The Wonder that was Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s Touch-Part III

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Priya

By Priya Devi

Friday, October 7, 2011, 15:00

The previous part of the article spoke about the transformation that Swami Vivekananda underwent owing to the master's touch. This article talks about yet another disciple of the master, Rakhal and his spiritual experience.

Another young disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Rakhal (later Swami Brahmananda), had a different sort of experience. Rakhal had come in contact with the master earlier than Narendra. At the very first sight of Rakhal, Ramakrishna had his vision about his 'spiritual son" confirmed.

Rakhal was, one may say, pampered and fondled by Sri Ramakrishna. Being the son of a landlord, Rakhal did not like rendering personal service to the guru. Even though the master showered his love on Rakhal like mother Yashoda showered love on baby Krishna3, he wanted Rakhal to learn the humbleness of a disciple.

Hence, one afternoon, when Rakhal reached Dakshineswar, the master was alone in his room and was resting on his bed. He invited Rakhal to sit on his bed and asked his young disciple of aristocrat bearing to massage his feet. Rakhal was very reluctant to render such personal service. But the master coaxed him. He told Rakhal the benefits one received from rendering service to a saintly person. Rakhal did not put any argument against this and he willy-nilly started massaging the master"s feet. No sooner had he started doing so, than he saw the Divine Mother in the form of a small girl seven or eight years old, circling the master's bed a few times and then entering into the master's body. Rakhal was overwhelmed by what he saw. Just then, with a gentle smile on his lips, Sri Ramakrishna asked Rakhal: 'Well, did you see the result of rendering services to a sadhu?"4

This experience of the vision of the Divine Mother is so different from the experiences of Narendra described earlier. At the first sudden touch of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Narendra was, so to say, suddenly lifted into the ethereal region of the Infinite, the second touch, equally suddenly, brought him back to the earth. Rakhal, on the other hand, was not touched by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa; it was Rakhal himself who was almost forced to touch Ramakrishna"s Paramahamsa feet and he was blessed by the vision of the Mother of the Universe.