GURU AND SISHYA

     A GREAT GURU AND A GREATEST SISHYA 

                                J.K. SIVAN 

We are  now in DECEMBER 2018  

Do you know what happened around November December  137 years ago?

This is a scene in a house at Kolkatta at that time.

It was evening hours and Surendranath Mitra had some important guests at his house, All are waiting for Surendranath's  guru who had been  invited to give a spiritual lecture.   A regular spiritual singer used to sing during such frequent meetings but he was missing that evening. 

'Can anyone sing a song?''  asked Mitra looking at everyone assembled.

Among those  who gathered there was a young man, with a friend known to him.  The friend got up and pointed to the young man saying 'He sings very well''. Mitra then asked the young man to sing a prayer song.

The young man got up, folded his hands, closed his eyes and  sang a couple of devotional songs very nicely. The Guru who came and listened to his songs was much impressed with him and his singing talent.  

''What is you name you said?'

''Narendranath''

''Would you kindly visit me at Dakshineswar?''

''Yes sir, I will come one day''

However,  Narendranath  was not impressed with the old saint.  He is peculiar and  a "mono maniac", he felt.

At home his mother alone was there and wished Narendra to be married. but Narendra refused to marry and was keen in spiritual pursuit. 

His grand maternal uncle Ramachandra  came home oneday and advised him. ''Narendra, you may go and meet Ramakrishna the saint at Dhakshineswar and receive his blessing''.  Narendra was not interested. 

In his college, one day Professor Wiliam  Hastie was lecturing on Wordsworth's poem, 'The Excursion''.  A word ''trance'' in it was not understood by Narendranath and the professor  explained and added

''well my dear young man, if you want to see a person experiencing  the true ''trance''  why dont you go and meet  Swami Ramakrishna  at Dakshineswar''

'What is  this, Saint Ramakrishna himself invited me,  and these two people Rama Chandra and Professor  Hastie are also recommending  my meeting him. Why not I visit Dakshineswar?'  thought Narendranath.  But he waited.  Six months have passed since the day he sang before the saint in Calcutta. One day he started for Dhakshineswar.

Ramakrishna was extremely delighted and happy on seeing Narendranath  and  warmly welcomed Narendra at Dakshineswar, asked him to sit on a mat spread on the floor.

''Naren, welcome my son,  come  and  sit on this mat''   Then overjoyed, the saint said   ''Naren, I have been waiting for this day, more than six months ever since I met you.   Please sing now,  a song for me  to hear and enjoy''.

Narendra entered the small room of the saint, through the western door facing the Ganges and sat on the mat spread on the floor by the saint. 

Ramakrishna  noticed that Naren was not concerned about his  physical appearance. His hair and clothes were not tidy;  He was detached to external objects. His eyes showed that a greater part of his mind was turned inward all the time''

The  translation of the Bengali song  Narendranath sang then was: 

'Let us go back once more,

O mind, to our proper home!
Here in this foreign land of earth Why should we wander aimlessly in stranger's guise?
These living beings round about,
And the five elements,
Are strangers to you, all of them; none are your own.
Why do you so forget yourself,
In love with strangers, foolish mind?
Why do you so forget your own?''

Naren finished singing, but  Ramakrishna suddenly became emotional, grasped Narendra's hands and took him into the northern porch of the Kali temple and with tears in his eyes said 

''Ah! you have come so late. How unkind of you to keep me waiting so long! My ears are almost seared listening to the cheap talk of worldly people. Oh, how I have been yearning to unburden my mind to one who will understand my thought! Ramakrishnan  with folded hands said:  ''Naren,  I know you are the ancient sage Nara — the Incarnation of Narayana — born on earth to remove the miseries of mankind.''

Then Ramakrishna and Narendra returned to the room. Narendranath observed this old man was  peculiar but very devoted and godly, attached to  the Kali of the temple:

''Guruji,  I  adore your devotion and pure bakthi to the goddess Kali. 

'Have you seen  god or experienced him?''

Yes, I have seen God. I see Her as I see you here, only more clearly. God can be seen. One can talk to him. But who cares for God? People shed torrents of tears for their wives, children, wealth, and property, but who weeps for the vision of God? If one cries sincerely for God, one can surely see Him.

''Guruji,  I used to think of it repeatedly but I want to ask you.  '' is it  possible for others also to  experience the same like you.''

''My dear Naren,  why do you think it is not possible.  When it is possible for me, it is possible for others as well.''
''Guruji,  I  want to ask you to do a favour? can I have the experience ?''
''Yes certainly you can my dear child''
''Can you show me Kali to me  also, and make me feel Her like you?
Without hesitation the Guruji nodded his head and  said ''Yes''. You will feel Her and see Her yourself''

Narendra felt amazed as this was the first time he was meeting someone who could say that he had met or experienced God. He also understood those were not mere words, but words uttered from deep inner experiences. He left Dakshineswar and came back to Calcutta in a highly puzzled and bewildered state of mind.

Naren though puzzled  was feeling anxious to meet Ramakrishna again. He went to meet Ramakrishna the next  time on a weekday.This time he had another strange experience. 

When he was talking to Ramakrishna,  the saint  suddenly placed his right foot on Narendra's chest and Narendra started feeling unconscious, he felt as if everything around him, the rooms, the walls, the temple garden were vanishing away. Narendra got scared and cried out "What are you doing to me? I have my parents, brothers, and sisters at home." Ramakrishna laughed and moved his foot from his body. He restored his consciousness and said

 "All right, Naren, everything will happen in due time."

Narendra  was both shocked and surprised. He felt Ramakrishna had hypnotized him. He also felt disgusted as he apparently could not resist Ramakrishna from influencing him.

Narendra went to meet Ramakrishna for the third time. In fact Naren was very scared after his last experience. 

Ramakrishna welcomed Narendra and started talking with him. Narendra was trying to stay alert and not to be hypnotized once again by Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna took him to the adjacent garden and touched him. Narendra failed to resist Ramakrishna's will power and became unconscious. 

Ramakrishna later said, after making Narendra unconscious, he asked him many questions such as his previous works, his future aims etc. After receiving answers to his questions, Ramakrishna felt assured and later he told other disciples that he was confident that Narendra had attained "perfection" in his previous birth.

The meetings with Ramakrishna proved to be a turning point in Narendra's life.He started visiting Dakshineswar regularly. 

A storm had been raging in Narendra's soul when he came to Sri Ramakrishna, who himself had passed through a similar struggle but was now firmly anchored in peace as a result of his intimate communion with the Godhead and his realization of Brahman as the immutable essence of all things.Narendranath  tested Ramakrishna in various ways and asked him many critical questions.  Ramakrishna heartily laughed and told him "Naren,  test me as the money changers test their coins.  Narendra learned Ramakrishna considered "money" was an hindrance to spirituality.

One day, when Ramakrishna was not in his room, Narendra put a silver coin under the mattress of his bed. Ramakrishna entered the room without knowing of Narendra's act, he  sat on his bed. But immediately he jumped up in pain and asked someone to check his bed. The bed was searched and the coin was found. The touch of a metal coin hurt him.

Narendra did not accept or worship Kali,  worshipped by  Ramakrishna.

"Naren, why do you come here, if you do not accept Kali, my Mother?"

"Simply because I came to see you. I came to you because I love you." replied Narendranath.

After many such tests, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna as his spiritual teacher. He remained with Ramakrishna till Ramakrishna's death in 1886. In the five years since 1882, he closely observed Ramakrishna and took spiritual teachings from him.

Ramakrishna found Narendra a Dhyana-siddha (expert in meditation).  We found in Narendra  SWAMI VIVEKANANDA.

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