When the Master returned to his room, he found that other devotees had arrived, among them Ram, Nityagopal, and Kedar. They all saluted the Master, who greeted them cordially.
He asked Nityagopal, “Will you eat something now?” “Yes”, the devotee answered. Nityagopal, who was twenty-three or twenty-four years old and unmarried, was like a child. His mind was always, soaring in the spiritual realm. He visited the Master sometimes alone and sometimes in Ram’s company. The Master had observed the spiritual state of his mind and had become very fond of him. He remarked now and then that Nityagopal was in the state of a paramahamsa.
After Nityagopal had finished eating, the Master took him aside and gave him various instructions.
A certain woman, about thirty-one years old and a great devotee, often visited Sri Ramakrishna and held him in high respect. She had been much impressed by Nityagopal’s spiritual state and, looking upon him as her own son, often invited him to her house.
MASTER (to Nityagopal): “Do you go there?”
NITYAGOPAL (like a child): “Yes, I do. She takes me.”
MASTER: “Beware, holy man! Go there once in a great while, but not frequently; otherwise you will slip from the ideal. Maya is nothing but ‘woman and gold’. A holy man must live away from woman. All sink there. ‘Even Brahma and Vishnu struggle for life in that whirlpool.’
” Nityagopal listened to these words attentively.
M.(to himself): “How strange! This young man has developed the state of a paramahamsa. That is what the Master says now and then. Is there still a possibility of his falling into danger in spite of his high spiritual state? What an austere rule is laid down for a sadhu! He may slip from his ideal by associating intimately with women. How can an ordinary man expect to attain liberation unless such a high ideal is set by holy men? The woman in question is very devout; but still there is danger. Now I understand why Chaitanya punished his disciple, the younger Haridas, so severely. In spite of his teacher’s prohibition, Haridas conversed with a widow devotee. But he was a sannyasi. Therefore Chaitanya banished him. What a severe punishment! How hard is the rule for one who has accepted the life of renunciation! Again, what love the Master cherishes for this devotee! He is warning him even now, lest he should run into danger in the future.”
“Beware, holy man!” These words of the Master echoed in the hearts of the devotees, like the distant rumbling of thunder. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Swami Shantananda: “Mother, I am overtaken by fear when I see how even highly spiritual persons meet with a fall.”
Sri Sarada Devi: “If you are constantly in touch with objects of enjoyment, you are likely to succumb to their influence. My son, don’t look at a woman, even if it be only a figure made of wood. Avoid the company of women. . . . The Master said: ‘Monk, beware!’ A monk should always be alert. A monk’s path is very slippery. One should tiptoe on the slippery path. Is it a small thing to become a monk? A monk must not even glance at a woman. While walking he should keep his eyes fixed on his toes. The ochre cloth of a monk protects him as does the collar on a dog. No one hurts such a dog, for they know it has a master.” (Source: Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play)
One day Haramohan Mitra’s mother, a devotee of the Master, came to see Premananda. Because he was very weak, the swami asked his attendant to cover his body with a chadar and sit him up by putting two pillows at his back. After a brief conversation Haramohan’s mother left. Curious, the attendant asked Premananda: “This woman devotee is five years older than your mother. Why did you cover your body with a chadar and meet her in a formal way?” Premananda replied: “You see, the Master taught us not to talk with women in a casual way with a bare body. A monk should be very careful.” (Source: God Lived with Them)