
"Adbhuta"
means wonderful, and it is indeed a
marvel how Sri Ramakrishna’s all
encompassing love transformed Latu from
his unthinking existence to that of an
illumined seer, from whose lips dripped
spiritual and philosophical truths with
all the precise clarity of Latu’ s
simple nature.
- Samvit
Latu is Ramakrishna’s greatest miracle.
Having absolutely no education, he
attained the highest wisdom simply by
the grace of the Master’s touch.
- Swami Vivekananda
The present work...proves that beyond
intellectualism, philosophy and religion
there is an open door that ever awaits
the mystic.
- Hinduism

Preface
Swami Adbhutananda (Latu Maharaj)
Early Years
At
the Feet of Sri Ramakrishna
Memories of Sri Ramakrishna as Told by
Latu Maharaj
The Passing Away of the Master as Told
by Latu Maharaj
Pilgrimage to Vrindaban
At
Baranagore Math
Days of Austerity
With his Brother Monks
Later Years - Calcutta and Varanasi
His
Passing Away
Reminiscences
of Swami Adbhutananda
By
Ramlal Chatterjee
"M"
Sister Devamata
Kumudbandhu Sen
Swami Siddhananda
Swami Basudevananda

Teachings of Swami Adbhutananda
Removing the Covering of Ignorance
One
day Shashadhar Ganguli, a teacher from
Malda, asked Latu Maharaj, "Can the
Atman be an object of knowledge?"
Latu
Maharaj: "An object is something
which cannot be known without the help
of something else, but the Atman is
self-revealing. So you cannot say the
Atman is an object of knowledge."
The
teacher: "Then why should we want to
know the Atman?"
Latu
Maharaj: "Listen, can anyone deviate
from his real nature? If he does, it
cannot be called his real nature; for it
is changeable. Man’s real nature is
covered by a dense cloud of ignorance,
and consequently he appears to be
something different, but that does not
mean he has deviated from his real
nature."
The
teacher: "I couldn’t follow you. Would
you please explain this a little more?"
Latu
Maharaj: "All right. Suppose here is
a brass pot covered with stains. Looking
at it, one may think it is made of
something other than brass, but that
thought cannot change its nature; the
brass pot still remains brass. It is
like that."
The
teacher: "But Maharaj, that analogy is
not suitable here. The brass pot never
thinks of itself as not being brass, but
man thinks of himself as being something
other than the Atman."
Latu
Maharaj: "That is not so. Man does
not think that he is something else. He
may say, ‘my body,’ ‘my mind,’ my
intellect,’ but he never says, ‘I am the
body,’ or ‘I am the mind.’ He knows that
what he calls ‘his’ is not the same as
‘himself.’ Man’s I-consciousness is
always there, he is not devoid of it,
only he cannot express it. You can feel
hungry or sleepy, but can you tell me
who you really are?"
The Mystery of Samadhi
Latu
Maharaj: "Is samadhi merely a figure of
speech? The human mind gets a little
glimpse of God only after long and
constant practice of concentration and
meditation, and only then can one
realize God’s attributes and powers.
Infinite are his attributes, and
infinite are his powers! Who can
transcend them? One could spend millions
of lives concentrating on just the
glories of God, but what would he gain
from it? He might comprehend God ’s
glory and power, but that does not mean
he has truly experienced him.
Realization of God means that one
becomes absorbed in him, transcending
his attributes and powers. It is not an
easy thing! An aspirant can reach God
only if, out of his mercy, God helps him
to go beyond his attributes and powers.
It is God’s grace alone that enables an
aspirant to stop the waves of the mind
and dissolve the intellect; otherwise
who can stop the functioning of his mind
and intellect by his own efforts? And
know for certain that one attains
samadhi only after the dissolution of
his mind and intellect."
A devotee: "Maharaj, do you mean
to say that an aspirant cannot attain
samadhi through self-effort? We have
heard that one attains samadhi by
practicing concentration and
meditation."
Latu Maharaj: "What you have
heard is true. The samadhi achieved
through concentration and meditation is
termed by Sri Ramakrishna ‘chetan
samadhi.’ In this samadhi there is an
interplay of ecstasy and power. But the
Master also used to speak of another
kind of samadhi in which the mind
dissolves and the ego disappears. I am
telling you the truth, no one can attain
that samadhi without divine grace."
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