A month after meeting Sri Ramakrishna, Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) returned to Dakshineswar and found the Master alone in his room. Ramakrishna was glad to see Narendra and asked him to sit on the corner of his bed. After a few minutes the Master drew near him in an ecstatic mood, muttered some words, fixed his eyes on him, and placed his right foot on Narendra’s body. At his touch Narendra saw, with open eyes, the whole world vanishing — the walls, the room, the temple garden, and even himself were disappearing into the void. He felt sure that he was facing death. He cried out loudly: “Ah, what are you doing to me? Don’t you know that I have parents at home?” Listening to this, the Master laughed and then touching Narendra’s chest, said: “All right, let it stop now. It will happen in its own good time.” With this Narendra became normal again. (Source: God Lived With Them)
A couple of evenings later, Rakhal saw the Master walking towards the Kali Temple, and he followed him. Ramakrishna entered the temple, but Rakhal sat for meditation in the natmandir (the hall in front of the Mother’s temple). After a while he suddenly saw a brilliant light, like that of a million suns, rushing towards him from the shrine of the Divine Mother. He was frightened and ran to the Master’s room.
A little later Ramakrishna returned from the shrine and saw Rakhal. “Hello,” asked the Master, “did you sit for meditation this evening?” “Yes, I did,” answered Rakhal. He then related what had happened. The Master told him: “You complain that you don’t experience anything. You ask, ‘What is the use of practising meditation?’ So why did you run away when you had an experience?” (Source: God Lived with Them)
One day in Jayrambati, Swami Tanmayananda worshipped the Mother’s feet, as she was his guru. Then when he put her feet on his head, she said: “My foolish child, one should not put another’s feet on the head because the Master dwells there.”
“Mother, I have not seen the Master,” Tanmayananda replied.
“The Master is God Himself.”
“If the Master is God, then who you are?”
“Who else am I?”
“If you wish, you can show me the Master.”
“When the Master touched Naren [Vivekananda], he was so scared that he cried out. Practise spiritual disciplines and you will see him.”
“What is the need of spiritual disciplines for a person who has a guru like you?”
Holy Mother explained: “Yes, that’s true. But you see, one might have all kinds of food at home, yet one must cook it and eat the food. He who cooks earlier, gets his food earlier too. Some eat in the morning, some in the evening, and yet some starve because they are too lazy or afraid to cook.” (Source: Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play)
Seeing Sri Ramakrishna in samadhi many times, Mathur became eager to know more about this mysterious phenomenon. He knew very well that the Master had the power to transmit samadhi to others, so one day he asked to experience it himself. At first Sri Ramakrishna tried to dissuade him from this desire, but after repeated requests from Mathur he finally said: “Well, I’ll ask Mother about it. She will do as She thinks best.”
A few days later, while at his home in Calcutta, Mathur experienced bhava samadhi (a state in which the mind is between the absolute plane and the relative plane). Sri Ramakrishna described what happened next: “He sent for me; and when I went there I found him altogether changed — he wasn’t the same man. Whenever he spoke of God, he shed floods of tears. His eyes were red from weeping, and his heart was pounding. When he saw me, he fell down and clasped my feet. ‘Father,’ he said, ‘I admit it — I’m beaten! I’ve been in this state for the past three days. I can’t apply my mind to worldly affairs, however hard I try. Everything is going wrong. Please take back the ecstasy you gave me. I don’t want it.’ ‘But you begged me for ecstasy,’ I said. ‘I know I did. And it is indeed a blissful state — but what’s the use of bliss when all my worldly affairs are going to pieces? This ecstasy of yours, Father, it only suits you. The rest of us don’t really want it. Please take it back!’ Then I laughed and just rubbed Mathur’s chest with my hand and he was himsel again.” (Source: They Lived with God)
Spiritual ecstasy cannot be retained without preparation
Vaikuntha was present when the events of 1 January took place. After the Master had blessed two or three devotees with his powerful divine touch, Vaikuntha went before him, reverently bowed down to him, and implored, “Sir, please bestow your grace on me.” The Master answered, “You’ve achieved everything.” Vaikuntha said: “Sir, when you say that I’ve achieved everything, it must be so. Kindly help me so that I can understand it a little.” The Master said, “All right,” and gently touched his chest for a moment. Vaikuntha described it thus: “Consequently, a wonderful change came across my mind. I began to see the Master’s gracious, smiling, and luminous form in the sky, the houses, the trees, all human beings, and in everything else I saw in all directions. I was overwhelmed with extreme bliss. At that time I saw you both [the author and Latu] on the roof and called to you loudly: ‘O you all! Wherever you are, come here right now.’ That spiritual mood and vision continued for some days, even in the waking state. I was amazed and spellbound by seeing the blessed Master in all things. This experience remained whether I went to the office or elsewhere on business.
“My work suffered because I couldn’t concentrate on my regular duties. When I realized this, I tried unsuccessfully to stop that vision for a while. I now understood a little why Arjuna was afraid when he had the vision of the cosmic form of Lord Krishna and why he prayed to Krishna to withdraw it. I remembered that the scriptures said liberated souls dwelt in the same exalted state of consciousness. I now got a little glimpse from this experience of how much desirelessness is necessary for a person to remain continuously in that state. Hardly had a few days passed when I was overwhelmed by this continuous vision and spiritual mood, and found it difficult to function. Sometimes I thought: ‘Shall I lose my mind?’ At last I prayed to the Master fearfully: ‘O Lord, I’m not able to contain this spiritual fervour. Please release me from this state.’ Woe to human weakness and stupidity! Now I think: ‘Why did I pray that way? Why didn’t I have faith in him and wait patiently to see what the ultimate result would be? I might have become mad, or my body might have dropped away.’ Soon after that prayer, my vision and spiritual mood abruptly came to an end. I was fully convinced that my experience came to an end by the same person from whom I had received it. But perhaps because the complete cessation of that vision didn’t arise in my mind as I prayed, he kindly kept a little of that experience in me: I could see that divine, effulgent, gracious form of the Master several times a day and was overwhelmed with joy and blessedness.” (Source: Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play)
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