People read about God, and hear about God, but how many really want to experience Him directly? This desire completely possessed Durga Charan. One day his friend Suresh came to him with news about Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of Dakshineswar. They both decided to go immediately to Dakshineswar and see him. They arrived there about 2:00 p.m. and inquired about the Master. Pratap Hazra, a rather strange devotee, informed them that Sri Ramakrishna had gone to Chandannagore and asked them to come back another day. They were terribly disappointed and about to leave when they noticed someone inside a room beckoning them to enter. It was Sri Ramakrishna.
The Master received them cordially and asked them about themselves. During the course of the conversation he told them: “Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud but its skin is always bright and shiny. Similarly, remain at home unattached and the stain of worldliness will not touch your mind.” He asked them to meditate in the Panchavati grove for some time, and then he took them to see the different temples. As they were leaving, Sri Ramakrishna said to them: “Come again. A relationship grows through frequent visits.”
The following week they again went to meet Sri Ramakrishna. Welcoming them, he said: “I am very glad to see you. It is for you that I am here.” He beckoned Durga Charan to sit near him and said: “Don’t fear, my child. You have attained a very exalted state.” The Master then sent him out of the room to do some small tasks. When he had left, the Master turned to Suresh and remarked: “Did you notice? This man is like a blazing fire!”
The next time, Durga Charan went to Dakshineswar by himself. Sri Ramakrishna asked him, “What do you think of me?” Durga Charan saluted him with folded hands and replied: “You cannot hoodwink me anymore, Divine Master. Through your grace I have come to know that you are that Supreme One.”
It was a few months after his first meeting with Sri Ramakrishna that Durga Charan gave up his medical practice. Although he had taken over his father’s job, he began to devote more time to meditation and he felt a strong urge to renounce the world. With that intention, he one day went to see the Master. As soon as he reached there, the Master said in an ecstatic mood: “What harm is there in remaining as a householder? Only keep the mind fixed upon God. The householder’s life is like fighting from within a fortress. Remain in the world like the ancient king Janaka, unattached. Your life will be an example of how a householder should live.” Durga Charan was speechless. He returned home, obeying the behest of the Master. (Source: They Lived with God)