Beyond Communisim

Communism is dead, deader than the proverbial Dodo. Along with it, the USSR (and its Super Power status), lies buried in the Christmas snows AD 1991~. The economic theory of State Capitalism today stands
utterly discredited. Eve the 'Commanding Heights' are up for sale all over the world. Only China and Cuba are keeping up the semblance of a fight but sooner, rather than later , these two will have to fall in line. And Communism, a vaunted ideological landmark will probably live on in as a museum piece in that last refuge of lost faiths, India.
2. Why has Communism, once accepted by many knowledgeable and intelligent persons as virtually the 'final truth' crumbled so very suddenly and with such finality? The reasons are many; some of them may be listed listed below:

1. As a faith it was over-dogmatic. Humanity has always had a sneaking suspicion that the 'final truth' is not so easy to achieve and like the ding-en-sich@ of Emmanuel Kant may really be unknowable!. A rigidly dogmatic faith however appealing and vital initially, sooner or later meanders into desert sand and being unable to change course, dries up there.
2. The laboratory experiment of the new faith took place in the wrong country where despotism of a dynastic monarchy was replaced by another - Government of the Party, by the Party and for the Party! It turned out to be much the crueler of the two when the self-appointed protectors of the masses turned as it were in a trice, into their worst ever oppressors and exploiters.
3. The new faith was founded on a wrong understanding of human nature. It ignored the dual nature of man - an economic animal but a God in the making in spirit. That the motive-springs of the Saint in man and the animal are different was over-looked. While economic activity is rooted in combativeness, self-aggrandisement and 'bhoga' or enjoyment, the Saint is motivated by love (of 'thy neighbour' variety) and renunciation or 'tyaga'. It was indeed foolish of the faith to expect that a motive that would activate a Gandhi or a Shaw will also be adequate for the ordinary human-animal. The average, run-of-the-mill animal cannot be expected to keep on doing his best indefinitely for the benefit of the 'more-equal'# animals in the manner of the old work-horse in the Animal Farm! More so, if you have deliberately and ruthlessly suppressed the springs of altruism and have forced every budding saint to seek refuge in the vodka bottle.

3. Do we then treat the passing away of  Communism as an unmixed blessing, a devoutly desired consummation or shed a tear or two and sigh for what might have been?  First let us allay a fear or two.

Does the death by suicide of the Soviet Super Power leave us at the tender mercies of the other Tryanr? Does a Mr. Bush (or his successor who may make us quail!$) decide for every country every little thing on pain of being electronicuted% a la Iraq? That would indeed be terrible, for Mr. Bush's New World Order may be just another name for Pan-Americana.

Luckily for humanity at large, the menacing shadow of American 'arms' is only a passing one. The muscles of American 'arms' will cease to flex soon enough with the rapid decline of the once almighty dollar. You can actually see he prospective supplanters^ waiting in the wing willing, and able to to pounce on the aging giant.The real danger for humanity is in the revival of Nazism in Germany and the unrestricted growth of fundamentalism in oil-rich Islamic countries or the ganging up of the yellow nations&. Actually, humanity should hope that the aging giant hold aloft the 'star spangled banner' for long enough for Man to undergo the sea-change which will make international strifes entirely redundant and irrelevant.

4. Now about the tears. That the aim of Communism, a classless society providing justice and equality for all is (and was) highly laudable no one will gainsay. Again, the cry for social justice did not originate in the bosom of Communism and it shall not cease to be heard merely because Communism has called quits! Even in the modern European context demands for Liberty and Equality were very much in the forefront of the French Revolution! That demand - for social justice - had been voiced much earlier by Buddha and Christ and the demand is not going to evaporate merely because one experiment to try and arrange it has come to a premature and ignominious end. Man has always clothed his Maker with the virtues of Charity (daya) and mercy (karuna). Whether or not there is  a Maker and , f so, what His qualities are may be questioned but that these are basic human virtues will be generally accepted.

5. The void created by the sudden demise of Communism must, therefore be filled up and the sooner that is done, the better. Any delay may usher in a new dark age which, backed by modern scientific power may be a thousand times more oppressive than anything experienced bu humnaity so far, the barbrism of the Monghols and Huns not excluded. Who or what shall fill the void, then?

6. Some possibilities are:

• Spread, throughout the world, of Islamic egalitarianism. Maybe voluntary or by the threat of nuclear annihilation. Pan-Islamism with the backing of Petro-dollars and of nuclear arms is a distinct possibility as the break up of the Soviet Union  has created at least one Islamic nuclear state. Other Islamic countries are not only veering towards fundamentalism but are also mad about the Islamic Bomb.
• A strong Christian revival with simultaneous emphasis on maximum use of the 'talents'* entrusted to man by his Maker on the one hand and sharing of the surplus produce (the Biblical coat'+) on a purely voluntary basis, on the other.
• A conscious and deliberate adoption by the rulers of every country of the 'trusteeship' principle advocated by Gandhiji along with the Christian vow of poverty. This in a sense is the Socratic or, if you prefer, the Platonic prescription of Philosopher Kings**. This may not be as absurd as it may appear at first glance. We have seen in Indian history how power (i.e., authority to legislate and adjudicate) could be divorced from weaponry ( of the Kshtriyas) or money (of the Vysyas) and held by a group (the Brahmins) which preached and practised the twin 'dharmas' of love of knowledge and self-imposed poverty. India has also seen how in various tribal groups, still surviving in isolated pockets (in North East India for example) property like land and forest could for centuries be owned by the community as a whole. The assets could be put to productive use by the individuals only to the extent authorised by the 'elders'! There was also sufficient production to meet the minimum needs of all and distribution was equitable. This miracle was achieved by keeping the needs down to the essential minimum and by separating the off-springs from the parents as soon as the child was weaned. Thereafter, his or her upkeep, training etc., were the responsibility of the village. It was hence unnecessary for anyone to accumulate for the next generation. Similarly, the old or the infirm were taken care of by the village and it was not necessary to build up a personal nest egg for the rainy days of old age or illness.

7. Any perceptive observer of current events would have noticed the stirrings of an Islamic revival, particularly in Africa and Asia. Though overshadowed just now by ethnic, linguistic and economic differences and disparities, a Pan Islamic movement is very much on the cards. A religious revival in the Christian world must follow the routing of the anti-Christ-Communism in Europe. There are also signs that the internal divisions within Christendom may be ironed out restoring Christianity to the preeminent position it once held as the harbinger of civilization. Gandhiji's ideas will also have many new votaries, now that the dangers of over industrialization and its impacts on the environment are becoming obvious. But, it does not seem likely that Christ, Mohammad or Gandhi will adequately fill the void left behind by Marx. we may have to look elsewhere for a superior idea that can enthuse humanity to move into a New World Order as we step into the 21st Century. The reasons for looking elsewhere, very briefly, are:

• Pan-Islamism: Islam, in spite of its egalitarianism suffers from the same over-dogmatism that killed Communism. Its intolerance of other faiths apart from its internal humanity. Should it mellow down to a bolder faith of universal love eschewing its hatred for the 'non-believers may be at some future date its egalitarianism will build up a brotherhood of man. But not just now.
• Christian Love: This has had a long innings of about 2000 years and while it has done quite a lot of good. by spreading world wide a very highly ethical theory, it has lost a lot of its vitality on account of internal dissensions. The Christian world is ripe for a change but the wisdom of Christ will have to appear in a new garb, shorn off theological dogma, before Christ can unify first Christendom and then the rest of the world.
• Philosopher Kings: However much we may hanker after selfless (therefore, celibate) rulers and their obedient subjects who love high thinking so much that they accept simple living with a smile, the days of self-contained and self-sustained village economies are over. It will also be impossible to put back the clock of consumerism. A society used to the ease of micro wave ovens, deep-freeze storage and machines that do the washing and has been reared up on instant entertainment via TV and video, will not, cannot, go back to the primitive living of the pre-Second World War days. Even the knowledge that we are moving towards an ecological disaster which may very well terminate mans very existence on Earth, will not make man give up the fruits of the Forbidden Tree.

9. No, mans ability to find and found a New World Order where the more-gifted (individual or nation) will suo-moto share the surplus with the deprived, the handicapped and the backward brethren, will have to be based on an Idea superior to Communism and which will use rather than, abjure the acceleration in the growth of man's knowledge of and power over nature. How nice - and very much more effective- would 'Christian Love' be if it were based on knowledge of the here-and-now world instead about faith about the other world.

10. Humanity must, therefore, quickly move towards that knowledge which will provide an unshakeable basis for a really egalitarian society. The Christian - and its Islamic off-shoot- hope for equality in the belief that we are the 'sons of the same father' has not materialised firstly because the daughters have been ignored and secondly because, in real life, brothers have been the greatest enemies of each other., particularly when it came to sharing the patrimony. What is required is the universal awarness that like the same electricity lighting up the different bulbs in the house, we are all repositories of the same self or 'atman'. In a general, intellectual way, this is known already. It is the realised souls, the arrant 'adhikarika Purusha' who knows this for a certainty having experienced this identity. This knowledge will have to be made the 'common currency' and in the words of Swami Vivekananda, " The Vedanta once kept hidden in the forest would have to be exposed to the day light of our dwelling places". The practical way of doing that would be to see each human being as the embodiment of the divine. Again, to quote Swami Vivekananda: " I do not know of any God other than the sum total of all human souls". Once this is accepted, the objective of each human existence will be (i) the realisation of the God that is in him and (ii) to serve all other humans as God. "Sarve Jiva as Shiva" as Shri Ramakrishna said.

If all of us could do this, there is no strife and sharing ceases to be a sacrifice. This realization, this acceptance of the Idea "Jiva is Shiva" will redeem humanity and also perhaps bring in the 'GNOSTIC BEING' whose arrival has been predicted by Shri Aurobindo!!.


FOOT NOTES:
~ Gorbachev resigned on Christmas Day, 1991
@ Thing-in-itself, expression to denote the ultimate 'substance, in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
# Expression coined by George Orwell in his famous 'Critique' of Communism - Animal Farm
$ Dan Quayle is the present Vice President of USA and likely to be Bush's running mate for the next election also. Quayle has the reputation of being an eccentric
% Electronic and electricuted
^ Japan and Germany
& Japan, China & Korea, Mongolia will indeed be am irresistible force. Vivekananda did predict that the whole of Europe, not excluding Great Britain, will be under Chinese occupation - mercifully about 900 years from now.
* Talent was the highest valued (gold) coin in circulation during Christ's time. One of his parables was about the non-use of 'talent' entrusted by the master to his servants. John Milton makes a telling use of the word in his poem - 'On his Blindness' - '..that one talent which is death to hide..."
+ Mathew 5(40): 'If any man take away thy coat let him have thy cloak also;"
** Plato's Republic
!! Life divine, Book II Chapter 27

The Saint of the Century

All worthwhile literature is essentially autobiographical, whether it is a Kathamrita or the Autobiography of an  Yogi. I shall therefore start with myself, though the object is to meditate on the Saint of the Century and her special kripa for a person known to me.

The Saint I met briefly, once only, at Bombay in 1981, when I was posted there as the Chief Executive of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission. The " Specially Blessed" person, I met at remote Kohima in 1971, when I was working as the Finance Secretary, on deputation to the Government of Nagaland, and where Binod Kumar had just joined as an IAS probationer. Young, handsome, and a bridge addict, Binod became a favorite of the Ganguly family which at that time (and place) consisted of self ( Ram Krishna), wife (Rekha) and the younger daughter (Ranjana) the son (Ananda) and the elder daughter (Ratna) being away in Delhi studying for their B.A. degree. Ranjana was then only a kid, going to the Little Flower School in Kohima run by Christian Missionaries. But, Ranjana had already picked up the rudiments of the game (of bridge) and was willing, and able, to be a fourth when we had but three regulars at the table. In a manner of speaking, Binod was my disciple as, I believe, I did teach him some of the finer points of the game. That he later became an expert and played in the Nationals, does not mean that he had  nothing to learn when the young Binod came to Kohima to become our adopted son. A bachelor, he was born a Bihari but studied in Calcutta and could read, write and speak better Bengali than my born-Bengali children! A strict vegetarian, he also preferred our simple Bengali style meals to what was available at the Naga Government guest house he lived in. So, he was a frequent - and welcome- guest at our dining table, too.

We parted from Kohima (and Binod) in 1974 at the end of my period of deputation to the State Government. Thereafter we lived at Lucknow, Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Dehra Dun, Delhi and Hyderabad, in that order. And at each place Binod had visited us, at times making a detour to do so. During this long association of over twenty five years Binod has given us many gifts and favours, but the most precious one was a letter of introduction to the Saint of the Century, Ma Anandamoyee. Ma had come to Bombay in January 1981. Binod informed us of the fact, gave us the address where Ma would be staying and also a letter to Hansa Didi, introducing us as 'his people'. This Didi, like the better known Gurupriya Didi, had the great privilege of rendering personal service to Ma. Rekha and I hoped to make a quick trip to the address in the morning before my office (in the KVIC) opened at 10. Arriving at the place we found it to be a very affluent person's bungalow with garden, lawn etc.; A long line of cars was already parked outside. There was also a 'queue' of devotees spilling out of the garden on to the road. If we took our turn at the 'queue' , we would never make it to Ma's presence. in the hour's time that I had before my office opened. I would have to give up either Ma or the office! Rekha said: " Why not look for Hansa Didi? and ask for help?" So, abandoning my place at the queue, I went in search of Binod's Didi and ran her to earth just outside the room where Ma was giving darshan to the devotees. I handed over Binod's letter and after a glance at it Didi went into the room where Ma was. I could nit hear what Didi said to Ma, but Ma's voice was loud and clear: "Binod has sent them! Binod! send them in".

Thus we jumped the queue and had immediate darshan of Ma. Ma was all kindness and we got, in addition to prasad, a set of books each, wrapped in a 'gerua' coloured handkerchief. For Rekha, who was fully at ease, the darshan was satisfactory. But I heard Ma's voice and saw her feet, but just could not lift my eyes to see her face. I never got another chance to do so for Ma gave up her body soon after , in 1982, at Dehra Dun, which place we reached only in 1987 to see Ma's Ashram there and other places linked to her memory but not Ma herself.

It would not be correct to infer from what I have said above that it was Binod who introduced me to Ma. Peripherally, I had been in touch with Ma from the time I was about 8 years old. In those days - 1933- recording of voices was rather primitive and gramophones needed frequent manual cranking. On one such primitive device I had heard a sweetly entrancing voice singing a Shiva stotrum and a Guru Bandana along with a few other songs which I do not now recollect. The young lead voice was of Ma Anandamoyee. Though Shri Ramakrishna's name was known to me, I did not at that time know that the guru bandana was addressed to the Paramhansa by a devotee of his named Devendranath Mazumdar. In a sense, therefore, it was Ma Anandamoyee who intrduced me to Shri Ramakrishna as well as to herself!

I have also heard that before my birth (1925) my father had mysteriously met Ma when he, a civil servant, was traveling by boat on Government duty in rural East Bengal. It was after dusk when he realised that he would not be able to reach in time the town where he had planned to put up for the night at a Dak Bunglow. He therefore asked the boatmen to moor the boat at the next village on the river bank. Both the boatmen were Muslims and there was no question of his sharing the frugal meal that they were cooking for themselves. He had just had his bed spread on the boat deck and was preparing to lie down for the night, when a couple of men carrying lanterns in their hands approached the ghat were the boat was moored and enquired whether there was in the boat a Brahmin person who had not had any food that night. My father pleaded guilty to being a brahmin and confessed that he would have to fast for the night. On learning this, the two villagers invited father to accompany them to a house in the village where the housewife had already cooked a meal for the fasting brahmin whose arrival was anticipated Yes, Ma Anandamoyee was the housewife!

Biswanath Ganguly, a first cousin, provides the next link with Ma. Biswa, a few months younger to me, was my uncle's only son and my aunt, Biswa's mother, was the daughter of Kunja Mohan Mukherjee at whose Benares residence Ma stayed a number of times. Before her first visit in 1927 Kunja Babu had seen her in a dream and right from the beginning he was convinced of Ma's divinity. It was also in Kunja Babu's house that Gopinath Kaviraj had Ma's first darshan. Incidentally, Gurupriya Didi whose diary provides  bulk of the information about Ma's early life was Kunja Babu's brother's daughter and therefore Bishwanath's aunty.

Biswanath never married and therefore had enough time to remain in touch with all his cousin's, including me.  I learned many things from him and I am fully convinced that after losing his Dehatma Buddhi he had voluntarily given up his body at Mother Ganga in Haridwar. 

I have also been closely associated with several devotees and disciples of Ma of whom I would mention the two who have given me some insight into Ma's famous ' Kheyal' . The first is one B.G. Ghosal who has worked with me in two different offices in Calcutta. His first hand experience narrated to me was of a not-so-affluent lady who had come to meet Ma at the Benares Ashrama with only a humble guava as an offering Understandably, some of those who surrounded Ma had value judgements which did not match Ma's.  The guava was unceremoniously cast aside. When the time came for Ma's lunch, she was fed the few usual morsels of food and the plate was kept aside. Unexpectedly, Ma said she had not finished and asked, yes, for the guava which her devotee had brought! Only a thorough search produced the offered guava. Ma had a bite and declared that now her meal was complete. In Ma's eyes, it is the devotion and not the price of the offering that counted.

The other devotee, Dr. Niranjan Chakravorty of Delhi University's Bengali Faculty, is one of the few disciples who had been given deeksha by Ma herself. He has narrated to me several incidents which had made it clear to him that Ma always knew the inner workings of the devotees mind and her 'Kheyal" was 'Aghathana ghathana Patiyast '.

I shall now give free rein to my fancy and speculate who, Buddha-like, reincarnated as Ma in village Kheora in Tripura in 1896.

In the recent past, say the last 150 years, only about half a dozen men (or women) of God have made their presence felt on the other side of the Padma, the river that divides East from West Bengal. Of these four names are generally known. These in the order of seniority in age are:-

1. Lokenath Brahmachari, also known as the Brahmachari of Barodi

2. Ram Chandra Chakrabroty ( better known as Ram Thakur)

3. Bejoy Krishna Goswami

and 4. Nirmala Sundari Bhattacharya ( known to the world as Ma Anandamoyee)

Lokenath Brahmachari was born in Shanthipur in West Bengal in 1731 and spent the last years of his life in Barodi village near Dhaka. He died in 1891 at the age of 160! 

Ram Chandra Chakraborty was born in Faridpur District, adjacent to Dhaka, in 1859 and died in Noakhali, East Bengal, in1949. 

Bejoy Krishna Goswami was born in Shantipur, in West Bengal, in 1842, but he lived the fulfilling years of his life in Dhaka and died in 1900 (at Puri).

Nirmala Sundari was born in Tippera, in 1896 and spent the formative years of her life in East Bengal (including several years in Dhaka) She died in Dehra Dun in 1982.

Some tidbits:

1. Ram Chandra and Nirmala had met at least twice. On both occasions there was no conversation. The two just sat together for a while and parted. On one occasion Ram did shastanga pranam as if she were the senior. 

2. Lokenath was Bejoy Krishna's great grandfather's brother. He was residing in Baradi, incognito, as an ordinary person for many years before Bejoy Krishna met him and announced both his great age and yogic greatness. After this Lokenath got public acclaim. Lokenath and Bejoy Krishna trace their ancestry to Advaita Prabhu a Parsada of Lord Chaitanya. 

3. Ram Chandra and Nirmala were greatly admired by the scholar Gopinath Kaviraj who wrote about them both. Gopinath Kaviraj participated in many of the activities organised under Nirmala's direction and considered Ma as a divine being. He was, however, not a disciple, his guru being Swami Bisuddhananda who has mentioned in the famous Autobiography of Paramahnsa Yogananda.

4. Lokenath was the preceptor of Jyothi Basu's father who hailed from Baradi village. 

5.Bejoy Krishna was a contemporary of Shri Ramakrishna and figures very prominently in the Kathamrita. The diary kept by Bejoy Krishna's disciple Kuladananda Brahmachari recording many acts and instructions of the guru published in Book form is an unique record of the day to day life of a Saint. 

I now conclude this section with a free translation of a portion of the conversation between brjoy Krishna and Kuladananda which took place after the news of the death of Lokenath reached the Gendria Ashrama of Bejoy krishna ( in Asadha 1293 B.S); 

Question:( By Kuladananda): Will the Brahmachari take birth again?

Answer (By Bejoy Krishna): Yes, he has work to complete. He will very soon take birth retaining full       awareness comparable to that of Buddha.

Bejoy Krishna said this in 1891. Who were the great souls born in that decade? 

Ma Anandamoyee is one, born in 1896. Paramhansa Yogananda is the other born in 1893. 

Ma was born in East Bengal, but Yogananda in Calcutta in West Bengal.

Reminiscences of A Granny

I begin the story of my life at the end, with the coming of the grandchildren ( G C's). They came in a rush, eight of them, over a ten year period, from February 1978 to August 1988. Those were, for me, the years of fulfillment. After that, the twelve years of slow decline have brought me to near senility and invalid isolation. Y2K finds me, after 50 years of married life, mostly in bed, dependent on my husband, Ram, for care, company, and comfort. I have endless time on my hands, to ruminate on the years gone by, when I also stood and served!

Yes, I have eight Grandchildren, and they are all really G-R-A-N-D ! How they will shape up as adults I do not know and don't really care. Seven of them came as little bundles of un-alloyed joy; Yes, they are girls. The only boy in the pack is a bundle of energy, difficult to manage and impossible to guide! The first G C to arrive, far away from Calcutta, in distant Hamburg and me, was Ratna and Prakash's first child. Ratna was my first born. Christened Deepa, this child became my very own for almost two and a half years. Prakash's first posting abroad was in Germany and Ratna accompanied him taking furlough from her own job with the Railways. They returned to India with Deepa added to the baggage. She had to be shed, as Ratna and Prakash were 'working parents', working, not as parents, but in their respective offices in Delhi! So, they landed in Bombay first, where we had moved on Ram's posting as Executive head of the KVIC. Ram's 10 to 5 job was at Vile Parle and my 24 hour one at out flat in Santa Cruz. 

My first sight of Deepa was of a very fair complexioned, plump-ish baby, sitting in a push chair, sucking on her soother, as if she was monarch of all she surveyed. One exchange of glances and the tiny arms were outstretched towards me. What a happiness it was to hold that bundle of joy in my arms! Prakash and Ratna were relieved that their Deepa and her Din Din had taken to each other with such obvious relish. After Deepa's advent my name was changed from 'o go' - Bengali for 'hey you', to Didima - Bengali for grandma - and then to Din Din - Deepanese for Didima. Similarly, Ranjana, my youngest child and second daughter, who had not yet shed our company, became Gum Gum and even in Y2K sports that title to a select band. 

Gum Gum was busy preparing for the Civil Service exams, and Ram's office though technically from 10 to 5, kept him busy with, and immersed in, files almost all the time. Did KVIC produce Khadi or files, I wondered! However, that left Deepa almost exclusively to my care. I can therefore take credit for Deepa's early mastery over idiomatic Bengali and her ability to recite in melodious tunes many Sanskrit verses. For some unexplained reason she always smiled a sweet but sad smile whenever I sang the line in praise of Hanumanji when he alleviates Sita's misery. If Sita made her sad, Radha made Deepa pine for Krishna. We had a long-playing record of beautifully sung verses in Bengali recounting the lover's tiff between Radha and Krishna on account of another girl ( Chandrabali) and the subsequent reconciliation. Deepa never tired of that record. She used to re-tell the story too, adding some touches of her own. Of course she was Radha and I had generally to play Chandrabali's role! At times I was promoted to the role of Yashoda! 

Deepa was a great one for wetting her bed, too. The shameless hussy would run to me, often in obvious glee, reporting one more pool on the floor caused by her. She invariably referred to these pools as 'hish' imagine our surprise when we took her to the beach for the first time: she immediately named the sea the 'Big Hish'! 

Deepa became Ram's special darling when she taught him a nice lesson. Though he pretends to be strong and self reliant, Ram behaves like a baby whenever he falls sick or feels even slightly unwell. We are devotees of Shri Ramakrishna and Ram therefore appeals to him to cure all his ills. One day he had been prevented from going to office by a bad cold and slight fever. As was his wont, he was appealing to Thakur, Shri Ramakrishna, quite frequently. Little Deepa, with the accumulated wisdom of two full years, went to him and admonished him in  a very stern voice, " Dadu, don't disturb Thakur"! That had the desired effect and the Doctor was promptly sent for. I believe that also considerably reduced the number of appeals to God for redressal of our petty grievances!

Gum Gum also had a lesson in simple maths. Dinner that night was egg curry and rice. Four eggs had been cooked along with potatoes, in a thick gravy. Deepa wanted to grab all the eggs.

Gum Gum, who till Deepa's arrival, had been the baby of the family, naturally protested. Deepa's classic rejoinder was: " This one is mine; Din Din always gives me hers Dadu has an upset stomach and should not eat any egg tonight. So all I want is one more egg and even that you want to deny me!"

Once Deepa gladdened my heart when she shouted back at her Dadu who is famous for his temper, " I don't know why"  she shouted, " I love this awful man when all he does is shout at me, gesticulating with his hands too." This echoed my feelings to perfection. She also pleaded with her Dadu on my behalf: " Dadu you must not shout at Din Din. She gives me so much milk and you so much horlicks! "

Our flat at Santa Cruz was within walking distance of the Ramakrishna Mission Temple at Khar. putting Deepa in her push chair, we used to take her to the Temple very often. Before leaving the Temple, she would invariably shout, "Thakur, come Bombay". Bombay for Deepa meant the Saket complex where we stayed. May be Thakur is still with us because of those fervent appeals. 

Deepa was normally quite cheerful and was very popular with the neighbors. Particularly so with the family next door, the Tendulkar's (no relation of Sachin's). She used to exchange conversation with the Tendulkar boy and girl, balcony to balcony, as if they were her own age! (both were going to college at that time) Two other adult visitors to the flat who fell heavily for Deepa were Kishore and Jit. Kishore was the computer whiz kid, working in Air India and involved with their computerization. Ram's first cousin - twice- over's son, this Calcutta boy was lonely in Bombay. He initially came, I suspect, for Ranjana's company. He also missed his macher jhol bhat and hugely enjoyed the ilish maach I invariably prepared when he was expected. Ram Kishore's addiction of cricket, and I was flattered by the relish with which he demolished what ever I cooked. When Deepa arrived he promptly shifted his allegiance to Deepa. who also became very fond of her Kishore Mama. But instead of calling him Kishore Mama which any self-respecting half-Bengali girl would normally do, she christened him 'Keo Kanko'. Keo was Deepanese foe Kishore but why the kanko? I suspect it was Deepanese for Kanjilal, Kishore's surname. The name embarrassed Kishore no end, for 'kanko' was also Deepanese for a bare body, lacking clothes altogether! Jit was Ram's and mine college days friend Arun's

son, studying at TIFR. Arun was rather close to Ram and often ferried letters to me at the Post Graduate Ladies Hostel on Harrison Road. Jit was another lonely Calcutta boy in Bombay. And I have no doubt he came more for the youthful company than the Bengali style food. However, once Deepa came on the scene Jit also changed his allegiance. He used to carry Deepa, quite a heavy weight already, on his shoulders all the way from Santa Cruz to Juhu beach. Taxis were for the return journey only. Jit passed out with distinction from TIFR and was in the vanguard of what is now called the IT revolution. I am sure he is happy with his specialist work in Singapore where he settled down looking for pastures greener that what India could provide. Both these kids, Kishore and Jit, had brains bulging at their back. Deepa is yet to prove that she deserved all the admiration showered on her.

If I have give am impression that Ratna Prakash, I should say Ratna and Prakash neglected Deepa, I am wrong. They were a loving set of parents and came over to Bombay as frequently as they could, making some use of the railway pass facilities Ratna enjoyed. Ram also used to visit Delhi often for his official work, and Deepa accompanied him once in a while. These temporary reunions followed by speedy separations had a very bad effect on Deepa's psyche. At times waking up at midnight Deepa would ask to be taken to Delhi immediately! Ram had to perambulate with Deepa in his arms for long spells before the child quietened down.

These  frequent partings made Deepa  quite philosophic too. When I took Deepa (in 1981) to Delhi, intending to leave her there in the care of an Ayah and God, I was apprehensive that Deepa would pine over much, if not for me then for darling Dadu. I therefore tried to prepare her for the parting by telling her that there might not be a return visit after we had left for Bombay this time. The child's response was unexpected. She started consoling me! " Look Din Din", She said, " Everyone has to go." Was God telling me through this child that all worldly relationships are but temporary and partings inevitable?

Miracles...concluded

RAKHAL

7. After two stories where devotees were blest by being denied food, it is time to listen to one where a meal had to be arranged by the Master, long after he had moved to the 'other room' to pacify his spiritual son and another beloved child of his. They were Rakhal and Harinath whose monastic names were Swami Brahamananda and Turiyananada., respectively. For a proper appreciation of the story one should know that Rakhal Maharaj was born in an affluent family with lots of landed properties. So, if he had stuck to the worldly life, whatever else he might have missed, it would not have been two square meals a day! 

When this story unfolds the two of them, Rakhal and Harinath, were roaming around together, visiting various holy places and performing the most austere sadhana. The Master had passed away about ten years earlier in 1886 and Swamiji had also left on his world-conferring mission to America. Rakhal Maharaj was so fully absorbed in his sadhana that he devoted no time for anything else and it was left to Turiyananda to do madhukari ( begging for food) for both. Rakhal Maharj's detachment knew no bounds and he was satisfied with whatever food could be obtained. Even dry bread dipped in water, for days together was accepted cheerfully without ever a complaint. It was Turiyananda who used to feel miserable, thinking, "He whom the Master used ti feed 'ksheer and noni' with such loving care should be offered only dry bread by me!"

Matters became even worse when in the course of the wanderings they came to Ayodhya, the holy city of Ramachandra. For, while they enjoyed the celebrations connected with 'Dulan Purnima' the hardship about food became more severe as Ayodhya was in the grip of a famine. On the Ekadasi day following the Dulan Purnima, all that Hari Maharaj could procure were a few pieces of boiled arum ( arbi) The two brothers sat down to make meal out of them but discovered almost immediately that the arums were of the wrong variety which causes severe irritation to the throat followed by swelling and pain. The 'meal' had to be discontinued almost before it had begun and Turiyananda, who was in considerable pain himself ,rushed out in search of the antidote, i.e a sour lemon. He searched for and located a garden full of lemon plants, but devoid of any lemons, as it was the off season for the fruits. He appealed to the labourers working in the garden but they regretted that no lemons would be available. Disappointed, he was about to retrace his steps, when he saw one, solitary, lemon ripening on a plant. This surprised the labourers also who gladly plucked it and handed it over saying "It is your good fortunate that has produced one!  take it."

After sucking the lemon Rakhal Maharaj felt some relief from the pain but the swelling continued. The discomfort in the throat coupled with the acute hunger in the stomach taxed the patience of even a Brahmananda to the limit and in a sudden pique he complained to Thakur, " If you cannot  arrange for even a daily morsel of food why did you pull me out of the home? If only you can arrange for hot khichuri with achar for breakfast tomorrow, I shall know that you are still with me."

The spiritual son of the Master having doubts about him? well, perhaps an occasional bout of doubt adds spice to the 'play' of the Master! Let us pass on to the sequel.

Next morning the two brothers went for an early bath to the 'Lakshman Barjan' Ghat on the banks of the river Sarayu famous in the Epic. As they were coming out of the river after the ablutions, they noticed a sadhu (a Ramayet i.e devotee of Lord Rama, from the markings) eagerly looking for someone. After seeing Brhamananda and his companion he quickly approached them and said "Are you the two who observed fast on Ekadasi day yesterday? Do please come to Lord Rama's cottage for breaking the fast". The two sanyasi's were surprised and one of them asked, " Babaji, what can you offer for breakfast this early in the morning?" The sadhu said humbly " I have already offered Khichri to Ramji and I am afraid you will have to be satisfied with His prasad". The two brothers followed the sadhu to a straw hut under a neem tree, the sadhu's dwelling. They sat down to a breakfast of khichri with three varieties of achar (mango, lemon and tamarind). As they were eating, the sadhu kept on shedding tears of joy and saying repeatedly how kind Ramji had been to him. Swami Brahmananda interrupted him and asked for an explanation. Babaji said, " I have been living a life of prayer in this kothri for twenty four years hoping to hear one word from Lord Rama and longing for one vision of him. Last night, in the early hours, soft hands shook me awake and I heard, ' I am very hungry; please cook some khichri soon and offer it to me. Then as soon as it is dawn go to Lakshman Barjan Ghat where you will find two devotees of mine having their bath. They observed a fast on Ekadasi day. Invite them in and give them my prasad to eat". Pointing to a framed picture of Lord Rama, he continued." I clearly saw that it was this Ramji who woke me up and said those words to me. It is surely due to your kindness that this hard hearted Ramji has at last fulfilled my life's ambition today".

No comments are necessary except to recall that Vivekananda had recorded in writing that " The same Ramachandra dearer that life to Sita, incomparable in the three worlds, has in this age of ours' been born as Shri Ramakrishna."

SANYAL

8. This is also a story of hunger and of direct intercession by the Lord on behalf of his devotee. But whether the story can qualify as a miracle of Shri Ramakrishna, it is for the reader to judge.

The first name of this Sanyal was Sashibhushan and his great scholarship and saintly life so impressed the eminent educationist and well known sadhaka, Dr. Gopinath Kaviraj, that Sanyal finds an important place in Kaviraj's study of saints and savants written in Bengali under the title: Sadhu Darshan o Satprasanga.

Sashibhshan's scholarship was such that the list of those who studied with him includes the great Vivekananda and Swami Abhedananda. He perused no other profession, and for teaching he charged no fees even from the resident students. He depended entirely on charity for his own sustenance as also of his family members and the resident students. Moreover, such charity had to come unsolicited. This was the creed of "Ajachakvritti" that he had voluntarily adopted and so rigid was his code that he would rather go hungry with all his dependents than solicit help from any source. Let us now pick up the thread of the story as told by Dr. Kaviraj. 

"He (Sanyal) was residing at Baranagar at the time when this incident occurred. Though a householder, he depended entirely on unsolicited charity. He could have made a living by practising medicine but did not take it up as a profession....not that he did not treat patients, for many persons from different parts of the country used to come to him for treatment, but he did not charge any fees from them....there was no question of his taking up any salaried job. The number of his dependents was also not small, as, apart from his direct family, visiting relatives, patients and resident students had to be provided for. He used to consider it his duty to provide free maintenance to all of them and he never asked for any contribution from them. The maintenance of the dependents had to be manged with whatever was given freely and good heartedly. 

It happened once that nothing whatsoever was received.one day and he had to instruct all to subsist on the juice of 'bel' leaves. The same thing happened on the second day. On the third day also, up to  midday, there was no indication of any help materializing from any where. The Babaji (Shri Sanyal) continued to remain calm and unperturbed and went on performing his daily routine which included treatment of his patients and imparting instructions to the students. In the afternoons he used to study the spiritual texts with seekers after knowledge. On the third day (of continuous fasting) he was, in the afternoon, studying a commentary on the Brahma Sutras with the assembled listeners, quite a few in number, including, I understand, Swami Abhedananda. Of course he was not known by that name at that time, but as Kali Maharaj.

No one in the assembly knew the state of affairs in Babaji's household as he never gave a hint to anyone about want. He believed that He who need know, knew everything and it was pointless to inform others!

That afternoon when the participants were fully absorbed in the philosophical discussions, a postal peon appeared with a registered and insured cover addressed to Babaji. He opened it after taking delivery and silently read the letter that was inside. After laying it aside, he remained quiet with his face fixed upwards and tears streaming down from his eyes.This continued for about fifteen minutes, the assembled persons watching him silently.

Then Kali Maharaj said,''Sir what has happened? Has the letter brought some bad news?........We are surprised at your shedding tears so copiously and the rigid silence after reading the letter". Babaji replied,"No, these are not tears of anguish. Grief does not upset me much. What has overwhelmed me is the kindness of God and inspite of my best efforts I could not hold up my tears of joy''.So saying he tossed the letter forward and said , ''You can read it and find out for yourself ''.

The letter was read aloud and it transpired that it had come from Benaras and had been written by one Mitra, apparently a person of some importance, residing in Chowkhamba area of the city. He had written that on the previous night his 'Ishta' (chosen ideal) Lord Viswanath had come to him in a dream asking for food to assuage his hunger. He felt as if the Lord was saying, ''I am fasting, have taken neither food nor water, since a great devotee of mine has been going hungry. If you have the least devotion for me, at once arrange for my food and drink by providing food for my devotee. You must do this immediately without the least delay ''. So saying, he informed Mitra the name address of the devotee and also visually exhibited these in letters of gold. Mitra woke up after the dream and wrote down the name and address. Next day he despatched the letter along with currency notes for Rs. 500/- in the name of Babaji. Mitra ended the letter saying, " Though I have no other knowledge of your name and address, I have no doubt my dream has not deceived me and that this letter and the money will reach the intended person".

After the letter was read, Babaji disclosed the state of affairs in his house and that he and his family members had been fasting....learning all these the assembled gentry were also overwhelmed with joy and divine fervor and started singing the praises of the Lord. Needless to say, studies for the day came to an abrupt halt!"

Having borrowed this story from Dr. Kaviraj it now remains to provide justification for its inclusion in a chronicle of miracles of Shri Ramakrishna. The reported presence of a disciple of the Master at the psychological moment when the intervention by Bhagwan on behalf of his bhakta was disclosed would not make it a miracle performed by the Master. The fact as recorded by Dr. Kaviraj, elsewhere in the essay, that Sanyal had met the Master would not link this story with him. For that we have to find out what the other Sanyal (Baikuntha) has recorded in his 'Leelamrita'.

SASHIBHUSAN SANYAL

9. Erudite scholar, a devotee scrupulous in observing the code of conduct prescribed in the shastras. Being pleased with his rigid adherence to the code, Thakur said," God himself has to step in to enable the genuine 'aachari' to maintain it. He had blest him once by stepping into his house after a visit to the Temple of Kalyaneshwar Mahadeva.

We also learn for 'Bharater Sadhak' written by Sankarnath Roy that it was the Master who had dissuaded Sanyal from adopting medicine as a profession. It is also recorded there that the Master himself had invited Sanyal to accompany him to the Kalyaneshwar Shiva Temple, from where the Master had walked, for him a long distance, to Sanyal's house. The Master had accepted some sweets and fruits and drunk a glass of water there.

So, we see that:

1. Sanyal's acceptance of "Unsolicited Charity" as his only means of sustenance had the approval of the Master and may have been directed by him;
2. Sanyal had received the Master's blessing that his 'achar' would be duly protected, if need be by divine intervention;
3. Sanyal's link with Mahadev ( or Vishwanath) as his protective Deity was established by the Master by taking him to the Kalyaneshwar Shiva Temple.

Would it then, be too much, to conclude that the Master did have a hand in the timely arrival of succor to the beleaguered Sanyal?

Before closing this episode I cannot help noting another (minor) miracle.

On the day the Master visited Sanyal's house he invited Sanyal to come to Dakshineshwar with him offering as an inducement to him the famous rasagullas of Baghbazar. Thakur told the 'Pundit', as Sanyal was called by him, that two persons would be sending two 'handis' (earthenware pots) full of rasagullas. One of them would be doing so with a 'motive' while the other's act would be 'pure' Of course, the Pundit was assured that he would get his share from the 'pure' lot.

When they arrived at Dakshineshwar the two 'handis' of rasgullas had duly arrived!

Nine Miracles.......continued

RAMLAL

4. In this story we come to a more familiar name and a more earthy miracle. Ramlal was the Master's nephew, son of Rameshwar, the second elder brother. As an attendant of the Master, rather than as a Priest in the Kali Temple, Ramlal figures very prominently in Ramakrishna literature. As a 'sevak' he stands second in importance only to Hriday. 

We know how very fond Shri Ramakrishna was of devotional music and how if the Master said to a visitor, " Here, listen to a song" the lucky one was indeed going to receive something extraordinary. For example, Mani Mallik. In Leelaprasanga, Sharadananda tells us how Mallik came straight from the cremation ground on the day he lost his son and how the insufferable grief was assuaged by Thakur by the gift of a song beginning with: 'To arms; To arms; O Man; Death storms your home in battle array'.

And he also loved to listen to songs. If he thirsted as a 'chataka' bird for Naren, it must have been, atleast partly, for the songs that Naren sang for him. Many eminent musicians of the day visited Shri Ramakrishna from time to time and sang themselves into immortality in the pages of the Kathamrita. But they were not available at odd hours or on call. The only person so available was, Yes, Ramlal. But Ramlal could not sing! Hence this story.

Let us see how Ramlal's son Harihar Chatterjee narrates this in his all to short Memoirs. 

"Thakur's love for singing songs about the Divine Mother was matched only by his eagerness to listen to such songs sung by others. He used to feel the absence of one who could sing to him whenever he wanted to hear songs."

"The only person who was a constant companion of Thakur was my revered father.That was why Thakur one day appealed to the Mother: " How nice it would be, if you would unlock Ram's voice". 

" And what a surprise! My father who could not sing at all, got the gift of an extremely melodious voice from the Mother who thus responded to the sincere prayer of Thakur". 

" One day Ramakrishnadeva asked my father to sing. They sat on the verandah to the east of his room and my revered father began with this song:

Come and see my Queen,

Shiva's golden Kashi;

How shall I describe Kashi

With my one tongue?

It is difficult to do so

With even a hundred tongues;

Our son-in-law is no more

A pauper, etc.

"Thakur's joy knew no bounds after listening to the song, and he said, "Go and fetch you aunt".

" After Sarada Devi came from the nahabat, Thakur said, " Ram will sing. I wanted you to listen; so I called you."

"Ramlal would sing! one who could not even ennuciate his words properly!"

" So, she said 'How is that? He cannot even pronounce his words fully, how can he possibly sing?'

" Thakur said, 'Don't you worry about that I have fixed up all that speaking to Mother!'"

" Sri Ma was indeed happy to listen to the song then sung by my father and said, 'For Thakur nothing is impossible!'."

Yes, the memoirs are available. In the bookstall of Harihar Chatterjee's son, on the eastern Verandah adjacent to the Master's room at Dakshineshwar.

KALI

5. After listening to stories about the not so well known, it is now time to turn to one of the Giants Kaliprasad Chandra. A child of the Master who came to him at the early age of seventeen and became famous as Swami Abhedananda. One of the 'Pundits' of the Order, he is the only one on record to have ever worsted the great Vivekananda in an argument! Known as 'Kali-tapasvi' in the inner circle, he was also the bard of Mother Sarada and has gifted to the world and humanity the wonderful hymn to her. His narration of an incident witnessed by him and specifically categorized by him as a miraculous act of the Master is of special significance in the present context.

The incident took place in April 1885 shortly after the onset of the throat affliction which later developed into cancer. As the discomfort was persisting, Shri Ramakrishna accepting the suggestion of Golap-Ma (a woman devotee who was the 'antaranga' of Shri Shri Ma), decided to go to Calcutta to consult an eminent physicain, Dr. Durgacharan. One day early in the morning he started for Calcutta by boat accompanied by Golap-ma, Latu ( later Swami Adbhutananda) and Kaliprasad. After getting off the boat they proceeded by horse carriage to Beadon Square area and consulted the doctor and got the prescription for medicines etc. The party then moved to Ahiritola Ghat to board a boat for the return trip. It was about half-past two in the afternoon and no one had had any food till then. ( Before resuming the narrative by Kaliprasad, we should note that the Master did not even touch money. Latu was the penniless attendant of the Master and young Kaliprasad was equally penniless.) Now to quote Kali; 

" I noticed that Paramahansadev was extremely hungry. He asked the boatman to anchor the boat at the Pramanik Ghat at Boranagar. The local market place was quite near the Ghat and he asked me to buy some snacks from the sweetmeat shop. There was only one anna (one sixteenth of a rupee) left with Golap-ma. I took it and quickly went to the market and brought back in a paper bag some 'Chana murki' ( a kind of dry sweetmeat of the size of puffed rice.) and handed over the packet to Paramahansadev. he eat up the entire quantity with apparent relish, threw away the crumpled bag into the water, washed his hands, collected water in his cupped hands from the river (Ganga) and drank several mouthfuls. Then he belched audibly. The three of us who had accompanied him  were also extremely hungry and surely Paramhansadev knew it well; but he had consumed the entire quantity of sweets without offering any share to any one of us. But the surprising denouement was that as soon as he belched our hunger went away and as we looked at each other, Paramahansadev started laughing.  During the rest of the journey to Dakshineshwar he made merry, cutting jokes as if he was a young lad! After the boat stopped at the Ghat of the Kali Temple at Dakshineshwar we all got down and the three of us compared notes about the sudden satisfaction of our hunger and came to the conclusion that we had been privileged  to witness an act of miracle or of use of supernatural powers by the Master. It was on that day that I really understood, by the grace of the Master, the significance of Lord Krishna's 'Leela' of a similar nature, and the truth of the Sanskrit adage 'Tasmin tusta jaga tusta" ('When thou art satisfied, so is the entire Universe')."

'Shri Krishna's Leela' obviously refers to the incident in the Mahabharata where Draupadi's problem of feeding a thousand hungry disciples of the proverbially angry Sage Durbasa was solved by Lord Krishna by expressing, through a loud belch, satisfaction of his hunger after swallowing only a single particle of rice. Durbasa and his disciples had to beat a hasty retreat as they were no longer in a position to partake of the lunch for which they had arrived without prior notice. 

SANYAL (I)

6.Now, another story of the 'Tasmin tuste jaga tusta' variety; Again a first person narration of a witness of unquestioned trustworthiness. His name is Baikunthanath Sanyal who without being in the select band of Sanyasi disciples, was very near indeed to the inner circle. He has achieved fame in the pages of the Leelaprasanga as an important witness of many events throwing light on the unique relationship and his alter-ego, Naren, including Thakur's response to Naren's acceptance of Mother Kali. That was the night when Naren, prompted by Thakur, went thrice to Bhabatarini to ask for material prosperity for his family but ended up each time by seeking knowledge, renunciation and devotion. Next morning sanyal appeared on the scene when Naren was still sleeping, after having sung the whole night the 'Shyama Sangeet', taught by Thakur,  and found Thakur almost beside himself with joy because Naren had 'accepted the Mother'. Later that day Thakur allowed him to become a witness of his declaration that he and Naren were 'non-different'. Sanyal is also author of 'Shri Shri Ramakrishna Leelamrita' from which I am reproducing the story;

Tasmin Tuste Jagat Tripta:

"The unfathomable acts of one whose nature,  thought cannot unravel, would naturally be beyond comprehension by human intellect; therefore who he would bless with his grace and in what manner is also beyond our imagination. He himself had told me that we had come to him because he had pined for us and had, as the hour struck for the evening arati for the Mother of the Universe, repeatedly cried aloud in anguish,  ' Do come, where ever you may be!' and so saying he had often showered endearments on me. But came a day when the same Master acted in a very strange way. After being saluted by this eternal slave (that day) he not only did not, as was his wont, give me prasad along with sweet words of endearment, but also appeared not even to know me. Undaunted and propping up my failing spirits with hope, I kept waiting. But as the day lengthened and gradually drew to a close, my mental suffering was compounded by gnawing hunger in the belly. It was at this time that the Master suddenly said aloud, ''I am hungry'', and then took out from a receptacle in the wall some sweets wrapped up in a paper bag and sat down to eat them. The gnawing hunger within made me think that he would surely not consume the whole lot and that I would get a share as prasad. Being denied even that I was really annoyed but realised that there was nothing that I could do about it! After consuming each individual sweetmeat, he made a ball of the paper packet, threw it aside with a childish expletive, "get lost!" and then for the first time that day talked to me, "Hey lad, get me a little water to drink". After drinking the water he said," Now I am fully satisfied". Wonder of wonders! at that precise moment my intense hunger just vanished and I also was fully satisfied. If I had not been a personal witness to this divine act the story of Lord Krishna satisfying Sage Durbasa and his disciples by expressing full satisfaction after eating only a minute morsel of food served by Draupadi, would have continued to remain only  a fable, for me."

Perhaps Thakur played out these two acts before three of intimate devotees (Adbhutananda, Abhedananda and Baikunthanath) as an advance hint of the formal declaration ( which came a year or so later) to Naren to the effect that " The famous person who has roared out the message of the Gita (in those days of old) has (in the age of our's) been born as Ramakrishna.