Reminiscences of Mahapurush Maharaj

Ramanikumar Dattagupta

Translated and edited by Swami Atmajnanananda of the Vedanta Centre of Greater Washington D.C., USA, from the original Bengali book Shivananda Smriti Samgraha.

In February in the year 1922, I had the      supreme good fortune of meeting and offering pranams to Revered Mahapurush Maharaj for the first time at the Ramakrishna Math in Dhaka (in present-day Bangladesh). I had already heard about Mahapurush Maharaj's radiant renunciation and dispassion, his love and spiritual realizations, and his divine life harmonizing the paths of knowledge, devotion, meditation and action, from the sadhus and brahmacharis of the Math and elder householder devotees.

From my very childhood I felt a natural inclination toward spiritual life. I acquired that virtue--the highest treasure and most valuable possession of my life--from my father and mother.

I went to Dhaka to study at college there after graduating from high school in 1916. I was doing my I.A. at Jagannath College and B.A. at the Government College. It was while I was engaged in my college studies, through a variety of circumstances, that I had the opportunity to participate in the religious programs of the Dhaka Ashrama as well as the social service work, and to have the intimate companionship of the sadhus, brahmacharis and devotees. After receiving my B.A. degree from the Government College of Dhaka, I began my law studies. Once during this period I came down with fever and was confined to bed for a few days. Two sadhus and a devotee from the Dhaka Ashrama used to come at that time and, after inquiring about my condition, would give me appropriate treatment. Once I had recovered, they requested me to frequent the Ashrama. As a result of my visits as well as reading and reflecting on a few religious books and some of the literature on Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, I began to feel the urge and necessity of having a guru. I understood at that time that the guru represented an indispensable element in spiritual life.

I used to return to my home during summer vacation and Durga Puja. My father had already passed away, so I said to my mother, 'All of you have taken initiation from a guru and have been performing your devotions according to his instructions. I would also like to take initiation; but I don't want initiation from our family guru. There is a sannyasi guru at Belur Math. He is a great soul and a knower of Brahman. I have resolved to take initiation from him. If you give your permission it will be good; but even if you don't, I want to fulfil this desire of my heart. There is nothing in the scriptures that says that everyone must take initiation from the family guru. It is not a question of rejecting the family guru. I have the same love and devotion for our family guru as the rest of you and will continue to feel that way.'

My mother listened to my words and said, 'But, my child, I have heard that it is improper and even harmful to reject one's family guru. Must you do this? But do what you think is right and consistent with the scriptures.' Then I explained what the scriptures teach regarding the guru, disciple and initiation, and she gladly gave her consent for me to take initiation.

The year was 1922. I was studying in the Dhaka Law College and visiting the Dhaka ashrama on a regular basis. On February 14 that year, as a result of the great eagerness and hard work of the devotees, Revered Mahapurush Maharaj together with his brother disciple, Revered Swami Abhedananda, came to Dhaka from Belur Math, blessing the ashrama with the touch of their holy feet. Mahapurush Maharaj was then the vice-president of the Order. Great numbers of devotees, both men and women, gathered at the Dhaka ashrama every morning, afternoon and evening to have his darshan. I also had the rare privilege of having his darshan, listening to his teachings, and rendering service to him once in a while. I considered myself supremely blessed to have the opportunity of getting his holy company and was reminded of the words from scripture:

Durlabham trayam eva etat

devânugraha-hetukam

Manushyatvam mumukshutvam

mahâpurusha-samshrayah

'Very rare are these three, coming as a result of the grace of God: a human birth, the longing for liberation, and the refuge of a mahâpurusha, a great soul.'

At the very first sight of Mahapurush Maharaj, I felt as if I had attained, by God's grace, the rare gift of the 'refuge of a great soul' in my life.

Mahapurush Maharaj stayed in Dhaka for a month and a half. Countless men and women from all walks of life thirsting after spirituality had their desire quenched by his simple yet sweet and touching words of instruction. I saw that [as Swami Abhedananda wrote regarding Holy Mother] his 'entire life was fully merged in Sri Ramakrishna,' 'his greatest joy was in hearing the name of Sri Ramakrishna,' and 'his very being was transformed into the nature of Sri Ramakrishna'. He told the devotees very simply and guilelessly, 'I am the servant of the servant of Sri Ramakrishna. I don't know anything but him. I am just a poor sâdhu. Thakur is the soul of my soul. I speak as he makes me speak. I do as he makes me do. I don't know anything else, and I have no need to know anything else.'

Every evening Mahapurush Maharaj would give instructions on spiritual practice, japa, meditation and worship to the devotees who had assembled in the room assigned to him at the Dhaka Math. The secretary of the Dhaka Math at that time was Revered Harish Maharaj (Swami Satprakasha- nanda). One evening he introduced me to Mahapurush Maharaj. That day he very compassionately allowed me to massage his feet. The whole time I was thinking of Krishna's words to Arjuna (the Gita 4.34):

Tad viddhi pranipâtena

pariprashnena sevayâ

Upadekshyanti te jnânam

jnâninastattva-darsinah

'Know that by bowing in reverence to the wise ones who have realized the highest truth, asking questions of them, and serving them, they will impart knowledge to you.'

Mahapurush Maharaj began to speak of high spiritual truths: God-realization being the only aim of life, knowledge, devotion, faith and love being the means to God-realization, and so on. Hearing his words, I developed a firm faith in the teaching of the scriptures:

Tad-vijnânârtham

sa gurum eva abhigacchet

Samit-pânih

shrotriyam brahma-nistham

'In order to realize Brahman one must humbly (literally, 'with firewood in hand') approach a teacher who is well-versed in the scriptures and is established in Brahman.'

They are the real gurus who understand the import of the Vedas and Vedanta, who are knowers of Brahman, who can take others beyond the realm of fear. If one gets access to such a soul, he should seek initiation from him. Na atra kârya vichâranâ, 'One should not hesitate in this regard.' That very day I accepted Mahapurush Maharaj in my heart as my guru and formed the firm conviction that he was âshcharyah vaktâ, âshcharyah jnâtâ, 'a wonderful teacher and a wonderful knower of Truth'.

During the time of Mahapurush Maharaj's visit to Dhaka, Mahatma Gandhi, the founder and leader of the Non-Cooperation Movement, was arrested. While I was massaging Mahapurush Maharaj's feet, he asked me the cause of Gandhiji's arrest. In those days I used to keep track of all the news of the Non-Cooperation Movement and regularly read Young India, the weekly journal published by Gandhiji. I said to Mahapurush Maharaj, 'Gandhiji has written two daring and detailed articles in his journal, Young India, one entitled "British Lion Shakes its Manes" and the other, "Poles Asunder." These were considered seditious in the eyes of the government. That is why Gandhiji has been arrested and will be brought to trial.'

Hearing this, Mahapurush Maharaj wanted to know what was written in those two articles. At that time, Dr. Prafulla Ghosh of the Abhaya Ashrama used to donate copies of Young India to the Dhaka Ashrama public reading room. So I brought a copy of Young India, and read out the two articles to Mahapurush Maharaj. He listened silently and with great attention, and when the articles were finished said gravely, 'Mahatma Gandhi is a great soul. Unless he had the power of tapasyâ, he could not have been bold enough to criticize the mighty and powerful British Government. He himself wrote in the preface to the two articles that he prayed to God before undertaking the writing of the articles. Really, the power of prayer is unlimited. Prayer makes the impossible possible. Even the poets have written, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." Spirituality, religion, is the main source of power in man. In India only a spiritual man can manifest leadership. Unless a leader is spiritual, no one in India will listen to him. Mahatma Gandhi has attracted everyone's attention because he is a spiritual person. And for that reason everyone respects him.'

Along with these remarks, Mahapurush Maharaj said about poets, 'If one is to become a real poet, one must have some spiritual experience. It is a pity that many poets nowadays lack that. Many write about the spiritual truths found in the Upanisads and Puranas in their poetry, but they do so despite having no direct experience of these in their own lives. The word kavi, or poet, has been used in the Upanisads to mean 'all-seeing'. The Atman has been referred to as the kavi, i.e. the wise one, 'the ancient ruler'. (Gita VIII.9)

Kavim purânam anushâsitâram

anoraniyânsam-anusmaret yah

Sarvasya dhâtâram acintya-rupam

âditya-varnam tamasah parastât

'Who remembers the omniscient kavi, the ancient one, the ruler, subtler than an atom, the supporter of all, inscrutable in nature, effulgent like the sun, and beyond all darkness . . .'

The kavi is the Supreme Self, the omniscient knower of all things, past, present and future. Only through direct contact with God does real kavi-hood awaken in the poet.'

One afternoon Mahapurush Maharaj was sitting on a chair in the courtyard opposite the Dhaka Ashrama temple and smoking a hubble-bubble. One or two of us were standing nearby to attend on him. A few students from Dhaka University came and made pranams to him. Mahapurush Maharaj asked them, 'My boys, do you have anything to say?' One student said, 'We are students of Dhaka University. We have heard that a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna has come from Belur Math, so we have come to see you and to hear a few things from you. We are especially eager to learn about the work of the Ramakrishna Mission in spreading the teachings of Vedanta in America, where it is being done and how well the work is going on. Please speak to us about that.'

Mahapurush Maharaj replied, 'You see, my boys, I myself have not been to America. Whatever you want to know about that place, you may learn from my brother disciple, Swami Abhedananda. He has come with me, and he is in the ashrama right now. He was in America preaching Vedanta a long time. He knows everything about that place.' Pointing to his room, Mahapurush Maharaj said, 'You may go to him over there. I am only an ordinary sâdhu. I can say a few words about God. If you have anything to ask about God, ask, and I will say something.'

The students immediately went to Swami Abhedananda. After they had left, Mahapurush Maharaj said to us, 'Did you see? They are only interested in external things, in news of the world. They have virtually no desire to know about God. They should come to us as seekers of truth, to learn the means to God-realization. But no, they are only interested in external things. Their gaze is only on the external world. 'As is one's attitude, so is one's gain!' One should approach sâdhus only to hear about spirituality. A sâdhu is a teacher. He gives instruction in religious life; he cares only for "news" about God. News of the various countries of the world can be found in books and magazines.'

To be continued ...