Narendra's devotion

August 23, 2006

Thanks Chetan for an enchanting explaination of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna's sufferings for His bhaktas. I would like to narrate a little story, though many of us know it already.Yet, to remember the glorious acts of great souls is worth speaking again and again. Narendra (later Swami Vivekananda) was such a courageous heart yet as humble as dust but certainly not comprimising truth for any material gain even not for his own life. He was careless towards his own life, to this Samsara, yet so much filled with immense love for the earthlings that he never felt anguish about any human being. His devotion for His Gurudev Sri Ramakrishna was undescribable. The fact goes like... One day Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar who was treating the ailing Thakur during His last days proclaimed that this disease of throat cancer was incurable and not only that, whoever would roam close to the saint, would run a high risk of getting inflicted

with the same disease thus causing same suffering to his own body. Hearing this, the disciples started discussing what would be done. The room in which they were standing was not big and Thakur was lying in a small bed under which there was bowl of milk kept. This bowl of milk was given to Thakur some time ago, but for his ailing throat would spew out puss and saliva whenever He tried to drink the milk, so the bowl became mixed with them. At this moment, suddenly Narendra entered. He was surprised to see the gathering of the disciple on the other side and asked what the topic of the discussion was. He was readily reported about the Doctor's opinion regarding Thakur's disease and his warning towards other disciples. Narendra hearing this, looked around the room. His eyes fell on the bowl kept under the bed. He sped towards it, picked up and drank the milk in no time. And then without saying anything he left the room. Never the

discussion of the harmful effects of Thakur's disease was repeated among the devotees. and long before this happened, one day Thakur said about Narendra, in his absence, that "I am Narendra's follower. If he stays in the gathering where I am present too, I feel I become filled with power".

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