Jai Śri Rāmakrishna! Jai Śri Rāmakrishna (An abridged anthology of Kalpataru day)

 

Contents

Prologue: Reflecting on Śri Rāmakrishna's words first

·      Sri Ramakrishna referring to Iśvara as the Kalpataru (Wish-fulfilling Tree)”

·      Śri Rāmakrishna: THE TIGER THAT LURKS BEHIND WORLDLY JOYS

Abridged overview of Kalpataru day (Swāmi Nikhilānanda)

Various Accounts

·      Ramlal Chattopadhyay: “Sri Ramakrishna as the Kalpataru”

·      Swami Shivānanda (direct disciple) on Kalpataru day

·      Ramachandra Dutta (householder disciple) on Kalpataru Day

·      Vaikuntha on Kalpataru Experience

·      Swāmi Śāradānanda’s account on Kalpataru Day, in Śri Śri Rāmakrishna Leela prasangha

Prologue

·         Sri Ramakrishna referring to Iśvara as the Kalpataru (Wish-fulfilling Tree)”

 

Sri Ramakrishna:  Iśvara is the sāśvatah anantah brahman. He does exist; there is no doubt about it. He is eternal. But you must remember this, He is the kalpataru. Pray to Iśvara. He is karunāmaya. Will He not listen to the words of His bhakta? You will get whatever you desire from Him.

Come, let us go for a walk, O mind, to Kāli, the Wish-fulfilling Tree.

And there beneath It gather the four fruits of life.

You must go to the kalpataru and pray. Only then will you obtain the fruits. Only then will the fruits fall from the tree. Only then will you be able to gather them. There are four fruits: dharma, artha, kāma, and mōksha.

But you must remember another thing. God knows our inner feeling. A man gets the fulfillment of the desire he cherishes while practicing sadhana. As one thinks, so one receives.

A magician was showing his tricks before a king. Now and then he exclaimed: 'Come confusion! Come delusion! O King, give me money! Give me clothes!'

Suddenly his tongue turned upward and clove to the roof of his mouth. He experienced kumbhaka. He could utter neither word nor sound, and became motionless. People thought he was dead. They built a vault of bricks and buried him there in that posture. After a thousand years someone dug into the vault. Inside it people found a man seated in samādhi. They took him for a holy man and worshipped him. When they shook him, his tongue was loosened and regained its normal position. The magician became conscious of the outer world and cried, as he had a thousand years before: 'Come confusion! Come delusion! O King, give me money! Give me clothes!'

The jnānis seek the fruit of liberation (from the kalpataru tree ~ i.e., from Iśvara); and the bhaktas, love of God, love without any motive behind it.  They (jnāni and bhakta) seek neither dharma nor artha nor kama.

·         Śri Rāmakrishna: THE TIGER THAT LURKS BEHIND WORLDLY JOYS

God is like the wish-yielding tree of the celestial world (Kalpataru), which gives whatever one asks of it. So, one should be careful to give up all worldly desires when one’s mind has been purified by religious exercises.

Just listen to a story:

A certain traveler came to a large plain during his travels. As he had been walking in the sun for many hours, he was thoroughly exhausted and heavily perspiring; so, he sat down in the shade of a tree to rest a little. Presently he began to think what a comfort it would be if he could but get a soft bed there to sleep on. He was not aware that he was sitting under the celestial tree. As soon as the above thought rose in his mind, he found a nice bed by his side. He felt much astonished, but all the same stretched himself on it. Now he thought to himself, how pleasant it would be if a young damsel to come there and gently stroke his legs. No sooner did the thought arise in his mind than he found a young damsel sitting at his feet and stroking his legs. The traveler felt supremely happy. Presently he felt hungry and thought: “I have got whatever have wished for; could I not then get some food?” Instantly he found various kinds of delicious food spread before him. He at once fell to eating, and having helped himself to his heart’s content, stretched himself again on his bed. He now began to revolve in his mind the events of the day. While thus occupied, he thought: “If a tiger should attack me all of a sudden!” In an instant a large tiger jumped on him and broke his neck and began to drink his blood. In this way the traveler lost his life. 

Such is the fate of men in general. If during your meditation, you pray for men or money or worldly honors, your desires will no doubt be satisfied to some extent; but mind you, there is the dread of the tiger behind the gifts you get. Those tigers—disease, bereavements, loss of honor and wealth etc., — are a thousand times more terrible than the live tiger.

Abridged overview of Kalpataru day (Swāmi Nikhilānanda)

On January 1, 1886, he felt better and came down to the garden for a little stroll. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. Some thirty lay disciples were in the hall or sitting about under the trees. Sri Ramakrishna said to Girish, "Well, Girish, what have you seen in me, that you proclaim me before everybody as an Incarnation of God?" Girish was not the man to be taken by surprise. He knelt before the Master and said with folded hands, "What can an insignificant person like myself say about the One whose glory even sages like Vyāsa and Vālmiki could not adequately measure?" The Master was profoundly moved. He said: "What more shall I say? I bless you all. Be illumined!" He fell into a spiritual mood. Hearing these words the devotees, one and all, became overwhelmed with emotion. They rushed to him and fell at his feet. He touched them all, and each received an appropriate benediction. Each of them, at the touch of the Master, experienced ineffable bliss. Some laughed, some wept, some sat down to meditate, some began to pray. Some saw light, some had visions of their Chosen Ideals, and some felt within their bodies the rush of spiritual power.

Various Accounts from various sources

·        Ramlal Chattopadhyay (nephew) : “Sri Ramakrishna as the Kalpataru”

(Source: Ramakrishna as we saw him - edited and translated by Swami Chethanandanaji)

On the afternoon of 1 January 1886, at the Cossipore garden house, the Master said to me: "Ramlal, today I feel better. Let us go for a walk in the courtyard." I said: "Yes, you look better. Let us go." The Master put on his cap that covered his ears and carried a cane in his hand. I put on a shawl and carefully helped him down the stairs. After strolling along the garden path, the Master stood on the lawn and went into ecstasy. He was surrounded by the devotees, who began showering flowers on him and chanting hymns. He told them: "What more shall I say to you? Be illumined!" Then he blessed some devotees by touching their chests. To others he said that they would have to wait for a while.

I was then standing behind the Master and thinking: "All these devotees have got some spiritual experiences, but what have I achieved? I only carried the Master's waterpot and towel."

As soon as this thought crossed my mind, he looked at me and said: "Ramlal, what are you thinking? Come here." He pushed aside my shawl and touched my chest, saying, "Now see/' It is hard for me to describe that wonderful, luminous form. Before that, during my meditation I could see with my mind's eye only a part of my Chosen Deity. When I saw his feet I could not see his face; and again, when I saw his form from the face to the waist, I could not see his feet. Moreover, whatever I saw never seemed to be alive. But no sooner had the Master touched me that day than the whole form of my Chosen Deity appeared in. my heart as a living presence, looking benign and effulgent. (1 January 1930; Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master, 5th edition, 1979, p. 1025)

 ·        Swami Shivānanda (direct monastic disciple) on Kalpataru day

(Source: Ramakrishna as we saw him - edited and translated by Swami Chethanandanaji)

Why should the Master have been a kalpataru only on one day? To tell the truth, he is a kalpataru every day. His only work is to shower his grace on all creatures. We saw with our own eyes how he blessed innumerable people in so many ways. It is true that on that day, in the Cossipore garden, he blessed quite a number of devotees all at one time. In that sense, this day has a special significance, for it was on this day that the devotees palpably felt his infinite grace.

None of the monastic disciples of the Master was present at that time. The Master was seriously ill, and our hearts were then full of the spirit of renunciation. He was passing through such a critical period of his illness that we kept vigil twenty-four hours a day.

Since we had to keep awake at night, most of us would take a nap after lunch. On that January 1, we were resting after lunch in the small room adjacent to the downstairs hall, when for the first time at Cossipore the Master came downstairs for a stroll in the garden. It was a holiday, and many devotees were present in the garden. Seeing the Master, they followed him joyously. He was walking slowly towards the gate of the garden when Girish Babu, after prostrating himself at the Master's feet, began to sing his praises with folded hands. These words, full of sincere devotion and faith, sent the Master into deep samadhi while he was standing. Finding him in a divine mood, the devotees started exclaiming in great joy: "Jai Śri Rāmakrishna! Jai Śri Rāmakrishna!" and saluted him again and again.

Gradually the Master regained partial consciousness, and he turned his benign eyes on them, saying: "What else shall I say? May you all have your spiritual consciousness awakened!" No sooner had he uttered these words than the devotees felt an upsurge of ineffable bliss within themselves.

They exclaimed repeatedly: "Glory to Ramakrishna! Glory to Ramakrishna!" and saluted him.

Then, still in a state of divine absorption, he touched most of them one by one, saying, "Be illumined!" As a result of that divine touch, the devotees felt wonderful spiritual stirrings within themselves. Some of them were lost in meditation, some danced with joy, some wept, and some shouted his praises like madmen. It was an unimaginable sight. The Master stood looking at them with great joy.

Their joyous uproar roused us from our sleep. We rushed out and saw the devotees all around the Master, behaving like lunatics, and he himself looking at them graciously with a smiling face, full of affection. By the time we joined them the Master's mind had returned to the human plane, but the devotees were still in an ecstatic mood, intoxicated with divine bliss.

All of them acknowledged that the Master's touch had given them wonderful spiritual realizations, and that that experience had las ted quite a long time. And why shouldn't his touch be that effective? Wasn't he God himself? Yet even on that day the Master did not touch one or two devotees, saying that they would have illumination later. From this, it is clear that nothing happens unless the time is ripe. One has to wait for the right moment.

·        Ramachandra Dutta (householder disciple) on Kalpataru Day

(Source: Ramakrishna as we saw him - edited and translated by Swami Chethanandanaji)

On January 1,1886, the Master felt much better. It was a holiday, so many people had come to visit the Master at Cossipore. During the previous week a devotee had asked Sri Ramakrishna to bless Harish Mustafi, but he had not said anything. On January 1, however, as soon as Harish went to the Master, the latter blessed him. Out of joy, tears came from Harish's eyes. He came downstairs and informed a devotee: "Brother, I cannot hold the surge of bliss within. What is this? I have never experienced such a thing in my life!" With tearful eyes the devotee said, "Brother, it is the grace of the Master."

In the afternoon the Master came to the lawn for a walk, and the devotees followed him. I vividly remember the scene and the Master's wonderful form. His body was covered with warm clothing, and there was a green cap on his head covering both ears. His face radiated light and joy. It was a sight to see.

Coming near us, he raised his right hand and said: "What more need I tell you? I bless you all. Be illumined!" Then he went into samadhi. The devotees picked flowers from the garden and offered them at the Master's feet, saying, "Jai Śri Rāmakrishna!" Some threw flowers in the air out of joy, and it looked like it was raining flowers.

When the Master regained outer consciousness, he touched Akshay Sen's chest. Immediately Akshay began to shed tears in ecstasy. The Master then touched Navagopal Ghosh, Upendra Nath Majumdar, Ramlal Chattopadhyay, Atul Ghosh, Ganguly, and some others. Touching Haramohan the Master said: "Not today. You will have to wait." Then the Master returned to his room. All the devotees were extremely happy that day. But alas! Who could realize that it was the Master's last play?  The cancer in his throat became worse after this. Dr. Rajendra Datta, Dr. Navin Pal, and Dr. Coats of the Calcutta Medical College treated the Master with great care but could not improve his condition.

·        Vaikuntha on Kalpataru Experience

(From Swāmi Śāradhānandaji’s retelling of the account in Śri Śri Rāmakrishna Leela Prasangha)

(Source: SRI RAMAKRISHNA THE GREAT MASTER - translated by Swami Jagadanandaji)

Vaikuntha was present on the spot of this day’s occurrence. As soon as the Master had blessed two or three of the devotees by his extraordinarily powerful touch, he came before him, bowed down to him with devotion and said “Sir, please bestow your grace on me.”

The Master said,’ “But you have been given everything.”

“When you say”, said Vaikuntha, “everything, has been given, it is certainly so; but kindly do so, that I can understand it more or less.”,

‘Saying “So be it”, the Master touched his chest only for a moment in an ordinary way.

“But”, said Vaikuntha, “as the result of it; a great revolution took place in my mind. I saw the figure of the Master lit up with a gracious smile in the sky, in the houses, trees, plants, men and- in whatever else I saw, I did not know how to contain my delight within myself and, seeing then you two on the roof, I called aloud saying, ‘ O you all, wherever you may be, come without delay. That mental attitude and vision of mine continued for some days throughout my -waking state, I became amazed and charmed with the holy vision of the Master in all things. It continued to be so wherever I went, to office or elsewhere on any business.

I could not attend to the work on hand and it suffered. I tried to forget that vision for some time, when I found that work was suffering, but I failed. I then understood a little of why Arjuna felt afraid to see the universal form of the divine Lord and prayed to Him to withdraw it. Sometimes it occurred to me, ‘Am I going mad ? ’ I then prayed to the Master again with fear, ‘O lord, I am not able to contain this mental state; please ordain that it may come to end.’

I now think, ‘Woe be to human weakness and stupidity, why did I pray so? Why did I not keep my faith firm in him? And why did I not wait patiently to see its ultimate developments? But as soon as I prayed in that manner, the said vision and mental state came to an end one day.

·        Swāmi Śāradānanda’s account on Kalpataru Day, in Śri Śri Rāmakrishna Leela prasangha

(Source: SRI RAMAKRISHNA THE GREAT MASTER - translated by Swami Jagadanandaji)

Half of the month of Paush passed away and it was the first day of January 1886. As the Master felt somewhat well, he expressed a desire to come out of his room and have a walk in the garden for some time. It was a holiday, and the householder devotees came one by one and in groups shortly after midday. Thus, when the Master came downstairs at three in the afternoon, more than thirty people were engaged in conversation in the garden under the trees, or inside the house. As soon as they saw him, all got up out of reverence and bowed down to him. When he came to the middle of the path leading to the gate, he saw Girish, Ram, Atul and a few others, sitting under the trees to the west of the path. They also saw him and saluted him from there and came joyfully to him.

The Master addressed Girish all of a sudden before anybody had spoken a word and said, “ Girish, you, I find, say to one and all everywhere so many things about me (that I am an incarnation of God), what have you seen and understood (about me) that you do so ?”

Girish remained completely unmoved and, kneeling down on the ground near the Master’s feet, said in a choked voice with his hands folded and face upwards, “What more can I say of Him, whose greatness Vyāsa and Vālmiki could not find words to express?

The Master was charmed at this fervent utterance of the devoted Girish and blessed all the devotees assembled there through their representative, Girish: “ What more shall I say to you ? May you all be blessed with the spiritual awakening." Beside himself with love and compassion for the devotees, hardly had he said those few words when he entered into Bhāva samādhi.

Those words of profound blessing, untouched by the slightest tinge of selfishness, directly entered the devotees’ hearts where they raised high billows of bliss, They then became eager to bow down to him and take the dust of his feet and, filling the quarters with cries of " Jai Śri Rāmakrishna”, and began saluting him one after another. As they were thus bowing down to him, the sea of the Master’s compassion transcended today, all bounds and brought about a wonderful phenomenon.

We had almost daily seen the Master at Dakshineshwar losing himself in grace and compassion for certain devotees and blessing them by his extraordinarily potent touch in the state of divine semi-consciousness. He began touching each of the devotees assembled on that day in that divine mood.

They had not the slightest doubt that all alike, the sinner as well as the afflicted, would find a refuge at his feet, a touch of which dispelled all fear forever. Unable to utter a single word owing to that wonderful occurrence, some were only looking steadfastly at him as if they were under the spell of a Mantra, some others called aloud to all within the house to come and be blessed by receiving the Master's grace and still others collected flowers and worshipped him with them, uttering Mantras.

Some devotees like Ramchandra have described the happening of that day as transformation by the Master of himself into Wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpataru). But it is more reasonable, to call it “the self-revelation of the Master” or “the bestowal of freedom from fear on all devotees by revealing himself”.

The Kalpataru, it is said, gives to all whatever good or bad they ask for. But the Master did not do so. He made clear through that event the fact of his being a God-man and of his bestowal of protection against and freedom from fear on all, without the slightest discrimination.

 Be that as it may, of all the people that felt blessed by having his grace on that day.

Haranchandra Das is worthy of being particularly mentioned. For, as soon as be bowed down to him, the Master in ecstasy placed his lotus feet on Haran’s head. It is only on a few occasions that we saw him bestow his grace in this way.' We remember the names of nine or ten only of the persons who were present on the spot during this day’s occurrence. They are Girish, Atul, Ram, Navagopal, Haramohan, Vaikuntha, Kishori (Ray), Haran, Ramlal and Akshay. Mahendranath (the writer of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) perhaps was also present.

But it is a matter for wonder that none of the Sannyasi devotees of the Master was present there that day. Narendranath and many others of them had been engaged in Sādhana besides the Masters service etc., in the previous night for long hours and, feeling tired, they were sleeping within the house. Although Latu and Sarat were awake and saw what was taking place from the roof of the first floor to the south of the Master's room, they refrained voluntarily from going there. For, as soon as the Master went downstairs to have a walk in the garden, they put his bedding etc., in the sun and were cleaning the room. Thinking that it might cause inconvenience to the Master if they left their duty half finished, they did not feel inclined to go there.