Over the period Ramakrishna had emerged as a unique spiritual leader whose discourses and message were being printed in the magazines and the newspapers. A lot of people were now coming to Dakshineshwra to see him and hear him for spiritual guidance.
One day, a youngman named Narendra came to see Ramakrishna along with his friends. He knew the youngman slightly. Once when he had gone to Calcutta to hold a discourse where Narendra had sung a song of devotion there. Ramakrishna himself had invited him to visit Dakshineshwara.
But that was years ago.
Narendra was a confused youngman who was not clear about what he wanted to do. His father was luxury loving Barrister who cared little about the religion. His son was a different person who was rooted in Indian culture and religious philosophy. Narendra also was a member of Brahmo Samaj.
After he took F.A. exams his family pressed for marriage which he wanted to avoid.
When Narendra had sung for Ramakrishna tears had rolled out of the latter’s eyes in pleasure. Then Ramakrishna had said to him, “Why have you come to me so late? I am fed up with talking to shallow followers. I want to share my devotion with a worthy one like you who would understand me.”
He had even tried to convince Narendra that he was divine incarnation. Ramakrishna had made Narendra promise that he would pay a visit to him at Dakshineshwara.
He had finally arrived although late.
Narendra had heard that Ramakrishna danced before Kaali Maa, often he cried begging to Kaali like a child and sometimes talked to imaginary figures. And then there was rumour of his often falling down unconscious. Narendra suspected that there was a trace of insanity in his behaviour. That was why he had avoided paying a visit so far.
But now his confusions had multiplied. He had asked several holymen if they had really seen God. He only got evasive answers.
He wanted to ask the same question to Ramakrishna.
Ramakrishna said as soon as he noticed Narendra, “I have been waiting for you for so long. But you stayed away. Why are you so cruel?”
Narendra stammered some excuse citing his studies. Then, he asked, “Have you seen God in real sense?”
“Yes, I can see Him as clearly as I see you. If you want to see Him I can show you also. But you must come to me saying good bye to your family.”
Narendra stared at Ramakrishna.
He was the first person to give such clear and straight forward answer. Narendra went back with his friends satisfied. Perhaps he had made up his mind to come back to Ramakrishna. He did come back for a few days and then started coming regularly. He would put several questions and expressed his disagreements frankly.
Ramakrishna did not mind.
Narendra did not like the way Ramakrishna behaved like a child before Kaali Maa and begged demeaning himself. His shedding tears and crying like a woman also disturbed Narendra.
One day Narendra was meditating alongside Ramakrishna out in open at sunset time. Suddenly Ramakrishna rose up and he put his right foot on the chest below right shoulder of Narendra who went through a strange experience.
Ramakrishna was in his frenzied mood that got transferred into Narendra.
All the things around Narendra appeared to spin around and all scenes dissolved into nothingness. He was in a black hole of blankness.
Narendra screamed, “Guru! What are you doing? I have a family whom I must meet. Please se…!”
Ramakrishna removed his feet off Narendra’s chest. Everything returned to normalcy. But he could still feel static divine charge in his body.
That day Narendra realised that Ramakrishna’s dancing, crying, begging and the childish behaviour was merely outwardly signs of his mind focussed on a divine point where physical realities lost meaning.
He put Narendra through many such experiences. Now Narendra also experienced a divine joy in singing and dancing.
Narendra had become favourite disciple of Ramakrishna although he questioned many of the actions of the former. It was just for that reason.
Before he met Narendra he used to pray to Kaali, “Mother! Give me just one disciple who questions my behaviour and acts.”
Narendra had said, “Millions of people say that you are incarnation of God. But I won’t accept it until you prove it to me.”
One other time he had bluntly said, “Can you prove that your so called achievements are not the product of your sick mind?”
Due to constant interaction a strange spiritual cum platonic relationship was evolving between Ramakrishna and Narendra. It was passionate, charged and full of mysterious exchanges.
Ramakrishna had become so fond of Narendra that the would go to Calcutta to seek out his favourite follower. In such a quest once he had stumbled into a Brahmo Samaj meeting and got humiliated. The Samajis considered him a trickster. It pained Narendra.
He said, “A man must not be so mad for another one. If you continue to be so fond of me I am afraid you will forfeit all your spiritual achievements and fall down to my level.”
Ramakrishna returned to Dakshineshwara but the very next day he returned to Narendra to say, “I can’t listen to your advice, my boy. I can see God in you. I get upset the day I don’t sight God. How can I stay away from you?”
But since then Ramakrishna behaved in unattached way. Narendra anyway felt divine peace in the presence of Ramakrishna.
Then, tragedy struck Narendra in 1884.
His father died. He had made no savings. He believed in ‘Spend, God will send’. The family fell on bad days. Narendra was grief stricken. He did not know how to support the family. And no one would offer a job to him. He kept chanting the name of God.
His mother hysterically screamed, “Don’t chant His name. I chanted his name all my life every single morning and evening. What has He given me? Widowhood?? Abject poverty???”
To Narendra his mother’s diatribe made sense. He too raised a banner against God. He spoke a lot of things against God. The people said that Narendra had lost his mind. But Narendra maintained that God did not deserved to be called ‘Merciful.’
In a confused state of mind Narendra went to Ramakrishna and revealed his sorry state. He asked Ramakrishna to ask his deity Kaali to help.
Ramakrishna advised him that he should go himself and put forward his demand. Kaali will fulfil your wish, he assured to Narendra who was reluctant as he did not believe in idol worship.
Anyway he went to the Kaali temple and stood before the deity idol. He wanted to ask for the prosperity and security of his family but felt too silly to spell out those demands. He just stood there and returned.
He went back and revealed to Ramakrishna what had happened. Ramakrishna sent him again to beg from Maa Kaali.
Again Narendra could not ask for anything.
Ramakrishna then said to Narendra, “See what happened? Narendra, you are not born for such lowly and selfish things. It is not in your nature to beg for anything even from God. Your have come in this world to fulfil a very high, noble and sublime cause. Your must come to me to pick up that noble mission after you have dealt with your present domestic problem at worldly level. Don’t lose faith in God.”
Narendra went away. He took up a job and after sometime all his domestic problems got solved. Then he took leave of his mother and sisters and came back to Ramakrishna to dedicate his entire life to serve the spiritual cause of Ramakrishna.
Narendra learnt yoga and meditation from his guru. He was getting very impatient to touch the spiritual level that Ramakrishna had achieved where he could make Kaali appear to him or practically feel the presence of God around him.
One day Narendra was sitting in meditation. Suddenly his mind got locked to the sublime yoga state where physically realities became immaterial. In that state his body became intensely charged with some spiritual power. His face was glowing like a milky bulb.
The other disciples of Ramakrishna looked at him in amazement. His gaze appeared to be fixed on the tip of his nose and his body had become perfectly still.
Some worried disciples ran to Ramakrishna to tell him about the Narendra’s state fearing some dreadful development. But before they could say anything Ramakrishna said, “Let Narendra stay in the state he is. There is nothing to worry.”
The disciples looked incredulously at their guru. Did he know what was happening to Narendra who was in another room?
After Narendra came back from yoga state he mentally paid obeisance to his guru. Tears of joy were rolling off his eyes. Waves of spiritual fulfillment were washing every cell of his body.
He ran to his guru and stood before him with folded hands in utter gratitude.
Ramakrishna said, “Narendra! Kaali Maa has blessed you the same happiness she had been keeping me blessed with. Remember this experience. For a few days don’t mix up with others and don’t speak to anyone. Cook you own food. You may take rest for some time. Then, go to Kaali Maa and thank her for her kindness to you.”
This Narendra went on to became a famed spiritual leader of India by the name ‘Swami Vivekananda.’
After 1881 Ramakrishna gave the benefit of his spiritual knowledge to streams of faithfuls who kept coming to him without any let up. This went on for four years. Entire Calcutta city appeared to have become devotee of Ramakrishna.
His childlike devotion to Power Supreme spread through entire Bengal and the rest of country.
