BIOGRAPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

devotees of God fall victims to mental and physical breakdown. 'Of one hundredpersons who take up the spiritual life,' he grimly warned, 'eighty turn out to becharlatans, fifteen insane, and only five, maybe, get a glimpse of the real truth.Therefore, beware.' He appealed to their inner strength and admonished them tokeep away from all sentimental nonsense. He described to the young disciplesSri Ramakrishna's uncompromising self-control, passionate yearning for God,and utter renunciation of attachment to the world, and he insisted that thosewho loved the Master should apply his teachings in their lives.Sri Ramakrishna, too, coming to realize the approaching end of his mortalexistence, impressed it upon the devotees that the realization of God dependedupon the giving up of lust and greed. The young disciples became grateful toNarendranath for thus guiding them during the formative period of theirspiritual career. They spent their leisure hours together in meditation, study,devotional music, and healthy spiritual discussions.The illness of Sri Ramakrishna showed no sign of abatement; the boys redoubledtheir efforts to nurse him, and Narendra was constantly by their side, cheeringthem whenever they felt depressed. One day he found them hesitant aboutapproaching the Master. They had been told that the illness was infectious.Narendra dragged them to the Master's room. Lying in a corner was a cupcontaining part of the gruel which Sri Ramakrishna could not swallow. It wasmixed with his saliva. Narendra seized the cup and swallowed its contents. Thisset at rest the boys' misgivings.Narendra, understanding the fatal nature of Sri Ramakrishna's illness andrealizing that the beloved teacher would not live long, intensified his ownspiritual practices. His longing for the vision of God knew no limit. One day heasked the Master for the boon of remaining merged in samadhi three or fourdays at a stretch, interrupting his meditation now and then for a bite of food.'You are a fool,' said the Master. 'There is a state higher than that. It is you whosing: "O Lord! Thou art all that exists."' Sri Ramakrishna wanted the disciple tosee God in all beings and to serve them in a spirit of worship. He often said thatto see the world alone, without God, is ignorance, ajnana; to see God alone,without the world, is a kind of philosophical knowledge, jnana; but to see allbeings permeated by the spirit of God is supreme wisdom, vijnana. Only a fewblessed souls could see God dwelling in all. He wanted Naren to attain thissupreme wisdom. So the master said to him, 'Settle your family affairs first, thenyou shall know a state even higher than samadhi.'On another occasion, in response to a similar request, Sri Ramakrishna said toNaren: 'Shame on you! You are asking for such an insignificant thing. I thoughtthat you would be like a big banyan tree, and that thousands of people wouldrest in your shade. But now I see that you are seeking your own liberation.' Thus