God lived with them

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Swami Advaitananda

Ramakrishna disliked carelessness in people. If a person is forgetful in minor things, he will be forgetful in the vital aspects of life.

Sometime in 1885 Gopal felt the need for initiation from the Master, but because he was bashful he could not ask for it in front of others.. Moreover, Sri Ramakrishna did not give any formal initiation to his disciples. He would transmit spiritual power to them in other ways - such as touching them, or writing a mantram on the tongue, or whispering a mantram in the ear, or singing a song, or just through a glance. Latu Maharaj described the following incident:" Once, before the noon meal, the Master was walking alone in the temple garden of Dakshineswar. Gopal-da took the opportunity to express his desire for initiation to the Master. I saw from a distance that Gopal-da knelt down on the ground and, holding the feet of the Master, began to cry. The Master lifted him up from the ground holding his arms. Gopal-da was still crying profusely. What the Master said to him, I did not hear. Since that time I have noticed Gopal-da chanting God's name every evening in front of the Krishna Temple."