Reminscences of Last living disciple of Sri Ramakrishna(in 1955)

[Guest guest]

MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

By Bhavatarani

The following reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last living

disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the revelation of a

most extraordinary experience, provides us with a unique addition to

the relatively small treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by his

household disciples.

The author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the

marriage of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples—another relative—

Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)

Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later did,

becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in 1915.

According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale and

hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived the

life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk and

bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship and

first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away more

than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.

The following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on July

26, 1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna Ashram.

Swami Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time,

translated them into English from Bengali.

These reminiscenses were published in the September-October, 1968

edition of Vedanta and the West.

Once when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to

our house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my

mother told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother

told him: "Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who took

long in learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It

was the custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he

named me Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.

Then once again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our home

for another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I was.

Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter is

eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a

suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the

person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then said

that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he would

have good luck later on in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is

the Goddess of wealth and an aspect of the Divine Mother.]

One day Upendranath's mother went to visit Thakur at Dakshineswar.

Thakur told her: "Your son must marry this girl." She agreed. Naren

[swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren asked who was to be married.

Thakur gave him the information. Naren was against the marriage

because I was not pretty and too dark-skinned, and asked Thakur to

select another girl for Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a

lucky girl and that Upendranath should accept me, and later he would

be rich. Upen's mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy at

the thought that their son would return home from Dakshineswar,

where he was staying with Thakur, and they would also have a

daughter-in-law.

After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when

the marriage was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said about

my being dark and so forth, and was very angry with him. When he

would visit the house I would not attend to him, and would not take

him nuts and other things to eat. My mother told him that my

unwillingness was due to his objections. Then Naren was very good to

me and consoled me.

When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be kept

indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But my

little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with them

I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking rest

after the meal, and would return just before they finished resting.

However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up. What could I

do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting in our drawing

room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not

notice anything and think that I have been staying with him." Thakur

saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he said, "What

is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do you

think of that?"

I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of my

husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell. It

was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I thought

that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and looked

around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising

sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I

said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form practically

disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called him

again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some

time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.

At my in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me when I

told her about what had happened; they believed it, and my husband

was also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you see

Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at the

time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

bracelet or some other ornament.

When Thakur came to our house again one day, I said to him, "Mother-

in-law told me to ask you to give me a mantra." I sat near him and

said, "Give me a mantra, give me a mantra." You must remember that I

was then only a little girl of eight years. When I insisted, Thakur

said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have you seen

Shiva?"

I said, "Yes."

He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have you

seen Kali?"

I replied, "Yes."

He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have you

seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?"

"In my mother's house," I replied.

He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

like me, then love me."

"Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you do

not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's house."

Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's house

and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it;

otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have nothing

with me now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I understood

that Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you don't

give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."

On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

Years passed. I grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had

happened to him that day when I saw him in the light. My curiosity

had become aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not present

itself. Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one day,

and Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few

days. So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my

question. But I could not talk with Thakur because he was

continually surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go to

the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika [evening worship]. One day

when he was there, I went and sat down in his room, waiting to ask

him my question. On returning from the temple he came in and sat

near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw his form

disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and again,

but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones were

there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap. When I

came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I

said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are you

Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me some

water to drink.

end.

[Guest guest]

Jai Thakur!

> He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

> like me, then love me."

..

..

> On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

> happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

 

 

as far as I know, that's the only time we know of that Ramakrishna

gave a mantra by word of mouth. other times, He would write the mantra

on a devotee's tongue.

 

thank you so much for sharing that gem of a reminiscence with us.

I hadn't heard that about Bhavatarini.

She's not mentioned in Ramakrishna books that I've read.

 

 

Jai Ramakrishna! May you bless us all.

Kumari

 

 

 

, "cvmerani" <cvmerani@r...> wrote:

> MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

> By Bhavatarani

> The following reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last living

> disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the revelation of a

> most extraordinary experience, provides us with a unique addition to

> the relatively small treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by his

> household disciples.

> The author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

> Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

> entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

> Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the

> marriage of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples—another relative—

> Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

> pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)

> Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

> Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later did,

> becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in 1915.

> According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale and

> hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived the

> life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

> leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk and

> bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship and

> first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away more

> than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.

> The following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on July

> 26, 1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna Ashram.

> Swami Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time,

> translated them into English from Bengali.

> These reminiscenses were published in the September-October, 1968

> edition of Vedanta and the West.

> Once when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to

> our house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my

> mother told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother

> told him: "Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who took

> long in learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It

> was the custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he

> named me Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.

> Then once again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our home

> for another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I was.

> Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter is

> eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a

> suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the

> person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then said

> that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he would

> have good luck later on in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is

> the Goddess of wealth and an aspect of the Divine Mother.]

> One day Upendranath's mother went to visit Thakur at Dakshineswar.

> Thakur told her: "Your son must marry this girl." She agreed. Naren

> [swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren asked who was to be married.

> Thakur gave him the information. Naren was against the marriage

> because I was not pretty and too dark-skinned, and asked Thakur to

> select another girl for Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a

> lucky girl and that Upendranath should accept me, and later he would

> be rich. Upen's mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy at

> the thought that their son would return home from Dakshineswar,

> where he was staying with Thakur, and they would also have a

> daughter-in-law.

> After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when

> the marriage was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said about

> my being dark and so forth, and was very angry with him. When he

> would visit the house I would not attend to him, and would not take

> him nuts and other things to eat. My mother told him that my

> unwillingness was due to his objections. Then Naren was very good to

> me and consoled me.

> When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be kept

> indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But my

> little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with them

> I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking rest

> after the meal, and would return just before they finished resting.

> However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up. What could I

> do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting in our drawing

> room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not

> notice anything and think that I have been staying with him." Thakur

> saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he said, "What

> is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do you

> think of that?"

> I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of my

> husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell. It

> was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I thought

> that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

> fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and looked

> around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

> form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising

> sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I

> said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form practically

> disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called him

> again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

> wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some

> time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

> again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.

> At my in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me when I

> told her about what had happened; they believed it, and my husband

> was also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you see

> Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at the

> time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

> bracelet or some other ornament.

> When Thakur came to our house again one day, I said to him, "Mother-

> in-law told me to ask you to give me a mantra." I sat near him and

> said, "Give me a mantra, give me a mantra." You must remember that I

> was then only a little girl of eight years. When I insisted, Thakur

> said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have you seen

> Shiva?"

> I said, "Yes."

> He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have you

> seen Kali?"

> I replied, "Yes."

> He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have you

> seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?"

> "In my mother's house," I replied.

> He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

> like me, then love me."

> "Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you do

> not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's house."

> Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's house

> and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it;

> otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have nothing

> with me now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I understood

> that Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you don't

> give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."

> On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

> happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

> Years passed. I grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had

> happened to him that day when I saw him in the light. My curiosity

> had become aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not present

> itself. Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one day,

> and Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few

> days. So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my

> question. But I could not talk with Thakur because he was

> continually surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go to

> the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika [evening worship]. One day

> when he was there, I went and sat down in his room, waiting to ask

> him my question. On returning from the temple he came in and sat

> near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw his form

> disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and again,

> but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones were

> there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap. When I

> came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I

> said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are you

> Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me some

> water to drink.

> end.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the information

Can you please tell me whether Bhavatarani is still alive today

regards

vikramcvmerani <cvmerani (AT) rocketmail (DOT) com> wrote:

MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNABy BhavataraniThe following

reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last living disciple. Its

touching candor, combined with the revelation of a most extraordinary

experience, provides us with a unique addition to the relatively small

treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by his household disciples.The

author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the marriage

of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples—another

relative—Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)Upendranath was very

poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later did,

becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in

1915.According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale

and hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived

the life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk and

bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship and

first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away more

than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.The following reminiscence

was recorded in Bangalore, India on July 26, 1955 soon after the

evening worship at the Ramakrishna Ashram. Swami Yatiswarananda, who

was head of the Ashrama at that time, translated them into English

from Bengali.These reminiscenses were published in the

September-October, 1968 edition of Vedanta and the West.Once when I

was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to our house for a

meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my mother told the

servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother told him: "Hubi."

("one who speaks late," meaning a child who took long in learning to

speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It was the custom then to

give a girl the name of a flower, but he named me Bhavatarini, after

the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.Then once again when I was eight

years old, Thakur came to our home for another meal. During his stay

he asked my mother how old I was. Mother replied, "Eight years."

Thakur then said, "Your daughter is eight years old: she must marry.

[i.e., betrothed]. I have a suitable party for her." Mother agreed,

and then asked who the person was. Thakur said, "He has little

education." Mother then said that it was no good. However Thakur

insisted, saying that he would have good luck later on in

life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and an

aspect of the Divine Mother.]One day Upendranath's mother went to

visit Thakur at Dakshineswar. Thakur told her: "Your son must marry

this girl." She agreed. Naren [swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren

asked who was to be married. Thakur gave him the information. Naren

was against the marriage because I was not pretty and too

dark-skinned, and asked Thakur to select another girl for

Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a lucky girl and that

Upendranath should accept me, and later he would be rich. Upen's

mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy at the thought that

their son would return home from Dakshineswar, where he was staying

with Thakur, and they would also have a daughter-in-law.After the

marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when the marriage

was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said about my being dark

and so forth,

and was very angry with him. When he would visit the house I would not

attend to him, and would not take him nuts and other things to eat. My

mother told him that my unwillingness was due to his objections. Then

Naren was very good to me and consoled me.When I was in my father's

house, mother said that I should be kept indoors and fed well so that

my complexion might become fair. But my little friends would come and

call me; so in order to play with them I used to slip out of the

house at noon when all were taking rest after the meal, and would

return just before they finished resting. However, one day I was a

bit late, and everyone was up. What could I do? Then I found that

Thakur had come and was sitting in our drawing room. I thought to

myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not notice anything and think

that I have been staying with him." Thakur saw me biting my nails, and

told me to stop it. Then he said, "What is

your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do you think

of that?"I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of

my husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell.

It was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I thought

that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and looked

around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising sun,

and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I said,

"Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form practically

disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called him

again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some time,

the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.At my

in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me when I told

her about what had happened; they believed it, and my husband was

also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you see

Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at the

time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

bracelet or some other ornament.When Thakur came to our house again

one day, I said to him, "Mother-in-law told me to ask you to give me

a mantra." I sat near him and said, "Give me a mantra, give me a

mantra." You must remember that I was then only a little girl of

eight years. When I insisted, Thakur said to me, "All right, I shall

give you one. Have you seen Shiva?" I said, "Yes."He said,

"If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have you seen

Kali?"I replied,

"Yes."He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have

you seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?""In my

mother's house," I replied.He said, "If you like Him, then love Him."

Then he said, "If you like me, then love me.""Yes, I love you," I

replied. "I love you very much; but if you do not give me a mantra I

will not return to my mother-in-law's house." Then Thakur said, "All

right, you go to your mother-in-law's house and ask her what I must

give you. If I have it, I shall give it; otherwise I shall give you

money to buy it with. See, I have nothing with me now." I saw that

his pockets were empty. Then I understood that Thakur had nothing

with him. I told him, however, "If you don't give it to me, I will

not go to mother-in-law's house."On returning to my mother-in-law's

house, I told her what had happened and she was very pleased and

said, "That is the mantra."Years passed. I grew older.

I still wanted to ask Thakur what had happened to him that day when I

saw him in the light. My curiosity had become aroused, but the

opportunity to ask him did not present itself. Finally, my

father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one day, and Thakur asked him

to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few days. So I made up my mind

to seize the opportunity to ask my question. But I could not talk with

Thakur because he was continually surrounded by devotees. In the

evening he used to go to the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika

[evening worship]. One day when he was there, I went and sat down in

his room, waiting to ask him my question. On returning from the

temple he came in and sat near me. But before I could ask him, I

again saw his form disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him,

again and again, but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though

no bones were there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on

his lap.

When I came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I said,

"Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are you

Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me some

water to drink.end.Kind RegardVikram VanamAccount ManagerEdutech

India 2/2, Union Street Off Infantry Road Bangalore, India Tel: +91

80 51123437 Fax: +91 80 51517810 GSM: +91 9845897892

www.edutechindia.com "Enhancing knowledge and skills for success,

lifelong."

Start your day with - make it your home page

[Guest guest]

Hello Vikram,

 

I'm not sure if anyone answered your question about whether

Bhavatarini is still alive.

 

In the article she describes meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and he

entered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so she must be long deceased.

 

She had gone to Benares for her last days, and the belief is that

anyone who dies in Benares attains liberation.

 

 

Om Namah Shivaya,

Kumari

 

 

 

-- In , vikram vanam

<vikram_vanam2005> wrote:

> Hi

>

> Thanks for the information

>

> Can you please tell me whether Bhavatarani is still alive today

>

> regards

> vikram

>

> cvmerani <cvmerani@r...> wrote:

> MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

> By Bhavatarani

> The following reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last living

> disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the revelation of a

> most extraordinary experience, provides us with a unique addition to

> the relatively small treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by his

> household disciples.

> The author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

> Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

> entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

> Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the

> marriage of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples�another relative�

> Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

> pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)

> Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

> Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later did,

> becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in 1915.

> According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale and

> hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived the

> life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

> leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk and

> bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship and

> first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away more

> than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.

> The following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on July

> 26, 1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna Ashram.

> Swami Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time,

> translated them into English from Bengali.

> These reminiscenses were published in the September-October, 1968

> edition of Vedanta and the West.

> Once when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to

> our house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my

> mother told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother

> told him: "Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who took

> long in learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It

> was the custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he

> named me Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.

> Then once again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our home

> for another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I was.

> Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter is

> eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a

> suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the

> person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then said

> that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he would

> have good luck later on in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is

> the Goddess of wealth and an aspect of the Divine Mother.]

> One day Upendranath's mother went to visit Thakur at Dakshineswar.

> Thakur told her: "Your son must marry this girl." She agreed. Naren

> [swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren asked who was to be married.

> Thakur gave him the information. Naren was against the marriage

> because I was not pretty and too dark-skinned, and asked Thakur to

> select another girl for Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a

> lucky girl and that Upendranath should accept me, and later he would

> be rich. Upen's mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy at

> the thought that their son would return home from Dakshineswar,

> where he was staying with Thakur, and they would also have a

> daughter-in-law.

> After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when

> the marriage was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said about

> my being dark and so forth, and was very angry with him. When he

> would visit the house I would not attend to him, and would not take

> him nuts and other things to eat. My mother told him that my

> unwillingness was due to his objections. Then Naren was very good to

> me and consoled me.

> When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be kept

> indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But my

> little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with them

> I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking rest

> after the meal, and would return just before they finished resting.

> However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up. What could I

> do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting in our drawing

> room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not

> notice anything and think that I have been staying with him." Thakur

> saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he said, "What

> is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do you

> think of that?"

> I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of my

> husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell. It

> was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I thought

> that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

> fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and looked

> around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

> form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising

> sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I

> said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form practically

> disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called him

> again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

> wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some

> time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

> again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.

> At my in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me when I

> told her about what had happened; they believed it, and my husband

> was also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you see

> Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at the

> time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

> bracelet or some other ornament.

> When Thakur came to our house again one day, I said to him, "Mother-

> in-law told me to ask you to give me a mantra." I sat near him and

> said, "Give me a mantra, give me a mantra." You must remember that I

> was then only a little girl of eight years. When I insisted, Thakur

> said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have you seen

> Shiva?"

> I said, "Yes."

> He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have you

> seen Kali?"

> I replied, "Yes."

> He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have you

> seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?"

> "In my mother's house," I replied.

> He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

> like me, then love me."

> "Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you do

> not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's house."

> Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's house

> and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it;

> otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have nothing

> with me now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I understood

> that Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you don't

> give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."

> On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

> happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

> Years passed. I grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had

> happened to him that day when I saw him in the light. My curiosity

> had become aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not present

> itself. Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one day,

> and Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few

> days. So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my

> question. But I could not talk with Thakur because he was

> continually surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go to

> the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika [evening worship]. One day

> when he was there, I went and sat down in his room, waiting to ask

> him my question. On returning from the temple he came in and sat

> near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw his form

> disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and again,

> but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones were

> there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap. When I

> came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I

> said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are you

> Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me some

> water to drink.

> end.

 

> Beliefs of hinduism Different religions beliefs Hinduism religion

>

>

>

>

>

> Visit your group "" on the web.

>

>

>

>

> Terms of

Service.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Kind Regard

> Vikram Vanam

> Account Manager

> Edutech India

> 2/2, Union Street

> Off Infantry Road

> Bangalore, India

> Tel: +91 80 51123437

> Fax: +91 80 51517810

> GSM: +91 9845897892

> www.edutechindia.com

> "Enhancing knowledge and skills for success, lifelong."

>

>

> Start your day with - make it your home page

[Guest guest]

It is a very inspiring incident and it makes me to approach Sri Sarada

devi in the same manner since Sri Ramakrishna said that he and the

divine mother are one and the same

regards

vikram ty_maa <ds.james (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote:

Hello Vikram,I'm not sure if anyone answered your question about

whetherBhavatarini is still alive.In the article she describes

meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and heentered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so

she must be long deceased. She had gone to Benares for her last days,

and the belief is thatanyone who dies in Benares attains liberation.Om

Namah Shivaya,Kumari-- In , vikram

vanam<vikram_vanam2005> wrote:> Hi > > Thanks for the

information> > Can you please tell me whether Bhavatarani is still

alive today> > regards> vikram> > cvmerani <cvmerani@r...> wrote:>

MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA> By Bhavatarani> The following

reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his

last living > disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the

revelation of a > most extraordinary experience, provides us with a

unique addition to > the relatively small treasury of writings about

Ramakrishna by his > household disciples.> The author was only a

young girl of eight when she first met Sri > Ramakrishna, but this

meeting and the few to follow changed her > entire life. The mother

of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri > Ramakrishna, and it was

Ramakrishna himself who arranged the > marriage of Bhavatarini to one

of his lay disciples�another relative�> Upendranath Mukherji. (It

was this same Upendranath in whose > pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for

several months.)> Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through

the grace of > Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He

later did, > becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath

died in

1915.> According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still

hale and > hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has

lived the > life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced

age, she > leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some

milk and > bananas, which she takes at night after performing the

worship and > first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son

passed away more > than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.> The

following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on July > 26,

1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna Ashram. > Swami

Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time, > translated

them into English from Bengali.> These reminiscenses were published in

the September-October, 1968 > edition of Vedanta and the West.> Once

when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to > our

house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my > mother

told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother > told him:

"Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who took > long in

learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It > was the

custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he > named me

Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.> Then once

again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our home > for

another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I was. >

Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter is >

eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a >

suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the >

person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then said

> that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he would

> have good luck later on

in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is > the Goddess of wealth and

an aspect of the Divine Mother.]> One day Upendranath's mother went

to visit Thakur at Dakshineswar. > Thakur told her: "Your son must

marry this girl." She agreed. Naren > [swami Vivekananda] was there.

Naren asked who was to be married. > Thakur gave him the information.

Naren was against the marriage > because I was not pretty and too

dark-skinned, and asked Thakur to > select another girl for

Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a > lucky girl and that

Upendranath should accept me, and later he would > be rich. Upen's

mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy at > the thought

that their son would return home from Dakshineswar, > where he was

staying with Thakur, and they would also have a > daughter-in-law.>

After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when >

the marriage was being

fixed, I had heard what Naren had said about > my being dark and so

forth, and was very angry with him. When he > would visit the house I

would not attend to him, and would not take > him nuts and other

things to eat. My mother told him that my > unwillingness was due to

his objections. Then Naren was very good to > me and consoled me.>

When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be kept >

indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But my

> little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with

them > I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking

rest > after the meal, and would return just before they finished

resting. > However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up.

What could I > do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting

in our drawing > room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him,

mother will not >

notice anything and think that I have been staying with him." Thakur >

saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he said, "What >

is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do you >

think of that?"> I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the

guru of my > husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a

sweet smell. It > was the smell of an essence used in worshipping

deities. I thought > that, as Thakur was said by some people to be

God Himself, the > fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to

locate it, and looked > around his ears. While I was very close to

him, suddenly Thakur's > form disappeared in a brilliant light of the

color of the rising > sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow

in that light. I > said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?"

His form practically > disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but

could not. I called

him > again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him >

wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some >

time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly >

again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.> At my

in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me when I > told

her about what had happened; they believed it, and my husband > was

also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you see >

Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at the >

time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a >

bracelet or some other ornament.> When Thakur came to our house again

one day, I said to him, "Mother-> in-law told me to ask you to give me

a mantra." I sat near him and > said, "Give me a mantra, give me a

mantra." You must remember that I > was then only a little girl of

eight years. When I

insisted, Thakur > said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have

you seen > Shiva?" > I said, "Yes."> He said, "If you like

Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have you > seen Kali?"> I

replied, "Yes."> He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he

said, "Have you > seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen

Rama?"> "In my mother's house," I replied.> He said, "If you like

Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you > like me, then love me.">

"Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you do >

not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's house."

> Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's house

> and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it; >

otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have nothing

> with me

now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I understood > that

Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you don't >

give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."> On returning

to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had > happened and she

was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."> Years passed. I

grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had > happened to him

that day when I saw him in the light. My curiosity > had become

aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not present > itself.

Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one day, > and

Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few > days.

So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my > question.

But I could not talk with Thakur because he was > continually

surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go to > the Kali

Temple and attend the aratrika [evening

worship]. One day > when he was there, I went and sat down in his

room, waiting to ask > him my question. On returning from the temple

he came in and sat > near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw

his form > disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and

again, > but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones

were > there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap.

When I > came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I >

said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are you

> Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me some

> water to drink.> end.> > > > > > > > Beliefs of

hinduism Different religions beliefs Hinduism religion > >

> > >

> Visit your group "" on the web.> > To

from this group, send an email to:>

> > Your use of

Groups is subject to the Terms ofService. > > >

> > > > > Kind Regard> Vikram Vanam>

Account Manager> Edutech India > 2/2, Union Street > Off Infantry Road

> Bangalore, India > Tel: +91 80 51123437 > Fax: +91 80 51517810 >

GSM: +91 9845897892 > www.edutechindia.com > "Enhancing knowledge and

skills for success, lifelong."> >

> Start your day with - make

it your home

pageKind RegardVikram VanamAccount ManagerEdutech India 2/2, Union

Street Off Infantry Road Bangalore, India Tel: +91 80 51123437 Fax:

+91 80 51517810 GSM: +91 9845897892 www.edutechindia.com "Enhancing

knowledge and skills for success,

lifelong."Do You

?

 

[Guest guest]

, "ty_maa" <ds.james@c...> wrote:

 

"In the article she describes meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and he

> entered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so she must be long deceased."

 

Jai Maa, Kumari!

Please forgive me, but i must make a correction on the date of Thakur

Sri Ramakrishna's Mahasamadhi. It actually happened in 1886 not 1863.

However, of course, that would still mean that dear Bhavatarini is

[more than likely :<D] no longer in the body.

 

Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Deva!

Your sister,

muktimaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Hello Vikram,

>

> I'm not sure if anyone answered your question about whether

> Bhavatarini is still alive.

>

> In the article she describes meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and he

> entered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so she must be long deceased.

>

> She had gone to Benares for her last days, and the belief is that

> anyone who dies in Benares attains liberation.

>

>

> Om Namah Shivaya,

> Kumari

>

>

>

> -- In , vikram vanam

> <vikram_vanam2005> wrote:

> > Hi

> >

> > Thanks for the information

> >

> > Can you please tell me whether Bhavatarani is still alive today

> >

> > regards

> > vikram

> >

> > cvmerani <cvmerani@r...> wrote:

> > MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

> > By Bhavatarani

> > The following reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last

living

> > disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the revelation of a

> > most extraordinary experience, provides us with a unique addition

to

> > the relatively small treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by

his

> > household disciples.

> > The author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

> > Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

> > entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

> > Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the

> > marriage of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples�another

relative�

> > Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

> > pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)

> > Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

> > Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later

did,

> > becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in

1915.

> > According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale

and

> > hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived

the

> > life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

> > leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk

and

> > bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship

and

> > first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away

more

> > than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.

> > The following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on

July

> > 26, 1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna

Ashram.

> > Swami Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time,

> > translated them into English from Bengali.

> > These reminiscenses were published in the September-October, 1968

> > edition of Vedanta and the West.

> > Once when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to

> > our house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my

> > mother told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother

> > told him: "Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who

took

> > long in learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It

> > was the custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he

> > named me Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.

> > Then once again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our

home

> > for another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I

was.

> > Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter

is

> > eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a

> > suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the

> > person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then

said

> > that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he

would

> > have good luck later on in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is

> > the Goddess of wealth and an aspect of the Divine Mother.]

> > One day Upendranath's mother went to visit Thakur at

Dakshineswar.

> > Thakur told her: "Your son must marry this girl." She agreed.

Naren

> > [swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren asked who was to be married.

> > Thakur gave him the information. Naren was against the marriage

> > because I was not pretty and too dark-skinned, and asked Thakur

to

> > select another girl for Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a

> > lucky girl and that Upendranath should accept me, and later he

would

> > be rich. Upen's mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy

at

> > the thought that their son would return home from Dakshineswar,

> > where he was staying with Thakur, and they would also have a

> > daughter-in-law.

> > After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when

> > the marriage was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said

about

> > my being dark and so forth, and was very angry with him. When he

> > would visit the house I would not attend to him, and would not

take

> > him nuts and other things to eat. My mother told him that my

> > unwillingness was due to his objections. Then Naren was very good

to

> > me and consoled me.

> > When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be

kept

> > indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But

my

> > little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with

them

> > I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking rest

> > after the meal, and would return just before they finished

resting.

> > However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up. What

could I

> > do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting in our

drawing

> > room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not

> > notice anything and think that I have been staying with him."

Thakur

> > saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he

said, "What

> > is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do

you

> > think of that?"

> > I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of my

> > husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell.

It

> > was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I

thought

> > that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

> > fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and

looked

> > around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

> > form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising

> > sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I

> > said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form

practically

> > disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called

him

> > again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

> > wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some

> > time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

> > again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.

> > At my in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me

when I

> > told her about what had happened; they believed it, and my

husband

> > was also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you

see

> > Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at

the

> > time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

> > bracelet or some other ornament.

> > When Thakur came to our house again one day, I said to

him, "Mother-

> > in-law told me to ask you to give me a mantra." I sat near him

and

> > said, "Give me a mantra, give me a mantra." You must remember

that I

> > was then only a little girl of eight years. When I insisted,

Thakur

> > said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have you seen

> > Shiva?"

> > I said, "Yes."

> > He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have

you

> > seen Kali?"

> > I replied, "Yes."

> > He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have

you

> > seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?"

> > "In my mother's house," I replied.

> > He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

> > like me, then love me."

> > "Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you

do

> > not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's

house."

> > Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's

house

> > and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it;

> > otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have

nothing

> > with me now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I

understood

> > that Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you

don't

> > give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."

> > On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

> > happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

> > Years passed. I grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had

> > happened to him that day when I saw him in the light. My

curiosity

> > had become aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not

present

> > itself. Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one

day,

> > and Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few

> > days. So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my

> > question. But I could not talk with Thakur because he was

> > continually surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go

to

> > the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika [evening worship]. One

day

> > when he was there, I went and sat down in his room, waiting to

ask

> > him my question. On returning from the temple he came in and sat

> > near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw his form

> > disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and again,

> > but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones were

> > there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap.

When I

> > came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I

> > said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are

you

> > Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me

some

> > water to drink.

> > end.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Beliefs of hinduism Different religions beliefs Hinduism religion

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Visit your group "" on the web.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Terms of

> Service.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Kind Regard

> > Vikram Vanam

> > Account Manager

> > Edutech India

> > 2/2, Union Street

> > Off Infantry Road

> > Bangalore, India

> > Tel: +91 80 51123437

> > Fax: +91 80 51517810

> > GSM: +91 9845897892

> > www.edutechindia.com

> > "Enhancing knowledge and skills for success, lifelong."

> >

> >

> > Start your day with - make it your home page

[Guest guest]

Jai Maa, Muktimaa! (keen eye)

thanks for the correction on Ramakrishna's Mahasamadhi, 1886.

I cited the birth date, 1863, of Swami Vivekananda; my oversight.

 

 

With Love,

Kumari

 

 

 

 

, "muktimaa" <muktimaa@a...> wrote:

> , "ty_maa" <ds.james@c...> wrote:

>

> "In the article she describes meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and he

> > entered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so she must be long deceased."

>

> Jai Maa, Kumari!

> Please forgive me, but i must make a correction on the date of Thakur

> Sri Ramakrishna's Mahasamadhi. It actually happened in 1886 not 1863.

> However, of course, that would still mean that dear Bhavatarini is

> [more than likely :<D] no longer in the body.

>

> Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Deva!

> Your sister,

> muktimaa

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> > Hello Vikram,

> >

> > I'm not sure if anyone answered your question about whether

> > Bhavatarini is still alive.

> >

> > In the article she describes meeting Ramakrishna at age 8, and he

> > entered Mahasamadhi in 1863, so she must be long deceased.

> >

> > She had gone to Benares for her last days, and the belief is that

> > anyone who dies in Benares attains liberation.

> >

> >

> > Om Namah Shivaya,

> > Kumari

> >

> >

> >

> > -- In , vikram vanam

> > <vikram_vanam2005> wrote:

> > > Hi

> > >

> > > Thanks for the information

> > >

> > > Can you please tell me whether Bhavatarani is still alive today

> > >

> > > regards

> > > vikram

> > >

> > > cvmerani <cvmerani@r...> wrote:

> > > MY REMINISCENCES OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA

> > > By Bhavatarani

> > > The following reminiscence of Sri Ramakrishna is by his last

> living

> > > disciple. Its touching candor, combined with the revelation of a

> > > most extraordinary experience, provides us with a unique addition

> to

> > > the relatively small treasury of writings about Ramakrishna by

> his

> > > household disciples.

> > > The author was only a young girl of eight when she first met Sri

> > > Ramakrishna, but this meeting and the few to follow changed her

> > > entire life. The mother of Bhavatarini was a relative of Sri

> > > Ramakrishna, and it was Ramakrishna himself who arranged the

> > > marriage of Bhavatarini to one of his lay disciples�another

> relative�

> > > Upendranath Mukherji. (It was this same Upendranath in whose

> > > pressroom Latu Maharaj slept for several months.)

> > > Upendranath was very poor, but he hoped that through the grace of

> > > Sri Ramakrishna he would be able to amass a fortune. He later

> did,

> > > becoming a wealthy publisher in Calcutta. Upendranath died in

> 1915.

> > > According the last report, Bhavatarini is in Benares, still hale

> and

> > > hearty at age 94. Since the death of her husband, she has lived

> the

> > > life of a sannyasini [Hindu nun]. Even at this advanced age, she

> > > leads an extremely austere life, her only food being some milk

> and

> > > bananas, which she takes at night after performing the worship

> and

> > > first offering the food to Sri Ramakrishna. Her son passed away

> more

> > > than a decade ago, as well as a grandson.

> > > The following reminiscence was recorded in Bangalore, India on

> July

> > > 26, 1955 soon after the evening worship at the Ramakrishna

> Ashram.

> > > Swami Yatiswarananda, who was head of the Ashrama at that time,

> > > translated them into English from Bengali.

> > > These reminiscenses were published in the September-October, 1968

> > > edition of Vedanta and the West.

> > > Once when I was eight years old, Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) came to

> > > our house for a meal. I was playing around, being naughty, and my

> > > mother told the servant to catch me. Thakur asked my name. Mother

> > > told him: "Hubi." ("one who speaks late," meaning a child who

> took

> > > long in learning to speak.) Thakur wanted to change the name. It

> > > was the custom then to give a girl the name of a flower, but he

> > > named me Bhavatarini, after the Divine Mother at Dakshineswar.

> > > Then once again when I was eight years old, Thakur came to our

> home

> > > for another meal. During his stay he asked my mother how old I

> was.

> > > Mother replied, "Eight years." Thakur then said, "Your daughter

> is

> > > eight years old: she must marry. [i.e., betrothed]. I have a

> > > suitable party for her." Mother agreed, and then asked who the

> > > person was. Thakur said, "He has little education." Mother then

> said

> > > that it was no good. However Thakur insisted, saying that he

> would

> > > have good luck later on in life as I was a "Lakshmi." [Lakshmi is

> > > the Goddess of wealth and an aspect of the Divine Mother.]

> > > One day Upendranath's mother went to visit Thakur at

> Dakshineswar.

> > > Thakur told her: "Your son must marry this girl." She agreed.

> Naren

> > > [swami Vivekananda] was there. Naren asked who was to be married.

> > > Thakur gave him the information. Naren was against the marriage

> > > because I was not pretty and too dark-skinned, and asked Thakur

> to

> > > select another girl for Upendranath. Thakur insisted that I was a

> > > lucky girl and that Upendranath should accept me, and later he

> would

> > > be rich. Upen's mother agreed, and she and her husband were happy

> at

> > > the thought that their son would return home from Dakshineswar,

> > > where he was staying with Thakur, and they would also have a

> > > daughter-in-law.

> > > After the marriage Naren used to visit hour home. Meanwhile, when

> > > the marriage was being fixed, I had heard what Naren had said

> about

> > > my being dark and so forth, and was very angry with him. When he

> > > would visit the house I would not attend to him, and would not

> take

> > > him nuts and other things to eat. My mother told him that my

> > > unwillingness was due to his objections. Then Naren was very good

> to

> > > me and consoled me.

> > > When I was in my father's house, mother said that I should be

> kept

> > > indoors and fed well so that my complexion might become fair. But

> my

> > > little friends would come and call me; so in order to play with

> them

> > > I used to slip out of the house at noon when all were taking rest

> > > after the meal, and would return just before they finished

> resting.

> > > However, one day I was a bit late, and everyone was up. What

> could I

> > > do? Then I found that Thakur had come and was sitting in our

> drawing

> > > room. I thought to myself: "If I sit near him, mother will not

> > > notice anything and think that I have been staying with him."

> Thakur

> > > saw me biting my nails, and told me to stop it. Then he

> said, "What

> > > is your opinion of me? Some say that I am God Himself. What do

> you

> > > think of that?"

> > > I replied, "No, no, no, you are not God; you are the guru of my

> > > husband." Then all of a sudden I began to perceive a sweet smell.

> It

> > > was the smell of an essence used in worshipping deities. I

> thought

> > > that, as Thakur was said by some people to be God Himself, the

> > > fragrance might be coming from him. I tried to locate it, and

> looked

> > > around his ears. While I was very close to him, suddenly Thakur's

> > > form disappeared in a brilliant light of the color of the rising

> > > sun, and his form appeared as a luminous shadow in that light. I

> > > said, "Thakur, Thakur, why are you doing that?" His form

> practically

> > > disappeared. I tried to feel his body, but could not. I called

> him

> > > again and again, but he did not reply; so I sat looking at him

> > > wistfully, I do not know how long this lasted. Then, after some

> > > time, the light faded gradually, and I could see Thakur clearly

> > > again. I called to the others, but nobody seemed to care.

> > > At my in-laws' house, however, my mother-in-law understood me

> when I

> > > told her about what had happened; they believed it, and my

> husband

> > > was also pleased. My mother-in-law told me: "The next time you

> see

> > > Thakur, ask him to give you a mantra." I did not understand at

> the

> > > time what a mantra was, and thought that it was a gift like a

> > > bracelet or some other ornament.

> > > When Thakur came to our house again one day, I said to

> him, "Mother-

> > > in-law told me to ask you to give me a mantra." I sat near him

> and

> > > said, "Give me a mantra, give me a mantra." You must remember

> that I

> > > was then only a little girl of eight years. When I insisted,

> Thakur

> > > said to me, "All right, I shall give you one. Have you seen

> > > Shiva?"

> > > I said, "Yes."

> > > He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Than he asked, "Have

> you

> > > seen Kali?"

> > > I replied, "Yes."

> > > He said, "If you like Her, then love Her." Then he said, "Have

> you

> > > seen Krishna" . . .Rama? . . .Where have you seen Rama?"

> > > "In my mother's house," I replied.

> > > He said, "If you like Him, then love Him." Then he said, "If you

> > > like me, then love me."

> > > "Yes, I love you," I replied. "I love you very much; but if you

> do

> > > not give me a mantra I will not return to my mother-in-law's

> house."

> > > Then Thakur said, "All right, you go to your mother-in-law's

> house

> > > and ask her what I must give you. If I have it, I shall give it;

> > > otherwise I shall give you money to buy it with. See, I have

> nothing

> > > with me now." I saw that his pockets were empty. Then I

> understood

> > > that Thakur had nothing with him. I told him, however, "If you

> don't

> > > give it to me, I will not go to mother-in-law's house."

> > > On returning to my mother-in-law's house, I told her what had

> > > happened and she was very pleased and said, "That is the mantra."

> > > Years passed. I grew older. I still wanted to ask Thakur what had

> > > happened to him that day when I saw him in the light. My

> curiosity

> > > had become aroused, but the opportunity to ask him did not

> present

> > > itself. Finally, my father-in-law took me to Dakshineswar one

> day,

> > > and Thakur asked him to leave me with the Holy Mother for a few

> > > days. So I made up my mind to seize the opportunity to ask my

> > > question. But I could not talk with Thakur because he was

> > > continually surrounded by devotees. In the evening he used to go

> to

> > > the Kali Temple and attend the aratrika [evening worship]. One

> day

> > > when he was there, I went and sat down in his room, waiting to

> ask

> > > him my question. On returning from the temple he came in and sat

> > > near me. But before I could ask him, I again saw his form

> > > disappearing in a blaze of light. I touched him, again and again,

> > > but nothing happened. His body was soft, as though no bones were

> > > there. Then I lost consciousness and my head fell on his lap.

> When I

> > > came to, I found Thakur passing his hand over my back. I

> > > said, "Thakur, Thakur, what are you? Are you Bhagavan [God]? Are

> you

> > > Krishna? Are you Rama? What are you, Thakur?" Then he gave me

> some

> > > water to drink.

> > > end.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Beliefs of hinduism Different religions beliefs Hinduism religion

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Visit your group "" on the web.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Terms of

> > Service.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Kind Regard

> > > Vikram Vanam

> > > Account Manager

> > > Edutech India

> > > 2/2, Union Street

> > > Off Infantry Road

> > > Bangalore, India

> > > Tel: +91 80 51123437

> > > Fax: +91 80 51517810

> > > GSM: +91 9845897892

> > > www.edutechindia.com

> > > "Enhancing knowledge and skills for success, lifelong."

> > >

> > >

> > > Start your day with - make it your home page