14TH JANUARY, 1886
Beginning of Ramakrishna Order of Monks
to Gangasagar, the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, for a holy bath. A disciple of Sri Ramakrishna known as “Elder Gopal” (Senior Gopal) wanted to acquire virtue by offering clothes to holy people on this day. He bought 12 pieces of ochre clothes and 12 rosaries for this purpose. When Sri Ramakrishna heard this, he told Senior Gopal: “You will attain a thousand times more virtue if you offer these to my children (the young disciples who wanted to renounce the world)…Where else will you find such all-renouncing monks?”
Senior Gopal was convinced. On January 12, 1886 (Makar Sankranti) senior Gopal gave 12 ochre clothes and rosaries to Sri Ramakrishna, who after blessing them, distributed them to the 11 young disciples, namely Narendra, Rakhal, Niranjan, Baburam, Shashi, Sharat, Kali, Jogin, Latu, Tarak, and Gopal. He kept the 12th set for Girish Chandra Ghosh. Thus, Sri Ramakrishna initiated these eleven young disciples into monastic life, and thus himself laid the foundation of the future Ramakrishna Order of the monks.
In order to have an experience of being monks, Sri Ramakrishna asked young disciples to go out and beg for their food from houses as the traditional monks did. It was tough for these youngsters who were born in upper or middle class families and had never begged for anything. Narendra and a couple of youngsters decide to follow the command of Sri Ramakrishna. First, they went to Holy Mother and begged their food. Holy Mother was taken by surprise and then she gave them handful of cooked rice. When they begged for food outside the Cossipore Garden House, they had mixed responses. Some gave food with reverence while some became angry on them for begging. Thus, in all possible ways, Sri Ramakrishna trained them to be monks.
