Some Glimpses of Ramakrishna-Part VII

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The Master in Different Moods

The Master could not bear any kind of hypocrisy or insincerity. He said: In that state of God-intoxication I used to speak out my mind to all. I was no respecter of persons. Even to men of position I was not afraid to speak the truth. . .

One day, in that state of divine intoxication, I went to the bathing-ghat on the Ganges at Baranagore. There I saw Jaya Mukherji repeating the name of God; but his mind was on something else. I went up and slapped him twice on the cheeks.

At one time Rani Rasmani was staying in the temple garden. She came to the shrine of the Divine Mother, as she frequently did when I worshipped Kali, and asked me to sing a song or two. On this occasion, while I was singing, I noticed she was sorting the flowers for worship absent-mindedly. At once I slapped her on the cheeks. She became quite embarrassed and sat there with folded hands.

Alarmed at this state of mind myself, I said to my cousin Haladhari: 'Just see my nature! How can I get rid of it?' After praying to the Divine Mother for some time with great yearning, I was able to shake off this habit.'25

Sometimes the Master would become angry like an ordinary human being. M. said:

'One day Hriday went to buy some hay for some business affair. He told the temple manager that his uncle would perform the worship that day. When the Master found that the Mother's worship was not done, he hurriedly went to the temple and performed the worship with the help of Ramlal. When Hriday returned, the Master beat him. Hriday understood his mistake and said, "Uncle, beat me more." Then the Master said: "Look, when I am angry, you keep quiet. And when you are angry, I shall keep quiet."'26

The Master's life was established in truth. It was not possible for him to hide anything within. His mind and speech were united. Once he said:

'Is it an easy matter to get rid of lust? I myself felt a queer sensation in my heart six months after I had begun my spiritual practice. Then I threw myself on the ground under a tree and wept bitterly. I said to the Divine Mother, "Mother, if it comes to that, I shall certainly cut my throat with a knife!"'27

The Master was the embodiment of purity. He said, 'I have never enjoyed a woman, even in a dream.'28 He encouraged his devotees to overcome lust by citing his own experience. As long as one has a body one might feel lust, but one can transcend it by focussing the mind on God.

The Master would always help those who were sincere and sought his guidance. Sometimes we marvel at
how skilful the Master was in using examples in his teachings. M. said:

'One day the Master said to Thakur-da (Narayan Das Bandyopadhyay, a storyteller of Bara-
nagore): "Your teeth are not set properly. Now and then please come to Dakshineswar. I shall grind your teeth and set them properly." The Master meant that Thakur-da's spiritual practices were not being done properly. He would be glad to make adjustments in them, just as an expert dentist fixes someone's denture.'

Read about Sri Ramakrishna's grief on the death of Keshab & Adhar on the Next Page

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