Sri Ramakrishna wasn’t a follower of the claptrap Hinduism usually ladled out to gullible simpletons. His established faith was: Each religion is great as it assists one to reach God. There was a perfect consistency between his belief and behaviour. He mixed freely with Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Brahmos and others. He was extremely cordial with them. His fascination for other religions was genuine. He was very interested to see how their devotees prayed and meditated. Those who impressed him in their prayer and meditation became dear to him immediately.

One such was Keshab Chandra Sen of Brahmo Samaj. Ramakrishna saw him first in 1864 at the Adi Brahmo Samaj. He noticed him keenly while he was meditating after the prayer there. This triggered his interest in Keshab which developed into a close friendship later. As both were open-minded and prone to new ideas, there was a perfect rapport between them. Hence, applying his tactical spiritual nuances, Ramakrishna annihilated Keshab’s inhibitions against image worship. Since they knew one another well, they called on each other many times.

Advertisement

Ramakrishna praised Keshab to others amply for his spiritual maturity. Appreciating him, he once told him: “They are heroes indeed who can pray to God in the midst of their worldly activities. They are like men who strive for God-realization carrying heavy loads on their heads.” He knew full well how sincerely Keshab kept his mind on God despite his various activities. Keshab, likewise, spoke highly of Ramakrishna in his lectures. He also wrote articles on his greatness in “Indian Mirror”, “Sulav Samachar” and in other Brahmo magazines. Ramakrishna’s disciple Abhedananda said Keshab spoke on Ramakrishna’s wonderful spirituality in a lecture held at the Town Hall of Calcutta, and printed a booklet of Ramakrisna’s sayings to distribute among the people around. According to him, Keshab was, in fact, the first to preach Ramakrishna to the public. Learning about all that, Ramakrishna said to Keshab: “Why do you write about me in your paper?

You cannot make a man great by writing about him in books and magazines. If God makes a man great then everybody knows about him even though he lives in a forest. When flowers bloom in the deep woods, bees find them, but flies do not. … The tongue that praises you today will abuse you tomorrow. I don’t want name and fame.” More than a decade lapsed after Ramakrishna first saw Keshab from a distance. But it might not be right to assume that Keshab was out of his mind because he didn’t meet him for so long. The fact that he visited him on his own with utter urgency tells us he never forgot him. He, indubitably, nursed a deep desire to meet him. It was more so because he saw him in a vision before he met him actually.

He said: “I had seen Keshab before I actually met him ~ I had seen him and his party in my Samadhi… Keshab looked like a peacock sitting with its tail spread out. The tail meant his followers. I saw a red gem on Keshab’s head. That indicated his rajas. He said to his disciple, ‘Please listen to what he is saying.’ I said to the Divine Mother: ‘Mother, these people hold the views of Englishmen. Why should I talk to them?’ Then the Mother explained to me that it would be like this in the Kaliyuga.” Needless to say, this vision had a significant link to what had happened afterwards between them.

Meanwhile, Keshab separated from the Adi Brahmo Samaj and formed his own Nababidhan Brahmo Samaj. Breaking the norm of the age, which he himself imposed on the Brahmos, he gave his daughter in marriage. It created a huge row in the Adi Brahmo Samaj. He was marginalized by other leaders there for this. It compelled him to quit the Adi Brahmo Samaj with his followers and shape another group with new principles that reflected in the name he gave to his organization.

However, it was on 15 March 1875 that Ramakrishna met him first in a garden house at Belgharia, a few miles north from Dakshineswar. Mahendranath Gupta (M) wrote in “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna”: “Keshab Chandra Sen and Sri Ramakrishna met for the first time in the garden house of Jaygopal Sen (a distinguished Brahmo) at Belgharia, a few miles from Dakshineswar, where the great Brahmo leader was staying with some of his disciples. In many ways the two were poles apart, though an irresistible attraction was to make them intimate friends. The Master (Ramakrishna) had realized God as Pure Spirit and Consciousness, but he believed in various forms of God as well.

Keshab, on the other hand, regarded image worship as idolatry and gave allegorical explanations to the Hindu deities. Keshab was an orator and a writer of books and magazine articles; Sri Ramakrishna had a horror of lecturing and hardly knew how to write his own name.” Such a conspicuous contrast between them was no hurdle to their intimacy. They were absolutely informal with each other. They had fun and frolic alongside elevated discussions. It is easily perceptible from their conversations that the line dividing them as Hindu and Brahmo petered out and, thereby, one confided in the other without the least prejudice.

Keshab’s follower Pratap Chandra Maz oom dar was an eye-witness to this meeting. He wrote: “There came one morning in a rickety tikka gadi a disorderly looking young man, insufficiently clad, with manners less than insufficient. He was introduced as Ramakrishna, the Paramhamsa of Dakshineswar. His appearance was so un-predicting and simple, and he spoke so little at his introduction, that we did not take much notice of him at first. But soon he began to discourse in a sort of delirious state, becoming now and then quite unconscious. What he said, however, was so profound and beautiful that we soon perceived he was no ordinary man. A good many of our readers have seen and heard him. The acquaintance of this devotee, which soon matured into intimate friendship, had a powerful effect on Keshav’s catholic mind.

The very first thing observable in the Paramhamsa was the intense tenderness with which he cherished the conception of God as Mother.” From Mazoomdar’s description, it is comprehensible that the meeting was a landmark event and its impact on Kashab was tremendous. Losing almost no time Keshab published a report on it in “Indian Mirror” on 28 March, 1875. He wrote: “We met a sincere Hindu devotee not long, and were charmed by the depth, penetration and simplicity of his spirit.

The never ceasing metaphors and analogies in which he indulged, are as most of them as apt as they are beautiful. The characteristics of his mind are the very opposite to those of Pandit Dayananda Saraswati, the former is as gentle, tender and contemplative as the latter is sturdy, masculine and political. Hinduism must have in it a deep source of beauty, truth and goodness to inspire such men as these.” By this account Keshab proved himself of a different mettle from other Brahmo leaders, for he could instantaneously recognize Ramakrishna’s spiritual specialty at the first sight.

Then onwards there was no looking back for him. He visited Ramakrishna off and on. His attraction for him was inexorable and vice versa. Pratap also did the same and was similarly overwhelmed by Ramakrishna’s spiritual acumen. In his article “The Hindu Saint” he gave out his blissful reaction of his mixing with Ramakrishna in scintillating language. He wrote: “My mind is still floating in the luminous atmosphere which that wonderful man (Ramakrishna) diffuses around him whenever and wherever he goes. My mind is not disenchanted of the mysterious and the indefinable pathos which he pours into it whenever he meets me.

What is there in common between him and me? I a Europeanized, civilized, self-centred, semi-sceptical, so-called educated reasoned, and he, a poor, illiterate, sunken; unpolished, diseased, half-dressed, half idolatrous, friendless Hindu devotee? Why should I sit long hours to attend to him, I who have listened to Disraeli and Faucet, Stanley and Max Muller, and a whole host of European scholars and divines, I who am an ardent disciple and follower of Christ, a friend and admirer of liberal-minded Christian missionaries and preachers, a devoted adherent and worker of the rationalistic Brahmo Samaj ~ why should I be spellbound to hear him? And it is not I only, but dozens who like me do the same.”

After writing all that in the first paragraph of his article, he proceeded beautifully to unfold Ramakrishna’s unparalleled religious and spiritual accomplishments. In the concluding paragraph he wrote: “His (Ramakrishna) spotless holiness, his deep unspeakable blessedness, his unstudied endless wisdom, his childlike peacefulness and affection towards all men, his consuming all-absorbing love for his God are his only reward. And may he long continue to enjoy that reward! Our own ideal of religious life is different.

But as long as he is spared to us gladly shall we sit at his feet to learn from him the sublime purity, un-worldliness, spirituality and inebriation in the love of God.” Like a Ramakrishna aficionado, Pratap wrote the article, having shown his extraordinary grip on his subject. Keshab’s impeccable friendship with Ramakrishna was responsible, for sure. Pratap was intrigued by Ramakrishna’s life, seeing Keshab’s deep love and respect for him in spite of an unbridgeable difference between them.

(The writer is associated with Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur)