Devotees' vision of the Master

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Devotees' Visions of the Master Ramakrishna appeared before his devotees in a spiritual form during his lifetime. Once, in Dhaka,Vijay Krishna Goswami was meditating in his shrine. All of a sudden he saw the Master, even though he was actually at Dakshineswar. To determine whether it was a hallucination, he touched the Master's body and found it to be real. After returning to Calcutta Vijay went to Shyampukur, and in front of the devotees, he told the Master his experience: Vijay:"I have seen him [meaning the Master] in Dhaka. I even touched his body." Master (with a smile): "It must have been someone else." Narendra: "I too have seen him many times. (To Vijay) How can I say I do not believe your words?� Nrityagopal Goswami also saw Ramakrishna in Dhaka. He described the event: "While I was in Dhaka, I was feeling extremely unhappy. There was a wooded area on the outskirts of the city that was often used as a graveyard. To my surprise at a distance I saw someone seated on the ground. I went up to him and asked, 'What are you doing here?' He said he wished to talk to me. Though he said very little, his words dispelled all my depression and doubts. He got up and started to walk away. Then he turned to me affectionately and said, 'Nrityagopal, my dear, do not let go of what you are holding on to.' After that I didn't see him anymore. I related all this to Vijay. He said he too had seen the same person in the woods. That night I had a remarkable dream in which I saw myself talking with that divine-looking person and listening to his wonderful words. My joy was beyond description.� Swami Advaitananda wrote: "When I first met the Master, I could not understand him at all. I wondered why people call him a great soul!" He had the same experience during his second visit as well, and he decided not to visit the Master again. Finally, at a friend's request, he went to the Master a third time. This time the Master possessed him he could not escape. About this, he said: "The Master possessed me. I would think of him day and night. The pang of separation from the Master gave me chest pain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget his face. Surendra Mitra practised meditation in his shrine every day. One day he had a desire to test the Master's divinity. He resolved that if the Master appeared in his shrine during meditation, then he would consider him to bean avatar. What a wonderful phenomenon! After a while he saw the Master in his shrine. After thus testing the Master, Surendra took refuge in him. Surendra had been an alcoholic and debauchee, but his life was changed by the grace of the Master. Swami Turiyananda said: "There is a story of Surendra, long after he had met Sri Ramakrishna, being tempted to visit a public woman one evening on his way home from the office. He went upstairs to the woman's apartment and entered her room. But lo, there was no woman, but Sri Ramakrishna himself standing there! In great shame, Surendra fled from the place. Once Devendra came to Dakshineswar and had an attack of malarial fever. The Master sent him back to Calcutta by boat and asked Baburam to accompany him. Devendra reached a relative's house and fell unconscious. For forty-one days he lay in a state of torpor and delirium. Often he


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Devotees' vision of the Master by Swami Vimokshananda - Issuu