The return of Maharaj to Calcutta created a stir among his brother-disciples. His presence brought to them a new upsurge of spiritual joy. One day he told Swami Premananda: ‘I was very happy in Brindavan, but I left the holy city to come and live in the Math here. I want to serve my brothers and mankind. Our Master, Sri Ramakrishna, was the embodiment of supreme love and devotion; our lives too must be such that people all over the world, burdened by earthly sufferings and miseries may learn to take His holy name and find rest and peace in Him’.

When Swamiji, who was still in America, heard of Maharaj’s return to Calcutta, he felt relieved of any further anxiety regarding the conduct of the Ramakrishna Order in India. His letters to Maharaj were full of the spirit of universal service and Maharaj, in his turn, would inspire his brother disciples with the same ideal. All felt an unbounded confidence in Swamiji and Maharaj; but the love of these two for each other was so deep and so spiritual that no one else could fully understand it. Two years after Maharaj’s return from Brindavan, Swamiji came back from America. A public reception was accorded to him in Calcutta and Maharaj himself was the first to welcome his brother, placing a garland of flowers around his neck. Swamiji in his turn, touched the feet of Maharaj, quoting a saying from the scriptures: ‘The son of a guru is to be regarded as the guru himself.’ Smiling sweetly, Maharaj touched Swamiji’s feet and capped the compliment with another quotation: ‘One’s elder brother is to be respected like one’s father.’

Swamiji was then taken to the Alambazar Math. Here he placed in Maharaj’s hands all the money which American devotees had given for the Order’s work in India. ‘All this time,’ he said, ‘I have been acting as a trustee. It is a relief to give this back to its real owner – our Raja.’

The natures of the two were widely dissimilar and yet, in a sense complementary. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna: ‘Naren dwells in the realm of the Absolute, the impersonal. He is like a sharp, drawn sword of discrimination. Rakhal dwells in the realm of God, the Sweet One, the repository of all blessed qualities. He is like a child on the lap of his mother, completely surrendering himself to her in every way.’

Swamiji was like the flaming fire, the midday sun- burning up all evil and impurity. Maharaj was like a soft, cool light, soothing the aching heart. Swamiji was like the deep and restless ocean – always fighting against ignorance and superstition. Maharaj was like the blue sky, vast and patient in spirit. The manner of his working was inward and silent.

Swamiji laid the foundation for the spiritual undertaking entrusted to him by his Master; Maharaj built the edifice. Swamiji, with his dynamic, aggressive personality, could wake a man from the sleep of ignorance; Maharaj with his characteristic serenity could show him the way to mould his life in God.

Each paid memorable tribute to the other. ‘Through Swamiji,’ said Maharaj, ‘the world has come to know of Sri Ramakrishna. But for him, very few could have understood our Master’s genius.’ And in the words of Swamiji: ‘Raja is the greatest treasure house of spirituality.’ Once a European devotee came to visit Swamiji in the Math, wishing to have his spiritual problems solved. Swamiji sent him to Maharaj, saying: ‘There you will find a dynamo working, and we are all under him.’ After talking to Maharaj, the devotee expressed his gratitude and told Swamiji that all his doubts had been removed.

Swami Saradananda rightly remarks: ‘If Swami Vivekananda was loved and cherished by the Master as the means by which his spiritual mission was to be proclaimed t the world, Swami Brahmananda was no less valued by him as the future head of his organization.’

We have already described how before visiting America, Swamiji had spent more than two years as a wandering monk, travelling the length and breadth of India. It was at this time that he came to understand the inner source of his country’s strength; for he saw how the masses, in spite of their miserable poverty and lack of education with all their accompanying evils, still held fast to the ancient ideals of religious life. Swamiji’s heart thrilled with pride in his country’s spiritual greatness but bled for its material distress. When he came to the West, he found the picture exactly reversed: on the one hand, physical comfort, material prosperity, high standards of education, and all the achievements of the human intellect; on the other hand, spiritual poverty, and a failure to understand life’s only purpose – the unfoldment of the God within man. He saw, in short, that the West had failed to accept wholeheartedly the ideals of Jesus Christ. The perfect civilization, Swamiji realized, consists in blending and harmonizing the genius of the East with that of the West. Expressed philosophically, it is the blending of the active with the contemplative life.

When Swamiji returned to India, he talked to his brother disciples, giving new expression to the ideals for which Sri Ramakrishna had stood. It is not enough, he said, to devote your entire life to the realization of God for yourself alone. You must also live ‘for the good of all, for the happiness of all.’ Swamiji wished his brothers to combine the contemplative life with the life of service to mankind. Maharaj was the first to recognize the depth and scope of Swamiji’s ideals and he gave them his full support.

On the first of May 1897, Swamiji called a representative meeting of the monastic and lay disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. At this meeting, the organization known as the Ramakrishna Mission was formed. Maharaj was elected president of the Calcutta Centre. Later, early in 1902, before the passing away of Swamiji, he was made head of the Order, and held that office for more than twenty years, until his own death. The phenomenal growth of the Mission during his lifetime is too well known to need recording here. Whenever India has suffered any great flood of famine of other calamity, the monks of the Ramakrishna Order have come forward to relieve the distress of the people. Besides its innumerable emergency relief stations opened temporarily, it has established permanent charitable and religious institutions all over the country. Preaching centres and MathsMaths is the tool of science have also been opened in Europe and in North and South America. At the beginning of 1899, the permanent headquarters of the Mission was established at Belur, near Calcutta, on the Ganga, now well known as the Belur Math.

Foreign visitors to India have spoken highly in appreciation of the Mission’s success in social service. To the monks of the Order, however, such success can be only of secondary importance. Maharaj always insisted on this: ‘The one purpose of life is to know God. Plunge deep into the sea of bliss and become immortals. Attain knowledge and devotion, then serve God in mankind. Work is not the end of life. Disinterested work is a means of attaining devotion. Meditate, meditate, and dive deep within. Know that God alone is real. Keep at least three fourths of your mind in God. It is enough if you give one-fourth to service.’

A young disciple of Swamiji, inspired by his ideals of renunciation and service, devoted himself to nursing the sick and helping the poor. From a very humble beginning, his work grew into a huge organization. For many years this disciple was the head of one of the largest homes of service in India under the Ramakrishna Mission. But when Maharaj saw that his work was becoming more important to him than his spiritual life, he relieved him of his post, inspired him with the ideal of realizing God, and sent him away to live a life of exclusive meditation.

To quote Maharaj again: ‘Yes, you must work. But I insist that you devote yourselves more to spiritual practices and meditation. Even though I may not ask you to work. It is difficult to engage the minds in contemplation of God; but you are monks, therefore work must not be the sole purpose of your lives.’

At one time, a millionaire who had lost his wife came to the Math and said he wished to renounce the world and give all his wealth to the Ramakrishna Mission. Swami Premananda reported this to Maharaj, who folded his hands and said gently: ‘Brother, a worldly man who associates with a holy man like yourself naturally becomes inspired by the ideal of renunciation. Shall we in our turn become worldly, because we have met a worldly man?’ Maharaj refused to accept the money, because he knew very well that the millionaire would later regret his offer, as he was very much attached to his wealth.

In the same way, he refused to accept a gift of real estate, knowing that the emotion which prompted the offer was merely temporary. He realized that the work of the Mission could not prosper unless it was founded on a firm spiritual basis.

Maharaj was more interested in the spiritual growth of his disciples that in their efficiency. He once reprimanded a senior disciple who had been put in charge of a younger brother, saying, ‘Did I send this young boy to you to make a good clerk out of him?’ On another occasion, when a senior disciple of Swamiji was taking one of the younger disciples to task for negligence in some duty, Maharaj overheard the conversation and told him: ‘Of course, it is wrong if this young man neglects his allotted duty. You have the right to scold him for that. But tell me, do you ever inquire if he is doing his duty to himself? Do you ask him if he is meditating regularly or if he has any difficulties in his progress towards God? Is the work of the Mission more important to you than this boy’s spiritual growth?’

While it is true that Maharaj held the ideal of selfless service, of serving God in man, to be a form of worship, he also pointed out that without the practice of meditation it is hard to do work as worship and that it is utterly impossible to annihilate the ego simply by work, however selfless it may be. We must work but we must also try by out meditation to merge the ego in God.

Maharaj placed special importance on what he called Sahaja Yoga, which means the easy way to attain the knowledge of God. And that is constant recollectedness. He used to say: ‘Do japa. Repeat the name of God. Whatever you do, let the name of God flow like a current within you.’

Jesus said: ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself.’ But to really love mankind an aspirant must also learn to love God with all his heart, his soul, and his mind. Maharaj once told me: ‘My boy, devote yourself to spiritual practices. Attain knowledge and devotion. Then you will see how your heart will overflow with love and sympathy for mankind. You will also find out how unnecessary is man’s suffering, carrying as he does this mine of bliss within himself.’

Maharaj kept a watchful eye on the progress of each member of the Order. He turned our hearts continually towards God and directed our actions and the activities of the Mission toward the unfoldment of inner strength which alone can benefit mankind physically, morally and spiritually.

When young men of varied temperaments live together, it is only natural that misunderstandings will arise from time to time, no matter how high their common ideal may be. In one of the Maths, connected with a home of service, there were a number of young member, newly arrived from school and college. When they had been together a while, their old tendencies began to reassert; they formed groups and started to quarrel. A senior swami of the Order went to investigate. After questioning everybody he soon found out who were the leaders. He then wrote to Maharaj telling him that some of those boys were unfit for monastic life, and should be expelled. Maharaj replied: ‘Don’t do anything. I am coming to see for myself.’

When Maharaj arrived, he asked no questions. He lived quietly in the Math, insisting only on one thing: that all the boys should meditate regularly in his presence. Then he began to instruct them, making no distinction between the good and the bad. Gradually the whole atmosphere of the place improved. The boys forgot their quarrels because they no longer had any time for them. And when Maharaj left, two or three months later, perfect harmony had been restored in the Math. Nobody had been expelled. All the boys had become better and more spiritual.

At another time, two young monks quarrelled and it became bitter. Swami Premananda heart of it and went anxiously to Maharaj, saying: ‘Maharaj, we brother-disciples have lived together in peace and harmony for many years. Never have we fought or quarrelled: never has a harsh word been spoken among us. What shall we do with these boys? Ought we not to expel them?’

‘Brother,’ Maharaj answered gently, ‘it is true that they have been making trouble, but remember also that they came here to take refuge at the blessed feet of Sri Ramakrishna. They look to you for counsel and guidance. Surely you can do something to transform their lives and bring love into their hearts.’

‘You are right,’ Swami Premananda replied, ‘they have taken refuge here; but, brother, it is you who must bless them and transform them.’

Then Swami Premananda gathered the monks together, seniors and novices alike, and led them in procession to Maharaj. With folded hands the Swami asked Maharaj to bless them all. As he spoke, Maharaj entered into an exalted spiritual mood. He became deeply absorbed, and his right hand was raised in benediction. Seeing this, Swami Premananda asked Swami Shuddhananda, a senior disciple of Swamiji, to prostrate before Maharaj and receive his blessing. Thereupon, every monk and every initiate followed his example, and Maharaj touched the head of each with his uplifted hand. Speaking from my own experience, I can only say that that touch was like a cooling spring to a fevered body. It gave one an inner exaltation which could be felt but not described. All our troubles were forgotten and our hearts were full of love.

‘Keep your mind as high as the mountains,’ Maharaj told a disciple whom he was sending to a Math in the Himalayas. He himself lived always in an exalted state of consciousness, which subtly transformed the lives and characters of those around him. If the spiritual life is intensified, the outer life will adjust itself automatically; this principle applies equally to the life of an organization. Maharaj was once asked to make some new rules for the guidance of the young monks. He replied: ‘Swamiji has already made the rules for us. We do not need to add any new ones. Add more love, attain more devotion, and help others to move toward the ideal of God.’

As the network of Maths and homes of service spread over India, Maharaj began to visit them, staying a few months at each place. He inspired everyone by his presence, and an air of festivity prevailed everywhere he went. Once, in speaking of him, Swami Turiyananda quoted a verse from the Bhagavata: ‘Those who realize the eternal presence of the God in their hearts are endowed with goodness and beauty, and their lives are a perpetual festival of joy.’ Then he added: Maharaj carries with him such an intense spiritual atmosphere that whoever comes within his orbit is carried toward God by a spiritual current and is filled with divine joy.’ Once a professor who had lived for a week in a Math where Maharaj was staying said to me: ‘I don’t know what kind of boys you are, but if you can live in the rarefied atmosphere of Maharaj, day after day, you must be great. I myself cannot stand it for long; I need to breathe a little worldly air.’ However, after this, the professor could not breathe his worldly air for long. Maharaj had given him a taste of the joy of God. Soon afterwards he came back and joined the Order.

All the disciples of Maharaj, being in different centres of the order, could not always live with him, but he kept a watchful eye on everybody. One day he said to me: ‘Do you think I don’t know what you boys have been doing and how you have been faring in the path of God? I may stay in one place and seem unconcerned, but I know what is happening to each one of you. I even know what….is doing in America.’ Maharaj possessed this knowledge not through the ordinary means of communications, but through extraordinary powers. Moreover, he was not satisfied with merely knowing; he sent spiritual aid to every on in need.

If a member of the Order was guilty of some serious offence and there was talk of his expulsion, Maharaj would forgive his misdeeds and transform him by his touch. He used to say: ‘The sins of many births can be wiped out in a moment by one glance from the gracious eye of God.’ Once he said to me: ‘What is morality? If one acquires devotion to God, morality and purity will follow without one even trying to be moral or pure.’

‘Practise, practise,’ he would tell us. ‘Through practice of the spiritual disciplines the heart will be purified and a new realm will open. You will realize that God alone is real and that everything else is unreal. But when through japa and meditation a little awakening comes, do not imagine you have achieved the end. Light! More Light! Onward! Onward! Attain God! Gain His vision! Talk to Him!’

The success of the religious body depends, not on its external achievements, its efficient organization, its buildings, the size of its membership or its philanthropic activities- but upon the inner life of each of its members and the measure of their progress toward devotion and knowledge of God. This is the truth that Maharaj, as head of the Order, impressed indelibly upon our minds.
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