Adhar Lal Sen DR. RUCHIRA MITRA ्मेत्वैष त्वृणयुते तेन लभ्ः It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23)

This is the fourteenth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

One day in 1884, a devotee was yearning to entertain his guru Sri Ramakrishna at his home; and when Sri Ramakrishna arrived, he said, “You haven’t come to our house for a long time. The rooms looked gloomy; they had a musty smell. But today the whole house is cheerful; the sweetness of your presence fills the atmosphere. Today I called on God earnestly that you should come. I even shed tears while praying.” Deeply touched by these words, Sri Ramakrishna suddenly stood up and blessed him in an ecstatic mood, touching his head and chest. In a voice choked with love Sri Ramakrishna said: “I look upon you as Narayana Himself. You are indeed my own.”1 This fortunate devotee was Adhar Lal Sen.

Once previously, in the summer of 1883, Adhar yearned to receive Sri Ramakrishna at his home. And as if to prove that God answers earnest prayers, Sri Ramakrishna visited his home that day! Sri Ramakrishna actually visited Adhar’s home many times, and those visits were occasions for religious festivals. Devotees would assemble in large numbers, professional musicians would sing and play on instruments, and Adhar would feed everyone sumptuously.

Sri Ramakrishna once said, “I saw in a vision that the houses of Adhar, Balaram, and Surendra are places for our gathering.”2