Kathamrita Volume II - Swami Vivekananda

thinking, his own individuality, or personal views he becameone with his Guru. The instructions of the Guru, his word andhis talks were the only subjects of his thought. Of course,while attending to worldly work, or teaching in the school,that is to say works of lower plane, he did retain hisindividuality and independent thinking. When he attended tohis household work, or managed his school he had hispersonal views (these are matters of lower plane.) But even onsuch work the impact of Sri Ramakrishna and his views werequite evident. So, I say that Master Mahashay was SriRamakrishna within and Mahendra Nath Gupta without.’’During the lifetime of Sri Ramakrishna, Mahendra Nath wasfirst among the bhaktas to visit the native village of his guru.For him it became the holiest place of pilgrimage. Takingevery spot there as holy he offered obeisance lying prostrateon the ground. And he brought some dust from this placeknowing it to be sacred. Hearing this Thakur said, ‘Nobodyasked and you did it of your own…!’ He shed tears of joy andmoving his hand on his head and body, he blessed him andsaid, ‘Bringing dust shows bhakti.’Mahendra Nath felt unspeakable joy by touching the idol ofJagannath in Puri and Tarakanath in Tarkeshwar as desired byThakur. Hearing of it Sri Ramakrishna touched MahendraNath’s hand and said, ‘You are pure.’Whenever M. started writing Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamritain a book form, he would take to holy acts of one meal a dayand that too havishya (boiled sunned rice with clarifiedbutter.) And till the completion of printing and publication ofthe book he would keep up this vow.