JAYRAMBATI

26th May, 1911

The Holy Mother returned to Calcutta from her pilgrimage to Rameswaram and after a few days went back to Jayrambati. One evening, while seated on the porch of her old house, she asked me about a monastic devotee.

Mother: What did he say ?

Disciple: He felt a yearning for you for three or four months.

Mother: How strange! A Sannyasin must sever all bondage of Maya. A golden chain is as good a shackle as an iron one. A Sannyasin must not entangle himself in any form of Maya. Why should he constantly say, “ Oh ! Mother’s love ! Mother’s love ! I am deprived of it ” ? What ideas ! I do not like men constantly hanging on me. At least he has the form of a man ; I am not talking of God. And I am to move about with women. Ashu also used to come to me frequently to make sandal paste or on some other pretext. One day I warned him.

Disciple: Will the Sannyasins who profess the ideals of the Vedanta attain to Nirvana ?

Desire is the support of the body

Mother: Surely. By gradually cutting off the bonds of Maya they will realize Nirvana and merge themselves in God. This body is, no doubt, the outcome of desires. The body cannot live unless there is a trace of desire. All comes to an end when a man gets rid of desires completely.

Children (i.e. devotees) come here, eat their meals, enjoy themselves and then go away. Why should I be attached to them ? One day Hazra said to the Master : “Why do you constantly long for Narendra and other youngsters? They are quite happy by themselves, eating, drinking and playing. You had better fix your mind on God. Why should you be attached to them ? ” At these words, the Master took his mind away from the young disciples completely and merged it in the thought of God. Instantaneously he entered into Samadhi; his beard and hair stood straight on end like the Kadamba flower. Just imagine what kind of a man the Master was! His body became hard like a wooden statue. Ramlal, who was attending on him* said repeatedly, “ Please be your former self again.” At last the mind came down to the normal plane. It was only out of compassion for people that he kept his mind on the material plane.