Sometimes Ramakrishna would cast away all his clothes and meditate in naked state. Was it a sign of disenchantment with life or the world?
To get him again take interest in life Chandra and Rameshwara thought of getting him married. They could not think of any other way. There was a chance of Ramakrishna becoming a normal young man if he were paired with a good and beautiful girl. The wife might be able to tame Ramakrishna. Chandra searched for a suitable girl. Several matches were tried but the alliance could not be struck due to one reason or other.
Ramakrishna knew about here mother’s worry.
One day he said to her, “Why are you worrying your head over a match for me? Go to Jarayamwati village and ask for Ramachandra Mukhopadhyaya’s house. You will find bride for me there.”
Chandra could not believe it.
Anyway she sent a messenger to that address to investigate. The messenger brought the news that the Mukhopadhyaya household had a six year old girl to offer.
Chandra went there and liked the girl and the match was fixed. On the due date Rameshwara took Ramakrishna to Jayaramwati and the marriage ceremony was gone through. Chandra had no ornaments.
So, she borrowed some from the neighbours and gave them to the bride to put on. The bride was brought home.
Then Ramakrishna was 24 years of age.
Ramakrishna knew that his mother had borrowed the ornaments for the marriage ceremony and were to be returned the very next day.
When the kid bride fell asleep at night he quietly took off the ornaments and handed them to his mother to return to the owners.
In the morning the kid bride was shocked to find her ornaments she had liked so much missing.
She asked Chandra about it. Chandra tried to calm here down by saying, “Don’t worry daughter. My son will get you loads of ornaments.”
During those days the girls were married off in very young age but lived with the parents till old enough to leave for the in-laws’ house. So, the next day, the bride’s uncle arrived. The missing ornaments made him furious. In anger he took away his niece saying that the marriage no more stood good.
It shocked Chandra.
Ramakrishna consoled his mother and assured her that the marriage was valid and the bride would be back. He stayed back for seven more months. His in-laws made no reconciliatory moves.
The financial condition of the family had worsened. He decided to return to Calcutta and pick the threads again. His mother was apprehensive although.
He went to Dakshineshwara and Madhurnath obliged him by reappointing him the priest of the Kaali temple. Ramakrishna again got lost in Kaali Maa devotion and forgot about the mother, wife and the brother. He always wished to vision Kaali Maa and his mind was beamed into her totally.
His chest had again become crimson and he could not sleep at night. It was the old times again.
Ramakrishna began seeing Kaali Maa and the frenzy returned. Chandra got the news that her son was again suffering from the gas diseases.
She became a worried woman.
Meanwhile, one day Ramakrishna was watching the water currents standing on the bank of Ganga.
Suddenly, a boat appeared and it docked in front of him. A beautiful woman in saffron robes stepped out from it. She had her black hair hanging loose on her back. She was in her middle ages.
Ramakrishna was puzzled. The woman came to him and began to sob announcing. “I have been looking for you for a long time.”
She was a Brahmin woman and a Vishnu devotee known as ‘Bhairavi Brahmini’. Bhairavi was expert in several worship and meditation processes. She was looking for a person charged with divine energy. In Ramakrishna she had found him. Ramakrishna’s mind said that the arrival of that woman was an arrangement worked out by the divinity.
Their relation evolved on the lines of the son-mother. One day Ramakrishna asked her, “Many people think that I am a lunatic. Is it true?”
Bhairavi assured, “Do not entertain such doubts. You have reached a certain devotional mental stage which is beyond the scope of the understanding of the common mind.”
Their interaction continued.
So did Ramakrishna’s spiritual evolution. Now he knew that God force was reaching him through Kaali as a medium. Supreme Power was pervading through everyone and everything. In that sense He was manifesting through Kaali to him. The omnipresence of God was the music that echoed in him. The physical reality was getting lost in the infinity of its insignificance.
Bhairavi called the conference of pundits and got Ramakrishna declared as the new incarnation of God.
In 1865, at the end of the year Shri Totapuri arrived at Dakshineshwara. He was a person of huge bulk and always lived totally naked. Totapuri was a fire worshiper occultist.
He came across Ramakrishna who was meditating on the river bank near the temple.
One look at Ramakrishna told Totapuri that the person he was seeing was a spiritualist of some repute. The two interacted. Totapuri was a yoga specialist.
Ramakrishna agreed to become his disciple to learn Samadhi yoga. Totapuri stayed at Dakshineshwara for 11 months and departed.
Even after his departure Ramakrishna kept practising Samadhi yoga for long periods during which he lost touch with his physical reality. He would not eat or talk to anyone. Sometimes he even forgot to answer the call of the natural duties.
All these irregularities led to diseases. Hriday appointed a vaid to treat him.
It took six months for his health to recover.
After the recovery Ramakrishna came into the contact of a Muslim faithful. He decided to try Islam. For a period he stayed away from the temples and idol worship. He adorned Muslim attire and chanted ‘Allah’s’ name. He got so Islamised that he wouldn’t even mind eating beef. It is believed that Ramakrishna visioned a Muslim saint while he lived as true faithful of Islam.
Then, he returned to the faith of his birth.
The rainy season arrived. Fresh water was not available at Dakshineshwara during that season. There was a danger of Ramakrishna catching some water borne disease, being prone to infection as he was. It worried Madhurnath. He suggested to Ramakrishna that he should go to the village.
He agreed to it and reached the village in May, 1867. He had grown very weak. Bhairavi was with him.
In the village Ramakrishna and Bhairvai developed some differences and parted ways.
The former’s kid wife had grown into a 14 years old Shardamani in the mean time. She came to live with her husband. She dutifully accepted Ramakrishna as her husband guide. She was a simple and honest girl.
Ramakrishna had to face a lot of criticism for forsaking her for so many years. But Sharda herself had no complains and served her husband devotedly. Her generous nature won everyone.
One day Ramakrishna said, “I see mother in every woman. For me the same rule applies in your case also. But if you want to drag me into the world of the carnal pleasures I will cooperate because you have the right over me by the rule of marriage.”
Sharda generously told him that he should stick to his rules. She had no demands on him.
After seven months in the village Ramakrishna returned to Dakshineshwara.
1867 was ending.
In the early 1868 Ramakrishna set out with Madhurnath on pilgrimage. They visited Kashi. At Devdhar they saw half naked Santhals starving. At Ramakrishna’s request Madhurnath had to feed all the Santhals.
In 1870, Madhurnath took Ramakrishna along when he went to the rural areas to collect the land revenue. The farmers had faced two year drought and were in financial mess. Upon Ramakrishna’s insistence Madhurnath had to waive off the revenue.
At that point of time several reformist movements were on in India to fight against the social evils. The prominent organisations involved were Arya Samaj. Vedanta, Brahmo Samaj and Radha Swami.
Meanwhile, his nephew Akshay, the son of Ram Kumar had died. He was living with him at the temple as an employee. Ramakrishna got his elder brother Rameshwara take his place.
The nephew was very dear to Ramakrishna. To get away from his memories he went to live in a village for some time and latter returned accompanied by Madhurnath.
Madhuranth was not keeping well. His condition aggravated and he passed away on 16th July, 1871.
In 1875, Ramakrishna met Shambhu Chandra Malik who introduced him to Christianity which he studied devotedly. He delved into Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism also. From every religion he gained the knowledge that they were merely different paths that led to the same God.
Meanwhile, Ramakrishna met several persons. One of them was Brahmo Samaj leader Keshab Chandra Sen. He became a disciple of Ramakrishna after a few interactions. Several other reformers were also very close to Ramakrishna.