Turiyananda and His Master
It is very difficult to realize God. The slightest desire blocks the way.
The Master often said, “The thread will not pass through the eye of a needle, even a very small one
fiber sticks out.’ Swami Vivekananda once said to him, “Please pray to the Mother that they (Swji’s relations) may have a bare existence.”
The Master sent him to the temple to ask the Mother herself. But when Swji entered the temple he could only plead for viveka (discrimination) and vairagya (detachment). How could he? He had no attachment within. When he said that to the Master, the Master said to us, “Do you see what a wonderful soul he is? He could not ask the Mother anything other than viveka and vairagya.”
Swji used to bring all kinds of people to Sri Ramakrishna. To this the Master would say: “What worthless people you bring with you—-one-eyed, lame, and so on. You cannot tell good people from bad people. Do not bring anyone and everyone.”
Swji would always help the weak. He would say, “The weaker the man, the more help he needs. If a Brahmin boy needs a teacher, employ four of them from a pariah (an outcast by the norms of society).” What a grand mood! Once Sri Ramakrishna was very angry with a female devotee. He asked all of us not to go to her house or eat her food. He also asked her not to come to Dakshineswar. Against this solemn command of his, who would dare to visit her house? Nevertheless, one day Swji said to Swami Shivananda, “Come, let us go for a walk.” In the course of the walk they came to the lady’s house and Swji asked her something to eat. The lady was beside herself with joy and fed him heartily. Then Swji went to Sri Ramakrishna and told him what he had done. The Master said, “Well, I forbade you and yet you went and ate!” Swamiji replied, “Well, what harm was there? I also invited her to come here.”
Once in Cossipore, Swji begged the Master on Hazra’s behalf. Swamiji wouldn’t leave him alone! His persistent question was, “You must do something for Hazra. You must bless him. Sri Ramakrishna said, “He will not get anything now, but he will get it at the time of death.” It really happened. Basically Swji believed in mercy.
Latu usually fell asleep early. And once the Master was very annoyed with him. He wanted to send him away from Dakshineswar, but Swji intervened and the matter ended peacefully. It was for this reason that Latu would later say, “If anyone is truly a brother’s disciple, it is Vivekananda.”
Sri Ramakrishna gave no blessing other than: “Mother, let them have enlightenment. Let them be aware of their true nature.”
Rakhal Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) lived with him all this time. Rakhal Maharaj’s relatives first took him to the Master, but when they discovered that he was about to renounce the world, they did not like it. They spoke to Sri Ramakrishna, but he did not pay much attention to what they said.
Mary Saalemanstudies Vedanta since decades and participates in the activities of the Vedanta Society of Holland. She has dedicated her life to the study, propagation and practice of the ideals of Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji.