Swami Adbhutananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, narrated the following incident: “One day the Master touched brother Niranjan, and for three days and three nights Niranjan did not get one wink of sleep. He had the continuous vision of a mysterious light and kept repeating the Lord’s name. His tongue could not stop saying japam for three days. Prior to meeting the Master, Niranjan was employed by spiritualists as a medium for contacting spirits. So one day the Master humourously said: ‘Now, my boy, another ghost — the Holy Ghost — is upon you. However much you try, you will not be able to dismiss Him.’”
—–
God acts in mysterious ways. In the early part of 1882, a group of spiritualists from Calcutta heard about Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual power. Spiritualists generally strive for psychic powers and enjoy using them. As it would be a considerable achievement to influence Ramakrishna, they went to the Dakshineswar temple garden to test him. They were told that Ramakrishna had gone for an evening walk to Jadu Mallick’s garden house nearby. When they reached Jadu’s drawing room and met Ramakrishna, Dr. Pearychand Mitra, the leader of the group, introduced himself and the others, including Niranjan, as spiritualists. Ramakrishna had the power to see inside a person as one sees an object inside a glass case. As soon as he saw Niranjan, the Master remarked, “This boy is very good — extremely guileless.” Immediately Pearychand said: “Sir, he is my nephew. He can mesmerize very well, and he is a wonderful medium.” “Shame, shame! Don’t get involved in such spooky business,” retorted the Master.
Despite this, the spiritualists expressed a desire to use their power to mesmerize Ramakrishna. The childlike Master agreed, regarding this as a mere amusement; moreover, he wished to humble them. Ramakrishna sat on a chair and three spiritualists, including Niranjan and his uncle, began to wave their hands about him. The Master observed their ritual and smiled from time to time. After trying hard for an hour, Pearychand said: “Sir, you are a great soul with a strong mind. We are incapable of mesmerizing you.” Then the Master got up and said privately to Niranjan, “Come here often.”
——
When Niranjan was in his teens, he was sent to his uncle’s house at Ahiritola, West Calcutta, for higher education. There he was attracted by the group of spiritualists headed by his uncle, Pearychand Mitra. They made Niranjan their medium; he enjoyed the experience as one enjoys an adventurous game. Niranjan’s mind was as powerful as his body. He had developed psychic powers that enabled him to cure illnesses. Once a wealthy man of Calcutta who had suffered from insomnia for eighteen years sought Niranjan’s help. The compassionate Niranjan used his miraculous power to cure the man. Later he said, “Finding the man suffering so much in spite of all his riches and wealth, I was seized with a feeling of the emptiness of all worldly things.”
The human mind grieves when empty; it always desires to behold an object. Dispassion for the world turns to passion for God. Disillusioned with spiritualism, Niranjan turned to Dakshineswar in his quest for spirituality.
One evening soon after Niranjan had met the Master, he went to Dakshineswar to see him. He found Sri Ramakrishna in his room, surrounded by devotees. The Master was talking about God and how to realize Him; the devotees were spellbound. When all the devotees had left for home, the Master approached Niranjan and expressed his joy at seeing him again. They talked freely for some time. Then the Master said: “My boy, if you allow your mind to dwell on ghosts, you will become a ghost yourself. If you fix your mind on God, your life will be filled with God. Now, which of these are you going to choose?” “Well, of course, the latter,” replied Niranjan. Ramakrishna advised him to sever his connection with the spiritualists, and Niranjan agreed to this.