Girish Chandra Ghosh - An Appreciation - The relationship with Sri Ramakrishna Part 5

Now we come to the most important part - the relationship between Girish and Sri Ramakrishna. The lion of the Bengali stage had a tremendous talent. Yet this talent was going haywire owing to the rebellious spirit and the tremendous suffering that the person underwent. This intellectual giant spared nobody in debate and intellectual discussions. His tremendous scholarship and intellect enabled him to have many arguments with eminent scholars of that age, including good natured banters with Swami Vivekananda. But to one person this lion was nothing but a rebellious child. And he turned the actor-director-producer's life to the right course just when he had reached the pinnacle of glory and was about to ruin himself.

Sri Ramakrishna had a vision of a naked child holding a glass of wine before Girish had come to him. He always used to have a vision about the real nature of the people of his "inner circle". He saw Narendranath as an ancient sage of the divine realm of the indivisible far above the region of the gods. He knew Girish when he saw him as a part of the Bhairava or the terrible aspect of the Lord Shiva. Hew took this petulant child under his protective wings and gave him all sorts of encouragement even when the latter were abusive and naughty. 

Girish first met Sri Ramakrishna in the house of Dinanath Bose in 1879 and he was not impressed. It was becoming evening and Sri Ramakrishna, just coming out of samadhi was oblivious to the awakened state and was asking whether it was evening when it was dark outside. Girish thought itto be a pretension. He did not have much respect about the sages and saints from his past experience. His null hypothesis was that they were all hypocrites. Then after a long gap of 5 years, in 1884, Sri Ramakrishna evinced interest to watch the play Chaitanya Leela which was a big hit among all sections of people. His devotees too must have discussed about it and the Thakur, being of the nature of a boy, wanted to see theater. When one of his prominent devotees objected saying that women of ill repute used to act in those roles, implying that it would be inappropriate for a pious man to visit it, Ramakrishna said that he would see the divine mother in them. In those days every puritan used to avoid theater since Girish brought the women to act in the roles of women and men alike. Even reformers like Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar avoided it on that ground. The Brahmos, a puritan sect, esp. under Shibnath Shastry abhorred theater. So did young Narendranath under Bramho Samaj influence until he came in contact with Sri Ramakrishna. When Sri Ramakrishna started visiting theaters, Shibnath Shastry apparently stopped visiting him along with other Brahmo leaders even though Thakur loved him. The real reason however was more sinister, Shibnath was afraid of losing his men to Sri Ramakrishna's universal teachings. He already lost Bijoy Krishna Goswami and promising youngsters like Naren and others who crowded round Dakshineswar. 

Sri Ramakrishna went to see Chaitanya Leela in Star Theater (founded by Girish) on 21 September 1884. He was accompanied by his devotees like M. When Girish heard that Sri Ramakrishna had come to watch his play he himself came to meet him. He agreed to offer him a free seat on request from devotees but made it compulsory for others accompanying him to pay the fare. Sri Ramakrishna enjoyed the play very much. He even went to the backstage and blessed all the actors including Binodini, the lead actress. This probably initiated the transformation in Girish. When the world hates us, the theater folks, he later wrote, there was one person who loved us so sincerely. We began to understand why God has been traditionally refered to as Patita Pavan in Hindu scriptures - the friend of the fallen. Later when Girish met him while he was going to Balaram Bose's house, Girish had saluted him and Sri Ramakrishna saluted him in return in an even more humble manner. The salute and the return salute continued for sometime till Girish gave up. He was later asked to visit him in Balaram Bose's house where, as we have recounted previously, Sri Ramakrishna in an ecstatic mood said, "Not pretension babu, not pretension." The message was not lost to Girish. When he tried to clarify his great doubt about the need of a Guru in spiritual path, Sri Ramakrishna told him that Guru was like a match maker, finding a match between the jivatma and the paramatma, and then added that Girish already had his guru. Girish also asked him on what was a mantra. Sri Ramakrishna answered that the mantra was God's name. This satisfied Girish and he was gradually drawn more and more to this amazing character. Sri Ramakrishna. Some days before this Girish visited Sir Ramakrishna in Balaram Bose's house which was very nearby to his. This time Sri Ramakrishna was in an ecstasy again but Girish did not have that earlier misgiving. However Sishir Kumar Ghose, a devoted Vaishnava and the editor of the Amrita Bazar Patrika, who was not favorably disposed to Sri Ramakrishna expressed his contempt and dragged Girish out from there. Sri Ramakrishna again went to Star Theater to watch other plays like Nimai Sannyas, Prahlada Charitra, Vrishaketu. By this time Girish had almost become a devotee. He had started visiting Sri Thakur in Dakshineswar. Sri Ramakrishna was not forgiving about his incontinence and compared him with a bowl of garlic paste that smells strongly of garlic, i.e. of the worldly affairs. The second time he visited theater Girish showed great respect and arranged for every kind of comfort. Probably during this time Sri Ramakrishna in an ecstatic mood gave a mantra to Binodini - Guru Hari Hari Guru, which was her solace till the end. Girish had asked if the smell of the garlic would go. Ramakrishna said yes, it would go provided the bowl would be burnt in the fire, implying the fire of suffering and consequent removal of impurity for the dawn of knowledge. After this incident Girish had come to Dakshineswar along with his actor friends dead drunk in the middle of the night, only to find Sri Ramakrishna waiting for him, pouring him more wine and dancing with him in ecstasy while singing and chanting. Later Girish recounted, "Even my family would have rejected me in that condition, and he, the savior of the fallen, just accepted and took us in". He shed many tears while recollecting this and another incident where Sri Thakur had fed him milk pudding or payasam with his own hands, just as a mother would feed her child. Indeed Girish had been a child like to Sri Ramakrishna. Just as a child sometimes throws tantrums, Girish abused him profusely. One day in the theater a drunk Girish first requested Sri Ramakrishna to be reborn as his child. When Sri Ramakrishna refused saying that his father was a pious truthful soul, Girish started abusing him. He wasn't aware of what he was saying. At times he was even prostrating on the ground but he continued to abuse Ramakrishna. The other devotees got very upset and angry and took Sri Ramakrishna away. The next day Girish realized the immensity of his folly and became crestfallen. Ramakrishna in Dakshineswar was restless. He was asking every devotee whether he should go and visit Girish. Everyone was upset with Girish and advised him not to go. But Ram Chandra Datta told him quoting Bhagavata Purana that Kaliya the serpent said to Krishna, "You have given me fangs and poison and hence what else can I offer to you my Lord than poison." Similarly he said, "Girish has only given you back what you have endowed him with. It is his form of worship." Ramakrishna said, "Let us go at once to Girish."  Sri Ramakrishna who could see no fault with anybody, reminded the upset devotees of the bhakti of Girish, that while abusing him he prostrated on the ground and saluted him repeatedly. When Thakur came to visit Girish's house the latter was drunk and was extremely dejected. Girish remarked that if Ramakrishna had not come he would have doubted whether he was an avatara, because an avatara must be above all ego and anger. But now that Sri Ramakrishna came to visit him despite all the insults hurled at him, Girish was certain that he was the Lord incarnate. Such forgiveness was not possible with human beings.

Another similar incident is narrated by Mahendranath Datta, the younger brother of Swami Vivekananda. Once Sri Ramakrishna sent Swami Yogananda to get some candles from Girish. Young Yogen came all the way from Dakshineswar to Baghbazar to get the candles, although he was inwardly upset that for a few candles Thakur had sent him such a long distance to a drunkard. Girish was drunk that day. When he saw Yogen and heard the purpose of his visit he started abusing Sri Ramakrishna but at the same time frequently saluted in the direction of Dakshineswar. Yogen was glad to get out of the house with the candles and when he narrated the incident to Sri Ramakrishna the latter did not see any fault with Girish. Instead he told Yogen, "Look at his devotion, he was frequently saluting in the direction of Dakshineswar - you cannot find another bhakta like him." Years later when Yogen and Girish were discussing the incident (by that time Girish was a transformed one), the latter recalled, "When I heard that Thakur had sent you to me to get some candles, I was so joyous, I didn't know what to do or say. I just said whatever came to my mind. I could not contain my joy as I came to know that Thakur was thinking of me, the sinner that I am."

Sri Ramakrishna used to say Girish had more than 125% devotion (panch sika panch ana) and faith, implying that he was the faith personified. Girish was sceptical and rational. He would not believe anything unless he got the proof. But once he realized the truth, he would never budge from it. Once somebody said to him that Narendranath had lost his character. Girish who was a great friend of young Narendra despite their age difference told him, "Look, if with my eyes I see Naren committing a sin, I would rather disbelief my own eyes and rip them apart than disbelief Naren, so don't come to tell me those cock and bull stories."