Sri Ramakrishna and Hriday

[Guest guest]

NAMASTE

 

The following experience is one that I like very much because it gives us a

glimpse of Sri Ramakrishna's real nature and how amazing Sri Ramakrishna's

lila (Divine Play) was. Note: Hriday was the Master's nephew and and his

care-taker.

 

Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master, page 316: One night, Hriday saw the

Master going towards the Panchavati. Thinking that he might require his water

pot and towel, he took them and followed him. As he was going, Hriday had an

extraordinary vision. He saw that the Master was not a human being, that he

was not composed of flesh and blood, that the Panchavati was illumined by the

light coming out of his body, and that while the Master was walking, neither

of his feet, which were also of light, touched the ground but carried him

through the air. Taking all this to be an optical illusion, Hriday rubbed

his eyes again and again, . . . and looked at the Master once more. Although

he saw all other things - trees, creepers, the Ganga, the hut, etc.- to be

what they were, he repeatedly saw the Master in that luminous form.

Extremely amazed at it, Hriday asked himself whether there was any change in

his mind which made him have that experience. Thinking thus, he looked at

his own body and saw that he too was an effulgent being made of light- an

attendant and companion of God Himself serving Him eternally, a part and

parcel of His divine person of solidified spiritual luminosity, now having a

separate existence for the sole purpose of serving Him. When he had this

experience and came to know the mystery of his own life, his heart was

flooded with a strong current of bliss. He forgot himself and forgot the

world, . . . He was now in ecstacy and cried aloud repeatedly like one mad,

" O Ramakrishna! O Ramakrishna! We are not mortal beings. Why are we here?

Come, let us go from country to country and set souls free from bondage! . .

.. "

 

The Master said in later years, " Hearing him cry thus, I said, 'Ah, stop,

stop! Why on earth are you behaving like this?,' . . . I then came hurriedly

to him, touched his heart and said, 'Make the fellow dull and drab again,

Mother'. "

No sooner had the master said so than Hriday's bliss and vision

vanished . . . and he was his former dull self again. . . . His mind was

filled with dejection. " Uncle " , sobbed he, " why did you do this? Why did

you say that I should become dull? I shall never again have such a blissful

vision. " " Did I say, " replied the Master, " that you should forever be dull?

I said, 'Be calm now.' What a noise you made with such a small vision! That

was why I had to say so . . . It is not yet time for you to have such

visions. Now be at rest; when it is time, you will have various visions and

experiences. . . . Have I not told you again and again that you will achieve

everything by serving me? "

 

This story gives us a glimpse of the glory of the Master's Divine Play and

shows us that everything will happen in time with God's grace. It also shows

us that we should have patience. Lord Buddha said, " The greatest prayer is

patience. "

 

Hari Om

 

-Om Lala