The Master’s renunciation

Mother : Yes, Prakash told me so. Can anyone who has renounced the world relish these things ? Once there was a mistake in the accounts relating to the salary of the Master. I asked him to talk to the manager of the Temple about it. But he said, “ What a shame ! Shall I bother myself about accounts? ” Once he said to me, “ He who utters the Name of God never suffers from any misery. No need to speak about you ! ” These are his very words. Renunciation was his ornament.

9th February, 1912

Girish Chandra Ghosh had given up his body on the previous night. Referring to him, I asked the Holy Mother, “ Well, Mother, do those who give up their bodies in a state of unconsciousness attain to a higher spiritual state afterwards ? ”

Mother: The thought that is uppermost in mind before one loses consciousness determines the course of one’s soul after death.

Disciple : Yes, that is true. A little after six o’clock in the evening Girish Babu exclaimed, “ Jai Rama-krishna ! ” and then fell unconscious. Afterwards he never regained his consciousness. A few minutes before, he had been constantly saying, “ Let us go, let us go! . . . Hold me a little, my son ! ” and so forth. I said to him, ” Why do you only say, ‘Let us go, let us go!’1 You had better repeat the name of Sri Ramakrishna, which will do you real good.” I said that a couple of times, when Girish Babu replied, “ Do I not know that ? ” I said to myself, ” Now see, he is fully conscious within.”

1 Girish Babu had the intense desire to be taken to the Ganges at the time of death. Therefore he made these remarks. His brother said , ” Does my brother need the Ganges for the welfare of his soul ? ”

Mother: He remained immersed in the thought that was in his mind when he became unconscious. They (referring to Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples) all have come from him and will go back to him (i.e. the Master). They all have come from him—from his arms, feet, hair and so forth. They are his limbs, parts.

21st February, 1912

It was seven o’clock in the morning. The Holy Mother was seated on the floor near her couch.

Swami Nirbhayananda, who had gone to Dwaraka1 on pilgrimage, sent the Mother some Prasada from the shrine of Dattatreya 2 in the Girnar Hills. The Mother asked, “ Who was Dattatreya ? ”

Disciple : He, like Jada Bharata3 and others, was a great sage—an Isvarakoti.

Mother: Like some of the children of the Master ?

Disciple: Well, how is it that some of the Isvarakotis among the Master’s disciples are thus immersed in worldliness with their wives and children ?

Mother: Yes, they are rotting there. Purna was forced to marry. His relatives threatened him, saying, “ If you go to him (referring to Sri Ramakrishna), we will smash his carriage with stones and brick-bats when he comes to Calcutta.”

1 Dwaraka is a great place of pilgrimage in Western India, north of Bombay Presidency. It is reputed to be the place where the palace of Sri Krishna, the greatest of Divine incarnations, stood.

2 A great sage of the Puranas, considered to be a Divine incarnation. Shrines dedicated to him are, however, very rare.

3 He is the same as the sage Bharata.‘ Jada ’ means ‘ inert’, idiotic. He is called so for the following reason: On account of his attachment to his pet deer, he had to be born as a deer, as explained on page 159. Afterwards he again attained to human birth. Though his spiritual evolution was arrested during these births, he had not lost the memory of his glorious attainments in his birth as King Bharata. So when he was again born as man, he was endowed with Divine knowledge at the very birth, but in order to avoid complications from attachments as before, he shunned all associations by pretending to be dumb and senseless. So he was called Jada Bharata. Eventually he gave proof of his great spiritual attainments.

Disciple: Well, they might have married. Nag Mahasay also married. But to have children and lead a worldly life !

Mother : Perhaps they had some such desires. Let me tell you one thing. There is great complexity in this creation. The Master does one thing through one man and another thing through another person. Oh, it is so inscrutable ! But even a householder can be an Isvarakoti. What is the harm ?

Radhu was ill. She had pain and fever. The Mother was worried about her and said, She cannot get well when I am alive. Who will look after her when I am gone ? Will she live then ? ”

Disciple: What a crowd of devotees the whole day! You could not get a moment’s respite.

Mother: Day and night, I say to the Master, Please lessen this rush. Let me have a little rest.” But I hardly get it. It will be like this for the few days I am in this body. The message of the Master has spread everywhere ; therefore so many people come here. . . . Such crowds used to visit the Master also during his last days. I try to persuade people so earnestly, saying, Have initiation from your family preceptor (Kulaguru). They expect something from you. I do not expect anything.” But they will not leave me. They weep and it moves my heart. Well, I am nearing the end ; the few days I shall live, will be spent in this manner.

Disciple: Oh, no, Mother! Why should you say that ? You are well. You have no particular ailment. Why do you, then, want to leave this world ? Never say that again.

At that time the Mother appeared very sad and indifferent about things.

During the noontime a hot-headed man had come to the Holy Mother and created a row. Referring to this, she said, “ The Master did not let anybody know of my existence. He protected me always with infinite care. Now the thing has gone to the other extreme ; they are advertising me, as if by beat of drum in a market-place. M. is at the root of it all. People are beside themselves after reading the Kathamrita (or the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). Girish Babu enforced his demands on the Master and abused him ; now people are doing the same thing with me.

“ Why should they always bother me about initiation ? There are my children (referring to the direct disciples of the Master) at the Belur Math. Have they no power ? Everyone is being sent here. I went so far as to tell people that they would be incurring great sin if they give up their hereditary preceptor. But still they would not leave me alone.”

Disciple: You initiate the devotees because you desire to do so.