ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामकृष्णाय·Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramakrishnaya
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Mahimacharan and Pratap Hazra were two devotees outstanding for their pretentiousness and idiosyncrasies. But the Master showed them his unfailing love and kindness, though he was aware of their shortcomings. Mahimacharan Chakravarty had met the Master long before the arrival of the other disciples. He had had the intention of leading a spiritual life, but…
ReadSri Ramakrishna also became acquainted with a number of people whose scholarship or wealth entitled them everywhere to respect. He had met, a few years before, Devendranath Tagore, famous all over Bengal for his wealth, scholarship, saintly character, and social position. But the Master found him disappointing; for, whereas Sri Ramakrishna expected of a saint…
ReadThe Europeanized Kristodas Pal did not approve of the Master’s emphasis on renunciation and said; “Sir, this cant of renunciation has almost ruined the country. It is for this reason that the Indians are a subject nation today. Doing good to others, bringing education to the door of the ignorant, and above all, improving the…
ReadThe disciples whom the Master trained for monastic life were the following: Narendranath Dutta (Swami Vivekananda) Rakhal Chandra Ghosh (Swami Brahmananda) Gopal Sur (Swami Advaitananda) Baburam Ghosh (Swami Premananda) Taraknath Ghoshal (Swami Shivananda) Jogindranath Choudhury (Swami Jogananda) Sashibhushan Chakravarty. (Swami Ramakrishnananda) Saratchandra Chakravarty (Swami Saradananda) Latu (Swami Adbhutananda) Nitya Niranjan Sen (Swami Niranjanananda) Kaliprasad Chandra…
ReadThe first of these young men to come to the Master was Latu. Born of obscure parents, in Behar, he came to Calcutta in search of work and was engaged by Ramchandra Dutta as house-boy. Learning of the saintly Sri Ramakrishna, he visited the Master at Dakshineswar and was deeply touched by his cordiality. When…
ReadEven before Rakhal’s coming to Dakshineswar, the Master had had visions of him as his spiritual son and as a playmate of Krishna at Vrindavan. Rakhal was born of wealthy parents. During his childhood he developed wonderful spiritual traits and used to play at worshipping gods and goddesses. In his teens he was married to…
ReadGopal Sur of Sinthi came to Dakshineswar at a rather advanced age and was called the elder Gopal. He had lost his wife, and the Master assuaged his grief. Soon he renounced the world and devoted himself fully to meditation and prayer. Some years later Gopal gave the Master the ochre cloths with which the…
ReadTo spread his message to the four corners of the earth Sri Ramakrishna needed a strong instrument. With his frail body and delicate limbs he could not make great journeys across wide spaces. And such an instrument was found in Narendranath Dutta, his beloved Naren, later known to the world as Swami Vivekananda. Even before…
ReadOthers destined to be monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna came to Dakshineswar. Taraknath Ghoshal had felt from his boyhood the noble desire to realize God. Keshab and the Brahmo Samaj had attracted him but proved inadequate. In 1882 he first met the Master at Ramchandra’s house and was astonished to hear him talk about samadhi,…
ReadBaburam Ghosh came to Dakshineswar accompanied by Rakhal, his classmate. The Master, as was often his custom, examined the boy’s physiognomy and was satisfied about his latent spirituality. At the age of eight Baburam had thought of leading a life of renunciation, in the company of a monk, in a hut shut out from the…
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