CHAPTER XI.

THE NANDANBAGAN BRAHMO SAMAJ,—MAY, 1888

It is 5 P. M. on, Wednesday, the 2nd of May 1883.

The late Babu Kashiswar Mitra of Nandan Bagan was a Sub-Judge and a member of the Adi Brahmo Samaj. In a spacious hall on the first floor of his house, he used to hold his prayers and would occasionally invite other devotees to celebrate festivals. Since his decease, Srinath, Yajnanath and his other sons have been following the custom of their father, and on the present occasion, they have respectfully invited the Master to their house.

When the Master arrives with Rakhal and M. and a few other devotees, he is taken to a drawing room on the ground floor, where many Brahmo devotees have assembled. Sj. Rabindranath Tagore and other members of the Tagore family are also present there.

He is then taken to the prayer-hall upstairs. An altar has been improved at the eastern side of the hall, a piano occupies the south-western corner, and some chairs are arranged at the northern side . . . The service will begin in the evening, when Sj. Bhairab Bandyopadhyay and a few other Brahmos will deliver sermons from the altar. Most of the Brahmo devotees are pacing in the down-stairs veranda and extensive courtyard, it being the summer season. But Sj. Janaki Ghosal and a few others have come to listen to the holy words of God from the blessed lips of the Master.

On entering the hall, the Master bows before the altar, and having taken his seat, says to Rakhal, M. and the other devotees:

"Narendra asked me, 'What is the virtue of bowing before the Brahmo Samaj Temple?'

"The Temple indeed reminds me of the Lord,—the thought of Him flashes into my mind. Wherever men speak of Him, there God appears, and all the holy places as it were congregate there. And verily the sight of such places invokes the recollection of God Himself!

"A Bhakta went into ecstasy at the sight of a Babla tree, for he remembered that the handle of the axe that was used in the garden of the god Radhakanta was made of this wood.

"So deep was the devotion of a disciple to his Guru that, on seeing one of the Guru's neighbours, he fell into a trance!

The ways of the Bhakta.

"A cloud, a blue cloth, or a likeness of Sri Krishna would fill Srimati's mind with an intense consciousness of Sri Krishna and madden her with an anguished longing for Him."

Ghosal: But madness is not desirable.

Sri Ramakrishna: What do you say! Is this madness caused by the thought of sense-objects that it will delude?—It is effected by an intense thought of God. Are you not aware of Love-madness and Wisdom-madness?

A Brahmo Devotee: How is God to be attained?

Sri Ramakrishna: By loving Him, and by ever discriminating that God alone is real and that this world is ephemeral. The peepul tree alone lives on, its fruits last but a few days.

Devotee: What are we to do with lust, anger and our other passions?

Turn the course of the passions.

Sri Ramakrishna: Turn the course of the six passions towards God in the following ways: To have intercourse with the Self; let this be your desire. Be angry with those who are your obstacles in the God-ward path; covet Him. When you indulge in egoistic feelings, do it in relation to Him: say, 'My Krishna' or 'My Rama'! If you must assert your pride, be like Bibhishana,—'I have bowed before Rama; this head will not bow before anybody else.'

Devotee: If it is He who is driving me to all actions, then how can I be responsible for my sins?

Divine Will and man's responsibility.

Sri Ramakrishna: (Smiling) Duryodhana also said something like that: 'Thou, O Lord, abidest in my heart, and I do as Thou makest me do.' He who really believes that 'God alone is the doer, and I am but an instrument' cannot commit any sin. A perfect dancer never makes a wrong step.

"Indeed, till the heart becomes pure, one cannot even believe in the existence of God."

The Master looks at the congregation and remarks, "It is very beneficial to assemble now and then like this and sing His name and praise. But the God-devotion of the worldly people is very transitory, even like a drop of water sprinkled on heated iron."

The hour of the evening service has come. The large hall is filled with the Brahmo devotees, and a few Brahmo ladies occupy the chairs with hymn-books in their hands. Singing to the accompaniment of harmonium and piano now begins; and the Master's delight knows no bounds. Then follow Udbodhana^*, prayer and worship, and the preachers at the altar recite the Vedic Mantrams:

"Om! Thou art our Father. Grant us Knowledge. Do not destroy us!"

And the congregation recites with the preachers:

^* Preliminary service.

"Om! Brahman, the Truth, the Knowledge, the Infinite. He is Bliss and Immortality. He shines. He is Peace. He is Good. He is One."

The preachers then recite the invocation:

"We bow unto Thee, Thou Supreme Being, and the Great First Cause. We bow unto Thee, O Light of Knowledge and the Support of all the Worlds."

And then they pray:

"From the unreal lead us to the Real. From darkness lead us unto light. From death lead us to immortality. Reach us through and through our self. And—Oh Thou Terrible!—evermore protect us from ignorance, by Thy sweet compassionate Face."

Listening to the recitations and prayers, the Master is filled with rapture. And a preacher reads the sermon, ending the service.

Most of the Brahmo devotees go to the courtyard and veranda down-stairs to enjoy the cool breeze. Preparations are going on for the entertainment of the devotees with luchi and mishtanna.

It is nine o'clock at night, and the Master has to go back to Dakshineswar. But the hosts are too engrossed with their householder guests to render any hospitality to the Master. Says Sri Ramakrishna to Rakhal and others, "Halloo! nobody calls us." Rakhal replies angrily, "Come, sir, let us go back to Dakshi- neswar." "Stop, I say!" the Master replies laughingly. "Who will pay three rupees and two annas for carriage hire? Mere obstinacy won't do! Without a penny, yet making empty threats! Besides, where can we eat at this late hour?"

After a long time the dinner is announced. All the devotees are called together to sit down. The Master, Rakhal and others make their way upstairs through the crush, but the place is too crowded, and a seat for the Master is procured with the greatest difficulty in an unclean corner. A Brahmin woman serves him some curry, but he has not the heart to take it; he seasons the luchi with salt and eats it, and also a little mishtanna.

Infinite is the mercy of our Master! If the hosts in their inexperience have failed to honour him duly, how can he resent it? For if he departs without receiving hospitality, great harm will come to them; besides, have they not made the celebration in the name of God?

The Master has got into the carriage,—but who will pay the hire? The hosts are nowhere to be found!^*

^* The Master afterwards referred to this incident, saying; "They went to them for the carriage hire, but were at first driven off. At last, after a hard struggle, three rupees were realised; but they refused to pay the remaining two annas; they said that was enoûgh."