Swami Vivekananda: 5

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Swami Vivekananda = Narendra = Narendranath = Naren

Sri Ramakrishna = Master = Thakur

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Swami Vivekananda Part 5

 

The great soul in Narendranath readily recognized the extraordinary

greatness in Sri Ramakrishna in the form of true love for God and great

renunciation. However, his skepticism and logical mind was not ready to

accept the 'powers' manifested in Sri Ramakrishna. He thought that this

'simple insane' Brahmin might be playing tricks with others in the form

of hypnotism or mesmerism. His trance and samadhi were thought to be the

whims and play of mind/psyche rather than divine superconscious states.

In fact Swami Vivekananda postponed his visit to Dakshineswar for about

six months, although he had promised Sri Ramakrishna to visit him soon.

 

But at last the call of Divine was far too powerful for Narendra to

resist anymore. And one afternoon, alone on foot, he started for the

second meeting with his mentor, and would be Guru, Sri Ramakrishna. And

what did he say? He asked, " Sir, have you seen God? " Calmly Sri

Ramakrishna replied, " Yes, I see Him as clearly as one sees an apple

over the palm, nay, even more intently! And not only this, you can also

see Him. " This unusual and most confident answer turned Narendra to more

perplexity and surprise. He had been asking the same question 'Sir, have

you seen God' to many a great religious and noble persons, but he never

got such clear cut answer from any of them. Devendranath Tagore and many

leaders of Brahmo Movement were reluctant to answer his question with

any authority or resoluteness. But today he got the most emphatic answer

in positive!

 

Sri Ramakrishna was sitting all alone. He was very pleased to receive

Narendranath and called him near his tiny bedstead. Sri Ramakrishna went

into a divine mood, and slowly approaching Narendra in a peculiar way

touched his right foot to Narendra's body. Immediately Narendra had a

wonderful experience, which is given in his own words,

" I saw with my eyes open that all the things of the room together with

the walls were rapidly whirling and receding into an unknown region, and

my I-ness together with whole universe was, as it were, going to vanish

in an all devouring great void. I was then overwhelmed with terrible

fear. I knew that the destruction of I-ness was death, so I thought that

death was before me, very near at hand. Unable to control myself, I

cried out loudly, saying, 'ah! What is it you have done to me? I have my

parents, you know.' "

 

Laughing loudly at his words, Sri Ramakrishna touched Narendra's chest

with his hand and said, " Let it then cease now. It need not be done all

at once. It will come to pass in course of time. "

 

Swami Vivekananda was amazed to notice how that extraordinary experience

of his vanished as quickly as it had come! He came to normal state and

saw things inside and outside the room standing still as before.

 

Continued… 6

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