It is the full-moon day. Today is the day of the Bhadra festival. Celebrations have been going on throughout the day in the Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj in the Mechhua Bazar. The exterior and the interior of the temple have been decorated with different kinds of leaves and flowers and strings of multi-coloured electric bulbs. Bhajans, community singing and sermons are going on since morning. The Brahmo devotees are visiting it in clean clothes. One can hear the sound of the community singing accompanied with ‘mridang’ on the main road. Inside the temple the teachers - Pramatha Sen and others, sitting on the pulpit - now give talks, and now worship the Mother, the embodiment of Brahman, uttering ‘Ma, Ma’.

It is 7 a.m.

M. enters the temple by the northern door to the west accompanied by Jagabandhu. He is in a pensive mood. Perhaps he is recalling the blessed visit of Sri Ramakrishna to this temple - he is perhaps sipping surreptituously the nectar of Brahman. Even though he is so well-known to Brahmo devotees, it appears from his mood, that he wishes to taste the joy of the Lord, in all humility, seated in this temple of God, without the knowledge of others. Some people come and take their seats in front of him. M. is behind them all. Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘One should go to the Lord’s door in a very humble mood. It’s only then that the joy of devotion enters within. Water does not stand on a high hillock.’

A devotee is seated close to M. His eyes and mind are fixed on M. A sermon by a (Brahmo) preacher is entering his ears but since his mind has fixed itself on the reflection of the waves of bhava on M.’s face, it doesn’t leave any mark on his mind. The devotee is reminded of what M. had said on the previous day in the meeting of the bhaktas - namely that Sri Ramakrishna’s current of thought had entered Keshab’s mind in this very (Brahmo) Samaj building. Though dim now it is still very much a particle of that very nectar. The devotee does not fail to see that M. is collecting the particles of Ramakrishna’s nectar by churning constantly the sea of incessant talk. The devotee discovers something else too - how M., a top-class scholar of the University, possessing so many divine qualities, has been able to attain such a wealth of humility. After a while, on coming out of the building to the main road, he says to the bhakta, ‘Mother, the embodiment of Brahman, grants Her grace to him who calls for Her innocently with a deep longing heart. Besides, one cannot find a place in the Mother’s lap unless one rids oneself of materialistic thinking. The Mother is ever ready to give shelter but how many people seek Her shelter. These words spoken by Pramatha Babu are the particles of Thakur’s nectar. He is a nephew of Keshab Babu. He has been to Thakur a number of times. Those particles of nectar have been transmitted to his devotees by Keshab Babu. Our visits to the Samaj help them a lot. Did Thakur come for the benefit of a handful of persons? No, his advent was for the good of the whole world. One is blessed to the extent one can hold his ideas. His great sayings are spreading throughout the world through so many instruments. As the time passes, the people will realize his greatness more and more.’

5 p.m. M. comes to Antevasi’s cabin and says to him, ‘Please go there, do go to the Navavidhan (Brahmo Samaj). Its going to be another lecture there. Besides you will hear some hymns. Trailokya Babu has also written songs on various divine moods of Thakur. You should hear them all. It is only by piercing our extrovert mind from all directions with the arrows of the nectar of Thakur’s words that one succeeds. Relentless effort is needed to control the mind. Once you let it go astray, it throws one thousands of miles away. One has to be like a soldier in the battle field. He tries again and again -now takes a few steps forward and now retreats, only to advance. Acting in this manner one should fight with the mind - taking the vow to ‘do or die’. And please take Upadhyaya also with you. This visit will inspire you. I shall also follow shortly. Where so many devotees gather to call upon Him, there He comes. Please go there. Such an opportunity doesn’t come every day.’

After an hour, at 6 p.m. M. comes again to the Navavidhan bringing with him many devotees. Mukund, the Doctor, Vinay, the Elder Amulya, the Younger Nalini, Balai and others. ‘Healing Balm’ (Durga Pada Ghosh) has also come. They have all come at the forceful persuasion of M. He (M.) knows the weaknesses of human-beings. Men are blind with pride. But an expert teacher like M. forces the devotees tactfully into the sea of nectar. Then they drink joyfully the divine nectar. He who is able to pierce their veil of ego is known as guru. Having tasted the nectar once one goes out later on to collect the honey like the bee by oneself. The work of the avatara and his disciples is to give a taste of that very divine joy to the mind within.

M. is sitting in the western section of the Samaj Mandir alongwith devotees. The lecture lasts for quite some time. Now the arati is being performed in front of the pulpit. Brahmo devotees having lighted small candles worship the formless Brahman-with-qualities. The candles held by hands are going up and down with the beat of the drum, while the lips utter, ‘Victory to the Mother! Victory to the Mother!’. Some devotees get so surcharged that they begin dancing gently, making half-a-circle in the empty space, with the lamps. Some have shut their eyes, the others are lost in emotion. Their faces show their emotion within making them so attractive.

M. leaves by car accompanied by the Doctor, Vinay, the Elder Amulya, and the Younger Nalini. Having had the darshan of the Ganga at the bathing point in Bara Bazar and meeting the devotees there, M., on his way back, witnesses the celebrations of the Swing in Kashi Mullick’s house. Then he goes to the bathing point again through Bara Bazar and after that he goes along the bank of Ganga upto the crematorium at Neemtala. Numberless people are taking a dip everywhere. Members of the Seva Samiti (voluntary organization for service) and scouts are helping those who have come to bathe. Later on, they go for darshan in Madan Mohan Temple in Bagh Bazar, where the festival of the Swing is being celebrated. After this they have the darshan of Mother Kali in Thanthania.

Jagabandhu, Balai and Rajani are already there in the Kali Bari performing japa and dhyana. M. and the bhaktas come and sit beside them. After a while, M. prostrates himself before Mother Kali, and taking some charanamrita in the palm of his hand, stands up. He is to go to Thakur Bari. (M.’s house - Kathamrita Bhavan, 13/2, Guruprasad Chaudhury Lane in Calcutta).

Jagabandhu says, ‘What a beautiful night! It is the full moon day along with the eclipse of moon. How I wish we spend the night in the Math.’

The Doctor agrees. The bhaktas return by car to the bathing point in Ahiri Tola. They are Jagabandhu, the Doctor, Vinay, Balai and the Younger Nalini. They hire a boat for a rupee and ‘float on the Ganga’s chest.’

The wind and the tide are both favourable. The boat moves with great speed. The full moon is above, its rays are reflected in the water. The water is shining, as if the Mother is full of dance today. The electric lights on both the banks of the Ganga from Calcutta to Baranagore are shaking with the wind, like a garland. All this arrangement has been made for the eclipse of the moon. Thousands of volunteers are there to help the bathers.

The Swing Festival is being celebrated in the garden-house of a marvari devotee on the bank of the river in Shalikha. There too plenty of electric bulbs are shedding their light illumining the sky above.

The bhaktas move on as they see these divine sights. They proceed towards the north singing:

What need of Ganga, Prabhas,

Kashi Kanchi or such other places.

If the lips can utter Kali, Kali, Kali,

when the life ebbs out.

O Mother, the embodiment of Brahman,

make me mad with love.

What need have I of knowledge or reason?

Make me drunk with the wine of Thy love.

O Mother, Thou stealest the heart of Thy bhaktas!

Drown me in the sea of Thy love.

In Thine mad-house of the world

some laugh, some weep, some dance full of joy.

Jesus, Moses, Sri Chaitanya,

O Mother, are all dead-drunk with Thy love.

When, O Mother, shall I be blessed

by being in their company ?

It’s the fair of the mad in heavens,

the Guru and the disciple both the inebriated.

Who can understand this play of love ?

Thou art mad with love, nay,

Thou art the head of the mad ones.

O Mother, make me rich with the wealth of love

Premadasa is so poor in love.

He who knows the Mother, the embodiment of bliss,

himself becomes the everlasting bliss.

He does not go on pilgrimage.

Except for Kali he hears nothing.

He does not believe in Sandhya or Puja,

for he knows that its Kali who does everything

He has made Kali’s feet his refuge,

so easily he is indifferent to sense objects.

Only he will find the shore beyond the sea of the world,

How can he let go his very base ?

Says Ramakrishna

that such a man has no ear for worldly blame;

The nectar of Kali’s name so intoxicates him

that as in night, his eyes looks sleepy during the day.

Here comes the New Man.

Come on, if you wish to see him.

Carries he on his two shoulders

two bags of discrimination and dispassion, always.

Uttering ‘Ma, Ma !’ with his holy lips,

he plunges into the water of Ganga.

Says he, ‘O the image of Brahman,

the day is past, yet Thou has not revealed Thyself.

He tells the athiest and the ignorant in simple words,

She who is Kali is also Brahman.

These two are different names

but basically they are the same.

One calls it water, the other aqua,

yet others pani, vari and so on.

Similarly Allah, God, Jesus, Moses,

Kali are different names of the same.

Such a man does not distinguish between

the poor and the rich;

doesn’t care for name, knowledge and high birth.

On seeing a simple soul

he forgets himself and

raising his arms he calls aloud

‘Come here, do come!’

Here I sit alone to do you

the favour of taking you across.

I have carefully tied the boat

that takes one to the other shore.’ 

It’s 11.30 p.m. The boat of the devotees touches the landing point at the Math. Quiet is the Math, quiet the nature and quiet the bosom of the Ganga - all quiet. Quietly the devotees offer pranam at the steps of the shrine of Thakur. Thereafter they offer pranam in the rooms of Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda), the Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda and go back to the bathing point of the Math. Swami Vijayananda greets the devotees in the courtyard of the Math.

Many a sadhu is sitting at the bathing point of the Ganga - Bhava Maharaj, Basant Maharaj, Sanat Maharaj and others. The devotees again sing together with the sadhus :

Here comes the New Man,

Come on, if you wish to see Him . . .

The eclipse took place at half past twelve at night. They all sit down to meditate and carry out japa. Swami Prabodhananda keeps to his seat till the morning. Since it is morning, one can hear indistinct sounds from the other bank of the Ganga. The bathers take their dip for liberation.

What a divine sight! It is the western bank of the Ganga where the all-renouncing sadhus have made their ashrama. In front flows the Jahnavi (Ganga), the redeemer of the fallen. Not far is the great modern centre of pilgrimage, Dakshineswar, which has supported for thirty years the sport of the Lord. And on the other bank you have the great cremation ground, where the body of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna was consigned to fire. On both sides of the Ganga there are chains of electric lights.

The sadhus and the bhaktas have spent the whole night in dhyana and bhajan. What a holy sight! How it inspires the feeling of God, how it uplifts the mind! Blessed indeed is he who can see such a divine sight and enjoy this bliss even for a single day in his human life. The joy of Vaikuntha described in the holy books can only be realized through imagination by the ordinary mortals of the earth. But the vibrant joy of today is alive here, directly to be tasted. Such an opportunity comes only as a result of many holy deeds.

There are some who even tonight indulged in evil. But these sadhus and bhaktas, seated on the holy ground of the Math, have been busy meditating on the Dispeller of all evil. Blessed are the sadhus, blessed the devotees and blessed Sri Ramakrishna! Also blessed are his intimate disciples, M. and others. Free are the minds of the devotees, attuned to tasting the divine bliss of their holy touch.

Full of joy a bhakta sings at dawn:

Behold, O man ! Behold the haven of joy.

Behold, O man ! Behold the haven of joy,

O matchless Beauty, beyond the sea of life,

shining in its glory.

Come one, come all, you who sigh and you who groan,

rid yourself of pain and sorrow.

You will get peace in the heart;

Intense love will awaken in your heart.

Many are the yogis, rishis and munis,

plunged, we know not, in what meditation,

with half-open eyes.

What nectarine bliss they have drunk

and forgotten the world !

What ambrosian hymns are sung by gods,

praising the guileless qualities of the Lord !

Millions of moons and stars come out

and dance without a pause.