- Depend on None but God
- ‘This is Not Pretense.’
- “Crookedness of Heart”
- ‘Faith is The Root of All.’
- ‘Saviour of The Fallen.’
- Power of Attorney
- “Where Will He Get Nectar?”
- Testing Sri Ramakrishna
- “Girish, I Am Hungry”
- Observing Scriptural Rules to Set an Example
- Setting Fire to the Account Book
- “The Master Cannot Die.”
- “What a Great, Loving Heart!”
- Girish Chandra Ghosh’s last words
Girishchandra Ghosh (28.2.1844 – 9.2.1912)—Outstanding lay disciple of the Master, sinner turned saint. Poet, playwright, actor, one of the founders of modern Bengali theatre. As actor and playwright sustained the Bengali stage for about 50 years. Born at paternal home at 13, Bosepara Lane, to pious parents. Father, Nilkamal, an employee of a mercantile firm with sharp intellect, mother, Raimani, a devout woman with love for literature. Lost mother at the age of 10 and father at 14. Married at 15. Studied up to Entrance class and turned wilful, reckless and dissolute, leading a life of drunkenness and debauchery. Continued reading privately, well-versed in history, logic, philosophy, English literature, the Indian epics and mythology. Predilection for literary pursuits and fascination for the amateur theatre. Evolved into actor and playwright of rare talent, the theatre being his profession from 1881. First saw the Master probably at Dinanath Basu’s residence (1877), meeting him again at Balaram Basu’s house. On 21.9.1884 the Master visited the Star Theatre to witness a performance of “Chaitanya-lila” and was received respectfully by Girish who made arrangements for a comfortable viewing. The Master attended four more performances at the Star. Meanwhile Girish drawn imperceptibly and irresistibly to the Master, visited Ramchandra Datta’s residence unasked on learning of the Master’s presence there and then began visiting Dakshineswar. Remorse had set in. With firm faith in the Master’s being an incarnation of God, surrendered himself heart and soul at his feet, giving him “power of attorney” at his behest over his worldly and spiritual life (Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, Vol. I, p. 376). On the night of Kali Puja (6.11.85) led other devotees in worshipping the Divine Mother in the Master with flowers, fruits and other offerings, chanting hymns, singing songs (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, pp. 923-30). On 1.1.86 at Cossipore Girish’s words of exalted adoration induced in the Master the divine mood in which he bestowed his grace on all and sundry.
In appreciation of Girish’s unswerving faith the Master commented, “Girish has more than a hundred per cent faith” (Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, Vol. 1, p. 448). Assured him, “You will be purer day by day. People will marvel at you” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 735). Visited Girish’s residence several times, three being recorded in the Gospel (pp. 699, 732, 762) and one mentioned in the memoirs of Latu Maharaj (Smritikatha, pp. 156-57). At Cossipore the Master blessed Girish with two garlands worn by him and refreshments were brought and offered to him at the Master’s behest. The Master, unable to stand, somehow crawled to a pitcher and poured out a glass of water, offering it to Girish (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, pp. 955-56). Of the 12 pieces of ochre cloth brought by Gopal Ghosh (later Swami Advaitananda) at Cossipore, the Master had one put by for Girish, giving the others to his band of young devotees. Regarding Girish’s association with the theatre the Master declared, “It is doing good to many” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 735). In a state of samadhi the Master had seen Girish to be a “bhairav”, one of Shiva’s fierce followers. After the Master’s demise Girish wished to embrace monastic life but the Holy Mother and brother-disciples at the Baranagore Math dissuaded him. Visited Jayrambati with Swami Niranjanananda (1891) and discovered the Holy Mother to be “the goddess” whom he had seen in his youth in a vision, by whose grace he had survived a severe attack of cholera. It was in response to Girish’s question, “What kind of mother are you?” that Holy Mother’s celebrated declaration had been occasioned: “I am the true mother, not the guru’s consort, not a mother through a chosen relationship, not a mother merely by name, the true one, the true mother.”
About Girish, Swamiji had said, “In G.C. alone I have seen that true resignation—that true spirit of a servant of the Lord. And was it not because he was ever ready to sacrifice himself that Sri Ramakrishna took upon himself all his responsibility? What a unique spirit of resignation to the Lord! I have not met his parallel. From him have I learnt the lesson of self-surrender” (The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 7, p. 271). He breathed his last on 8 February 1912. His last words were: “Master, you have come. Please destroy my worldly intoxication. Victory to Sri Ramakrishna. Let us go”.
Many of Girishchandra’s plays praised by the Master himself, deserve to be read for their literary excellence. Out of his 29 plays on religious themes 15 had been written after contact with the Master. Some articles by him compiled and published under the title “Thakur Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda” (1388, according to the Bengali calendar). Among memorials instituted in his honour are the guest house at Belur Math named Girish Memorial Building, the G. C. Ghosh Memorial Lecture at the Calcutta University, “Girish Bhavan” at 13, Bosepara Lane replaced by the “Girish Memorial” on Girish Avenue and his statue installed in Girish Park in north Calcutta.
Girishchandra’s Son
Once during the Master’s visit to the theatre to attend a performance of “Nimai Sannyasa”, Girishchandra, in a drunken state, prayed to him that he be born as Girish’s son so that he may serve the Master to his heart’s content. The Master not consenting, Girish abused him in filthy language, an angry Latu being prevented from assaulting him by Devendranath Mazumdar. The Master, however, forgave him. Within a year of the Master’s demise his second wife gave birth to a son and died a year later. Girish, believing the child to be the Master, reared him not only with great care but also deference. He took the 3-year old child to the Holy Mother then residing in a rented house in Baranagore (1890) where the child, impatient to see her, climbed upstairs alone and prostrated at her feet. He then went down and dragged Girish to the Holy Mother and, in tears, Girish fell at her feet. The boy died after some days. Earlier, the child, suffering from a liver ailment had once been given up for dead. Girish had been weeping inconsolably when Swamiji had arrived and, moved by Girish’s grief, spent some time in the dead child’s room with all windows and doors shut. When he left the room the child had revived. A year later the child being again critically ill, in the absence of Swamiji, Girish appealed to the Swamis Saradananda and Niranjanananda to save him but they being powerless to do so the child eventually died. Grief-stricken, for some time Girish gave up the theatre. Visited Kamarpukur, Jayrambati and Varanasi, devoting himself to spiritual practices. Upon his return from Varanasi resumed his association with the theatre which lasted till the last days of his life. It is said that upon the request of Girish, Swamiji had initiated the child into sannyasa before he died (Swami Vivekanander Jibaner Ghatanabali).
Swami Vivekananda on Girish Gosh
- In G. C. alone I have seen that true resignation—that true spirit of a servant of the Lord.[Source]
- Paramahamsa-deva used to say our brother (G. Babu) is the incarnation of Bhairava. There’s no distinction between him and us.[Source]
- I have not met his parallel. From him (G. C.) have I learnt the lesson of self-surrender.[Source]
- He (G. Babu) is a very keen-witted person.[Source]
- He who possesses those (devotion and faith) in the measure of our friend (G. Babu) here need not study the Śāstras. But he who rushes forward to imitate him will only bring about his own ruin.Always follow his advice, but never attempt to imitate his ways.[Source]
Ramakrishna selected some of his disciples to spread his message…. When Girish wanted to give up the theatre and become a monk, the Master told him: “No, no! Let things be as they are. People will learn much from your plays.”
Girish saw his life changing under Ramakrishna’s influence, yet he could not fathom the nature of this great soul. One day he asked the Master, “Who are you, sir?” Ramakrishna replied: “Some say I am Ramprasad [a poet-saint of Bengal], others that I am Raja Ramakrishna. I simply live here.”1
From his boyhood Girish was a voracious reader and a free thinker. With his father’s permission he enrolled in one school after another, yet he was not happy in any of them. He found the discipline confining, and their methods of teaching did not satisfy his thirst for knowledge. A year after his father’s death he was married, and he then left school completely without having earned a degree.
Although Girish was no longer in school, he did not give up his studies. He eventually became a member of the Asiatic Society and other well-known libraries of Calcutta. His reading included the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and Bengali literature. By reading widely, he gradually became well versed in history, logic, philosophy, zoology, and English literature. He also studied science and medicine. He did not care for superficial knowledge. His capacity for deep penetration into any subject, plus his keen observation of human character and his wonderful imagination, are what later made him a natural poet and playwright.
Six months after his second marriage Girish became ill with a virulent type of cholera, and physicians gave up hope for his recovery. Girish was lying on his bed in a semiconscious state, surrounded by weeping relatives, when he had a vision: A resplendent female form, wearing a red-bordered cloth, appeared before him. Her face was full of compassion and love. She sat near him and, putting something in his mouth, said, “Please eat this prasad [sanctified food] and you will be cured.” Girish slowly regained consciousness, and from that moment his recovery began.10 He later recounted this mysterious vision to his brother disciples and added, “Sixteen years later [in 1891], when I first went to Jayrambati to see the Holy Mother, I found to my surprise and delight that the woman who had saved my life with the holy prasad was none other than the Holy Mother herself.”
That person is indeed unfortunate who loses his mother in childhood, his father in youth, and his wife in early manhood. In 1874, when Girish was just thirty, his young wife died, leaving him with one son and one daughter. Shortly thereafter he lost his job. A thick dark cloud of despair seemed to hover over him. As God created grief to subdue man, so man created wine to subdue grief. Again Girish drifted, trying to forget his sorrows with the help of alcohol. But at the same time, his pent-up emotions found an outlet in a series of exquisite poetical compositions.
During this period he went to Bhagalpur, in Central India, for a short while on some business. One day while he was there he went for a walk with some friends and, in a boisterous mood, jumped into a deep ravine. When he tried to climb out he found he was unable to do so. His friends then attempted to rescue him, but they failed. One of them commented: “Now we are in real trouble. You are an atheist, and yet no one can save you now but God. Let us all pray together.” Girish found himself joining wholeheartedly in the prayer and, strangely, just then he found a way out of the ravine. After he was safe he said to his friends: “Today I have called on God out of fear. If I ever call on Him again, it will be out of love; otherwise I will not call on Him, even at the cost of my life.”
People came from all over Bengal to honour Girish for his excellent presentation of Chaitanya’s life. Even orthodox Vaishnavas (followers of Chaitanya) went to see the play in the theatre — a remarkable fact since the theatre was traditionally regarded as an immoral place. Some of them went to Girish’s house to meet him personally. Girish performed until late at night, and he was not very enthusiastic about receiving effusive visitors during the day. He was also tired of flattery. Finally he struck upon a plan to get rid of the crowd. He filled his glass from a bottle and began to drink. The devout Vaishnavas then asked: “Sir, are you sick? Are you taking medicine?” Girish replied: “No, it is not medicine. I am drinking wine.” Finding that his life and the ideal expressed in his play were poles apart, the visitors left. Girish smiled to himself and thought: “I am Girish Ghosh. I am not afraid or ashamed of anything. Why should I care for others’ opinions?”
Sri Ramakrishna once said to Girish: “You utter many abusive and vulgar words; but that doesn’t matter. It is better for these things to come out. There are some people who fall ill on account of blood poisoning; the more the poisoned blood finds an outlet, the better it is for them. You will be purer day by day. You will improve very much day by day. People will marvel at you.”
Vidyasagar, the scholar and philanthropist, was at Girish Babu’s theatre one night when the actor was depicting a profligate. In a scene where he was abusing a woman, Vidyasagar became so stirred by the vividness of the portrayal that he took off his slipper and threw it at the actor. It struck him and rebounded on the stage. Girish Babu picked it up, placed it on his head, and with a bow to the audience, declared he had never received a more gratifying tribute.
Once, while he was pondering his own death, he thought: “Well, death is slowly approaching. What will happen after death? I do not know where I shall go.” Girish was thinking in this vein when M. (Mahendra Nath Gupta, the recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) came to visit him. M. started to talk with Girish about the Master. Suddenly, in an inspired mood, Girish said to M.: “Brother, could you beat me with your shoes? I am not joking. I am serious.” M. smiled and asked the reason for such a request. Girish replied: “To tell you the truth, I deserve a shoe-beating. Sri Ramakrishna is sitting within my heart and is always protecting me. Yet I wonder what will happen to me after death!”
Footnotes:
- Jillellamudi Amma’s response after devotees asked her about visions of devotees about her.”They are saying what they have seen”. After saying this she was silent. ↩︎