Unusual Reflexes

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Dear Friends,

Certain physical and mental changes were noticed in the life of Sri

Ramakrishna. Below I am giving two such changes with an attempt to

explain them on scientific basis. Hope it interests you all.

*

Incidences:

 

a. Reflex recoil on touching a coin

 

In the later life the aversion to gold (representing money and material

possessions) grew to such a great extent that it was not possible for

Sri Ramakrishna to touch any metal. His hand used to get twisted if it

came in contact with some metal. Once Swami Vivekananda wanted to test

the authenticity of this claim. Without anybody's knowledge, he hid a

coin below the bed on which Sri Ramakrishna used to sleep. When Sri

Ramakrishna sat on that bed, he shouted in pain as if electric shock was

applied to his body.

 

b. Reversal of sexual reflexes

 

At one time, during his first four years of sadhana, Rani Rasmani and

Mathur Babu (well-wishers and close associates), thought that Sri

Ramakrishna’s perfect continence was responsible for what they

considered to be his mental derangement and consequent restlessness.

Imagining that he might regain his health if his continence was broken,

they, with the best of intentions, tried to tempt him through some

beautiful harlots with their amorous gestures. Sri Ramakrishna said that

he saw the Divine Mother in those women, and after repeating,

‘Mother, O Mother’, a few times, he lost consciousness. His sex organ

became contracted and entered completely into his body like the limb of

a tortoise.

*

Explanation:

 

Although these phenomena are beyond the grasp of science, an attempt is

made to explain the same.

During the process of evolution the organism develops certain protective

reflexes based on the experiences. It tries to avoid any injurious or

harmful stimulus by withdrawing itself from it. Thus safety and survival

of the species is assured. This applies to human race as well.

In course of time the process of learning to react to obnoxious stimuli

or situation gets naturalized as a " reflex " in the nervous system of the

organism and is then genetically transmitted also.

One reflexively removes ones hand from a burning flame, for it is

injurious and harmful. Similarly, for Sri Ramakrishna, possession of

money and having sexual thought (Kamini and Kanchana, as he used to say)

in any form might have been perceived as harmful to the self and,

therefore, was reflexively avoided.

One can understand the purity of thought, action, and relationship in

the lives of saints on this basis. These reflexes are very highly

evolved reflexes on the evolutionary ladder at which only a few have yet

reached.

 

dr c s shah

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