Gurudev!’ – 3-II

Pujya Gurudev Pt. ShriRam Sharma’s Kripa 

                            ‘I surrender myself to you, Gurudev!’ – 3

                                       (Akhand Jyoti July-Aug.2010)

The Sadhana learnt from Totapuri Sri Ramakrishna continued exploring the various paths of sadhana. These scenes were visible to Shriram seated in his puja chamber like live transmission. He could see sadhaks, sanyasis, fakirs, Christian missionaries, etc arriving at the temple of Dakshineshwar. One day, a leader of seven hundred naga sadhus, a sanyasi named Totapuri arrived at the temple premises. His fame had spread far and wide. In the lunar month of Paush, he stayed at Dakshineshwar after completing his holy dip in the Gangasagar. He looked at Sri Ramakrishna and asked – ‘Will you do some sadhana?’ 

‘If Mother says so, I will do’ replied Ramakrishna with child-like innocence. Totapuri thought that he might have to seek the permission of his biological mother, and hence asked him to go to her. Ramakrishna sat in front of Mother Kali and sought her permission. He received an affirmative reply from Her. He again asked Her, ‘Who will teach me the sadhana?’ Mother replied, ‘The person who has come to teach you Vedanta will teach you sadhana also.’ Ramakrishna went and reported the conversation verbatim to Totapuri.

He smiled and said, ‘If you have to receive teaching from me, then you have to become a Sannyasi.’ Ramakrishna asked with the same simplicity, ‘What has to be done to become a Sannyasi?’ Shriram seated in the presence of his guiding power, was experiencing all this conversation as though he himself was talking to Totapuri, in the form of Ramakrishna. Totapuri explained to him about sannyas and said that he had to perform shraddha, homa, tarpan, etc. He would have to wear saffron clothes and be a wandering monk. Ramakrishna replied, ‘I accept everything; but can you do something such that I can become a sannyasi without wearing saffron clothes. I cannot go to any other place. My mother is alive and she has no other son to take care of her. Hence I cannot leave her alone.’ 

Totapuri agreed to this. Preparations were made for initiating him into sannyas. Shikha, sacred thread, rosary etc were given up. Climbing the funeral pyre, shraaddha, tarpan etc were also performed. He took the vow to renunciate everything. After the initiation, Totapuri imparted spiritual instruction and tried to induce him into the state of samadhi. He removed a bead from the rosary and asked Ramakrishna to sit in the lotus pose. Totapuri touched Ramakrishna’s forehead, in the middle of the eyebrows, with a crystal.

He pressed the crystal a little harder and Ramakrishna entered into the state of Samadhi. He became unconscious. The pulse and heart beat were as usual but he was unconscious.  Totapuri was slightly worried at this situation. He was afraid lest Ramakrishna leave his body. He looked after the sadhak with utmost care. Two days passed and it was the dawn of the third day, but there was no change in Ramakrishna’s condition. Totapuri told his senior disciples that if a sadhak does not come back to normal condition within three days, it becomes difficult for the body to receive the soul – consciousness back into itself. 

Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma