In February 1884 Sri Ramakrishna had an accident. One day Tarak came and inquired about the Master’s health. In reply he smilingly said: “One night in the garden as I was looking at the moon, my feet became entangled in the wire fence, and I fell down fracturing my left wrist. The after-effect is still there, and they have bandaged me tightly. They refuse to take the bandage off. I can hardly call on my Divine Mother with comfort. Tell me, does one enjoy calling on the Mother in such a predicament? Sometimes I feel, what nonsense is this! Let me out of this body, snapping all ties! Then again I think, no, let the pleasant play of the Mother continue. There is fun in this too.”
After hearing this Tarak said, “Sir, you can certainly heal yourself if you so wish.” The Master replied, “What! I can cure myself by a mere wish?” The Master paused awhile, then continued: “No, aches and pains of sickness are preferable. Sickness scares away worldly people who visit here with ulterior motives, and I am left alone.” The next moment he talked to the Divine Mother, saying, “Mother, you have made a wonderful device.” He then began to sing a devotional song and went into samadhi. After a while the Master regained his normal consciousness and talked to the Mother again like a petulant child: “Mother, you were never born. So how can you understand the pain of embodiment?”