The Ramakrishna period
The first meeting of Sri Ramakrishna and Naren
Ramakrishna's account of Naren’s first visit at Dakshineswar:
Narendra entered this room by the western door. He seemed careless about his body and dress, and unlike other people, not mindful of the external world. His eyes bespoke an introspective mind, as if some part of it were always concentrated on something within. I was surprised to find such a spiritual soul coming from the material atmosphere of Calcutta. A mat was spread on the floor. He sat on it just near the place where you now see the big jar containing Ganga water. The friends with whom he had come appeared to be ordinary young men with the usual tendencies towards enjoyment. On inquiry, I came to know that he had learnt three or four Bengali songs only. I asked him to sing them. He began singing the Brahmo song which begins:
O my mind
go to your own abode
In the foreign land
of this world
Why roam uselessly
like a stranger
He sang the song with his whole heart and put such pathos into it that I could not control myself, but fell into an ecstatic mood.
Then he took leave. But after that I felt such a constant agonizing desire to see him! At times the pain would be so excruciating that I felt as if my heart were being squeezed like a wet towel! Then I could no longer check myself. I ran to the northern quarter of the garden, a rather unfrequented place, and there cried at the top of my voice, "O my darling, come to me! I cannot live without seeing you!" After some time, I felt better. This state of things continued for six months. There were other boys who also came here; I felt greatly drawn to some of them, but nothing like the way I was attracted to Narendra.
Naren's third meeting with Sri Ramakrishna
Narendranath paid his third visit to Dakshineswar, probably in mid January 1882. Ramakrishna took him for a walk to the adjacent garden of Jadunath Mallik. After a stroll they went inside the Mallik’s house and sat down in the parlor.
Sri Ramakrishna went into a trance and touched Naren who became unconscious.
Ramakrishna said: "I put several questions to him while he was in that state. I asked him about his antecedents and where he lived, his mission in this world and the duration of his mortal life. He dived deep into himself and gave fitting answers to my questions. They only confirmed what I had seen and inferred about him. Those things shall be a secret, but I came to know that he was a sage who had attained perfection, a past master in meditation, and that the day he knew his real nature, he would give up the body through Yoga, by an act of will."
Naren was said not remember anything of his unconscious state, but when he came to, he saw the Master stroking his chest.
- www.vivekananda.net edited by Frank Parlato Jr.