Adhar Lal Sen

Adhar first met Sri Ramakrishna on March 9, 1883, as per recorded in The Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna by Sri M (Mahendranath Gupta). He had asked Sri Ramakrishna if one could see God, and the latter answered in affirmative, saying that it is possible to see God both as formless and with form. Sri Ramakrishna also recognized Adhara as belonging to his inner circle of devotees. In his subsequent visit, Adhar took his friend Saradacharan and witnessed for the first time the master going into ecstasy. He was told by Sri Ramakrishna, You have your position through the grace of God, do not forget Him, we stay in the world only for a couple of days. One must have strong determination, then alone is spiritual practice possible. This remark assumed significance because Adhar died only 18 months later. Adhar invited Sri Ramakrishna to his house and arranged for festivals including sankirtans or devotional songs. Under Sri Ramakrishna's instruction, he engaged the famous devotional singer of the time Baishnabcharan for recitals in his house on a daily basis. He used to often go to Dakshineswar in a hired carriage, spending a lot of money to meet Sri Ramakrishna and listen to his teachings. But he would hear very little of what Sri Ramakrishna said. Being very tired he would lie down on a mat spread on the floor, which was arranged for him by the Master, and would soon fall asleep. Sri Ramakrishna also visited Adhar's house on several occasions, on the request of the latter and also as a spontaneous gesture. On 14 July 1883 Sri Ramakrishna first went to Adhar's house. He also paid an unexpected visit on 21 July 1883. He gave initiation to Adhar on 18 August 1883. After becoming a member of the faculty of Calcutta University, Adhar could not visit the Master as frequently as before. He expressed to Sri Ramakrishna his earnest desire to become the vice chairman of the Calcutta municipal corporation, for which he was considered. Although the master advised him to be satisfied with what he had got, Sri Ramakrishna nevertheless requested to one of his influential devotees for considering Adhar for the position. Sri Ramakrishna also went to Adhar's house as part of the Durga Puja celebrations. He also took part in feasts which were arranged by Adhar in his house for the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna and in one of this visits the Master taught his devotees to transcend caste barriers. On 6 December 1884 Sri Ramakrishna met Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the famous Bengali writer and composer of the national song of India, Vande Mataram, in Adhar's house. Sri Ramakrishna came to visit Adhar during his last days in January 1885 and also wept when he died.