During his stay at Dakshineswar, Premananda started to record some of Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. But the Master told him: “That is not your task. Many beautiful words of wisdom will burst forth from your lips.”
The Master’s words were so impressive and instructive that I (Swami Shivananda) felt tempted to take notes. One day at Dakshineswar I was listening to him and looking intently at his face. He was explaining many beautiful things. Noticing my keen interest, the Master suddenly said: “Look here! Why are you listening so attentively?” I was taken by surprise. He then added: “You don’t have to do that. Your life is different.” I felt as if the Master had divined my intention to keep notes and did not approve of it, and that was why he had spoken in that way. From that time on I gave up the idea of taking notes of his conversations, and whatever notes I already had I threw into the Ganges.
But God-men do not write about themselves. They are content to live their great lives and let others explain how their lives were led. Ramakrishna did not like publicity at all. He specifically forbade one of his disciples to write his biography during his lifetime, saying that if it were published, his body would not last. Once Keshab Chandra Sen said to Ramakrishna: “Sir, if you permit, I want to make your message known to the public. It will definitely benefit people and bring peace to the world.”
Ramakrishna replied in an ecstatic mood: “It is not the right time to spread the message of this place [meaning his message] through lecturing and newspapers. The power and ideas which are within this body will automatically spread all over in the course of time. Hundreds of Himalayas will not be able to suppress that power.” He then went into samadhi. (Source: Ramakrishna as We Saw Him)
The Master rested a few minutes and then said to Keshab: “Why did you send me presents when your son was married? What shall I do with them? Take them back.”
Keshab smiled a little, and the Master continued: “Why do you write about me in your paper? You cannot make a man great by writing about him in books and magazines. If God makes a man great, then everybody knows about him even though he lives in a forest. When flowers bloom in the deep woods, the bees find them, but the flies do not. What can man do? Don’t look up to him. Man is but a worm. The tongue that praises you today will abuse you tomorrow. I don’t want name and fame. May I always remain the humblest of the humble and the lowliest of the lowly!” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)