Kathamrita Volume II - Swami Vivekananda

great care.Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — What is this!You have become a ‘pumpkin-cutting elderuncle’. You are neither a man of the world nora devotee of God [7] . This is not right. In somehomes an old man is busy day and night onlywith the children of the family. Sitting in theparlour, he smokes his hubble-bubble and doesno work – except that sometimes he goes insidethe house and cuts a pumpkin for the family.The ladies of the family don’t cut pumpkin;they send him word through the boys to comein and cut it for them. The old man cuts thepumpkin into two. It is the only work this manhas to do. That’s why he is called a ‘pumpkincuttingelder uncle’.“Please do ‘this’ as well as ‘that’. Attend toworldly duties, but keep your mind at the lotusfeet of the Lord. And when you are alone, readdevotional scriptures like Srimad Bhagavata, orChaitanya Charitamrita.”It is almost ten at night. The Kali Temple hasnot yet been closed. M. walks through thecourtyard, talking with Ram Chatterji. First hepays obeisance in the Radhakanta Temple andthen in Mother Kali’s shrine. The moonappears in the sky. It is the second day of thedark fortnight of the month of Shravana. Thecourtyard and the temple spire look beautiful.M. returns to Thakur’s room where he sees him