The Master'S Birthday

Sunday, February 22, 1885

SRI RAMAKRISHNA was sitting on the northeast verandah outside his room at Dakshineswar.

It was about eight o’clock in the morning. Many devotees, including Narendra, Rakhal, Girish, Baburam, and Surendra, were present. They were celebrating the Master’s birthday, which had fallen on the previous Monday. M. arrived and saluted him. The Master signed to him to take a seat near him.

Narottam was singing kirtan. Sri Ramakrishna was in partial ecstasy. The subject was Krishna’s meeting with His cowherd friends in the meadow. Krishna had not yet arrived.

The cowherd boys were restless for Him. One of them said that Mother Yaśoda was preventing Krishna from coming. Balāi [Balaram’s pet name] said in a determined voice that he would bring Krishna with the sound of his horn. Balāi’s love for Krishna knew no bounds. The music went on. The cowherd boys and girls heard Krishna’s flute and were filled with spiritual emotion.

Master’s love for Narendra

Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna’s eyes fell on Narendra, who was sitting very near him. He stood up and went into samādhi; he stood there touching Narendra’s knee with his foot. Regaining consciousness he took his seat again. Narendra left the room. The music went on.

Sri Ramakrishna whispered to Baburam: “There is Kshir [sweet milk preparation] in the room. Give Narendra some.”

Did the Master see Narendra as the embodiment of God?

After the kirtan Sri Ramakrishna returned to his room. Tenderly he began to feed Narendra with sweets. It was Girish’s belief that God Himself had been born in the person of Sri Ramakrishna.

GIRISH (to the Master): “Your ways are like Krishna’s. He too pretended many things to His mother Yaśoda.”

MASTER: “True. It was because Krishna was an Incarnation of God. When God is born as a man He acts that way. You see, Krishna easily lifted the hill of Govardhan with His hand, but He made Nanda believe that He found it very hard to carry a footstool.”

GIRISH: “Yes, sir, I have understood you now.”

Sri Ramakrishna was sitting on the small couch. It was about eleven o’clock. Ram and the other devotees wanted to dress him in a new cloth. The Master said, “No, no.”

Pointing to an English-educated man, he said “What will he say about it?” At the earnest request of the devotees he said “Well, since you insist, I shall have to agree.” The devotees were arranging the Master’s meal in the room. He asked Narendra to sing.

Narendra sang:

In dense darkness, O Mother, Thy formless beauty sparkles; Therefore the yogis meditate in a dark mountain cave. In the lap of boundless dark, on Mahanirvana’s waves upborne, Peace flows serene and inexhaustible. Taking the form of the Void, in the robe of darkness wrapped, Who art Thou, Mother, seated alone in the shrine of samādhi? From the Lotus of Thy fear-scattering Feet flash Thy love’s lightnings;

Thy Spirit-Face shines forth with laughter terrible and loud!

Master’s samādhi

As Narendra sang the line, “Who art Thou, Mother, seated alone in the shrine of samādhi?”, Sri Ramakrishna went into deep samādhi and lost all outer consciousness. After a long time, when he was regaining partial consciousness, the devotees seated him on the carpet and placed a plate of food before him. Still overcome with divine emotion, he began to eat the rice with both hands. He said to Bhavanāth, “Feed me.”

Because of his ecstatic mood he could not use his own right hand. Bhavanāth began to feed him Sri Ramakrishna could eat very little. Rām said to him, “Nityagopāl will eat from your plate.”

MASTER: “Why from my plate? Why?”

RAM: “Why not?”

Nityagopal was also in an ecstatic mood. The Master put a morsel or two into his mouth with his own hand.

Some devotees from Konnagar arrived by boat. They entered Sri Ramakrishna’s room singing kirtan; afterwards they went out to take some refreshments. Narottam was in the room. The Master said to him and the other devotees: “The music of the Konnagar devotees was dull. Music should be so lively as to make everyone dance. One should sing a song like this:

See how all Nadia is shaking Under the waves of Gaurānga’s love!

And along with it these lines:

Behold, the two brothers have come, who weep while chanting Hari’s name,

The brothers who, in return for blows, offer to sinners Hari’s love. . . .

And these too:

Gaur and Nitai, ye blessed brothers! I have heard how kind you are,

Therefore I have come to you.

The devotees were taking the prasad. It was a sumptuous feast. Sri Ramakrishna said to

M.: “Haven’t you invited the Mukherjis? Ask Surendra to feed the musicians.”

Bepin Sarkar arrived. The devotees introduced him to the Master. Sri Ramakrishna sat up and said to the devotees, “Give him a seat and some betel-leaf.” He said to Bepin humbly: “I am sorry not to be able to talk to you. There is a great crowd today.” Pointing to Girindra, Sri Ramakrishna said to Baburam, “Give him a carpet.” Nityagopal was sitting on the floor. The Master asked a devotee to give him a carpet too. Physician Mahendra of Sinthi arrived. The Master, smiling, asked Rakhal by a sign to have the physician examine his pulse.

Turning to Ramlal, the Master said, “Be friendly with Girish Ghosh; then you will get a free ticket to the theatre.”

Narendra had been talking a long time with Hazra on the porch. Since his father’s death Narendra had been having financial worries. He entered the room and took a seat.

Hazra’s eccentricities

MASTER (to Narendra): “Were you with Hazra? Both of you are in the same boat. You know the saying about the two friends: ‘You are away from your country and he is away from his beloved.’ Hazra, too, needs fifteen hundred rupees. (Laughter.)

“Hazra says: ‘Narendra has acquired one hundred per cent sattva, though still there is in him a pink glow of rajas. But I have one hundred and twenty-five per cent pure sattva.’

(All laugh.)

“I say to Hazra, ‘You indulge in reasoning only: that is why you are so dry.’ He retorts,

‘No, I am dry because I drink the nectar of the sun.’

“Speaking of pure bhakti, I say to Hazra, ‘A real devotee does not pray to God for money or riches.’ Hazra replies: ‘When the flood of divine grace descends, the rivers overflow; and further, the pools and canals are filled. By the grace of God one gets not only pure devotion but also the six supernatural powers, and money too.’ " Narendra and many other devotees were seated on the floor. Girish entered the room and joined them.

MASTER (to Girish): “I look on Narendra as Ātman. I obey him.”

GIRISH: “Is there anyone you don’t obey?”

MASTER (smiling): “He has a manly nature and I have the nature of a woman. He is a noble soul and belongs to the realm of the Indivisible Brahman.” Girish went out to have a smoke.

NARENDRA (to the Master): “I had a talk with Girish Ghosh. He is indeed a great man. We talked about you.”

MASTER: “What did you say about me?”

NARENDRA: “That you are illiterate and we are scholars. Oh, we talked in that vein!”

(Laughter.)

MANI MALLICK (to the Master): “You have become a pundit without reading a book.”