To live with Sri Ramakrishna was a great education. He taught his disciples how to attain perfection in samadhi as well as in service. Harinath later recalled:
One day at Dakshineswar the Master said to me: “Go to the Panchavati. Some devotees had a picnic there. See if they have left anything behind. If you find anything, bring it here.” I went and found an umbrella in one place, a knife in another place, and some other articles. I gathered them up and took them to the Master. The knife had been borrowed from him. I was just placing it on the shelf when he said: “Where are you putting it? No, not there. Put it underneath this small bedstead. That is where it belongs. You must put everything in its proper place. Suppose I need the knife during the night. If you put it anywhere you please, I will have to go around the room in the dark, stretching out my arms in search of it, wondering where you put it. Is such service a service? No! You do things as you like and thereby only cause trouble. If you want to serve properly, you should completely forget yourself.”