he is my son." Ni - left after making Pranam to the Mother. Then she asked, "Have you not yet arranged for his marriage?"
Disciple: No, he hasn't married.
Mother: He is your only son. Why haven't you got him married?
Disciple: He doesn't want to marry.
Mother: Ah, these days this has become a fashion with young men! Why, can't a married man lead a virtuous life? It is through the mind that one achieves everything. Didn't the Master marry me? Has your son received initiation?
Disciple: Yes, he has been blessed by you.
Mother: Yes! Why should he not marry then? All right, I shall tell him. Perhaps he doesn't want to face hardship. He who holds on to the Lord, even when afflicted by sufferings, will certainly attain to Him. But tell me, what is your wish?
Disciple: Mother, I don't know what will be good for him. You know what is good and bad for him. Therefore it will be as you say. I don't have any other opinion.
Mother: You see, only those who belong to a high spiritual category can become monks and liberate themselves from all kinds of fetters. Some, again, are born just to enjoy the world. I say, it is good to finish in entirety' enjoyments and sufferings. But it was different in the case of the companions of the Master.
Disciple: Mother, he is but your child. His good and bad depend on you entirely. Do whatever you wish to do.
Mother: I say, let him marry. Let all his enjoyments and sufferings pass off completely. Otherwise, it is difficult to foretell what kind of experience will come to him. Know it for certain, however, that since the Master has caught hold of him, he will never fall. You wait quietly with a placid mind. I have initiated him with a Mantra given by the Master. Can ill fortune ever befall him?
Then she said, "Would you take Prasada here?" As I replied in the affirmative, the Mother went out to tell the store-keeper and returned.
Mother: From whom have you taken initiation? Who told you about the Master?
Disciple: When we went to meet Nag Mahasaya at Deobhog, we heard from him the glories of Sri Ramakrishna. Observing Nag Mahasaya's lofty mental condition, I always felt a strong