Saint Or Sinner- Divinity Resides In All

Famous Bengali Actor Girish Chandra Ghosh [1844 – 1912]
--How Sri Ramakrishna explored the divinity in the fallen person.


One of the epithets of God is ‘Patitapavana’ which means ‘the saviour of fallen souls’. This aspect of Sri Ramakrishna’s life is abundantly clear when one studies the life of the famous Bengali theatre artist Girish Chandra Ghosh, considered a doyen of Bengali Theatre. Sometimes it is difficult for ordinary people to understand the actions and behavior of great teachers of the world. The life history of Gautama Buddha tells how the rulers of Vaishali were disappointed when Buddha accepted a dinner invitation from the courtesan Amrapali and refused theirs. In Bible, Simon could not understand why Jesus would allow a fallen woman to anoint his feet. Similarly a charge was leveled against Sri Ramakrishna that he did not show sufficient moral abhorrence towards prostitutes and drunkards. On the contrary, we find that one of marked characteristics of these Mahatmas was that they loved the sinner and the saint equally well and they found only divinity in every soul, in keeping with the famous statement of Lord Srikrishna in the Bhagavad-Gita –“Ishwarah Sarvabhootanam Hriddeshe Arjuna Tishthati” meaning ‘Oh! Arjuna, God resides in the heart of every living being’

Girish was born of pious and devoted parents in February 1884 and grew up a lively carefree life. He was born in a transitional period of Indian History. The Western education and culture, particularly in Calcutta, were thrust on the growing youth challenging the traditional Indian culture. Consequently, the youth grew up in an atmosphere of doubt, disbelief in our own customs and ready belief in atheism with the result that there was cultural chaos. At the threshold of his maturity, with little stability either in the family or in society, Girish slowly drifted into drunkenness, debauchery, waywardness and obstinacy. He would even go to the extent of desecrating the Hindu Gods and goddesses. While this was a gloomy side of his character, the brighter side consisted in his volunteering help to any needy and deserving person. He studied Homoeopathy and started practice as a doctor. In addition, he was a voracious reader.

Girish had a fascination for theatre and in course of time took to acting and joined a theatre. He had lost his mother in early childhood, his wife died when he was just 30 years leaving a son and a daughter. At the same time, he lost his job as a book-keeper. A thick dark cloud descended on his life and his drinking increased. He took a second wife. Six months after the marriage, he became ill with severe cholera and doctors gave up hopes of recovery .One day, lying on his bed almost in a critical stage, he had a vision. A resplendent female form, wearing a red bordered cloth, appeared in his dream. Her face was full of compassion and love. She sat near him and feeding him in his mouth said
“Please eat this Prasadam [sanctified food] and you will be cured”. Girish slowly regained consciousness and from there on his recovery began. Some sixteen years later, sometime in 1891, recalling this strange experience Girish said “Sixteen years later when I went to Jayrambati [the birth place of Holy Mother] to see the Holy Mother, I found to my great surprise and delight that the woman who had saved my life with the holy Prasadam was none other than the Holy Mother herself” With this vision, Girish’s atheism gave place to his belief in the existence of God. Thereafter he started searching for a Guru for guidance and initiation to a spiritual life. It was this intense desire to seek a Guru that brought him to Sri Ramakrishna.

Girish met Sri Ramakrishna for the first time in 1877 and was not much impressed. He met the Master for a second time in a friend’s house where several devotees of the Master were present. A famous dancing girl of Bengali theatre by name Bidhu was seated next to the Master, singing devotional songs. The Master was receiving every guest himself with utmost humility, regardless of their status in society. Every time he met a visitor, the Master bowed down with humility. It was this meeting that brought Girish quite close to the Master. This was followed by several other meetings with Sri Ramakrishna.

With the passage of time, Girish’s name in the field of theatre became almost a house-hold word. He joined the Star Theatre of Calcutta as its manager. He thought of producing some good plays but had to give up his plan since he could not afford the money for the expensive costumes involved for the production. He therefore wrote a play himself by name ‘Chaitanya Lila’, a drama based on the life and teachings of the famous 15th Century Bengali saint Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, since it required only a few ochre robes and rosaries as costumes. In August 1884 Girish Ghosh’s ‘Chitanya Lila’ was put up and it created a sensation in Calcutta. Sari Ramakrishna heard about it and wanted to witness the drama. But some devotees objected to his seeing the drama because several sacred roles in the play, including that of Chaitanya, were played by women of ill repute like Binodini who put on the main role of Sri Chaitanya. Sri Ramakrishna ruled out their objection and said “I shall look upon those female roles as Blissful Mother herself. What if one of them acts as Sri Chaitanya?’ The Master attended the play and enjoyed it thoroughly. After the play, a devotee asked the Master how he enjoyed the play and Sri Ramakrishna replied with a smile “I found the representation the same as the real!” On the occasion he blessed the actress Binodini in the main role of Sri Chaitanya. Binodini, recalling this memorable incident many years later, wrote in her biography “I don’t care if people of the world look down upon my sinful life. I was blessed by the Master. His loving, hopeful message still sustains me. When I am in terrible depression, I see his sweet compassionate face in my heart and hear his voice”. Chitanya Lila was a turning point in the life of Girish Ghosh and people all over Bengal came to see the play and congratulate Girish on its excellent production.

Chaitanya Lila was Girish’s Naivedya, an offering of worship, and he reached God through it. An ordinary playwright could not have written such a drama. It is very rare to find playwrights to have sincere devotion to God and Girish was an exception. In his writings, two important things are present: his literary skill and his exuberant devotion, a rare combination indeed for a playwright! Quite often Girish would go to Dakshineshwar to meet the Master and occasionally the Master himself would go to Girish’s theatre with sweets. On one occasion, the Master fed Girish with his own hands as a mother would feed her child. Recollecting this incident later, Girish wrote in his memoirs “One day when I arrived at Dakshineshwar the Master was just finishing his midday meal. He offered me the dessert and put the pudding into my mouth with his own fingers as a mother would do for her child. I got the feeling of a baby fed by my own mother. But now, when I remember how these lips of mine had touched many impure lips earlier in my youth and how Sri Ramakrishna fed me, I am overwhelmed with emotions and say to myself ‘ Did this actually happen? Or was it only a dream?

With a sense of deep gratitude to the Master who lifted him from the depths of degradation to a high spiritual plane, Girish introduced among the performers in his theatre a custom which is practiced even today. Before making an appearance on the stage, each actor or actress on the stage bows down to a picture of Sri Ramakrishna. Thus, Sri Ramakrishna has become, in a sense, the patron saint of the Bengal Theatre and his photograph can be found hanging backstage in nearly every theatre of Calcutta. A time came in Girish’s life when he wanted to spend more and more time with the Master in his presence and gradually quit the theatre. When he expressed this desire, the Master told him “Please continue acting as you are doing now. This theatre also spreads the message of the Divine Mother. People will learn much from your plays”.

On 15th July 1911 Girish gave his last performance at the Minerva Theatre, Calcutta. It was a cold, rainy day. He was suffering from Asthma and his role on that day required his coming on the stage several times bare-chested. People were concerned about his health and asked him not to perform but he argued that he should not disobey the Master who had asked him to act. Moreover, he knew that many would be disappointed if he did not appear on the stage. The strain and weather combined to aggravate his disease.Thereafter his health deteriorated rapidly. To those who were anxious about his health, Girish would say “This body does not belong to me. It is the Master’s. It will remain as long as he keeps it”.

Girish Chandra Ghosh breathed his last on 8th February 1912. His last words were “Master, you have come. Please destroy my worldly intoxication. Victory to Sri Ramakrishna! Now let us go”.

Girish left the stage of the world as he had left the stage of the theatre. His acting, writing, love for theatre, feeling for the poor and the fallen and above all, his abiding faith in Sri Ramakrishna, have made him immortal

“Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram Patitapavana Seetharam”


B.M.N.Murthy



ARTICLE NO. 518---Famous Bengali Actor Girish Chandra Ghosh
Created: Friday, August 28, 2009 9:53 PM