While he was still living in Puri, Balaram had read about the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna in the Sulabh Samachar, a journal edited by Keshab Chandra Sen. He had also received a letter from one of his family’s priests, Ramdayal, giving a detailed account of Sri Ramakrishna’s holy life. Ramdayal had met the Master personally and wrote Balaram to come immediately to see him.
The day after he arrived in Calcutta, Balaram went with Ramdayal to Dakshineswar. It was probably 1 January 1881. They reached there late in the afternoon and found Sri Ramakrishna’s room crowded with Brahmo devotees, including Keshab. Balaram did not get a chance to introduce himself, but sat down in a corner and listened to the Master. Sri Ramakrishna was saying: “God cannot be seen without yearning of heart, and this yearning is impossible unless one has finished with the experiences of life. Those who live surrounded by ‘lust and gold,’ and have not yet come to the end of their experiences, do not yearn for God.”
As soon as the Brahmos left the room to have some refreshments, Sri Ramakrishna turned to Balaram and said, “Is there anything you want to ask me?”
“Yes, sir. Does God really exist?”
“Certainly He does.”
“Can a person see Him?”
“Yes, He reveals Himself to the devotee who thinks of Him as his nearest and dearest. Because you do not get any response by praying to Him once, you must not conclude that He does not exist.”
“But why can’t I see Him when I pray to Him so much?” Sri Ramakrishna then smiled and asked, “Do you really consider Him to be as dear to your heart as your own children?”
“No, sir,” Balaram admitted. “I never felt that strongly for Him.”
The Master then said in a sweet, convincing voice: “Pray to God, thinking of Him as dearer than your own self. Truly I tell you, He is extremely fond of His devotees. He cannot but reveal Himself to them. He comes to a person even before He is sought. If a person comes one step towards God, God comes ten steps towards that person. There is none more intimate and more affectionate than God.” (Source: They Lived with God)