KALPATARU DIWAS

&
KALPATARU UTSAV

JANUARY 1, 1886
It was the 1st of January 1886. Thakur Sri
Ramakrishna Paramhansa Dev 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 3 p.m., 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
The Master THAT DAY…. 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
Vyasa and Valmiki?"
Overwhelmed at this simple and innocent
reply, Thakur addressed the others present,
" What more to tell you-, 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 disciples like
Sri.Ramachandra Dutta,
Saradananda etc. described this
incident as the transformation of
Thakur into a
KALPATARU
 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
Ramakrishna Mission, Vivekananda
Kendra & other organizations following
the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna.

Drawn by his western disciple Frank Dorak

The Imaginary Kalpataru Brikshya of Heaven as envisioned
by The Great Artist & Painter: Sri Nandalal Basu,
(Viswabharati,WB)
One similar incident of
Thakur in Bhava
Samadhi 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 fulfilling 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 MATH
H.Q. of RAMAKRISHNA MISSION
Sri Ramakrishna Statue in Belur Math , Garbhagriha
PRANAM…
to the Greatest of all Incarnation
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa

A bouquet of Flowers by Neeladeep Chakraborty, (VKV, TSK)

Neeladeep.chakraborty@vkv.in
Vivekananda Kendra & Kalpataru
Divas

• Vivekananda Kendra considers this Bharat, Bharatiya

Samaj, as Kalpataru. She fulfills and has the capacity
to fulfill all wishes of all the citizens, nay the World.
And hence, work for Her and make Her more capable
remembering 'Jeevane Yavadadanam syat pradanam
tatodhikam'.