KALPATARU DIVAS & KALPATARU UTSAVKALPATARU DIVAS & KALPATARU UTSAVJANUARY 1, 2011

It was the 1st of January 1886. Thakur Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa Deb decided to go for a stroll in the garden lawn as he was feeling fit after a spate of illness. As it was not a working day, his disciples started gathering in the garden. When Thakur ultimately came downstairs at 3pm, at least thirty disciples has already gathered in the hall and under the trees in the garden gossiping with each other. Noticing him coming towards them everyone stood up with utmost reverence and greeted him with folded hands as Thakur descended the steps to the garden crossing the west corridor of the hall while everyone followed him at a distance.

As he reached the center of the path leading to the main gate from the building, he noticed his disciples Girish, Ram, Atul and others under the shade of a tree in the west of the lawn. Noticing him, his disciples too greeted him with reverence and came to him. Before anyone could say anything, Thakur himself asked Sri Girish Chandra,"Girish you talk to so many people about my incarnation, what have you seen in me?" At this Sri Girish Chandra answered promptly with his folded hands and kneeling down at his master's feet, "How can I comment on somebody who has been an enigma to the great sages like Viyas and Valmiki?"

The Master THAT DAY….

Overwhelmed at this simple and innocent reply, Thakur addressed the others present, " What more to tell you-I, May you all be blessed with spiritual awakening". Saying this, Thakur passed into a trance. The disciples one by one began taking his blessings and touching his feet. In this phase of trance Sri Ramakrishna blessed his disciples by granting them the holy sight of enlightenment. Overawed at this experience, many of his disciples were dumb founded and began watching him with awe. Some of them invited others to take his blessings while others chanted hymns and worshiped Thakur with flowers.

Some of Thakur's deciples like Sri.Ramachandra Dutta, Saradananda

etc. described this incident as the transformation of Thakur into a

KALPATARUKALPATARU

A Kalpataru, according to Indian myth is a magical tree, which grants anything a person desires from it. It is also said that Sri Ramakrishna took away the diseases and miseries of certain people by touching them on that day. Now the Kalpataru utsav is held at the Centres of RK Mission & other organization related with Sri Ramakrishna The sage is remembered through his teachings and philosophy.

(Kalpataru Explanation in Internet Edition)Drawn by his western disciple Frank Dorak

The Imaginary Kalpataru Brikshya of Heaven as envisioned by The Great Artist & Painter: Sri Nandalan Basu, (Viswabharati,WB)

One similar incident of Thakur’s entrance into BhavaSamadhi at the residence of his disciple Balaram Basu, now BALRAM MANDIR, Bagbazar, Kolkata.

(A rare original photograph of the Master indicating & describing his oneness with the God)

The Wish Full-filling Tree (KLAPATARU) and Sri Ramakrishna is different. The Tree (as believed ), grants all the wishes and dreams of man whatever asked for (may be positive or negative wish).

He also said that one should be extremely careful when praying to the Kalpataru. Read to one of Sri Ramakrishna' s story- "On a hot summer day a traveller stopped under a shady tree and lay down on the bare ground to rest a while. Looking up at the sky, he wished he could be lying on a comfortable bed.

He did not know that he was lying under a magical tree that made every thought come true. In no time a bed appeared and he was lying on it. This is perfect, the traveller thought. Now all I need is a maiden to give me company in this lonely place.

Poof! A beautiful young maiden immediately appeared before him. She sat next to him, fanning him for his pleasure. Wow! the traveler exclaimed, enjoying the cool breeze. The only thing that could make things any better would be to have some food and drink to enjoy with my lovely companion here.

As soon as he thought this, a wonderful feast lay before him. The maiden served him the food and drink. Lying in bed eating grapes the maiden fed him, the traveler thought, This is the peak of happiness! Wouldn’t it just be awful if it all disappeared and a tiger were to attack me instead?

No sooner had he thought this, than everything disappeared, replaced by a ferocious tiger. Then and there tiger jumped upon him and broke his neck and began to eat him." This is the play of the mysterious wish feeling tree. Such is the fate of men in this world. If during meditation you pray for money, worldly things, your desires will be satisfied but remember there is the dread of tiger behind every gift you get."

(Courtesy : The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, by Mahendra Nath Gupta…M)

This garden house was sanctified by Sri Ramakrishna’s stay with his disciples during the last few months of his life, as also by his mahasamadhi. It was made a branch of Ramakrishna Math in 1946. COSSIPORE GARDEN HOUSE

The BED from which the Great Master took his journey to merge with the supreme power…

COSSIPORE GARDEN HOUSE

KALPATARU UTSAV Celebration in BELUR MATHH.Q. of RAMAKRISHNA MISSION (Kolkata, WB)

Spiritual Discourses by Sanyasis of Ramakrishna Order on KALPATARU DIVAS

Sri Ramakrishna Statue in Belur Math , Garva Mandir

PRANAM…to the Greatest of all Incarnation

Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa

A bouquet of Flowers by Neeladeep Chakraborty, (VKV, TSK)For Details Mail to : tinsukia@vkv.in