two outstanding leaders of the Brahmo Samaj. Then he added: 'If Keshab possesses
one virtue which has made him world-famous, Naren is endowed with eighteen such
virtues. I have seen in Keshab and Vijay the divine light burning like a candle flame,
but in Naren it shines with the radiance of the sun.'
Narendra, instead of feeling flattered by these compliments, became annoyed and
sharply rebuked the Master for what he regarded as his foolhardiness. 'I cannot help it,'
the Master protested. 'Do you think these are my words? The Divine Mother showed
me certain things about you, which I repeated. And She reveals to me nothing but the
truth.'
But Naren was hardly convinced. He was sure that these so-called revelations were
pure illusions. He carefully explained to Sri Ramakrishna that, from the viewpoint of
Western science and philosophy, very often a man was deceived by his mind, and that
the chances of deception were greater when a personal attachment was involved. He
said to the Master, 'Since you love me and wish to see me great, these fancies naturally
come to your mind.'
The Master was perplexed. He prayed to the Divine Mother for light and was told:
'Why do you care about what he says? In a short time he will accept your every word
as true.'
On another occasion, when the Master was similarly reprimanded by the disciple, he
was reassured by the Divine Mother. Thereupon he said to Naren with a smile: 'You
are a rogue. I won't listen to you any more. Mother says that I love you because I see
the Lord in you. The day I shall not see Him in you, I shall not be able to bear even the
sight of you.'
On account of his preoccupation with his studies, or for other reasons, Narendra could
not come to Dakshineswar as often as Sri Ramakrishna wished. But the Master could
hardly endure his prolonged absence. If the disciple had not visited him for a number
of days, he would send someone to Calcutta to fetch him. Sometimes he went to
Calcutta himself. One time, for example, Narendra remained away from Dakshineswar
for several weeks; even the Master's eager importunities failed to bring him. Sri
Ramakrishna knew that he sang regularly at the prayer meetings of the Brahmo Samaj,
and so one day he made his way to the Brahmo temple that the disciple attended.
Narendra was singing in the choir as the Master entered the hall, and when he heard
Narendra's voice, Sri Ramakrishna fell into a deep ecstasy. The eyes of the
congregation turned to him, and soon a commotion followed. Narendra hurried to his
side. One of the Brahmo leaders, in order to stop the excitement, put out the lights. The
young disciple, realizing that the Master's sudden appearance was the cause of the
disturbance, sharply took him to task. The latter answered, with tears in his eyes, that
he had simply not been able to keep himself away from Narendra.
On another occasion, Sri Ramakrishna, unable to bear Narendra's absence, went to
Calcutta to visit the disciple at his own home. He was told that Naren was studying in
an attic in the second floor that could be reached only by a steep staircase. His nephew