Before he met Sri Ramakrishna, Chunilal had received initiation from his family guru, and he used to practise yoga according to the Shiva Samhita, an authoritative text on spiritual life. He continued his yoga sadhana (yoga disciplines) — eating vegetarian food and secretly practising pranayama in a secluded place — even after meeting the Master.
Chunilal did not realize that it was dangerous to practise pranayama without the help of a guru, and gradually he developed various kinds of physical ailments, including asthma, which prevented him from visiting the Master for some time. One day when he felt a little better, Chunilal went to Dakshineswar alone. No one else was in the Master’s room, and seeing him, Sri Ramakrishna said immediately: “Why do you practise all those things? You are a householder. That yoga sadhana is not for you. Have faith and love for God. When you return home, please take three doses of medicine from Brahmachari Gopal, and never again practise pranayama.”
Hearing these words of the Master, Chunilal was dumbfounded because no one knew that he had been practising intense yoga sadhana or that it was the cause of his illness. Later he was even more amazed when he recovered from the ailment after taking the three doses of medicine. From then on, Chunilal had complete faith in the Master as an avatar.
Sri Ramakrishna: A Divine Life in Pictures, by Swami Chetanananda
Chapter 9 Calling the Devotees (1879-1885) p 152
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