Nicola Barker - The Cauliflower

Of course, this is an immense blessing. Because the privilege of supporting a great saint financially is an honor of almost inconceivable magnitude. Imagine the joy of purchasing a prayer mat for Mohammed, a bathing cloth for Buddha, or a sandal for Jesus. Imagine the simple joy of service as worship.

March 1885, early afternoon. The cynical brother of a disciple inquires:

Cynical Brother ( in the hope of provoking the saint into a show of ego ): “Sir, what do I call you, please? What is your name?”

Sri Ramakrishna ( smiling, while gently massaging the cynical brother’s back ): “Names? Do we have names? [ waving his hand genially ] ‘ Hey! Hey you! Hello! ’ If you call me like this, then I will know that I am being called.”

Autumn 1881

Whilst engaged in conversation with a new devotee, Sri Ramakrishna falls momentarily silent (apparently lost in deep spiritual contemplation) and then suddenly, perking up, he exclaims:

“It’s both sweet and sour,

Made with lemons, and it fizzes.

Bring some next time, please.”

Ah. Lemonade. The Paramahamsa wants lemonade.

Spring 1857, at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple (six miles north of Calcutta)

Uncle says it is almost impossible to eliminate the ego completely. He is very fond of using the example of a bowl which has been used for the purpose of storing chopped onions. Even when all of the onions have been removed, Uncle says, no matter how carefully you clean out that bowl, some trace of the smell will always remain. The ego is like that. You think it is gone but something always stays behind. A slight smell or a taint. And it will pop up and startle you when you least expect it to.

Of course, extremely holy men, after years of intense austerity and renunciation, can sometimes reach a state which we Hindus call nirvikalpa samadhi . If, during a divine vision, you finally get to see Brahman —or God — face-to-face, then your body will not manage to survive the experience. After only a short while you will be dead. It is as though the ego is burned away by the light of God and then the body shrivels up like an empty seed pod. Spiritual pursuits are very good for your soul, but they can certainly be harmful to your health.

Look at Uncle. Who can deny that Uncle is blessed? That he is special? Uncle can bring such joy to people. He is full of love. There is an intensity and an honesty and a childlike innocence. There is an intoxicating attraction. I have heard people call it a charisma. Uncle could live a charmed life. And all the Chatterjees and the Mukherjees could live this life right alongside Uncle. But there is a perversity in Uncle. And this is his longing for God, which is almost like a sickness. It is very nearly a madness.

Just one year after the inauguration of the Kali Temple Uncle’s beloved brother, Ramkumar, tragically passed away. Thank God I was here with Uncle to offer him support through this difficult time. How would he have managed otherwise? Ramkumar was Uncle’s rock. He was one of the few people to whom Uncle showed any deference. So then, when Ramkumar died, Uncle lost all hope. Uncle’s world turned black. He felt such bleakness — such a disaffection with all worldly interests and pursuits, as if there was nothing of any value left for him on this whole, broad earth. Poor Uncle suffered most dreadfully.

Before his early death, Ramkumar had been involved in many conversations with the Rani’s son-in-law, Mathur Baba, on the subject of Uncle. Mathur Baba had noticed Uncle around the place and had been charmed and captivated by his obviously spiritual nature. It is hard not to be struck by Uncle’s natural intelligence and his simplicity and his deep sincerity. Uncle has a kind of perfection. How might one possibly hope to explain it? It is simply his very essence.

Ramkumar had slowly persuaded Uncle over many months (inch by gradual inch) to help him with the Kali worship. But the rituals of Kali worship are very onerous and complicated. So Ramkumar made Uncle receive some formal training from an experienced guru . Uncle raised no particular objection to this process. And things went ahead swimmingly, or so it seemed, until during the initiation ritual the guru leaned forward and whispered Kali’s holy mantram into Uncle’s ear and Uncle unleashed a most dreadful cry — a cry so loud and so terrible as to strike pity and fear into the very hardest of human hearts — and then fell into an impenetrable trance. We were all greatly perplexed. What new mischief was this? But after a short while Ramkumar just slowly shook his head and laughed. Because when did dear Uncle ever do anything by halves?

At around this time an upsetting incident took place at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. One afternoon, after worship, the head priest in the Radhakanta Temple slipped while carrying the image of Krishna, and Krishna’s foot was broken in the fall. The priest was promptly dismissed. Damage to an image is considered highly inauspicious. It might attract very bad luck. And this image was one to which the Rani was especially attached. There was much debate about what to do next. Many pandits suggested that the Rani retire the image and replace it with another. But the Rani was very fond of the image and this thought distressed her. One day Mathur Baba approached Uncle and asked him his opinion on the matter. Of course, Uncle — young and insignificant as he then was — took this question in his stride. Nothing intimidates Uncle! He merely thought hard for a second and then he said, “If the Rani’s son-in-law fell down and broke his foot, would the Rani then abandon him? Of course not. She would carefully tend to him until he was recovered. The Rani should treat the image of Krishna with the same level of compassion. She should fix the image and then return it to the temple.”

You may remember that Uncle had a great talent from his childhood with clay and sculpture. He volunteered to fix the image himself, using clay from the banks of the holy Ganga, and he did so with considerable skill.

The Rani was delighted. Uncle had effortlessly solved all of her problems. One cannot deny that Uncle had much spiritual authority for one still so young. Nobody could ignore it. And so both Mathur Baba and the Rani felt that Uncle should be persuaded to take a more active role in the life of the temple thereafter. Mathur Baba asked Ramkumar if Uncle might now be willing to act as priest in the Radhakanta Temple. Uncle accepted the offer (after much huffing and puffing) only because the burden of worship was not too heavy there. Alas, Ramkumar’s health soon began to decline, until it became increasingly difficult for him to continue in the demanding worship of Ma Kali. Mathur Baba and Ramkumar decided that the best thing would naturally be for Uncle to now move to the main temple and for Ramkumar to take on Uncle’s lighter duties.

Well you might think that Uncle would be delighted by this unexpected promotion. But quite the opposite! Uncle was horrified. He had no desire to spend his time tied to the routines of the Kali worship. Uncle was a free spirit. He could not be expected to conform to certain traditional ways of doing things. And he did not want the responsibility of looking after the Goddess’s expensive jewelry, either. Uncle had a terror of such things.

Even though Mathur Baba (a powerful and influential man) showed Uncle (a poor village boy of no formal education) so much favor and deference in offering him this promotion, Uncle responded to these great kindnesses by claiming that he lacked the knowledge of the scriptures needed for such an exalted role, and when Mathur Baba insisted that this was of no importance (Uncle’s spiritual qualities were of far more significance than mere book learning, he said), Uncle commenced avoiding Mathur Baba like the plague! If Uncle caught so much as a whiff of Mathur Baba in the vicinity he would instantly scurry off. You can only imagine how much consternation this caused both myself and Ramkumar! Uncle is extremely perverse! It was only when I myself promised to assist Uncle in all of his duties and to take full responsibility for the jewelry and precious items in the Kali Temple that Uncle was finally persuaded to relent.