CHAPTER II
WITH NARENDRA AND OTHER DISCIPLES CHANTING FORTH THE NAME OF THE LORD.
It is afternoon, and Narendra is singing the sacred hymns. Amongst those present are Rakhal, Latu, M., Preo, a Brahmo friend of Narendra, and Hazra.
Narendra sang to the accompaniment of the drum1:—
SONG
Meditate, O my mind, upon the Lord, the Embodiment of Spirit and of Purity.
Vide song, Section I, Chapter III.
SONG
In the Temple of the Heart shineth the Blessed Vision of the Lord who is the One Reality, who seeketh the good of all His creatures, and whose Form is so beautiful. Let us behold this beauty over and over again and be thus immersed in that Sea of Beauty.
2. O Lord come into my heart as Infinite Wisdom Divine! Speechless, but with a mind that knoweth not peace, shall I then throw myself on Thy Hallowed Feet!
3. O arise in the firmament of my Soul as the Embodiment of Immortal Bliss, that at the blessed Vision we shall rejoice, drunken with the joy of the Lord, much as the bird Chakore rejoiceth and sporteth about in the sky drunken with joy at the sight of the Moon!
* * * * *
1 Khole.
SONG
Be filled with Joy and Gladness and say on the sweet Name of the Lord!
At His Name shall arise a flood out of the Sea of Nectar; of this ye may drink without cessation (yes, drink and give away just as ye please).
The Thunder of His Name shall snap the fetters of sin by which ye are bound.
Come let us be intoxicated with the joy of the Lord and thus have all our heart's desires fulfilled
* * * * *
Narendra and the other disciples sing and dance about the Master to the accompaniment of the drum. They sing in a chorus:—
'Be immersed for ever O my mind, in the sweet nectar of Divine Love.'
And again:—
'In the Temple of my Heart shineth the glorious beauty of the Lord who is the Only Reality—the Being who seeketh the good of all His creatures, the Embodiment of all that is beautiful.
At last, Narendra with the drum hanging from his neck sings:—
'Speak the sweet Name of the Lord by thy mouth filled with joy.'
At the end of the song the Master embraces Narendra saying, 'Peace be unto you, my boy and the joy of the Lord! How Shall I tell of the joy unspeakable that you have given me to-day!'
The fountain of Divine Love within the heart of the Master wells up to-day and overflows.
It is close upon 8. P.M. He paces up and down the northern verandah alone, drunken with the joy of the Lord!
He paces from one end of the verandah to the other with quick and excited steps;—He holds converse with the Divine Mother.
Like one who has gone mad he cries out, What (evil) can you do to me?
Does the Master say that the powers1 of evil cannot do any harm to him who has the Divine Mother to protect him?
They are going to stay to-night. Narendra will stay; hence to his joy there is no end.
The supper is ready. Mother at the concert-house2 has made everything ready for the supper—the thin cakes of bread, dal, &c. Surendra bears the greater part of the expenses. The disciples stay here off and on.
The supper is ready to be served on the south-eastern verandah into which the Master's chamber opens.
The supper is being served. Narendra and other disciples stand before the door of the chamber and talks.
Narendra on School and College Discipline.
Narendra (to M.): How do you like, Sir, our boys and young men of the present day?
M: Well, they are not bad; but they stand in need of religious instruction.
Narendra: So far as I have seen they are going from bad to worse. Bird's-eye, the company of young men foppishness, playing truant, these are things that may be seen almost every day.
1 Mâyâ.
2 Nahabat.
M.: In our day, when we were students, I never came across such things!
Narendra: I suppose you never mixed with such boys. I myself have seen persons of questionable character talking with boys, whom I know, on terms of familiarity. The wonder is how and when they could know one another.
M.: Is it indeed so?
Narendra: O, I know it myself how some of my friends have in this way lost their character. School and college authorities and the guardians of boys ought to have an eye on these matters.
One Thing is Needful.
They were talking on when the Master stepped out of the chamber and with a smile asked, 'Well, what were you talking about?' Narendra said smiling, 'We have been talking on matters connected with schools and colleges. The character of boys is not all that could be desired.' Upon this the Master turning to M. looked grave and said—'Talking on these matters is not good; talk of the Lord and nothing else! You are older than these boys. You ought to have known better. It was your duty to put them on their guard and to warn them not to talk on anything but the Lord.'
M. feels a little abashed. Narendra and other disciples hold their peace for a time.
Narendra is about 19 or 20 years old; while M. is about 27 or 28.
They sit down for supper. The Master is happy; he smiles as he sees Narendra and other disciples going on with their repast.
Chanting the Name of the Lord.
The Master rejoices very much to-day. After supper the disciples have come together inside the chamber and are resting on a mat spread on the floor. They talk with the Master and rejoice. It seems as if a fair is being held here:—where the joy of the Lord may be had for sale.
The Master says to Narendra: Will you sing the hymn beginning with—'The full moon of Divine Love riseth on the firmament of Divine Wisdom'?
Narendra began to sing to the accompaniment of the drum1.
SONG.
1. The full moon of Divine Love riseth on the firmament of Divine Wisdom.
The Ocean of Love overfloweth; O, how full of joy is the Lord!
VICTORY UNTO THEE, MERCIFUL LORD! VICTORY! VICTORY!
2. Behold the gate of Heaven is flung open and the vernal breeze of the new Dispensation ariseth.
It breaketh into waves of joy; it carrieth the fragrance of divine Love, which maketh the Yogis drunken with the joy of communion.
1 Khole.
VICTORY UNTO THEE, MERCIFUL MOTHER! VICTORY! VICTORY!
3. On the sea of this Universe is the Lotus of the New Dispensation.
Upon it is seated in Her Majesty the Divine Mother, The Embodiment of all Joy!
See, the Bees (the devotees) drink of the nectar therein!
They are filled with God-consciousness. Ah! behold the gracious countenance of the Mother!
It delighteth the heart: it doth fascinate the Universe!
Falling at Her Feet are bands of holy men, singing and dancing drunken with joy.
What Beauty unparallelled! O! what peace doth the Blessed Vision bring unto the heart!
Prem Dass (the psalmist) falleth at the feet of all men and cries 'Sing 'Oh'! my brethren.
VICTORY UNTO THEE, MOTHER! VICTORY! VICTORY!
The Master sings and dances. With him in their midst the disciples also are singing and dancing.
The song is over. The Master walks up and down the north-eastern verandah that leads into his chamber.
Here is Hazra seated. He repeats the name of the Lord as he tells the beads of his rosary. The Master takes his seat by his side and holds converse with Hazra and M.
He says to a disciple—Do you see visions of God in dreams during sleep?
God-vision in Dreams.
Disciple: Yes, sir, the other day I dreamt a most interesting dream. It seemed as if the whole Universe were a vast expanse of water. Water, water everywhere before me and nothing but water! Water without beginning or end! Suddenly there arose a storm. Some of the boats that were visible at a distance went down under the water. A few only escaped. Amongst these was one belonging to my mother. Well, I was on board a ship which carried a chosen number of passengers. What was our astonishment to see a Brahmin walking over the Deep unconcerned—as if he were taking steps on firm ground. I cried out saying, 'How is it that thou walkest over the Deep?' The Brahmin replied smiling, 'Here is nothing to be afraid of; my feet rest upon a bridge which is under the water.' I asked, 'Whither art thou going, Lord?' He replied 'I am going to the City of the Mother.'1 I felt eager to join the holy man and cried out 'Tarry a little, O Lord, and I shall join thee; for that is precisely the place whither I also long to go.' He only smiled and said, 'O, I am in a hurry to reach that place. It will take thee some time to come down. Mark the path which will lead thee safe to the City and then come and follow me.'
Master: A thrill passes through my body as I hear the dream thus related by you!—the hairs of my body stand on end. The hour is come when you should be initiated.
1 Bhavanipore.