- ‘This Represents a High Yogic State.’
- “The Three Gunas Are So Many Robbers.”
- “Stick to One Path”
- “Mother is Not Allowing Me to Do It.”
- Entanglement of Mahamaya
Bhavanath Chattopadhyay (1863–98)
One of the young devotees designated by the Master to be “Iswarakoti”. Handsome, devout youth belonging to the close circle of young devotees at Dakshineswar, very dear to the Master for his faith, devotion, humility and simplicity. Only son of Ramdas and Ichamoyee of Kolupara, Baranagore (presently Atul Krishna Banerjee Lane). In his youth engaged in welfare activities. Association with Brahmo Samaj followed by friendship with Narendranath. In the holy company of the Master in 1881 and considered by him to belong to the class of “nityasiddha”, whose “spiritual consciousness has been awake since their very birth” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 182). “They are eternally free. Religious practise on their part is superfluous” (Ibid., p. 279). The Master looked on him as the embodiment of Narayan and once said to him, “The very sight of you inspires me” (Ibid., p. 194). His intimacy with Narendranath led the Master to compare their natures to Prakriti and Purusha (Ibid., p. 279). The Master also advised him to renounce wealth and sex rather than give up certain varieties of food. Bhavanath accompanied the Master to the Danda Mahotsava at Panihati with others (1883). On 25.4.1884 on the occasion of the Master’s birthday celebrations at Dakshineswar Bhavanath gently supported the broken arm of the Master, then in a state of samadhi, on his shoulder. During the same celebrations in February 1885 had the rare fortune to feed the Master with his own hands. While teaching at a school Bhavanath married eleven-year old Kiranshashi. In time ties with the Master weakened and he also lost contact with Narendranath. On 22.4.1886 the Master urged him by signs to be a great hero and advised Narendranath to give him a lot of courage (Ibid., p. 965). However, in view of his conduct during the Master’s illness the latter revised his opinion of Bhavanath, counting him among those devotees who belonged to the outer circle and stating that he was not in the Master’s thought any more (Ibid., p. 933).
Nevertheless, Bhavanath’s invaluable achievement was to have the Master photographed at Dakshineswar by an acquaintance of his, Avinash Dam of Baranagore, and give the world the photograph worshipped everywhere today. After the Master’s demise he found the house at Baranagore for his brother-disciples. Selling his own property at Baranagore moved to a new residence on Bihari Doctor Road in Bhawanipore. Serving as an Inspector of Schools, died of Kala Azar on 14.7.1897 (or 8.3.1898) leaving behind only daughter Pratibha. Having a sweet voice often sang for the pleasure of the Master. Baranagore People’s Library on Kuthighat Road is a memorial to him.
On different occasions, the Master made remarks about Bhavanath that bear witness to his high spiritual state:
“Boys like Narendra, Bhavanath, and Rakhal are my very intimate disciples. They are not to be thought lightly of.”
“Devotees like Rakhal, Narendra, and Bhavanath may be called nityasiddhas. Their spiritual consciousness has been awake since their very birth. They assume human bodies only to impart spiritual illumination to others.”
“Narendra, Bhavanath, Rakhal, and devotees like them belong to the group of the nityasiddhas; they are eternally free. Religious practice on their part is superfluous.”
On 11 March 1883 Bhavanath attended the Master’s birthday celebration at Dakshineswar. The Master told the assembled devotees: “One cannot be spiritual as long as one has shame, hatred, or fear. Great will be the joy today. But those fools who will not sing or dance, mad with God’s name, will never attain God. How can one feel any shame or fear when the names of God are sung? Now sing, all of you.”
Narendra and Bhavanath were very close friends. Sometimes Narendra would spend nights with his Baranagore friends singing devotional songs and discussing spiritual subjects. On the night of 25 February 1884, Narendra was staying at the house of Satkari Lahiri in Baranagore when he learned of his father’s death. Immediately Narendra’s struggle began. Without his father, his family was living a hand-to-mouth existence, so Narendra began searching for a job. He could not visit the Master as usual, and he also started to question the existence of God. News spread that Narendra had become an atheist and was associating with bad people. One day, with tears in his eyes, Bhavanath tearfully said to Sri Ramakrishna, “Sir, we never dreamed that Narendra would sink so low!” The Master became agitated and exclaimed: “Silence, you scoundrel! Mother has told me that he could never do such things. If you talk like this anymore, I won’t allow you in my presence again!”
The conversation turned to the glory of God’s name.
Bhavanath: “I feel such relief while chanting the name of Hari.”
Master: “He who relieves us of sin is Hari. He relieves us of our three afflictions in the world. Chaitanya preached the glory of Hari’s name; so it must be good. (Smiling) Once some peasants were invited to a feast. They were asked if they would eat a preparation of hog plum. They answered: ‘You may give it to us if the gentlemen have eaten it. If they enjoyed it, then it must be good.’”
Bhavanath (humbly): “I feel disturbed if I have a misunderstanding with someone. I feel that in that case I am not able to love all.”
Master: “Try at the outset to talk to him and establish a friendly relationship with him. If you fail in spite of your efforts, then don’t give it another thought. Take refuge in God. Meditate on Him. There is no use in giving up God and feeling depressed from thinking about others.”
Bhavanath: “M. says, ‘As long as I have not seen the elephant, how can I know whether it can pass through the eye of a needle? I do not know God; how can I understand through reason whether or not He can incarnate Himself as a man?’”
Master: “Everything is possible for God. It is He who casts the spell. The magician swallows the knife and takes it out again; he swallows stones and bricks.
“Everyone is under the spell of this world-bewitching maya. When God assumes a human body, He too comes under the spell. Rama wandered about, weeping for Sita. ‘Brahman weeps, entangled in the snare of the five elements.’ But you must remember this: God, by His mere will, can liberate Himself from this snare.”