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I replied: "I don't want either of those things. I can't avoid disease as long as I have a body. May I never forget you: that is all I want. Be with me wherever I go."
Paramhansa Ramakrishna's disciple Swami Subodhananda
Swami
Subodhananda left for a pilgrimage in the Himalayas. He visited the
holy shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath. While he was practising
austerities in Hardwar, the following incident occurred:
I had
been suffering from fever for two months. I was so weak that I could not
lift my water pot to pour water into my mouth. One night when I went
near the water pot to quench my thirst, I fell down on the floor
unconscious. When I regained consciousness, my feelings were hurt and I
cried: "Master, I am suffering terribly. There is none to look after me.
You didn't give me sufficient strength even to drink a glass of water
by myself." Thinking thus I fell asleep. Then I saw [in a dream or
vision] the Master stroking my body with his hand, and he said: "Why are
you anxious? Don't you see I am always near you? What do you want -
attendants or money?" I replied: "I don't want either of those things. I
can't avoid disease as long as I have a body. May I never forget you: that is all I want. Be with me wherever I go."
Early in the morning I heard a voice from outside, "Swami, please open
the door." I got up and opened the door. A young monk told me: "Please
tell me what you need. I shall beg food for you." I said to him, "I
don't want anything." When I asked how he knew about me, he said that he
had arrived there a couple of days earlier to perform a religious rite
at the Brahmakunda. The previous night Mother Durga had appeared to him
in a vision and said, "You will get more virtue by serving that sick
monk in the cottage than by performing this religious rite." So early in
the morning he came to my cottage and realized that his vision was
true. Tears trickled from my eyes. I controlled myself and asked the
young monk to let me live alone.
On the same day another monk
received fifty rupees by money order. He came to me and said: "You are
suffering from fever. You need food and medicine. Please use this
money." I declined his offer.
Early the next morning the young
monk came again and told me that at night Mother Durga had exhorted him
to serve me as before. Then I told him politely that I really didn't
need any service and that perhaps Mother Durga had asked him to serve
someone else. The young' monk left. Then I prayed to the Master: "Please
don't tempt me anymore. I am glad that you have crushed my pique." The
young monk also came on the third day, but never again.
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