Sri Ramakrishna worshipping his own picture

Mother : Yes, that picture is very, very good. It originally belonged to a Brahmin cook. Several prints were made worshipping his own picture of his first photograph. The Brahmin took one of them. The picture was at first very dark, just like the image of Kali. Therefore it was given to the Brahmin. When he left Dakshineswar for some place—I do not remember where—he gave it to me. I kept the photograph with the pictures of other gods and goddesses and worshipped it. At that time I lived on the ground floor of the Nahabat. One day the Master came there and at the sight of the picture he said, “Hallo* what is all this ? ” Lakshmi and I had been cooking under the staircase. Then I saw the Master take in his hand the bel leaves and flowers kept there for worship, and offer them to the photograph. He worshipped the picture. This is the same picture.

That Brahmin never returned; so the picture remained with me.

Disciple: Mother, did you ever see the face of the Master to be pale at the time of his Samadhi ?

Mother: Why. I don’t remember to have seen it so. On the other hand, I always saw a smile on his face in his ecstatic mood.

Disciple : It is possible to have a smile during the state of emotional ecstasy (Bhava Samadhi) ; but regarding the photograph of his sitting posture, the Master said that it was a picture of a very exalted state. Is it possible to have a smile in that state ?

Mother: But I have seen him smile in all states of Samadhi.