Sri Ramakrishna as Sri Ramachandra

Sri Ramakrishna as Sri Ramachandra

One day Kshudiram, Ramakrishna's father, travelled to another village on an errand. On his way home he became exhausted, so he rested awhile under a tree by the side of the road. He felt an urge to lie down, and as soon as he did so, he fell asleep. After a while, he began to dream: His choosen deity, Ramachandra, with a complexion like that of a blade of young grass, appeared before him as a divine boy. Pointing to a particular spot, Ramachandra said: "Unnoticed and uncared for, I have been starving here for many days. Take me to your home. I am eager to accept your service." Kshudiram went there and found a stolen emblem of Vishnu; he carried it to his home and installed it in his shrine.

Kshudiram called that image Raghuvir (an epithet of Ramachandra) and worshipped him daily with great love. Once, when Gadadhar was a child, Kshudiram had a desire to make a garland, for the Lord. He picked flowers made a garland, and sat down to worship Raghuvir. Meanwhile, the little Gadadhar wanted to put on that garland. Kshudiram bathed the deity and then  closed his eyes to meditate. Gadadhar took this opportunity to put on the garland. He then called to his father and said: "Look, Father, I am Raghuvir. See how I am dressed with a garland and sandal paste like him."

                  *******************

Nistarini, the wife of Navagopal Ghosh, was a devout woman. After her marriage, she went with her husband to see the Master at Dakshineswar. A temple cat had some kittens. The guards had been hitting them and the mother cat had taken shelter in the Master's room with her kittens. One day the Master asked Nistarini to take them to her home. She agreed. Pleased, the Master blessed her, saying: " You saved me from a great responsibility. By Mother's grace, may all good attend you and may you have the vision of your Chosen Deity." Her Chosen Deity was Ramachandra. One day while repeating the mantra, she had a vision of Lord Rama. Immediately she bowed down. And when she was talking the dust of his feet, she saw the form of Ramakrishna in place of Ramachandra. The Master smiled and said: "Now you know Who I am."

               ***********************

The Master's nephew Ramlal told the following story:

A young Ramait monk in Ayodhya had a vision that Lord Rama had again incarnated on earth, somewhere in the East. In order to see him, the monk started on foot eastward from Ayodhya. When he reached Bengal he heard that there was a great saint named Sri Ramakrishna near Calcutta. He finally found Dakshineswar after a long search and asked someone, "Where is Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa?" The people of the Kali temple told him that the Master had just passed away a few days before. Hearing this heartbreaking news, the monk exclaimed: "What! He passed away? I have come from Ayodhya on foot [nearly 1000 miles] just to see him. I went through so much hardship to get here and he has left the body!" The young monk began to sob.

The manager of the Kali temple offered him some food from the temple store, but he refused it. He went to the Panchavati and stayed there for two or three days without eating. One night Sri Ramakrishna appeared before him and said: "You have not eaten anything for several days. I have brought this pudding for you. Please eat it." He fed the monk and disappeared.

The next morning I [Ramlal] went to the Panchavati and found the monk full of joy. I asked: "What happened?" Then he told me everything. He even showed me the clay bowl in which the Master had brought the pudding. [Ramlal preserved the bowl for a long time, but later on it was somehow destroyed.]

-How to Live With God