets such a fate.”
Faith in God1 result of association with the holy –

Keshab Sen and Vijaykrishna Goswami
“You are householders. It is essential that you
keep the company of holy men. Association with
them brings faith in God. How can people gain faith
and love for God if holy men do not chant the name
and glories of God? People respect a person when
they know him to be rich; then they seek his
company.
(To M.) “You must practice disciplines even after
you attain spiritual knowledge. The Naked One2
used to say, ‘What is the use of cleaning a brass pot
only once? It will get tarnished if you don’t polish
it.’
“I’ll go to your house one day. If I know where
your residence is, I can meet other devotees there.
Please go see Ishan some time.
(To Manilal) “Keshab Sen’s mother came here.
The boys of her family chanted the name of the
Lord. She circumambulated them clapping her
hands. I saw that she was not overcome with
sorrow. She came here and observed [the fast of]
Ekadashi; she repeated the name of God on a
rosary. I was impressed by her great devotion to
God.”
Manilal: “Keshab’s grandfather, Ramkamal Sen,
was a devotee of God. He used to sit in a tulsi grove
1. Shraddha.
2. Totapuri.
2 – 4 October 1884 349
and repeat the name of God. Keshab’s father,

Pyarimohan, was also a devoted Vaishnava.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Unless the father is so
devoted, the son could not be a devotee. Just see
what a state Vijay is in. His father would lose
consciousness in ecstasy when he read the
Bhagavata. Vijay often stands up chanting the
name of God.
“The visions (of divine forms) that Vijay has
these days are all real. About God with form or the
formless God, Vijay said, ‘It is like a chameleon –
sometimes red, sometimes blue, and then at other
times green. And it may even be colourless. God is
sometimes with attributes and sometimes without
them.’”
Vijay is guileless – ‘when one is simple and guileless at

heart, one realizes God’
“Vijay is very simple at heart. You cannot
realize God if you’re not large-hearted and
guileless.
“Vijay went to Adhar Sen’s house yesterday. He
felt like it was his own house and everybody who
lived there was his own.
“Unless your mind is free from calculating this
and that, you cannot be simple or large-hearted.”
Saying this, Thakur begins to sing:
O mind, you will gain precious wealth when you become
pure.
“Unless the clay is properly prepared, you
cannot make a pot. If there is grit or sand in the
clay, the pot will crack. That’s why a potter

prepares the clay carefully.
“If a mirror is dirty, you cannot see your face in
it. Unless your mind1 is pure, your real Self cannot
be seen.
“Look, where there is an incarnation of God,
there is guilelessness – Nandaghosh, Dasharatha,
and Vasudeva were all simple at heart.
“Vedanta tells us that unless you have a pure
mind, you don’t feel the desire to know God. Only in
one’s last birth or after practicing long austerities,
does one become broad-minded and guileless.”
Chapter III
Childlike state of Sri Ramakrishna

Noticing some puffiness in his legs, Thakur
becomes anxious, like a child.
The physician, Mahendra of Sinti, comes in and
bows to him.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Priya Mukherji and the
other devotees): “Yesterday, I said to Narayan,
‘Please press your leg to see if it makes a dimple.’
He pressed and there was one. I was saved! (To
Mukherji) Please press your leg. See if it forms a
dimple.”
Mukherji: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Oh, what a relief.”
1. Chitta, a) The mind or inner organ of consciousness in general. b)

In Vedanta, the storehouse of memory.
2 – 4 October 1884 351
Mani Mallick: “Please bathe in the running

water of the river. Why take medicine?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, my dear sir! You have
stronger blood. Your case is different. God has kept
me in the state of a child.
“One day in a grassy meadow I was bitten. I had
heard that if a snake bites a second time, it sucks
out its poison. So I sat there putting my hand in a
hole. Someone came by and asked, ‘What are you
doing? If the snake bites in the same place as
before, it can happen, but if it bites anywhere else,
it doesn’t help.’
“I had heard from someone that autumn dew
was beneficial. Coming from Calcutta by carriage, I
stuck my head out so the mist would touch it.
(Everyone laughs.)
(To Mahendra of Sinthi) “Your pundit from
Sinthi is good. He is well-versed in Vedanta. He has
respect for me. When I said to him, ‘You have
certainly studied a lot, but do give up the pride that
‘I am such-and-such a pundit,’ he was delighted.
“I discussed Vedanta with him.”
Instructions to M., pure Self and spiritual ignorance –

Mahamaya and discussion on Vedanta
(To M.) “The pure Atman is unattached to
things of the world. Maya, or ignorance, is in it.
This very maya has three qualities: sattva, rajas,
and tamas. That which is pure Atman has in it
these three qualities, yet it is unattached. If you
throw a blue tablet into a fire, you see a blue flame.
If you throw a red tablet in it, the flame is red. But

the fire has no colour of its own.
“Put a blue pill in water and the water will
become blue. Then you put alum in it and it will
recover its own colour.
“A butcher was carrying a load of meat when he
touched Shankaracharya by chance. As soon as
Shankaracharya remarked, ‘Hey, you touched me!’
the butcher replied, ‘My lord, neither have I
touched you, nor have you touched me. You are
pure Self, unattached to anything.’
“Jada Bharata also said the same thing to King
Rahugana.
“The pure Self is unattached, and it cannot be
seen. When common salt is dissolved in water, it
becomes invisible to the eye.
“That which is pure Atman is Mahakarana, the
cause1 of causes. There are the gross, the subtle,
the cause, and the Great Cause (Mahakarana). The
five material elements are gross. Mind, intellect
and ego are subtle. Nature or the Primal Power is
the cause of everything. Brahman or the Atman,
the pure Self, is the cause of the cause.
“This pure Atman is our true Self. What is
spiritual knowledge? Knowledge of one’s real Self,
and keeping the mind in it. This is knowledge of the
pure Atman.”
How long does one have to work?

“How long does a person have to work? As long
as there is body-consciousness. That is, as long as
1. Karana.
2 – 4 October 1884 353
one clings to the idea of the body being one’s self.

The Gita says this.1 To cling to the idea that the
body is one’s own self is ignorance.
(To the Brahmo devotee from Shivapur) “Are you
a Brahmo?”
The Brahmo devotee: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “I can recognize an
aspirant of the formless God by looking at his eyes
and face. Please dive a little. You don’t get jewels
by swimming on the surface. I accept both, God
with form and God without form.”
Sri Ramakrishna and Marwari devotee – individual self

– mind-stuff2
The Marwari devotees from the Burrabazar
arrive and salute Thakur. Thakur praises them.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “Ah, these
are great devotees. They all go to the temple, sing
hymns, and have prasad. The priest they have
engaged this time is well versed in the Bhagavata.”
Marwari devotee: “When a person says, ‘I am
Your servant,’ who is this ‘I’?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The subtle body3 or indi-
vidual soul. The subtle body is made up of these
four: mind, intellect, mind-stuff, and ego.”
Marwari devotee: “Then what is the individual
self?”
1. Bhagavad Gita 18:11.

2. Chitta.
3. Linga sarira.
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is the Atman bound by the

eight fetters. And what is the chitta? That which
exclaims: ‘Oh!’”
The Marwari – what happens after death? What is

maya? – the view of the Gita
Marwari devotee: “Sir, what happens after
death?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “According to the Gita, you
become what you think of at the time of death. King
Bharata became a deer because he thought of a
deer. That is why spiritual practice is essential to
realize God. If you contemplate God day and night,
the same thought will come to you at the time of
your death.”
Marwari devotee: “Well, sir, why can’t we give
up attachment to things of the world?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “This is what is called maya.
It is maya that makes you perceive the real as
unreal and the unreal as real. The real, in other
words, is the eternal, the Supreme Brahman. The
unreal is the world, the ephemeral.”
Marwari devotee: “We read holy books. Why
don’t we assimilate them?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does reading do? You
need to practice spiritual disciplines, austerities.
Call upon God. What can repeating, ‘Hemp, hemp,’
do? You have to eat it.
“This world is like a thorny bush. Touch it and
your hand will bleed. If you take a thorny bush and
just sit before it saying, ‘This bush is burning,’ will
it burn up? You have to light the fire of knowledge
and set fire to that bush. Only then will it burn up.
2 – 4 October 1884 355
“You have to work hard in the stage of

practicing spiritual disciplines. Later on, the path
is easy. Detach the boat from the bank and let it
sail with a favourable wind.”
Renounce the world of maya first – then gain spiritual

knowledge – realization of God
“As long as you live inside the house of maya, as
long as clouds of maya exist, the sun of knowledge
does not help. When you leave the house of maya
and stand outside (when you have renounced ‘lust
and greed’), the sun of knowledge destroys
ignorance. A lens doesn’t burn paper if you bring it
inside the house. If you come outside with it and
the rays of the sun fall on it, the paper burns.
Again, if it is cloudy, the lens can’t burn the paper.
Only when the clouds disappear does it burn.
“Only when you stand a little away from ‘lust
and greed’ and practice spiritual disciplines and
austerities is the darkness of the mind dispelled.
The cloud of ignorance and egotism is burned away.
And you gain spiritual knowledge.
“Again, ‘lust and greed’ is the cloud.”
Chapter IV
His earlier story – Sri Ramakrishna faints hearing that

Lakshmi Narayan wants him to accept ten thousand
rupees – difficult rules of sannyasin
Sri Ramakrishna (to the Marwari devotee): “The
rules that govern the conduct of one who has
renounced completely1 are very difficult. He must
1. Tyagi.
not have the least association with ‘lust and greed.’

He must not touch money with his hands, and he
must not allow it to be kept near him.
“Lakshmi Narayan, a Marwari and a Vedantist
used to visit me often. Seeing my dirty bed sheet,
he said, ‘I’ll invest ten thousand rupees in your
name. The interest from it can be used to pay your
expenses.’
“As soon as he said this, it was like I had been
struck with a stick and knocked out.
“When I regained consciousness, I said, ‘If you
say such a thing again, please don’t come here
anymore. I can’t touch money – or keep it with me.’
“He had a very sharp intellect. He said to me,
‘You still have the idea of accepting and rejecting.
In that case, you haven’t yet attained perfect know-
ledge.’
“I replied, ‘My dear, I haven’t attained to that
extent.’ (All laugh.)
“Then Lakshmi Narayan tried to give the money
to Hriday. I said, ‘I will not let that happen. If you
do that, I’ll have to tell him, “Give some to this man
and some to that one.” And if he doesn’t, I’ll feel
angry. Possession of money is basically bad. If you
place something near a mirror, won’t it be reflected
in it?”
Sri Ramakrishna and the essence of liberation –

Puranic path, not the Vedic, enjoined for the Kaliyuga
The Marwari devotee: “Revered sir, does one
attain liberation only when he quits the body on the
bank of the Ganges?”
2 – 4 October 1884 357
Sri Ramakrishna: “Liberation comes when one

has attained spiritual knowledge. Wherever one
may be, whether one dies in the cremation ground
or on the bank of the Ganges, a person of spiritual
knowledge will attain liberation. But the bank of
the Ganges is best for a person who has not
attained knowledge.”
The Marwari devotee: “Revered sir, why is a
person liberated if he dies in Kashi (Benares)?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “When one dies in Kashi,
Shiva appears before him and says, ‘This form of
mine is not real. I assume it for the sake of the
devotee. Now look, I am dissolving into the
Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.’
After saying this, the form disappears.
“According to the Puranas, even a pariah will
attain liberation if he develops loving devotion to
God. According to this belief, only chanting His
name brings salvation; there is no need for
sacrifices, oblations, tantric disciplines, or mantras.
“The teachings of the Vedas are different.
According to them, only brahmins can gain
liberation. And if the mantra is not recited
properly, the worship is not accepted. One has to
perform sacrifices, oblations, mantras, and tantric
disciplines as prescribed.”
Karma yoga is a very difficult path – bhakti yoga is

enjoined for the Kaliyuga
“In the Kaliyuga where is the time to perform
rituals as prescribed in the Vedas? So love for God
according to Narada is enjoined for this age.
“Karma yoga is a very difficult path. Karma

leads to bondage unless you can work without
expectation of any reward. Besides, life depends on
food. There is no time to perform all the rituals
according to regulations. You can die by the time an
ancient herbal medicine1 is ready. You need to take
a modern fever mixture.
“The path of devotion according to Narada is
chanting His name and glories. Karma yoga is not
suited to the Kaliyuga. The path of love for God is
the right path.”
Brahman is the very nature of existence – longing for

God comes with right tendencies
Several young men from Dakshineswar village
come in and pay their respects. They sit down and
ask Thakur questions. It is about four o’clock.
Young man from Dakshineswar: “Sir, what is
knowledge?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Lord is real and all else
is unreal; knowing this is knowledge. That which is
real is called Brahman. His other name is Kala
(Time). That is why they say, ‘O brother, how many
have departed and how many have come into being
in time!’
“Kali, She who sports with Kala, is the Primal
Power. Kala and Kali, Brahman and Shakti, are
not different.
“That Brahman, the real nature of existence, is
eternal. It exists in the present, it existed in the
past, and it will exist in the future. It is without
1. Dashmul pachan.
2 – 4 October 1884 359
beginning or end. It cannot be described in words.

The most you can say is that It is of the very nature
of Consciousness and Bliss.
“The world is impermanent, Brahman is eternal.
The world is like magic. The magician is real, but
the magic of the magician is transitory.”
Young man: “If the world is maya – is magic –
why doesn’t it vanish?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Because of inborn tenden-
cies. Living in the world of maya for several births,
one begins to think of it as real.
“Just listen to how powerful tendencies are. The
son of a king was born into a washerman’s family in
his previous birth. As a prince, when he played
with his companions, he would say, ‘No more of
these games. I’ll lie down on my stomach and you
beat clothes on my back and make a splashing
sound.”1
Men with good tendencies: Govinda Pal, Gopal Sen,

Niranjan, Hirananda – earlier story: arrival of Govinda,
Gopal and the Tagore boys, 1863-64
“A number of young men visit this place, but
only a few yearn for God. They are ones who are
born with good tendencies.2 When the topic of
marriage is brought up, they wince. They don’t ever
think about marriage. Niranjan has been saying
since childhood that he won’t marry.
“A long time ago (more than twenty years), two
young men used to visit from Baranagore. One of
1. Indian washermen wash clothes by beating them on a stone.

2. Samskaras.
them was Govinda Pal, the other Gopal Sen. Since

their childhood, their minds were on God. They
would get frightened at the very mention of
marriage. Gopal used to go into bhava samadhi. He
would shy away from meeting a worldly person –
the way a mouse feels frightened to see a cat. When
the Tagore boys came to walk in the garden here,
he shut the door of his room in the kuthi, lest he
would have to talk to them.
“Gopal went into ecstasy in the panchavati. In
that state, he touched my feet and said, ‘I must
leave. I can no longer live in this world. You still
have a long time to live. But I must go.’ I said to
him, also in a state of ecstasy, ‘You must come
again.’ He replied, ‘Yes, I will come again.’
“In a few days, Govinda came. I asked him,
‘Where is Gopal?’ He said, ‘Gopal has passed away.’
“What are the other boys involved with? How to
have money, a house, a carriage, dress, and then
marriage. These are their only concerns. To get
married, they first look for a girl and then go to see
her to make sure she’s pretty.
“There’s a person who criticizes me a lot. He
complains that I love the young men. I certainly
love those who have good tendencies, who are pure-
souled, who yearn for God, whose minds are not
attracted by money, pleasures of life, and so on.
“If a person is married but has love for God, he
won’t get attached to the world.”
Hirananda, a resident of Sindh, is a Brahmo
devotee. He has a B.A. degree.
2 – 4 October 1884 361
Manilal, the Brahmo devotee from Shivapur, the

Marwari devotees, and the young men salute Sri
Ramakrishna and take their leave.
Chapter V
When does one renounce work? Thakur’s promise to a

devotee
It is evening. The lamplighter brings light to the

southern and western circular verandahs. Thakur’s
room has also been lighted and incense has been
burnt.
Thakur, having taken his seat, is chanting the name

of the Divine Mother and meditating on Her. M.,
Priya Mukherji, and his relative are sitting on the
floor in the room.
After meditating for some time, Thakur resumes his

conversation with the devotees. There is still time
before the arati service in the shrines.
Sri Ramakrishna and Vedanta – Om and samadhi – Tat

tvam asi – Om Tat Sat
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Of what use are
rituals1 for one who contemplates God day and
night?”
He sings:
Of what use are rituals for one who utters Kali’s name at
dawn and noon and dusk? Worship itself will follow in his
footsteps, never catching up.
Charity, vows, and almsgiving no longer appeal to
Madan’s mind. His worship alone is surrender at the
Mother’s blessed feet.
1. Sandhya, or worship and meditation in the morning, noon, and

evening performed daily by orthodox Hindus.
“Sandhya merges in Gayatri, and Gayatri in

Om.
“When just by pronouncing Om once one goes
into samadhi, one has perfected himself.
“A sadhu in Rishikesh rises early in the morning
and goes to stand near a big waterfall. The whole
day he watches the fall and says to God, ‘Oh, how
beautiful you have made it! How beautiful it is!
How wonderful!’ He does not practice chanting of
the name and other austerities. At nightfall he
returns to his hut.
“What need is there to think about whether God
has form or not? It is enough to weep with longing
in solitude, ‘O God, please show Yourself to me as
You are!’
“He dwells within. That is why the Vedas say,
‘Tat tvam asi (That thou art).’ And He is also
outside. Because of maya He appears as various
forms, but in reality it is God alone who exists.
“That is why you should say ‘Om Tat Sat’ before
you describe His forms or names.
“It is one thing to have His vision and another to
read about Him in the scriptures. The scriptures
only give hints about Him, so there’s no need to
read many of them. It’s better to pray to Him in a
solitary place.
“It’s all right if you don’t read the entire Gita.
You get its essence by just repeating the word gita
ten times – that is, tyagi (man of renunciation). ‘O
man, renounce everything and worship God.’ That
is the essence of the Gita.”
2 – 4 October 1884 363
Sri Ramakrishna watches the arati of Mother

Bhavatarini and goes into ecstasy
While watching Mother Kali’s arati with the
devotees, Thakur goes into ecstasy. He is not able
to salute Her by prostrating before Her. With great
care he returns to his room with the devotees and
sits down. He is still in ecstasy and talks to them in
that state.
Hari, Mukherji’s relative, must be eighteen to
twenty years old. He is already married. For the
time being he is living with the Mukherjis while he
looks for work. He has great love for Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna and initiation into mantra – Sri

Ramakrishna’s promise to a devotee
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hari, in the same ecstatic
mood): “You must take initiation after you’ve gotten
your mother’s permission. (To Priya) I couldn’t
initiate him (Hari), though I told him I would – I
don’t give initiation. You continue with japa and
meditation just as you have been doing.”
Priya: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And I am telling you in this
state of mind – you must believe me. You see, there
is no pretense here. I said to the Divine Mother in
this state, ‘Mother, make perfect those who come
here by sincere attraction.’”
Mahendra Kaviraj of Sinthi is sitting on the
verandah with Ramlal, Hazra, and others. Thakur
calls to him from his room, “Mahendra, Mahendra.”
M. goes out quickly and brings the Kaviraj to
him.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the Kaviraj): “Please sit

down and listen for a while.”
The Kaviraj sits down, somewhat embarrassed,
and then he starts listening to Thakur’s sweet
words.
Various approaches to God – Balaram’s attitude –

three states of Gauranga
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “God can be
approached many ways.
“A loving devotee can enjoy His presence in
different ways. Sometimes he thinks of Him as a
lotus and himself a bee; at other times he sees Him
as Sat-chit-ananda and himself as a fish.
“He may also say to Him, ‘I am your dancing
girl,’ and then sing and dance before Him.
Sometimes he assumes the attitude of a gopi friend
and sometimes that of a handmaid. Sometimes he
feels a mother’s love for Him like Yashoda’s. And
then sometimes he has the attitude of a husband or
a lover like the gopis.
“Balaram would sometimes think of Him as a
friend and at other times he would say, ‘I am
Krishna’s sunshade or a seat for Him to sit upon.’
He served Him all different ways.”
Is Thakur talking about his own state by describing
that of a loving devotee? And again, when he describes
the three states of Chaitanya Deva, perhaps he is
giving us a hint of his own.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Chaitanya Deva experienced
three states. In the innermost state, he was
absorbed in samadhi, with no outer consciousness.
In the semiconscious state, he would dance in
2 – 4 October 1884 365
ecstasy but would not speak. When in outward

consciousness, he would sing songs of devotion.
(To the devotees) “You people listen to all these
things – but try to put them into practice. When a
worldly-minded man goes to see a sadhu, he hides
all worldly thoughts and worries. After leaving, he
takes them out again. A pigeon eats dried peas. It
seems that he has digested them but actually he
retains them in his crop. You can feel them there.”
Evening worship – Sri Ramakrishna and Islam – japa

and meditation
“Leaving all work aside, you should call on God
at dusk. The feeling of God comes to mind in
darkness. Only a little while ago you could see
everything. You think, Who has done all this? You
know, Muslims stop all work at appointed times
and offer prayers.1”
Mukherji: “Sir, is it good to practice japa?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, by repeating God’s
name, you can realize Him. When you secretly
repeat His name in solitude, God’s grace dawns on
you, and it is followed by His vision.
“Imagine a thick log of wood lying under water.
It is tied to the bank with a chain. If you proceed
from one link to the next, you will at last reach the
log and touch it.
“Japa is higher than worship, and meditation is
higher than repetition of the name. Higher than
meditation is ecstasy. Chaitanya Deva experienced
1. Namaz.
prema. When you attain prema, you have the cord

to tie God with.”
Hazra comes in and sits down.
Passionate love for God, Sri Ramakrishna and

repetition of the name on a rosary – Narayan
(To Hazra) “Real love for God is passionate.1
Ritualistic devotion2 leaves the devotee as fast as it
comes. Passionate love for God is like the self-
created stone lingam rising out of the earth. It’s
impossible to find its source. The root of the self-
born lingam goes as far as Kashi. Only incarnations
of God and their apostles experience such
passionate love.”
Hazra: “Ah!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “One day you were doing japa.
Returning from answering the call of nature, I said,
‘Mother, what a small mind. He’s counting beads on
a rosary even after coming here.’ Whoever comes
here will gain enlightenment at once. He doesn’t
have to do much counting of beads and performing
other practices like it. When you go to Calcutta, you
see thousands of people counting beads, even
prostitutes.”
Sri Ramakrishna now says to M.: “Please bring
Narayan here in a carriage. I have told him
(Mukherji) about Narayan. When he comes, I want
to give him some refreshments. Feeding has great
meaning.”
1. Raga bhakti.
2. Vaidhi bhakti.
2 – 4 October 1884 367
Chapter VI
Sri Ramakrishna with Brahmo devotees at Nabin Sen’s

house in Calootola – in the joy of devotional singing
It is Saturday today, Kojagar Purnima.1 Thakur has

come to Calootola, to the house of the late Nabin Sen,
the eldest brother of Keshab Sen. It is 4 October 1884,
the 19th of Ashwin, 1291 B.Y.
The previous Thursday, Keshab’s mother had come to

invite Thakur and pressed him to come.
Thakur goes to the outer room upstairs and takes his

seat. Nandalal and other nephews of Keshab,
Keshab’s mother, and their relatives and friends serve
Thakur with great reverence. Kirtan was to be held in
the room. Many ladies of the Sen families of Calootola
have arrived.
Thakur is accompanied by Baburam, Kishori, and a

few other devotees. M. has arrived. Sitting in a room
downstairs, he is listening to the sweet kirtan of
Thakur.
Thakur says to the Brahmo devotees, “The
world is transitory; one must always remember
death.”
Now he sings:
Consider this, O mind: no one is your own. In this world
you roam about in vain.
Do not forget the beneficent Mother or be ensnared in
maya’s net,
Think of those over whom you fret almost unto death: in
death would they accompany you?
1. The night of the full moon of Ashwin in which Goddess Lakshmi is

worshipped. It falls in the bright fortnight of the lunar month.
Even your beloved wife would deny you and shun your
corpse as something impure.
Just for a day or two do people call you lord and master;
they will cease to call you so when the master called
Death arrives for you.
Thakur says, “Dive deep. What use is swimming
on the surface? Giving up everything else, go to a
solitary place for few days and call upon Him with
one hundred percent of your mind.”
Thakur sings again:
Dive deep, dive deep, O my mind, into the ocean of beauty,
and to the deepest depths descend: there you will find the
gem of Love.1
Go seek, go seek, O mind, the blessed Vrindavan within
your heart, the abode of the Lord of Love. Then in your
heart the unceasing light of knowledge will ever shine.
Who is it that steers your boat over solid ground? It is
your guru, says Kabir. Listen, and meditate on his holy
feet.
He asks the Brahmo devotees to sing the song,
“You are my all in all.”
O Lord, the source of my life-breath, the essence of all
essences, You are my all in all.
Besides You, there is none in the three worlds whom I can
call my own.
Thakur himself sings:
Where have You hidden the form that Yashoda, making
you dance, called her precious blue jewel?2 Where have
You, O Mother of gaping mouth,3 hidden that form?
1. Prema.
2. Nilmani.
3 Karalavadini, an epithet of Kali.
2 – 4 October 1884 369
As the sun would sink in the sky, Yashoda, growing

restless, would entreat You, Gopala, to come and partake
of milk, cream, and butter.
She would tie Your disheveled hair into a bun,
And You would dance, bent thrice,1 with Sridama.
The sweet jingle of Your anklets could be heard sounding
to the beat of a drum, ‘Ta thaiya, ta thaiya,’
Whereupon the women of Vraja would come running.
O Mother, play that sweet melody upon Your flute,
That music which caused the gopis to forget themselves
and drew the cows home from pasture,
That music which turned upstream the Jamuna’s flow.
Having cast off Your garland of skulls, You danced in
Vraja with wild flowers adorned,
And having transformed Shiva into Balaram, you danced,
relinquishing the sword and taking to the flute.
Pray dance, O Mother, in the same way, in the same form,
once again.
Hearing this song, Keshab has new words
composed. The Brahmo devotees sing the melody of
that same song in accompaniment with the drum
and cymbals:
O Mother, how great is Your love for Your children!
At the very thought of it, tears of joy stream from my eyes.
They sing again of the Divine Mother:
O Mother, as the Inner Controller!2 You are awake within,
day and night.
Day and night You hold me in Your lap.
Next they sing:
1. Tribhangi, referring to a posture of Krishna.

2. Antaryamin.
O my mind! Why do you worry so, like a lowly beggar?

My Mother is Ishwari, the ruler of the universe, the all-
protecting giver of spiritual perfection
Thakur now chants the names of Hari and
Gauranga and dances with the Brahmo devotees.
The kirtan continues with six songs:
O man, if you wish to live happily, love the sweet name of
Hari …
The wave of Gaur’s love has touched my body;1
By its thunder all heretics are crushed and the universe is
submerged.
O Bharati, give me a loin cloth. I wish to go to Vraja
disguised as a beggar …
Gaur and Nitai, you two brothers, are so full of
compassion, O Lord!
My Gaur dances singing Hari’s name.2
And finally:
Go, Madhai, and find out who goes there singing, ‘Haribol,
Haribol.’
Is it my Gaur who is going? Or is it Nitai?
They who wear gold anklets on their feet?
They with shaven heads and tattered cloths?
They who behave like madmen?
The Brahmo devotees sing again:
When will love enter me?
And then:
as I repeat Lord Hari’s name?3
1. For the complete song, refer to Volume II, Section XVI, Chapter I.
2. For the complete song refer to Section XVII, Chapter I.
3. For the complete song refer to Section XIII, Chapter III.
2 – 4 October 1884 371
Thakur sings in a loud voice and dances:

while chanting Hari’s name.
They, who weeping, make others weep;
They, who in ecstasy dancing, make the world dance;
Then he sings:
Gauranga’s love!
Thakur chants the Divine Mother’s name.
Don’t steal away my joy, O Mother, You who are the
source of all joy.
The Brahmos sing two of their own songs, first:
O Mother, make me mad with Your love.1
And then:
full.2

Section XXII
Sri Ramakrishna with Baburam,

Nilkantha, M., Manomohan, and
Other Devotees at the Dakshineswar
Temple
Chapter I
Hazra Mahashay – spontaneous love for God
Sri Ramakrishna is seated in his room at the

Dakshineswar Temple with devotees after the midday
meal. Near him are M., Hazra, the elder Kali,
Baburam, Ramlal, and Hari, who is related to the
Mukherjis. Some devotees are seated on the floor,
others are standing. In response to the invitation of
Keshab’s mother, Thakur visited the Sen’s Calcutta
house the previous day and made everyone happy
with his devotional songs.1
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hazra): “Yesterday I had a
very good meal at Nabin Sen’s house. It was served
with great devotion.”
Hazra and the knowledge of Ultimate Reality2 – Hazra

and his tendency to reason
Hazra has been living with Thakur for quite some

time. He has a streak of pride, thinking that he is a
jnani. He even criticizes Thakur in the presence of
other people. On the other hand, he sits on an asana
in the verandah and tells his beads with full
concentration. He thinks of Chaitanya Deva as a
1. Accordingly, today is 5 October 1884.

2. Tattvajnana.
374 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXII
modern incarnation of God, but not one of great

significance. He says, “It is not that God only grants
pure love and devotion. He has no dearth of riches. He
also grants wealth. When one attains Him, one also
gets the eight occult powers.” Hazra has incurred a
debt on his house, about a thousand rupees, and is
worried about paying it.
The elder Kali works in an office and receives a small

salary. He has a family with children. He is greatly
devoted to Sri Ramakrishna and often visits him,
sometimes absenting himself from the office.
The elder Kali (to Hazra): “You go about testing
people, like a touchstone, to find out which is pure
gold and which is impure. Why do you run others
down?”
Hazra: “Whatever remarks I make, I say in front
of him.”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s true.”
Hazra explains the meaning of the knowledge of
the Ultimate Reality.
Hazra: “Knowledge of the Ultimate Reality
means the knowledge of the twenty-four cosmic
principles.”
A devotee: “What are the twenty-four cosmic
principles?”
Hazra: “The five gross elements, the six enemies
[or passions], the five organs of perception, the five
organs of action, and so on.”
1. Meaning Sri Ramakrishna.

5 October 1884 375
M. (to Thakur, smiling): “He says that the six

enemies1 are included in the twenty-four cosmic
principles.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Just see what he
says about the knowledge of the Ultimate Reality,
or tattvajnana. Notice that. Knowledge of the
Ultimate Reality means knowledge of the Self. Tat
means the Supreme self, tvam means the
individual self. The embodied soul and the Supreme
Self are one and the same. Knowing this is the
knowledge of the Ultimate Reality, or tattvajnana.”
After a while, Hazra rises and goes out of the
room to sit on the verandah.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “He only argues. For a
moment he understands it very well, but in no time
he becomes as ignorant as before.
“When I see a big fish pulling the line hard, I
release it. If I didn’t do that, the fish would break
it. And the person holding the cord would fall into
the water. That’s why I don’t say anything more.”
Hazra, salvation, and the six divine glories2 – selfish

devotion versus motiveless love for God
(To M.) “Hazra says that you can attain
liberation only if you are born a brahmin. I said,
‘What do you mean? Liberation can be achieved by
love for God alone.’ Shavari was the daughter of a
hunter. She, Ruhidas, and others, at whose meal
time bells rang, were shudras. They attained
1. Lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy.

2. Wisdom (jnana), power (shakti), strength (bala), lordship
(aishvarya), valor (virya), and splendour (tejas).
liberation through love for God alone. Hazra says,

‘But still…’
“He recognizes Dhruva. But not as much as
Prahlada. When Latu said, ‘How great a love for
God Dhruva had during his childhood!’ he remained
silent.
“I say there is nothing higher than love for God
untainted by desire. He contradicts this. A rich man
is annoyed when a person comes to him asking for
things. Irritated, he says, ‘Here he comes!’ When he
comes in, the rich man says to him with irritation,
‘Sit down.’ He shows his annoyance. He doesn’t take
anybody in his carriage who demands anything of
him.
“Hazra says, ‘God isn’t a rich person like that.
Does He lack wealth that He would suffer any
hardship to give it away?’
“Hazra says something else, ‘When it rains, the
Ganges and all the other big rivers and lakes swell
with water; even pits and ponds are filled. When
God’s grace dawns, He grants not only love and
devotion, but also wealth.’
“But this is tainted devotion. There is no desire
in pure love. You want nothing from here [me], you
only like to hear my talk when you meet me. My
mind is also drawn to you: How is he, why hasn’t he
come? I have such anxiety about you.
“You want nothing, but still you love God. This
is called motiveless love for God. This is pure love.
Prahlada had it. He didn’t want the kingdom, he
didn’t care for riches. He only wanted the Lord.”
5 October 1884 377
M.: “Hazra chats away incessantly. He isn’t

going to achieve anything unless he keeps his
mouth shut.”
Hazra’s pride and fault-finding

Sri Ramakrishna: “Now and again he becomes
very humble when he comes near me. But such are
his stars that he soon begins to argue again. It is
very difficult to get rid of pride. Cut down an
ashwattha tree, and tomorrow you will see a shoot
sprouting from it. As long as it has roots, the tree
will sprout again and again.
“I say to Hazra, ‘Don’t find fault with people.’
“It is Narayana (God) who dwells in all these
different forms. Even evil-doers can be worshiped.
“Just consider the worship of the Divine Mother
in the form of a young unmarried girl.1 Why
worship a girl who has physical limitations and a
runny nose? You do so because she also is a form of
the Mother of the Universe.
“God dwells in His devotee in a special way. A
devotee is the living room of God.
“The bigger the gourd, the better the tanpura
you can make. It sounds better. (Smiling, to
Ramlal) Oh, Ramlal, how did Hazra say that in
Sanskrit, ‘Antis bahis yadi Haris!’2 It is like
someone saying, ‘Matram khatram.3 (The mother is
eating).’ (Everyone laughs.)
1. Kumari puja.
2. He quoted ungrammatically.
3. Ramakrishna made fun of the quote with his own outrageous
Sanskrit composition.
Ramlal (smiling): “What is the use of austerity if

God is seen inside as well as out?”1
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Practice this, and
repeat it to me often.”
Thakur’s plate is missing from his room. Ramlal
and Brinde, the maid, are asking about it, “Do you
know anything about the plate?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Where? I don’t see it
anywhere. It was here before. I saw it.”
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna with two sadhus – Thakur’s

paramahamsa state
Two sadhu guests arrived today at the panchavati.

They are studying the Gita, Vedanta, and some other
scriptures. After their midday meal, they have come to
see Thakur. He is sitting on his smaller cot. Bowing to
him, the sadhus sit on a mat on the floor. M. and other
devotees are also there. Thakur talks to them in
Hindi.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Have you eaten?”
Sadhu: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What did you eat?”
Sadhu: “Chapattis and lentils. Would you like
some?”
1. antarbahiryadi haris tapasä tataù kim.

5 October 1884 379
The sadhu and work without expectation of reward –

desire for love of God – Vedanta – So ’ham and the
householder
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, I only eat a little rice. So,
you repeat God’s name and meditate. You do it
without expecting any reward, don’t you?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s good. Besides that,
you should offer the results to God. Don’t you
agree?”
Sadhu (to the other sadhu) –
yat karoñi yad açnäsi yaj juhoñi dadäsi yat |
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruñva madarpaëam ||
[Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in
sacrifice, whatever you give away, whatever austerity you
practice, O son of Kunti, do it as an offering to Me.]
– Bhagavad Gita 9:27
Sri Ramakrishna: “If you offer God something,
you receive it back a thousandfold. So after
performing all your duties, offer them to Him with
water in your cupped palm, surrendering the fruit
of the actions to Krishna.1
“When Yudhisthira was about to offer all his
sins to Krishna, someone (Bhima) warned him,
‘Please don’t do such a thing. What you offer to
Krishna, you will receive back a thousand times.’
Well, one should work without expectation of any
reward – renouncing all desires. Isn’t it so?”
1 Reference to ritualistic worship.

Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, I have the desire to

love God. That’s not bad – actually it’s good. Eating
sweets isn’t good – they bring indigestion – but
sugar candy is beneficial.”
Sadhu: “Yes, sir!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well my dear, what is
Vedanta?”
Sadhu: “The six systems of philosophy comprise
Vedanta.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But the essence of Vedanta is
that Brahman is real and the world an illusion. I
am not separate from anything, I am that same
Brahman. What do you think?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But for those who live a
worldly life and think they are the body, the
attitude of So ’ham – I am That – is not right. The
Vedanta or the Yogavasishtha is not for
householders. They can indeed be harmful. The
householder should live in the attitude of the
master and the servant: ‘O God! You are the Lord,
the Master; I am Your slave, Your servant.’ It’s not
good for those who consider themselves the body to
cherish the attitude ‘I am He.’”
Everyone remains silent. Thakur smiles a little,
as though to himself – he rejoices in the Self.1
One sadhu whispers to the other, “Look, look at
this. This is called the state of a paramahamsa.”
1. Atmarama.
5 October 1884 381
Sri Ramakrishna (to M., looking at him): “I feel

like laughing.”
Thakur laughs a little to himself, like a child.
Chapter III
Sri Ramakrishna and women – hard rules for

sannyasins
His earlier story – desire to visit his father-in-law’s

house – meeting with Vamandas of Ulo
The sadhus leave.
Thakur, Baburam, M., Hari of the Mukherjis,
and other devotees are strolling in the room and on
the verandah outside.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Did you go to Nabin
Sen’s house?”
M.: “Yes, sir. I did go. I sat downstairs and
heard the songs.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Good that you went. Your
wife went too. Wasn’t Keshab Sen her uncle’s1 son?”
M.: “A distant relative.”
Nabin Sen and his family are related to the in-
laws of a devotee.
Thakur talks to Mani privately as they stroll
around.
Sri Ramakrishna: “People visit their father-in-
law’s house. I thought so often: I shall also marry,
1. The son of her father’s younger brother.

fulfill my desire [of going to father-in-law’s home],

and enjoy myself. But what has happened?”
Mani: “Sir, ‘If the son holds his father’s hand, he
can fall down. But if the father holds his hand, he
cannot fall.’ You yourself said so. This is exactly
your state: the Divine Mother is holding your
hand.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I met Vamandas of Ulo at
Vishwas’s house. I said, ‘I have come to see you.’
When I left, I heard him say, ‘Good gracious, the
Lord is holding him the way a tiger seizes his prey.’
I was young then, rather stout, and always in
divine ecstasy.
“I am very afraid of women. I feel as if a tigress
is coming to devour me. I see their bodies, limbs,
and even pores are very big, like those of an ogress.
“Earlier I was very frightened. I wouldn’t let
anybody come near me. But now, having assured
myself in various ways, I see each one of them as
different forms of the All-Blissful Mother.
“They are the parts of the Mother of the
Universe. But they have to be renounced by a man
who is a sadhu or a devotee.
“However great a devotee a woman may be, I
don’t let her sit near me for long. I say to her after a
while, ‘Go see the deity.’ If she doesn’t rise even
after this, I go out of the room on the pretext of
having a smoke.
“I find that some people don’t have the least
interest in women. Niranjan says, ‘My mind isn’t
drawn to a woman in the least.’”
5 October 1884 383
Hari Babu, Niranjan, Pande, a brahmin from western

India, and Jaynarayan
“I asked Hari (the brother of Doctor Upen) about
women. He also said, ‘No, I don’t feel drawn to
them.’
“The mind which should have been given to the
Lord – seventy-five percent of it is taken away by
women. And after a son is born, almost the whole of
the mind goes to the family. Then what can you
give to God?
“And some get thoroughly exhausted in
guarding their wives. There is an aged gate-keeper
brahmin from western India, Pande. He had a
fourteen year old wife. She had to live with this old
man. They lived in a thatched house. People made
holes in the dry leaves to peep inside. Now she has
run away.
“Another man couldn’t decide where to keep his
wife. There was a lot of trouble at home. He was so
worried. It is better not to talk about it.
“If you live with a woman, you come under her
control. Worldly people stand up when asked by
their wives and sit down at their bidding. They
speak highly of the wife.
“I wanted to go to a certain place. When I asked
Ramlal’s aunt,1 she forbade me and I couldn’t go. In
a little while, I said to myself, ‘Oh, I don’t live a
householder’s life. I have renounced “lust and
greed,” and yet this happens.’ How very much
1. Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna’s wife.

worldly people must be under the control of their

wives.”
Mani: “If you live amidst ‘lust and greed,’ you
can’t escape being scorched a little by them. You
told us about a big pundit named Jaynarayan. You
went to see him when he was old. Even he was
putting pillows and other things out to dry in the
sun.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But he had no pride of his
scholarship. And, just as he had said he would, he
lived his last days in Kashi, following the
injunctions of the scriptures.
“I saw his sons. They were English-educated
and wore English boots on their feet.”
Different states of Thakur in divine intoxication

Thakur is explaining to Mani about his own
state by means of putting questions to him.
Sri Ramakrishna: “I used to have a great
madness for God. Why is it diminished now? But I
get in that state now at times.”
Mani: “You are not always in the same mood. As
you said, sometimes you are childlike, sometimes
like a mad man, sometimes like an inanimate
object, and sometimes like a ghoul. You have all
these states at times. And now and then you are in
a natural state.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, like a child. And
sometimes I have moods of boyhood and also of
youth – I have all these states. When I give
instruction, I feel like a young man.
5 October 1884 385
“And in a boyish mood, I feel like playing and

having fun like a boy of twelve or thirteen. That’s
why I joke and banter with the youngsters.”
Qualities of Narayan – renunciation of ‘lust and greed’

is the difficult austerity of the sannyasin
“Well, what do you think of Narayan?”
Mani: “He has good signs, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “A good gourd shell makes a
good tanpura.
“He says to me, ‘You are everything (that is, an
incarnation of God).’ He says that from his own
comprehension. Others say, ‘He is just a sadhu, a
devotee of God.’
“He grasps very well what I forbid him to do.
But when I told him to roll up the curtain, he didn’t
do it. I forbade him to do these: tie a knot, sew, roll
up curtains, lock a door or a box with a key. He
understood them well. All such disciplines are
necessary for one who wishes to renounce. All these
disciplines are for sannyasins.
“In the stage of spiritual practices, one should
think of a woman as a forest fire! Or a black cobra!
In the state of perfection, after God-realization, one
sees woman as the All-Blissful Mother. One then
looks at each as a different aspect of the Divine
Mother.”
Many days ago, Thakur had warned Narayan
very seriously about women. He said, “Do not let
the breeze from a woman’s body touch you. Cover
yourself with a thick sheet so the air will not touch
you. And except for your mother, keep a distance of
eight cubits, or two cubits, or at least one cubit

away from women.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Narayan’s mother
said to him about me, ‘We are so charmed by the
sight of him, not to speak of you, just a child.’ You
cannot realize God without being guileless. How
guileless Niranjan is!”
Are Niranjan and Narendra guileless?

Sri Ramakrishna: “Didn’t you notice him that
day in the carriage going to Calcutta? He is always
the same – guileless. Usually people show one side
of themselves at home and quite another outside.
Narendra is worried about his family (since the
death of his father). He has a somewhat calculating
mind. Are all youngsters like them?”
Sri Ramakrishna in Nabin Niyogi’s house – musical

performance of Nilkantha
“I went today to Dakshineswar to see the
musical performance of Nilkantha in Nabin
Niyogi’s house. The boys there are very bad. Always
finding fault. First with this person, then another.
At such a place, one’s spiritual moods are checked.
“That day I saw Doctor Madhu shedding tears
during the play. I couldn’t turn my eyes away from
him.”
5 October 1884 387
Chapter IV
Sri Ramakrishna, Keshab and the Brahmo Samaj –

instructions on harmony – universal, catholic church of
Sri Ramakrishna
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Well, so many
people are attracted here. What does it mean?”
Mani: “I am reminded of Sri Krishna’s divine
sport in Vraja. When he turned himself into the
cowherd boys and the calves, the gopis were drawn
more strongly to the cowherd boys, the cows felt
more attracted to the calves.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is the attraction of God.
You know how? The Divine Mother casts a spell
that attracts people.
“You see, many people used to visit Keshab Sen.
Not so many come here. What great respect people
have for Keshab! He is known even in the West.
The queen [Victoria] talked to him. The Gita also
says that there is more divine power in a person
who is respected by many. That many people do not
visit here.”
Mani: “Worldly people visited Keshab Sen.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, that is true. The
worldly-minded went to him.”
Mani: “Will the work done by Keshab Sen last?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why, he has written a
samhita. It contains many rules of conduct.”
Mani: “It is quite different from the work of an
incarnation of God – for example, Chaitanya Deva.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, yes. Right.”

Mani: “You have told us that Chaitanya Deva
said, ‘The seed I have broadcast will one day bear
fruit.’ A seed was placed on the cornice of a house.
The house fell and that seed produced a tree.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Shivanath and his friends
have also founded a samaj. Many people go there
too.”
Mani: “Sir, that sort of man goes there.”
Sri Ramakrishna (laughing): “Yes, yes. Only
worldly people go there. But not many of those who
yearn for God and are trying to renounce ‘lust and
greed.’”
Mani: “It will really be nice if a current flows
from here. Everyone will be liberated by the force of
that current. What comes from here will never be
one-sided.”
Sri Ramakrishna and Hindus, Muslims, Christians,

Vaishnavas, and Brahmos
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “I accept the ideal
that anyone may have. I ask Vaishnavas to
preserve Vaishnava inclinations; I ask Shaktas to
preserve theirs. But I tell them, ‘Don’t think that
only your faith is true and all else are false or
wrong.’ Hindus, Muslims, Christians – they are all
going to the same goal by different paths.
Preserving your own inclination and calling upon
God earnestly, you will realize Him.
“Vijay’s mother-in-law said, ‘Why don’t you tell
Balaram and the others that it is not necessary to
5 October 1884 389
worship God with form, that you can succeed by

calling on the formless Sat-chit-ananda only?’
“I said, ‘Why should I say such a thing to them?
Besides why would they listen to me?’
“A mother has cooked fish. For one of the sons,
she has made pulao. For one who can’t digest well,
she has prepared fish curry. One should make
different forms of the same thing according to the
tastes and capabilities of others.”
Mani: “Yes, sir. There are different paths for
different times, places, and people. But whatever
path one may chose, He can be reached by calling
upon Him sincerely with a pure mind. This is what
you have been saying.”
Hari of the Mukherji family – Sri Ramakrishna on

meditation and charity
Thakur is sitting in his room. Hari, the
Mukherjis’ relative, M., and others are seated on
the floor. An unknown person comes in and bows to
Thakur, then takes a seat. Talking of him later,
Thakur said, “His eyes were not good. They were
yellow, like a cat’s.”
Hari prepares a smoke for Thakur and brings it
to him.
Sri Ramakrishna (holding the hubble-bubble in
his hand, to Hari): “Let me see your palm. All these
lines are very good signs.
“Now relax your hand and let me examine it.
(He holds Hari’s hand in his own, as if he is
weighing it). You are still childlike. Nothing has
gone wrong yet. (To the devotees) By seeing a

person’s hand, I can tell whether he is crooked or
guileless. (To Hari) Why, go to your in-laws’ house
and talk to your wife. Have a little fun with her if
you like.
(To M.) “What do you say to that, my dear?” (M.
and others laugh.)
M.: “Sir, if a new pot goes bad, you can’t keep
milk in it.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “How do you know
that it has not already gone bad?”
Mahendra and Priyanath are the two Mukherji
brothers. They do not work in an office; they have
their own flour mill. Priyanath had been an
engineer. Thakur talks to Hari about the Mukherji
brothers.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hari): “The elder brother
[Mahendra] is nice, isn’t he? He’s guileless.”
Hari: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): “The younger
one [Priyanath] is very miserly. He has, though,
improved a lot since coming here. Once he said to
me, ‘I didn’t know anything before.’ (To Hari) Do
they give in charity?”
Hari: “I don’t see them doing anything like that.
They had an elder brother – he’s dead now – who
was a very good man. He was engaged in charity as
well as meditation.”1
1. In Bengali, dan (giving) and dhyan (meditation).

5 October 1884 391
Sri Ramakrishna and signs of the body – the student of

Mahesh Nyaya Rattan
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and others): “You can
know a lot by signs on the body – whether a person
will succeed or not. Crooked people have heavy
hands.
“A snub nose is not good. Sambhu had a snub
nose. That’s why he was not totally guileless in
spite of his great knowledge.
“A weak rib cage, hard bones, thick elbow joints,
thin hands, and yellowish eyes like a cat’s – these
are not good signs.
“Thick lips like those of a dome1 indicate low
intelligence. A brahmin was here acting as priest
for the Vishnu Temple. I couldn’t eat the food he
had touched. One day I exclaimed, ‘Oh, a dome!’
Later he told me, ‘I live in the dome quarters. I
know how to weave baskets and utensils just like
the domes.’
“And there are other bad signs – a man with one
eye or with a squint. But it’s better to be one-eyed
than to have a squint. Squint-eyed people are cruel
and deceitful.
“A student of Mahesh (the late Mahesh Nyaya
Rattan) said, ‘I am an atheist.’ He said to Hriday,
‘Let’s have a discussion. I am an atheist and you
consider yourself a theist.’ I had a good look at him
then. He had eyes like a cat.
“Whether someone is good or bad is shown by
the way he walks.
1. People of a specific low caste.

“If a man’s foreskin has been cut, as Muslims do,

it is a particularly bad sign. (M. and others laugh.)
(To M., smiling) You must see that it is a bad sign.”
(All laugh.)
Thakur is pacing the verandah. M. and
Baburam are with him.
(To Hazra) “A person came here. I noticed that
he had eyes like a cat. He asked me, ‘Do you know
astrology? I am in some trouble.’ I replied, ‘No. Go
to Baranagore. You will find an astrologer there.’”
Baburam and M. are talking about Nilkantha’s
theatrical performance. Baburam had returned
from Nabin Sen’s house to Dakshineswar and spent
last night here. In the morning he had seen the
Nilkantha play at Nabin Niyogi’s house in
Dakshineswar.
Sri Ramakrishna, Mani, and contemplation in solitude

– God’s will – longing for Narayan
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and Baburam): “What
are you talking about?”
M. and Baburam: “Sir, we are talking about
Nilkantha’s musical and the song: ‘Living on the
bank of the river with hope at the feet of Mother
Shyama.’”
While pacing the verandah, Thakur suddenly
takes Mani aside and says to him, “The less people
know about your meditation on God the better for
you.” Saying this, Thakur suddenly leaves.
He is now talking to Hazra.
5 October 1884 393
Hazra: “Nilkantha told you that he would come

visit you. We should send for him.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No. He didn’t sleep last
night. It would be different if he came by God’s
will.”
Thakur is proceeding toward the jhautala,
accompanied by M. and Baburam. He asks
Baburam to go and visit Narayan in his house. He
thinks of Narayan as the very manifestation of God,
so he is yearning to see him. He says to Baburam,
“When you go, take an English textbook with you.”
Chapter V
Dakshineswar – Thakur with Nilkantha and other

devotees, enjoying devotional singing
Sri Ramakrishna is seated in his room. At
about three o’clock Nilkantha arrives with six or
seven companions. Thakur, who is facing east, gets
up and goes toward the door to welcome them. They
enter through the eastern door and salute him by
prostrating.
Thakur goes into samadhi. Baburam is behind
him; M., Nilkantha, Haran, and others belonging to
the theatrical performance are in front of him.
Dinanath, the treasurer of the temple, looks at
Thakur from the north side of the bed. Soon the
room is filled with employees of the temple garden.
After some time Thakur’s ecstatic mood diminishes
and he sits on a mat spread on the floor. Nilkantha
sits in front of him and the other devotees around.
Sri Ramakrishna (in an ecstatic mood): “I’m all

right.”
Nilkantha (with folded hands): “Please make me
all right also.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “But you are already
all right. If you add a to k it becomes ka. What use
is there in adding another a to it – it will still
remain ka. (Everybody laughs.)
Nilkantha: “I am entangled in worldly life.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “You have been kept
in the world for the sake of others.
“There are the eight bonds. You can’t get rid of
them all. God keeps you bound by one or two for
teaching others. You are performing this musical
play. How many people benefit by seeing your love
and devotion for God! If you were to give up all this,
what would happen to the other performers?
“He is getting His work done through you. When
you have finished it, you will not return. A
housewife finishes all her domestic chores – feeds
everybody, even the maids and servants – and then
goes for her bath. Then even if you shout for her,
she doesn’t return.”
Nilkantha: “Please bless me.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Going mad at separation
from Krishna, Yashoda went to see Radha, who was
meditating. In ecstasy, she said to Yashoda, ‘I am
that Primeval Power, the fundamental Prakriti.
Ask me for a boon.’ Yashoda said, ‘What boon shall
I ask? Just grant that I be able to serve Him and
meditate on Him in body, mind, and speech. That
5 October 1884 395
my ears may hear of His name and glories, that my

hands may serve Him and His devotees, and that
my eyes may see His form and His devotees.’
“Your eyes fill with tears when you recite His
name. What remains for you to worry about? You
have already developed love for Him.
“Knowing many things is ignorance. Knowing
only One is knowledge. In other words, God alone is
real and dwells in all. Talking to Him is vijnana –
attaining Him and loving Him in various ways is
vijnana.
“Besides, He is beyond one or two – beyond
speech and mind. To go from the phenomenal to the
Absolute and then return to the relative from the
Absolute is called mature love for God.
“That song of yours is beautiful: ‘Living on the
bank of the river with hope at the feet of Mother
Shyama.’
“You succeed if this happens. It all depends on
God’s grace.
“So you have to pray to Him. Simply sitting
quietly will not do. After pleading the whole case,
the lawyer says to the judge, ‘This is all I have to
say.’ It is now all in your hands.”
After a while Thakur says, “You sang so much in
the morning and now you have taken the trouble of
coming here. But it is all honorary – free – here.”
Nilkantha: “Why?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “I understand what
you mean.”
Nilkantha: “I shall carry away a priceless jewel

from here!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That precious jewel is
already with you. What is the use of adding another
a to k? If you didn’t already have it, why should I
have liked your songs so much? Ramprasad was a
realized soul.
“An ordinary being is called manushya, or man.
One whose consciousness is awakened is called
manhosha, or an awakened mind.1 You are
manhosha.
“I had already planned to go to the play when I
heard that you were going to sing. Just then Niyogi
came to invite me.”
Thakur goes to the smaller cot and sits down.
He says to Nilkantha, “I would like to hear a song
or two about the Divine Mother.”
Nilkantha sings with his companions:
Living on the bank of the river with hope at the feet of
Mother Shyama.
Next they sing:
Mahishamardini…
Listening to this song, Thakur stands up and
goes into samadhi.
Nilkantha says, “He from whose locks the
Ganges is flowing has Rajarajeshvari (the Supreme
Goddess) residing in his heart.”
Thakur dances in ecstatic love. Nilkantha and
the devotees sing, encircling him, and also dance.
1. There is pun on the word manhosha and manushya.

5 October 1884 397
They sing:
Shiva, Shiva.
Thakur dances with devotees during this song
as well.
The song ends. Thakur says to Nilkantha, “I
want to hear the song I heard you sing in Calcutta.”
M.: “Like Krishna’s, the complexion of the
handsome Sri Gauranga, the dancing lover of God,
is of golden hue.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, yes.”
Nilkantha sings:
Gauranga, the dancing lover of God, is of golden hue.1
When he sings, ‘Drowning in the flood of ecstatic
love,’ Thakur again dances with the devotees.
Whoever sees this superb dance will never forget it.
The room is full of people, all filled with divine
emotion. It has become like Srivasa’s own
courtyard.2
Manomohan goes into an ecstatic mood. A
devotee of Thakur, he is related to Rakhal. A
number of ladies of Manomohan’s family have come
with him and are watching the wonderful dance
and kirtan from the northern verandah. One of the
ladies there also goes into ecstasy.
Thakur sings another song:
1. For the complete song refer to Section VIII, Chapter I.

2. Srivasa Pundit was a close companion of Sri Chaitanya. It was at
his house that Chaitanya and his associates would have sankirtan
all night long.
while chanting Hari’s name.1
Thakur dances with Nilkantha and other
devotees. He improvises the following line:
The two brothers have come intoxicated with Radha’s
love.
Hearing the loud music, people gather. They
stand all around – on the south, on the north, and
on the western semi-circular verandah. People in
boats going by are also attracted by the sound of
the sweet kirtan.
The singing ends. Thakur chants the name of
the Mother of the Universe and says, “Bhagavata
Bhakta Bhagavan [His word, His devotee, and the
Lord are one]. My salutations to jnanis, salutations
to yogis, and salutations to devotees.”
Now Thakur goes to the western semi-circular
verandah with Nilkantha and some other devotees.
He sits there. It is evening, the day after the full
moon of Kojagar. All quarters are lit up by the light
of the moon. Thakur talks happily with Nilkantha.
What Sri Ramakrishna is – ‘I’ cannot be found by

searching – I shall bring Chandi home
Nilkantha: “You yourself are indeed Gauranga.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What is all this? I am the
servant of the servant of all. The wave belongs to
the Ganges. Does the Ganges ever belong to the
wave?”

5 October 1884 399
Nilkantha: “Whatever you may say, we see you

as that [Gauranga].”
Sri Ramakrishna (going into an ecstatic mood,
sweetly): “Brother, I search for my ‘I,’ but I cannot
find it.
“Hanuman said to Rama, ‘O Rama, sometimes I
say to myself that You are the whole and I a part of
you, sometimes that you are the Lord and I your
servant. But when I have the knowledge of Reality
I see that You are I and I am You.’”
Nilkantha: “What shall I say? Please grant us
your grace.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “So many people are
being taken across by you! How many people feel
inspired by hearing your music!”
Nilkantha: “You are saying that I am taking
them across. But please bless me that I myself may
not be drowned.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “If you must drown
yourself, do so in the lake of nectar.”
Thakur is delighted to be in Nilkantha’s
company. He says to him again, “For you to come
here! A person can meet you only after practicing
great spiritual disciplines. But please listen to this
song.”
O Giriraja, King of Mountains, my dear Ganesha is the
harbinger of all blessedness.
By worshiping him, Ganapati,1 I have attained Your
daughter, Haimavati.2
1. Ganesha.
2. The goddess Parvati.
O King of Mountains, please bring the brightly shining1

Parvati to me.
In worship I shall invoke her under the vilva tree. And
Gauri will descend here for the welfare of Ganesha.
As soon as Chandi2 graces my house, so many songs of the
Chandi3 will be sung,
And saints and hermits and ascetics with matted locks
will gather there.
“As soon as Chandi [the Divine Mother] graces
the house, saints, ascetics with matted hair, and
hermits will flock there.”
Thakur laughs. After a while he says to M.,
Baburam and other devotees, “I feel like laughing
and laughing. Just imagine that I should be singing
for them (the musicians of the theater)!”
Nilkantha: “We have received today our reward
for touring about singing.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “When a shopkeeper
sells something, he sometimes offers a little extra.
You sang at Nabin’s and have given the little extra
here.” (All laugh.)
1. Gauri.
2. A name of the Divine Mother.
3. The Devimahatmya or Sri Durga Saptasati.
Section XXIII
Car Festival at Balaram’s House

Chapter I
Purna, the younger Naren, and Gopal’s Mother
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in Balaram’s drawing room

with the devotees. It is Monday, 13 July 1885, the first
day of the bright fortnight of Ashada. It is nine o’clock.
Tomorrow the Car Festival will be celebrated.

Balaram has invited Thakur for the celebration and
brought him to his house. The image of Jagannath is
worshiped there daily, and he has a small car which
will be pulled on the verandah outside during the
festival.
Thakur is talking with M. Close to them are Narayan,

Tejchandra, Balaram, and many other devotees. They
are talking about Purna. Purna is about fifteen years
old. Thakur longs to see him.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Well, by what road
will he come to see me? Please arrange that Dwija
and Purna meet.
“I bring together two people of the same nature
and same age. It has a special meaning. They both
make progress. Do you see what love Purna has?”
M.: “Yes, sir. I was going by tram when he saw
me from the roof of his house. He came running to
see me and greeted me so eagerly!”
Sri Ramakrishna (his eyes filled with tears): “Ah!
Ah! Because he has found me to be the contact for
402 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXIII
spiritual illumination. Unless one has yearning for

God, such conduct is not seen.”
Purna’s masculine nature – divine inclination –

Narayana born as one’s son because of austerities
“These three have a masculine nature:
Narendra, the younger Naren, and Purna. But not
Bhavanath. He has a feminine nature.
“Because of his high state, Purna may quit his
body soon. Why retain the body after God-
realization? Or the spiritual feelings within him
may surge up in a few days.
“He has a divine inclination, the nature of a god.
Such people don’t have much fear of society. If a
garland is put around his neck, sandal paste on his
body, and incense burnt before him, he will go into
samadhi. He will then know that God is within
him, that Narayana Himself has come down in a
human body. I’ve found this out.”
His earlier story – samadhi of a brahmin girl with good

signs – Mother Goddess as daughter of Ranjit
“When this state of divine intoxication came to
me the first time in Dakshineswar, a brahmin lady
belonging to a respectable family came. She had
very good signs. As soon as a garland was put
around her neck and incense burnt before her, she
went into samadhi. Soon she was all joy. Tears
began to stream from her eyes. I bowed to her and
said, ‘Mother, will I succeed?’ She replied, ‘Yes.’
13 – 15 July 1885 403
“I want to see Purna again. But where is the

opportunity? It seems that he is a part of the
Divine.1 What a wonder! Not just a tiny part, but a
full sixteenth! How intelligent he is! He is so good
in studies. Therefore I have hit it right.
“Narayana (the Lord) takes birth as a person’s
son by the power of spiritual practices. On the way
to Kamarpukur, there is Ranjit Rai’s big lake. The
Divine Mother took birth as Ranjit Rai’s daughter.
Even now a fair is held there in the month of
Chaitra. I’ve had a desire to go there – but not now.
“Ranjit Rai was a landlord there. By the power
of his austerities, he obtained the Divine Mother as
his daughter. He loved his daughter very much.
She became so attached to him that she would
almost never leave her father’s company. One day,
he was attending to the affairs of his estate and
was very busy. The girl, in her childlike nature,
continually asked him, ‘Father, what is this and
what is that?’ The father very sweetly replied,
‘Daughter, please leave me alone. I have lot of work
to do.’ But the girl would not leave. At last he said
absent-mindedly, ‘Please, get out of here.’ On this
pretext the girl left home. A peddler of conch-shell
wares was just then passing by. She called out for
him and took a pair of conch bangles. When he
demanded to be paid for them, she said, ‘There is
money in a box in that room. Go and take it from
there.’ Then she left, never to be seen again. The
bangle peddler went to the house and began to
shout for money. Seeing that she was not at home,
1. One-sixteenth divine power (kala).

the inmates of the house came running. Ranjit Rai

sent people in all directions to find her. The money
owed the peddler was found in the box. Ranjit Rai
was going around weeping when someone came and
said, ‘There is something in the lake.’ They all went
to the lake and saw a hand with a conch bangle
raised out of the water. A moment later they could
see it no more. Even now worship of the Divine
Mother is performed during the festival on the
fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Chaitra.
(To M.) “All this is true.”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Narendra now believes this.”
“Purna was born with an element of Vishnu. I
worshiped him mentally with vilwa leaves1 but it
wasn’t successful. Then I offered him tulsi leaves2
and sandal paste and it was accepted.
“God appears in many ways, sometimes as a
man and sometimes in other divine forms of
consciousness. One must believe in divine forms.
What do you say?”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Gopal’s Mother has a motherly nature – she sees divine

forms
Sri Ramakrishna: “The brahmin woman of
Kamarhati (Gopal’s Mother) sees so many visions!
She lives by herself in a lone house in a garden on
the bank of the Ganges and repeats God’s name.
1. Traditionally offered to Shiva.

2.Traditionally offered to Vishnu.
13 – 15 July 1885 405
Gopala1 sleeps close to her. (Saying this, Thakur

gives a start.) Not in imagination but in fact. She
saw that Gopala’s hands were red; he goes
everywhere with her. She suckles him at her breast
and talks to him. Narendra wept when he heard
this!
“I also used to see many things. Now in ecstasy I
don’t see that many visions. My feminine nature is
decreasing. Instead I am imbibing a manly
attitude. That’s why my spiritual feelings don’t
show so much outwardly. They remain within.
“The younger Naren has a masculine nature.
That’s why he becomes merged in meditation while
repeating the name of God. He doesn’t show
ecstasy. Nityagopal has a feminine nature. That’s
why his body gets contorted in bhava. His body
turns red with emotion.”
Chapter II
Renunciation of “lust and greed” – Purna and others
Binode, Dwija, Tarak, Mohit, Tejchandra, Narayan,

Balaram, and Atul
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Well, people renounce
bit by bit. What about them?
“Binode said, ‘I have to sleep with my wife. That
makes me feel very bad.’ You see, it is bad to sleep
together whether you have intercourse or not.
There is touching of the bodies and the physical
warmth.
1. Baby Krishna.
“What a state Dwija is in! He only sways his

body and keeps is eyes focused on my face. Is that a
small thing? If his whole mind becomes fixed on me,
he will have achieved everything.”
Is Sri Ramakrishna an incarnation of God?

“So what am I? It is He. I am the machine but
He is the operator. It is God’s power alone in this
[within himself]. That’s why so many people are
increasingly attracted here. Just a touch is enough
to awaken them. This attraction, this pull, is the
attraction of God alone.
“Tarak (of Belgharia) was returning to his home
after staying there (Dakshineswar). I noticed
something shining like a flame coming out of this –
and following him.
“A few days after that, Tarak returned (to
Dakshineswar). Then He who is in this body put a
foot on his chest in the state of samadhi.
“Well, are there any more boys like these
youngsters?”
M.: “That boy Mohit is quite nice. He’s gone to
see you once or twice. He’s preparing for two
university examinations. And he has great
attraction for God.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Maybe so. But he doesn’t
have a high spiritual ideal. His physical signs
aren’t so good. He has a puggish face. These other
youngsters are of a different class.
“Taking up a body puts one in great trouble.
And if one is cursed, he will have to be born another
seven times. You have to live very cautiously! A
13 – 15 July 1885 407
person has to take up a new body if only one desire

remains.”
Devotee: “And incarnations of God, when they
come in a human body – do they have any desire?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “I’ve noticed that I
haven’t been able to completely rid myself of desire.
When I saw a sadhu’s shawl, I wanted to wear one
like it. Even now I have this desire. Maybe I’ll have
to come again.”
Balaram (smiling): “Will you take up a human
body just for a shawl?” (Everyone laughs.)
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “A person should
nourish a spiritual desire. They say that when you
die, you will think only of it. Sadhus keep one of the
four centers of pilgrimage1 unvisited. Many keep
the Jagannath region unvisited so that at the time
of death, their thoughts will be in Jagannath.”
A person dressed in monastic robes enters the
room and salutes. Privately he runs Thakur down,
so Balaram laughs. Thakur knows the inner
thoughts of people, so he says to Balaram, “Let him
be. Let him say that I am a fraud.”
Tejchandra’s proposal to renounce the world

Thakur is talking to Tejchandra.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Tejchandra): “I have sent
for you so many times! Why don’t you come? All
right, so just practice meditation. If you do that, I’ll
be happy. I look on you as my own. That’s why I
send for you.”
1. Dham.
Tejchandra: “Sir, I have to go to the office. There

is a lot of work to do.”
M. (smiling): “There was a marriage in the
family and he took ten days off from the office.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “So! And you say you don’t
have time. And you say you want to renounce the
world.”
Narayan: “One day Master Mahashay (M.) said
that the world is a wilderness.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Please tell them that
story. They will benefit from it. About the disciple
becoming unconscious after he takes some
medicine. The guru comes and says, ‘His life can be
saved if someone takes this pill. He will live but the
person who takes the pill will die.’
“And tell that other one, too – about the hatha
yogi with a crooked body who thought his wife and
other members of the family were his very own.”1
Thakur partakes of the prasad of Sri Jagannath
at noon. Service to Jagannath is performed
regularly at Balaram’s house. That’s why Thakur
says, “Balaram’s food is pure.” Thakur takes a little
rest after the meal.
It is late afternoon. Thakur is sitting with the
devotees in the same room. Chandra Babu of the
Kartabhaja sect and the witty brahmin are also
there. This brahmin is a joker – whatever he says
makes people laugh.
1. For the complete story refer to Volume III, Section XV, Chapter I.
13 – 15 July 1885 409
Thakur talks for a long time about the

Kartabhajas and their outlook on life and religion.1
Thakur’s ecstasy – Atul and Tejchandra’s brother

It is six o’clock. Girish’s brother, Atul, and
Tejchandra’s brother have come. Thakur is in an
ecstatic state. After sometime he says, “Can one be
unconscious by meditating on Consciousness? Can
one go mad by meditating on God? He is the very
nature of all knowledge. He is eternal, pure,
knowledge itself.”
Are some of the visitors thinking that Thakur’s brain
may have been deranged by excessive meditation on
God?
Go forward – Krishnadhan’s humour

Thakur says to Krishnadhan, the witty
brahmin, “You waste your time joking day and
night about ordinary worldly things. Turn your
mind towards God. A person who can keep account
of salt can also account for sugar candy.”
Krishnadhan (smiling): “Please pull me that
way.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What can I do? It all depends
on your own effort. It is up to your own mind to do
it.
“Giving up ordinary humour, go forward to God.
You can go farther and farther. The brahmachari
counseled the woodcutter to go forward. When he
did, he found sandalwood, then a mine of silver,
1. Rupa, swarupa, raj, bij, and pak pranali.

and then a gold mine. Going even farther, he found

diamonds and jewels.”
Krishnadhan: “There is no end to this road.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Stop where you find peace.”
Thakur now talks about a newcomer.
“I didn’t find any substance in him. He seemed
worthless, like a rotten apple.”
It is evening. A light has been brought in the
room. Thakur meditates on the Mother of the
Universe and chants Her name in a sweet voice.
The devotees are sitting all around him.
The Car Festival is to be held tomorrow. Thakur
will spend tonight in this house. Taking some
refreshments in the inner apartments, he returns
again to the large room. It is about 10 p.m. He says
to M., “Please bring the hand towel from the other
room.”
Thakur’s bed has been made in the small room.
It is ten-thirty when he goes to bed.
It is summer. He says to M., “Please bring a
fan.” He asks him to fan him. At twelve o’clock at
night, Thakur wakes up. He says, “I feel chilly. I
don’t need the fan anymore.”
Chapter III
Thakur with devotees in Balaram’s house on the day of

the Car Festival
Today is the day of the Car Festival – Tuesday
[14 July 1885]. Rising very early in the morning,
13 – 15 July 1885 411
Thakur dances by himself repeating the name of

God in a sweet voice.
M. comes in and salutes him. The devotees
arrive one by one, salute Thakur, and then sit near
him. Thakur is very eager to see Purna. He talks to
M. about Purna.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Did you give Purna any
instructions when you saw him?”
M.: “Sir, I asked him to read the Chaitanya
Charitamrita. He is familiar with it. And I told him
that you had said, ‘Always hold on to the truth.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, what did he say when
you told him about me, saying, ‘He is God
incarnate?’”
M.: “I asked him to come with me if he wanted
to see a man like Chaitanya Deva.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What else?”
M.: “That you said that when an elephant goes
into a small pond, the water is splashed around –
that if a receptacle is shallow, his emotions
overflow.
“About his giving up of fish, I asked, ‘Why this?
It will cause a great uproar.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s good. A person must
contain emotions within.”
Sri Ramakrishna and the earthquake

It is half past six in the morning. M. is going for
a dip in the Ganges from Balaram’s house when he
feels an earthquake. He immediately returns to
Thakur’s room. Thakur is standing in the drawing

room with the devotees talking about it. It was
rather severe. Most of the devotees are frightened.
M.: “We should have gone downstairs.”
His earlier story – Sri Ramakrishna and the storm of

Ashwin – 5 October 1864
Sri Ramakrishna: “This is the pitiable state of
the house [body] one lives in. And yet people are so
arrogant! (To M.) Do you remember the storm in
the month of Ashwin?”
M.: “Yes, sir. I was very young then, nine or ten
years old. I was alone in a room, and I called on
God.”
Surprised, M. asks himself, Why has Thakur suddenly
asked about the storm of Ashwin? Sitting alone in a
room, I wept profusely and prayed to God. Does
Thakur know everything about it? Is he reminding me
of it? Has he been protecting me as my guru since my
birth?
Sri Ramakrishna: “It was very late at
Dakshineswar when the storm broke. Afterward
some food was cooked, but it was very late. All the
trees had been uprooted. You see, this is the fate of
the house one lives in!
“But after gaining perfect knowledge, one feels
that dying and killing are the same. When one dies
nobody dies, and when one kills nobody is killed.1
The phenomenal belongs to the same reality as the
Absolute. It is He Himself who is the Absolute in
1. näyaà hanti na hanyate – Bhagavad Gita, 2:19; na hanyate

hanyamäne çarére – Bhagavad Gita 2:20.
13 – 15 July 1885 413
one form and the phenomenal in another. Even if

the relative is destroyed, the Absolute exists. Water
is water, whether it is moving or still.”
Thakur sits again in the drawing room with the
devotees. Mahendra Mukherji, Hari, the younger
Naren, and several other young devotees are there.
Hari1 lives alone and studies Vedanta. He is
twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He is not
married. Thakur is very fond of him and often asks
him to visit but since he likes solitude, he doesn’t
come very often.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Hari): “Well, my dear, you
have not been here for a long time.”
Advice to Hari– non-dualism2 and qualified non-

dualism3 – vijnana
“In one form God is the Absolute and in another
He is the phenomenal. What does Vedanta say?
That Brahman is real4 and the world illusory.5 But
as long as God keeps the feeling of I-ness in a
devotee, the relative is real. When He takes it
away, then whatever is remains. This cannot be
explained in words. As long as He has kept I-ness
in you, you have to accept everything. When the
sheathes of the banana tree are peeled off, there is
pulp inside. When there are sheathes, there is pulp
– the pulp belongs to the sheathes and the sheathes
belong to the pulp. When you speak of the existence
of the Absolute, you comprehend that the
1. Harinath Chattopadhyaya, the future Swami Turiyananda.
2. Doctrine of Advaita.
3. Doctrine of Vishishtadvaita.
4. Permanent.
5. Impermanent.
phenomenal exists. And when you speak of the

phenomenal, you understand that the Absolute also
exists.
“God has become the world, its living beings,
and the twenty-four cosmic principles. When He is
inactive, He is called Brahman. When He creates,
preserves, and dissolves, He is known as Shakti, or
Power. Brahman and Shakti are not different from
each other. Water is water whether it is still or in
motion.
“You cannot get rid of the sense of ‘I.’ You can’t
say that the world and its living beings are an
illusion as long as you are conscious of your ‘I.’
When you throw away the rind and the seeds of a
bel fruit, you can’t arrive at the full weight of the
bel fruit.
“The bricks, lime, and brick-dust with which the
roof is made also make the stairs. It is only because
of the reality of what is known as Brahman that
this universe and its creatures have come into
existence.
“The devotee, the vijnani, accepts both God with
form and the formless God. He accepts both form
and formlessness. It is by the cooling effect of love
for God that some of the water turns into ice. But
when the sun of spiritual knowledge rises, that ice
melts into the same water as it was before.”
When reasoning stops, the mind is annihilated and

there is the knowledge of Brahman
“As long as a person reasons with the mind, the
Absolute cannot be reached. As long as you reason
13 – 15 July 1885 415
with the mind, the world cannot be done away with.

None of the senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and
speech can be got rid off. When reasoning stops, you
attain the knowledge of Brahman. You cannot
know the Atman through this mind – Atman is
known only through Atman. Pure mind, pure
intellect, and pure Atman are one and the same.
“Just see how much you need to be able to see
an object. You need eyes, light, and also the mind –
all these are needed. If one of these three is
missing, you can’t see an object. As long as the
mind is working, how can you say there is no world,
that there is no ‘I’?
“When the mind is destroyed, when there is no
intention and conceptualization1 one attains
samadhi, one gains the knowledge of Brahman. But
in do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti – the seven notes of the
scale – one cannot remain for long at ti, the highest
musical note.”
Advice to the younger Naren – conversation with God

after attaining His vision
Glancing at the younger Naren, Thakur says,
“What use is it to only know that God exists? You
have not reached the end when you have seen God.
You have to bring Him to your house. You have to
talk to Him.
“Some have heard of milk, some have seen it,
and some have drunk it. Only a few have seen the
king. Only one or two can bring him to their house
and entertain him.”
1. Sankalpa and vikalpa.

Thakur goes for a dip in the Ganges.
Chapter IV
His earlier story – Thakur has a vision of Shiva and the

golden Annapurna in the holy pilgrim city of Kashi –
sees the universe in the form of a shalagram
It is ten o’clock. Thakur is talking with the
devotees when M. returns from bathing in the
Ganges. He salutes Thakur, and then sits beside
him.
Thakur, full of divine emotion, talks about many
things. During the conversation, he discusses some
of his most secret visions.
Sri Ramakrishna: “When I went to Kashi with
Mathur Babu, our boat passed close to the
Manikarnika Ghat. Suddenly I had a vision of
Shiva. I went to the edge of the boat and stood
there and went into samadhi. In fear that I would
fall into the river, the boatman shouted to Hriday,
‘Hold him, hold him.’ I saw Shiva standing at that
ghat in the most profound mood. At first I saw Him
standing at a distance, then I saw Him approaching
me. After that, He merged into me.
“In a state of ecstasy I saw a sannyasin leading
me by the hand. We entered a temple, and I had a
vision of the golden Annapurna.
“God Himself has become everything. He is more
manifest in some forms, however.
(To M. and others) “Perhaps you don’t recognize
the spiritual meaning of a shalagram. Englishmen
don’t. It doesn’t matter if you believe in it or not. A
13 – 15 July 1885 417
shalagram with good signs – the mark of a disc in

the shape of a cow’s face, and some other signs.”
M.: “Sir, like a man with good physical signs has
a greater manifestation of God in him.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “At first Narendra called
them [Ramakrishna’s visions] hallucinations of the
mind. Now, he accepts everything.”
While talking about visions of God, Thakur
passes into bhava samadhi. The devotees watch
him silently. After a long time, he regains
consciousness and begins to talk.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “What did I see? That
the universe is a shalagram. I saw your two eyes in
it.”
M. and the other devotees listen in amazement
to this wonderful and unheard of vision. Just then
another young devotee, Sarada, enters the room,
salutes Thakur, and sits down.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Sarada1): “Why don’t you
come to Dakshineswar? When I go to Calcutta, why
don’t you come to see me?”
Sarada: “I don’t hear about your visits.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I’ll let you know the next
time. (Laughing, to M.) Make a list of these boys.”
(M. and other devotees laugh.)
1. Later Swami Trigunatitananda.

News of Purna – Thakur is very happy to see Narendra

Sarada: “My family wants me to marry. He (M.)
has reprimanded us so many times about
marriage.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why marry now? (To M.)
Sarada is now in a very good state of mind. He used
to seem hesitant, like a fish pulling the float of a
fishing line. Now his face looks happy.”
Thakur says to a devotee, “Will you please fetch
Purna?”
Narendra enters. Thakur asks that refresh-
ments be served him. He is very happy to see
Narendra. He seemed to feel that he was serving
the Lord Himself by feeding Narendra. Thakur is
stroking his body affectionately, gently massaging
his hands and feet. Gopal’s Mother (the brahmin
woman of Kamarhati) enters the room. Thakur had
asked Balaram to send a man to Kamarhati to
bring her. That is why she has come. As she enters
the room, she says, “I am shedding tears of joy.”
Then she prostrates before Thakur in salutation.
Sri Ramakrishna: “What are you doing? You call
me Gopala and then you salute me.
“Please go inside and cook a dish. Put a lot of
ghee and spices in it so we can smell it from here.”
(All laugh.)
Gopal’s Mother: “What will these people [the
members of the family] say?”
Is Gopal’s Mother thinking to herself that she was a
newcomer and the family members could take offense?
13 – 15 July 1885 419
Before going in, she says to Narendra in a

touching tone of voice, “Child, have I achieved or
does something remain to achieve?”
It is the Car Festival day. The offering of food
and worship of Lord Jagannath had been somewhat
delayed. Now, after the worship, Thakur is to be
served. He goes to the inner apartments, where the
women devotees are eagerly awaiting him – to see
him and pay their obeisance.
Thakur had many women devotees, but he did
not talk much about them to the men devotees. If
someone went to visit women devotees, he would
say, “Don’t go to her very often. You may have a
fall.” Sometimes he would say, “Even if a woman
rolls on the ground with love for God, you shouldn’t
visit her frequently.” Let men and women devotees
live separately. This will be good for both of them.
And he would say further, “It isn’t good for women
devotees to practice motherly feelings1 for men.
Such an attitude could change and bring about a
downfall.”
Chapter V
Car Festival at Balaram’s house – in the joy of

devotional songs, with Narendra and other devotees
It is one o’clock. After the midday meal, Thakur
comes in and sits with the devotees in the drawing
room. One of them has brought Purna. Thakur says
to M. joyfully, “Here he is! Purna has arrived!”
1. The attitude of Gopala toward them.

Narendra, the younger Naren, Narayan, Haripada,

and others sit near Thakur and talk with him.
Free will and the younger Naren – Narendra sings

The younger Naren: “Sir, do we have free will?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Just try to find your ‘I.’
When you are searching for ‘I,’ you find Him. ‘I am
the instrument, You are the operator.’ You know, a
puppet goes into a shop with a letter in its hand.
God alone is the doer.1 Work as though you are a
doer, but know that you are not.
“As long as there is any adjunct, or a limiting
quality2 to your identity, you are in ignorance. To
think that you are learned, or a jnani, or wealthy,
or respectable, or father, or guru – all these come
from ignorance. ‘I am the instrument and You are
the operator,’ is knowledge. Then all marks of
identity are obliterated. When firewood has been
fully burnt, it produces no sound. It gives no heat.
Then it is all cool. Peace, peace, peace.’
(To Narendra) “Please sing a little.”
Narendra: “I have to go home. I have lot of work
to do.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, child. Why should you
listen to us? One listens carefully to those who have
gold in their ears. Who listens to one who only has
a torn cloth? (All laugh.)
“You can go to the garden house of the Guhas.
When I ask where you are, I often hear that you are
1. God is the puppeteer.

2. Upadhi.
13 – 15 July 1885 421
at the garden house of the Guhas. I wouldn’t have

mentioned this, but you forced it out of me.”
Narendra is silent for a few minutes. Then he
says, “There are no instruments. Shall I just sing?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “My child, this is the situation
here. Sing if you’d like to. This is how Balaram has
arranged it.
“Balaram says, ‘Please come in a boat. But if
that’s not possible, you may hire a carriage.’ (All
laugh.) He has given us a feast, so he will make us
dance in the afternoon. (Laughter.) One day he
hired a carriage for me for twelve annas. I asked,
‘Will he take me to Dakshineswar for twelve
annas?’ He said, ‘That’s enough.’ On the way one
side of the carriage fell apart and dropped off. (All
laugh.) And the horse would suddenly stop just
anywhere and it wasn’t possible to make it move. A
number of times the coachman whipped it and it
ran a little. (Loud laughter.) So now this evening
Ram will play the drum and we will dance. But
Ram has no sense of rhythm! (All laugh.) Balaram’s
attitude is: sing, dance, and make yourself happy.”
(All laugh.)
Other devotees are gradually coming back from
their homes, having eaten and rested.
Seeing Mahendra Mukherji saluting him from a
distance, Thakur bows to him and also offers him a
salaam.1 He says to a young devotee sitting near
him, “Tell him that I salaamed. He harps on Olcott,
1. A low bow with the right palm to the forehead.

Olcott1 all the time.” Many of the householder

devotees have brought their wives and other
women relatives with them. They wanted to have
the darshan of Thakur and watch the kirtan
singing in front of the chariot. Ram, Girish, and
other devotees arrive one by one. A number of
youngster devotees have also come.
Now Narendra sings:
as I repeat Lord Hari’s name?2
He sings again:
In dense darkness, O Mother, Your formless beauty
sparkles. And so the yogi meditates in a dark mountain
cave.
In the lap of infinite darkness, on the waves of the great
silence,3 eternal peace and joy float without end.
Putting on the form of the Formless One, in darkness
draped, O Mother, who are You seated alone in boundless
bliss?
At the lotus of Your fear-dispelling feet flashes the
lightning of love, while loud and earth-shaking laughter
issues from Your dazzling face.
Balaram has arranged for a kirtan by Vaishnav-
charan and Banwari. Now Vaishnavcharan sings.
O my tongue, always repeat the name of Durga.
Who else can save you from danger but She?4
After listening to the song for some time,
Thakur passes into samadhi. He is standing, held
1. Col. Henry Steel Olcott, first president of the Theosophical Society.

2. For the complete song refer to Section XIII, Chapter III.
3. Nirvana.
4. For the complete song refer to Section XV, Chapter IV.
13 – 15 July 1885 423
by the younger Naren. His face is lit with a smile.

Gradually he becomes absolutely still. The roomful
of devotees watches him silently, while the women
observe him from behind a bamboo screen. It is as if
Lord Narayana Himself has come down in human
form for the devotees – come down to teach them
how to love God.
After a long time chanting God’s name, his
samadhi ends. When he sits down, Vaishnavcharan
again begins to sing:
O my vina, sing Hari, Hari!1
And then:
O my vina, the day passes in vain without worshiping
Lord Hari.
Banwari, another singer, sings of God’s form
and beauty. During the song, he repeats, “Ah! Ah!”
and prostrates. Some listeners laugh, others feel
irritated.
It is afternoon. In the meantime, the small car of
Sri Jagannath, decorated with flags and bunting,
has been brought to the verandah. Lord Jagannath,
Subhadra, and Balaram have been adorned with
sandal paste and decorated with jewelry and
garlands of flowers. Leaving Banwari’s kirtan,
Thakur comes to the front of the car on the
verandah. Devotees accompany him. Holding the
rope, he pulls the car a little and then sings and
dances ahead of it with the devotees. Improvising,
he sings:

while chanting Hari’s name,1
The song concludes:
Gauranga’s love!
There is singing and dancing on the verandah as
the car is drawn. Hearing the loud music of the
kirtan and the sound of the drums, a number of
neighbors come to the verandah. Thakur is
intoxicated with the name of the Lord. The devotees
dance with him in an ecstasy of love.
Chapter VI
Narendra’s song – Thakur’s ecstatic dance

After the kirtan and dancing before the car, Sri
Ramakrishna returns to the room and sits down.
Mani and other devotees stroke his feet.
Full of divine feeling, Narendra sings again
accompanied by a tanpura:
Come, come, O Mother, my heart’s delight and doll of my
soul;
So that I can constantly see You, come sit in the lotus of
my heart.
Again he sings:
Mother! You are Tara,2 though You have assumed the
three gunas, You are even beyond the Limitless.

2. The savior, literally “she who takes one across [the ocean of
worldly existence]”.
13 – 15 July 1885 425
I know You are merciful to the lowly, the one who frees
from all distress.
You are sandhya, You are Gayatri, You are the support of
the Universe, O Mother!
You are the redeemer of yearning souls, always stealing
the heart of Shiva.
In all bodies You dwell, in all worshipful beings, in that
with form and without.
I have made You the pole-star of my life.
Never shall I lose my way on this sea of the world.
A devotee asks Narendra if he will sing the song
“O Mother, ruler of the heart! You are awake
within….”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Away with you! Are you
going to sing such songs now? Sing a song of joy –
‘Shyama, the river of nectar.’”
Narendra sings:
Who can fathom Your various moods?
O Mother Shyama, You are the river of nectar.
Mother! Cupid flees before. Your playful glance…
Narendra becomes intoxicated with ecstasy and
sings again and again:
O Brahman Absolute, the Eternal One, my Mother!
Do dance sometimes on the lotus of the heart of Kamala
also.
Thakur dances, intoxicated with ecstatic love,
singing, “O Brahman Absolute, the Eternal One,
my Mother.” After dancing for a long time, he
returns to his seat. He is very happy to see
Narendra singing with such absorption in ecstasy,

with tears in his eyes.
It must be around 9 p.m. Thakur is still sitting
with the devotees.
He listens again to Vaishnavcharan’s songs:
Gauranga, the dancing lover of God, is of golden hue.1
And:
O Hari, how shall I know You now?
O Bankura, living in Mathura, clad in royal splendour
and riding elephants,
Have you forgotten the grazing of cows? Have you
forgotten us?
Do you remember how you stole butter in Vraja?
It is now 10 or 11 p.m. The devotees are saluting
Thakur in preparation to leave.
Sri Ramakrishna: “All right, you can go home
now. (Pointing to Narendra and the younger Naren)
It would be good if they both stay. (To Girish) Are
you going to have your dinner at home? Wait
awhile. What about a smoke? Oh, Balaram’s
servant is just like that. Ask for a smoke and he
won’t prepare it. (Everybody laughs.) But don’t
leave without having a smoke.”
A friend wearing glasses had come with Girish.
He has left after seeing and hearing everything.
Thakur says to Girish, “I tell you, and also Haripal,
don’t force anybody to come here. Nothing happens
before its time.”
1. For the complete song refer to Section VIII, Chapter I.

13 – 15 July 1885 427
A devotee salutes Thakur. A little boy is with

him. Thakur says affectionately, “You may now go.
And this child with you.” Narendra, the younger
Naren, and one or two devotees will go home a little
later.
Chapter VII
Sri Ramakrishna at early dawn – sweet dancing and

chanting of God’s name
Sri Ramakrishna is lying on the bed in the small room

to the west of the drawing room. It is 4 a.m. To the
south of the room is a verandah where M. is sitting on
a stool.
After a while Thakur comes out on the verandah. M.

salutes him by prostrating. It is Wednesday, 15 July
1885, the 32nd day of Ashada, Sankranti.
Sri Ramakrishna: “I got up once before. Well,
should I return in the morning?”
M.: “Yes, sir. The water is less choppy in the
morning.”
It is morning. The devotees have not yet
assembled. After washing, Thakur sweetly chants
the divine name. M. is near him. After some time,
Gopal’s Mother comes in and stands close to him.
One or two other lady devotees are watching from
the door of the inner apartments. It is as if the
gopis of Vrindavan are watching Sri Krishna. Or
the women devotees of Navadvip, intoxicated with
ecstatic love, are looking at Sri Gauranga from
behind a screen.
After chanting Rama’s name, Thakur chants the

name of Krishna: “Krishna! Krishna! Gopi Krishna!
Gopi! Gopi! Krishna, the life breath of the cowherd
boys. Krishna, the boy of Nanda! Govinda!
Govinda!”
Now he chants the name of Gauranga:
“Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda!
Hare Krishna! Hare Rama! Radha Govinda!”
Then he repeats: “The Imperceptible Pure
One.”1 Saying this, he weeps. Watching him weep
and hearing his touching voice, the devotees
standing close also begin to cry. He weeps and says,
“O, the Pure One! O my dear, come and eat. When
shall I make my life blessed by feeding You? You
have come, assuming a body, for my sake.”
He is expressing his pain before Jagannath, the
Lord of the Universe, the friend of the lowly, the
friend of the world. “I am not separate from the
world; my Master, be merciful to me.”
Becoming intoxicated with ecstatic love, he
sings:
Live joyfully chanting the name of Jagannath of Orissa.
Now he dances, singing the name of Narayana:
“The Lord Narayana! The Lord Narayana!
Narayana! Narayana!”
Dancing, he sings again:
O gopi friend! I have not yet found Him whose love has
driven me mad.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – all three are mad.
1. Alekh Niranjan.
13 – 15 July 1885 429
These three mad gods have conspired to break Navadvip.

And in the fields of Vrindavan I have seen another who is
mad.
He has clad Radha in royal robes and assumed for
Himself the role of a guard.
Now Thakur sits in the small room with the
devotees. He is naked, like a five-year-old child. M.,
Balaram and one or two other devotees are sitting
with him.
When does one see God’s form? – secrets – seeing

Narayana in pure youngsters – Ramlal, Niranjan,
Purna, Narendra, Tarak of Belgharia, and the younger
Naren
Sri Ramakrishna: “You can see the form of God.
You can have this vision when you get rid of all
adjuncts of your own identity and reasoning stops.
Then a person goes into speechless samadhi. How
much people talk in the theatre – of this thing and
that. But as soon as the curtain rises, all discussion
stops. Then a person is fully absorbed in what he
sees.
“I tell you a very secret thing. Why do I love
boys like Purna and Narendra so much? When I
went to embrace Jagannath in a loving mood, I
broke my arm. He made me understand: ‘You have
taken up a human body. Now live with human
beings as a friend, a parent, and such other
relationships.’
“When I see Purna, I now experience the same
feeling that I used to have with Ramlala. I used to
bathe Ramlala and feed him and put him to bed.
Wherever I went, I took him with me. I would sit
and weep for Ramlala. I have the same feeling

when I see these young boys. Look at Niranjan.
He’s not attached to anything. He takes poor people
to the doctor, spending his own money. At the
mention of marriage, he says, ‘My God! That is a
whirlpool of the Vishalakshi!’1 I see him sitting on a
light.
“Purna belongs to a high spiritual ideal of God
with form – he has an element of Vishnu! Ah, what
love he has!
(To M.) “Did you notice how he looked at you?
Just like one looks upon a brother disciple, as if you
were his very own. He said he’d come see me again.
He said he’d meet me at Captain’s house.”
Many qualities of Narendra – the qualities of the

younger Naren
“Narendra is of a very high spiritual ideal – the
realm of the Absolute. He has a masculine nature.
“So many devotees come here but none of them
is like him.
“Sometimes I sit down and calculate their
natures. I see them like lotuses. Some of them have
ten petals, some have sixteen, some a hundred. But
Narendra is a thousand-petalled lotus.
“Others may be small tumblers or pitchers, but
Narendra is a huge barrel.
“Among ponds and tanks, he is a large lake, like
the Haldarpukur.
1. A stream near Kamarpukur.

13 – 15 July 1885 431
“Among fish, Narendra is a red-eyed carp,

others are small fish, like minnows or small white
fish.
“He is a big receptacle. Many things can be kept
in him. He is like a bamboo with a big hollow space
inside.
“Narendra is not the slave of anything. He is not
subject to any attachment or sense pleasure. Like a
male pigeon. If you hold its beak, it pulls away from
you. A female pigeon just stays still.
“Tarak of Belgharia can be called a red-eyed
carp.
“Narendra is manly. That’s why he sits on the
right side in a carriage. Bhavanath has a feminine
nature, so I tell him to sit on the other side.
“When Narendra is in a gathering, I feel strong.”
Mahendra Mukherji enters and salutes. It is
about eight o’clock in the morning. Haripada and
Tulsiram arrive, one after the other. They salute
Sri Ramakrishna and sit down. Baburam is
suffering from fever and couldn’t come.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and others): “Hasn’t the
younger Naren come? Maybe he’s under the
impression I’ve already left. (To Mukherji) What a
wonder! As a child, that boy (the younger Naren)
would cry for the Lord when he returned from
school. Is it a small thing to cry for God? And he is
so intelligent. He is a bamboo with a big hollow
compared to other bamboos.
“And he has given his entire mind to me. Girish
Ghosh told me that the day kirtan was held at
Navagopal’s house, the younger Naren was there.

Asking where I was, he was not conscious of his
surroundings. He began to walk over people looking
for me.
“And he’s not afraid that he’ll be criticized at
home. He stays at Dakshineswar for three nights at
a time.”
Chapter VIII
Deep secret of bhakti yoga – harmony of jnana and

bhakti
Mukherji, Hari Babu, Purna, Niranjan, M., and

Balaram
[Priyanath] Mukherji: “Hari (Hari Babu of
Baghbazar)1 was amazed at what you said
yesterday. He said, ‘All this is in the Samkhya
philosophy, in Patanjali, and the Vedanta. He is not
an ordinary person.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But I have not read the
Samkhya or the Vedanta.
“Perfect jnana and perfect bhakti are one and
the same. By discriminating ‘not this, not this,’ all
reasoning ends, leading to the knowledge of
Brahman. Then one accepts again what one has
renounced. You have to be careful climbing to the
roof. But when you get there, you see that the roof
is made of the same materials – brick, lime, and
brick dust – of which the steps are made.
1 Later Swami Turiyananda.

13 – 15 July 1885 433
“He who is aware of high is also aware of low.

After attaining spiritual knowledge, high and low
appear as one.
“When Prahlada realized the Ultimate Reality,
he felt, ‘I am He.’1 And when consciousness of the
body returned, his attitude would change to ‘I am
Your servant.’2
“Hanuman also sometimes felt the attitude of ‘I
am He,’ sometimes ‘I am Your servant,’ and at
other times, ‘I am a part of You.’
“Why should one cherish love for God? Without
it, how can a man spend his days?
“This I-ness does not go away. As long as there
is the pot of I-ness, the attitude of ‘I am He’ is not
attained. In samadhi, however, that I-ness
disappears. Then what exists is only He.
Ramprasad says, ‘Mother, only You will know in
that state whether I am good or You are good.’
“As long as I-ness persists, it is better to have
the attitude of a devotee. It’s not right to think ‘I
am God’ or ‘O embodied being, you are not like
Krishna, you are just a devotee.’ But it’s a different
matter if God Himself draws you. It’s like a master
saying affectionately to his servant, ‘Come, come
along. Sit beside me. You are the same as I.’
“The waves belong to the Ganges, not the
Ganges to the waves.
1. So ’ham.
2. Daso ’ham.
“Shiva has both states of mind. When he is

absorbed in the joy of the Self,1 he is in the state of
‘I am He’ – he is fully fixed in union with God. But
when he feels himself a separate ‘I-ness,’ he dances,
exclaiming, ‘Rama! Rama!’
“That to which the movable belongs, to Him also
belongs the immovable.
“That is why you may not be moving just now,
but after a while you begin to work.
“Spiritual knowledge and love for God are one
and the same. Even so, one person says that it is
water and another that it is a piece of ice.”
Two kinds of samadhi – obstacle to samadhi: ‘lust and

greed’
“Broadly speaking, samadhi is of two kinds. By
reasoning on the path of jnana, I-ness is obliterated
and one attains samadhi. It is called sthira
samadhi or jada samadhi (nirvikalpa samadhi). The
samadhi attained by the path of bhakti is known as
bhava samadhi. In this samadhi, a thin line of I-
ness persists to enable one to enjoy divine bliss,
divine contact. However, if a person is attached to
‘lust and greed,’ this state cannot be attained.
“I said to Kedar, ‘If your mind dwells in “lust
and greed,” you can’t realize God.’ Once I thought I
might stroke his chest with my hand, but I couldn’t
do it. Within him, there was something twisted. It
was like a house smelling filthy – I couldn’t enter it.
It was like a natural Shiva Lingam, whose roots
spread as far as Kashi. As long as you are attracted
1. Atmarama.
13 – 15 July 1885 435
by the world, as long you are attached to ‘lust and

greed,’ you cannot succeed.
“‘Lust and greed’ has not yet entered into these
youngsters. That’s why I am so fond of them. Hazra
says, ‘You like a boy who is handsome and the son
of a rich man.’ If that were true, why would I be so
fond of Harish, Latu, Narendra? Narendra can’t
find a pice for salt to season his rice.
“Worldliness has not yet entered into these
youngsters’ minds. That’s why they are so pure.
“And many of them are ever-perfect ones.1 They
were drawn to God since their birth. Imagine you’ve
bought a garden and when clearing it, you discover
a previously installed water pipe. You open it and
lo, water gushes out!”
Purna and Niranjan – serving the mother – the attitude

of a Vaishnava
Balaram: “Sir, how is it that Purna has realized
suddenly that the world is an illusion?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “From past lives.2 He’s done
everything in previous births. Only the body is
small or grows old, not the Atman.
“Do you know how it is with these youngsters?
Bearing fruit even before flowering. First they see
God, and then they hear about His glories and
attributes. After that comes direct union.
“Look at Niranjan. He’s not a bookkeeper – he
doesn’t keep track of gain and loss. When he hears
1. Nityasiddhas.
2. Janamantrin.
the call, he can go. But as long as a person’s mother

is alive, she has to be looked after. I used to
worship my mother with flowers and sandal paste.
It is the Mother of the Universe who has come
down in the form of your mother. The memorial
service honouring a deceased relative is the
worship of one’s chosen deity. Vaishnavas celebrate
in a grand way when somebody dies. Their festival
has the same significance.
“As long as you take care of your own body, you
must look after your mother. So I say to Hazra,
‘When you have a cough, you make a mixture of
sugar candy and pepper, and you have to get the
pepper and also salt for taste.’ As long as you do
this for yourself, you have also to take care of your
mother.
“A minor can’t take responsibility for himself,
so he has a guardian. Chaitanya Deva’s state was
like that of a minor.”
M. goes to take dip in the Ganges.
Chapter IX
Sri Ramakrishna’s horoscope – his earlier story –

Thakur’s realization of God
Vision of Rama, Lakshmana, and Krishna1 – naked

figure of a paramahamsa
Sri Ramakrishna is talking with the devotees in
the same small room in Balaram’s house.
Mahendra Mukherji, Balaram, Tulsi, Haripada,
Girish, and other devotees are sitting on the floor.
1. Parthasarthi.
13 – 15 July 1885 437
Girish has been visiting Thakur for seven or eight

months. M. has returned after his bath in the
Ganges. He salutes Thakur and sits beside him.
Thakur is relating a few of his wonderful visions of
God.
“One day in the Kali Temple I saw Nangta1 and
Haladhari reading the Adhyatma Ramayana.
Suddenly I saw a stream with woods and green
trees and plants on either side. I saw Rama and
Lakshmana walking along wearing shorts.2 One
day, in front of the kuthi, I saw Arjuna’s chariot,
with the Lord sitting in it as the charioteer. I
remember this even now.
“Another day, during a kirtan at my native
village, I saw the figure of Gauranga before me.
“A naked man used to be with me all the time
then. I would touch his penis and cut jokes with
him. Then I would laugh and laugh. This naked
form came out of my own body – the picture of a
paramahamsa – like a child.
“Oh, I can’t describe the many divine visions I
had. At the time I had severe stomach troubles. The
visions would aggravate them, so when I had one, I
would say, ‘Get away!’ But they would catch hold of
me, like ghosts. I would remain absorbed in ecstasy.
I couldn’t tell you how I passed my days. Then all
divine emotion would pass as if I had had a bout of
diarrhea.” (Laughter.)
1. Totapuri.
2. Jandhiya.
Girish (smiling): “I am examining your

horoscope.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I was born on the second
lunar day. Except for the positions of sun, moon,
and mercury,1 it doesn’t show much more.”
Girish: “You were born under Aquarius. Rama
and Krishna were born under Cancer and Taurus.
And Chaitanya Deva under Leo.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I had two desires. One, to be
king of the devotees. Two, that I should not be a dry
sadhu.”
Sri Ramakrishna’s horoscope – why spiritual practice

for Thakur? – vision of Brahmayoni
Girish (smiling): “Why did you have to practice
spiritual disciplines?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “The Divine Mother2
underwent many difficult spiritual practices for
Shiva,3 sitting encircled by five fires,4 keeping her
body immersed in water during cold weather, and
gazing at the sun without blinking.
“Krishna practiced a number of spiritual
disciplines with the Radha Yantra. That yantra
was the Brahmayoni from which universes arise.
He would meditate on it and worship it. From it
thousands of universes are created.
“This is very secret. Under the bel tree I used to
have sparkling visions.”
1. Ravi, Chandra, and Buddha.

2. Bhagavati.
3. To win him as a husband.
4. Panchatapa.
13 – 15 July 1885 439
His earlier story – practicing Tantra under the bel tree

– Brahmani procured the articles
“I practiced a number of Tantric disciplines
under the bel tree – with a skull, and so forth. And
I performed a number of postures. The Brahmani
arranged everything.
(Moving nearer to Haripada) “In that state I
used to worship the penis of young boys with
flowers and sandalwood paste. I couldn’t help
myself.
“And there was another experience. I would fall
sick the very next day if I became egoistic.”
M. sits like a picture without saying a word when he
hears Thakur tell of his wonderful experiences, words
never heard before. The devotees also sit there as if
bathed in the redeeming current of the Ganges, as if
the Bhagavata itself were flowing from the lips of Sri
Ramakrishna.
Everyone is silent.
Tulasi:1 “He (M.) never laughs.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He has laughter within.
There is sand over the course of the Phalgu River.
But dig into it and you will reach water.
(To M.) “Don’t you scrape your tongue? Please
clean your tongue every day.”
Balaram: “Well, Purna has come to know many
things about you from him (M.).”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He knows my earlier life
story. But what, I don’t know.”
1. The future Swami Nirmalananda.

Balaram: “Purna is perfect by nature. What are

these people?”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “They are just instruments.”
It is nine o’clock. Arrangements have been made
for Thakur’s return to Dakshineswar. A boat has
been hired and is ready for him at the Annapurna
ghat of Baghbazar. Prostrating, the devotees salute
Thakur.
He boards the boat with one or two devotees.
Gopal’s Mother goes into the same boat. After a
little rest at Dakshineswar, she will continue on
foot to Kamarhatti in the evening.
Thakur’s camp cot from Dakshineswar, which
had been sent for repairs, is also loaded into the
boat. It was on this cot that Rakhal generally slept.
This is, however, not an auspicious day for
departure.2 To change his itinerary date, Thakur
has decided to return to Balaram’s house this
coming Saturday.
1. M. and the others.

2. Magha Nakshatra.
Section XXIV
Thakur at the Dakshineswar Temple

with Rakhal, M., Mahimacharan,
and Other Devotees
Chapter I
Dwija, Dwija's father, and Sri Ramakrishna – debt

owed to one’s mother and father
Sri Ramakrishna is in his room at the Dakshineswar

temple with Rakhal, M., and other devotees. It is
about three or four o’clock.
It is the beginning stage of Sri Ramakrishna’s sore

throat, yet he thinks the whole day only of the good of
the devotees – how they might not get bound to the
world, how they can gain knowledge and love of God,
and how they may realize God.
Ten or twelve days ago, on Tuesday, 28 July 1885, he

visited the home of Nandalal Bose at Calcutta to see
the pictures of gods. He then graciously visited the
homes of Balaram and other devotees.
Having returned from Vrindavan, Rakhal has stayed

at home for some days. At present he, Latu, Harish,
and Ramlal are staying with Thakur.
A few months ago, the Holy Mother came from the

countryside to nurse Thakur at Dakshineswar. She is
staying in the nahabat. The grief-stricken Brahmani
has been living with her for some days.
Dwija, Dwija’s father and brother, M., and others are

sitting beside Thakur. Today is 9 August, 1885.
442 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXIV
Dwija is about sixteen years old. After the death of his

mother, his father married a second time. Dwija often
comes to see Thakur with M., though this displeases
his father.
Some time ago Dwija’s father spoke about coming to

visit Thakur. Today he has come. He is the manager
of a Calcutta business. He was a student of D.L.
Richardson at the Hindu College and has passed
examinations for lawyer of the High Court.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Dwija’s father): “Please
don’t worry about your son’s visits here.
“I tell you, go live a householder’s life after
attaining spiritual awakening. If someone finds
gold after hard labour, he can keep it underground
or in a box or in water. It doesn’t affect the gold.
“I tell you, live a householder’s life without
attachment. Break a jackfruit after rubbing your
hands with oil. Then its juice won’t stick to your
hand.
“If an immature mind is put in worldly life, it
gets dirty. You should only live a householder’s life
after you’ve attained spiritual knowledge.
“If you put milk in water, it gets ruined. But if
you first churn butter out of the milk and then put
it in water, you can keep the butter in water.”
Dwija’s Father: “True, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “I understand why
you scold him. You only threaten. The brahmachari
said to the snake, ‘You are a real fool. I only asked
you not to bite. I never asked you not to hiss. If
you’d hissed, your enemies wouldn’t have been able
9 August 1885 443
to beat you.’ When you rebuke the boy, it’s only

hissing.”
Dwija’s father laughs.
“If a father has a good son, it’s a mark of his
father’s spiritual nature. If water in a pond is clean,
it’s a sign of the virtue of its owner.
“A son is said to be born of one’s self (atmaja).
There is no difference between you and your son.
You have become your son in another way. On the
one hand, you’re a worldly man working in an office
and enjoying family life. On the other hand, you’re
a devotee of God in the form of your son. I heard
that you were a very worldly person. But it’s not
true. (Smiling) You know all this. But you are very
tactful. You are saying yes, yes even to this.”
Dwija’s father smiles a little.
“If your boys come here, they know what you
really are. How great is one’s father! A person who
practices religion by deceiving his parents will get
nowhere.”
His earlier story – Sri Ramakrishna's worry about his

mother in Vrindavan
“A man owes many debts. Debt to the father,
debt to the gods, and debt to the rishis. And there is
debt to the mother too. Furthermore, there is debt
to the wife. She has to be taken care of. If she’s a
faithful wife, a person even has to arrange for her
maintenance after death.
“I couldn’t stay in Vrindavan because of my
mother. As soon as I remembered that she was at
the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, I couldn’t keep

my mind in Vrindavan.
“I tell them to live in the family and also keep
their minds on God. I don’t ask them to renounce
the world. Do this and do that too.”
Dwija’s Father: “I tell the boys to study. I don’t
tell them not to visit you. But I don’t want them to
waste time frivolously with the other boys.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He (Dwija) surely has good
tendencies from past births. Why aren’t his two
brothers the same? Why is only he inclined this
way?
“Can you forcibly stop him? A person acts
according to tendencies of past births.”
The father: “Yes, that is certainly true.”
Thakur comes down and sits on the mat close to
Dwjia’s father. He touches him now and then while
he talks.
It is almost twilight. Thakur says to M. and the
others, “Please take him for darshan of the deities.
If I were well, I would go with him.”
He asks for sandesh for the boys. He says to
Dwija’s father, “Let them eat a little. They should
have some sweets.”
Dwija’s father strolls in the garden after visiting
the deities in the temples. Sri Ramakrishna is
talking happily with Bhupen, Dwija, M., and others
on the southeastern verandah of his room. He slaps
the backs of Bhupen and M. in fun and says to
Dwija with a smile, “How I talked to your father!”
9 August 1885 445
After twilight Dwija’s father comes again to

Thakur’s room. He is going to leave soon. He is
feeling the heat. Thakur himself fans him.
As Dwija’s father leaves, Thakur stands up.
Chapter II
Thakur talks freely – what is Sri Ramakrishna, a

perfect man or an incarnation of God?
It is 8 p.m. Thakur is talking with Mahima-
charan while Rakhal, M., and a few of
Mahimacharan’s companions are also in the room.
Mahimacharan is going to spend the night here.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, how do you find Kedar?
Has he ‘drunk milk’ or only ‘seen it?’
Mahima: “Yes, he is enjoying bliss.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And Nityagopal?”
Mahima: “Good. He’s in a very nice state.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Alright. So tell me, has
Girish Ghosh changed?”
Mahima: “Very nicely – but he belongs to a
separate class.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Narendra?”
Mahima: “He is what I was fifteen years ago.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “And the younger Naren?
Isn’t he guileless?”
Mahima: “Yes. He is very simple-hearted.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s true. (Thinking some
more) Who else?
“It’s enough if all the youngsters who come here

know just two things. When they do, they won’t
have to practice much spiritual discipline. First,
who I am – and then who they are. Many of these
youngsters belong to the inner circle.
“Those who belong to the inner circle won’t
attain liberation. I will take up a body again (in the
northwest).
“I feel great peace when I see these youngsters.
How can I feel happy when I see those who father
sons, engage in law-suits, and are busy with ‘lust
and greed?’ How can I live without seeing pure
souls?”
Mahimacharan chants verses from the
scriptures for Thakur and talks of different yogic
postures1 such as bhuchari, khechari, sambhavi,
and so forth, mentioned in the Tantra.
Thakur experiences five kinds of samadhi – piercing

the six spiritual centres – basic truth of yoga –
kundalini
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, some people say that in
samadhi the atman flies around like a bird in the
Great Space.2
“Once a sadhu came here from Hrishikesh. He
said, ‘Samadhi is of five kinds. And you experience
them all. I have seen this. Like an ant, a fish, a
monkey, a bird, and a serpent.’
“At times, the spiritual current rises up like an
ant’s movement. Sometimes, in the state of
1. Mudras.
2. Mahakasha.
9 August 1885 447
samadhi, the atman swims joyfully in an ocean of

ecstasy, like a fish.
“Sometimes, when I’m lying on my side, the
great spiritual current pushes me, like a monkey
playing with me. I stay quiet. Then this great
current suddenly jumps around like a monkey and
climbs up to the thousand-petalled centre. That’s
why I jump up with a start.
“And sometimes, the great current rises up like
a bird, hopping from one branch to another. The
place where it rests feels like fire. Perhaps it rises
from muladhara to the svadhisthana, from the
svadhishtana to the heart, and in this way rises
right up to the head.
“Sometimes, the spiritual current rises like the
zigzag movement of a snake. When it rises to the
head, I experience samadhi.”
His earlier story – first ecstasy at the age of 22 or 23, in

1858 – piercing the six spiritual centres
“Spiritual consciousness is not awakened until
the kundalini has awakened.
“The kundalini lies in the muladhara. When it is
awakened, it passes though the centre of the
sushumna spiritual nerve, to pierce the
svadhisthana, manipura, and the other spiritual
centres, until it finally reaches the head. This is
known as the movement of the great spiritual
current. Thus finally one enters samadhi.
“You can’t gain spiritual awareness by just
reading books. You have to call upon Him. The
kundalini wakes up when you yearn for God.
Listening and reading about spiritual knowledge in

books – of what use is that?
“Just before I reached this state, I was shown
how the power of the kundalini is awakened. How
all the lotuses of the spiritual centres begin to open
out one by one – and finally I was in samadhi. This
is very secret. I saw that a young man about
twenty-two or twenty-three years old, just like me,
entered my sushumna nerve and began to play
intimately with the lotuses, touching them with his
tongue. First at the rectum, then at the organ of
reproduction, and then the navel. These lotuses
with four petals, six petals, and ten petals, all
looking downward, began to look up.
“When it reached the heart, I still remember it
very clearly. The twelve-petalled lotus, which
looked downward, turned upward and opened out
when he touched it with his tongue. Then the
sixteen-petalled lotus in the throat and then the
two-petalled lotus in the forehead opened up. Last
of all, the thousand-petalled lotus, the sahasrara,
opened out. Since then I have been in this state.”
9 August 1885 449
Chapter III
His earlier story – Thakur talks openly – is he a perfect

human being or an incarnation of God?
(Talks with God – view of maya – sees devotees before

their actual coming – sees Keshab Sen in ecstasy –
vision of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute – and
Narendra – and Kedar – illumined body in his first
ecstasy – his father’s dream – the Naked One and
samadhi in three days – Mathur’s service from 1858 to
1871, fourteen years – yearns for devotees on the roof
of the kuthi – in continuous samadhi – practices all
spiritual disciplines)
While he is talking of these things, Thakur
comes down from his cot and sits close to
Mahimacharan on the floor. M. and one or two
other devotees are there. Rakhal is also present.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mahima): “I have been
wanting to tell you this for many days, but I
couldn’t. I feel like telling you today.
“You say that my state can be attained just by
practicing spiritual disciplines. This is not true.
There is something special here.”
M., Rakhal, and the other devotees listen
eagerly and in amazement to what Thakur has to
say.
Sri Ramakrishna: “God talked to me. It’s not
only that you can see God – you can talk with Him.
Under the banyan tree, I saw Him coming up from
the Ganges. O, how much we laughed after that! He
twisted my fingers playfully. And then He talked.
He actually talked to me.
“I wept for three days, and He showed me what

the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras, and other
holy books contain. He showed it all to me.
“One day He also revealed to me what the maya
of Mahamaya is. A small light in the room
gradually became bigger and bigger until it spread
out over the whole world and enveloped it.
“And then He showed me a big lake totally
covered with sedge. When a breeze parted it a little,
I saw water. But in no time at all, the sedge came
dancing from all sides and again covered it
completely. I was shown that the water was Sat-
chit-ananda and the sedge was maya. Because of
maya, you can’t see Sat-chit-ananda. But some-
times, though you can get a momentary glimpse,
maya again covers it up.
“I am shown what kind of devotees will come
before they arrive. Under the banyan tree, I was
shown the singing party of Chaitanya Deva
stretching to the bakul tree. I saw Balaram in that
party. If he had not been there, who would supply
me with sugar candy and such things? And I saw
him (M.) too.”
Sri Ramakrishna – Keshab Sen introducing the name of

Hari and the Divine Mother into his Samaj
“Before I met Keshab Sen, I saw him in a vision.
While in the state of samadhi, I saw him and his
group. There was a room full of people sitting in
front of me. I saw Keshab – like a peacock with its
tail spread out. The tail meant his group. And I saw
a red jewel on Keshab’s forehead. This is a sign of
rajas. Keshab was saying to his devotees, ‘Please
9 August 1885 451
listen to everything he says.’ I said to the Divine

Mother, ‘Mother, they hold the views of English
people. Why should I talk to them?’ The Divine
Mother made me understand that this is how it is
in the Kaliyuga. Then Keshab and his followers
carried the names of Hari and the Divine Mother
from here. That’s why the Divine Mother took Vijay
from Keshab’s group. But he didn’t join the Adi
Brahmo Samaj.
(Pointing to himself) “There is something special
within [me]. A boy named Gopal Sen used to visit
me, quite a long time ago. He who is within me
placed his foot on Gopal’s chest. Gopal said in a
state of ecstasy, ‘You will have to wait a long time. I
can’t get along with worldly people. I have to leave
now.’ Saying this, he left. I heard later that he had
quit his body after that. Maybe he has now been
born as Nityagopal.
“I have had many wonderful visions. I had the
vision of the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute. I saw two groups divided by a fence in the
middle. On one side, I saw Kedar, Chuni, and many
other believers in God with form. On the other side
of the fence was a shining heap of red brick dust –
illumined. In the middle of it, I saw Narendra
sitting in samadhi.
“Seeing him absorbed in meditation, I called out,
‘Oh, Narendra.’ He opened his eyes a little. I
understood that he had been born in one form in
Simla1 as the son of a kayastha. I then said to the
Divine Mother, ‘Mother, please bind him with Your
1. The section of Calcutta in which Narendra was born.

maya. Otherwise, he’ll quit his body absorbed in

samadhi.’ Kedar, who was a believer in God with
form, peeped in and ran away with a shudder.
“So I say to myself that the Divine Mother
Herself resides in this [body] and plays with the
devotees. When I first had this state, the body
would shine with light and the chest would become
red. Then I said, ‘Mother, don’t manifest Yourself
externally. Go within, go within.’ So now I have this
dull body. If it were not so, people would trouble me
a lot. They would gather in crowds if I still had that
luminous body. There is no outer manifestation
now. This drives away useless fellows. Only those
who are pure devotees will stay. Why do I have this
illness? It has the same meaning. Those who have
devotion for some selfish reasons1 will flee on
seeing me ill.
“I had this desire. I said to the Divine Mother,
‘May I become king of the devotees.’
“And then the thought came, ‘Those who
sincerely call upon God will have to come here.
They will surely have to come.’ Now see, this is
exactly what is happening. Only those people are
coming.
“My mother and my father knew what is here
within. My father had a dream in Gaya in which
Raghuvir said, ‘I will be born as your son.’
“It is He who resides here within. As for such
renunciation of ‘lust and greed,’ could I have
1. Sakama bhakti.
9 August 1885 453
brought it about myself? I haven’t cohabited with a

woman even in dream!
“The Naked One taught me the Vedanta. I
attained samadhi in three days. Seeing me in
samadhi under the madhavi creeper, he was
perplexed and exclaimed, ‘Oh, what is this?’ Later
he realized what dwelt within this. Then he said to
me, ‘Please let me go.’ Hearing these words I went
into a state of ecstasy and said to him, ‘You can’t
leave till I have realized the truth of Vedanta.’
“I was with him day and night. There was only
Vedanta. Brahmani1 would say, ‘Son, don’t listen to
Vedanta. Your love for God will suffer.’
“I said to the Divine Mother, ‘Mother, how will I
be able to sustain this body? How can I live in the
company of sadhus and devotees? Please send a
rich man to me.’ That’s why Mathur Babu served
me for fourteen years.
“He who dwells within tells me in advance what
kind of devotees will come to me. As soon as I see
the form of Gauranga before my eyes, I
immediately know that the devotees of Gaur will be
coming. And if a Shakta comes, I have the vision of
Divine Energy, Kali, before my eyes.
“I used to shout from the roof of the kuthi at the
time of the evening service, ‘O all of you, where are
you? Please come!’ See, now they all are gathering
one by one.
“God Himself dwells within this. As if He
Himself is working with the devotees.
1 Bhairavi Brahmani.
“How wonderful is the state of mind of some of

the devotees! The younger Naren automatically
experiences kumbhaka without effort. And then
goes into samadhi time and again. Sometimes for
two-and-half hours at a stretch! Sometimes longer.
How wonderful!
“All kinds of disciplines have been practiced
here: jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, and karma yoga.
Even hatha yoga, to add years to the life. A person
dwells within this. How else could I have love for
God and live with devotees after samadhi? Koar
Singh said, ‘I have never seen a person returning
[to life] after samadhi. You are none other than
Nanak.’”
His earlier story – in the steamboat with Keshab,

Pratap, and Mr. Cook – 1881
“There are worldly people everywhere –
everywhere ‘lust and greed.’ And yet I live in this
state surrounded by them, constantly experiencing
samadhi or ecstasy. That’s why Pratap (Pratap
Chandra Majumdar of the Brahmo Samaj), when
he came with Mr. Cook and noticed my samadhi in
the steamer, said, ‘Dear sir, you seem to be
possessed by a ghost.’”
Rakhal, M. and the others listen wonderstruck
to all these amazing words issuing from the mouth
of Sri Ramakrishna.
Has Mahimacharan been able to understand what
Thakur is hinting at? Even after hearing it all, he
says, “Sir, all this has happened as ordained by your
9 August 1885 455
destiny.”1 His feeling is that Thakur is just a holy

man, a devotee. Consenting to his remark, Thakur
says, “Yes, actions of my past lives are showing their
effect now. It is like a gentleman possessing a number
of houses. Here you have a special parlour. The
devotee is His parlour.”
Chapter IV
Mahimacharan’s brahmachakra2 – his earlier story –

instructions by Totapuri
Is it a small thing to have a vision in dream? Narendra

sees divine forms
It is nine o’clock at night. Thakur is sitting on
the smaller cot. Mahimacharan wants to form a
brahmachakra in the same room that Thakur is in.
He forms a circle with Rakhal, M., Kishori, and one
or two other devotees. Then he asks them all to
meditate. Rakhal goes into ecstasy. Thakur comes
down from the bed and, placing his hand on
Rakhal’s chest, begins to chant the name of the
Divine Mother. Rakhal comes out of the ecstasy.
It must be one o’clock in the morning. It is the
fourteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight, pitch
dark everywhere. One or two devotees are pacing
alone on the masonry embankment of the Ganges.
Thakur gets up. He also comes out and says to the
devotees, “The Naked One used to say that at such
an hour, in the depth of night, one can hear the
anahata sound.”
1. Prarabdha karma, that karma which has already been set in

motion, the result of past actions being experienced in the present.
2. A mystic circle prescribed in Tantra.
In the later part of the night, Mahimacharan

and M. lie down on the floor of Thakur’s room.
Rakhal is sleeping on the camp cot. Thakur at
times paces the room stark-naked like a five-year-
old boy.
It is morning. Thakur repeats the name of the
Divine Mother. Going to the western verandah, he
has a view of the Ganges. He then goes near all the
pictures of the gods and goddesses in the room and
salutes them. The devotees rise from their beds,
salute him, and then attend to their morning
ablutions.
Thakur talks to a devotee in the panchavati.
The devotee had seen Chaitanya Deva in a dream.
Sri Ramakrishna (in ecstasy): “Ah! Ah!”
The devotee: “Sir, it was but a dream.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Is a dream a small matter?”
Thakur has tears in his eyes and his voice full of
emotion.
Hearing that a devotee had a divine vision while
awake, he says, “What is there to marvel at?
Narendra also sees divine forms these days.”
Finishing his morning ablutions, Mahimacharan
goes to the Shiva temple west of the courtyard and
alone chants verses from the Vedas.
It is eight o’clock in the morning. Mani comes to
Thakur after a dip in the Ganges. The grief-
stricken brahmin woman has also come to see
Thakur.
9 August 1885 457
Sri Ramakrishna (to the brahmin woman):

“Please give him some prasad to eat. There are
some luchis and the like in the recess of the wall.”
Brahmin woman: “You must eat first. Later, he
will be served.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “First eat the prasad1 of
Jagannath.”
After having prasad, Mani goes to the Shiva
temples. Then he returns to Thakur. Saluting him,
he takes leave.
Sri Ramakrishna (affectionately): “You may go
now. You have to attend to your work.”
1 Atka.
Section XXV
Sri Ramakrishna with Rakhal, M.,

Pundit Shyamapada, and Other
Devotees at the Dakshineswar
Temple
Chapter I
In samadhi – showers his grace on Pundit Shyamapada
Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room with one or two

devotees. It is 5 p.m., Thursday, 27 August 1885; 12th
of Bhadra, the second day of the dark fortnight of the
month of Shravana.
Thakur’s illness is in the beginning stage. Even so, he

doesn’t think of his body when his devotees visit.
Sometimes he talks with them the whole day,
sometimes even singing.
Doctor Madhu has come by boat. The devotees
are very worried about the illness. They would like
the doctor to come daily to examine him. M. says to
the Master, “He is very competent. It would be nice
if he would see you every day.”
Pundit Shyamapada Bhattacharya comes to see
Thakur. His home is in the village of Antpur. It is
now almost evening. Noticing it, the pundit says
that he must go for his evening worship and he goes
to the chandni on the bank of the Ganges, where he
has an amazing vision while performing his
worship. Afterward he returns to Thakur’s room
and sits on the floor. After repeating the name of
460 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXV
the Divine Mother and meditating on Her, Thakur

sits on his bed. M. is sitting on the foot rug. Rakhal,
Latu, and others come in and go out of the room.
Sri Ramakrishna (pointing to the pundit while
speaking to M.): “He is a very nice person.” (To the
pundit) “God is where you find peace after
discriminating by the process of ‘Not this, not this.’”
Signs of God-realization and Pundit Shyamapada –

Thakur in samadhi
“The king lives beyond the seven gates. When
you go to the first gate, you see a rich man sitting
with many people. There is a lot of splendour there.
Wanting to see the king, if you ask your companion,
‘Is this the king?’ the companion smiles a little and
says, ‘No.’ He says the same thing at the second
gate and the other gates. You notice that the
farther you go, the more splendour you see. There is
greater and greater show of pomp. But when you
pass the seventh gate, you no longer need to ask
your companion. You stand there amazed, dumb-
founded at the sight of the matchless riches of the
king. Now you know that this indeed is the king.
There is no doubt in your mind about it.”
God, maya, living beings and the world – Adhyatma

Ramayana – hymn by Yamalarjuna
Pundit: “Only when one leaves behind the
kingdom of maya does one see Him.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “After attaining God-
realization, you see that God Himself has become
maya, the world and its living beings. If you reason,
‘Not this, not this,’ you realize that this world is a
27 – 28 August 1885 461
very deceptive place. It’s like a dream. When you

attain the realization of God, this world becomes a
mart of joy.
“What’s the use of only reading scriptures?
Pundits only reason.”
Pundit: “I hate it when someone calls me a
pundit.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is His grace. Pundits
spend their time reasoning. But some have heard of
milk and others have tasted it. After you have
realized God, you will see everything as Narayana.
It is Narayana who has become all this.”
The pundit chants a verse on Narayana. Thakur
is full of joy.
sarvabhütastham ätmänaà sarvabhütäni cätmani |
ékñate yogayuktätmä sarvatra samadarçanaù ||

[His mind being harmonized by yoga, he sees himself in
all beings and all beings in himself; he sees the same in
all.]
– Bhagavad Gita 6:29
Sri Ramakrishna: “Have you read the Adhyatma
(Ramayana)?”
Pundit: “Yes, sir. I’ve read some of it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It is full of spiritual
knowledge and love for God. The Shavari story and
Ahalya’s hymn are all full of love for God.
“But this is a fact. God is far beyond
worldliness.”
Pundit: “God is very far1 from worldly

intelligence. And where it is not, He is near.2 I saw
a landlord of Uttarpara named Mukhujaya, who
was quite old. But he only listened to stories from
novels.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “There is one more thing
mentioned in the Adhyatma: that God Himself is
the world and its living beings.”
The Pundit delightedly recites some verses of
Yamalarjuna pertaining to this; they are from the
tenth chapter of the Srimad Bhagavata:3
O Krishna, Krishna, great yogin! You are the supreme,
primordial being. The wise know Your form as this
universe, manifest and unmanifest.
You are the one ruler over the senses, the ego, the vital
force, and the bodies of all creatures. You are truly time,
the blessed Lord Vishnu, the all-pervading ruler.
You are the great Prakriti, subtle and consisting of sattva,
rajas, and tamas; truly You are Purusha, the witness of
change in all spheres of action.
Sri Ramakrishna in samadhi – one will have to come

here who sincerely practices meditation and japa
Listening to the hymn, he stands in samadhi.
The pundit remains seated. Placing one foot on the
pundit’s lap and chest, Thakur smiles.
Holding the foot, the pundit says, “Oh Guru,
illumine me!” Thakur is standing near the smaller
cot, facing east.
1. Suduram.
2. Aduram.
3. Srimad Bhagavata, X:10:29 to 31.
27 – 28 August 1885 463
After the pundit has left, Thakur says to M.,

“My words are coming true. Those who have
practiced meditation and japa sincerely will have to
come here.”
It is already 10 p.m. After taking a small, simple
meal of farina pudding, Thakur lies on his bed. He
says to Mani, “Stroke my feet a little.”
After a while, he asks M. to stroke his body and
chest.
Taking a short nap, he says to Mani, “You may
go to sleep now. Let me see if I can fall asleep
alone.” In a little while, he says to Ramlal, “He
(Mani) and Rakhal can sleep in the room.”
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna and Jesus Christ

It is daybreak.1 Thakur rises and meditates on
the Divine Mother. Because of his illness, the
devotees are not able to hear the sweet chanting of
God’s name. After his morning ablutions, Thakur
comes in the room and sits down. He says to Mani,
“Well, why am I suffering this illness?”
Mani: “Sir, people won’t have the courage to go
through all these things unless you do. A person
sees that you are suffering so much physically, but
even then you know nothing but God.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Balaram also said,
‘If you suffer like this, how can we be spared?’
1. 28 August 1885.
“When Rama couldn’t lift the bow because of his

pain of separation from Sita, Lakshmana was
astonished. ‘Bound by the five elements, even
Brahman laments.’”
Mani: “Jesus Christ also wept like an ordinary
man to see the suffering of his devotees.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “How did it happen?”
Mani: “Martha and Mary, two sisters, and their
brother Lazarus were devotees of Jesus. Lazarus
died. Jesus was going to their house. On the way,
one sister (Mary) went up to him and fell at his
feet. Weeping bitterly, she said, ‘Lord, if only you
had come earlier, he would not have died.’ Seeing
her cry, Jesus also began to weep.”
Sri Ramakrishna and miracles

“Then Jesus went to his grave and called him by
name. Immediately Lazarus came back to life and
arose.”1
Sri Ramakrishna: “But I don’t do such things.”
Mani: “That is because you don’t want to. Those
are occult powers, so you don’t practice them. If you
did, people’s minds would turn to their bodies, and
not to pure love for God. That’s why you don’t do
them.
“There are many similarities between you and
Jesus Christ.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What similarities?”
1. Luke 11: 132-44.

27 – 28 August 1885 465
Mani: “You don’t ask devotees to keep fasts or

take to severe practices, You have no strict
restrictions about food. Jesus Christ’s disciples ate
on the Sabbath which was against the rules.1 That’s
why the people who strictly followed the scriptural
rules showed their displeasure. Jesus said, ‘They
have done well to eat. As long as they are with the
bridegroom, they must enjoy themselves.’”2
Sri Ramakrishna: “What does it mean?”
Mani: “That his disciples will only enjoy
themselves as long as they are with the incarnation
of God. Why should they be in sorrow? It is only
when the incarnation returns to his abode in
heaven that they will face the suffering and sorrows
of life.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “And is there any
more similarity?”
Mani: “Sir, as you say that ‘lust and greed’ has
not entered into the youngsters, they will be able to
internalize religious instructions. For instance, that
you can keep milk in a new pot, but if it’s put in a
pot used for making curds, it will turn sour. He said
things like that.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What did he say?”
Mani: “If you put new wine in an old wineskin,
it can burst.3 And if you patch an old cloth with a
new piece, it will tear quickly.
1. Mark 2:26-27.
2. Matthew 9:15.
3. Mark 2:22.
“Also, just as you say, ‘The Divine Mother and I

are one,’ he used to say, ‘I and my Father are one.’”1
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Anything else?”
Mani: “Well, you say, ‘If you call on Him with a
yearning heart, He is sure to listen to you.’ Jesus
also said, ‘Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’”2
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, if God incarnates as a
human being, is He a full manifestation, or a
portion or a fraction? Some people say it is full.”
Mani: “Sir, whether He incarnates as a full
manifestation or a portion or a fraction, I don’t
completely understand. But what you said, I have
understood fully – a round hole in a wall.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Tell me about it.”
Mani: “There is a round hole in a wall. You can
see a little bit of the field beyond the wall through
this hole. Similarly, you can have a little glimpse of
the infinite God through you.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, you can very clearly see
five or six miles3 beyond.”
After a dip in the Ganges at the chandni, Mani
returns to Thakur’s room. It is eight o’clock in the
morning.
Mani asks Latu for some rice prasad4 of
Jagannath.
1. John 10:30.
2. Matthew 7:7.
3. Two or three kosas.
4. Atka.
27 – 28 August 1885 467
Coming close to Mani, Sri Ramakrishna says,

“Eat prasad regularly. A real devotee cannot take
his meals without some prasad.”
Mani: “Sir, I brought some prasad of Jagannath
from Balaram’s house yesterday. I eat a grain or
two of it every day.”
Mani salutes Thakur and asks him for
permission to leave. Thakur says to him
affectionately, “Yes, go early in the morning. The
hot sun of the rainy season1 is harmful.”
1. The month of Bhadra.

Section XXVI
Thakur with Devotees at the

Dakshineswar Temple on
Janmashtami Festival Day
Chapter I
Coming of Subodh – Purna, M., Gangadhar, Kshirode,

and Nitai
Sri Ramakrishna is resting in his room. It is 8 p.m. on

Monday, 31st of August 1885, 16th of Bhadra, the 6th
day of the dark fortnight of Shravana.
Thakur is unwell. It is the beginning of his throat

trouble. But he remains constantly thinking, day and
night, of the spiritual welfare of the devotees.
Sometimes he worries about his illness like a child.
But the very next moment, forgetting everything, he is
intoxicated with intense love for God. He becomes
almost mad with love for the devotees, like a mother.
Two days ago, last Saturday night, Purna had written

in a letter to Thakur: “I feel immense joy. Sometimes,
because of the joy, I cannot sleep at night.”
When the letter had been read to Thakur, he had said,

“The hair of my body stands on end to hear this. His
state of joy will last. Let me see the letter.”
Folding it and pressing it in the palm of his hand, he

had said, “Usually I can’t touch letters. But this is a
good letter.”
Thakur rests a while in bed. Suddenly,
perspiring, he sits up and says, “I feel that I will
not be cured of this disease.”
470 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXVI
All the devotees are worried to hear this from

him.
The Holy Mother has arrived to serve Thakur and is
living very quietly in the nahabat. Most of the
devotees have no idea that she lives there. A woman
devotee (Golap Ma) is also living in the nahabat. She
frequently comes to Thakur’s room to visit him.
Thakur said to her yesterday, Sunday, “You have been

here for many days. What will people think? You’d
better go home and stay there for ten days or so.” M.
heard this conversation.
Today is Monday. Thakur is not well. It is about 8

o’clock at night. He is lying on the small cot on his
back, his head toward the south. After dusk
Gangadhar1 came with M. from Calcutta. He is now
sitting at Thakur’s feet. Thakur is talking to M.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Two boys came here. The
great-grandson of Shankar Ghosh, his daughter’s
son (Subodh),2 and another boy (Kshirode) from
their neighborhood. Both of them are good boys. I
am not well now. I have asked them to go to you for
instruction. Do please look after them a little.”
M.: “Yes, sir. They live in our neighborhood.”
Beginning of Thakur’s illness – Dr. Bhagavan – Dr.

Nitai
Sri Ramakrishna: “The other day I woke up in a
sweat. What can this illness be?”
M.: “Sir, we have decided to have you examined
by Dr. Bhagavan Rudra. He is an MD and a very
good doctor.”
1. Later Swami Akhandananda.

2. Later Swami Subodhananda.
31 August – 2 September 1885 471
Sri Ramakrishna: “What will he charge?”

M.: “He charges twenty or twenty-five rupees
from others.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Then leave it alone.”
M.: “But sir, we will not pay more than four or
five rupees.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, if you ask him this
way, ‘Be kind enough to come and see him.’ Has he
not heard anything about this place?”
M.: “It seems he has. He has indicated that he
wouldn’t charge, but we will pay him so he will visit
again.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It would be better if you
called (Dr.) Nitai. After all, what do these doctors
do when they come here? They only aggravate it by
pressing the throat.”
It is 9 p.m. Thakur sits up to take a little farina
pudding.
He feels no discomfort in eating. He says to M.
happily, “I’ve been able to eat a little. I am feeling
very happy.”
Chapter II
Janmashtami Day – with Narendra, Ram, Girish, and

others
(Balaram, M., Gopal's Mother, Rakhal, Latu, the

younger Naren, the sadhu from Punjab, Navagopal, the
Vaishnavas of Katoa, and Dr. Rakhal)
It is Janmashtami,1 Tuesday, 1 September 1885, 17th

of Bhadra. Thakur is going to take a bath. A devotee
massages him with oil while he sits on the southern
verandah. Returning from a dip in the Ganges, M.
salutes him.
After Thakur’s bath, clad in a towel and facing south,

he salutes the deities from the verandah. Because of
ill health, he is not able to visit the Kali Temple or
Vishnu temples.
It is the anniversary of Krishna’s birth. Ram and

other devotees have brought new clothes for Thakur.
He puts them on – a dhoti from Vrindavan and a red
silk cloth for the upper body. His pure body looks
charming in these new clothes. When he has put them
on, he salutes the deities.
Gopal’s Mother has prepared some food for
Gopala2 and brought it from Kamarhatti. When she
arrives, she says sadly to Thakur, “But you won’t
eat any of it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “You see, I’m not well.”
Gopal’s Mother: “My misfortune! Please have a
little in your hand.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Please bless me.”
1. Anniversary of Krishna’s birth.

2. Baby Krishna.
Understanding him to be her Gopala, Gopal’s

Mother feeds Thakur.
The devotees have brought sugar candy. Gopal’s
Mother says, “Let me take this candy to the
nahabat.” Sri Ramakrishna says, “I have to give it
to the devotees. It’s difficult to keep asking for it
from the nahabat. Leave it here.”
It is eleven o’clock. The devotees of Calcutta are
arriving one by one: Balaram, Narendra, the younger
Naren, Navagopal, and a Vaishnava devotee from
Katoa. Rakhal and Latu are living here. A sadhu from
the Punjab has been staying in the panchavati for
some time.
The younger Naren has a tumor on his forehead.
While strolling in the panchavati, Ramakrishna
says, “Why don’t you get this lump removed? It’s
not on the throat, it’s on the forehead. It wouldn’t
harm you. People even have surgery to treat
swollen testicles.” (Laughter.)
The Punjabi sadhu is going along the garden
path. Thakur says, “I don’t attract him. He has the
disposition of a jnani. I see him as a dry piece of
wood.”
Thakur returns to his room. They talk about
Shyamapada Bhattacharya.
Balaram: “He said, ‘The ecstasy Narendra felt
when Thakur placed his foot on his chest I didn’t
experience.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you know why? It’s very
difficult to concentrate a mind scattered by ‘lust
and greed.’ He has to hold a village court.1 He said

so. And he has to worry about his children.
Narendra’s and the other youngsters’ minds are not
scattered. ‘Lust and greed’ have not yet entered into
them.
“But he (Shyamapada) is a great person.”
The Vaishnava from Katoa is asking Thakur
questions. He is a bit squint-eyed.
Discussion about previous lives – taking birth to gain

love for God
Vaishnava: “Sir, is there another life after this
one?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Gita says, ‘A man is
reborn with the same tendencies he had at the time
of his death.’ King Bharata was born as a deer
because he was thinking of his deer in his last
moments.”
Vaishnava: “I could believe this if someone had
seen it with his own eyes and told me.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I don’t know, my dear. I’m
unable to cure myself of disease, how can I tell you
what happens after death?
“What you are talking about is a matter of petty
intelligence. Make an effort to attain love for God.
You have taken birth as a human being only for
that. You have come to the garden to eat mangoes.
What need is there to know how many thousands of
branches and how many millions of leaves there are
1. Panchayat, “acting as an arbiter.”

in the garden? What is the use of knowledge about

what happens after death?”
Girish Ghosh and avatarhood – who is holy? He who

has faith and love for God
Girish Ghosh arrives by carriage with a couple
of friends. He is drunk. Weeping when he comes in,
he places his head on Thakur’s feet, still crying.
Sri Ramakrishna pats his back affectionately.
He calls a devotee and says, “Prepare a smoke for
him.”
Raising his head, Girish says with folded hands,
“You alone are the full manifestation of Brahman.1
If this is not true, everything is false. I have been
regretting that I could not serve you.” (These words
are said so tenderly that one or two devotees begin
to weep).
“Oh Lord, grant a boon that I may serve you for
a year. Who cares for salvation? I don’t give a
damn. Tell me, may I serve you for a year?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “People here are not nice.
They could say something about it.”
Girish: “No, that will not be. Grant that –”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, serve me when I go to
your house.”
Girish: “No. Let me serve you here.”
Sri Ramakrishna (seeing that he won’t relent):
“All right, let it be as God wills.”
1. Purna Brahman, or Brahman in His absolute fullness.

“Manifestation” implies partialness and differentiation; this is the
unmanifest Whole.
Thakur’s illness is in his throat. Girish says,

“Say that you will be cured. All right. I will expel it
magically. Kali! Kali!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Will it cure the disease?”
Girish: “Get well! (Blowing at the throat) Phuh.
If you are not cured, then you will be with the love
and devotion I have for you. Say that you are
cured.”
Sri Ramakrishna (irritated): “Go away. I can’t
say those things. I can’t ask the Divine Mother to
cure the illness. Alright, it will be according to
God’s will.”
Girish: “You are deceiving me! It depends on
your will.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Shame! Don’t say such a
thing. I am only a devotee and not Krishna. You
may think what you like. You may look on your
guru as God, but it is wrong to talk that way. You
must not say such a thing.”
Girish: “Say that you will be cured.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “All right. Whatever has come
about will go away.”
According to his mood, Girish addresses Thakur
now and then, “Well, dear sir, why haven’t you
come in your beautiful form this time?”
Later, he adds, “Perhaps this time it will save
Bengal.”
Some devotees say to themselves, “Is it just for saving
Bengal? It will be the whole world!”
Girish again says, “Why is he here? Does

anybody understand? He has come down out of
compassion for the sorrows of mankind – to save
them.”
The coachman has been calling. Girish rises and
goes to him. Sri Ramakrishna says to M., “See
where he is going. I hope he doesn’t beat him.” M.
follows Girish.
Girish returns and recites a prayer to Thakur,
“O Lord, grant that I may be so pure that I may
never have a sinful thought.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But you are already pure.
You have faith and love for God. Aren’t you already
in a joyful state?”
Girish: “No, sir. The mind is sick. No peace.
That’s why I drink so much wine.”
After a while Girish adds, “Lord, I am surprised
that I am serving the Supreme Brahman.1 What
austerities did I perform that I am eligible for this
service?”
Thakur has his midday meal. Because of his
illness, he eats only a little very simple food.
He is always in a state of ecstasy, forcing his
mind down to bring it to his body. But like a child
he is unable to take care of the body. Childlike, he
says to the devotees, “I have eaten a little. Now I’d
like to lie down. You may go outside a little while.”
Thakur has a little rest. The devotees seat
themselves again in his room.
1. Brahman in His full manifestation, Purna Brahman.

Girish Ghosh – guru is one's spiritual ideal – two kinds

of devotees
Girish: “Yes sir, the guru and the spiritual ideal.
I am fond of the form of the guru! I don’t fear him.
Why is that? Whenever I see a person in ecstasy, I
run away from him ten cubits. I fear it.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “The spiritual ideal itself
comes as the guru. After practicing meditation on a
corpse,1 when a person gets the vision of the chosen
ideal, the guru himself comes and says to the
disciple, ‘O disciple, this is your ideal.’ Saying this,
the guru merges into the form of the chosen ideal.
The disciple then no longer sees the guru. When
one attains the ultimate knowledge, who can be the
guru and who can be the disciple? This is a very
difficult situation, where there is no difference
between the disciple and the guru.”
Devotee: “The head of the guru and feet of the
disciple.”
Girish (happily): “Yes!”
Navagopal: “Listen to the meaning. The head of
the disciple belongs to the guru, just as the feet of
the guru belong to the disciple. Do you
understand?”
Girish: “No, that is not the meaning. Doesn’t a
son climb up on his father’s shoulder? So it says
‘the feet of the disciple.’”
Navagopal: “That happens only when the son
feels like an infant.”
1. Shava sadhana.
His earlier story – Sikh devotees – two classes of

devotees: baby monkeys and kittens
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are two kinds of
devotees: One kind has the nature of a kitten –
absolute dependence on what the mother may do. It
only knows how to meow. It doesn’t know where it
is going, or what it will do. The mother cat
sometimes puts it in the kitchen and sometimes on
a bed. In the same way, a devotee gives the power
of attorney to God. Having given God the power of
attorney, he is free from any anxiety.
“The Sikhs said, ‘God is kind.’ I said, ‘He is our
mother and father, why say He is kind? If after
giving birth to children, shouldn’t the parents bring
them up? Should the neighbours do it? This kind of
devotee really believes that He is our own mother
and our own father.’
“There is another class of devotee. They have
the nature of a young monkey. A young monkey
holds onto its mother with all its strength. These
devotees feel they have some duty to perform – to
go on pilgrimage, to practice japa and spiritual
disciplines, to worship with sixteen items – and
that only then will they be able to hold onto God.
This is their attitude.
“Both types are devotees. (To the devotees) The
more you proceed towards God, the more you will
see that God Himself has become everything, that it
is He who is doing everything. He is the guru and
He Himself is the spiritual ideal. It is He Himself
who has granted you spiritual knowledge and love
for God.”
His earlier story – advice to Keshab Sen: go forward

“The farther you proceed, the more you will see
that there is something beyond the sandalwood
forest – silver mines, gold mines, and diamonds and
jewels. Therefore, go forward.
“But how can I even say, ‘Go forward?’ When
householders go too far, their world falls away.
Once Keshab Sen was conducting a worship. He
said, ‘Oh God, may we drown in the river of Your
love!’ When the service was over, I said to him, ‘My
dear, can you drown yourself in a river of love?
What then would happen to those who are sitting
behind the screen?’ But please do this. Dive every
now and then and then get back to the bank.” (All
laugh.)
Chattering of Vaishnava – ‘one must bring injunctions

into practice’ – truthfulness is austerity
The Vaishnava from Katoa is arguing with
Thakur. Thakur says to him, ‘Stop all this
chattering. When butter contains water, it produces
a sizzling sound.’
“Once a person has tasted the bliss of God, the
tendency to argue vanishes. When a bee tastes the
joy of sipping honey, it no longer buzzes.
“What will you achieve with talk after reading
books? How many verses the pundits quote –
‘Shirna Gokulmandali’ (“The group in Gokul has
shrunk”) and so forth.
“What will you gain by just repeating ‘hemp,
hemp?’ Even if you rinse your mouth with it,
nothing happens. It has to go into the stomach.
Only then will you feel intoxicated. Without calling

on God in solitude and with yearning, all these
things cannot be internalized.”
Doctor Rakhal arrives to examine Thakur, who
says to him eagerly, “Please come and sit down.”
The conversation with the Vaishnava continues.
Sri Ramakrishna: “There are ordinary men and
men with awakened minds.1 A man who is
spiritually conscious is awake. Without spiritual
consciousness, birth as a human being is futile.”
His earlier story – settling of disputes by a truthful and

religious person
“In our village there are many people with pot-
bellies and mustaches. But good people are brought
from several miles away in a palanquin because
they are truthful and religious. They are brought to
settle disputes. They don’t bring those who are
mere pundits.
“Truthfulness is the austerity of the Kaliyuga.
Truthfulness, dependence on God, and looking upon
other men’s wives as mother – these are the
means.”
Like a child, Thakur says to the doctor, “Sir,
please cure me of this.”
Doctor: “Can I cure you?”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “A doctor is the Lord
Himself. I honour all.”
1. Manushya means “human being,” and manhosha “awakened

mind.”
Reconciliation of free will and God's will – liberty and

necessity – God Himself is the mahout Narayana
“If you say I should remain quiet because
everyone is God, I believe in the mahout Narayana
as well.1
“Pure mind and pure atman are one and the
same. What comes to a pure mind is God Himself.
He is Himself the mahout Narayana.
“Why shouldn’t I listen to Him? God alone is the
doer. As long as He keeps my ‘I-ness’ in me, so long
will I act according to His instruction.”
The doctor is now going to examine Thakur’s
throat. Thakur says, “Doctor Mahendra Sarkar
pressed my tongue the way they press a cow’s
tongue.”
Thakur touches the doctor’s shirt and says to
him again, like a child, “Sir, please cure me of this.”
Seeing the laryngoscope, Thakur laughs and
says, “I understand – you will see the image of my
throat in it.”
Narendra sings. Because of Thakur’s illness, not
many songs are sung.
Chapter III
Doctor Bhagavan Rudra and Sri Ramakrishna
After taking his midday meal, Sri Ramakrishna is

sitting on his bed, talking to Doctor Bhagavan Rudra.
1. A reference to the fable of the Lord as the Elephant Driver, told

several times by Thakur.
M., Rakhal, Latu, and some other devotees are also in

the room.
It is Wednesday, 2 September 1885, 18th of Bhadra,

the eighth to ninth day of the month of Shravana, the
day of the Nanda Festival. The doctor hears all about
Thakur’s disease.
Thakur comes down to the floor and sits near the

doctor.
Sri Ramakrishna: “You see, I can’t tolerate the
medicine. I have a different constitution.”
Touching money, tying knots, saving – all these are

impossible for Thakur
“Well, what do you think about this? My hand
becomes twisted when I touch money and my
breathing stops. And if I tie a knot, I can’t breathe
till the knot is untied.”
After saying this, he asks for a rupee. The doctor
is left speechless by what he sees: the hand on
which the rupee coin is placed twists and Thakur’s
breathing stops. When the rupee is removed,
Thakur exhales three long breaths one after the
other and his hand again relaxes.
The doctor says to M., “It is action on the
nerves.”
His earlier story – saving opium in Sambhu Mallick’s

garden – picking mangoes in the native village of
Kamarpukur – saving impossible
Thakur says to the doctor again, “There’s
another thing. I can’t save anything at all. One day
I went to Sambhu Mallick’s garden. I had great
stomach trouble and Sambhu said, ‘Take a little
opium bit by bit. It will make you feel better.’ He

tied a little in a corner of my cloth. When I was
returning, I began to wander around at the gate – I
couldn’t find the way. When I threw the opium
away, I regained my normal state and returned to
the temple garden.
“One day in my village, I picked some mangoes
to take home, but then I couldn’t walk. I remained
standing in one place. When I put the mangoes in a
pit, only then could I return home. Well, what do
you think of this?”
Doctor: “There is special power behind it – will
power.”
Mani: “He says it is the Lord’s power. But you
say it is will power.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor): “And then if
someone says, ‘You are better,’ at once I feel much
better. The other day the brahmin woman said,
‘You are fifty percent better.’ I immediately began
to dance.”
Thakur is pleased with the doctor’s nature. He
tells him, “You have a fine nature. There are two
signs of a person who has attained knowledge: a
serene temperament and absence of pride.”
Mani: “He (the doctor) has lost his wife.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor): “I tell you that
God can be attained if one has these three
attractions combined: a mother’s love for her child,
the love a chaste woman for her husband, and the
love of a worldly person for his possessions.
“Sir, please cure me however you can.”
The doctor is now going to examine the diseased

throat. Thakur sits on a chair in the semicircular
verandah. First he talks of Doctor Sarkar, “The
rascal! He pressed my tongue as if it was a cow’s!”
Doctor Bhagavan: “I don’t think he meant to.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “No, it’s not that. He pressed
it so he could examine it properly.”
Section XXVII
With Doctor Sarkar, Narendra,

Sashi, Sarat, M., Girish, and Others
at the Shyampukur House
Chapter I
His earlier story – in a state of God-intoxication,

behind the kuthi, Thakur feels his body burnt by a
sacrificial fire – Pundit Padmalochan’s faith and his
death
For treatment of his illness, Sri Ramakrishna is living

with devotees in a house at Shyampukur. Today is
Friday, 23 October 1885, the day of the full moon.1The
time is 10:00 in the morning. Thakur is talking with
M., who is helping him with his socks.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Would it be all
right to cut my woolen scarf to wrap around my legs
to warm them?”
Yesterday, on Thursday night, Sri Ramakrishna
had a long conversation with Dr. Sarkar.2 Referring
to it, Thakur laughs and says to M., “Yesterday I
told him the story about saying ‘You, you3 [the calf
and egotism being the cause of all suffering].’”
Sri Ramakrishna had said, “A person keeps
getting scalded by the three fires of the world,4 yet
1. Kojagar Purnima.
2. See Volume I, Section XV.
3. Tuhum, tuhum. For the complete story of the calf, see Volume I,
Section XV, Chapter II.
4. Three afflictions or fires of the world: Adhidaivika, misfortunes
caused by natural disasters or the forces of nature; adhibhautika,
488 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXVII
says it is alright. A sharp thorn cuts into his hand

and he bleeds profusely, yet he says, ‘There’s
nothing wrong with my hand.’ This thorn has to be
burnt in the fire of spiritual knowledge.”
The younger Naren, remembering it, says,
“What you said about the thorn was nice. Burn it in
the fire of spiritual knowledge!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I had the experience of this
myself. One day when I was walking behind the
kuthi, my body felt like it was ablaze in a sacrificial
fire.
“Padmalochan said, ‘I will call an assembly of
people and talk about your experiences.’ But he
died soon after.”
The time is eleven o’clock. Mani has taken news of
Thakur to Dr Sarkar at his house. Hearing about
Thakur’s condition, the doctor speaks of him and
shows his eagerness to hear more.
Doctor (smiling): “How well I said yesterday, ‘To
say ‘You, you,’ first you have to fall into the hands
of a carder!’”
Mani: “That’s true, sir. Unless you fall into the
hands of a real guru, your ego doesn’t disappear.
And how nicely he talked about love for God.
Bhakti is a woman and can go right into the inner
apartments.”
Doctor: “Yes, these really are beautiful words.
But you still can’t give up jnana.”
misfortunes caused by other living beings, i.e. war, physical or verbal

assault, attacks of animals, snake bites, and so on; adhyatmika,
misfortunes arising from the harm we do ourselves by mental
anguish, addictions, and self-destructive behavior.
23 October 1885 489
Mani: “The Paramahamsa Deva doesn’t say

that. He accepts both knowledge and love – God
with form and God without form. He says that the
cooling power of love for God has formed water into
ice, but when the sun of knowledge rises, the ice
melts again. In other words, you realize God with
form through love, and the formless Absolute
through knowledge.
“And we have noticed that he feels God is so
very near that he’s always talking with Him. Like a
small boy, he says, ‘Mother, it hurts a lot.’
“And what powers of observation he has! He saw
some fossils in the museum. Immediately he found
in them a simile for holy company. Just as they [the
fossils] have become stone by dwelling near stones,
one becomes holy by associating with the holy.”
Doctor: “Yesterday Ishan Babu was harping on
the subject of the incarnation of God. ‘What is an
incarnation after all! It is calling a man God!’”
Mani: “But such is his faith. What is the use of
interfering with it?”
Doctor: “You’re right, it would be of no use.”
Mani: “And how he made us laugh when he said,
‘Someone saw that a certain house had collapsed,
but it wasn’t mentioned in the newspaper, so no one
would believe it.’”
The doctor keeps quiet because Thakur has said
to him, “Your science does not mention incarnations
of God, so there is no incarnation of God.”
It is midday. The doctor gets into the carriage

with Mani. After visiting some other patients, he
will go to examine Sri Ramakrishna.
The other day the doctor was invited by Girish
to see the play Buddha Lila. Now sitting in the
carriage, he says to Mani, “It would have been
better to call Buddha the incarnation of
compassion. Why was he called an incarnation of
Vishnu?”
The Doctor drops Mani at the crossing of Hedua
road.
Chapter II
Thakur in the state of a Paramahamsa – seeing joy

spreading like fog all around – vision of Mother of the
Universe seeming to say, ‘Come delusion, come
illusion!’
It is about 3 o’clock. One or two devotees are
sitting with Thakur. Impatient like a child, he asks
repeatedly, “When is the doctor coming? What time
is it now?” The doctor is to come this evening.
Suddenly Thakur goes into the mood of a child.
Taking a pillow on his lap, he holds it maternally,
as if nursing a child. Then he laughs like a child
and, in ecstasy, and puts on his dhoti in a strange
way. Mani and the others watch him in
amazement.
In a little while the ecstatic mood diminishes. It
is time for his meal. He eats a little farina pudding
and talks to Mani alone about a very secret
experience.
23 October 1885 491
Sri Ramakrishna (to Mani): “Do you know what

I just saw in a state of ecstasy? A vast meadow
extending six or eight miles1 through which the
road to Sihore runs. I was alone in that field. I saw
a fifteen- or sixteen-year old boy paramahamsa,
like the one I had seen earlier under the banyan
tree.
“I was surrounded on all sides by a mist of joy
when a boy thirteen or fourteen years old raised his
head out of the mist. He looked like Purna. Both of
us were naked. We began running around the field
and playing.
“Purna felt thirsty. He drank water from a glass
and then offered it to me. I said, ‘My dear, I can’t
drink your leftovers.’ Then he laughed and went
away to wash the glass. He brought me fresh water
in it.”
Dreadful and fearful Mother – She shows that

everything is a spell
Thakur again goes into samadhi. Returning to
normal consciousness, he resumes his conversation
with Mani.
“My mental attitude has changed. I can no
longer eat the holy food offered to the deities. The
Real and the apparent have become the same to
me. Do you know what I saw? A divine form, the
Mother of the Universe, with a child in her womb.
She gave birth to it and then swallowed it again. As
much as went into Her became empty. She was
showing me that everything is empty.
1. Three to four kosas.

“She seemed to be saying, ‘Come, delusion; come

illusion! Come!’”
Mani reflects on Thakur’s saying, “Only the
magician is real, all else is illusion.”
Occult powers are not good – occult powers are of a

lower order
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, I tried to attract Purna,
but I couldn’t. It weakens my faith a little.”
Mani: “But that would be occult power.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, downright occult
power.”
Mani: “When we were returning to Dak-
shineswar with you from Adhar Sen’s house, a
bottle broke in the carriage. Somebody said, ‘Is that
going to cause any trouble?’ You said, ‘I can’t bother
about that. That would be using occult power.’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “In the same way sickly boys
are made to lie on the ground where Hari’s name is
chanted so they may get well. Curing disease using
occult powers is an act of miracle. Those who call
upon the Lord for healing a disease have a very low
spiritual ideal.”
Chapter III
Ultimate spiritual knowledge – the body and Self are

different – Thakur’s life as told by him
It is evening. Sitting on his bed, Thakur is
meditating on the Divine Mother and chanting Her
name. A number of devotees are sitting silently
near him.
23 October 1885 493
After a while Dr. Sarkar arrives. Latu, Sashi,1

the younger Naren, Paltu, and many other devotees
are present. Ramtaran of the Star Theatre has
come with Girish. He is going to sing.
Doctor (to Sri Ramakrishna): “Last night at
three o’clock, I was very worried about you. It had
rained and I wondered if the doors and windows of
your room had been closed or left open. How could I
know?”
Sri Ramakrishna is happy with the doctor’s
affection and says, “What are you saying, my dear?
As long as you have a body, you have to take care of
it. But I see that it is separate from the Self. When
you are completely rid of the attachment to ‘lust
and greed,’ you realize that the body and the Self
are different from each other. When the water in a
coconut dries up completely, the shell and the
kernel separate from each other. Then you can feel
the kernel rattling inside the shell. Or, take
another example, a sword and its sheath.
“The sword is separate from the sheath. That’s
why I can’t ask the Divine Mother to cure the
disease of my body.”
Girish: “Pundit Shashadhar said to him [Sri
Ramakrishna], ‘Please bring your mind to your
body in samadhi. That will get rid of your disease.’
But he had seen in ecstasy that the body was
rattling like a skeleton.”
1. Later Swami Ramakrishnananda.

His earlier story – visit to the museum – his prayer in

pain
Sri Ramakrishna: “Long ago I was very ill. I was
sitting in the Kali Temple. I felt like praying to the
Divine Mother for help, but I couldn’t do it for
myself. I said, ‘Mother, Hriday asked me to speak
to you about my illness.’ I couldn’t say more. While
I was saying it, I suddenly remembered the Asiatic
Society Museum. It had a skeleton of human bones
tied together with wires. Immediately I said,
‘Mother, please tie this body with wires like the
skeleton so I can go around chanting your name
and glories.’ I couldn’t ask for any occult powers.
“In the beginning Hriday said to me – you see,
in those days I was under Hriday’s care – ‘Ask the
Divine Mother for some power.’ And what a sight I
saw when I went to the Kali temple to ask for
power! I saw a widow prostitute thirty or thirty-five
years old shamelessly opening her cloth and
excreting. I became angry with Hriday because he
told me to pray for occult powers.”
Ramtaran’s song – Thakur in ecstasy

Ramtaran sings now:
Behold my beloved vina, strung with special care,
For him who plays it tenderly, its strings tuned neither
high nor low, its sweetness flows in a hundred streams.
But if the strings are slack, they will be mute, and over-
stretched, they will break in two.
Doctor (to Girish): “Are these songs original?”
Girish: “No, they are adapted from Edwin
Arnold.”
23 October 1885 495
Ramtaran first sings a song from a play of

Buddha’s life:
We cry for rest, but where to find it?
We know not from where we have come, nor to where we
will float away.
We return again and again, weeping and laughing
without end,
And always wondering where we may go.
O Awakened One, let me also awaken.
How long will it take for my dream to end?
The awakened sleep no more.
But for now a dense and dreadful darkness lies all
around.
Destroy this darkness! Be my light!
Except for you, there is no way. And so I seek refuge at
your feet.
Thakur goes into samadhi listening to the song.
Then Ramtaran sings again:
Blow, blow, O raging storm…
Vision of god, the sun

When the song is over, Thakur says, “What have
you done? Why the bitter soup of neem leaves after
rice pudding?
“As soon as you sang, ‘Destroy this darkness,’ I
saw the darkness all around dispelled by the rising
sun. And everyone taking refuge at the feet of the
sun.”
Ramtaran sings again, first:
O Mother, saviour of the helpless, You are the slayer of

evil. In You the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas
dwell.
You, who create, preserve, and dissolve the world, are
with form as well as Formless. O my Mother, truly You
manifest in every form.1
And then:
My devotion and worship have come to an end; no longer
can I offer worship to Mother Shyama,
And by no means can I control the mind. Oh, how it
torments me! For shame!
Hearing this song, Thakur again goes into
samadhi.
O Mother, who has offered these heaps of red hibiscus
flowers at Your feet?
Chapter IV
The ecstasy of younger Naren and others – duties of

monks and householders
The song is over. Most of the devotees sit
silently, deeply touched. The younger Naren is
absorbed in meditation, sitting motionless like a
wooden figure.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor, pointing at the
younger Naren): “He is very pure – untouched by
the least trace of worldly thoughts.”
The doctor looks at younger Naren, who is still
in meditation.
1. For complete song refer to Volume III, Section XXII, Chapter III.
23 October 1885 497
Manomohan (laughing, to the doctor): “About

your son, he [Ramakrishna] says, ‘If I have the son,
I don’t care about the father.’”
Doctor: “That’s it! That’s why I say that you
forget everything else when thinking of the child.
(that is, you are occupied with the incarnation or
the devotee and forget God).”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “It’s not that I don’t
want the Father.”
Doctor: “I understand. How can you do without
saying a few things like this?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Your son really is guileless.
Sambhu’s face reddened when he said, ‘God is
bound to listen if you call on Him sincerely.’ Do you
know why I love these boys so much? They are like
pure milk that only needs to be brought to a boil to
be offered to the deity. Watery milk has to be boiled
quite a bit. A lot of firewood is wasted.
“These boys are like unused earthen pots – they
are good receptacles. Milk can be put in them
without a care. Talk to them just a little about
spiritual knowledge and their consciousness is
awakened. Worldly people are not easily awakened.
It is always risky to keep milk in a pot that’s been
used for curds. It might go bad.
“Worldliness – ‘lust and greed’ – hasn’t touched
your son.”
Doctor: “That’s because he’s living off his
father’s earnings! I’d like to see if he’d remain
untouched by worldliness if he had to earn his own
living.”
Monk and renunciation of woman – monk and

renunciation of gold
Sri Ramakrishna: “That’s true! That’s certainly
true. But the fact is that God is very far away from
worldliness. Otherwise, He is as near as the palm of
the hand. (To Doctor Sarkar and Doctor Dokari)
Renunciation of ‘lust and greed’ is not for you. You
only have to renounce them mentally. I said the
same thing to the goswamis, ‘Why do you talk
about renunciation? It won’t do for you to renounce
– you have to attend to the worship of
Shyamasundar.’
“Renunciation is for sannyasins. They shouldn’t
even see the picture of a woman. Women are like
poison for them. They must keep at least ten cubits
away or, if that’s not possible, at least one cubit.
Even if a woman is a great devotee, a sannyasin
shouldn’t talk to her for long.
“A sannyasin should live in a place where he
doesn’t even see the face of a woman, or very rarely.
“Money is also a poison for sannyasins. When
you have money, you quickly fall prey to anxiety,
pride, physical comfort, anger, and so forth. Rajas
increases. When there is rajoguna, it leads to
tamoguna. So a sannyasin shouldn’t touch money.
‘Lust and greed’ make you forget God.”
Advice to the doctor – right use of money – wife for a

householder
“But you know, money buys food and clothing
and a place to live. It also provides for worship of
the Lord and for holy men and devotees.
23 October 1885 499
“But hoarding it is useless. A bee takes great

trouble to make its hive. But then someone comes
and breaks into it and takes away the honey.”
The Doctor: “For whom does one save? Perhaps
for the sake of a bad son!”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Not just a bad son alone.
Maybe your wife is of easy virtue. She may even
give away your watch and chain to her lover.
“You don’t have to renounce women altogether.
It’s not wrong to sleep with your own wife. But
after you’ve had children, you should live like
brother and sister.
“If you are attached to ‘lust and greed,’ you
develop pride of learning, pride of wealth and high
position – all these things.”
Chapter V
Advice to Dr. Sarkar – pride is not good – ego of

knowledge is good – it enables one to teach others
Sri Ramakrishna: “Unless you give up pride, you
can’t attain spiritual knowledge. Water doesn’t stay
on the top of a mound. It flows down quickly on all
sides to the ground below.”
Doctor: “The water that comes down to the lower
ground from all sides is both good and bad. It can
be muddy and full of sewage, too. And there are
hollows on the tops of hills – for instance, in
Nanital and Mansarovar – where you have only
pure water from the sky.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Only water from the sky. Ah,

beautiful!”
Doctor: “And water from a higher level flows
down in all directions.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Someone got a
siddha mantra.1 He stood on the top of a hill and
shouted to the people below, ‘You can realize God if
you repeat this mantra.’”
Doctor: “Yes.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But then, there is a problem.
When your soul is full of yearning for God, you
don’t see any difference between good water and
dirty water. To know God, one might go to a good
person, but sometimes also to people who are
ignorant. But when His grace descends, even the
turbid water does no harm. When He grants
Knowledge, He tells everything – which water is
good and which bad.
“There can be low ground on the top of a hill, but
not on the hill of the ‘rascal I.’ The pure water from
the sky only collects when there is the ‘I of
knowledge,’ or the ‘I of a devotee.’
“The water from a higher level can no doubt flow
in all directions, but it is only possible if it comes
down from the hill of the ‘ego of knowledge.’
“Without receiving God’s command, a person
can’t teach other people. Shankaracharya retained
the ‘I of knowledge’ after attaining Knowledge in
order to teach mankind. But lecturing without
1. A mantra that leads to perfection.

23 October 1885 501
having attained Him! What good can it do for

people?”
His earlier story – Samadhyayi’s lecture – visit to

Nandan Bagan Brahmo Samaj
“I went to the Nandan Bagan Brahmo Samaj.
After worship, the leader lectured from a podium.
While reading his prepared lecture, he looked all
around. Even while meditating, he opened his eyes
to see now and then.
“A person who hasn’t realized God can’t give
right instruction. He may say one thing correctly
but the next thing he says is totally confusing.
“Samadhyayi gave a lecture in which he said,
‘God is beyond mind and speech. He is without
sweetness and bliss. You must sing His glories with
the sweetness of your own love and devotion.’ Look
at how he describes Him who is the very fountain of
sweetness and bliss, the essence of joy! What will
such a lecture do? Can it teach anybody?
“Someone said, ‘My maternal uncle has a
cowshed full of horses.’ Horses in a cowshed!
(Everyone laughs.) This can only mean that there
are no horses there.”
Doctor (smiling): “There are no cows either.” (All
laugh.)
The devotees who had been enraptured regain
their normal mood. The doctor is enjoying them.
He asks M., “Who is that person?” M. introduces
Paltu, the younger Naren, Bhupati, Sarat, Sashi,
and the other young devotees by pointing to them

one after the other.
About Sashi,1 M. says, “He is going to take his
B.A. examination.”
The doctor’s mind has gone elsewhere.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor): “Look here,
listen to what he’s saying.”
The doctor hears about Sashi.
Sri Ramakrishna (to the doctor, pointing to M.,):
“He teaches school boys.”
The Doctor: “That’s what I heard.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “How amazing! I’m unlettered
but educated people come here. Isn’t it surprising?
You have to admit that it’s God’s play.”
Today is the Kojagar Purnima2 day, about half
past nine in the evening. The doctor has been here
watching everything since six o’clock.
Girish (to the doctor): “Well, sir, does this
happen to you? You say to yourself, ‘I’m not going
there,’ and yet you seem pulled by something. I’m
asking because it happens to me.”
Doctor: “I don’t feel quite like that, but only the
heart knows what is happening in the heart. (To
Sri Ramakrishna) Besides, you shouldn’t talk about
things like this.”
1. Sashi (later Swami Ramakrishnananda) first saw Sri

Ramakrishna in 1884.
2. The full moon day after the worship of Durga.
Section XXVIII
At the Shyampukur House with

Narendra, Dr. Sarkar, and Other
Devotees
Chapter I
Dr. Sarkar and comparative religion
Thakur is sitting with Narendra, Mahimacharan, M.,

Dr. Sarkar, and other devotees in the second storey
room of the Shyampukur house. It is one o’clock, 24
October 1885, 9th of Kartik.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Your homeopathic treatment
is good.”
Doctor: “We need to compare the symptoms of
the patient with those mentioned in the book. It is
like English music – you read and then you sing.
“Where is Girish Ghosh? Never mind. Don’t
bother him. He didn’t sleep last night.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, when I’m in ecstasy, I
feel inebriated, like I’ve taken hemp. Why is that?”
Doctor (to M.): “The action of the nervous system
stops, so one is benumbed and staggers. All energy
has gone to the brain. Life is nothing but the
nervous system. The medulla oblongata is near the
nape of the neck. If it is injured, life may be
extinguished.”
Mahimacharan Chakravarty talks about the
kulakundalini power in the sushumna nerve. “The
504 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXVIII
sushumna nerve, which none can see, and being

subtle, runs through the spinal cord. That’s what
Mahadeva says.”
Doctor: “Mahadeva examined man in maturity.
The Europeans have examined all stages, from the
embryo to maturity. It’s good to know comparative
history. A study of the Santhal history has revealed
that Kali was a Santhal woman. She was a great
fighter. (All laugh.)
“Please don’t laugh. Listen to what great good
comparative anatomy has done. Earlier one could
not distinguish between pancreatic fluid and bile.
Then Claude Bernard examined the stomach, liver,
and other parts of a rabbit and showed that bile
had a different action from pancreatic fluid.
“It proves that we should examine lower
animals as well. It will not do to examine man only.
“Similarly, a study of comparative religion is
also highly beneficial.
“Why does what he (the Paramahamsa) says
touch the heart so? He has examined all religions.
He himself has practiced Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity, Shakta, and Vaishnava faiths. Bees
gather honey from different kinds of flowers to
make a beautiful hive.”
M. (to the Doctor): “He (Mahima) has studied
science a great deal.”
Doctor (smiling): “Did you mean Max Müller’s
Science of Religion?”
Mahima (to Sri Ramakrishna): “What help can
doctors give you for your illness? When I heard that
24 October 1885 505
you were sick, I said to myself that you were only

boosting the pride of the doctors.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “He is a very good doctor, and
very learned.”
Mahima: “Yes sir! He is a ship and we are only
small boats made of a single tree-trunk.”
The doctor folds his hands humbly.
Mahima: “But here (with Sri Ramakrishna) all
are equal.”
Thakur asks Narendra to sing.
Narendra sings:
I have made You the pole star of my life…
Next he sings:
Ever intoxicated with pride am I, and with the unending
cravings of my heart….
And then:
O Lord! The creation of your universe is infinite and
wonderful;
This whole world is a mansion of beauty…
Then he sings:
O Lord of the universe, seated on Your great throne,
You listen to the music of the universe, Your creation.
I, born of the dust of the earth, come to the portal of Your
house with a feeble voice.
O Lord! I ask for nothing but Your vision.
I have come to sing to You in Your great hall,
where the sun and the moon praise you with hymns.
where from a far corner I too would sing Your praise.
And then:
O King of kings, reveal Yourself to me.
At Your feet I dedicate my soul and my life,
Seared by the fire of this world,
And a heart stained with wrongful acts.
O compassionate Lord, entangled in maya, I live as one
who is dead.
Revive me by Your life-giving glance.
Finally he sings:
Rolling on the ground, weep and chant the name of Hari...
Sri Ramakrishna: “And sing, ‘You are all that
exists.’”
Doctor: “Ah!”
The singing over, the doctor is almost spell-
bound.
After a few minutes he folds his hands devotedly
and says to Thakur, “May I take your leave now? I
shall come again tomorrow.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Stay a little longer. I’ve sent
for Girish Ghosh. (Pointing to Mahima) He is a
scholar, but he dances when the name of Hari is
chanted. There is no pride in him. He went to
Konnagar just because we were there. Besides, he
is independent. He’s rich and doesn’t have to work
under anyone. (Pointing to Narendra) What do you
think of him?”
Doctor: “A very good man!”
24 October 1885 507
Sri Ramakrishna (pointing to a devotee): “And

him?”
Doctor: “Wonderful!”
Mahima: “If one has not read some Hindu
philosophy, one cannot claim to know philosophy.
Europeans don’t know the twenty-four cosmic
principles of the Samkhya philosophy. They cannot
even grasp them.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What are the three
paths that you talk about?”
Mahima: “The path of Sat, or existence, is the
path of knowledge. The path of Chit is the path of
yoga, the path of karma yoga, which includes the
duties of the four stages of life. And the path of
Ananda, or the way of bliss, is the path of love and
devotion for God. You know all three paths and give
information on all of them. (Thakur laughs.)
“What more can I say? Janaka is the teacher
and Sukadeva the listener.”
The doctor takes leave.
In samadhi after dusk – Nityagopal and Narendra –

perfection through japa
The moon rises after dusk. Today is the second
day of Kojagar Purnima, Saturday, 9th of Kartik.
Thakur is standing, in samadhi. Nityagopal stands
nearby devotedly.
When Thakur sits down, Nityagopal gently
strokes his feet. Devendra, Kalipada, and many
other devotees sit close to him.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Devendra and others): “It

has come to my mind that these states of
Nityagopal’s will pass away and his whole mind
will be concentrated on me – that is, on Him who
dwells inside me.
“Don’t you see how Narendra’s whole mind is
also becoming fixed on me?”
Many devotees are leaving. Thakur, standing,
says to one of the devotees, “Japa is sitting quietly
in solitude and repeating His name. Repeating His
name with a concentrated mind – performing japa –
one gets the vision of God’s form and realizes Him.
Think of a chain tied to a wooden log submerged in
the Ganges, its other end fixed to the bank.
Proceeding along each link of this chain, you enter
the water and eventually reach the log. In the same
way, by repeating God’s name, you become
absorbed in Him and realize Him.”
Kalipada (to the devotees, laughing): “Our
Thakur is wonderful! We don’t have to practice
austerities – japa or meditation.”
Suddenly Thakur exclaims, “Something’s not
right!” His throat is troubling him.
Devendra says, “We aren’t fooled by your
words.” His idea is that Thakur is only acting ill to
fool the devotees.
The devotees leave. A few of the younger men
have decided to stay for the night so they can nurse
Thakur by turns. M. will also stay the night.
Section XXIX
The House in Shyampukur – Thakur

with Narendra, Mani, and Other
Devotees
Chapter I
Why the illness? Advice to Narendra about sannyasa
Thakur is sitting in the Shyampukur house with

Narendra and other devotees. It is 10 o’clock,
Tuesday, 27 October 1885, 12th of Kartik, the fourth
day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin. The conversations
on 26 October, 11th Kartik and discussions with Dr.
Sarkar have been published in Sri Sri Ramakrishna
Kathamrita, Volume I.
Thakur is talking with Narendra and Mani.
Narendra: “How strange the doctor was
behaving yesterday.”
A devotee: “The fish was hooked, but the line
broke.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “It was tied to the
fishhook. The fish will die and come to the surface.”
Narendra goes out for a while. He will return
soon. Thakur talks to Mani about Purna.
Sri Ramakrishna: “I am telling this only to you.
Ordinary men shouldn’t hear these things. With a
feminine attitude, a devotee naturally wants to
embrace and kiss God.”1
1. Purusha.
510 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXIX
Mani: “Many are His sports. Even your illness is

a part of God’s sport. It is because of your illness
that new devotees are coming.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “Bhupati says, ‘Had
you not contracted the disease, what would people
have said if you had just rented this house?’ Well,
what about the doctor?”
Mani: “On the one hand, he accepts the attitude
of a servant – ‘I am the servant and You are my
Master.’ On the other, he asks, ‘Why do you call a
man God?’”
Sri Ramakrishna: “See for yourself. Are you
going to see him today?”
Mani: “I’ll go if I have to report news about you.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What kind of boy is Bankim?
If he can’t come here, you yourself instruct him. His
spiritual consciousness will be awakened.”
What comes first: show of the world or God? – Sri

Ramakrishna hints to Keshab and Narendra
Narendra comes in and sits down near Sri
Ramakrishna. He is very worried since his father’s
death. He has his mother and brothers at home to
provide for. He is preparing for his law examination
and also has been working for a few months as a
teacher at Vidyasagar’s Bowbazar school. He will
be at peace only after he has provided for the
family. This is what he is trying to do.
Thakur knows all this. He gazes at Narendra
affectionately.
27 October 1885 511
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Well, I said to

Keshab, ‘One should be satisfied with what comes
of its own accord.1 The son of a rich family has no
worry about his food – he gets an allowance every
month. Narendra belongs to a high plane, so why
isn’t he getting help? If you surrender your mind
completely to God, He will surely provide for
everything.”
M.: “Sir, it will surely come about. It is not yet
too late.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “But when a person develops
deep dispassion, all such calculations vanish.
Feeling intense nonattachment, it just doesn’t come
to the mind, ‘Let me first arrange everything for the
family and then I will take to spiritual practices.’
(Smiling) A goswami said in a lecture, ‘If you have
ten thousand rupees, it is enough for meals, and
then you can sit down free of worries and call on
God.’
“Keshab Sen also alluded to the same thing. He
said, ‘Sir, is it all right if a person settles his
worldly affairs and then thinks of God? Is there any
harm in that?’”
“I said, ‘When a person attains deep dispassion,
the world appears like a deep well and one’s family
like deadly snakes. That person doesn’t calculate,
saying, ‘Let me save my money and arrange my
worldly affairs.’ God alone is the Reality and
everything else is unreal. Thinking of the world,
abandoning God!
1. yadåcchäläbha, Gita 4:22.

“A woman suffered extreme grief. First she took

her nose-ring and tied it to the end of her cloth.
Then she fell on the ground and began to wail, ‘Oh
what a catastrophe has befallen me!’ But she took
great care that her nose-ring did not break.”
(Everybody laughs.)
Hearing these words, Narendra lies down on the
floor as if hit by an arrow. M., though realizing his
mental condition, says to him with a smile, “You
are lying down. What is the matter?”
Sri Ramakrishna (to M., laughing): “It’s like the
woman who said, ‘I’m sleeping with my husband’s
elder brother and feeling so ashamed. How do all
these (women) sleep with strangers?’”
M., himself a householder, should be ashamed of it.
No one sees his own faults but notices the faults of
others. This is what Thakur is saying. A woman had
an illicit affair with her husband’s elder brother but
thought that she was less at fault than other women
who were mistresses of strangers. She would argue,
“The husband’s brother is, after all, one’s own. Even
so, I am dying of shame.”
Who is liberal? – One is more attached to money earned

by flattery and servility
A Vaishnava is singing downstairs, and Thakur
is overjoyed to hear him. He asks the devotees to
give him some money. A devotee goes to give him
something. Thakur asks, “What did he give?” The
devotee says, “Two pice.”
Thakur: “That devotee earns money with great
difficulty through servitude. It is hard-earned
money, earned by flattery. I thought he would give
at least four annas.”
27 October 1885 513
Electric machine and Bagchi – sees portrait of the six-

armed Gauranga and Ramachandra – his earlier story:
long haired sannyasin at Dakshineswar
The younger Naren had said he would bring a
machine to demonstrate to Sri Ramakrishna the
nature of electricity. He has done this today.
It is two o’clock. Thakur is sitting with the
devotees. Atul has brought a friend, who is a
subordinate judge, with him. Bagchi, the famous
painter from Shikdarpara, has come. He presents
several pictures to Thakur.
Thakur, full of joy, examines the paintings.
When he sees the picture of Gauranga with six
arms, he says to the devotees, “Look! How beautiful
it is!”
Wanting to show the devotees more, he asks for
the picture of Ahalya turned into stone. He is very
happy to see Ramachandra in the picture.
Bagchi has long hair like a woman. Thakur
says, “A long time ago I saw a sannyasin at
Dakshineswar. He had hair nine cubits long. He
used to chant, ‘Radhe, ‘Radhe.’ It was not an act.”
After a while, Narendra sings. All the songs are
filled with dispassion. Is Narendra inspired by
hearing Thakur speak of deep dispassion and
sannyasa?
Narendra sings, first:
Will my days just pass in vain, O Lord?1
Day and night my eyes are on the path of hope…
1. For the complete song refer to Volume III, Appendix, Chapter I.

Then:
O Mother, as the Inner Controller! You are awake within,
day and night.1
And finally:
O Lord, O Compassionate One! What joy have I in this life
If my soul, like a bee, does not remain inebriated at Your
lotus feet?
1. For the complete song refer to Section XXI, Chapter III.

Section XXX
Sri Ramakrishna with Hariballav,

Narendra, Mishra, and Other
Devotees at Shyampukur House
Chapter I
Thakur’s anxiety for Balaram – Hariballav Basu
Sri Ramakrishna is staying in the Shyampukur house

with the devotees for treatment. Today is Saturday,
31 October 1885, 16th Kartik, the eighth day of the
dark fortnight of Ashwin. The time is 9 o’clock.
The devotees are living here day and night to nurse

Thakur. None of them has yet renounced the world.
Balaram and his family are serving Thakur. Balaram

was born into a family of great devotees. His father,
now old, lives alone in Vrindavan at Shyam Sunder
Kunj, which he had built. His cousin Hariballav Basu1
and other members of the family are all Vaishnavas.
Hariballav is the Chief Advocate at Cuttack. He did

not approve of Balaram’s visits to the Paramahamsa
Deva, especially his taking the women of the family
with him. Balaram had said to him, “Go see him once.
Then you can say whatever you like.”
Hariballav has come today. He salutes Thakur
with great devotion.
Sri Ramakrishna: “How shall I get cured? Do
you think that it’s a serious illness?”
Hariballav: “Only the doctors can say, sir.”
1. His father’s younger brother’s son.

516 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXX
Sri Ramakrishna: “The women take the dust of

my feet. Then I think that God dwells in this form.
That’s how I take it.”
Hariballav: “You are a holy man. Everyone
salutes you like that. What harm is there in that?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “That would be true with
Dhruva, Prahlada, Narada, Kapila, and saints like
them. But what am I? Do come again.”
Hariballav: “Sir, I will come because you attract
me. You don’t have to urge me.”
About to leave, Hariballav salutes Sri Rama-
krishna and advances to take the dust of his feet,
but Thakur pulls his feet back. Hariballav does not
give up but takes the dust of Thakur’s feet anyway.
Hariballav rises. Thakur also stands up, to show
him courtesy. He says, “Balaram is very sad [that I
haven’t gone to his house]. I thought that I should
one day go to his house and meet you all. But I was
afraid you’d say, ‘Who brought him here?’”
Hariballav: “Why do you say that? Please don’t
worry about such things.”
Hariballav leaves.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “He has love for God.
Otherwise, why would he take the dust of my feet
forcibly?
“I told you the other day that in divine ecstasy I
saw the doctor and someone else. He is the other
person. That’s why he has come.’”
M.: “Yes, sir. He certainly has great devotion to
God.”
31 October 1885 517
Sri Ramakrishna: “How guileless he is!”

M. has gone to Sankharitola to give a report on
Thakur’s illness to Doctor Sarkar. The doctor is
coming again today to examine Sri Ramakrishna.
The doctor talks about Thakur, Mahimacharan,
and other devotees.
Doctor: “He (Mahimacharan) hasn’t brought the
book he promised to show me. He said he had
forgotten to bring it. That’s possible. I’m forgetful
too.”
M.: “He has read a great deal.”
Doctor: “He is in such a plight in spite of it?”
Talking of Thakur, the doctor says, “What use is
mere love and devotion for God if there is no
knowledge?”
M.: “Why? Thakur says love for God comes after
knowledge. But his meaning of knowledge and
devotion is different from yours.
“When he says, ‘Love and devotion follow
knowledge,’ he means the devotion that comes after
attaining ultimate knowledge, Knowledge of
Brahman – first knowledge of God, then love for
Him. What you mean by knowledge is information
acquired through the senses. Ultimate Knowledge
is not verifiable by our standard; it can’t be arrived
at through knowledge acquired through the senses.
The latter can be verified.”
The doctor is silent. Then he talks about the
incarnation of God.
Doctor: “What is this idea of the incarnation of

God? And why should one take the dust of a man’s
feet?”
M.: “Why, you yourself say that you feel ecstatic
seeing God’s creation when you’re doing scientific
experiments. And also when you think of man. That
being so, why shouldn’t we bow before God? There
is God in man.
“The Hindu religion says that God is present in
all existence. You haven’t studied this subject very
much. Since God resides in all beings, what’s wrong
with saluting a man?
“The Paramahamsa Deva says, ‘There is greater
manifestation of God in some things than in others.’
The sun is reflected in water and in a mirror. There
is water everywhere, but more apparent in rivers or
lakes. It is God whom one salutes, not man. God is
God – not man is God.
“God can’t be known by reasoning. It all depends
on faith. All these are Thakur’s words.”
As a token of brotherly regard, the doctor today
presents M. with one of the books he has written,
Physiological Basis of Psychology.
Chapter II
Sri Ramakrishna and Jesus Christ – manifestation of

Christ in Sri Ramakrishna
Thakur is sitting with devotees. It is eleven
o’clock. He is talking with Misra, a Christian
devotee. Misra is about thirty-five years old. He
was born in a Christian family in northwestern
31 October 1885 519
India. Though he is wearing European clothes, he

wears ochre clothes under the Western dress. He
has renounced the world. He was born in west
India. Two of his brothers died on the day fixed for
the marriage of one of them. Misra renounced the
world that very day. He belongs to the Quaker sect.
Misra: “The same Rama dwells in all beings.”
Sri Ramakrishna whispers to the younger
Naren within Misra’s hearing, “There is but one
Rama, though he has a thousand names.
“He who is called God by the Christians is
known by the Hindus as Rama, Krishna, Ishvara,
and so forth. There are many drinking ghats at a
reservoir. Hindus take water from one spot and call
it ‘jal,’ or Ishvara. Christians take water from
another spot and call it ‘water,’ that is to say God or
Jesus. Muslims go to yet another spot and call it
‘pani,’ or Allah.”
Misra: “Jesus was not the son of Mary, he was
God Himself. (To the devotees) He (Sri Rama-
krishna) appears this way now – at another time,
he is God Himself.
“You (the devotees) don’t recognize him. I saw
him before in a vision. Now I see him in person. In
my vision I saw him seated on a raised seat in a
garden. Another person was sitting on the ground.
He wasn’t as spiritually advanced.
“There are four doorkeepers in this country.
Tukaram in Bombay and Robert Michael in
Kashmir. Here it is he [Sri Ramakrishna], and
there’s another person in the eastern region.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Do you see visions?”

Misra: “When I lived at home I used to see light.
Then I had a vision of Jesus. How can I describe his
beauty? What is the beauty of a woman in
comparison with his!”
After a while, when talking to the devotees,
Misra takes off his coat and trousers and shows his
gerua loincloth.
Thakur comes in from the verandah and says,
“It is not external. I saw him (Misra) standing in a
heroic pose.”
While he is saying this, Thakur goes into
samadhi. He stands facing west.
Returning to the normal state somewhat,
Thakur looks at Misra and laughs. Taking his
[Misra’s] hands, he laughs again. He says, “You will
achieve what you are seeking.”
It seems that Thakur is in the mood of Jesus. Are he
and Jesus the same?
Misra (with folded hands): “I have surrendered
to you my mind, heart, and soul since that day.”
In an ecstatic mood, Thakur smiles.
He sits down. Misra tells the devotees about his
earlier life. He tells how two of his brothers were
killed when the canopy fell during the marriage.
Thakur asks the devotees to take care of Misra.
31 October 1885 521
Thakur in the joy of devotional song, with Narendra,

Doctor Sarkar, and others
Doctor Sarkar comes in. When he sees him,
Thakur goes into samadhi. After the intensity of his
ecstasy has decreased a little, Thakur says, “Sat-
chit-ananda follows karanananda – He is the
Karana of karana (the cause of the causal).”
Doctor: “Yes.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I have not become uncon-
scious.”
The doctor realizes that Thakur is full of God-
consciousness. He says, “No! You are very con-
scious.”
Thakur recites with a smile:
I drink no ordinary wine, but the nectar of everlasting
bliss, as I repeat “Jai Kali – to Kali, victory!”
Seeing me drunk on this wine of the mind, by drunkards
am I taken for a drunk.
But my mind is drunk on drops of wine by knowledge1
distilled from the molasses of the mantra, the guru’s gift,
and by the ferment of my own determination.
Filled full with the Mother’s nectar is the vessel of this
body, which I purify by uttering Tara’s name.
Drink of this wine, says Prasad, and the four fruits of life
shall be yours.2
Listening to the song, the doctor is almost
overwhelmed with feeling. Thakur also becomes
ecstatic and he puts his foot in the doctor’s lap. A
little later he comes out of ecstasy and pulls his foot
1. Jnana, knowledge of God.
2. Dharma (righteousness), artha (material comfort), kama
(enjoyment), and moksha (liberation).
back. He says to the doctor, “Oh, what a nice thing

you said the other day. You said, ‘We are sitting in
the lap of God. If we don’t tell him about our illness,
whom shall we tell? If we have to pray, we should
pray to Him.’”
While saying this Thakur’s eyes are filled with
tears. He goes into an ecstatic mood again, and in
that state he says to the doctor, “You are very pure.
Otherwise, I could not have put my foot in your
lap.” And then he adds, “Only he is at peace who
tastes the bliss of Rama.”
“What is there in sense-enjoyment? What is
there? And what is there in money, name, fame,
and comforts of the body? If one has not known
Rama, what has he known?”
The devotees are worried to see Thakur going
into ecstasy during his serious illness. Thakur says,
“I’ll rest if someone sings that song, ‘The wine of
divine love.’”
Narendra is in another room. They ask him to
come. He sings in his sweet voice, rare even among
the gods:
Rolling on the ground, weep and chant the name of Hari.
Fill the sky with the solemn roar of Hari’s name.
Sri Ramakrishna: “And that song, too, ‘On the
sea of the bliss of consciousness.’”
Narendra sings:
31 October 1885 523
The waves of ecstatic love for God rise on the sea of the
bliss of consciousness.1
And then:
Meditate upon Hari, O my mind! He is the essence of
consciousness. He is free from all impurity!
Without equal is His glory, beautiful is His shape, how
very beloved is He in the hearts of His devotees!
Behold, His beauty is enhanced by fresh manifestations of
love! It casts into shadow the effulgence of a million
moons!
Verily, lightning flashes out of His glorious beauty! His
blessed vision causes the hair to stand on end.
Worship His holy feet in the lotus of your heart. Gaze
upon the matchless beauty of that Beloved Form.
Now that the mind enjoys peace and the eyes are filled
with love, be immersed in divine love. Inspired with your
devotion, remain merged in the joy of love.
The doctor listens to the song with rapt
attention. When it is over, he says, “That was very
good – ‘on the sea of the bliss of consciousness.’”
Noticing how full of joy the doctor is, Thakur
says, “A boy said to his father, ‘Father, just taste a
little wine. Then if you ask me to give it up, I will
do so.’ The father tasted it and said, ‘Child, you
may give it up, I have no objection – but I won’t
give it up.’ (The doctor and all others laugh.)
“The other day the Divine Mother showed me
two men. He was one of them. I saw that he would
have immense knowledge – but dry knowledge. (To
the doctor, smiling) But you will become succulent.”
The doctor remains quiet.
Section XXXI
With Narendra and Other Devotees

at the Cossipore Garden House
Chapter I
Sri Ramakrishna, an ocean of grace – M., Niranjan, and

Bhavanath
Sri Ramakrishna is staying at a Cossipore garden

house with his devotees. He is extremely ill, yet he
has but one thought on his mind, the spiritual welfare
of the devotees. He worries day and night for one or
another of them.
He moved from the Shyampukur house to the

Cossipore garden house on Friday, 11 December, the
27th of Agrahayana, the fifth day of the bright
fortnight. He has been here for twelve days now. The
young devotees have been gradually coming to stay in
order to serve him. Many of them still visit their
homes frequently. The householder devotees come
almost daily, sometimes spending the night.
Most of the devotees, who have been gathering since

1881, have already met each other. The last have now
come. Sashi and Sarat met Thakur at the end of 1884.
After their college examinations in the middle of 1885,
they began visiting him regularly. In September of
1884 Girish Ghosh saw Thakur at the Star Theatre.
Three months after that, since the beginning of
December, he has become a regular visitor. At the end
of December 1884, Sarada saw Thakur at the
Dakshineswar temple garden. Subodh and Kshirode
met him for the first time in August of 1885.
All morning Sri Ramakrishna has been showering his

love. He said to Niranjan, “You are my father. I will
526 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXXI
sit on your lap.” Touching Kalipada’s chest, he said,

“Be awakened!” Then stroking his chin with affection,
he said, “Whoever has sincerely called on God or
performed his daily religious duties will surely come
here.” He gave his blessings in the morning to two
women, in the state of samadhi, touching their chests
with his feet. They began to shed tears, one of them
weeping, “Such grace!” His was a torrent of ecstatic
love. As he wishes to bless Gopal of Sinthi, he said,
“Fetch Gopal here.”
Today is Wednesday, 23 December 1885, 9th of

Pausha, the second day of the dark fortnight of
Agrahayana. It is now evening. Thakur is meditating
on the Mother of the Universe.
After a while he talks sweetly with one or two
devotees. Kali, Chunilal, M., Navagopal, Sashi,
Niranjan and other devotees are there in the room.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Buy a stool for me. How
much will it cost?”
M.: “Between two and three rupees.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “If a low seat for bathing costs
twelve annas, why would a stool cost that much?”
M.: “It won’t be too much. It might be less than
that.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Well, tomorrow is Thursday
and late in the afternoon is not auspicious. Can you
come before three o’clock?”
M.: “Certainly, sir. I shall come then.”
Is Sri Ramakrishna an incarnation of God? The hidden

significance of his illness
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Well, how long will it
take me to recover from this illness?”
23 December 1885 527
M.: “It is rather serious. It will take time.”

Sri Ramakrishna: “How many days?”
M.: “It may take five or six months.”
Hearing this, Thakur becomes impatient, like a
child, and says, “What are you saying?”
M.: “Sir, that long to get completely well.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Please tell me why I have
such illness when I see so many divine visions and
go into ecstasy and samadhi.”
M.: “You are suffering a lot, sir. But it has a
meaning.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “What is that?”
M.: “Your mood will undergo a change. You are
becoming inclined toward the Formless. Even the ‘I
of knowledge’ is disappearing.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, my teaching to others is
coming to an end. I am not able to speak any more.
I see everything is Rama. Time and again I ask
myself, whom shall I tell? Just see, this house has
been rented with the result that so many different
devotees are coming here. But there is no signboard
announcing the lecture times, like
Krishnaprasanna Sen’s or Shashadhar’s.” (Both
Thakur and M. laugh.)
M.: “And there is another meaning, to sift the
devotees. What cannot be achieved by practicing
austerities for five years, the devotees are gaining
during these few days – spiritual disciplines,
ecstatic love, devotion.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, undoubtedly. Niranjan

has just been home. (To Niranjan) Tell me, how do
you feel?”
Niranjan: “I did love you earlier, but now I
simply cannot stay away.”
M.: “One day I realized how great all these men
are.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Where?”
M.: “Sir, I noticed this one day when I was
standing by myself in the Shyampukur house. I
realized how each one of them has come here to
serve you, brushing aside so many obstacles.”
Thakur in samadhi – in wondrous state – vision of the

formless – selection of intimate disciples
Hearing this, Thakur becomes absorbed in
ecstasy. After some time, he remains absolutely
still, in samadhi.
When his ecstasy is over, he says to M., “I saw
that all forms of God were merging into the
Formless. I want to say much more, but I can’t.
Well, this inclination to the Formless – is it because
the body will cease to exist? Do you think so?”
M. (speechless): “That could be, sir.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “I see even now the Formless
Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute –
just like that. But I have concealed the inclination
with great effort.
“What you say about sifting of devotees is right.
This illness is showing who belongs to the inner
circle and who belongs to the outer. Those who
come here after renouncing the world belong to the

intimate group. And those who just come once and
ask, ‘How do you do, sir?’ belong to the outer circle.
“Did you notice Bhavanath? He came to
Shyampukur dressed as a bridegroom and asked
me how I was doing. He never came again. I treat
him kindly because of Narendra, but my mind is no
longer attracted to him.”
Chapter II
Speaking freely the story of his life in his own words –

who is Sri Ramakrishna?
ähus tväm åñayaù sarve devarñir näradas tathä |
asito devalo vyäsaù svayaà caiva bravéñi me ||
[Thus do all the seers acclaim You – the divine

seer Narada, also Asita Devala and Vyasa – and
now you yourself tell me so.]
– Bhagavad Gita: 10:13

Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “When God descends,
assuming a human form for the sake of His devotee,
he is accompanied by devotees as well. Some are his
intimate disciples, others belong to the outer circle,
and some are suppliers of provisions.
“When I was ten or eleven years old, I was going
to the Vishalakshi shrine in my native village and
had my first experience of ecstasy in an open field.
What did I see? It made me completely lose all
external consciousness.
“When I was twenty-two or twenty-three, I was

asked by the Divine Mother in the Kali Temple at
Dakshineswar, ‘Do you want to be Akshara?’ I
didn’t know the meaning of Akshara and I asked
Haladhari. He said, ‘Kshara means an embodied
being and Akshara means the Paramatman, or the
Supreme Self.’
“At the time of arati, I would climb up to the
roof of the Kuthi and cry out from there, ‘Come, O
devotees! Wherever you may be!’ I would stop
breathing when I met worldly people. I told
English-educated men and they said, ‘All this is
delusion of the mind.’ I became peaceful, thinking
to myself, That may be so. But all this is being
confirmed now. All the devotees are gathering.
“Then the five providers were revealed to me.
First I saw Mathur Babu and then Sambhu Mallick
– I had never seen him before, but I had seen in
ecstasy a fair-complexioned man wearing a crown.
When I met Sambhu many days later, I
remembered that it was this very man I had seen in
ecstasy. The other three providers I have not yet
been able to spot clearly. But they were all fair-
skinned. Surendra might very well be one of the
providers.
“When this state came over me, a person
identical to me came and shook the spiritual nerve
channels – the ida, the pingala, the sushumna. He
licked the lotus of each of the six chakras and all
the drooping lotuses turned up. Last of all, the lotus
at the sahasrara opened out completely.
“I was shown beforehand what kind of person

would visit me. I saw with these physical eyes, not
in a vision, a kirtan party led by Chaitanya Deva,
going from the banyan tree to the bakultala. I saw
Balaram in it and, I think, yourself [M.]. The
regular visits of Chuni and yourself to me have
awakened spiritual consciousness [in both of you]. I
also saw Sashi and Sarat. They were in the group of
the rishi Christ.
“I saw a boy under the banyan tree. Hriday said
that a son would be born to me. For me every
woman is the Mother. How could I have a son? That
boy is Rakhal.
“I said, ‘Mother, since you have given me this
temperament, please find me a rich man.’ So it was
that Mathur Babu served me for fourteen years. He
did so much! A separate provision store for sadhus,
carriages and palanquins for me – whatever I asked
him to give to anyone, he gave. The Brahmani
(Bhairavi Brahmani) used to say, ‘He is Pratap
Rudra.’1
“Vijay had a vision of this very form (of Sri
Ramakrishna). What does this mean? He said he
touched it just as I touch you.
“Noto (Latu) counted thirty-one devotees. This is
not a big number. Kedar and Vijay are making a
few more.
“I was shown in a vision that during my last
days, I would have to live on farina pudding.
1. A king of Orissa and a devotee of Chaitanya Deva, whom he

served with immense faith, respect, and devotion.
“During this illness, my wife (Holy Mother) is

feeding me farina pudding. I weep, saying, ‘Is this
the living on farina pudding? In this painful
condition?’”
Section XXXII
Sri Ramakrishna with Narendra and

Other Devotees at the Cossipore
Garden House
Chapter I
Advice to Narendra on the harmony of Jnana Yoga and

Bhakti Yoga
Sri Ramakrishna is with the devotees in the big
hall at the Cossipore garden house. It is about 8
p.m. Narendra, Sashi, M., the elder Gopal, and
Sarat are there. Today is Thursday, 11 March 1886,
28th of Phalgun, 1292 (B.Y.), the sixth day of the
bright fortnight of the month of Phalgun.
Thakur is ill. He is resting in bed with the
devotees sitting near him. Sarat is standing and
fanning him. Thakur talks of his illness.
Sri Ramakrishna: “If you go to Bholanath, he
will give you some oil and tell you how to use it.”
The elder Gopal: “Then we’ll bring it tomorrow
morning.”
M.: “Somebody can go and get it today.”
Sashi: “I can do it.”
Sri Ramakrishna (pointing at Sarat): “He can
go.”
534 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXXII
In a little while Sarat leaves for Dakshineswar

temple to get the oil from Bholanath Mukherji.1
Thakur is lying down. The devotees sit silently.
Suddenly he sits up and addresses Narendra.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra): “Brahman is
unattached. The three gunas are in Him, but He is
not attached to them.
“It is like a breeze carrying the fragrance of both
good and bad smells. The air remains unaffected.
Shankaracharya was walking along a road in
Kashi. An outcaste carrying a load of meat was
coming his way and suddenly touched him.
Shankara exclaimed, ‘You’ve touched me!’ The
outcaste said, ‘Master, you have not touched me,
nor have I touched you. The Atman is not attached.
You are that pure Atman.’
“Brahman and maya! A man of knowledge
rejects maya.
“Maya is like a veil. See, I am using this towel in
front of the lamp to bar the view, and I can’t see the
light of the lamp.”
Thakur holds the towel between himself and the
devotees. He says, “Look. Now you can’t see my
face.
“As Ramprasad says, ‘Raise the mosquito net
and see.’
“But a devotee doesn’t reject maya. He worships
Mahamaya. Taking refuge in it, he prays, ‘Mother,
don’t stand in the way. Only when you step out of
1. A clerk at the Dakshineswar temple garden.

11 March 1886 535
the way will I attain the knowledge of Brahman.’ A

man of knowledge denies the three states of
wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep. But devotees
accept them all. As long as ‘I-ness’ persists, so long
does everything else exist.
“As long as you retain ‘I-ness’, so long do you see
that God indeed has become maya, the universe,
living beings, and the twenty-four cosmic
principles.”
Narendra and the others remain silent.
“The theory of maya1 is dry. Now tell me, what I
said.”
Narendra: “Maya is dry.”
Thakur strokes Narendra’s face and hands and
says, “All these are the signs of a devotee. The
features of a man of knowledge are different: his
face and body are dry.”
“But a man of knowledge can live in the world
with vidyamaya – love for God, compassion, and
non-attachment2 – after attaining spiritual know-
ledge. This is for two particular objectives. First, to
teach mankind and second, to enjoy bliss.
“If a jnani remains silently in samadhi, he
would not be able to instruct people. That’s why
Shankaracharya retained the ‘ego of knowledge.’
“And a man of knowledge lives with devotees
and love for God to enjoy and experience the bliss of
God.
1. The Vedantic theory that the world of names and forms is illusory,
dream-like.
2. Bhakti, daya, and vairagya.
536 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXXII
“There is no harm in the ‘I of knowledge,’ the ‘I

of a devotee.’ But the ‘rascal I’ is harmful. When
one realizes God, one becomes childlike. There is no
harm in the ‘I of a child.’ It’s like a face reflected in
a mirror. It doesn’t say bad things. A burnt rope is
a rope only in appearance – it is blown away with a
puff. The ‘I’ gets burnt in the fire of spiritual
knowledge. Then it can no longer harm anyone. It
is ‘I’ only in name.
“Living in the relative world after reaching the
Absolute is like going to the other bank and then
returning. It is for teaching people and for
enjoyment, for pleasure.”
Thakur talks in a very low voice. He pauses for
a while and then he says to the devotees, “I am so
sick, but my mind is not subject to the power of
ignorance.1 Just look, I don’t think of Ramlal or
home or wife. But I am worried about Purna, a
kayastha boy unrelated to me. I have no worry
about the others.
“It is God who has kept vidyamaya in me for the
benefit of others – for the devotees.
“And as long as one keeps vidyamaya, one has to
return. Divine incarnations and other god-men
keep vidyamaya. You have to come back even if you
have the least trace of desire – you have to return
repeatedly. A person gains liberation only when all
desires are gone. But devotees don’t want
liberation.
1. Avidyamaya.
11 March 1886 537
“If you die in Kashi, you don’t have to return.

Men of knowledge want liberation.”
Narendra: “The other day we went to
Mahimacharan Chakravarty’s house.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “And then?”
Narendra: “I have never seen a jnani as dry as
he is.”
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling): “What happened?”
Narendra: “He asked us to sing. Gangadhar1
sang:
By Krishna’s name restored to life, Radha looks round
and round, searching, searching….
Then catching sight of the black tamal tree, Radha
exclaims, “Behold! There is my Krishna’s crest!”
“Hearing the song, he [Mahima] said, ‘Why sing
such songs? I don’t like love, or things like that.
Besides, I have a wife and son. Why sing such songs
here?”
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “See his fear!”
1. Later Swami Akhandananda.

Section XXXIII
Sri Ramakrishna at Cossipore

Garden House with Narendra and
Other Devotees
Chapter I
Modesty is the ornament of women – his earlier story –

gracious visit to M.’s house
Sri Ramakrishna is staying at the Cossipore garden

house with the devotees. Although very ill, he is
constantly anxious about the welfare of the devotees.
Today is Saturday, 17 April 1886, 5th of Vaishakh,
fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra. It is
also a full moon day.
Narendra has been visiting Dakshineswar almost

daily to meditate in the panchavati for several days.
Today he returns to Cossipore in the evening,
accompanied by Tarak and Kali.
It is 8 p.m. The moonlight and southern breeze
have made the garden very beautiful. Many of the
devotees are meditating in the room downstairs.
Narendra says to Mani, “They are giving it up” (i.e.
giving up their personal adjuncts as they meditate).
In a little while Mani goes to the hall upstairs
and sits with Thakur, who asks him to bring a
spittoon and hand towel after cleaning them. Mani
goes to the bathing ghat of the western pond and
washes them in the moonlight. Then he brings
them back.
540 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Section XXXIII
The next morning Thakur sends someone for

Mani. He had gone to the roof of the hall after
taking his bath in the Ganges and meeting Thakur.
Mani’s wife has gone almost insane with grief
over the death of her son. Thakur asks for her to be
brought to the garden for her meals. He indicates
by a sign, “Ask her to come and stay here for two
days. She should bring her baby and have her
meals here.”
Mani: “As you request, sir. It would be good for
her to develop great love for God.”
Sri Ramakrishna says by a sign, “Grief drives
away (love of God). And he [the boy] was quite
grown up.
“Krishnakishore had two sons almost Bhava-
nath’s age. Each of them had two university
degrees. They died. Krishnakishore is such a jnani,
but he could not keep his balance in the beginning.
Luckily, God has not given me a son.
“Such a great jnani Arjuna was! And he had
Krishna as his companion. Even so, his grief was
inconsolable at Abhimanyu’s death.
“Why hasn’t Kishori come?”
Devotee: “He goes every day to bathe in the
Ganges.”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Why doesn’t he come here?”
Devotee: “I’ll ask him to.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Latu): “Why doesn’t Harish
come?”
17 – 21 April 1886 541
Modesty is an ornament of women – his earlier story –

gracious visit to M.’s house
Two girls nine or ten years old, from M.’s family,
have come to the Cossipore garden house and sung
these songs for Thakur: ‘O my tongue, always
repeat the name of Durga,’ ‘The black bee of my
mind is drawn in sheer delight,’ and others. When
Thakur visited M.’s house at Telipara in
Shyampukur (Thursday, 30 October 1884, 15th of
Kartik, onset of the eleventh day of the lunar
month), the same two girls sang for him then. He
had been very pleased to hear them. When they
sang today at the Cossipore garden house, the
devotees heard them from downstairs and called
them down to hear their songs again.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “Don’t teach your girls
songs anymore. It is different if they sing on their
own, but a woman’s modesty suffers if she sings in
the presence of anybody and everybody. It is very
important that women preserve their modesty.”
Sri Ramakrishna’s self-worship – he gives prasad to the

devotees
Flowers and sandal paste are brought to Thakur
in a flower bowl. Sitting on his bed, he begins to
worship himself, touching the flowers with sandal
paste to his forehead, throat, and heart, and
sometimes to his navel.
Manomohan has come from Konnagar. After
saluting Thakur, he sits down. Thakur, still
worshiping himself, places a garland around his
own neck.
After a while, as if pleased with him, Thakur

gives some offered flowers to Manomohan and a
champak flower to Mani.
Chapter II
Did Buddha believe in the existence of God?

Instruction to Narendra
It is 9 o’clock. Thakur is talking to M. Sashi is
also in the room.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “What did Narendra
and Sashi talk about? What did they discuss?”
M. (to Sashi): “What were you talking about?”
Sashi: “Maybe Niranjan told you about it. Did
he?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “God does not exist, God does
exist. Is that what you were talking about?”
Sashi (smiling): “Shall I call Narendra?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “Yes, do call him.” (Narendra
comes in and sits down.)
(To M.) “Please ask him something. (To
Narendra) Tell me what you were talking about.”
Narendra: “My stomach is upset. What more can
I say?”
Sri Ramakrishna: “It will be all right.”
M. (smiling): “What is the state of Buddha
[illumination] like?”
Narendra: “Did I ever attain it that I could tell
you?”
17 – 21 April 1886 543
M.: “What is Buddha’s opinion about whether or

not God exists?”
Narendra: “How can you say that God exists? It
is you who have created the world. You do know
what Berkeley1 says.”
M.: “Yes, indeed he does say about external
objects, ‘Esse est percipi (the existence of external
objects depends upon their being perceived).’”
His earlier story – Totapuri's instructions to Thakur:

‘the world is only the projection of the mind’
Sri Ramakrishna: “The Naked One used to say,
‘The world is the product of the mind, then it
dissolves itself back into the mind.’
“But as long as ‘I-ness’ persists, the attitude of
master and servant is the right attitude.”
Narendra (to M.): “How can you prove by
reasoning that God exists? But if you rely on faith,
you have to accept the attitude of master and
servant. And if you accept that – and accept you
must – you have to accept that He is kind as well.
“You only think of your sorrow. What about the
happiness He has bestowed? Why do you forget it?
How great is His grace! He has given us three
precious things: human birth, longing for God, and
the company of a great spiritual personality –
manushyatam, mumukshutvam, mahapurusha-
sanshrya.”
They all sit silently.
1 George Berkeley (1685-1753), Irish philosopher.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra): “But I do

definitely feel that there is someone within.”
Dr. Rajendra Lal Dutta arrives and takes a seat.
He is treating Thakur with homeopathic medicine.
When the conversation about medicine ends,
Thakur points to Manomohan.
Dr. Rajendra: “He is a son of my maternal
uncle’s son.”
Narendra comes down to the lower floor and
begins to sing to himself:
By giving Your vision, You have rid me of all sorrows and
charmed my soul.
Beholding You, all the seven worlds forget their grief,
What to speak of my poor self so mean and unworthy.
Narendra has been suffering from mild
indigestion. He says to M., “Feelings of love and
devotion for God make the mind tend toward the
body. Were it otherwise, who would ‘I’ be? Then
there would be no man and no god, and I would
have neither sorrow nor happiness.”
Thakur’s worship of himself – his prasad to Surendra –

Surendra’s service to Thakur
It is already 9 p.m. Surendra and other devotees
have brought a garland of flowers and offered it to
Thakur. Baburam, Surendra, Latu, M., and some
others are in the room.
Thakur puts the garland brought by Surendra,
around his own neck. Everyone sits silently.
Thakur is worshiping Him who resides within.
17 – 21 April 1886 545
Suddenly he motions to Surendra. When he

comes near the bed, Thakur puts the offered
garland around Surendra’s neck.
Surendra salutes after receiving the garland.
Thakur asks him by a sign to stroke his feet gently.
Surendra strokes Thakur’s feet for some time.
Thakur in devotional singing with devotees in

Cossipore garden house
There is a reservoir to the west of the room
Thakur occupies. A few devotees are singing on the
platform of its ghat with the accompaniment of
drums and cymbals. Thakur sends word through
Latu, “Please chant the Lord’s name for a while.”
M. and Baburam are still sitting with Thakur.
They listen to the music of the devotees:
My Gaur is dancing,
courtyard.1
Listening to the song, Thakur signals to
Baburam, M., and the others, by a sign, “Please go
downstairs. Sing with them and dance.”
They go down and take part in the kirtan.
After a while Thakur sends someone to ask
them to sing:
O friend! My Gaur even knows how to dance!
His divine mood I cannot describe,
As my Gaur dances with both hands upraised!
1. For the complete song refer to Section XV, Chapter V.

The kirtan ends. Surendra, in an ecstatic mood,

sings:
My father1 is mad, my mother too,
And I, their son, am mad.
My Mother is none other than Shyama,
And my father, He who utters “ba-ba-bam!”2
Drunk with wine, my Mother staggers, Her disheveled
hair away.
While bees beyond number swarm around Her crimson
feet,
Buzzing to the ring of her anklets’ bells.
Chapter III
Existence of God and Narendra – Bhavanath, Purna,

and Surendra
After visiting Sri Ramakrishna, Hirananda gets into a

carriage. Standing close by, Narendra and Rakhal
exchange a few words with him. It is 10 o’clock.
Hirananda will come again tomorrow. This has been
narrated in Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, Volume
II, Section XXVII.
Today is Wednesday, 21 April, 1886, 9th day of

Vaisakha, the 3rd day of the dark fortnight of Chaitra.
Narendra and M. converse while they stroll the
garden path. Narendra’s mother and brothers are in
great difficulty at home. He has not yet been able to
make satisfactory arrangement for their well-being
and is very worried.
1. Shiva.
2. The hollow, drumming sound that Shiva makes while striking his
cheeks.
17 – 21 April 1886 547
Narendra: “I don’t want to work in Vidyasagar’s

school anymore. I’m thinking of going to Gaya.
Somebody told me there’s a manager’s job for
someone’s estate there. There is no God – or
anything like God.”
Mani (smiling): “You say this now, but later you
won’t. Skepticism is a stage on the path to God-
realization. When you’ve passed this stage and
progressed further, you will realize God. That's
what the paramahamsa says.”
Narendra: “Has anyone seen God the way I see
these trees?”
Mani: “Yes, Thakur has.”
Narendra: “That may be a hallucination.”
Mani: “What a person sees in a particular state
is reality for him – the truth – in that state. If you
dream you are in a garden, that garden is a reality
for you. However, in another state, say when you
are awake, you may know that it was unreal, an
illusion. When you attain the state of God-
realization, you see Him as the Reality, the truth.”
Narendra: “I want the truth. The other day I
had a long argument with the paramahamsa.”
Mani (smiling): “What was it about?”
Narendra: “He said to me, ‘Some people call me
God.’ I said, ‘Let a thousand people say so, but I
won’t unless I realize it myself.’
“He said, ‘What many people say is the truth,
that is the law.’
“I said, ‘Unless I realize it for myself, I will not

listen to what others say.’”
Mani (smiling): “You have the same attitude as
Copernicus1 and Berkeley. Everybody said that it
was the sun that revolves [around the earth].
Copernicus didn’t listen. The man in the street says
that the external world is a reality. Berkeley
refused to believe it. That is why Lewis said, ‘Why
was Berkeley not a philosophical Copernicus?’”
Narendra: “Can you give me a book on the
history of philosophy?”
M.: “The one by Lewis?”
Narendra: “No, by Überweg.2 I want to study a
German author.”
Mani: “You say, ‘Has anyone seen God the way I
see this tree?’ Suppose God came as a human being
and said, ‘I am God,’ will you believe him? Don’t
you know the story of Lazarus? When he died and
was in the other world, Lazarus said to Abraham,
‘Let me go tell my relatives and friends that there
really is another world and a hell.’ Abraham said,
‘Will they believe you if you say that? They’ll say
that some charlatan has come and is telling stories.’
Thakur says, ‘God can’t be known by reasoning.
Everything comes from faith: jnana, vijnana, vision,
intimacy – everything.’”
Bhavanath has married. He is worried about
making a living. He comes to M. and says, “I hear
1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Polish astronomer and founder

of modern astronomy.
2. Friedrich Überweg, An Outline of a History of Philosophy from
Thales to the Present, 3 vols., 1867.
17 – 21 April 1886 549
Vidyasagar is going to establish a new school. I

need to earn a living. Can I get a job there?”
Ramlal – carriage fare for Purna – Surendra’s straw

screens
It is between three and four o’clock. Thakur is
resting. Ramlal, who has come from Dakshineswar
to see him, is gently stroking his feet. Gopal of
Sinthi and Mani are also in the room.
Thakur asks Mani to shut the window and
massage his feet.
Purna had been asked to hire a carriage and
come to the Cossipore garden house. He has already
visited Thakur and left. Mani will pay the carriage
fare. Thakur asks Gopal by a sign, “Has he (M.)
given the money?”
Gopal: “Yes sir.”
It is about 9 p.m. Surendra, Ram, and others are
planning to return to Calcutta.
It is a hot day in the month of Vaishakh.
Thakur’s room becomes extremely hot during the
day, so Surendra has brought straw screens. Hung
on the windows they will cool the room to a great
extent.
Surendra: “Where are the screens? Why, they
haven’t been hung! Nobody pays any attention.”
A devotee (smiling): “The devotees are now in
the state of brahmajnana. It is now ‘I am He’;1 the
world is an illusion. When the feeling of ‘You are
1. So ‘ham.
the Lord and I am your servant’ returns, they will

attend to his service.” (All laugh.)
Baranagore Math – 21 February 1887 551
APPENDIX A
BARANAGORE MATH
Shivaratri fast by Narendra, Rakhal, and other
brothers of the monastery
Baranagore Math. Narendra, Rakhal, and other

devotees have observed a fast today for Shivaratri.
Two days later they will celebrate the anniversary of
Thakur’s birth.
Baranagore Math was founded only five months ago,

not long after Thakur Sri Ramakrishna had gone to
his eternal abode. Narendra, Rakhal, and other
devotees are in a state of deep renunciation. One day,
when Rakhal’s father came to persuade him to return
home, Rakhal said to him, “Why do you take the
trouble of coming here? I’m alright here. Just bless me
that you may all forget me and I may forget you.”
They are all in a state of deep dispassion, ever
engaged in spiritual practices and singing the name of
God. They have only one ideal, – to realize God.
Narendra and the other devotees sometimes practice

japa and at other times study the scriptures.
Narendra says, “Work without expectation of any
reward, which the Lord talks about in the Gita, is
what we are to do – worship, japa, meditation, and
such. We are not to do activities of any other kind.”
Narendra had gone to Calcutta in the morning, to

appear in court in connection with his family’s
lawsuit. He had to testify in court personally.
552 Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – IV, Appendix A
M. reaches the monastery at 9 o’clock. Seeing

him enter the “demons’ room,”1 Tarak begins to
sing a song in praise of Shiva:
Tathaiya tathaiya dances Shiva …
Rakhal also joins him and both begin to dance
as they sing the song that Narendra had recently
composed:
Tathaiya tathaiya dances Shiva to the sound of ba-ba-
bam! ba-ba-bam!2
Dimi-dimi-dimi rings His damaru,3 while around his neck
sways a garland of skulls.
And through his matted locks the Ganges roars and his
scintillating trident flashes fire – dhak-dhak-dhak!
His hair, tied in a bun atop his head – how splendidly the
moon glows upon it!
All the brothers in the monastery are fasting.
Narendra, Rakhal, Niranjan, Sarat, Sashi, Kali,
Baburam, Tarak, Harish, Gopal of Sinthi, Sarada,
and M. are present. Jogen and Latu are in
Vrindavan these days; they have not seen the
monastery yet.
Today is Monday, 21 February 1887. Sarat,
Kali, Niranjan, and Sarada are planning to go to
Puri next Saturday to visit Lord Jagannath. Sashi
is engaged in serving Thakur day and night.
The worship over, Sarat begins to sing to the
accompaniment of a tanpura.
1. “The monastic brothers were nicknamed “demons.” The “demons’

room” was a room in the house that they used as a parlour.”
2. A reference to the hollow, drumming sound that Shiva makes
while striking his cheeks.
3. A small, handheld drum, shaped like an hourglass.
The Lord of Kailas, the King of Kings, Shiva Shankara

dances – ba-ba-bam!
The beat of his damaru rumbles over Kailas’s peak, a
garland of serpents encircles his neck, and his bloodshot
eyes shine brightly,
Even as the crescent moon, adorning his forehead, shines
brightly too.
Narendra has just returned from Calcutta and
has not yet taken his bath. Kali asks him, “What is
the news about the lawsuit?”
Narendra (irritated): “Why are you concerned
about it?”
Narendra is smoking and talking to M. and
others: “You cannot succeed without renouncing
‘lust and greed.’ ‘Woman is the door to hell.’ All men
are under the control of women. Shiva and Krishna
are different. Shiva made Shakti his maidservant.
Sri Krishna did live a householder’s life, but how
unattached he was! How quickly he gave up
Vrindavan!”
Rakhal: “And also how he left Dwaraka.”
Narendra returns to the monastery after a dip
in the Ganges, holding his wet dhoti and a towel in
his hand. Sarada, his whole body covered in dust,
comes and prostrates before Narendra. He has also
observed the fast of Shivaratri and is now going to
the Ganges to bathe. Narendra goes to the shrine
room, salutes Thakur, and then sits and meditates
for quite a long time.
They are now talking about Bhavanath, who has
married and taken a job. Narendra, says, “Oh, he
and people like him are but worldly worms!”
It is midday. Arrangements for the worship of

Shivaratri are being made. Wood and vilwa leaves
of the bel tree have been gathered for the homa fire
that will be performed after the puja.
Evening arrives. Having waved incense in
Thakur’s shrine, Sashi takes the incense stick to
the other rooms as well and bows to the picture of
each god and goddess, chanting their names with
utmost devotion. “I bow to the guru; I bow to
Kalika; I bow to Jagannath, Subhadra, and
Balaram; I bow to the six-armed one; I bow to
Radha Vallabha; I bow to Nityananda, Advaita, and
the devotees; I bow to Gopala and I bow to Yashoda;
I bow to Rama, Lakshmana, and Vishwamitra.”
Arrangements have been made for the worship
of Shiva under the bel tree of the monastery. It is 9
o’clock [in the evening]. The first worship will be
performed now. The second worship will be at half
past eleven. There will be four worships in the four
watches of the night. Narendra, Rakhal, Sarat,
Kali, Gopal from Sinthi, and the other brothers of
the monastery are present under the bel tree.
Bhupati and M. are also there. A brother of the
monastery is performing the worship.
Kali reads from the Gita sections on the review
of the armies, Samkhya Yoga, and Karma Yoga.
During the reading he discusses them with
Narendra.
Kali: “I myself am everything. I create, preserve,
and destroy.”
Narendra: “How can I create? There is a power

which makes me do it. All actions – even thinking –
are caused by God.”
M. (to himself): “Thakur said, ‘As long as you are
aware that you are in meditation, you are in the
jurisdiction of Primal Power. You have to accept the
fact of Primal Power.’”
Kali thinks for some time silently. Then he says,
“The action you are talking about is all illusion.
There is not even such a thing as thinking. I laugh
when I think of these things.”
Narendra: “The ‘I’ that is understood when we
say ‘I am He’ (So ’ham) is not this ego. It is what
remains after getting rid of the mind and body and
so on.”
After reading of the Gita, Kali chants, “Peace,
peace, peace (Santih, santih, santih).”
Narendra and the other devotees all stand up
and circumambulate the vilwa1 tree repeatedly as
they dance and sing. Now and then they chant in
chorus, “Shiva Guru! Shiva Guru!” It is a deep dark
night. The fourteenth day of the dark fortnight –
darkness all around. All living creatures are still.
“Shiva Guru, Shiva Guru,” chanted from the lips
of these young, ochre-clothed, unmarried devotees,
is full of dispassion. The sound of the great mantra
merges with the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-
Bliss Absolute, having risen like rain clouds
rumbling through the infinite sky.
1.The vilwa tree is also called the bel tree.

It is almost dawn when the worship ends.

Narendra and the devotees bathe in the Ganges
during this sacred time of early dawn, the
Brahmamuhurta.
It is day break. After their dip in the Ganges,
the devotees go to the shrine of the monastery and
salute Sri Ramakrishna. Then they assemble in the
“demons’ room” (the parlour). Narendra has put on
a beautiful new ochre cloth. The indescribably pure,
celestial radiance of his face and body, the result of
spiritual austerities, blend with the color of his
apparel. His countenance is filled with vigour and
also intense love for God. It looks as if a drop from
the ocean of Indivisible Sat-chit-ananda has
assumed a divine body in order to teach mankind
knowledge and love for God – as a helper in the
work of a divine incarnation. None can turn his
eyes away from Narendra, who is now twenty-four
years old – exactly Sri Chaitanya’s age when he
renounced the world.
The day before, Balaram had sent fruits and
sweets from his house for the devotees to break
their fast the next day.
Standing in the room, Narendra, Rakhal, and a
couple of other devotees have some refreshments.
After eating one or two, they say joyfully, “Blessed
Balaram! Blessed you are!” (They all laugh.)
Now Narendra makes fun like a child. Putting a
rasagolla in his mouth, he stands absolutely still,
his eyes unblinking. Seeing Narendra in this state,
a devotee pretends to hold him from behind lest he
fall.
After some time, Narendra (with the rasagolla

still in his mouth) opens his eyes and says, “I … am
… well …” (Everyone laughs loudly.)
M. and the others are served the offered sweets
and hemp.
M. watches this mart of joy. The devotees shout
together, “Victory to Guru Maharaj, Victory to
Guru Maharaj!”
A B
Absolute: and phenomenal, 84, Baburam (Swami Premananda),
119, 143, 281, 412, 413, 536 114, 185, 229, 237; nature of,
action: motiveless, 111 186
Adhar Sen, 129, 238, 249, 272, Bagchi, 513
276, 301, 320; description of, Balaram Bose, 435, 515; festival
164, 297; Ramakrishna's advice at house of, 195, 401, 410; in
to, 165, 266; Ramakrishna's Ramakrishna's vision, 450, 531;
visit to house of, 241 in Vrindavan, 312;
Adhyatma Ramayana, 101, niggardliness of, 421;
144, 461 Ramakrishna's advice to, 25;
adjuncts, 316, 420, 429 Ramakrishna's opinion of, 313
afflictions, 293 Balaram's father: description of,
ajna, 218, 219 196
Allah, 519 Bankim, 510
anahata, 100, 218, 455 Banwari, 423
anger, 11, 16, 33 Baranagore Math, 550
approaches to God, 364 bauls, 254
Arnold, Edwin, 494 Behold, the brothers have come!
Atman, 17; knowledge of, 415; The two who shed tears while
nature of, 11 chanting Hari’s name., 45
attachment, 11, 29, 206, 224, 284, being and non-being, 4
354 Berkeley, George, 543
attitudes (bhavas) toward God, Bhagavad Gita, 16, 353, 362;
364; master and servant, 543 essence of, 49, 362
attraction to God, 309, 387; three Bhagavata, 196
pre-requisites, 484 Bhairavi Brahmani, 453
austerity, 20, 73, 203; of worldly Bhaktamala, 196
people, 207 bhakti: ahetuki, 21; raga, 21;
avatar, 193 three kinds of, 208
avidyamaya, 192 Bhakti Yoga: and kundalini, 95
awakening: spiritual, 7, 228 Bhavanath, 170, 180, 231, 292,
314, 529, 548; nature of, 186,
402, 431; Ramakrishna's
opinion of, 19
Bhishma: on bed of arrows, 20
bhoga, 50 caste, 248

Bholanath, 303, 533 centres of consciousness, 254,
Bhudhar, 195 447, See, See, See also chakras
Bibhishana, 33, 185; and Chaitanya, 63, 111, 166, 179, 208,
shipwrecked merchant, 151 272, 294, 345, 387, 436;
Binode, 405 renunciation of, 183; states of,
birth: first, 228; futility of, 481; 364
human, 543; past, 329, 435 Chaitanya Charitamrita, 411
body, 380, 522; after God- Chaitanya Lila, 302
realization, 402; after nirvikalpa chakras. See centres of
samadhi, 219; and desire, 406; consciousness
and Self, 493; and spiritual Chandi, 191, 292, 311
practices, 275; and work, 333; Chandra Chatterji, 206
care of, 436; dependence on chanting, 126, 319; God's name,
passions, 23; forgetfulness of, 126, 156, 293
225; vulnerability of, 412 charity, 90, 111
body-consciousness, 179, 352 childlike nature, 6, 69, 327
bondage, 172, 309, 323 children: obligations to, 117
bonds. See eight bonds (fetters) chitta, 354
book-learning, 447, 480 Choudhury, 19, 205;
brahmachakra, 455 Ramakrishna's advice to, 20;
brahmajnana, 59, See also Ramakrishna's opinion of, 206
knowledge of Brahman Chuni, 531; Ramakrishna's visions
Brahman, 253; and gunas, 534; as of, 451
the universe, 64, 66, 67; classes: of devotees, 19, 188, 325,
creative imagination of, 211; 479
indescribability of, 59; nature cohabitation, 54; and man of
of, 358 knowledge, 130
Brahman and maya, 534 company of devotees, 113
Brahman and Shakti, 7, 60, 103, compassion, 111, 191, 192, 535
358, 414 concentration, 508
Brahmani Lal: advice to, 345 conceptualization, 415
Brahmo Samaj. See also: Sadharan consciousness, 50, 71; awakened,
Brahmo Samaj; festival in 396; divine, 67, 275; of
Nandan Bagan, 31; Nandan Brahman, 130; spiritual, 447;
Bagan, 501; poor hospitality at three states of, 535
festival, 36; worship described, Consciousness, 17; as Power, 115;
34 as Self, 115; meditating on, 409
breath: suspension of, 61, 344 contentment, 236
Buddha, 542 continence, 160, 166
Cook, Joseph, 454
Cossipore house, 525, 533, 539
C creation: reason for, 126
Captain (Vishwanath Upadhyaya),
173, 190, 204; Ramakrishna's D
opinion of, 166, 305, 338
Car Festival, 410, 419 Dakshineswar: at evening, 18
death, 354, 412; in Kashi Ramakrishna, 497;

(Benares), 357 Ramakrishna's advice to, 498,
dependence on God, 481 499; Ramakrishna's opinion of,
desire: and knowledge, 69; and 522; Ramakrishna's teaching to,
pure love, 376; and rebirth, 536; 489
for enjoyment, 127, 310; for doer (doership), 34, 73, 111, 112,
God, 380; renunciation of, 379; 191, 192, 482
spiritual, 407 doubt, 234
Devendra, 508 Draupadi, 329, 332
Devendranath Tagore: dream, 456
Ramakrishna's opinion of, 270 Duryodhana, 318, 338
Devi Purana, 234 duty, 342, 379
devotee: all-renouncing, 271; and Dwarika Babu, 205
maya, 534; definition of, 50; Dwija: description of, 442; one-
nature of a kitten, 479; nature of pointed attention of, 406;
a monkey, 479 Ramakrishna's opinion of, 401,
devotees: and incarnation of God, 444
529; and liberation, 536; Dwija’s father: Ramakrishna's
attitude toward themselves, conversation with, 442
115; classes of, 19, 430;
company of, 113; spiritual
capacity of, 430
E
devotees of Ramakrishna, 440, ecstasy, 225, 365
525; inner circle, 1, 446, 528; ego, 352; and God-realization, 96;
vision of their arrival, 450 of knowledge, 111, 192, 535; of
devotion, 71; and liberation, 357; realized soul, 219
degrees of, 47; efficacy of, 21 egotism, 355
Dhruva, 110 eight bonds (fetters), 170, 309,
discrimination, 9, 15, 96, 124, 125, 354, 394; six mentioned, 157
212, 227, 334, 432 Elder Gopal. See Gopal (Swami
dispassion, 15, 236, 274, 511; Advaitananda)
kinds of, 157 Elder Kali: description of, 374
Dive deep, dive deep, O my mind, elements: five gross, 352
into the ocean of beauty,, 368 emotion: containing, 411
Divine Mother, 118; appearing to enjoyment, 522
Ramakrishna, 4 Erskine, Lord, 55
Doctor Bhagavan Rudra, 470, 482 ever-perfect, 19, 435
Doctor Dokari: Ramakrishna's evolution: and involution, 337
advice to, 498 examples and similes: actor
Doctor Madhu, 71, 128, 386, 459 playing role of sadhu, 90, 182;
Doctor Nitai, 471 air and smells, 60, 534; almanac
Doctor Pratap Majumdar, 164, 212 and rain, 284; archery lesson
Doctor Rajendra Lal Dutta, 544 [of Arjuna], 142, 150;
Doctor Rakhal, 481 ashwattha tree, 33, 377; bee and
Doctor Sarkar, 487, 509, 521; honey, 480; bees and flies, 271;
concern for Ramakrishna, 493; bel fruit, 60, 414; bubbles in
conversation with M., 488, 503, mud, 333; bullfrog swallowed
517; conversation with
by snake, 5; burnt rope, 536; and shopping, 333; light of a

butter and buttermilk, 58; butter lamp, 226; light of the moon,
kept in water, 132, 442; butter, 227; light of the sun, 227;
making, 284; butter, sizzling, lighting a darkened room, 20;
480; camphor. burnt, 84; canal line drawn on water, 219; links
and field, 96, 158; chain and in chain, 365; lotus and clouds,
log, 508; chatak bird, 271; child 75; machine and operator, 5;
at play, 127; child's need to magician and magic, 15, 191,
urinate, 227; cleaning turbid 359; magnet and needle, 61;
water, 227; climbing to the man with towel, 158; mangoes,
roof, 256; coconut and shell, ripe and unripe, 226; Mayala
493; coconut and water- breeze and sandalwood, 309;
chestnut, 342; cow and fodder, melting gold, 29; midwife and
21; cutting through flower, 192; umbilical cord, 61; milk, 415,
damming water, 167; digging a 497; milk and pot, 497; milk
well, 220; diving for jewels, and water, 442; milk in pot,
353; diving for pot, 334; dyeing 466; milk, tasting, 461; mirror
cloth, 320; eating at a feast, 9; and dirt, 350; mongoose and
eating mangoes, 111, 212, 221, brick, 74; moth and light, 160;
234, 474; father and five sons, mother bird pecking egg, 95;
150; fear of sharks and notes of scale, 415; passions
crocodiles, 334; felling a tree, and burnt string, 11; peasants
95; fighting from fort, 159; fire and hog plum, 294; physician
and coloured tablets, 351; and molasses, 346; pigeon and
firewood burnt, 420; fireworks, peas, 365; potter and clay, 349;
281; flattening rice with pestle, pouring water from pitcher,
280; friends, prostitute, and 220; prince and washermen,
Bhagavata, 323; fruit on tree 359; pundit in sinking boat [told
and ground, 132; game of by Manilal], 142; razor's edge,
golakdham, 342; Ganges and 157; refining syrup, 254; rice
wave, 398, 433; garden and and rats, 127; rice-water for
owner, 125; ghee, taste of, 284; intoxication, 224; rich man and
gita-gita, tagi-tagi, 336; gold petitioner, 376; sadhu and
and clay mould, 275; gold beating, 73; salt doll, 84; salt in
buried under ground, 96; guru water, 352; sandalwood forest
drowning disciple, 214; and beyond, 41, 322, 480;
Hanuman Singh's wrestling sannyasin and girl's breasts,
match, 149; hemp smokers, 273; sannyasin and guru's
301; hole in wall, 466; sandals, 333; saucer and water,
housewife and chores, 394; ice 62; scale and needles, 109; seed
and water, 414; jackfruit, 442; on cornice of building, 388;
king beyond seven gates, 460; Shankara and outcaste, 534;
kitten and mother, 62; lamp and sheathes and pulp, 413;
moths, 273; lampblack and shouting "hemp", 284, 354,
stain, 130, 155; leaf plate and 480; snake and holy man, 442;
wind, 63; leech and lime, 254; snake, moving and unmoving,
lens and sun's rays, 355; letter 60; soot and stain, 130, 155;
sound of burning wood, 10; Gauranga, 48; Ramakrishna's

steamships carrying passengers, vision of, 4
220; steps and roof, 65, 84, 337, Gauri Pundit, 118, 142, 203
414, 432; stick on water, 130; Ghoshpara sect, 255
sugar and sand, 333; sugar Girinda: Ramakrishna's advice to,
candy and molasses, 54; sword 175
and philosopher's stone, 69; Girish Ghosh, 426, 525; attempt to
sword and sheath, 493; thorn in cure Ramakrishna's illness, 476;
foot, 280; thorn, burning, 488; opinion of Ramakrishna, 475,
thorny bush, 354; thread and 477; Ramakrishna's advice to,
eye of needle, 11; tiger and 477
goats, 86; tortoise and eggs, goal: to see the Self within the
165; tortoise and limbs, 16, self, 275
157; tulsi leaf, 146; turmeric God: and guru, 22; and his name,
powder, 334; water and colours, 128; approaches to, 364; as
352; water and ice, 434; water Father and Mother, 124;
and waves, 60, 413, 414; water attraction of, 406; beyond one
in drain pipe, 84; water, jal, and or two, 395; beyond scripture
pani, 519; weighing paddy, and ritual, 288; existence of,
107; whitewash and mother of 543; incarnation of, 151; inner
pearl, 113; woodcutter, 409; experience of, 73; intimacy
zeroes and one, 11 reveals simplicity, 9; manifest
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, 143, as universe, 337, 342, 460;
163, 198 manifest in human beings, 342;
manifest in human form, 144;
manifestation of, 58, 414, 416;
F nearness of, 498; permanence
faith, 34, 209, 226, 319, 348; and of, 33; ruling in the heart, 126;
divine will, 148; and reason, seeing, 20, 283, 429, 449;
116, 548; in chosen ideal, 152; talking with, 449; with form,
in guru, 283 and formless, 3, 17, 22, 83, 119,
family: provision for, 188 162, 190, 198, 220, 321, 353,
fault-finding, 331 389, 414, 528; within and
fear, 170, 334, 338 without, 362
Festival of Flattened Rice, 43 God-realization, 96, 102, 461;
fetters. See eight bonds (fetters) three prequisites for, 484
fish: cooking of, 389 God's love: impartiality of, 150
food: after knowledge of Golap Ma, 470
Brahman, 132 good and bad: utility of, 103
free will, 34 Gopal (Swami Advaitananda),
freedom, 323 175, 526, 533
Gopal Sen, 451; tendencies of, 360
Gopal's Mother, 418, 440, 472;
G 360, 472; description of, 404
Ganesha, 107 gopis, 89, 308
Gangadhar (Swami goswamis: Ramakrishna's advice
Akhandananda), 537 to, 49, 345, 498
Govinda Pal, 360
grace, 19, 214, 234, 322, 376, 395, about, 366; Ramakrishna's
500; signs of, 543 opinion of, 375
greed, 33 holy company, 62, 226, 284, 348,
grief, 540 543
guilelessness, 187, 349 holy man: dispassion of, 274
gunas, 172; and Brahman, 534; Holy Mother: in Ramakrishna's
and knowledge, 70; God is vision, 532
beyond, 6 household, 235; leaving, 141
guru, 69, 86, 87, 95, 333, 478; and householder, 62, 280; advice for,
God, 22; faith in, 283; need for, 20; and God-realization, 132;
22 and holy company, 348; and
non-attachment, 442, 480; and
renunciation, 271, 345; and
H sadhu, 159; and work, 343;
habit, 333 attitude of, 380
Hafiz, 225 Hriday, 92, 146, 162, 248, 255,
Haladhari, 4, 104, 148; tells of 270, 316
madman, 202 humility, 319
Haladhari's father: faith of, 152 hypocrisy: and Haladhari, 104
Hanuman, 5, 220, 335, 433;
devotion to Rama, 143, 234, I
399
Hanuman Singh, 149 I, 414; nature of, 17, 353;
Haramohan: Ramakrishna's renunciation of, 130
opinion of, 206 I of a child, 536
Hari (Priya Mukherji's relative): I of a devotee, 11, 433, 500, 536
Ramakrishna's advice to, 363; I of a servant, 220
Ramakrishna's opinion of, 389 I of devotion, 219
Hari (Swami Turiyananda), 432; I of knowledge, 11, 130, 192, 219,
advice to, 413; description of, 500, 536
413 I-consciousness, 65, 67, 73, 192,
Hariballav, 515 413, 433
Haripada: and Ghoshpara woman, ida, 94, 218
314; Ramakrishna's advice to, identity, 420
236 ignorance, 292, 351, 355, 420; and
Haripal, 426 knowledge, 280; subduing, 149
Harish, 231, 260; nature of, 186 illusion, 64, 226, 414
hatha yoga, 344 impermanence: of world, 165, 359
hatred, 170 impersonal God: spiritual
Hazra, 12, 230, 248, 267, 274, disciplines for, 73
281, 295, 337, 435, 436; In dense darkness, O Mother,
description of, 330, 373; Your formless beauty sparkles.,
opinion of Ramakrishna, 330, 422
332; opinions of, 373; incarnation of God, 17, 84, 85,
Ramakrishna's advice to, 88, 193, 219, 225, 226, 403, 466,
331; Ramakrishna's comment 489, 536; and desire, 407; and
devotees, 529; and
guilelessness, 350; behavior of, karma yoga: in the Kaliyuga, 358

89; mind of, 219 Karma Yoga, 133
individual soul, 353 Kartabhaja, 256
I-ness, 89, 130, 189, 543; and Karttika, 107
phenomena, 535 Kedar, 152, 173, 531; attitude of,
intellect, 283, 352; and mind, 11; 40; belief in Ramakrishna as
pure, 415 avatar, 23; description of, 14,
intention, 415 39; devotion of, 14;
intercourse: sexual, 69 Ramakrishna's advice to, 41,
involution: and evolution, 337 102, 434; Ramakrishna's
Ishan Chandra Mukherji, 195 opinion of, 434; Ramakrishna's
Ishvara, 519 visions of, 451
ishvarakoti, 225, 258; mind of, Keshab Sen, 71, 110, 204, 345,
219 511; divine power in, 387;
family of, 348; in
Ramakrishna's vision, 450;
J mother and sister of, 194;
Jada Bharata, 343 published Ramakrishna's
Jadu Mallick, 93, 164; description teachings, 149; Ramakrishna's
of, 297; Ramakrishna's opinion advice to, 480; Ramakrishna's
of, 301, 302; Ramakrishna's opinion of, 29, 182, 204
visit to house of, 297 King Bharata, 354, 474
Janaka, 93, 159; two swords of, Kishori, 259, 277, 540
132 knowledge, 111, 292, 354, 355,
Janmashtami Festival, 469 412, 420, 478; after attaining
japa, 319, 365, 508; of worldly God, 29; and book-learning, 56;
people, 207 and devotion, 75, 432, 434; and
Jatila and Kutila, 82 ignorance, 280; and liberation,
Jaynarayan Pundit, 141, 384 357; and living in the world, 60;
Jesus Christ, 466, 519, 520; and and silence, 9; definition of,
suffering, 464 358; fitness for, 224; of One
Jivanmukti Gita, 136 and many, 395; of Ultimate
Jnan Babu, 279 Reality, 375; signs of, 484;
jnana and bhakti, 432 worldly and spiritual, 226
Jogin (Swami Yogananda): Knowledge, 500
description of, 58 knowledge of Brahman, 59, 105,
joy: spiritual vs. sexual, 69 106, 130, 192, 316, 415, 432;
changes perspective, 10
Koar Singh: opinion of
K Ramakrishna, 454
Kala, 358; and Brahman, 114 Konnagar: devotees from, 282
Kali, 163, 358; and Brahman, 114, Krishna, 308, 336, 364, 379, 438,
192; and Krishna, 234; 519; and father, Nanda, 90; and
Vedantic view of, 103 Kali, 234; anniversary festival
Kalipada, 508, 526 of birth, 469; as Consciousness,
Kaliyuga, 8, 193, 357, 481 17; nature of, 177; teaching to
Kalki, 193 Arjuna, 50
Krishnadhan: advice to, 409
Krishnakishore, 106, 162, 540 M

Kshirode, 470, 525
kundalini, 94, 218, 447 M., 64, 95, 105, 115, 275, 364,
509; advice to, 392; attitude
toward Ramakrishna, 140, 228,
L 387; conversation with Doctor
Lakshmi Narayan, 356 Sarkar, 488, 503, 517;
Latu (Swami Adbhutananda), 164, conversation with Narendra,
229, 231, 276, 531; 547; discouraged from
Ramakrishna's opinion of, 186, reasoning, 117; in
275 Ramakrishna's vision, 531;
learning, 20, 150, 164, See musings, 11, 41, 56, 57, 59, 64,
Ramakrishna, attitude toward 66, 81, 88, 94, 101, 119, 130,
learning 177, 195, 220, 229, 238, 257,
lectures, 164 275, 364, 409, 412, 418, 454,
liberation, 356, 536; through love, 476, 512; on retreat at
375 Dakshineswar, 53, 99, 105;
life: four stages of, 133, 343 opinion of Ramakrishna, 489;
life after death, 474 opinion of Ramakrishna's
longing for God, 543, See also disciples, 528; Ramakrishna's
yearning for God advice to, 108, 115, 117, 235,
love, 102; and desirelessness, 376; 351; Ramakrishna's disclosure
and liberation, 375; ecstatic, to, 85, 382; Ramakrishna's
179; mature, 395; selfless, 21, teaching to, 64, 66; retreat at
129, 190 Dakshineswar, 109; taught to
love for God, 70, 106, 111, 214, meditate on the formless, 52;
234, 344; and knowledge, 75; teaching to, 68
and knowledge of Brahman, M.'s wife, 540
106; attitudes of, 68; bhava and madness: divine, 33, 69
mahabhava, 258; degrees of, Mahakarana, 352
225; of worldly people, 124; Mahamaya, 450, 534
passionate and ritualistic, 366; Mahanirvana Tantra, 8, 264
spontaneous, 129; two aspects Mahendra, 248, 305, 309, 421;
of, 89 description of, 322, 390;
lust, 11, 33, 103, 130; conquering, Ramakrishna's advice to, 294
6 Mahendra Kaviraj, 363
lust and greed, 10, 16, 27, 29, 54, Mahima, 156, 163, 166, 262, 265,
59, 61, 62, 69, 72, 73, 87, 110, 445, 449, 454, 504, 537; and
126, 132, 172, 187, 205, 214, brahmachakra, 455; discusses
217, 224, 272, 283, 355, 388, pilgrimages, 121;
434, 454, 466, 474, 493, 497, Ramakrishna's advice to, 129,
498, 499; and religious teacher, 130; Ramakrishna's opinion of,
345; and sannyasin, 181 164, 506
man of knowledge, 235, 534, 535;
and liberation, 537; and states
of consciousness, 535
Mani Mallick, 71, 140, 268, 342; Mukherji brothers. See Priyanath
description of, 141; and Mahendra
Ramakrishna's advice to, 345, Mukherji of Janai, 57;
348 Ramakrishna's advice to, 58
Mani Sen, 46, 164 muladhara, 94, 218
Manomohan, 206, 272, 397, 541 Muller, Max, 48
Manoyoga, 133 my-ness, 89
mantra: and Vedas, 357
marital relations, 173
marriage, 359; and non-
N
attachment, 360 Nabai Chaitanya, 261
Marwari devotees, 15 Nabin Sen: Ramakrishna at house
Mathur, Rani Rasmani's son-in- of, 367
law, 196, 270, 453; as Naked One. See Totapuri
Ramakrishna's provider, 530, name: of God, 128; repetition of,
531; opinion of Ramakrishna, 207, 319
85; wife and Ramakrishna, 138 name and fame, 272, 522
Mati Seal: lake in temple garden, Narada, 93, 144, 220, 281, 358;
51 and I of knowledge, 11; prayer
maya, 61, 192, 351, 354, 355, 359, of, 214, 226
450, 460, 535; and Brahman, Narayan, 282, 393; Ramakrishna's
534; bewitchment of, 126; opinion of, 258, 385;
veiling power of, 534; Ramakrishna's warning about
worshiped as Mahamaya, 534 women, 385
meditation, 126, 365, 409; Narayan Shastri, 203, 205
importance of privacy, 392; on Narendra (Swami Vivekananda),
forms of God, 23 241, 247, 269, 272, 279, 282,
Michael Madhusudan, 205 285, 386, 417, 418, 420, 429,
mind, 260, 280, 283, 323, 352; and 508, 509, 537, 539, 542, 544,
Absolute, 414; and breath, 344; 550; and Ramakrishna's
and centres of consciousness, divinity, 547; and Shakti, 231;
218; and samadhi, 74; and conversation with M., 547;
world, 442; destroyed, 415; family troubles of, 510, 546;
fixing on God, 175; like dyed first meeting with Ramakrishna,
cloth, 323; of worldly people, 313; nature of, 189, 402, 430;
227; ordinary and awakened, Ramakrishna's advice to, 289;
481; outgoing, 103; pure, 11, Ramakrishna's attraction to,
73, 415, 482 313; Ramakrishna's instruction
Misra, 518; Ramakrishna's opinion to, 534; Ramakrishna's opinion
of, 520 of, 19, 97, 147, 430;
modesty, 541 Ramakrishna's visions of, 451;
Mohit, 406 visions of, 456
money, 131, 236, 498, 522; right nature: feminine, 6
use of, 259 Navadvip Goswami, 44;
mother: earthly, 118, 436; Ramakrishna's discussion with,
obligations to, 436 47
movable: and immovable, 434 Navagopal, 478
neti, neti, 17, 58, 64 perfection: from birth, 19; natural,

Nilkantha, 393; advice to, 394 256; through grace, 19
Niranjan (Swami Niranjanananda), perseverance, 157
187, 264, 359, 382, 525; philosophy, 21
attitude toward Ramakrishna, pilgrimage: places of, 32;
528; nature of, 189, 430; Ramakrishna's second, 91
Ramakrishna', 237; pingala, 94, 218
Nityagopal: advice to, 23; nature planes (bhumis). See centres of
of, 405; Ramakrishna's opinion consciousness
of, 508 Power, 414; of Brahman, 7
non-attachment, 124, 224, 227, power of attorney, 62
235, 334, 511, 535 power of God: signs of, 203
not this, not this. See: neti, neti Prahlada, 21, 24, 53, 130, 376, 433
Noto. See Latu (Swami Prankrishna, 12; biographical
Adbhutananda) information, 2; conversation on
Vedanta, 3
prasad, 467
O Prasanna, 204
occult powers, 190, 492; and Pratap, 454
Ramakrishna, 465 prayer, 20, 331, 395
Om, 362 prema, 366
Om Tat Sat, 362 pride, 33, 377, 499
Om! Brahman is infinite truth and pride of caste, 170
knowledge., 35 pride of family, ancestry, or
Om! We bow to the real, the cause lineage, 171
of universe., 35 pride of good conduct,
one-pointedness of mind, 143 character, or piety, 171
Primal Power, 114, 192, 352, 358;
as kundalini, 94
P Priyanath, 248, 432; description
Padmalochan, 107, 488 of, 322, 390
Panchadashi, 28 Pundit Shyamapada, 459;
Panihati: festival at, 43 Ramakrishna's conversation
paramahamsa, 81, 220, 253, 343; with, 460
childlike nature of, 182, 200; pundits, 205, 481; and reason, 461
divine madness of, 201; Puranas, 198, 335, 344, 357, 450;
freedom from work, 133 and Vaishnavas, 319
parents: debt to, 443; mother, 118; purity, 88; of heart, 34
obligations to, 117 Purna, 411, 418, 419, 429, 509,
passions: after God-realization, 11 536; nature of, 402;
Patanjali, 432 Ramakrishna's opinion of, 401,
path of devotion, 3, 16, 17, 105, 430, 469; Ramakrishna's
106, 358 relationship with, 429, 492
path of knowledge, 105
paths to God, 15, 256 R
peace, 10
perfected soul, 253 Rabindranath Tagore, 31
Radha, 113, 293, 308; as Primal scriptures, 142; attitude toward

Power, 394 learning, 17; attitude toward
Radha and Krishna, 32, 115, 235, money, 51, 347, 356; attitude
261 toward science, 489; attitude
Radha Tantra, 255 toward shrines, 32; attitude
Radhika Goswami, 317 toward women, 151, 382;
rajas, 351; and bhakti, 208 attitude when slighted, 37;
rajasic temperament: signs of, 164 attraction to Narendra, 313;
Rajendra Mitra, 162 beginning of illness, 469;
Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda), birthday celebration 1884, 169;
122, 272, 550; as childlike nature of, 2, 124, 137,
Ramakrishna's spiritual son, 140, 145, 350; concern for
531; attitude about horse, 340; conversation with
Ramakrishna, 138, 139; ecstasy Divine Mother, 81, 101, 105,
in Brahmachakra, 455; first 107, 115, 122, 132, 223, 288,
ecstasies, 312; illness of, 301; 291, 328, 336, 344, 363, 453;
in Vrindavan, 312; nature of, conversation with Doctor
189; Ramakrishna's advice to, Sarkar, 497; conversation with
105; Ramakrishna's description Jagannath, 428; conversation
of, 312; Ramakrishna's opinion with Vedantist monk, 100;
of, 19; relationship with dancing, 44, 213, 244, 261,
Ramakrishna, 8, 186; wife of, 425; desires of, 438, 452;
187 divinity of, 547; early
Ram Chakravarty, 303 experience, 71, 80, 310, 488,
Ram Chandra Dutta, 147, 152 529; early life, 110, 197, 200,
Ram Chatterji, 230, 239 315, 320, 351, 402, 443, 452;
Rama, 72, 84, 185, 335, 464, 519; early practices, 335, 344; ego
and renunciation, 58; Narada's of, 233; esoteric experience,
prayer to, 226; parable of his 530; experience in Vrindavan,
will, 5 153; experience of Jagannath,
Rama and Sita, 90 429; experience of Ramlala, 71,
Rama Gita, 136 429; feeding the cat, 67;
Ramakrishna, 110; ability to read horoscope, 438; in ecstasy, 40,
character of others, 248; about 44, 57, 243, 264, 363, 528; in
his spiritual state, 30; nirvikalpa samadhi, 453; in
acceptance of all paths, 320, samadhi, 3, 14, 50, 54, 80, 101,
324, 326; and Jesus Christ, 465; 134, 177, 243, 244, 287, 422;
and knowledge of Brahman, inclination to the Formless,
123; and madman, 202; and 528; injury to arm, 121, 139,
miracles, 465; and religious 189, 429; knowledge of
unity, 198; and Vaishnava Vedanta, 150; land registration,
priests, 316; and Vedanta, 105, 110; longing for Krishna at
453; and visit to zoo, 141; and Vrindavan, 91; love for
women devotees, 419; as devotees, 469; maternal
paramahamsa, 380; at the affection for Rakhal, 8; moods
Nandan Bagan Brahmo Samaj, of, 384; on himself, 451, 455;
36; attitude about accumulating, on criticism, 230; on family,
110, 181, 483; attitude about 383; on him self, 126; on
himself, 50, 63, 74, 85, 143, realized soul: state of, 113
145, 228, 267, 272, 285, 310, reasoning, 9, 17, 20, 68, 105, 108,
347, 356, 360, 363, 398, 400, 212, 281, 414, 429, 432, 461;
405, 406, 407, 446, 449, 452, and Brahman, 84; and faith,
453, 463, 508, 516, 527, 536, 116, 548
544; on his illness, 463, 493, relative: and Absolute, 413
508, 515, 526, 536; on religion, religion: and bigotry, 342; truth of,
388, 519; photograph by 233, 256; universality of, 388
Surendra, 145; physical religions: plurality of, 324
reaction to money, 483; prayers remembrance of God, 94, 207
of, 124; prediction of death, renunciate: complete, 93
469; refusal of Marwari's renunciation, 16, 24, 27, 58, 72,
money, 131; relationship with 102, 106, 110, 132, 165, 173,
devotees, 114; relationship with 188, 224, 315, 355, 362; false,
family, 114; relationship with 158; for sannyasin, 498; inner
Rakhal, 9; second pilgrimage, and outer, 235, 345; mental, 49;
91; sensitivity to offerings, 276; of 'I-ness', 130
spiritual states of, 337, 490; responsibility, 34
surrender to the Divine Mother, restlessness: in spiritual practice,
4; Tantric disciplines, 439; 154
teachings published by Keshab Return Car Festival, 195, 211
Sen, 148; universality of, 257; ritual, 88, 288; after spiritual
Vaishnava practices, 320; knowledge, 332; in the
vision in Kali temple, 67, 146; Kaliyuga, 357
vision in Kali Temple, 530;
vision of Annapurna, 416;
vision of final days, 531; vision
S
of God everywhere, 337; vision sadhaka from Konnagar, 282;
of Shiva, 416; visions of, 4, 85, Ramakrishna's opinion of, 292
91, 108, 109, 337, 417, 437, Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, 322
448, 449, 491, 528, 531; visions sadhu: and desire, 407; as
of providers, 530; visions of example, 183; God's provision
visitors, 453; worshiping, 55; for, 274; sattvic, rajasic, and
worshiping himself, 541, 544; tamasic, 292
worships phallus, 201; yearning sahaja state, 256
for devotees, 530 sahasrara, 61, 218, 219
Ramakrishna's father, 452; salutation: Ramakrishna's
people's respect for, 153 instruction on, 341
Ramdayal, 211, 215 samadhi, 61, 130, 218, 429, 433;
Ramlila, 144 and mind, 415; bhava, 434;
Ramprasanna, 163 jada, 434; kinds of, 74, 434,
Ramtaran, 494 446; nature of, 50; nirvikalpa,
Ranjit Rai's daughter, 403 434; nirvikalpa, and the body,
rascal I, 500, 536 219; of worldly man, 75; sthira,
reality, 125, 165 434
Reality: knowledge of, 375 Samadhyayi, 501
realization: states of, 337
Sambhu Mallick, 148, 270, 338, Shashadhar, 195, 207, 211, 214,
391; as Ramakrishna's provider, 247, 257; Ramakrishna's
530 opinion of, 202, 280
Sambhu Sarkar, 497 Shiva, 61, 66, 157, 198, 434, 438;
Samkhya, 432 and death, 357
sankalpa, 415 Shiva and Shakti: union of, 219
sannyasin: and money, 131, 347, Shivanath Shastri, 294, 388
355, 498; and renunciation, Shivaram, Ramakrishna’s nephew,
498; and women, 131, 180, 315, 200
498; and work, 132; as Shivaratri: at Baranagore Math,
example, 132, 181; as teacher, 553
183; duties of, 343; rules for, Shyamapada Bhattacharya, 473
23, 131, 161, 270, 345 Shyamdas, 249, 251
Sarada (Swami Trigunatitananda), Shyampukur house, 487, 525
525; Ramakrishna's assessment signs: of character, 391; of
of, 418 spiritual knowledge, 157, 207
Sarat (Swami Saradananda), 525, Sikhs, 144
534; in Ramakrishna's vision, silence, 9
531 simplicity, 322
Sashi (Swami Ramakrishnananda), sin, 112, 379; responsibility for,
502, 525, 533, 542; in 34
Ramakrishna's vision, 531 Sita, 57, 185, 464; Ramakrishna's
Sat-chit-ananda, 67, 68, 83, 84, vision of, 68
124, 198, 336, 450; as guru, 22 six passions, 33
sattva, 110, 351; and bhakti, 208; skepticism, 547
tamas of, 293 So'ham, 380
sattvic temperament: signs of, 164 solitude: necessity for, 159
saving, 236 SONG_A sannyasin will not look
scholars, 107 at woman, for it is against the
scholarship, 17, 20, 203 sannyasin’s rule., 177
scriptures, 28, 62, 284, 362; study SONG_As is one’s meditation, so
of, 49, 56; value of, 333, 354, is his heart moved by love., 262
461 SONG_Be drunk O my mind, with
secretiveness, 170 intense love for God, 246
sectarianism, 196 SONG_Behold my beloved vina,
Self, 352 strung with special care,, 494
Self-knowledge, 275 SONG_Behold, the brothers have
senses, 415; conquering of, 254 come! The two who shed tears
sex: in marriage, 499 while chanting Hari’s name.,
Shaktas: and Tantra, 319; and 371
Vaishnavas, 197, 319 SONG_Brahman without
Shakti, 231, 414 attributes is my father, and God
shalagram, 416 with form is my mother., 198
shame, 170, 309 SONG_Brother, the darling of
Shankaracharya, 111, 192, 500, Shachi is dancing to the kirtan.,
535; and butcher, 352 216
SONG_Build your house now,, 13
SONG_By giving Your vision, SONG_I am She, the Divine

You have rid me of all sorrows Mother, the embodiment of
and charmed my soul., 544 consciousness,, 135
SONG_Can everybody gain the SONG_I bow to Brahman-
treasure of Mother Shyama?, Consciousness, the primal seed
222 of the universe, abiding in the
SONG_Cherish the beloved lotus of the heart,, 14, 179
Mother Shyama in your heart., SONG_I drink no ordinary wine,
102 but the nectar of everlasting
SONG_Come, come, O Mother, bliss,, 521
my heart’s delight and doll of SONG_I have made a seat for You
my soul, 424 in my heart, striving day and
SONG_Come, O friend, and night., 288
behold the fair one’s beauty!, SONG_I sail my boat in the ocean
222 of the world., 5
SONG_Come, O mind, let us go SONG_I shall live as a yogi in a
for a walk to Kali, the wish- cave of Love’s mountain., 155
fulfilling tree,, 12 SONG_If God is worshipped with
SONG_Consider this, O mind: no devotion, what is the need for
one is your own. In this world austerities?, 135
you roam about in vain., 367 SONG_In dense darkness, O
SONG_Dancing, deep-dark like Mother, Your formless beauty
the darkest storm-cloud over sparkles. And so the yogi
the field of battle, 118 meditates in a dark mountain
SONG_Desist, O my child, desist cave., 422
from further austerities., 156 SONG_In Shiva’s company the
SONG_Dwell, O my mind, within Mother is ever lost in ecstasy;,
yourself,, 263 210
SONG_Fire is the deity of SONG_In the firmament of
brahmins;, 134 wisdom, the moon of divine
SONG_Gaur is dispensing the love rises full., 288
nectar of love,, 180 SONG_Lead us from the unreal to
SONG_Gauranga Deva casts a the Real and from darkness to
glance toward Vrindavan,, 298, Light,, 35
324 SONG_Let go of cleverness and
SONG_Go, Madhai, and find out hypocrisy, and be sincerely
who goes there singing, devoted to God., 7
‘Haribol, Haribol,’, 370 SONG_Like Krishna’s, the
SONG_He, Brahman, is one complexion of the handsome
partless, stainless and beyond Sri Gauranga, the dancing lover
the ether., 134 of God,, 77
SONG_How can I call on You SONG_Meditate upon Hari, O my
with this stained and soiled mind! He is the essence of
mind?, 286 consciousness,, 523
SONG_How can I tell you, O SONG_Mother! You are Tara,
friend, what is in my heart?, though You have assumed the
252
three gunas, You are even SONG_O Lord! The creation of

beyond the Limitless., 424 your universe is infinite and
SONG_Mother, can I but die with wonderful;, 505
Durga’s name upon my lips,, SONG_O Lord, O Compassionate
209 One! What joy have I in this
SONG_My devotion and worship life, 514
have come to an end; no longer SONG_O Lord, the source of my
can I offer worship to Mother life-breath, the essence of all
Shyama,, 496 essences, You are my all in all.,
SONG_My father is mad, my 368
mother too,, 546 SONG_O Mother Tara! You will
SONG_My Gaur dances singing have to take me across for I
Hari’s name,, 243 have taken refuge in You., 57
SONG_My Gaur is dancing,, 216 SONG_O Mother Tara, this world
SONG_Nityananda’s ship is here., is Your madhouse!, 262
13 SONG_O Mother, how great is
SONG_O Brahman Absolute, the Your love for Your children!,
Eternal One, my Mother!, 425 369
SONG_O Brahman, joy of the SONG_O Mother, make me mad
universe, the light supreme,, 26 with Your love,, 290
SONG_O Compassionate One, SONG_O Mother, ruler of the
who but You is my friend?, 27 heart! You are awake within,
SONG_O friend! My Gaur even day and night., 369
knows how to dance!, 545 SONG_O my mind! Why do you
SONG_O Giriraja, King of worry so, like a lowly beggar?,
Mountains, my dear Ganesha is 370
the harbinger of all SONG_O my mind, be drunk with
blessedness., 399 the wine of divine love;, 245,
SONG_O gopi friend! How can I 522
open my heart to you? I am not SONG_O my tongue, always
allowed to speak., 102 repeat the name of Durga., 210
SONG_O gopi friend! I have not SONG_O my vina, sing Hari,
yet found Him whose love has Hari!, 242
driven me mad., 428 SONG_Of what use are rituals for
SONG_O gopi friend, I have not one who utters Kali’s name,
found Shyama., 246 361
SONG_O Hari, how shall I know SONG_Om, I am neither the
You now?, 242, 426 mind, the intellect, the ego, nor
SONG_O King of kings, reveal the mind-stuff,, 136
Yourself to me., 26, 506 SONG_Once for all, this time, I
SONG_O Krishna, Krishna, great have thoroughly understood.,
yogin! You are the supreme, 289
primordial being,, 462 SONG_One comes to this world to
SONG_O Lord of the universe, play dice. I came with great
seated on Your great throne,, hopes., 171
505 SONG_Radha can surely speak
out!, 290
SONG_Salutations to the Guru SONG_Where have You hidden

who makes it possible to realize the form that Yashoda, making
Him who pervades this entire you dance, called her precious
universe, 178 blue jewel, 368
SONG_Sing, O bird, nesting in the SONG_Who can fathom Your
depth of my heart., 26 various moods?, 425
SONG_Sweet is Your name, O SONG_Who has brought Gaur to
refuge of the lowly,, 287 Nadia,, 246
SONG_Tathaiya tathaiya dances SONG_Who is chanting the name
Shiva, 551 of Hari on the bank of the
SONG_Tell me, friend, How far is Ganges?, 55
that grove where my SONG_Why has my body become
Shyamasundar is?, 14 fair of complexion? Tell me,
SONG_Tell me, my daughter what has happened?, 299
Uma, how you fared in the SONG_Wondering about Her
stranger’s house., 295 mystery, my mind is
SONG_The lake of happiness overwhelmed, 114
seemed to them as dry as the soul, 353; and Supreme Self, 375
desert., 261 spiritual current, 446
SONG_The Lord of Kailas, the spiritual ideal, 478
King of Kings, Shiva Shankara spiritual knowledge, 352; signs of,
dances – ba-ba-bam!, 552 157, 207
SONG_The waves of ecstatic love spiritual practices, 96, 126, 203,
for God rise on the sea of the 254, 334; after knowledge, 348;
bliss of consciousness., 245 and scriptures, 284; and the
SONG_Though I am not loath to body, 275; and women, 385; for
grant liberation, pure love I formless God, 73; need for,
hesitate to give., 21 354; stages of, 62
SONG_Though I learned many spiritual talk: value of, 224
poems and dramas with great Srivasa, 244
delight,, 29 stages of life, 133, 343
SONG_Wait, O wandering monk, steadiness, 157, 344
with your water-pot!, 253 strength: inner, 157
SONG_Waken, O Mother strength of mind, 16
Kundalini! You are the very Subodh (Swami Subodhananda),
image of Bliss Eternal., 95 470, 525
SONG_We cry for rest, but where subtle body, 353
to find it?, 495 Sukadeva, 93, 160, 192, 281, 343
SONG_What a machine Mother Surendra (Suresh Mitra), 93, 170,
Shyama has built!, 223 272, 530, 544, 549; advice to,
SONG_What other wealth is there 90, 94
in the world except the name of surrender, 236; of actions, 379
Hari?, 243 sushumna, 94, 218
SONG_When will dawn that day suspicion, 170
when tears stream from my svadhisthana, 218
eyes as I repeat Lord Hari’s Swing Festival, 217
name?, 179
T Vedanta, 130, 336, 344, 350, 380,

413, 432; and Ramakrishna,
tamas, 351; and bhakti, 208 453; essence of, 49;
Tantra, 198, 336, 344; and Ramakrishna's advice to
Shaktas, 319 Prankrishna concerning, 3
Tantras, 335, 450 Vedas, 198, 253, 288, 335, 344,
Tarak (of Belgharia), 406, 431 357, 450
Tarak (Swami Shivananda): victory and defeat, 342
description of, 40 vidyamaya, 192, 535, 536
Tat tvam asi, 362 Vijay Goswami, 172, 173, 178,
tattvajnana, 375 181, 182, 451; Ramakrishna's
teacher: religious, 17, 345 opinion of, 321, 349; vision of
teaching: by command of God, Ramakrishna, 531
149, 500 vijnana, 281, 395; described by
Tejchandra: conversation with Ramakrishna, 146
Ramakrishna, 407 vijnani, 414; disposition of, 208
tendencies, 188, 309, 329, 359, vikalpa, 415
444 vishuddha, 218, 254
Thakur Dada, 154 vision, 69; of God, 429
That thou art, 362 visions: described in scriptures,
three afflictions, 293 337
time: proper, 227, 426
Totapuri, 273, 348, 453, 455, 543;
description of Brahman, 83;
W
instructions of, 86 wealth, 93, 270
Trailanga Swami, 9, 220 weeping for God, 106, 344
tranquility, 10 Why go to Gaya, Ganga, Prabhas,
truthfulness, 8, 481 Kashi, or Kanchi, if I can
twenty-four cosmic principles, 10, breathe my last chanting Kali’s
280, 414 name?, 263
will: free, 112
U wives, 383; attitude toward, 481;
debt to, 443
understanding, 157 women: and spiritual practices,
union: through the mind, 343 385; as divine manifestations,
universe: as God's manifestation, 142, 145, 152; as embodiments
80 of maya, 174; association with,
upadhi, 420 314; power of, 173
women devotees, 419
work, 175, 188, 333, 343, 352,
V 358, 434; and body, 333; in
Vaishnavas: and Puranas, 319; and four stages of life, 133; without
Shaktas, 319; Ramakrishna's expectation, 379
opinion of, 326 world: bewitchment of, 160;
Vaishnavcharan, 144, 151, 422; nature of, 460; reality of, 64
fanaticism of, 196 worldliness, 7, 172
Vasishtha, 58, 72
worldly life, 280; renunciation of, yearning for God, 16, 69, 106,
58 127, 214, 344, 402, 500;
worldly people: mind of, 227 necessity of, 124
worldly pleasures, 50 yoga, 50, 95; fall from, 61, 309;
worship, 365; after spiritual mental, 133; of practice, 16,
knowledge, 332; of images, 16; 323; through work, 133
of worldly people, 207; selfless, Yogavasishtha, 380
110 Younger Gopal, 285
Younger Naren, 423, 473, 513;
advice to, 415, 420; nature of,
Y 402, 405; Ramakrishna's
Yashoda, 89, 113, 140, 308, 394 opinion of, 431, See; spiritual
Yatipanchaka, 135 experiences of, 454
Yudhisthira, 318, 338, 379

Kathamrita English 4 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Kathamrita English 4 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Kathamrita English 4 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Section I

Sri Ramakrishna at the

At Dakshineswar with Prankrishna, M., and others

Sri Ramakrishna is seated with the devotees in his

A mat is spread on the floor. Sri Ramakrishna comes

It is winter, the month of Pausha. Thakur has

A number of devotees belonging to Thakur’s inner

Almost five months ago Thakur had visited

Prankrishna Mukherji lives in Calcutta’s Shyam-

1. Jnana, prema, viveka, and vairagya.

Thakur says to him, “Life depends on food in the

In the domain of ecstasy and vision of divine forms

Vision of Gauranga – Divine Mother in the form of

1. Naradiya bhakti: self-surrender and loving devotion to God.

“On another day She came to me in the form of a

Why does an incarnation of God entertain devotion? –

“Ramprasad, the poet, says:

not subject to any guna,1 He too is beyond the three

Feminine attitude2 and conquest of lust –

1. One of three types of universal energies: sattva, rajas and tamas.

(To Prankrishna) “Brahman and His Power1 are

Sri Ramakrishna’s attitude in ecstasy akin to

1. Later Swami Brahmananda.

The state of brahmajnana after attaining samadhi –

1. Trailanga Swami was a famous monk in Benares who had taken a

“On attaining the knowledge of Brahman,

Sri Ramakrishna’s state – the ‘I of a devotee’ after

1. The twenty-four categories or cosmic principles enunciated in the

the ‘I of devotion.’ When the market shuts down,

1. Virtue and vice, righteousness and unrighteousness.

Sri Ramakrishna in the mood of Radha

Nityananda’s ship is here.

1. Burial place of a Muslim saint, considered sacred.

When the month of Shravana1 arrives, you’ll not be able to

1. A time of incessant downpour during which visibility is very low.

portrait. Tears of joy flow from both corners of his

Yoga of practice2 – two paths: that of discrimination

1. Devotees from the Burrabazar district of Calcutta.

Rakhal and several other devotees are seated in the

it has drawn them inside its shell, even if you cut it

1. For the complete song refer to Volume I, Section I, Chapter V.

Learning and scholarship – Who am I? I am none other

Evening worship at Dakshineswar Temple

In the temple, arati is being performed, and

Sri Ramakrishna at the

Practicing spiritual discipline in a solitary place –

Sri Ramakrishna is sitting in his room with the

Rakhal, Harish, Latu, and Hazra are living with

Choudhury has recently lost his wife. He has visited

grace descends on them and immediately they have

Bhishma Deva in tears – victory and defeat – divine

1. It is considered by Hindus a sign of great spiritual merit and pious

Sri Ramakrishna: “Not with these eyes. God

Ahetuki bhakti1 – the main thing is to acquire zealous

1. Spontaneous love for God.

Listen, O Chandravali,1 I shall tell you of pure love: One

Harmony of religions according to Sri Ramakrishna

The sannyasin and woman – women devotees