Ramakrishna Bhàva, Ramakrishna Sangha and Holy Mother (II)

SWAMI BALABHADRANANDA RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY Ramakrishna Bhàva, Ramakrishna Sangha and Holy Mother (II) SWAMI BALABHADRANANDA Sangha-janani Mother would keep it there whenever she came to know that he had come. Thus she Let us now discuss her unique role as had been serving all in diverse ways, but Sangha-janani or Mother of the always keeping herself in the background. Ramakrishna Order. It has been mentioned Sometimes she would not mind even already that the Sangha was virtually started overruling the judgement of Sri at Dakshineswar quietly and Sarada Devi Ramakrishna for asserting her motherhood. stood behind the curtain as its Mother Once Sri Ramakrishna resented that Holy serving all in silence. Surprisingly, however, Mother had been overfeeding the boys like except one or two intimate disciples of the Baburam (later Swami Premananda) who Master none could see her. Nevertheless, Sri would become monks in future. ‘Who will Ramakrishna, through his wonderful look after them if their future is thus deftness, had set up a subtle but natural bond spoiled?’ asked Sri Ramakrishna. And she between the Holy Mother and his intimate replied firmly, ‘Feeding my children is my disciples who would be sannyasins in future. business. Please do not say anything about And what did Mother do? She accepted it. I shall take care of their future.’ This way them all as members of the Master’s she had been protecting her children with growing spiritual family. So henceforth it her immense spiritual power! Unawares still would be found that whenever Narendra though, she had already entered in her future would come to Dakshineswar and the Master role as the Mother of the Sangha even when would request him to have his meal there, Sri Ramakrishna was in mortal body. which would happen often, the Holy Mother After Sri Ramakrishna passed away we would immediately start preparing thick find Sarada Devi playing the dual role of the chapatis and heavy gram dal, as those were father as well as the mother just as what Narendra’s favourites. Saradaprasanna (later happens in ordinary family life when father Swami Trigunatitananda) would come to suddenly passes away leaving behind his Dakshineswar though his father disliked it. kids. I would draw your attention to a Naturally he would be short of money to significant incident that had taken place bear the expense of share-carriage. So Sri during this period. In July 1890, Swami Ramakrishna instructed him to collect the Vivekananda was about to leave Baranagore fare from ‘Nahabat’ before leaving Math for a peregrination in northern India. Dakshineswar. But Saradaprasanna didn’t Holy Mother was then staying at Ghushuri have to ask anybody for the fare; everyday near where Belur Math is situated now. he would find that someone had already kept Swamiji along with Swami Akhandananda the fare at the doorstep of Nahabat. Holy went to her to seek her blessings and said, 6 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture May 2018 RAMAKRISHNA BHâVA, RAMAKRISHNA SANGHA AND HOLY MOTHER (II) ‘Mother, if I can become a man in the true Again, he said, sense of the term, then only shall I return; Nobody to sympathise with me. Who would else this will be my last farewell.’ Mother sympathise with the imagination of a boy— blessed Swamiji and said, ‘You should not imagination that caused so much suffering say so!’ Then Swamiji said, ‘No, no, by your to others? Who would sympathise with me? grace, I shall soon come back.’ Mother then None—except one [Sri Sarada Devi]. That turned to Akhandananda Swami, who would one’s sympathy brought blessing and accompany Swamiji in his pilgrimage, and hope. Well, that lady [Sri Ramakrishna’s said, ‘I give in your hand everything we wife], was the only one who sympathised 9 have; see that Naren does not suffer for want with the ideas of those boys. of food.’ Mark her word—everything. Sri From these few soul-stirring words of Ramakrishna was not there anymore in gross Swamiji we can guess how Holy Mother form, but his everything was present in gave them support and inspiration and Narendranath. He transmitted his entire steered the course of their lives towards the spiritual treasure to Narendranath before his goal Sri Ramakrishna set for them. The passing away, himself turning, as he said, a situation was so adverse that they could have pauper as though and entrusted him to been easily deluded. But through ceaseless distribute that treasure at home and abroad. prayers and her own spiritual power she Holy Mother knew that. She was fully aware prevented this from happening. That was that in the absence of Sri Ramakrishna, all how this wonderful Ramakrishna Sangha got hopes for the budding Order rested in crystallized. Mother prayed to Sri Swamiji. That is why she gave Ramakrishna: Akhandanandaji this instruction. O Lord, you came, disported with these few Akhandanandaji also remembered the and then went away; should everything end Mother’s advice and wanted therefore to with that? If so, where was the need for your shadow Swamiji always, even at times coming down in the midst of so much ignoring Swamiji’s annoyance. misery? I have seen in Varanasi and After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away, Vrindavan many holy men who get their Holy Mother kept nurturing the fledgling food by begging and shift their stay from the Order with her love and inspiration. She shade of one tree to that of another. There is kept the flame of their renouncing spirit no dearth of holy men of that type. I cannot burning and emboldened them to hold on to bear to see the plight of my sons, who go their resolve to actualize Sri Ramakrishna’s forth in your name, roaming about begging their food. My prayer is that those who leave mission. None could understand at that time the world in your name may never be in the role she was playing. Only Swamiji want of bare subsistence. They will all live sensed it. That is why he said later: together holding to your ideas and ideals; and people afflicted with the sorrows of the We had no friends. Who would listen to a world will resort to them and be solaced by few boys, with their crank notions? hearing about you. That is why you came. Nobody. Just think of it—a dozen boys, My heart aches to see them wandering.10 telling people vast, big ideas, saying they are determined to work these ideals out in life. Here, in her prayer, we hear the Mother Why, everybody laughed. From laughter it uttering exactly the same thing which became serious; it became persecutions. Swamiji later promulgated aphoristically And the more we were derided, the more while fixing the motto of the sannyasins of determined we became.8 the Order—‘âtmano mokshàrtham Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture May 2018 7 SWAMI BALABHADRANANDA jagaddhitàya ca’. That the Ramakrishna the good of them who was till then unable to Sangha has some distinctive characteristic is recognize her as their own mother. A young evident from this motto and Holy Mother’s monk’s case was exactly this. He was not prayer. This Sangha is not exactly like other used to uttering the word ‘mother’ as he traditional monastic organizations which never saw his mother who died either at the enjoin for monks only their own salvation time of his birth or shortly after. But Sarada (àtma-mukti) and leaves no room for jagat Devi sort of impelled him to address her as hita or the welfare of the world. But while ‘mother’, for that will quicken his spiritual only Swamiji and very few of the direct progress. To another monk, at the time of disciples could understand it, some senior initiation, she said: ‘Sri Ramakrishna is your direct disciples like Ramchandra Dutta even Guru as well as Ishta [the Chosen Ideal] and alleged them of deviating from the ideals of I am your mother.’ The monk exclaimed: Sri Ramakrishna, since they upheld the ‘How that is possible? My own mother is at ideals of work and service as parts of home.’ Holy Mother said repeatedly: ‘No, spiritual practice. The Holy Mother never my child, I am your mother.’ When the failed to notice the unique significance with disciple would not believe her, she said at which the Sangha was born and destined to last, ‘Now, look at me and see whether or progress. not I am your mother who lives at your One specialty of Mother’s nature was village home.’ The disciple couldn’t believe this that she was too eager to hear her his eyes! He remained speechless. He found children call her ‘mother’. She wanted even his mother was sitting there in place of the her sannyasin children to do the same, Holy Mother! In this way the Cosmic, though they had left their parents for God’s indivisible Mother appeared as a sake. Can we label this eagerness a desire? fragmentary mother. This she did to make No. This eagerness on her part was not to his spiritual path smooth, for if he could satiate any unfulfilled desire for recognize the Perennial Mother or motherhood. This was for the spiritual well- Mahàmàyà as his real mother, he would being of her children. The Master himself make quick and steady progress in spiritual has said that Mahàmàyà, the great life. Enchantress, who keeps the entire universe Holy Mother has always been standing deluded by Her magic spell, can be behind the fledgling organization. There propitiated easily if She is recognized as were some monks who would sometimes one’s own Mother.

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