Manindra recorded another interesting incident that occurred at the Shyampukur house:
One day the Master was returning from the bathroom to his room, which was across the veranda. I was waiting for him on the northern veranda, and I also followed him. I noticed that Ram Chandra Datta and some other devotees entered the Master’s room. Seeing Ram, the Master said: “Hello, Ram. Just now I had a vision of a monk with a well-built body who was wearing an ochre loin cloth. I have never seen him before.”
Ram replied with a smile: “Sir, what do we know? You see so many things in heaven and earth — how can we comprehend them all?” “Really, I have seen a monk,” said the Master. “But I don’t know who he is.” My memory of that simple, childlike statement is still vivid. Then the subject was dropped. Slowly the Master sat down on his bed. Ram and other devotees sat in front of him. I sat in the room adjacent to the Master’s, which was near the steps. About an hour later I saw a man come upstairs. He wore a black shirt and a black cap. It seemed to me that he was a native of Bihar. He asked me: “Sir, does Ramakrishna Paramahamsa live here? I have come to see him. Could I see him right away?” “Of course,” I replied. “Please follow me.” I took him to the Master’s room.
After sitting there quietly for a while, he said to the Master: “Sir, I am a Christian, and for a long time I have meditated in solitude on Christ. Though I am a Christian and my Chosen Deity is Christ, my mode of worship is like the Hindus, and I believe in their yoga scriptures. Once I had a desire to find someone who had attained the highest spiritual realization while still in the world. One day in meditation, I saw two persons. I had the strong feeling that one of them had attained the highest, and that the other one, seated at his feet, though he had not yet reached the highest, was not an ordinary person.
“After this vision, I felt certain that such great souls must exist. But where were they, and how could I find them? I travelled to many places, especially in the western part of India, seeking the two I had seen in my vision. At last I heard of Pavhari Baba of Ghazipur, and I went to see him. But when I met him, I was greatly disappointed, because he bore no resemblance whatsoever to either of the two men I was seeking. But to my astonishment, I saw a picture of one of them hanging on the wall in his room. When I asked Pavhari Baba about it, he said it was a picture of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Eagerly I asked, ‘Where can I find him?’ Then Pavhari Baba told me that for many years he had lived at Dakshineswar, but was now very ill and had been moved to Calcutta for treatment by his devotees. So I am here, having come to Calcutta at Pavhari Baba’s suggestion.”
Then the man went on to say: “These clothes in which you see me are not my usual dress.” And as he spoke he stood up and removed his outer garments, revealing an ochre cloth. Instantly the Master also stood up and went into samadhi, raising his hand, as it is seen in the picture of Christ. At this, the monk knelt down before him with folded hands and looked intently at Sri Ramakrishna. The monk was shedding tears and was shivering.
We were all amazed to see the spiritual moods of both. And as my gaze again fell on his ochre cloth, I wondered, “Is this the holy man in ochre dress whom the Master had seen in his vision?”
After some time the Master came back to normal consciousness and sat on his bed. The monk looked at us, his face beaming with joy, and exclaimed, “Today I am blessed.” Then he continued more calmly: “As you see, this inner cloth is my regular dress, and it is also my favourite dress because it is worn by the yogis of India. I was born in a brahmin family, and even though I am a Christian, why should I give up the traditions of my ancestors? I have great faith in our Indian manners and customs.”
Then we took him to an adjacent room, where Swami Vivekananda offered him prasad and food. Finally, we asked the monka to tell us the cause of his ecstasy. “Well,” he replied, “today I saw the one on whom I have meditated for so many years. I saw Lord Jesus in him.” (Source: They Lived with God)