Girish hated hypocrisy from the bottom of his heart. Being bold and strong in character, he did not find it necessary to hide his weaknesses. And indeed, it takes tremendous courage to unite mind and speech, especially to one’s discredit. Girish would say, “I have drunk so many bottles of wine that if you were to place one bottle on top of another they would reach the height of Mount Everest.” It is true that he drank a great deal and he had once been addicted to opium. He would also visit brothels often. But one should not think that he was a seducer, an exploiter, a cheat, or given to actual cruelty. His strength of character kept him above hypocrisy and other such evils.
When Girish was drunk he had little control over his speech and behaviour. Seeing him in this condition, even the girls of the brothels hesitated to open their doors to him. “One night,” said Girish, “in a euphoric and drunken mood, I was visiting a house of prostitution with two of my friends. But suddenly I felt an urge to visit Sri Ramakrishna. My friends and I hired a carriage and drove out to Dakshineswar. It was late at night, and everyone was asleep. The three of us entered Sri Ramakrishna’s room, tipsy and reeling. Sri Ramakrishna grasped both my hands and began to sing and dance in ecstasy. The thought flashed through my mind: ‘Here is a man whose love embraces all — even a wicked man like me, whose own family would condemn me in this state. Surely this holy man, respected by the righteous, is also the saviour of the fallen.’”