Sunday, August 15, 1886. The Master's pulse
became irregular. The
devotees stood by the bedside. Toward dusk Sri Ramakrishna had
difficulty
in breathing. A short time afterwards he complained of hunger. A little
liquid food was put into his mouth; some of it he swallowed, and the
rest
ran over his chin. Two attendants began to fan him. All at once he went
into
samadhi of a rather unusual type. The body became stiff. Sashi burst
into
tears. But after midnight the Master revived. He was now very hungry
and
helped himself to a bowl of porridge. He said he was strong again. He
sat
up against five or six pillows, which were supported by the body of
Sashi,
who was fanning him. Narendra took his feet on his lap and began to rub
them. Again and again the Master repeated to him, "Take care of these
boys." Then he asked to lie down. Three times in ringing tone's he
cried the
name of Kali, his life's Beloved, and lay back. At two minutes past one
there was a low sound in his throat and he fell a little to one side. A
thrill
passed over his body. His hair stood on end. His eyes became fixed on
the
tip of his nose. His face was lighted with a smile. The final ecstasy
began.
It was mahasamadhi, total absorption, from which his mind never
returned.
Narendra, unable to bear it, ran downstairs.
Dr. Sarkar arrived the following noon and pronounced that life had
departed not more than half an hour before. At five o'clock the Masters
body was brought downstairs, laid on a cot, dressed in ochre clothes,
and
decorated with sandal-paste and flowers. A procession was formed. The
passers-by wept as the body was taken to the cremation ground at the
Baranagore Ghat on the Ganges.
While the devotees were returning to the garden house, carrying the
urn with the sacred ashes, a calm resignation came to their souls and
they
cried, "Victory unto the Guru!"
The Holy Mother was weeping in her room, not for her husband, but
because she felt that Mother Kali had left her. As she was about to put
on
the marks of a Hindu widow, in a moment of revelation she heard the
words of faith, "I have only passed from one room to another."