Only when the time is right for each one of us will be able to see the greatness of souls when they are in flesh and blood. Not understanding the greatness of Swamiji or Ramana Maharishi is not a new phenomenon.

Your thought about knowing Mother or Swamiji is one of my favorites too. There is much security in those thoughts. But it is again in the mind, Mother is real and is there today too in my life as She is in the life of each one of us here in the courtyard. Let us enjoy the “now” in presence of the Mother and not in the past.

The more our minds are thinking about the Mother or Swamiji the greater will be their tangible presence our lives. It is a journey not necessarily a destination.

RE: "The more our minds are thinking about the Mother or Swamiji the greater will be their tangible presence our lives. It is a journey not necessarily a destination."

Comment:
The 'journey', in this case, is also the destination....
We have arrived at our 'destination', when we
decide wholeheartedly, to embark upon the
never-ending and awe-inspiring, journey of God Realization :)

25 years ago, I was blessed, to have the exquisite liberty, of not having to go to work for a living; and, separated from family and friends, in a new city, dilligently began the careful reading of: 'Selections From Swami Vivekananda', the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' and
'In the Company of the Holy Mother'.

For several years, I lived in the world of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple and grounds. In my mind, I was really there.

To be perfectly frank, when I started reading these books, there was a certain amount of doubt. I was forever searching for 'something' that would conflict with my firmly-entrenched Roman Catholicism....

I guess, that it was during the 'second' readings of these books;
when all the little details of life at Dakshineswar became more
vivid; when I 'realized' that I had found my 'Modern Teachers'.

This 'self-imposed sabbatical' allowed me to also explore
other, in-depth readings, focusing on the various beliefs, languages,
politics and customs of the sub-continent.

The above-mentioned, helped me to place the information,
that I was absorbing from the 'Holy Trio Readings',
in their proper context of time and place.

As a matter of fact, I never tire of reading about South Asia and
her peoples. Learning how to read and write the Devanagari Script
was also a blessing from those early years.

It is sad to note, that the world at large, has not discovered the
Holy Trio as yet. When we search 'Sri Ramakrishna' on Google News today,
we find only 23 listings; whereas, Elvis Presley has 2770.

Then again, Sri Thakurji said that:
"The Mother of the universe is happy and claps Her hands when She cuts the string of one or two (kites of the human soul) out of a hundred thousand."

It seems that there are very few who will "enter the Kingdom of Heaven". The Bible states that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. I don't know about you, but I feel I have a long way to go, but I will make my statement here, that if Mother will watch over me, I will keep on trying.

Location: New Bern, NC

Paritosh,
I came across this entry on the net last night and I thought it appropos. It was from a speech by a man named Lex Hixon whom I don't know anything about.

'This is what my teacher, Swami Nikhilananda, told me about the direct disciples. They explained to him: “We didn’t think Sri Ramakrishna was an avatar when we were with him. We were having a beautiful time. Only later, when we entered into strong sadhana and tapasya, when we spent months and years alone in constant mantrajapa, then we began to realize who the Master is.”'

Location: New Bern, NC

I think it it also a matter of deepening experience. We are, for example, blessed to hear of and be attracted to, a great soul or incarnation who others have identified. But even in our limited experience, our understanding of and relationship with Mother or Swamiji, for example, changes with time.

So it must be with the direct disciples who, if you think about it, typically do not fully recognize the significance of their Master as the time they are together. Consider the disciples of Jesus. They are drawn to the person and taught by them, but even the significance of what they were taught is often not understood until long afterward...if at all. Swamiji, while intensely drawn to Sri Ramakrishna continued to doubt his Master until the very end of Ramakrishna's life, and his understanding of the commission given him by Ramakrishna took root and flowered through time. And it was Swamiji that his Master considered the epitome of a disciple.

Ultimately, it is Shiv's original message that abides. Whether one is a direct disciple or not, the key to deepening understanding and relationship with a great soul is our "thinking of them" .

Is this so different from what we do to understand ordinary life? Not really. Only the results can be infinitely greater!

Location: San Diego, California, USA

Thanks for the post Rosemary.

I can only agree with what Jayanti says... as we develop spiritually will we evolve in our understanding. It takes time and patience but most of all it requires the Grace of the Lord to progress in spiritual life. It is not an easy task but then nothing worth achieving is easy. However, with Mother as our center of inspiration all IS possible.

The understanding of the Mother changes with the duration of association with the Ramakrishna Movement. Read these details in http://www.saradacenter.org/Questionnaire/Article.doc