'divine eye' described by Sri Ramakrishna and in spite of his physical ailments, he remained always witty and jovial. In Calcutta he generally stayed at Balaram Babu's house, as he got better facilities for diet there. Whenever the Holy Mother came to Calcutta, he attended on her. He then stayed in a room at the entrance of her house, did all the outdoor work connected with her establishment, received gifts from the devotees for her, admitted visitors according to her convenience, and did everything to make her stay comfortable. Even when he was seriously ill, he continued to do his service to the Mother. He passed away prematurely, leaving the Holy Mother to bemoan his death with an intensity of
sorrow which few earthly mothers are capable of.
2 She is said to have remarked in her sorrow, 'Now one brick has fallen from the building; the others will follow.'
In later days the Holy Mother used to speak of him thus: 'No one loved me like Yogen. If anyone gave him eight annas, he would put it aside, saying, "Mother may need it for a pilgrimage." He attended on me constantly. The other disciples of the Master therefore used to tease him for staying among women.'
Again the years 1905 and 1906 were rendered unhappy for the Holy Mother by the sad loss of several close relatives and the consequent devolution of more heavy family responsibilities on her. In April '1905 her uncle Nilmadhav, who was living under her care in his old age, passed away. She engaged herself unsparingly in nursing this uncle who was very dear to her. Nilmadhav's death was followed very shortly by that of a sister-in-law, the wife of her brother Prasanna. The
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2 We may mention here an incident that reveals the depth of the Holy Mother's affection for Swami Yogananda. The Swami had once presented her with a quilt which became worn out after some years. So she at first made arrangements to get it stuffed with new cotton but afterwards desisted from the course because she thought that it would change beyond all recognition the thing presented by her beloved Yogen. She had the habit of preserving even trifling presents as mementos of loved ones.