Gauri Pandit—Gaurikanta Bhattacharya, Tarkabhushan, hailing from Indesh, a village in Bankura. An eminent Tantrik sadhaka, came to Dakshineswar (1871) having been invited by Mathur Babu at the behest of the Master who longed to see and interact with scholars who were also spiritual aspirants and stayed there till 1873. Had attained mystic powers by successful practice of the “virachar” mode of Tantrik sadhana. Used his ability to chant a prayer to the Devi beginning with a deafening roar to render his rivals in debates powerless and thus defeated them. During Durga Puja used to worship Shakti in his wife on all three days. Used to perform “homa” on his outstretched left hand, holding firewood weighing 1 maund on it and offering oblations with his right hand on the kindled wood. Used to strike terror in the hearts of rivals (Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, Vol. II, p. 591). The Master stripped him of his mystic powers at their first meeting. At the meeting called to debate whether the Master was an avatar Gauri Pandit accepted Vaishnavacharan’s conclusion establishing that the Master was an avatar. Subsequently on closer study of the signs manifest on the Master’s person and his sublime spirituality he declared the Master to be He from whom avatars descended, the causal source of avatars. Deeply attracted by the Master, he continued to stay at Dakshineswar and gradually intense non-attachment to worldly life developed in him. Lost all interest in fame, scholarship, mystic powers and his mind turned to God. His family was by this time anxious for his return to them and to avoid that, one day he saluted the Master and, renouncing the world, was gone forever. The Gospel, however, mentions his appearance as an ochre-clad brahmachari at the annual festival of the Simla Brahmo Samaj at the residence of Jnan Chowdhury on 1.1.1882. Following the example of Gauri Pandit, the Master gave up using terms like “I”, and “my” indicative of ego, saying “this one”, “of this one” when necessary (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 791). The Master often mentioned him in his discourses: “Now and then he would be overpowered with spiritual fervour. When he chanted a hymn to the Mother, the pundits would seem like earthworms beside him. I too would be overcome with ecstasy” (Ibid., p. 294). “It is necessary to practice some spiritual discipline [besides having scholarship]. Gauri Pandit practised austerity” (Ibid., p. 492).