References to other sadhakas of the period who Sri Ramakrishna interacted with and mentioned in chapter 6, provide an extremely rich context of spiritual life, debates and ideas of the time, particularly in Bengal. One such sadhaka was Padmalochan, who claimed that since he had neither seen Shiva or Brahma, he could not decide who was greater! (68) Other names that are mentioned are Haladhari, Achalananda, even Dayanand Saraswati and of course, the great Tota Puri. Sri Ramakrishna’s sadhana under the guidance of the Bhairavi Brahmani, always a pivotal chapter of his sadhana period, contains details that are truly compelling, and would be extremely significant from the point of view of the cultural anthropologist:

..she brought a piece of rotten human flesh, offered it to the Mother, and asked me to touch it with my tongue. I was horrified…Saying ‘Please shun aversion,’ she placed a portion of it in front of me..(38)

No selection of Sri Ramakrishna’s utterances would be complete without reference to the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, about whom the devotee knows much, but would still like to listen to the oft quoted lines of Thakur on Her:

                        She is Saraswati. She has assumed a human body to impart wisdom to men; but she has hidden her celestial beauty lest people by looking at her, should befoul their minds with sinful thoughts (116).