Adharlal Sen’s House

Adharlal Sen, a lay devotee of Sri Ramakrishna was a highly meritorious man. He served as a Deputy Magistrate, was a fellow of the Calcutta University and served as a member of the Faculty of Arts. Sri Ramakrishna once said (20th June 1884), “I saw in a vision that the houses of Adhar, Balaram, and Surendra were so many places for our forgathering.” *

Sri Ramakrishna sanctified Adharlal’s residence at least 11 times, as has been recorded in the Kathamrita, chronologically in the order 2nd June 1883, 14th July 1883, 21st July 1883, 18th August 1883, 22nd September 1883, 10th October 1883 (on the occasion of Navami, during Durga Puja celebrations), 6th September 1884, 26th and 28th September 1884 (on the occasion of Saptami and Mahastmi, during Durga Puja celebrations), 1st October 1884 and 6th December 1884. On 6th December, 1884, Sri Ramakrishna had spiritual discussions with Sahitya Samrat (Emperor of Literature) and Deputy Magistrate Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in this very house. It has been mentioned in the Kathamrita, that in this house of Adharlal Sen, Sri Ramakrishna participated in Kirtans (songs in praise of the divine) with his devotees, engaged in spiritual discourses and had even entered into Samadhi (a blissful super consciousness state). He also partook food with his devotees here.

* page – 460 (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Vol.1- English Translation of Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda – Indian Edition, Twenty-eighth Print, January 2022)