The scripture says: Vāsanā pushyati vapuh, desires preserve the body. Human beings have innumerable desires and they force people to move forward. Most people are satisfied when they have fulfilled their worldly desires, and only a rare one among millions seeks God. Chandra Mohan Datta, a young man from Dhaka, came to Calcutta for a job. He heard about the Ramakrishna Mission and came to Udbodhan House, where he met Holy Mother. She listened to him describe his family background and appointed him to do marketing for her household. Saradananda also engaged him to pack books in the publication department. The Mother was very fond of him, because of his simplicity, honesty, and guilelessness. He lived with the monks on the ground floor of the house. He was very fond of eating, and the Mother loved to feed him. Whenever he came to her, he got something to eat.
Sometimes we wonder: if God were to appear to us this moment and offer us a single boon, what would we ask for? Undoubtedly, most people would ask for money, considering that money can fulfill all of their needs. Among millions, perhaps, one would ask for liberation. Chandra Datta once faced this test. He recalled:
Once I was about to go for a bath in the Ganges from Udbodhan House. Swamis Shuddhananda and Prajnananda were with me. Suddenly Swami Shuddhananda said to me: “Chandra, you have free access to Holy Mother and she is also very fond of you. Could you go to the Mother and ask something that I tell you?”
“Of course, I can. Tell me what I have to ask from her.”
“Nothing much. It is a trivial thing. Just tell her, ‘Mother, I want liberation.’”
“I shall tell her right now.”
Immediately I ran to the Mother’s room upstairs and found her worshipping the Master. I had come to her room so many times before, but on that day I was a little scared to see her performing worship. My body began to tremble. I was thinking I should leave the room but I did not have that strength. My legs were shaking, my throat became parched, and my body began to perspire. Suddenly the Mother turned towards me and asked, “Do you want to say something?” My voice choked. Again she asked with a sign, “Did you come to say something?” Quite involuntarily I blurted out one word, “prasad.” The Mother pointed to the prasad kept on a plate under the bed. Then she resumed the worship. Shivering and perspiring profusely, I ran downstairs with the prasad and found that both swamis were waiting for me anxiously. Swami Shuddhananda asked: “Well, Chandra, could you ask for liberation? What did the Mother say?” I told them what happened. I could not go to the Ganges that day and it took many hours to calm down.