My Master, in Calcutta, Appears in Serampore

“I am often beset by atheistic doubts. Yet a torturing surmise sometimes haunts me: may not untapped soul possibilities exist? Is man not missing his real destiny if he fails to explore them?”

“I am often troubled by doubts about God's existence. Yet a painful thought sometimes haunts me: might the soul have untapped possibilities? Aren’t people missing their true destiny if they fail to explore those possibilities?”

These remarks of Dijen Babu, my roommate at the Panthi boardinghouse, were called forth by my invitation that he meet my guru.

Dijen Babu, my roommate at the Panthi boardinghouse, made these remarks in response to my invitation to meet my guru.

“Sri Yukteswarji will initiate you into Kriya Yoga,” I replied. “It calms the dualistic turmoil by a divine inner certainty.”

“Sri Yukteswarji will introduce you to the practice of Kriya Yoga,” I replied. “Kriya Yoga calms the turmoil of duality by bringing divine inner certainty.”

That evening Dijen accompanied me to the hermitage. In Master’s presence my friend received such spiritual peace that he was soon a constant visitor. The trivial preoccupations of daily life are not enough for man; wisdom too is a native hunger. In Sri Yukteswar’s words Dijen found an incentive to those attempts-first painful, then effortlessly liberating-to locate a realer self within his bosom than the humiliating ego of a temporary birth, seldom ample enough for the Spirit.

That evening Dijen came with me to the hermitage. In Master’s presence, my friend felt such spiritual peace that he soon became a regular visitor. The small concerns of daily life are not enough for people. Wisdom, too, is a natural hunger. Sri Yukteswar’s words encouraged Dijen to seek a truer self within his heart. The search was painful at first, then became effortlessly liberating. This inner self was more real than the humbling ego of a temporary life. That ego is seldom large enough to hold the Spirit.

As Dijen and I were both pursuing the A.B. course at Serampore College, we got into the habit of walking together to the ashram as soon as classes were over. We would often see Sri Yukteswar standing on his second-floor balcony, welcoming our approach with a smile.

Dijen and I were both studying for our bachelor’s degrees at Serampore College. So we got into the habit of walking together to the ashram as soon as classes ended. We would often see Sri Yukteswar standing on his second-floor balcony, greeting us with a smile as we approached.

One afternoon Kanai, a young hermitage resident, met Dijen and me at the door with disappointing news.

One afternoon, Kanai met Dijen and me at the door. The young hermitage resident had disappointing news.

“Master is not here; he was summoned to Calcutta by an urgent note.”

“Master is not here. An urgent note called him to Calcutta.”

The following day I received a post card from my guru. “I shall leave Calcutta Wednesday morning,” he had written. “You and Dijen meet the nine o’clock train at Serampore station.”

The next day I received a postcard from my guru. “I’ll leave Calcutta Wednesday morning,” he wrote. “You and Dijen should meet the nine o’clock train at Serampore station.”

About eight-thirty on Wednesday morning, a telepathic message from Sri Yukteswar flashed insistently to my mind: “I am delayed; don’t meet the nine o’clock train.”

Around eight-thirty on Wednesday morning, a telepathic message from Sri Yukteswar flashed insistently into my mind: “I’m delayed. Don’t meet the nine o’clock train.”

I conveyed the latest instructions to Dijen, who was already dressed for departure.

I passed on the latest instructions to Dijen, who was already dressed to leave.

“You and your intuition!” My friend’s voice was edged in scorn. “I prefer to trust Master’s written word.”

“You and your intuition!” My friend’s voice had a scornful edge. “I prefer to trust what Master wrote.”

I shrugged my shoulders and seated myself with quiet finality. Muttering angrily, Dijen made for the door and closed it noisily behind him.

I shrugged and sat down quietly, making it clear I would not budge. Muttering angrily, Dijen headed for the door and shut it loudly behind him.

As the room was rather dark, I moved nearer to the window overlooking the street. The scant sunlight suddenly increased to an intense brilliancy in which the iron-barred window completely vanished. Against this dazzling background appeared the clearly materialized figure of Sri Yukteswar!

Because the room was rather dark, I moved closer to the window overlooking the street. The faint sunlight suddenly grew so intensely bright that the iron-barred window vanished completely. Against this dazzling light, Sri Yukteswar appeared in a clearly visible, physical form!

Bewildered to the point of shock, I rose from my chair and knelt before him. With my customary gesture of respectful greeting at my guru’s feet, I touched his shoes. These were a pair familiar to me, of orange-dyed canvas, soled with rope. His ocher swami cloth brushed against me; I distinctly felt not only the texture of his robe, but also the gritty surface of the shoes, and the pressure of his toes within them. Too much astounded to utter a word, I stood up and gazed at him questioningly.

Confused and shocked, I rose from my chair and knelt before him. I touched his shoes, my usual gesture of respectful greeting at my guru’s feet. I recognized the orange-dyed canvas shoes with rope soles. His ocher swami robe brushed against me. I clearly felt not only the robe’s texture but also the shoes’ gritty surface and his toes pressing inside them. Too astonished to speak, I stood up and looked at him questioningly.

“I was pleased that you got my telepathic message.” Master’s voice was calm, entirely normal. “I have now finished my business in Calcutta, and shall arrive in Serampore by the ten o’clock train.”

“I was glad you received my telepathic message.” Master’s voice was calm and completely normal. “I’ve now finished my business in Calcutta. I’ll arrive in Serampore on the ten o’clock train.”

As I still stared mutely, Sri Yukteswar went on, “This is not an apparition, but my flesh and blood form. I have been divinely commanded to give you this experience, rare to achieve on earth. Meet me at the station; you and Dijen will see me coming toward you, dressed as I am now. I shall be preceded by a fellow passenger-a little boy carrying a silver jug.”

As I kept staring in silence, Sri Yukteswar continued, “This is not a ghost, but my flesh-and-blood body. I have been divinely commanded to give you this experience, which is rare on earth. Meet me at the station. You and Dijen will see me coming toward you, dressed as I am now. A fellow passenger, a little boy carrying a silver jug, will walk ahead of me.”

My guru placed both hands on my head, with a murmured blessing. As he concluded with the words, “Taba Asi,” [^19] I heard a peculiar rumbling sound. [^19] His body began to melt gradually within the piercing light. First his feet and legs vanished, then his torso and head, like a scroll being rolled up. To the very last, I could feel his fingers resting lightly on my hair. The effulgence faded; nothing remained before me but the barred window and a pale stream of sunlight.

My guru placed both hands on my head and murmured a blessing. As he finished with the words, “Taba Asi,” [^19] I heard a strange rumbling sound. [^19] His body began to melt gradually in the piercing light. First his feet and legs vanished, then his torso and head, like a scroll being rolled up. Until the very end, I could feel his fingers resting lightly on my hair. The bright glow faded. Nothing remained before me but the barred window and a pale stream of sunlight.

I remained in a half-stupor of confusion, questioning whether I had not been the victim of a hallucination. A crestfallen Dijen soon entered the room.

I remained dazed and confused, wondering whether I had been hallucinating. Dijen soon entered the room, looking dejected.

“Master was not on the nine o’clock train, nor even the nine-thirty.” My friend made his announcement with a slightly apologetic air.

“Master wasn’t on the nine o’clock train, or even the nine-thirty.” My friend sounded slightly apologetic as he announced the news.

“Come then; I know he will arrive at ten o’clock.” I took Dijen’s hand and rushed him forcibly along with me, heedless of his protests. In about ten minutes we entered the station, where the train was already puffing to a halt.

“Come on. I know he will arrive at ten o’clock.” I took Dijen’s hand and hurried him along by force, ignoring his protests. About ten minutes later, we entered the station, where the train was already puffing to a stop.

“The whole train is filled with the light of Master’s aura! He is there!” I exclaimed joyfully.

“The whole train is filled with the light of Master’s aura! He’s there!” I cried out joyfully.

“You dream so?” Dijen laughed mockingly.

“You think so?” Dijen laughed mockingly.

“Let us wait here.” I told my friend details of the way in which our guru would approach us. As I finished my description, Sri Yukteswar came into view, wearing the same clothes I had seen a short time earlier. He walked slowly in the wake of a small lad bearing a silver jug.

“Let us wait here.” I told my friend exactly how our guru would approach us. As I finished my description, Sri Yukteswar came into view. He wore the same clothes I had seen a short time earlier. He walked slowly behind a young boy carrying a silver jug.

For a moment a wave of cold fear passed through me, at the unprecedented strangeness of my experience. I felt the materialistic, twentieth-century world slipping from me; was I back in the ancient days when Jesus appeared before Peter on the sea?

For a moment, a wave of cold fear swept through me because my experience was stranger than anything I had known. I felt the materialistic world of the twentieth century slipping away from me. Was I back in ancient times, when Jesus appeared before Peter on the sea?

As Sri Yukteswar, a modern Yogi-Christ, reached the spot where Dijen and I were speechlessly rooted, Master smiled at my friend and remarked:

Sri Yukteswar was a modern Yogi-Christ. He reached the spot where Dijen and I stood frozen and speechless. As he arrived, Master smiled at my friend and said:

“I sent you a message too, but you were unable to grasp it.”

“I sent you a message too, but you couldn’t understand it.”

Dijen was silent, but glared at me suspiciously. After we had escorted our guru to his hermitage, my friend and I proceeded toward Serampore College. Dijen halted in the street, indignation streaming from his every pore.

Dijen said nothing, but glared at me suspiciously. After we had accompanied our guru to his hermitage, my friend and I headed toward Serampore College. Dijen stopped in the street, his whole body radiating anger.

“So! Master sent me a message! Yet you concealed it! I demand an explanation!”

“So! Master sent me a message! But you hid it from me! I demand an explanation!”

“Can I help it if your mental mirror oscillates with such restlessness that you cannot register our guru’s instructions?” I retorted.

“Is it my fault if your mind’s mirror shakes so restlessly that you can’t take in our guru’s instructions?” I shot back.

The anger vanished from Dijen’s face. “I see what you mean,” he said ruefully. “But please explain how you could know about the child with the jug.”

The anger faded from Dijen’s face. “I see what you mean,” he said with regret. “But please explain how you could have known about the child with the jug.”

By the time I had finished the story of Master’s phenomenal appearance at the boardinghouse that morning, my friend and I had reached Serampore College.

I finished telling the story of Master’s miraculous appearance at the boardinghouse that morning. By then, my friend and I had reached Serampore College.

“The account I have just heard of our guru’s powers,” Dijen said, “makes me feel that any university in the world is only a kindergarten.”

“The story I just heard about our guru’s powers,” Dijen said, “makes me feel that any university in the world is just a kindergarten.”

19-1: The Bengali “Good-by”; literally, it is a hopeful paradox: “Then I come.”

19-1: The Bengali “Goodbye” is literally a hopeful paradox: “Then I come.”

19-2: The characteristic sound of dematerialization of bodily atoms.

19-2: The distinctive sound made when the body's atoms dematerialize.