Yet in spite of Ram’s close contact with the Master, his mind was not content. His doubts clung to him persistently, even though his longing for God increased more and more. One night he dreamed that he took his bath in a familiar pond, and that Sri Ramakrishna then initiated him with a sacred mantra and asked him to repeat it one hundred times every day after his bath. As soon as Ram woke up, he felt that his whole body was pulsating with bliss. The next morning he rushed to Dakshineswar and related his dream to the Master. At this Sri Ramakrishna joyfully said, “He who receives divine blessings in a dream is sure to attain liberation.”
Although the Master’s words brought hope to Ram, his mind was not satisfied with a holy dream. He was very sceptical, and to him a dream was just a fantasy. His mind again began wavering. He found no pleasure in worldly enjoyment, yet he was not convinced about the existence of God. A few days passed this way. Then one morning as Ram was standing at the corner of College Square in Calcutta, explaining his mental conflicts to a friend, a tall stranger approached Ram and whispered to him: “Why are you so anxious? Have patience.” Ram was stunned. After a few moments he turned to see who this person was who had consoled him with these welcome words, but the person had vanished. Although both Ram and his friend had seen and heard the man, now they could not find him anywhere. Ram felt that it had not been an illusion but a direct message from God. Later he related this incident to Sri Ramakrishna, who smiled and said, “Yes, you will see many such things as that.”
Gradually Ram began to get a taste of divine bliss through his holy association with the Master, and worldly pleasures seemed more and more insipid. He expressed to the Master his desire to become a monk, but Sri Ramakrishna dissuaded him, saying: “Nothing should be done on the spur of the moment. God alone knows what He means to do through a particular person. Where will your wife and children be if you leave the world? You must not try to upset the arrangement God has made for you. Everything will come in time.” This simple advice temporarily satisfied Ram, but later he raised the subject again. At this Sri Ramakrishna became stern: “What will you gain by renouncing the world? Living a family life is like living in a fort. It is easier to fight an enemy from inside a fort than from outside. You will be in a position to renounce the world when you can bestow three-fourths of your mind on God, but not before that.” Ram was silenced. He then resolved to be an ideal householder devotee of God. (Source: They Lived with God)