20-06-2016 Monday
Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 154

The Masters Death and After – 11

At Cossipore Sri Ramakrishna took special care to mould the spiritual life of Narendranath, who was to broadcast his message in India and carry it across the ocean. It was here that Narendranath experienced nirvikalpa samadhi. Sri Ramakrishna told him repeatedly to look after the spiritual welfare of his young brother disciples and to see that they did not return home. Here, too, he gave some of these disciples ochre robes in preparation for the monastic life and asked them to beg their food like mendicant friars. Thus he himself laid the foundation of the order of monks which later became associated with his name. All this happened before Sarada Devi’s eyes, and perhaps she intuitively felt that she would have to play a prominent part in the future propagation of the Master’s message. At the Cossipore garden, shortly before his death, Sri Ramakrishna was one day gazing intently at her when she said: ‘Tell me what is in your mind?’ He replied in a tone of complaint: ‘Look here, won’t you do anything? Must this [pointing to his body] do everything?’ ‘But,’ she protested, ‘what can I do? I am a mere woman.’ ‘No, no,’ Sri Ramakrishna insisted. ‘You will have to do many things.’

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Holy Mother - Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi Wife of Sri Ramakrishna And Helpmate in his Mission By Swami Nikhilananda p: 97

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