Page:Ramakrishna - His Life and Sayings.djvu/58

40 a perfect stranger to them. And what was his astonishment when he saw them standing under the tree at the exact hour, and calling him by name, and telling him to be consoled, for the Mother Kill would surely have mercy on him. These ladies of the Zenana had never come to a public place, especially when young, but somehow or other they got a strong desire to see that temple that very day, and they got permission to go there.

These visions grew more and more, and his trances became longer and longer in duration, till every one saw it was no longer possible for him to perform his daily course of duties. For instance, it is prescribed in the and think of himself as the very. god or goddess he is going to worship, and Rimakrzshaa, as he put the flower, and thought himself as identified with his mother, would get entranced, and would remain in that state for hours. Then again, from time to time, he would entirely lose his own identity, so much so as to appropriate to himself the offerings brought for the goddess. Sometimes forgetting to adorn the image, he would adorn himself with the flowers. Mathurdndth at first objected to this, but shortly after- wards, it is said, he saw the body of Rdmak??sh#a trans- figured into that of the god -Siva, and from that day forward he looked upon him as God Himself, and addressed him always as Father whenever he spoke to him. He appointed the nephew of Ramakr/shwa to conduct the regular services, and left him free to do whatever he liked.
 * Sastras that a man should put a flower over his own head