Troilanga Swami's words prove to be true

A very great spiritual Master happened to be living in Benaras at the same time. His name was Troilanga Swami. Troilanga Swami was the possessor of tremendous occult power and spiritual power. According to Sri Ramakrishna, Troilanga Swami was the moving image of the Lord Shiva.

Troilanga Swami was usually to be found floating on the Ganges. He had renounced everything, including clothing, but the people of Benaras did not mind because they all knew him and had the deepest respect, love and veneration for him.

One day Troilanga Swami was with his disciples on the banks of the Ganges when a nicely-dressed, middle-aged Bengali gentleman wearing a new dhoti and perfumed with oil came up to him. To the disciples' wide surprise, Troilanga Swami stood up and embraced the gentleman. Then the gentleman walked away.

Everybody protested, "How can you embrace someone who is so sophisticated and unspiritual? There is no spirituality in him at all. Besides, he is only a householder."

Troilanga Swami said to them, "You fools, you do not recognise him. You would have to give up everything in life, renounce everything, in order to come to his spiritual state of consciousness. In your highest state of consciousness, you cannot equal him. For him to wear clean, new, ironed clothes or to use perfume is nothing. He has reached such a spiritual height that he will not be affected no matter what he wears or what he does. You cannot judge people by their outer appearance. He is really a great seeker, an extraordinary soul."

Troilanga Swami's words proved to be true. The gentleman's name was Lahiri Mahashoy and he was soon accepted as a great spiritual Master. Many people came to know of him after Troilanga Swami's highest tribute.

Spiritual commentary

If one knows how to sing the world-renunciation song well, then one can never be tempted by the world-possession-song, not to speak of the world-temptation-dance. His divine realisation is not affected in the inner world, his human performance is not affected in the outer world. He is like a boat that is in the water and, at the same time, is not affected by the water.