Kathamrita , 100th Visit of M. 7-Sept-1884 Vol 4, Section 18, Chap 3
* V e n u *
Thakur in the joy of devotional singing – dancing with devotees
Thakur has rested for a while. Shyamdas begins singing songs relating to episodes in Mathura.
First he sings:
Lord, the joy of seeing You…
And then:
The lake of happiness seemed to them as dry as the desert.
The chatak bird dying of thirst gazes at the clouds.
Thakur goes into an ecstatic mood, hearing about Radha’s state of separation from Krishna. He is sitting on the smaller cot while Baburam, Niranjan, Ram, Manomohan, M., Surendra, Bhavanath, and other devotees sit on the floor. But the music has not yet picked up rhythm.
He asks Nabai Chaitanya of Konnagar to sing. Nabai is Manomohan’s uncle. Having retired with a pension, he practices spiritual disciplines and devotional singing on the bank of the Ganges at Konnagar. He often visits Thakur.
Nabai sings in a loud voice. Leaving his seat, Thakur begins to dance. Immediately Nabai and the devotees begin to dance and sing the kirtan in a circle around him. The kirtan atmosphere becomes intense with spiritual fervour. Even Mahimacharan begins to dance with Thakur.
Thakur returns to his seat when the kirtan ends. After repeating Hari’s name, he repeats the name of the All-Blissful Mother. He is absorbed in divine emotion and repeats the name of the Divine Mother. He begins to sing of Her, his eyes turned upward.
He sings:
O Mother, who are Bliss itself, do not deprive me of Your bliss…
Again he sings:
As is one’s meditation, so is his heart moved by love.
As one feels, so does he gain. The root of all is faith.
If the mind can dip into the reservoir of nectar that is Mother Kali’s feet,
Then worship and oblations,[12] sacrifices and rituals are of no avail.
And again:
O Mother Tara, this world is Your madhouse!
What shall I say of Your virtues?
Giving up Your elephant you ride on a bull like one depraved. Willfully you cast aside Your jewels and pearls and put on a garland of skulls.
Unmindful of others, You roam the cremation grounds.
Says Ramprasad, You must lead me beyond my wanderings in this maze of the world.
And again:
Why go to Gaya, Ganga, Prabhas, Kashi, or Kanchi, if I can breathe my last chanting Kali’s name?
Of what use are rituals for one who utters Kali’s name at dawn and noon and dusk? Worship itself will follow in his footsteps, never catching up.
Charity, vows, and almsgiving no longer appeal to Madan’s mind. His worship alone is surrender at the Mother’s blessed feet.
Lord Shiva Himself, the God of Gods, with all His powers, sings Her praises. Who, then, can conceive of the power of Her holy name?
Then he sings:
Dwell, O my mind, within yourself,
And enter no one else’s house.
If you search within yourself,
You will find there all you seek.
He sings:
The black bee of my mind is drawn in sheer delight to the blue lotus flower of Mother Shyama’s feet.
And once more he sings:
Cherish the beloved Mother Shyama in your heart.
O mind, may you and I alone behold Her, and let no one else intrude.
Thakur stands up while singing this song. He is nearly intoxicated with intense love for the Divine Mother. He repeats again and again the words ‘the revered Mother Shyama,’ as though for the benefit of the devotees.
He appears intoxicated, as though he has drunk too much wine. He dances now as he sings:
Is my Mother really black? The Naked One, in her blackness, lights up the lotus of my heart.
Noticing that Thakur is staggering while he is singing, Niranjan goes up to him to hold him. In a sweet voice, Thakur stops him, saying, “Don’t touch me, you rascal.” Seeing Thakur dancing, the devotees rise to their feet. He grasps M.’s hand and says, “Dance, you rascal!”
Mahima, the Vedantist, in the company of Thakur –dancing during the kirtan, and Thakur’s joy
Thakur sits on his bed. He is filled with divine intoxication.
When the ecstasy subsides a little, he says, “Om, Om, Om, Om, Om, Om, Kali.” And then he says, “I want a smoke.” Most of the devotees are standing. Mahimacharan fans Thakur as he stands.
Sri Ramakrishna: “Please sit down, all of you. (To Mahima) Please recite something from the Vedas.”
Mahimacharan recites “Victory to Jajjman” and so forth. And then he recites a verse from the Mahanirvana Tantra.
Om, I bow to You, the true origin of the universe.
I bow to You, the support of all the universe, whose essence is pure Consciousness.
I bow to You who are non-dual, the One, the liberating truth.
I bow to the eternal Brahman, all-pervading and beyond all qualities.
You alone are the refuge; You alone are worthy of adoration.
You are truly the cause of the universe, the Creator, the Preserver, the Destroyer.
You are whole and beyond all thought,
Most frightening of all that is frightening, most terrible of all that is terrible,
The purifier of the pure, the goal of all creatures.
You are the Ruler of those in high places,
The Chief of chiefs, the Protector of protectors.
We meditate on You and sing hymns in Your praise.
We bow to You, the witness of the universe.
You are the vessel that takes one across the sea of life, the self-existent divinity, the refuge of all. We take shelter in You.
Thakur listens to the verse with folded hands. When it is over, he salutes devotedly. The devotees also salute.
Adhar arrives from Calcutta and salutes Thakur.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.): “We had fun today! Mahima Chakravarty is beginning to agree with us. Didn’t you see his joy in the recitation of Hari’s name?”
M.: “Yes, sir.”
Mahimacharan is interested in the path of knowledge. Today he has chanted the name of Hari and even danced during the kirtan. Thakur is very happy about it.
It is almost evening. Most of the devotees bow to Thakur and take their leave, one by one.
==================================================================================