Sri Ramakrishna’s lotus feet
Onkar
[ This is a passage from Swami Chetanananda’s article published in
October 2009 issue of Udbodhan. I have tried to translate it. On the
sacred occasion of the birth anniversary of Thakur I sincerely hope
the devotees would like it. Jai Thakur, Jai Ma, Jai Swamiji. ]
Sri Ramakrishna’s feet remind us of the Holy Lotus Feet of Lord Vishnu
in Gaya. Lord Vishnu appeared before Khudiram and told him that He
would be born as his son. We can picturise the child Gadadhar moving
about in the lanes and fields of Kamarpukur and playing in the mango
orchard of Manik Raja. The young Gadadhar came to Kolkata with his
eldest brother on foot. Then he began to stay at Dakshineswar. The
temple of Dakshineswar, the courtyard, the garden and the nearby roads
are blessed with the touch of his holy feet. We can think that Thakur
had walked over these places while we take a stroll in the temple
garden of Dakshineswar.
One day the devotee Manomohan entered Sri Ramakrishna’s room and found
him sitting with his foot down. But he soon withdrew his feet.
Manomohan cried out, “Do you think I come just to see you? I come to
worship your lotus feet. You know I have a big katari at home and next
time I come I will chop your feet off and keep them at my home and all
the devotees will assemble there!!!”
Thakur quietly brought down his feet and then Manomohan did ‘sashtanga
pranam’ and took the dust from Thakur’s feet joyfully. This is the
dacoit-type devotion.
One day Kalipada Ghosh took Thakur for a boat ride over the Ganges and
asked the boatman to go towards the middle of the river. All of a
sudden he grasped both the feet of Thakur and said, “You will have to
rescue me – you can give mukti.”
Thakur: What do I know! Take God’s name and you will get mukti.”
Kalipada: I am always with booze and bad habits – I don’t have time to
take God’s name. You are the ocean of mercy and out of your grace you
can give me mukti.
Then Thakur wrote with his fingers a mantra on Kalipada’s tongue and
said, “From now on your tongue will automatically take God’s name all
the time.”
Kalipada: I don’t want it.
Thakur: What do you want then?
Kalipada: When my time to depart comes you would have to take me by
your own hand. You have to fulfil this prayer of mine.
Thakur: Yes, yes. It will be so. Imagine doing all this in the middle
of the Ganges!
This kind of insistence is only possible if there is love. If one
loves God with all of one’s heart, God fulfils the wishes of devotee.
One day Rakhal ( later Swami Brahmananda ) came from Kolkata to
Dakshineswar. Thakur was taking rest in his bed. He asked Rakhal to
gently massage his feet but Rakhal paid no heed to him. Then Thakur
said, “Do it. Sadhu-seva will have its effect.” Rakhal had hardly
massaged two or three times when he saw with his open eyes Goddess
Kali in the form of a eight-year old girl with ringing anklets
entering the room, moving round Sri Ramakrishna’s bed a few times and
then disappearing in Thakur’s breast. Thakur smiled and said, “Did you
see the effect of Sadhu-seva?”
Thus we can think and meditate on the holy feet of Sri Ramakrishna
with the help of many images and events associated with Thakur’s lotus
feet.