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Sri Ramakrishna - The Great Master


Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa
1836 - 1886

BY

Swami Saradananda
(Translated by Swami Jagadananda)


PUBLISHER'S NOTE
THE BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR

PART ONE

HISTORIC BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE

PREFACE

1. Spirituality in the pivot of life in India
2. The frequent birth of great souls in India is its cause
3. The religion of India is founded on direct realization of God
4. The origin and development of the idea of the divine incarnation: Isvara as the controller of a cycle is found in the Sankhya philosophy
5. The all pervading Personal God during the Age of Devotion
6. The worship of the spiritual teacher (Guru) is another reason for the belief
7. The doctrine of God-incarnate is founded on the knowledge gained from the Vedas and through Samadhi
8. The experiences of God’s compassion spreads the idea of God incarnate in the Puranic Age
9. The essence of what the Sastras say about the divine nature of the incarnation
10. The incarnation’s unbroken memory
11. Incarnations give new shape to religion
12. The time and circumstances of the coming of incarnations, as stated in the Sastras
13. The advent of the incarnation in the modern age

1. The power and progress of man in modern times
2. The centre of this power and progress in the West: it spreads to the East
3. The consequences of this progress are to be ascertained in the light of the western way of life
4. The cause and course of this progress in the West
5. Ignorance of the knowledge of the Atman: the resulting dissatisfaction
6. If the East wants to ‘progress’ like the West, it has to cultivate selfishness and a passion for sense-pleasures
7. Foundation of the ancient national life of India
8. Founded on religion, the society of India never ran after worldly enjoyments
9. The occupation of India by the West and its result
10. The attempt to revitalize India in imitation of the West, and its results
11. The national life of India: its merits and demerits
12. The present decline of religion is the result of the spread of Western thought
13. God incarnates once again to stop the decline of religion

1. Why an incarnation is born in a poor family
2. Kamarpukur, the birth-place of Sri Ramakrishna
3. The former prosperity of Kamarpukur and the neighbourhood and the present condition
4. The worship of Dharma in that part of the country
5. The Haldar tank, the Bhuti stream and the mango grove
6. Manikraja of Bhursubo
7. The fort at Mandaran
8. The big tank of Uchalan and the battlefield of Mogalmari
9. Ramananda Roy, the landlord of the village of Dere
10. Manikram Chattopadhyaya of Dere
11. Manikram’s son Kshudiram
12. Chandradevi, wife of Kshudiram
13. Kshudiram lost his property in a dispute with the landlord
14. Kshudiram left Dere
15. Kshudiram came to Kamarpukur at the invitation of Sukhlal Goswami and lived there

1. The reason why Kshudiram lived like a Vanaprasthin at Kamarpukur
2. Kshudiram came upon the Salagrama of Raghuvir in a strange way
3. Kshudram’s steadfastness and dependence on God
4. The paddy field at Lakshmijala
5. Kshudiram’s devotion increased and he had spiritual visions: neighbours revered him
6. How the neighbours regarded Chandradevi
7. Kshudiram’s sister Ramsila
8. Kshudiram’s two brothers
9. Kshudiram’s nephew Ramchand
10. An incident showing Kshudiram’s devotion to God
11. The marriages of Ramkumar and Katyayani
12. The death of Sukhlal Goswami, and other events
13. Kshudiram’s pilgrimage to Setubandha. The birth of his son Rameswar Name
14. Ramkumar possessed a supernatural power
15. An illustration of that power
16. An incident concerning Ramkumar’s wife — another illustration of that power
17. The distinguishing feature of Kshudiram’s family
18. Chandradevi had a spiritual vision
19. Kshudiram’s desire to make a pilgrimage to Gaya
20. Hriday’s story regarding it
21. Kshudiram’s divine dream at Gaya
22. Kshudiram returned to Kamarpukur

1. Recorded spiritual experiences of the parents of incarnations at the time of their birth
2. Reason underlying that statement
3. Although difficult to accept, such visions etc., are not to be discarded as untrue
4. On his return from Gaya, Kshudiram found a change in Chandradevi’s mental condition
5. Chandradevi’s motherly affection found a wider range
6. Kshudiram’s anxiety for her and his desire to warn her
7. Chandradevi’s strange dream
8. Chandradevi’s divine vision and experience in front of the Siva temple
9. Kshudiram warned Chandradevi not to tell these things to anybody
10. Chandradevi’s visions after conception

1. Chandradevi’s apprehension was removed by her husband
2. The birth of Gadadhar
3. The astrological signs at the moment of Gadadhar’s birth
4. Gadadhar’s name according to the constellation at the time of birth

1. The gift of a cow by Ramchandra
2. Gadadhar’s charms
3. The turn of Chandradevi’s divine visions
4. Chandradevi’s vision: Gadadhar looked much bigger
5. Sarvamangala, the younger sister of Gadadhar
6. Gadadhar’s preparation for going to school
7. The school of the Lahas
8. Kshudiram became aware of the boy’s peculiar temperament
9. An incident indicating it
10. The progress and range of Gadadhar’s education
11. The boy’s courage
12. The boy’s aptitude for making friends
13. The remarkable development of Gadadhar’s power of imagination
14. The autumn festival in connection with the worship of Durga at Ramchandra’s house
15. Kshudiram and Ramkumar go to Ramchandra’s house
16. Kshudiram’s illness and death

1. The effect of Kshudiram’s death on the family
2. The effect of his father’s death on Gadadhar’s mind
3. Gadadhar’s behaviour towards his mother
4. Gadadhar’s doings at this time. His keeping company with holy men
5. How Chandradevi’s fear in this connection was removed
6. Gadadhar experienced Bhavasamadhi for the second time
7. Gadadhar’s bosom-friend Gayavishnu
8. Description of the ceremony of Gadadhar’s Upanayana
9. Gadadhar solved a disputed point at a meeting of scholars
10. The development of Gadadhar’s spiritual faculties: Bhavasamadhi for the third time
11. Gadadhar experienced repeated Bhavasamadhi
12. The reason for Gadadhar’s aversion to being at school
13. The progress of Gadadhar’s education
14. The marriages of Rameswar and of Sarvamangala
15. Change in the behaviour of Ramkumar’s wife when she became pregnant
16. Change in Ramkumar’s financial condition
17. Ramkumar’s wife died after delivering a son

1. Ramkumar started a Sanskrit school (Tol) in Calcutta
2. The effect of the death of Ramkumar’s wife on the family
3. The story of Rameswar
4. Rameswar’s thought about Gadadhar
5. Gadadhar’s mental attitude and behaviour at this time
6. Gadadhar’s devotional reading and singing to the women of the village
7. The village women were devoted to Gadadhar and confided in him
8. Gadadhar in woman’s dress
9. Gadadhar’s intimacy with the family of Sitanath Pyne
10. A blow to Durgadas Pyne’s pride
11. The women of the traders’ quarter were devoted to and had faith in Gadadhar
12. What Rukmini said about Gadadhar
13. All villagers loved Gadadhar
14. Why Gadadhar became averse to a bread-winning education
15. The natural urge of Gadadhar’s heart
16. Gadadhar left school and took to enacting dramas with the help of friends
17. Gadadhar’s progress in painting and making images of deities
18. Ramkumar was anxious about Gadadhar and took him to Calcutta

PART TWO

AS THE SPIRITUAL ASPIRANT

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

1. The erroneous conception of ordinary people about Sadhana
2. The ultimate result of Sadhana is the realization of Brahman in all beings
3. Truth does not become immediately known on account of delusion and ignorance; as long as one is in delusion, one cannot know its cause
4. What the seers saw the world to be, is alone true. — The reason for it
5. Delusion, although shared by many, is not right knowledge
6. All have the same delusion, as the universe is an ideation of the cosmic mind which, however, is not itself deluded
7. The ideation of the universe is beyond time and space. Prakriti is beginningless
8. The effort to know the universal cause beyond time and space is Sadhana
9. The two paths of Sadhana: (1) not this, not this, and (2) this, this
10. The goal of the path of “not this, not this,” is to know “What am I”
11. Nirvikalpa Samadhi
12. How Nirvikalpa Samadhi is attained on the path of “this, this”
13. Incarnations of God combine in them both the aspects, the divine and the human. So they sometimes appear as perfect even during Sadhana. Hence the need of studying their lives from both the points of view

1. The co-existence of the divine and human aspects in the Master
2. The same is the case with all incarnations
3. Incarnations of God have no desire for selfish enjoyment
4. Their compassion: they undertake Sadhana for the welfare of others
5. An illustration of it: the Master’s story of three friends having the vision of the ‘grove of bliss’
6. The incarnations of God have to practise self-control like ordinary men
7. Innumerable desires of the mind
8. The Master urged us to give up desires
9. Instruction to women devotees about it
10. The struggle of incarnations with their subtle desires
11. An objection regarding human feelings in incarnations, and its refutation
12. This is discussed from another standpoint
13. Different conceptions of the world when looked at from higher and higher planes of consciousness
14. Man attains an exalted plane of consciousness through the power of incarnations and finds them devoid of human nature
15. The evolutions of the minds of the incarnations of God. Jivas and incarnations of God differ in power only
16. An incarnation, a god-man, is all-knowing
17. The acquisition of the knowledge of the cause of the universe is impossible through the study of the natural sciences with the help of outward mental modifications
18. Spiritual absorption of incarnations even from their childhood
19. The Master’s spiritual inspiration at the age of six
20. The Master’s ecstasy for the second time while he was going to pay obeisance to Visalakshi
21. While acting as Siva on the occasion of the Sivaratri, the Master had ecstasy for the third time

1. Further examples of Master’s absorption in spiritual moods in childhood
2. Six classes of those events of the Master’s life
3. An example of his wonderful memory
4. An example of strong determination
5. An example of his infinite courage
6. Examples of his love for merriment
7. Natural constitution of the Master’s mind
8. The first manifestation of the mood of an aspirant — “I will learn not the ‘art of bundling rice and plantain’ but that which produces right knowledge”
9. The Master’s activities at the Jhamapukur Tol in Calcutta
10. Ramkumar’s ignorance of the nature of his brother’s mind
11. The worldly condition of Ramkumar

1. The cause of Ramkumar’s starting the Tol in Calcutta. The date of the starting
2. Rani Rasmani
3. The Rani’s devotion to the goddess
4. The Rani got divine instruction when she was getting ready to go to Kasi
5. The Rani built the temple
6. The Rani’s desire to offer cooked food to the goddess
7. She procured Sastric opinions from Pandits. These proved to be obstacles to the fulfilment of her desire
8. Ramkumar gave his opinion in her favour
9. The Rani decided to consecrate the temple
10. Ramkumar’s catholicity
11. The Rani’s search for a suitable priest
12. Maheshchandra, an officer of the Rani, took the responsibility of procuring priests
13. The Rani requested Ramkumar to accept the office of the priest
14. Installation of the goddess by the Rani
15. How the Master behaved on the installation day
16. What the Master said about the founding of the Kali temple
17. The steadfastness of the Master regarding food
18. The Master’s devotion to the Ganga
19. The Master took his daily food cooked by himself and lived at Dakshineswar
20. The difference between illiberality and religious steadfastness

1. The behaviour and the resolve of Mathur since he saw the Master for the first time
2. Hriday, the nephew of the Master
3. The Master at the time of Hriday’s arrival
4. Hriday’s love for the Master
5. Hriday could not understand certain actions of the Master
6. Mathur praised the image of Siva made by the Master
7. The Master’s opinion on service
8. The Master felt hesitant to go to Mathur, lest he should ask him to take service
9. The Master accepted the office of the priest
10. The image of Govinda broke
11. The Master’s words to Jaynarayan about the worship of a broken image
12. The Master’s musical talents
13. The Master’s first vision during worship
14. Ramkumar taught the Master how to become adroit in worship, recital of scriptures, etc.
15. The Master was initiated in the Sakti Mantra by Kenaram Bhattacharya
16. Ramkumar’s death

1. The Master’s behaviour at this time
2. Hriday’s anxiety at this and his resolve
3. The condition of the Panchavati and the place around it at that time
4. Hriday asked, “What do you do in the jungle at night?”
5. Hriday tried to frighten the Master
6. The Master said to Hriday “One must become free from all the bondages before one meditates”
7. The Master practised with both his body and mind (1) how to destroy egoism due to birth, (2) how to regard alike a clod of earth, a precious stone and gold, and (3) how to have the knowledge that Siva is in all Jivas
8. The sequence of the Master’s renunciation
9. An objection that this method of Sadhana is a fancied one, and its refutation
10. The manner in which the Master performed worship etc., at this time
11. What Mathur and others thought of the Master’s worship and other actions at this time
12. The changes that appeared in the Master’s personality on account of his increasing love of God
13. The description of the Master’s attainment of the first vision of the universal Mother. The Master’s yearning at that time

1. The state after the first vision
2. The Master’s physical sensations and mental perceptions at this time. His visions
3. What changes were produced in all his actions and ideas by the first vision
4. The difference between the previous worship, vision, etc., of the Master and those of this time
5. What Hriday said about the Master’s worship, meditation, etc., at this time
6. A discussion by the Cashier and other officers, of the temple on the Master’s love inspired worship. They sent word to Mathur Babu
7. Mathur came to see the Master’s worship. His impression of it
8. The Master attained Ragatmika Bhakti through intense love of God — The result of that Bhakti
9. The body and the mind of incarnations only, the Master said, could contain the full onrush of Ragatmika Bhakti
10. The physical changes in the Master due to the impulse of that devotion and consequent pain, such as, the burning sensation in his body, (1) when the Papa-purusha was burnt, (2) during his pang of separation after his first vision of the Mother, and (3) during the sadhana of the Madhura-Bhava
11. The Rani thought of worldly objects at the time of worship. The Master punished her
12. With the development of devotion, the Master’s external worship dropped off. His predicament at this time
13. What Hriday said about the Master’s giving up worship. Mathur’s doubt about the Master’s condition at that time
14. Treatment of the Master by Gangaprasad Sen
15. Haladhari came to Dakshineswar

1. The ascertainment of the time of Sadhana
2. Three main divisions of this period
3. A recapitulation of the Master’s mental states — visions, etc., during the first four years of his Sadhana
4. Why had the Master to practise Sadhana over again, though he had the immediate knowledge of the divine Mother at that time? Peace is realizable when one sees the identity of one’s own immediate experience with the teachings of the Guru and of the Sastras.
5. It happened to Suka, the son of Vyasa
6. Another reason why the Master practised Sadhana later. Not for himself, but for others
7. The aspirant realizes God when true eagerness arises in him. How much of that eagerness was there in the Master’s life
8. The Master followed in Mahavir’s footsteps and practised the Sadhana of the Dasya-bhava
9. The description of the vision of Sri Sita during the Master’s Sadhana of Dasyabhakti
10. The Master planted the Panchavati with his own hands
11. The Master practised Hathayoga
12. Curse by Haladhari
13. Haladhari’s views regarding the Master changed again and again
14. Haladhari gave up his high regard for the Master, the moment he sat to discuss the scriptures with his pinch of snuff
15. The Master taught Haladhari the truth about Kali when the latter said She consisted of Tamoguna
16. Haladhari scolded the Master on seeing him taking the remains of the food left by the poor people in their plates. The Master’s reply thereto
17. Puzzled by Haladhari’s scholarship the Master was assailed by doubts but was blessed with a vision and the mandate “Remain in Bhavamukha” from the divine Mother
18. How long Haladhari stayed in the Kali temple
19. A discussion on the divine inebriation of the Master
20. Only ignorant people, and not the Sadhakas, regarded it as due to a disease
21. The Master cannot be said to have been suffering from a disease, when we see his actions and behaviour at this time
22. Vaishnavacharan saw the Master for the first time during the festival at Panihati in 1859. His idea about the Master
23. Other kinds of Sadhana of the Master at this time — (1) “rupee-earth, earth-rupee”, (2) cleaning unclean places, (3) regarding night-soil and sandal-paste as the same
24. The aspirant’s own mind becomes his Guru at last. The Master’s mind functioned as the Guru at this time.
25. What can be gathered from these visions
26. The Master’s visions never proved to be untrue
27. An example: the description of the Master’s vision at the time of the worship of Durga in Suresh Chandra Mitra’s house in 1885
28. How Rani Rasmani and Mathur examined the Master owing to their mistaken notions

1. The Master at Kamarpukur
2. The Master’s relatives were under the impression that he was possessed by a ghost
3. An exorcist invited a Chanda
4. The opinion of the Master’s relatives. What led to his normality
5. An instance of the Master’s Yogic powers
6. On finding him normal, the Master’s relatives decided to get him married
7. The reason why the Master consented to marry
8. The Master selected his bride
9. The marriage
10. The conduct of Chandramani and of the Master after the marriage
11. The Master returned to Calcutta
12. The Master’s divine inebriation for the second time
13. Chandradevi’s Prayopavesana before Siva
14. The state in which the Master was at that time
15. Mathur saw the Master as Siva and Kali

1. Severe illness of Rani Rasmani
2. Rani’s execution of a Devottara deed of the Dinajpur properties and her death
3. The Rani’s vision at the time of passing away
4. What the Rani apprehended on her death-bed is about to happen
5. Improvement in the worldly affairs of Mathur Babu and his arrangement about the divine service in the temple
6. The influence and prosperity of Mathur were for helping the Master
7. The idea of Mathur and others about the Master
8. The arrival of the Brahmani at Dakshineswar
9. What the Bhairavi said to the Master when she saw him first
10. The first conversation between the Master and the Bhairavi
11. The Bhairavi had an extraordinary vision under the Panchavati
12. The discussion on the Sastras under the Panchavati
13. The reason why the Bhairavi came to live at the Devamandal Ghat
14. How the Bhairavi came to have the conviction that the Master was an incarnation of God
15. The reason why Pandit Vaishnavacharan came to Dakshineswar

1. The divine insight produced by Sadhana made the Brahmani understand truly the state of the Master
2. The reason why the Brahmani asked the Master to undertake Tantric Sadhana
3. Why the Brahmani helped the Master in his Sadhana, even though she knew that he was an incarnation of God
4. The Brahmani was eager to make the Master experience all the results of the austerity practised by her
5. The Master undertook Tantric discipline with the permission of the divine Mother. The measure of his eagerness for this discipline
6. The Master spoke about his eagerness at the time of Sadhana
7. The construction of the Panchamundi seat and the performance of all the Sadhanas according to the sixty-four Tantras
8. Seeing the Goddess in the form of the woman
9. Renunciation of aversion
10. Other Tantric realizations and the Master’s behaviour at the time of Tantric Sadhanas
11. One story of Ganesh’s filial attitude towards all women
12. The story of the circumambulation of the universe by Ganesh and Kartik
13. The uniqueness of the Master in his Tantric Sadhana
14. That speciality was the intention of the divine Mother
15. What is proved by the Master’s attaining success without taking a women
16. The purpose of the Tantric practices
17. Another reason why the Master undertook Tantric Sadhanas
18. The visions and experiences of the Master at the time of the Tantric Sadhanas
19. He took the remnants of food taken by jackals and dogs
20. He saw himself pervaded by the fire of knowledge
21. He saw the awakening of the Kundalini
22. His vision of the Brahmayoni, the divine womb
23. He heard the Anahata Dhvani
24. The vision about the worthlessness of miraculous powers
25. The Master’s talk with Swami Vivekananda about the eight miraculous powers
26. His vision of the deluding power of the universal Mother
27. The beauty of Shodasi, the Mahavidya
28. As the result of Tantric Sadhana, the Master became free from body-consciousness and attained a childlike nature
29. The splendour of the Master’s person during Tantric Sadhanas
30. The Bhairavi Brahmani was a part of Yogamaya

1. Mathur’s experience and behaviour on receiving the Master’s grace
2. Mathur undertook the religious vow of a gift, of a ‘mountain of food’
3. The Master met Padmalochan, the Vedantic scholar
4. The reason why the Master undertook the Vaishnava Sadhanas
5. There arose feminine modes in the Master’s mind before he undertook the Sadhana of the Vatsalya Bhava and the Madhura Bhava
6. A discussion on the constitution of the Master’s mind
7. How nonexistent was any bondage due to past impression in his mind
8. The noble qualities the Master had when he engaged himself in Sadhana
9. Illustrations of the Master’s uncommon mental make up and a discussion on it
10. Mathur’s services to holy men at the Master’s behest
11. Jatadhari’s arrival at Dakshineswar
12. The intimate relation of the Master with Jatadhari
13. The Master in the mood of a female companion of the divine Mother
14. The Master engaged himself in the Vatsalya mood of Sadhana during the prevalence of womanly feelings in him
15. His effort to realize the ultimate limits of any idea that arose in his mind; whether one should do so or not
16. Controlling of desires is not necessary for a confirmed Sadhaka like the Master. The reason thereof
17. Such Sadhakas are not perturbed even by the manner and time of their death. Examples thereof
18. No desire tarnished with selfishness arises in the mind of such a Sadhaka
19. All mentations of such Sadhakas correspond to facts. Examples in the Master’s life
20. The Master was initiated in the Vatsalya mood of Sadhana by Jatadhari. He practised it and reached its acme
21. Jatadhari made a gift of the image of Ramalala to the Master
22. To what extent the Bhairavi Brahmani helped the Master at the time of Vatsalya Sadhana

1. The hard inward struggle of the aspirant and his goal
2. The natural inclination of the minds of extraordinary Sadhakas is to remain in the Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Sri Ramakrishna is one of this class
3. What are called Sunya and Puma are one and the same Reality
4. The nature of non-duality
5. The five moods of Santa, Dasya, etc., and the God attainable by them
6. The nature of the five moods. How they help man to progress
7. Love is the means to the Sadhana of the five spiritual moods; and the personality of God is its object
8. Love brings to an end the consciousness of power. This removal is the measure of the moods
9. The devotional scriptures and the life of Sri Ramakrishna teach us that with the help of each one of these moods man can ultimately realize the non-dual Reality
10. The objection and answer regarding the attainment of the non-dual Reality with the help of the five moods
11. The prevalence of the Sadhanas of different moods in different ages
12. What is seen regarding the full development of the five mood in India and in other countries
13. What indicates the depth of the aspirant’s mood
14. What occurs to one’s mind when one sees the Master attain success in all the moods
15. A discussion on the lack of records of the spiritual practices of the spiritual heroes
16. This statement is applicable equally
17. The Madhura Bhava and the Vaishnava teachers
18. An objection to the historicity of the Lila at Vrindavan and the refutation thereof
19. In order to understand this play at Vrindavan, it is necessary to comprehend the history of devotional moods; what the Master said about it
20. The reason why Chaitanya induced man, the sterner sex, to practise the Madhura Bhava
21. The spiritual condition of the country of that time. How Chaitanya improved it
22. The main point of the Madhura Bhava
23. One should have that all devouring love for God, which a paramour has for her lover
24. The Madhura Bhava is the aggregate of all other moods plus something
25. How Chaitanya did good to humanity with the help of the Madhura Bhava
26. How a Vedantin accepts the Sadhana of the Madhura Bhava as conducive to an aspirant’s well-being
27. The ultimate aim of practising the Madhura Bhava is to attain the loving mood of Radha

1. The natural inclination of the Master’s mind since childhood was to merge in spiritual moods
2. What changes were brought in his mind during his Sadhana
3. The Madhura Bhava was not to the Master’s liking before the time of his Sadhana of that mood
4. No Sadhana of the Master was unscriptural. What it proves
5. Examples of the natural bent of the Master’s mind to follow the scriptures, even unknowingly. The assumption of different names and robes at the time of Sadhana
6. Engaged in the practices of the Madhura Bhava, the Master put on female dress
7. All the actions of the Master became womanly when he was in that attire
8. The Master’s behaviour as a woman friend of the ladies of Mathur’s family
9. While he was in a woman’s dress, it was difficult to distinguish the Master from a woman
10. The Master’s actions and his physical changes during his Sadhana of the Madhura Bhava
11. A contrast between the Master’s transcendental love and that conceived by us
12. What the devotional scriptures say about Srimati’s transcendental love
13. Sri Gauranga came to exemplify the transcendental love of Srimati
14. The Master meditated on Radha and had her vision
15. The Master felt that he was Srimati. The reason thereof
16. Extraordinary changes came on the Master’s body when he was in the mood of a woman
17. That the mind creates the body is demonstrated from these bodily changes of his under the influence of strong emotions
18. The Master had the vision of Sri Krishna
19. In his youth the Master desired to be born again as a girl
20. The Master realized, “The three — the scriptures, the devotees and the divine Lord, — are the One and the One is the three”

1. The study of the Master’s state of mind during this time
2. What the Master said about his doing Sadhana even after the realization of God
3. The Master’s mother decided to live on the Ganga and came to Dakshineswar
4. The Master’s mother was untouched by avarice
5. Haladhari gave up worshipping in the Kali temple; Akshay came
6. The reason that led the Master to practise the non-dual mood after he had attained perfection in Bhavasamadhi
7. The rationale of his effort to attain the non-dual mood at the end of his Sadhana of the devotional moods
8. Sri Tota puri arrived at Dakshineswar
9. The Master and Tota Puri greeted each other. The Master had the divine instruction to practise Vedanta
10. Tota’s conception of the Mother of the universe
11. The Master wanted to be initiated into Sannyasa secretly, — its reason
12. Rites preliminary to the initiation into Sannyasa were performed
13. Prayer-mantras preliminary to the Sannyasa initiation
14. The purport of the Mantra of the Viraja Homa performed before initiation
15. The Master gave up his sacred thread and tuft of hair on his head and was initiated into Sannyasa
16. Tota urged the Master to remain identified with Brahman Itself
17. Tota’s behaviour at the Master’s failure to make his mind free from all functions. The Master’s attainment of the Nirvikalpa Samadhi
18. Tota examined whether the Master really attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi. His surprise
19. Tota tried to bring the Master down from Samadhi
20. The Master cured Jagadamba Dasi of a fatal disease

1. The severe disease of the Master and his unique behaviour at this time
2. The Master’s auditive experience when he was established in the non-dual state. The results of that experience
3. What the scriptures say about the attainment of the power of remembering previous lives just before realizing Brahman
4. What the scriptures say about the attainment of Yogic powers, and the state in which all resolves come true
5. The causes producing the Master’s extraordinary realization become understandable when we study his life in the light of the above-mentioned sayings of the scriptures
6. Why the experiences mentioned before were not had simultaneously
7. The realization of the Master that the attainment of the non-dual consciousness is the ultimate aim of all disciplines
8. The abovementioned realization of the Master was never fully grasped by anyone before
9. The Master’s practice of Islam, an example of the liberality of his mind established in the nondual knowledge
10. The arrival of the Sufi Govinda Ray
11. The Master’s resolve afer talking with Govinda
12. Initiated by Govinda, the Master succeeded in the Sadhana
13. The behaviour of the Master at the time of practising Islam
14. It appears from the practice of Islam by the Master that there will be brotherly union between the Hindu and the Muslim communities in India in future
15. How strong the memory of non-duality was in the Master’s mind during the following years
16. A few examples of it:

1. The Master went to Kamarpukur with Hriday and the Bhairavi Brahmani
2. How the Master’s friends and relatives found him
3. The Holy Mother came to Kamarpukur
4. The Master’s behaviour with his relatives and boyhood friends at that time
5. What the Master said about the spiritual progress of some of them
6. The reason why the people of Kamarpukur appeared wonderfully new to the Master
7. The Master’s eternal relation of love with the people of his birth-place
8. The Master began to do his duty to his wife
9. The success the Master attained in it
10. The Brahmani’s apprehension and the change in her attitude on seeing the Master behave thus with his wife
11. The Brahmani’s power of discrimination was ruined owing to the increase of pride and egoism
12. The event illustrating this
13. Hriday quarrelled with the Brahmani
14. The Brahmani recognized her mistake; and apprehensive of having given offence, she repented, asked pardon and left for Kasi
15. The Master returned to Dakshineswar

1. The Master’s pilgrimage settled
2. The day of starting
3. The arrangement about the pilgrimage
4. Visit to Sri Vaidyanath and service to the poor
5. A mishap on the way
6. They stayed at Kedarghat and paid their obeisance to Sri Viswanath
7. The Master and Trailanga Swami
8. The Master’s behaviour at Prayag
9. The Master visited places like Nidhuvan in Vrindavan
10. The Master returned to Kasi and stayed there
11. He met the Brahmani at Kasi. The last information about her
12. The Master went to see Mahesh, the Vina-player
13. He returned to Dakshineswer. His behaviour at that time
14. The death of Hriday’s wife and his dispassion
15. Hriday in Bhavasamadhi
16. Hriday’s wonderful vision
17. Hriday’s mind became dull
18. Obstacle to Hriday’s Sadhana
19. Hriday celebrated the autumn worship of Durga
20. Hriday had a vision of the Master at the time of the worship of Durga
21. The last occasion of Hriday’s worship of Durga

1. The story of Akshay, son of Ramkumar
2. The beauty of Akshay
3. Akshay’s devotion to Sri Ramachandra and his love of Sadhana
4. Akshay’s marriage
5. Akshay fell severely ill after his marriage, recovered and went back to Dakshineswer
6. Akshay fell ill for the second time. The Master had prescience of Akshay’s death before he passed away
7. Hriday’s apprehension and behaviour when he was told that Akshay would not survive
8. Akshay’s death and the Master’s behaviour
9. The Master’s agony at the death of Akshay
10. The Master’s brother Rameswar was appointed priest
11. The Master went with Mathur to Ranaghat. The service of the poor as Narayana there
12. The Master saw Mathur’s own house and that of his Guru
13. The Master occupied the seat of Sri Chaitanya at the Hari Sabha of Kolutola. He visited Kalna, Navadwip, etc.
14. Mathur’s selfless devotion
15. The profound relation of love between the Master and Mathur
16. An anecdote
17. Another anecdote
18. No wonder that Mathur had such a selfless devotion. What the Sastras say
19. Mathur passed away
20. The Master saw the event in Bhavasamadhi

1. The Holy Mother was very young when she saw the Master for the first time after the marriage
2. The mental attitude of the Holy Mother on seeing the Master for the first time
3. How the Holy Mother lived at Jayramvati in that happy mood
4. The cause of the Holy Mother’s mental anguish and her resolve to come to Dakshineswar
5. The opportunity to carry out the resolve into practice
6. The Holy Mother started on foot with her father for a bath in the Ganga. She had fever on the way
7. A wonderful vision the Holy Mother had during her illness
8. The Holy Mother reached Dakshineswar at night with fever on. The Master’s behaviour
9. The Holy Mother lived there overflowing with joy on account of that behaviour of the Master
10. The Master’s testing of his knowledge of Brahman. His training of his wife
11. The reason why the Master did not do this before
12. The Master’s method of teaching. How he behaved with the Holy Mother at that time
13. How the Master looked upon the Holy Mother
14. The Master tested his self-control
15. No incarnation of God behaved with his wife as the Master did. Its result
16. What the Master said about the extraordinary nature of the Holy Mother
17. The Master’s resolve after he successfully stood the test
18. The preparations for the worship of Shodasi
19. The Master sprinkled consecrated water on the Holy Mother and worshipped her
20. He went into Samadhi at the end of the worship. He offered Japa, worship, etc., at the feet of the Devi
21. As the Holy Mother’s sleep was disturbed on account of the Master’s constant Samadhi, she went to bed elsewhere. Later she went back to Kamarpukur

1. The Master’s desire for Sadhana came to an end with the worship of Shodasi
2. For, what was left for him to do after finishing the Sadhanas according to all faiths?
3. He attained perfection in a marvellous way according to the religion founded by Lord Jesus
4. How the Master’s vision of the form of Jesus was proved to be true to fact
5. What the Master said about Buddha’s being an incarnation of God and about his faith
6. The Master’s faith in the Jaina and Sikh religions
7. The re-statement of the Master’s extraordinary experiences after he became perfected in the Sadhanas according to all faiths
8. Experiences about himself
9. Experiences about spiritual matters in general
10. The opinions expressed by three eminent Sadhakas well versed in the Sastras, on seeing the Master at different time
11. The time of the coming of the Pandits ascertained
12. The Master’s desire to see his devotees of the inner circle. He cried out for them

1. The death of Rameswar
2. Rameswar’s charitable nature
3. The Master’s prescience of Rameswar’s death and his warning to him
4. Thinking that the life of his mother would be in danger at the news of Rameswar’s death, the Master pray to the divine Mother. The result of the prayer
5. The behaviour of Rameswar when he knew that death was near at hand
6. After his death Rameswar talked with his friend Gopal
7. Ramlal, the Master’s nephew, came to Dakshineswar and was appointed priest. The temple of Annapurna at Chanak
8. The story of Sambhu Mallick, second supplier of the Master’s necessaries
9. Sambhu Babu built a room for the Holy Mother. Captain helped. The Master passed one night in that room
10. The Holy Mother fell seriously ill while she was living in that room, and went to Jayramvati
11. The Holy Mother undertook Prayopavesana in Simhavahini’s temple and got the medicine
12. The fearless behaviour of Sambhu Babu at the time of his death
13. The last days of Chandramani, the Master’s mother, and her death
14. The Master went to perform Tarpana at his mother’s death, but could not do it. He was in a state in which actions drop off naturally
15. The Master went to see Kesav Babu
16. Kesav in the garden at Belgharia
17. His first talk with Kesav
18. The intimate relation between the Master and Kesav
19. How Kesav behaved at Dakshineswar
20. The Master explained to Kesav: “Brahman and Its power are one and the same. The three, divine word, devotee, and divine Lord are One, and the One is the three.”
21. The Coochbehar marriage took place in 1878. Wounded by its repercussion Kesav attained spiritual depth. The Master’s opinion on the marriage
22. Kesav could not fully grasp the ideas and ideals of the Master. He honoured the Master but could not accept the ideal
23. The New Dispensation and the Master’s opinion
24. The intricate national problem of India has been solved by the Master alone
25. The Master’s reaction to Kesav’s death
26. The Master sew Gauranga in Sankirtan

PART THREE

AS THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER (I)

PREFACE

HINDU RELIGION AND SRI RAMAKRISHNA

1. Deep meaning of the Master’s words
2. Similar are the words of all incarnations of God
3. An example: Girish was asked to give the “power of attorney”
4. The mental state of Girish
5. The state of Girish’s mind after he gave the power of attorney
6. Giving the power of attorney, a bondage of love
7. How Girish was taugh thence-forward
8. Girish understood the deep significance of giving the power of attorney
9. It is the incarnations alone that can accept the power of attorney
10. Examples
11. The Master’s vision in connection with accepting the ‘power of attorney’
12. The Master cured leucoderma
13. It is not easy to give the “power of attorney”
14. The state in which the power of attorney can be given
15. Beware of the deception of the mind
16. Another point of view
17. The story of a Brahmin killing a cow
18. The understanding of the Master’s words becomes deeper with the development of the Sadhaka’s mind
19. Understanding will come at the right time
20. It is necessary to stick to Sadhana
21. Give up lukewarm devotion
22. The Master, an embodiment of spiritual moods, used to have bodily changes with the change of moods
23. The Master’s power of knowing all the moods in all persons
24. First example: Manimohan’s grief over the death of his son
25. Second example: The Master’s words on how to get rid of lust
26. Third example: Advice to Yogananda on this matter
27. Fourth example: The story of Manimohan’s relative
28. The Master’s power of knowing all kinds of mental states of women
29. Its cause
30. The reason why women behaved freely in the presence of the Master
31. First example
32. Second example on the subject
33. The Master bestowed equal grace on women
34. The Master mimicked the gestures of women
35. The moods of both men and women coexisted in the Master
36. The Master could understand the moods of all because he lived in the state of Bhavamukha

1. Samadhi is not a disease of the brain
2. It is by Samadhi alone that one attains spirituality and eternal peace
3. It is not a fact that one can make no progress in religion, if one has had no vision of deities etc.
4. Faith, renunciation and strength of character are the signs of the realization of spirituality.
5. Ripe “I” and pure desires. The liberated-in-life: Adhikarika Purushas, Isvarakotis and Jivakotis
6. The experience of non-dual consciousness differs in degree in different persons
7. With the deepening of the devotional moods, such as Santa, Dasya, etc., comes Savikalpa Samadhi
8. Bodily changes are inevitable with changes in mental or spiritual moods
9. How to ascertain higher and lower ecstasies
10. Incarnations alone can fully experience all these spiritual moods: Example, the Master’s Samadhi
11. The Brahmani asked him not to discuss the Vedanta
12. The Master’s determination to dwell always in the Nirvikalpa plane; its nature
13. The unique constitution of the Master’s mind
14. The Master’s devotion to truthfulness
15. First example
16. Second example
17. Third example
18. The universal Mother did not allow him to take a wrong step
19. The obstacle on the Master’s path to Nirvikalpa Samadhi
20. He was for six months in a state in which generally the body drops in twenty-one days
21. What the Captain said about the Master’s Samadhi
22. What the Master himself said about this
23. Views of the East and the West on bodily changes produced by ideas
24. Kundalini, the coiled power. The repository of the past impressions; how they are destroyed
25. The relation between body and mind
26. Holy company should be kept, as ideas are infectious
27. Bodily change due to concentration of mind
28. The harmony between the paths of devotion (Bhakti) and concentration (Yoga)
29. What is the coiled power? Its states of working and sleeping
30. The progress of the awakened coiled power. The piercing of the six centres and samadhi
31. The Master’s experience regarding this
32. His attempts at describing the experiences during Nirvikalpa Samadhi
33. The coiled power has five different kinds of movement on the path of Samadhi
34. The seven planes described in the Vedanta and the Master’s words on the spiritual experience in each of them
35. The Master’s retentive power
36. He explained the non-dual state in simple language
37. To Swami Turiyananda
38. Vedanta is nothing but the conception that Brahman is real the universe is unreal
39. The realization of God is not possible without His grace
40. The Master’s answers when he was asked by Pandit Sasadhar to cure his own disease
41. Swami Vivekananda and other devotees asked the Master importunately to do so. The Master’s reply
42. The depth of the Master’s non-dual state of consciousness
43. The Master stood the test of every kind
44. The things experienced ideally by the Master proved to be true in the external world
45. The Master had different relations with different devotees
46. The two classes of devotees
47. The Master knew the inner nature of each devotee and established his relationship with him accordingly.
48. Through various means did the Master lead the devotees forward on the path of spirituality
49. The devotees and visions of gods and goddesses
50. A devotee had the vision of Vaikuntha
51. The Master’s instruction to the devotees of God with forms. Silk thread and the sacrificial lamp
52. Wash the mind out before meditation
53. Which doctrine higher — God with forms or God without forms
54. The harmony between the doctrines of the Divine with forms and the Divine without forms
55. Swami Vivekananda and blind faith
56. Instructions to the followers of the unripe doctrine of God without forms
57. The Master advised the devotees to meditate on his form
58. A relationship with God is necessary. It adds a zest to meditation etc.
59. The “ripe I” and the “un-ripe I”. As the relationship deepens, one can exert loving pressure on Him.
60. The example of a perverted woman
61. “I will realize God in this very life,” such strength of mind should be cherished
62. Desires must be given up one by one
63. Perseverance like that required in angling is neccessary
64. The divine Lord is quick-eared; He hears everything
65. The Master kept an eye on everything in spite of his great tendency to spiritual moods
66. First example
67. Second example
68. Third example: instruction to the Holy Mother
69. The last word on the topic
70. The Master a Veritable king in the realm of ideas
71. His extraordinary power over the human mind. Swami Vivekananda’s remark on it

1. The Master felt annoyed when addressed as a spiritual teacher, a father of a patriarch. How then is the mood of the spiritual teacher possible in him?
2. As he had the firm knowledge that God is in all beings, the Master’s ordinary mood was that he was a servant of all
3. The play of the divine Power as spiritual Teacher was seen daily in him during his state of divine consciousness. What the devotees felt at his behaviour then
4. There was no end to the moods of the Master who was an embodiment of all ideas
5. Ordinary people thought that the Master was a devotee and not a knower of Brahman. But if one understands what it is to be in Bhavamukha and under what conditions it is possible, one cannot assert that
6. Mental modifications depend for their existence on I-conscious ness. There is Savikalpa Samdhi when it disappears partially, and Nirvikalpa Samadhi when it vanishes completely. The difference between Samadhi and deep sleep or swoon
7. The result of Samadhi is knowledge, increase of bliss and the realization of God
8. The vision and experience of the Master during his Nirvikalpa Samadhi of six months
9. How his body lasted during the period of the complete cessation of his “I-consciousness”
10. A Yogi came, understood the Master’s condition and fed him by force
11. The command of the Mother of the universe: “Remain in Bhavamukha”
12. There exist, in the Reality which is “One without a second”, a difference in Itself, consisting of the aspects of saguna and Nirguna and also the Virat “I-ness” pervading the universe. It is this universal “I-ness” that is Isvara or the divine Mother, and by It are brought about the world phenomena
13. It is this universal I-ness that is called Bhavamukha (the source of all ideas), for all kinds of ideas in the world have It alone as their basis
14. The Master’s experience in the Nirvikalpa state and in the Savikalpa or Bhavamukha state
15. “Remain in Bhavamukha”. Its meaning
16. Dualism qualified non-dualism and non-dualism come one after another with the spiritual progress of the Sadhaka
17. Hanuman, a great knower of Brahman, on this topic
18. The state of non-duality is beyond speech, thought and imagination. As long as the functions of body and mind continue, one has to accept in practice both the aspects of God, the absolute (Nitya) and the relative (Lila)
19. A few examples given by the Master:
20. Although the state of Bhavamukha is a few steps below the Nirguna, there is a plenitude of the knowledge of the non-dual reality in that state, How one feels in that state. The Master is an example
21. One feels, “I am servant, devotee, child or a part”, when one comes down to a still lower state of the realm of Vidya Maya mentioned above
22. The Master dwelt for the rest of his life in the consciousness of the universal ripe I after his unripe I had been destroyed altogether. It is in this state that the mood of the spiritual teacher was manifested in him. It is therefore not impossible that the mood of the spiritual teacher and humility should be found in the same person in different states
23. The Master’s power of awakening spirituality in others by his mere will or touch. An example — the event of January 1, 1886
24. What visions and experiences the devotees had at the touch of the Master
25. One never knew when the Master would mercifully touch any one that way
26. It is recorded in all the scriptures that on the merging or destruction of the “unripe” I, the mood of the spiritual Teacher is manifested
27. The mood of the Guru is not anything human, but the power of the divine Mother Herself manifesting through the human body and mind as instruments
28. God, out of compassion, removes ignorance and delusion of the human mind through spiritual teacher. Therefore, devotion to the spiritual teacher and that to God are the same
29. The Master’s instruction regarding the devotion to the spiritual teacher: the story of Vibhishana’s devotion to his Guru
30. When there is true devotion, one remembers God through the association of even a trifling thing. Sri Chaitanya had ecstasy immediately on saying, “Ah, drums are made of this earth
31. Arjuna’s devotion to the spiritual teache
32. Although, as the power of God, all spiritual teachers are one, absolute faith in and unwavering devotion to one’s own spiritual teacher are necessary. What Hanuman said about it
33. The power of the spiritual teacher is there, lying dormant, in all men
34. The Master’s words — “The mind becomes the spiritual teacher at last”
35. “The spiritual teacher is, as it were, a woman friend”
36. “The spiritual teacher merges at last in the chosen Ideal of the disciple. The three — Guru, Krishna and Vaishnava are One, and the One is the three”

1. “Fruits first, flowers next.” This is the peculiar trait of all divine incarnations
2. The first manifestation of the mood of the spiritual teacher in the Master’s life. A discussion on the scriptures in a meeting of Pandits at the house of the Lahas at Kamarpukur
3. A similar event in the life of Jesus in the temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem
4. The Jewish pilgrimage of those days
5. Jesus explained the scriptures in the temple of Jehovah
6. The refutation of the opinion of the great orient-alist and scholar Max Muller
7. Why did the Master marry?
8. The purpose of the Hindu marriage is to lead man through enjoyments not incompatible with religion to renunciation
9. Experiences with discrimination lead at the right moment to the knowledge, “Pleasure comes with a crown of thorns on its head”
10. The Master taught how to urge the mind to give up the pleasure of worldly enjoyments
11. The present national degradation of the Hindus is due to the non-observance of continence in married life
12. The Master married for reviving that ideal by following it himself
13. The Master’s unprecedented relation of immaculate love with his wife. What the Holy Mother said about it
14. It is only to teach the married people that the Master enacted that play of love
15. We must form our married life after the ideal of the Master and observe continence at least partially. No good will otherwise come to us
16. A few objections to the fact that the Master had no physical relationship with his wife and their refutation
17. It is clear from the Holy Mother’s worshipping the Master all her life as the universal Mother that his marriage took place under the impulsion of the mood of the spiritual teacher in him

1. It is not by mere wish that man becomes a spiritual teacher or a leader
2. The unlimited “I” - ness, the origin of all consciousness of the phenomenal beings, is easily manifested in the spiritual teachers of the world, but it is not so with ordinary people
3. The time when it became perfectly manifested and natural to the Master
4. That mood at the time of his Sadhana — in his behaviour towards Rani Rasmani and Mathur
5. The strange nature of the Master
6. It was difficult for the wealthy and the learned to recognize the Master. The reasons for it
7. The Master’s condition after his marriage. Mathur’s attraction towards him and others’ opinion of him
8. In the mood of the spiritual teacher the Master punished Rani Rasmani
9. Its result
10. Similar events in the lives of Sri Chaitanya, Jesus and Sri Krishna
11. The Master’s strange method of teaching, when overwhelmed by the divine power manifested as the spiritual teacher, and the good fortune of Rani Rasmani
12. What the scriptures say about the characteristics of the mind merged in God
13. Why it is so difficult to understand the behaviour of the religious teachers of the people, specially that of Sri Ramakrishna

1. It takes a long time for a big flower to blossom
2. The strange relation of the Master with Mathur; the nature of Mathur as a man
3. The unconscious help rendered by Rani Rasmani and Mathur in the manifestation of the Master’s power as the spiritual teacher. All persons connected either as enemies or as friends help the manifestation of the power of the incarnations of God
4. It is the same with ordinary human life; there is a great similarity between it and that of an incarnation of God
5. Though a devotee, Mathur was not foolish
6. Mathur’s first attraction towards the Master — its cause and gradual development
7. The change of Mathur was due to the infectious power of devotion
8. Argumentation between the Master and Mathur with his modern education. The law of nature gets altered by the will of God. A red china-rose plant producing white flower
9. Mathur was compelled daily to discuss the Master’s condition
10. Mathur and the Master’s recital of the Mahimna-stotra and his Bhavasamadhi
11. An example of how others could easily have spiritual progress in the company of the Master
12. Mathur’s vision of Siva and Sakti at the same time in the Master
13. The result of this vision
14. The evidence of the scriptures regarding Mathur’s great good fortune
15. Great manifestation in the Master, day after day, of the mood of the spiritual teacher and Mathur’s feelings on testing him
16. The priest Haldar’s conduct at seeing Mathur’s increasing devotion to the Master
17. The pitiable fate of a pair of Varanasi shawls
18. The Master’s non-attachment
19. What the priest Haldar did at last
20. Mathur’s and his wife Jagadamba Dasi’s devotion to the Master and the Master’s relation with that family
21. Contrary moods co-existed in the Master
22. A meeting of the Pandits convened at Dakshineswar for getting a scriptural injunction about a broken image
23. The Master’s decision and the last word on the matter

1. In the company of the Master, Mathur celebrated the worship of Mother Durga at his Janbazar house
2. The Master’s Bhavasamadhi and personal beauty
3. Large gatherings of people at Kamarpukur on account of the Master’s physical beauty
4. An incident regarding the Master’s personal beauty and his humility
5. Jagadamba Dasi’s cleverness in bringing to an end the Master’s ecstasy
6. The manner of the Master’s coming down from the state of Samadhi is in accordance with the scriptures
7. The Master fanned the Goddess Durga with a Chamara in the spiritual attitude of a woman friend
8. Unable to recognize the Master in that state, Mathur asked his wife
9. Vijaya, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Aswin
10. Enjoying a divine bliss, Mathur was not conscious of the approaching moment of immersion
11. Mathur’s determination not to immerse the image of the Mother
12. Mathur’s reply to the persuasion
13. The Master persuaded Mathur
14. The strange power of the words and touch of the Master
15. How Mathur regained his normal consciousness
16. The firmness of Mathur’s faith in the Master was the result of his having tested him
17. Mathur’s desire of having ecstasy
18. He prayed to the Master for it
19. The Master dissuaded him by quoting the example of the Gopis and Uddhava
20. Mathur’s ecstasy and his prayer to the Master
21. None but a man of renunciation can maintain Bhavasamadhi
22. An example of this — the story of a young devotee brought to the Kasipur garden
23. The Master’s power of recognizing the changes brought about by an excess of spiritual emotions. The spiritual teacher is indeed “the physician of the world-disease”
24. The Master’s opinion on the condition of the young man
25. The Master used to speak out every thought frankly to Mathur and always sought his advice
26. How much the Master looked to Mathur’s welfare
27. An example: The Master anxiously asked for and had the Prasada on the occasion of the worship of Phalaharini
28. On especial ceremonial occasions the Master used naturally to have especial Bhavasamadhis
29. What Swami Yogananda thought when he saw the Master thus demanding and receiving Prasada
30. The Master gave the reason why he did so
31. The wonderful relation between the Master and Mathur
32. How Mathur consoled the Master by speaking of the “worm generating lust”
33. The Master spoke to Mathur on the coming of his inner-circle devotees
34. An example of the Master’s boy-like nature: the incident of plucking the green Susni
35. Mathur took refuge in the Master in times of worldly dangers: an example
36. An example of the miserly Mathur’s ungrudging expenditure of money
37. Other illustrations
38. Mathur served the poor at Vaidyanath at the wish of the Master
39. The relation of the Master with Mathur was determined by Providence: The Master spoke of Mathur’s next birth, as he had a desire for enjoyment

1. The power of being a spiritual teacher is the especial possession of the incarnations of God
2. The Master was initiated by several teachers
3. The Bhairavi Brahmani
4. The Brahmani assisted the Master in Sadhana
5. The Brahmani’s experience in the devotional moods recorded in the Vaishnava scriptures
6. Mathur was suspicious on seeing her beauty and accomplishments
7. The Brahmani’s antecedents
8. The Brahmani, a spiritual aspirant of a high order
9. The Brahmani’s Yogic vision
10. The story of Chandra, a disciple of the Brahmani
11. The attainment of the powers of miracles makes one fall from Yoga
12. Chandra met with his fall on attaining the power of performing the miracle
13. The story of Girija, another disciple of the Brahmani
14. Girija’s power of performing a miracle
15. Chandra’s and Girija’s powers of performing miracles were destroyed by the Master as the spiritual teacher
16. Miraculous powers are obstacles on the path to the realization of God. The parable of crossing a river on foot
17. The increase of egoism due to the Miraculous powers: The Master’s parable of an elephant, killed and brought back to life
18. The Brahmani did not realize the unqualified non-dual state of consciousness; proof of it
19. Definition of the “animal mode”, “hero mode”, and “divine mode” of the Tantras
20. Brahmani the “heroic” aspirant, had not even qualified herself for the “divine mode” of worship
21. The proof of it
22. The Brahmani became conscious of her spiritual want by the grace of the Master and went away to practise austerities
23. The story of the revered Tota Puri
24. The exchange of ideas between the Master and Tota Puri
25. The scriptures on the fearlessness and the freedom from bondage of the knowers of Brahman
26. The high state of Tota Puri
27. The fearlessness of Tota Puri; he saw the Bhairava
28. The story of Tota Puri’s teacher
29. What Tota Puri said about his teacher’s monastery and community
30. The antecedents of Tota Puri
31. Tota Puri’s mind
32. Tota Puri’s ignorance of the path of devotion
33. Proof thereof: What, are you fashioning Chapatis by clapping your hands?
34. What led to Tota’s giving up anger
35. Man cannot realize God till Maya moves away compassionately from his path
36. An example thereof. The story of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana travelling in the forest
37. Tota did not know that his high state was due to the grace of the divine Mother
38. Tota Puri’s illness
39. Tota disregarded the indication of his mind
40. Tota went to bid good-bye to the Master but was unable to do so. His illness increased
41. Unable to control the mind Tota went to give up his body in the Ganga; his vision of the divine Mother as the universe
42. Tota gave up his determination to die
43. Tota had, as the result of his illness, the knowledge that Brahman and the power of Brahman were one and the same
44. Tota accepted the divine Mother and left
45. Tota’s knowledge of the art of converting baser metals into gold — alchemy
46. The conclusion

PART FOUR

AS THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER (II)

PREFACE

1. The ignorance of the people of Calcutta about the Master’s relation as the spiritual teacher to the holy men and aspirants who came to Dakshineswar
2. “Bees come of themselves when flowers blossom.” Fitness for imparting religion is necessary; preaching is otherwise vain
3. All are equally blind in respect of spiritual matters
4. How the Master preached religion
5. The state in which the Master was when he met the Brahmani
6. What others understood about the exalted state of the Master
7. Mathur’s decision at Brahmani’s request to convene a meeting of the Pandits well versed in scriptures, to discuss the Master’s condition
8. Vaishnavacharan and Gauri of Indes were invited
9. How famous Vaishnavacharan then was
10. The Brahmani’s prescription for curing the burning sensation in the Master’s bodye
11. The Brahmani’s prescription for curing the Master’s inordinate hunger
12. These states arise as the result of the practice of Yoga. What we saw about that kind of hunger of the Master
13. The first example: he took a big piece of Sar
14. Second example: he ate two pounds of sweets and parched rice at Kamarpukur
15. Third example: he ate about five pounds of boiled rice with a tiny Maurala fish of sauce
16. Fourth example: he ate two pounds of sweet pudding at midnight at Dakshineswar
17. Strong spiritual emotions changed the Master’s body
18. The meeting of Pandits, when Vaishnavacharan came to Dakshineswar
19. A discussion about the Master’s condition in that meeting
20. Vaishnavacharan’s conclusion about the state of the Master
21. The Master’s opinion about the sects like the Kartabhaja (the worshippers of the spiritual teacher) and the like
22. The kind of religion wanted by men full of worldly desires
23. The history of the origin of the Tantras and their novelt
24. The history of the “heroic mode” of worship entering into the Tantra
25. There are in each Tantra two strata, the high and the low
26. The new process of worship founded by the Vaishnava community of Bengal
27. From this Sadhana originated eventually the doctrines of Kartabhaja etc. The essence of all those doctrines
28. The method of the teaching of Sadhya (the object of realization) and Sadhana (the means of realization) according to the Kartabhaja and other doctrines
29. Vaishnavacharan took the Master to a private meeting of the Kachhibagan group to test him
30. Vaishnavacharan knew the Master to be an incarnation of God
31. The miraculous power of Pandit Gauri, the follower of the Tantras
32. Gauri worshipped his wife as the Devi
33. Gauri’s strange process of offering oblations
34. A meeting including Vaishnavacharan and Gauri was convened at Dakshineswar. The Master in Bhavasamadhi rode on the shoulders of Vaishnavacharan who composed a hymn in praise of him
35. The conviction of Gauri about the Master
36. Detachment came on Gauri in the company of the Master; he renounced the world and went away to practise Tapas
37. While giving instruction, the Master would quote Vaishnavacharan and Gauri: faith in the Lila of God as a human being
38. Gauri on the knowledge of non-difference between Kali and Krishna
39. Vaishnavacharan on regarding the object of one’s love as a form of the divine Lord
40. This instruction accords with the scriptures. The conversation in the Upanishad between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi
41. The incarnations of God always abide by the authority of the Sastras. The teaching of the Master about paying respects to all religions

1. How the Master met holy men
2. Holy men rest where they find it convenient to get water and secluded places for answering calls of nature
3. A story about it
4. Sadhus came to the Dakshineswar Kali temple because Bhiksha and secluded places were easily available there
5. Sadhus of different types came at different times
6. The Vedantic discussion of the Paramahamsas: “Existence-Knowledge-Bliss”
7. The high state of a certain Sadhu who realized the Bliss Itself
8. The Master saw a Sadhu inebriated with divine knowledge
9. The water of the Ganga and that in a drain appear as same when Brahman is realised. People see a Paramahamsa as a child, a ghoul or a mad man
10. The holy men of Ramawat denomination came to Dakshineswar
11. The story of the image Ramlala
12. What we thought when we heard of Ramlala from the Master
13. We are attached to modern science because it helps us to increase our enjoyment
14. The result of the Kapalikas preaching religion for selfish enjoyments during the latter part of the Buddhistic age. It is impossible for Yoga and Bhoga to co-exist
15. Worldly people’s fear at the extraordinary renunciation of the Master and his preaching of it
16. How Ramlala remained permanently with the Master
17. The “father” experienced selfless love in the divine company of the Master
18. The faith of a Sadhu in the name of Rama
19. The devotional songs and couplets of the holy men of the Ramawat community
20. A desire in the Master’s mind to supply all the necessities of Sadhana to the spiritual aspirants of all denominations. The story of Rajkumar (Achalananda)
21. The Master was switched to spiritual emotion and inebriation at the very mention of the word “hemp” or “wine” and entered into Samadhi at the utterance of what are regarded as obscene words or songs
22. Whenever the Master realized perfection in the Sadhana of a particular religious doctrine or faith, the Sadhus of that denomination would come to him
23. The Sadhus of all denominations that came to Dakshineswar got help from the Master in religious matters
24. Whenever the Master realized perfection in the Sadhana of a particular religious doctrine or faith, the Sadhus of that denomination would come to him
25. The manifestation of power in all the incarnations of God is not seen to be the same. For, some of them came to impart religion to a particular people, and some to all humanity
26. The comparison of the manifestation of spiritual power of the incarnations, the founders of Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions on the one hand and that of the Master on the other
27. The reason why the Sadhus and Sadhakas of all denominations came to the Master
28. It is not true that the spiritual propensity in the Master got awakened by virtue of his company with the Sadhus who came to Dakshineswar
29. The loss of normal consciousness during the Master’s Samadhi was not a disease. The conversation between the Master and Sivanath is a proof of it
30. The reason why the Master behaved like a mad man during the time of his Sadhana
31. Some of the Sadhakas that came to Dakshineswar were initiated by the Master. For example Sri Narayan Sastri
32. The antecedents of Sri Sastri
33. He finished that study and had the privilege of meeting the Master
34. Sastriji’s resolve, owing to the divine company of the Master
35. Sastriji felt detachment
36. Sastriji was annoyed to speak with Michael Madhusudan
37. The conversation between the Master and Michael
38. Sastriji wrote his own opinion on the wall
39. Sastriji was initiated in Sannyasa and practised austerities
40. It was natural with the Master to pay visit to monks and aspirants
41. The reason why the Nyaya philosophy entered Bengal
42. Padmalochan, the Vedantic scholar
43. An example of the wonderful genius of the Pandit
44. Who is the greater of the two, Siva or Vishnu?
45. The Pandit’s love of God
46. The nature of the Master’s mind; the Pandit came to Calcutta
47. The Pandit saw the Master for the first time
48. The reason why the Pandit’s devotion and reverence increased
49. The Master could know the miraculous power of the Pandit
50. The Pandit passed away in Kasi, the abode of the universal Lord
51. The Master on Dayananda
52. Pandit Jayanarayan
53. Krishnakishore, the devotee

1. In comparison with the lives of other spiritual teachers, the Master’s was novel and wonderful
2. What the Master has proved in his life and what the scope of his liberal doctrine will be in future
3. The proof thereof
4. How to understand the spread of the Master’s ideas
5. The ideas and the ideals of the Master were first promulgated amongst the Sadhus of all communities, who came to Dakshineswar and who came in contact with him during his pilgrimage
6. Passing through various states, high and low, in his life and having various experiences, the Master had an extraordinary power of spiritual teaching manifested in him
7. What the Master learnt during his pilgrimage. Both natures, the divine and the human, were there in him
8. What the Sastras say about the reason why divine persons like the Master go on pilgrimage
9. The Master’s advice to “chew the cud” after one visits temples and holy places
10. A devotional mood must be produced in the mind before one visits holy places
11. What the Master said to a devotee, anxious to visit Buddha-gaya when Swami Vivekananda had gone there
12. “One who has it here, has it there also”
13. The thought in the mind of the simple-hearted Master as to what he would find in places of pilgrimage
14. The Master’s instruction to Swami Yogananda. “You should be a devotee, but why should you be foolish on that account?”
15. Seeing the worldly attachment of the inhabitants of Kasi, the Master complained, “Why hast Thou brought me here, Mother?”
16. The Master’s vision of “golden Kasi”
17. Why Kasi is regarded as made of gold
18. The Master felt that Kasi was golden and was therefore, afraid to make it dirty
19. The Master’s vision at Manikarnika that Jivas are liberated as soon as they die in Kasi
20. The Master saw Trailanga Swami
21. The Master was in Bhavasamadhi to see the image of Vankavihari and pastures in Vrindavan
22. The Master’s intense love for Vraja
23. Gangamata of Nidhuvan. The Master’s desire to live there. He returned to Calcutta when he asked himself, who would serve his old mother
24. A wonderful harmony in the Master’s life, of ideas and of qualities contrary to one another. Although a Sannyasin, the Master served his mother
25. The Master refused to go to Gaya, the abode of Gadadhar, knowing that he would be in Samadhi there and have to part with his body. The reason for this
26. It is the law that the effect merges in the cause
27. The law of Karma cannot solve the mystery of the life of an incarnation. The reason therefor
28. Conclusions drawn by Indian philosophers when they saw the signs of liberated persons manifested in incarnations from childhood. Incarnations belong, according to the Sankhya philosophy, to the class of persons “merged in Prakriti”
29. The Vedanta calls these persons the Adhikarikas or persons authorized. And according to it, there are, in this class of persons, two divisions, the incarnations of God and the eternally free Isvarakotis
30. The bodies and minds of Adhikarikas are made of materials different from those of ordinary people. This is why their desires and actions are also different from those of others and are so astonishing to us
31. The Master visited Navadwip
32. The previous opinion of the Master about Chaitanya, the great lord, and the change of that opinion after having his vision at Navadwip
33. The Master went to Kalna
34. The renunciation, devotion and fame of Bhagavan Das
35. Religious movements in India during the period of the Master’s Sadhana
36. The Master went to the Harisabha at Kalutola
37. The reading of the Bhagavata in that Sabha
38. The Master occupied “the seat of Sri Chaitanya”
39. A commotion over it arose in the Vaishnava community
40. Bhagavan Das became annoyed to hear of the occupation of “the seat of Sri Chaitanya”
41. The Master went to the hermitage of Bhagavan Das
42. Hriday told the “father” about the Master
43. The “father” was annoyed at the action of a certain Sadhu
44. Bhagavan Das’s egotism of teaching people
45. The Master in Bhavasamadhi protested against the annoyance and egotism of the “father”
46. The “father” accepted the truth of the Master’s words
47. The loving conversation between the Master and Bhagavan Das. Mathur’s service to the Sadhus of the hermitage

1. The Vedas call a knower of Brahman all-knowing. We dispute about it without understanding the passage
2. The Master explained how those words were true. Press one grain of rice from the cooking-pot and you know if all are boiled soft
3. To know a thing together with its origin and end is to know all about it. It is the same with the world on the realization of God
4. It is also true that a knower of Brahman has all his resolves fulfilled. Its meaning in the light of the Master’s life. “I could not bring my mind to this ‘cage of flesh and bone’.”
5. The description of another event in the Master’s life in order to explain this subject. “The mind is in a high plane: I cannot bring it down
6. The Master saw all persons and things in two different ways, from two different planes of consciousness: the plane of non-dual consciousness and that of the ordinary one. The first is the plane of supersensuous vision and the second of the sensuous.
7. Ordinary men see everything in the second way
8. The example of the Master’s two kinds of vision
9. The Master’s words on this subject and his vision — Mother peeps through different sheaths, Mother has become the prostitute, Ramani, too
10. The Master’s senses, mind and intellect were keener than those of ordinary persons. Nonattachment to enjoyment and pleasure was the cause of it. A contrast between the actions of minds attached and unattached
11. Examples of the keenness of the Master’s mind
12. The Master saw exceptional changes in nature and was convinced that God changed His law
13. Told of the lightning-conductor the Master related his experience: “Iightning struck a hut beside a three-storeyed house”
14. He saw a white china-rose flower on a red china-rose plant
15. From uncommon events in nature arose the conviction of the Master that the whole universe was the playground of the Mother of the universe
16. The Master knew from a higher plane of consciousness the amount of the power manifested and solidified, as it were, in any particular place
17. It is well known that Sri Chaitanya discovered the places of the sport of Sri Krishna at Vrindavan
18. Such events in the Master’s life in Bhavasamadhi. He had the vision of the former image of Mrinmayi at Vana-Vishnupur
19. The condition of the town of Vana-Vishnupur
20. Sri Madanamohan and Mrinmayi
21. The Master’s power of detecting the mental attitudes and aims of people: The first example
22. The second example of this. Swami Vivekananda and his fellow pupils who came to Dakshineswar
23. “One cannot become what one wishes to, even by making efforts”
24. The third example: in connection with the Master’s drinking water during his visit to Pandit Sasadhar
25. The nature of the Master’s mental constitution. The standard by which he judged all things and persons and ascertained their worth
26. An example of it — “I don’t want a learning that results in ‘the bundling of rice and plantain’”
27. Second example — his feeling as if some one tightened up all the joints of his body as soon as he sat for meditation and his vision of a person with a trident in hand
28. Third example — going to offer flowers at the lotus feet of the universal Mother, he placed them on his own head; and going to offer oblations of water to the forefathers, he was unable to do so
29. The spiritual experiences of the unlettered Master demonstrated the truths contained in the Vedas and other Sastras
30. The goal of human life is the attainment of the non-dual knowledge. In that state, “All jackals howl in the same way.” With Sri Chaitanya devotion was like the tusks of an elephant which are seen, and the non-dual knowledge, like the inner teeth, which are not seen. Approach to non-dual knowlledge was the standard by which the Master judged the high or low state of a man or a society
31. Visions knowable to oneself and those knowable to others also
32. The Master’s mind could not rest till it arrived at reliable conclusions about the states of things and persons
33. What the Master saw in the normal plane of consciousness — the ill-will between the Saktas and the Vaishnava
34. To remove that hatred from his own household he got them all intiated in the Mantra of Sakti
35. The origin of the custom of Sadhus prescribing and administering medicine, which led gradually to their spiritual degradation
36. The Master’s opinion on Sadhus who merely put on the religious garb
37. The lives of true Sadhus breathe life into the Sastras
38. The Master noticed narrowness even in true Sadhus
39. The Master had an experience of this lack of spirituality in places of pilgrimage. What a great difference between our experience and that of the Master!
40. The Master came to know of his own liberal doctrine
41. The Master understood that he was the first in the world to realize the truth: “all faiths are true — as many faiths, so many paths”
42. The Master realized that the divine Mother had endowed him with extraordinary power in order that religion might be imparted to the world
43. The Master did not, as is the case with us, assume the position of the spiritual teacher under the influence of egotism
44. The proof thereof — the Master in Bhavamukha quarrelled with the Mother of the universe
45. The second example of it
46. The Master’s realization: “Being an executive officer of the divine Mother’s empire, I shall have to go to impose peace wherever troubles arise”
47. The Master’s mind was eager to meet his devotees
48. The Master’s conviction — all those who are living their last lives in the world will come “here”; those who even once have truly called on God cannot but come “here”
49. This conviction of the Master arose on account of his absolute dependence on the divine Mother
50. The meaning of these words of the Master
51. The concentrated state of the mood of the Guru is what is called the Divya-bhava, the divine state, in the Tantras. How the Gurus established in the divine state initiate their disciples
52. The realizing of divine knowledge by the disciple as soon as he sees, touches and salutes the Guru is called the Sambhavi initiation. And the realization of that knowledge by the disciple on account of the power of the Guru entering his body is known as Sakti initiation
53. In that kind of initiation there in no need of discrimination between proper and improper time
54. The Master is the best of all spiritual teachers endowed with the divine mood. The reason thereof
55. All the powers are not always manifested in the incarnations of God. The proof thereof
56. The Master met Kesav Chandra, the great devotee. His own devotee came shortly after

1. The harmony of the divine and human natures in the Master
2. Vijaykrishna Goswami’s vision
3. What the devotees felt at the Master’s extraordinary behaviour with them
4. Swami Premananda asked the Master importunately for Bhavasamadhi. The Master’s anxiety and vision
5. The Master explained why he felt anxious for the devotees. When Hazra asked him not to be anxious for them he had a vision and replied to him accordingly
6. Swami Vivekananda asked the Master not to do so. The Master’s vision and reply
7. The Master honoured persons of respectability and good qualities — its reason
8. To what length the Master went to free himself from egoism
9. The events concerning Dr. Kailas and Trailokya Babu are examples of the Master’s lack of egoism
10. Worldly people behave in a contrary way
11. Religious movements about the time of the Master’s birth. Their causes
12. Pandit Sasadhar came to Calcutta at that time. His exposition of religion
13. The Master’s desire to see Sasadhar
14. The desire that arose in the pure mind of the Master was always fulfilled
15. The places where the Master went on the occasion of the Navayatra of the year 1885
16. About Ishan Babu
17. Swami Yogananda’s devotion to established rites and practices
18. The Chariot festival at Balaram Babu’s house
19. The women devotee’s devotion to the Master
20. The Master walked along with indrawn mind and a woman devotee, who forgot herself, followed him
21. A few more examples of the Master’s walking along with in-drawn mind. Its reason
22. The Master invited the woman devotee to come to Dakshineswar
23. On the boat the Master replied to the woman devotee’s question: “Be like a cast off leaf before the wind”
24. The Master reached Dakshineswar and was in Bhavasamadhi. The devotees got evidence that his divine body should not be touched by one with a sore in one’s body
25. The vision of the coiled Power and his talk in ecstasy
26. The Master was anxious to think what the devotees who came would have for their meal. He sent the women devotees for shopping
27. The Master who had a boyish nature got afraid like a boy
28. Pandit Sasadhar saw the Master for the second time
29. The incident as described by the Master himself to a devotee
30. Man gains faith in such stories extant about other incarnations, when he sees the extraordinary behaviour of the Master

1. Gopala’s mother saw the Master for the first time
2. Govinda Chandra Datta of Pataldanga
3. His wife, a devotee
4. The family of her priest. Aghoramani, a child-widow
5. Aghoramani’s devotion to the established rites and practices
6. She lived in Govinda Babu’s temple and practised penances
7. Different expressions and manifestations of spirituality in the women of the East and the West
8. Aghoramani met the Master a second time
9. The Master came to Govinda Babu’s garden
10. The state of Aghoramani when she had the vision of the divine form of Gopala
11. In that state she came to the Master at Dakshineswar
12. The Master praised that state, describing it as hard to attain. He pacified her
13. The Master said to Gopala’s mother: “You have attained everything”

1. The festival of the return Chariot-journey at Balaram Basu’s house
2. The Master’s desire to see the Sankirtan of Sri Chaitanya. His vision of the same. He saw Balaram Babu in that party
3. Balaram’s service of God in many places. The food belonging to Balaram was pure
4. The Master’s four7. “All the members of Balaram’s family are strung to the same tune” suppliers of necessities. Balaram’s privilege as regards the Master’s service
5. The Master always said “here” and “of this place” instead of I and mine. Its reason
6. How and how long the suppliers served the Master
7. “All the members of Balaram’s family are strung to the same tune”e
8. The Car Festival in Balaram’s house was an expression of love of God without pomp and grandeur
9. The wonderful relation of the Master with the women devotees
10. The Master spoke of Gopala’s mother’s vision to the women devotees and sent for her
11. In the afternoon the Master became suddenly filled with the spirit of Gopala and Gopala’s mother arrived immediately after
12. Whatever the Master did under the influence of Bhava looked beautiful. The reason
13. The Master came back to Dakshineswar at the end of the festival
14. The Master was annoyed to see the bundle belonging to Gopala’s mother. He was all love to the devotees, but was all discipline as well
15. Gopala’s mother was pained by the Master’s expression of annoyance. The Holy Mother consoled her
16. The nature of the visions of Gopala’s mother after she was firmly convinced that the Master was her chosen Ideal
17. Marwari devotees came to the Master
18. The Master could not accept and eat things given to him with a motive; nor did he give them to the devotees to eat
19. The Master gave Gopala’s mother the candy given by the Marwaris
20. No one should be told of one’s vision
21. The Master introduced Gopala’s mother to Swami Vivekananda
22. Invited by Gopala’s mother the Master went to the Kamarhati garden and saw a ghost there
23. The Master fed Gopala’s mother with thickened milk at the Kasipur garden and said, “Gopala eats through her mouth”
24. Gopala’s mother saw the universe as the form of God
25. Gopala’s mother at the Baranagar monastery
26. Gopala’s mother with western women
27. Gopala’s mother at Sister Nivedita’s house
28. The passing away of Gopala’s mother
29. The story of Gopala’s mother concluded

1. The generality of people have reverence for Sri Ramakrishna only because they hear of his Yogic powers
2. Though all this is true, our aim is not to discuss this subject: for selfish devotion is harmful to progress
3. Real devotion will make the worshipper similar to the worshipped
4. The extraordinary things we become acquainted with, by a study of the life of an incarnation
5. The village of Kamarpukur, the birth-place of Sri Ramakrishna
6. The wonderful behaviour of the boy Ramakrishna
7. His search for truth
8. The result of the search for truth
9. The deep meaning of the simple words of Sri Ramakrishna
10. The Master’s daily habits — his likes and dislikes
11. How Sri Ramakrishna’s preaching of religion took place and will take place in future

PART FIVE

THE MASTER IN THE DIVINE MOOD AND NARENDRANATH

PREFACE

A BRIEF RETROSPECT

1. The love and regard of Kesav and other Brahmos for the Master
2. The loving relation of the Master with the Brahmos
3. The reason why the Brahmos regarded him as a follower of their faith
4. The Master advanced the Brahmo aspirants along the path of Sadhana
5. Why the Master asked the Brahmos to take his words as far as they appeared practicable to them
6. The Master taught through jokes
7. The Master taught the Brahmos that God could not be made one’s own when one was conscious of His powers
8. “Don’t set a limit to the Lord’s nature”
9. Kesav’s partial acceptance of the truth discovered by the Master: the foundation and propagation of the New Dispensation
10. To what extent the Master considered Kesav to be his own
11. Vijaykrishna Goswami changed his faith under the influence of the Master and left the Brahmo Samaj
12. How far Vijay advanced in Sadhana since then
13. The story of the fight of Siva and Rama removed the misunderstanding between Kesav and Vijay
14. Acharya Sivanath abstained from going to Dakshineswar lest the Brahmo Samaj should collapse
15. Acharya Pratapchandra on the influence of the Master on the Brahmo Samaj
16. The influence of the Master on the General Brahmo Samaj
17. The influence of the Master on the Brahmo music
18. The Master declared the Brahmo religion a path to the realization of God

1. Ascertaining the date of the event
2. Our acquaintance with Vaikunthanath Sannyal
3. We became acquainted with Baburam for the first time
4. The extraordinary Sankirtan in Mani Mallick’s house
5. The extraordinary dance of the Master
6. The Master cut jokes with Vijay Goswamie
7. The Master’s love for his devotees
8. Mani Mallick’s was a family of devotees

1. Jayagopal Sen’s house
2. The Master’s method of teaching
3. Another peculiar characteristic of his method of teaching
4. The Master’s annoyance at the flow of words not backed by realization
5. The Master taught how to realize God in worldly life
6. The bliss of Sankirtan

1. The Master also learnt something from the Brahmo Samaj
2. He came to know how far the influence of the Western ideas and ideals had changed the outlook on life of the people of India
3. They would not accept the direct experiences of the seers of India, without comparing them with the teachings of Western scholars
4. Knowing that it happened by the will of the Mother, the Master remained un-perturbed
5. What the Master did when he found the Brahmos unable to accept the knowledge of Brahman in its entirety
6. The minds of the people of Calcutta were attracted towards the Master through the Brahmos. Ram and Manomohan came and took refuge in the Master
7. A wonderful vision of the Master. Rakhal came
8. The boyish nature of Rakhal
9. Rakhal’s wife
10. How Rakhal would lose his boyishness
11. The Master scolded Rakhal
12. Jealousy in Rakhal’s mind and the Master’s misgiving
13. Rakhal went to Vrindavan
14. The Master’s apprehension on hearing on Rakhal’s illness
15. The later life of Rakhal

1. A discussion on the mental state of the Master abiding in the divine mood
2. The Master and Narendranath met for the first time at Surendra’s house
3. The Master invited Narendranath to come to Dakshineswar
4. Narendra refused to get married. His first visit to Dakshineswar
5. What the Master thought of Narendra
6. The Master’s eagerness to see Narendra
7. What Narendra said of the Master’s talk and behaviour on that occasion
8. Narendra promised to come again
9. Narendra’s impression of the Master during his first visit: he was a monomaniac but one who had indeed renounced his all for the sake of God
10. Practice of religion at that time by Narendra
11. He used to visit the Brahmo Samaj
12. The two wonderful ideas of Narendra
13. Narendra’s natural inclination for meditation
14. The growth of that inclination on the advice of Maharshi Devendranath
15. The many-sided genius of Narendra
16. Narendra’s inclination for study
17. Narendra’s capacity for quick reading
18. Narendra’s argumentation
19. Narendra’s love for physical exercise
20. His courage, and love for friends
21. How cleverly he secured permission to go on board the ship Syrapis
22. Danger at the time of fixing a trapeze in the club
23. Narendra’s devotion to truth
24. His fondness for the enjoyment of harmless pleasures
25. Narendra’s anger
26. The equal development of Narendra’s head and heart
27. Narendra was absorbed in meditation on his way to Raipur
28. The Sannyasin grandfather of Narendra
29. Viswanath, Narendra’s father
30. Viswanath’s love of music
31. Viswanath’s Muslim manners and customs
32. Viswanath’s love for merriment
33. Viswanath’s generosity
34. Viswanath’s death
35. Narendra’s mother

1. The reason why Narendra took a long while to visit the Master for the second time, even though he took him to be a real lover of God
2. Narendra came for the second time and had by the power of the Master, a wonderful direct perception
3. Narendra’s endeavour to find out the cause of that perception, and not to be overwhelmed in that way in future
4. Narendra thought variously of the Master and resolved to understand him properly
5. The Master behaved towards Narendra like one long familiar with him
6. Narendra’s third visit
7. Narendra lost normal consciousness at the touch of the Master in ecstasy
8. The Master put many questions to Narendra in that state
9. The Master’s wonderful vision about Narendra
10. Narendra’s conviction about the Master — as the result of his wonderful direct experience
11. The consequent change of Narendra’s conception of the Guru
12. Narendra grew in renunciation and detachment in the company of the Master
13. Narendra resolved not to accept anything said by the Master without testing it
14. Narendra’s conduct since then
15. The then mental state of Narendra

1. The extraordinary experiences of Narendra in his early life
2. Narendra’s direct experience of the Master’s divine powers. His reflection on and wonder at them
3. How great was Narendra’s fitness for spirituality
4. How far the Master was attracted to Narendra
5. The Master’s attempt to give Narendra the knowledge of Brahman on the very first day
6. The difference between Narendra’s wonderful experiences of the first and of the second day
7. The Master’s apprehension about Narendra
8. The reason of the Master’s extraordinary attraction for Narendra
9. This attraction was but natural and inevitable
10. The Master’s love for Narendra was not of the worldly type
11. Swami Premananda’s testimony to that love
12. Swami Premananda came for the first time to Dakshineswar and found the Master’s solicitude for Narendra
13. What Premananda thought when he saw the terrible anxiety of the Master throughout the night
14. What Vaikunthanath said of the Master’s love for Narendra
15. Although an especial object of the Master’s love, Narendra remained unmoved; this demonstrates his uncommon fitness for spirituality

1. How long Narendra had the Master’s holy company
2. Five kinds of behaviour of the Master towards Narendra during this period
3. The Master’s faith and love for Narendra were born of his wonderful visions
4. The reason why the Master tested Narendra
5. How the Master looked upon Narendra
6. The erroneous impression of the ordinary people about Narendra
7. The author heard Narendra’s praise form the Master
8. The author’s erroneous impression about Narendra at his first meeting with him
9. The author’s first meeting with Narendra at a friend’s house
10. The outward behaviour of Narendra at that time
11. Narendra’s talk on literature with the friend
12. We came to be acquainted with Narendra’s greatness through the Master
13. The Master recognized Narendra from the beginning
14. Knowing that Narendra was a highly fit person, the Master praised him publicly
15. What the Master said about the inherent powers of Narendra
16. Narendra’s protest against those words of the Master
17. Overwhelmed by Narendra’s power of argumentation the Master asked the Mother of the universe
18. An example: The Master came to the General Brahmo Samaj to see Narendra
19. The result of his coming there
20. They put out the gas lights to break up the crowd
21. Narendra took the Master out somehow and escorted him to Dakshineswar
22. Narendra scolded the Master for loving him so much. The divine Mother’s assurance to the anxious Master

1. The Master’s words about Narendra’s greatness
2. The Master gave Narendr7. Kedar’s power of reasoning. He was introduced to Narendraa the food brought by the Marwari devotees
3. Narendra’s devotion would not be affected by eating those things
4. Narendra made progress on account to the Master’s love for him and surrendered himself to him
5. The Master made Sri M. argue with Narendra
6. Kedarnath Chattopadhyaya, the devotee
7. Kedar’s power of reasoning. He was introduced to Narendra
8. Asked by the Master, Narendra gave his own opinion about Kedar
9. Narendra scolded Rakhal for worshipping God with form. Rakhal was afraid. They were reconciled by the Master
10. The Master attempted to lead Narendra to the doctrine of non-dualism. Narendra’s protests
11. Pratapchandra Hazra
12. Narendra was pleased with Hazra’s intellectual capacity
13. How the Master behaved during Narendra’s visits to Dakshineswar
14. Narendra joined Hazra in ridiculing the truth of non-dualism. The Master touched Narendra in a mood of spiritual inebriation
15. As a result, Narendra had a wonderful experience
16. The result of the author’s conversation with Narendra on one occasion
17. Narendra mentioned a wonderful incident
18. Entering the author’s house Narendra had a unique experience

The Master’s peculiar way of testing the nature of people
2. The ordinary method of examination
3. Whenever the Master met for the first time a person highly qualified for a particular spiritual mood, he would have ecstasy in that mood
4. The four methods of his testing people
5. Ascertaining the mental impressions from physiognomy
6. The wonderful knowledge of the Master in this respect
7. Ascertaining the virtuous or vicious nature of the intellect of a man by the weight of his forearm
8. The difference in the daily natural actions of the body indicates the difference in past impression
9. Hanuman Singh, the gate-keeper
10. Ascertaining whether a woman is a Vidya Sakti or an Avidya Sakti by observing her actions and the formation of her limbs
11. What the Master said about Narendra’s physical characteristics
12. Ascertaining natural tendencies by observing mental reactions revealed in trifling activities and by observing the degree of attachment to lust and gold revealed in those activities
13. The Master’s impression about boys
14. He observed every action of the devotees who came to him
15. Examples
16. High tide in the Ganga
17. One should know that the aim of life is God realization and nothing else and should orientate one’s activities towards that
18. Sincere faith in God and foolishness are two different things. One must have discrimination between the real and the unreal
19. The Master’s teaching to persons of different temperaments regarding mildness and harshness
20. The Master’s instructions to Yogananda
21. A different instruction to Niranjan under similar circumstances
22. An example of the Master’s giving such instruction to women devotees also
23. The story of Harish
24. “This in not a case for showing kindness”
25. The Master observed the daily trifling actions of persons and gave instruction accordingly
26. Ascertaining the spiritual growth of a person by observing how far he had accepted the Master as the highest manifestation of spirituality in modern times
27. Why it was natural for the Master to ascertain by the above mentioned means the degree of spiritual progress of a particular person
28. Different devotees gave different answers to his query: “What’s your idea about me?”
29. The first example of this: The devout Purnachandra and “the kidnapping teacher”
30. The Master was pleased to see Purna; he spoke of his high spiritual fitness
31. The Master’s loving behaviour towards Purna
32. The Master’s eagerness to see Purna. At the time of his second meeting with Purna he asked him the question “What’s your idea about me? Who am I?”
33. The Master was pleased with the reply; his instruction to the boy
34. The greatness of Purna, who lived in the world
35. Second example: That question was put to Vaikunthanath, and his reply
36. No one whose words and actions do not agree should be believed
37. The Master’s story bearing on the topic; the physician and the boy patient
38. The devotees tested the Master
39. First example: The story of Swami Yogananda
40. The good impressions of Yogindra and his intelligence
41. The Master said that Yogindra was an Isvarakoti devotee
42. Yogindra married and repented. He shrank from coming to the Master, who cleverly had him brought to him and gave him assurance
43. Yogindra spent the night at Dakshineswar
44. Yogindra suspected the Master
45. Yogindra’s suspicion removed
46. Yogindra surrendered himself to the Guru
47. The Master’s opinion about Narendra when he observed his actions
48. A funny incident: Narendra mistook a house-bat for a Chataka
49. Narendra’s self-control
50. Narendra’s high quality of devotion was ascertained by means of his physical characteristics
51. Narendra’s behaviour at the Master’s indifference
52. Narendra refused the offer of the great supernatural powers owing to his eagerness for God-realization

1. The Master spoke of the manifestation of female nature in himself and of male nature in Narendra. The meaning of this
2. Narendra’s education from environment. His free thinking, scepticism and non-acceptance of the doctrine of the need of Guru
3. Society and his father’s life contributed to that education of his
4. Narendra had no peace, as he could not know the truth in spite of his knowledge of Western logic, sciences and philosophy
5. Narendra’s vacillation as to which method, the Eastern or the Western, was to be adopted for realizing the truth
6. Narendra kept his resolve of attaining God, the ultimate truth and accepted only the beneficial aspects of the Western approach
7. Narendra’s faith in the existence of God was at this time protected by his Guru’s grace and his own wonderful visions
8. Narendra’s Sadhana
9. He adopted a new method of meditation and spent whole nights in it
10. An extraordinary vision during that meditation; the vision of Buddha

1. Narendra as a junior to Nimai Charan Basu, an attorney-at-law
2. The Master instructed Narendra to observe life-long continence
3. Every member of Narendra’s household was afraid that he would become a monk by moving with Sadhus
4. Narendra continued visiting the Master as before
5. Narendra’s own words as to how he spent his time with the Master at Dakshineswar
6. Bhavanath and Narendra’s friends of Baranagar
7. At Baranagar Narendra heard the news of the sudden death of his father
8. A deplorable change in Narendra’s worldly circumstances
9. Narendra’s description of that condition — search for a job, contempt shown by his rich acquaintances
10. Grinding poverty
11. Temptation by women
12. His mother scolded him for repeating the name of God
13. Atheism due to the wounded feeling
14. All the devotees believed in Narendra’s fall; but the Master remained unmoved
15. Gnawing unrest
16. Narendra gained peace on account of an extraordinary vision
17. His resolve to become a monk. The Master’s extraordinary behaviour with him at Dakshineswar
18. At the Master’s request he gave up his resolve of leaving home for good
19. He thought of removing the poverty of the family with Providential help and requested the Master importunately for this. The Master asked him to go to the Kali temple and prey for it
20. Narendra had the vision of the divine Mother and forgot the universe
21. Thrice he went to the Kali temple to pray for the removal of poverty and each time he prayed for Viveka etc.
22. Narendra got faith in the worship of God in symbols and images. Great was the joy of the Master at this
23. What Vaikunthanath said about the Master’s happiness over this
24. An example that the Master regarded Narendra as his very own
25. Vaikuntha came to Calcutta with Narendra

1. The marked devotees of the Master came by 1884
2. The Master’s behaviour with this class of devotees
3. Inspired with the divine mood the Master touched, initiated or dealt otherwise with the devotees according to each one’s fitness
4. What the Master’s divine touch proved
5. The devotees were under the impression that the Master was a person of their own moods. The Master’s behaviour with them
6. Balaram Basu — an example of understanding the Master better as his catholicity grew wider
7. How Balaram behaved when he met the Master first. His spiritual progress
8. Balaram’s doubt whether to change his opinion about the virtue of non-injury
9. His doubt removed by the Master’s uncommon behaviour
10. The circle of the Master’s devotees and the boy-devotees
11. The method of teaching adopted by the Master with regard to the householder devotees and men and women in general
12. The Master gave Narendra the highest place amongst the devotees
13. An example showing Narendra’s deep under standing of the Master’s words. “To serve Jiva as Siva”.
14. Narendra found a wonderful light in those words of the Master and explained it

1. Narendra became a teacher
2. The enmity of his kinsmen; the Master’s inflammatory affection of the throat. Narendra’s resignation from service
3. The Master fell ill on account of taking too much ice
4. The disease increased when he talked much or was in Bhava samadhi
5. The story of the festival at Panihati
6. The Master’s desire to go and witness that festival
7. The preparations on the day of the festival before starting for Panihati
8. Why the Holy Mother did not accompany the party
9. What they saw on reaching the place of the festival
10. Mani Sen’s house
11. His temple
12. The Master danced during Bhavasamadhi
13. On the way to Raghava Pandit’s house
14. The wonderful beauty of the Master in Bhavasamadhi
15. The zeal and joy of the Kirtan party on seeing the Master
16. All were attracted towards him
17. A plateful of Prasada
18. The Master returned to the boat and bestowed his grace on Navachaitanya
19. Arrival at Dakshineswar. The Master had a talk with a devotee who was going to take leave of him
20. While he was taking his meal at night, the Master spoke with a woman devotee about the Holy Mother
21. The Holy Mother’s talk with the said devotee
22. The Master’s mood was disturbed on account of the contact of many people on the Snanayatra day and he was annoyed

1. His visit to Panihati increased the pain in the throat. The behaviour of the childlike Master
2. In spite of the sore in his throat and the prohibition of the doctor, the Master now taught as before whoever came to him
3. Too much labour in giving religious instruction to too many people and sleeplessness due to the Mahabhava were the causes of the disease
4. That he sometime felt physical exhaustion was revealed by the Master’s loving quarrels with the divine Mother during his Bhavasamadhi
5. It is impossible to ascertain how many people thirsting after religion came to Dakshineswar
6. The Master’s words about the time of his passing away
7. The Master’s service of Jivas as Siva
8. The Master’s power of detecting the hidden ideas and the past impressions in the minds of people
9. An Example
10. The disease increased, the sore in the throat bled. Consultation among the devotees about removing him to Calcutta
11. The Master came to Calcutta for treatment and stayed at Balaram Babu’s house
12. Well-known physicians were called, who diagnosed the Master’s disease. A house was hired at Shyampukur
13. A crowd of people gathered in Balaram’s house to see the Master
14. An event in Balaram’s house

1. A description of the Shyampukur house
2. The Master was placed under the treatment of Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar
3. The consultation about his diet and nursing at night
4. An example of the great bashfulness of the Holy Mother
5. The proposal of bringing the Holy Mother to Shyampukur
6. The Holy Mother’s power of acting according to time, place and person
7. The route from Kamarpukur to Dakshineswar
8. The events that took place when the Holy Mother came on foot to Tarakeswar
9. In the dreary tract of Telo-Bhelo
10. The Bagdi footpad and his wife
11. Tenderly looked after by the Bagdi and his wife, she stayed at Telo-Bhelo for the night
12. The Holy Mother reached Tarakeswar and bade goodbye to the footpad and his wife
13. How the Holy Mother lived in the Shyampukur house
14. The boy-devotees devoted themselves to the service of the Master

1. The householder devotees took part in the service of the Master. They experienced now and then extraordinary manifestation of spirituality in the Master
2. Sacrifice by the householder devotees
3. The disease served the purpose of knitting the devotees together into an Order
4. The devotees’ three conceptions about the Master — the incarnation of the age, the Guru and the superman or godman
5. The devotees’ love for one another
6. Examples of the especial spiritual manifestation of the Master as experienced by the devotees
7. Dr. Sarkar’s attraction and behaviour towards the Master
8. Whatever the doctor did was prompted by his love of truth
9. The attainment of Para Vidya with the help of Apara Vidya
10. To set a limit to the knowledge of the lord is a sign of mean understanding
11. The intellect gives up the search as impossible but the heart hankers after more
12. The pulse of a boy-devotee in Bhavasamadhi was examined
13. The “heat” (pride) generated by learning
14. The humility of the doctor
15. “There is substance in him”
16. The Master’s endeavour to lead the doctor along the path of spirituality
17. An example of the doctor’s anxiety and behaviour when medicine did not produce the desired effect
18. An example of how much harm was done by a slight irregularity or violation of the rule
19. The increase in the doctor’s reverence of the Master and his love for the devotees
20. The doctor’s opinion about incarnations of God and his objections to the theory. His surprise at the Master’s Bhavasamadhi at the time of the annual worship of Durga
21. The disease aggravated
22. The description of the wonderful Bhavasamadhi of the Master on the occasion of the annual worship of Kali
23. The preparation for the worship
24. The Master sat silent
25. Girishchandra came to a decision and offered flowers at the lotus feet of the Master who entered into Bhavasamadhi
26. The devotees worshipped the Master in that state of Bhavasamadhi
27. The devotees’ direct experience of especial spiritual manifestation of the Master at times other than those religious festivals
28. Balaram’s love and reverence for the Master resented by his relatives
29. They tried to prevent Balaram from coming to the Master
30. The early life of Balaram
31. Balaram came to Calcutta and luckily met the Master
32. Balaram’s cousin Harivallabh came to Calcutta
33. The Master desired to see Harivallabh out of compassion for Balaram
34. Girish brought Harivallabh to the Master. His ideas were changed completely by the Master’s behaviour
35. Why the Master touched persons in the course of conversation; its result
36. Increase in the number of devotees; the Master pointed cut to them their paths of Sadhana. The postures fit for the meditation on God with and without forms
37. Many were attracted to the Master to see the sweetness and uniqueness of all his actions
38. An example: Upendra, a sub-judge
39. Upendra came to Shyampukur. His experience of the Master’s loving behaviour with him
40. God is both with form and without form, just like water and ice
41. Atul was annoyed at brother Ram’s words

1. The Master saw sores in his body. They were caused by his taking on himself the burden of others’ sins. Its result
2. The devotees laid down restrictions with regard to newcomers
3. An actress saw the Master with the help of Kalipada
4. The cause of the increase of sentimentalism amongst the devotees
5. Ramchandra followed in Girish’s footsteps and tried to out do him
6. Vijaykrishna Goswami fanned the flame
7. Narendra’s efforts to check it and increase renunciation, self-control, etc., amongst the devotees. Why the Master did not try to do so
8. Sentimentalism is of little value, as it does not produce a permanent change in life
9. There is very often artificiality in tears, horripilation and other bodily changes
10. Narendra’s words carried weight when the behaviour of certain devotees was noticed
11. Narendra ridiculed sentimentalism and made fun of it; “demons” and “women friends”
12. His efforts to establish true renunciation and love for God in place of sentimentalism
13. One’s life will be similar to that of the Master if one loves him
14. Narendra’s endeavour to make the devotees critical in accepting new truths
15. Mahim Chakravarti’s hankering for name and fame
16. The tiger-skin of Mahima who posed himself as a man of knowledge
17. Mahimacharan’s Guru
18. The religious Sadhana of Mahimacharan
19. Mahimacharan at Shyampukur
20. A debate between Mahima and Narendra
21. Narendra taught equal regard for all true Sadhakas
22. Prabhudayal Misra, the Christian missionary
23. Further deterioration of the Master’s illness; the devotees brought him to the Kasipur garden

1. Kasipur
2. The garden house of Kasipur
3. The Master came and started training his boy devotees
4. The garden house carrying these memories should be acquired by the Ramakrishna Mission

1. The Master's joy at the beauty and spaciousness of the garden house
2. Both men and money were necessary for the service of the Master. Narendra supplied the men, lay disciples the money
3. Narendra’s resolve to stay at the garden house to serve the Master and at leisure to prepare for the Law examination
4. The Master, however, depended as ever, on the Universal Mother alone
5. How the Master would make necessary changes in the arrangements
6. How the circle of his would-be-monk devotees was formed and how it grew in love and service
7. Slight improvement in the Master’s health
8. All cooking was done by the Holy Mother aided by Sister Lakshmi and sometimes by other lady devotees of Calcutta
9. The lay disciples met twice a month at Ram’s or Girish’s house to discuss financial matters
10. Narendra inspired the boy-devotees to give up desires and devote themselves entirely to the realization of God
11. The boy-devotees burnt desires in the Dhuni fire

1. The Master felt a little better under Dr. Rajendra’s treatment
2. The Master’s self-revelation and blessings to his disciples
3. Did the Master act as the wish-fulfilling tree?
4. Who were present during this self-revelation
5. Vaikunthanath pestered the Master for having spiritual experiences
6. How he felt at the touch of the Master
7. Without due preparation high spiritual experiences cannot be retained

CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT EVENTS

GLOSSARY

THE HOROSCOPE OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA