Love and Compassion

Due to social pressure, some widows practised such rigorous austerities that it seemed they would kill themselves. The Mother advised one such widow, "At night, first offer chapatis, milk, fruits, and sweet to the Master and then eat them." According to the custom of those time a widow was not supposed to eat cooked rice twice a day. The Mother modified the rule for the sake of that widow's fragile health.

Kshirodbala Roy, a young widow from Bangladesh, came to Udbodan House for initiation. She was a very austere woman and observed the local customs to excess. She recalled:

Staring at me intently, the Mother asked, "My child, what do you take Ekadashi day?" I replied, "Formerly I used to eat sago, but learning the it is adulterated with various other things, I don't take it now. As s as she heard this, the Mother said, "No, no, I say you should take sago will keep your body cool." Then with deep sorrow in her voice the Mother said: "Child, you have been practising much austerity. I say, don't do any further. Your body has almost turned into a piece of wood. How will you perform spiritual practices if your health is broken, my child?"

She asked whether I used oil. I said, "I haven't used it ever since I widowed." On hearing this the Mother said. "The use of oil keeps the heat cool. Therefore use oil." I said: "As I have not used it for a long time. I have begun to hate the feel of it. I shall not be able to use oil, Mother." Golapes said, "Though she is very young, she has ruined her health by fasting and practising other austerities." Gauri-ma said, "Dear, why have you cut of your hair?" I said, "Widows in our part of the country do not grow ther hair." Gauri-ma replied: "Without hair, one's eyesight deteriorates Sne you have dedicated your body to Sri Krishna, how does your hair belong to you, dear?" Yogin-ma then said: "This body is the temple of God. It's wise to keep it fit." But the Mother said: "You have done well. Keep one's hair gives rise to a feeling of fashionableness to some extent, for one has to take care of it. So what you have done is right. You have overcome the craze for luxuriant locks, and you have also come here. You have now achieved that for which you lived so austerely. Now, I say don't indulge such austerities any longer. You will have initiation tomorrow. Come here at eight o'clock in the morning. It will be nice to take a holy dip in the Ganges and when see Mother Kali on the day of initiation."

Once the Master was still alive, Yogin-ma took her widowed aunt into Dakshineswar. It was an Ekadashi day and she was fasting, taking neither food nor water. She had fasted the previous day also. When this elderly woman arrived at the nahabat, she was gasping and could not stand erect. The Mother held her and asked, "Shall I give you a little sherbet?" The woman refused because she was fasting. After a while the Mother and Yogin-ma took her to the Master's room. While going up the steps, she almost fell. Immediately the Master came forward and held out his hand to her. The Master asked: "Why is she gasping?" Yogin-ma explained the situation. Then the Master said to Holy Mother, "Why did you not give her a little sherbet?" The Mother replied that she had offered it, but the widow refused to take it. The Master then took some sugar from his shelf, mixed it with some Ganges water, and said to the woman, "Please drink." She looked at the Master's face and then drank without another word. She said gratefully: "Father, my heart is cool now." Ramakrishna and Holy Mother never encouraged the mortification of the flesh. One cannot concentrate on God if one suffers from hunger pangs. The Master said: "Religion is not possible on an empty stomach." Holy Mother also said: " First calm your body with food and drink and then call on God." This is a very practical teaching.

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