Vivekananda’s Prayer
Sri Ramakrishna loved Naren very much and Naren also loved him with all his heart. It is only when there is a great and pure love between a Guru and his disciple that the disciple can be taught about God. The Guru awakens God in the disciple.
Naren became a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and he was very happy. He used to go to Dakshineswar very often and hear about God. About this time, a very sad thing happened. Naren’s father died. The family was now very poor. Sometimes, they did not even have enough to eat. Naren felt very sad. He decided to try to get a job.
Naren was a brilliant student. He had his B.A. degree. Still, he could not find any work. He walked from one office to another, but he could not get work. He thought, “What will become of my mother, sisters, and brothers, if I cannot earn some money?”
One day, he told everything to Sri Ramakrishna.
“Naren, today is Tuesday,” Sri Ramakrishna replied, “Whatever you ask of Mother today, She will give you. You may ask Her to help you.”
That evening, Naren went to the temple of Kali to pray. When he came back, Sri Ramakrishna asked him, “What did Mother say?”
“Oh, I forgot to ask Her!” cried Naren.
“You forgot? Go back at once. Hurry!” said Sri Ramakrishna.
This time also, the same thing happened.
The third time Naren returned, looking very peaceful. He told Sri Ramakrishna, “How could I ask Mother for money? It would be like asking a great king for a pumpkin! I could only ask Her for devotion, for selfless love,
and for the power to understand Her!”
Afterwards, Sri Ramakrishna told Naren that his family would never lack the bare necessities of life. Only then did Naren feel that it was right for him not to try to earn money.
That night, Sri Ramakrishna taught Naren a beautiful song about the Mother. Naren sang that song the whole night, while Sri Ramakrishna sat in deep meditation.
Questions:
- Why was Naren sad?
- What was the advice of Sri Ramakrishna?
- What did he ask of Mother Kali?
- Why could he not ask what he wanted?
- What did Ramakrishna do then?
[Source – Stories for Children – II, Published by – Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam]