On English New year’s Day, thousands of people go to the Kashipur Udyanbati (Cossipore garden house) – Ramakrishna Math, where Sri Ramakrishna became the Kalpataru (the wish-fulfilling tree) and blessed the devotees collectively. It is a great day for Sri Ramakrishna's self-revelation. The Kalpataru day is observed in most of the branch centres of the Ramakrishna Movement all over India, with Special puja, Bhajans, Homa and Discourses.
We shall go to the incident now:
Sri Ramakrishna was taking a rest in the Kashipur garden because his body was weak from cancer. On January 1, 1886, Sri Ramakrishna felt better and came down to the garden for a little stroll. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. It was a pleasant and sunny afternoon.
The Master, Sri Ramakrishna put on a red-bordered dhoti, a shirt, a green coat, a broad red-bordered chadar, a green cap that covered his ears, and sandals. Latu Maharaj and Ramlal helped him go down the wooden steps to the ground floor of the garden house. He came out of the house through the western door and began to walk on the garden path. It was a holiday (New Year), and some thirty lay disciples were in the front garden, sitting about under the trees to have a glimpse of the darshan of their beloved Gurudev Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
They were talking amongst themselves about the Master. When they saw the Master, they all stood up reverently and bowed down. They were delighted to see the Master in the garden, and they followed him as he walked. The Master proceeded slowly southward to the gate. When he reached the midpoint of the path between the house and the gate, the Master saw Girish, Ram, Atul and a few others under a tree on the west side of the path. They bowed down and came over to the Master joyfully.
Before anyone had spoken a word, the Master addressed Girish, asking him: "Well, Girish, what have you seen in me, that you proclaim me before everybody as an Incarnation of God? ".
Girish knelt before the Master and said with folded hands and with a voice choked with emotion: “What can an insignificant person like me say about the One whose glory even sages like Vyasa and Valmiki could not adequately measure?”
The Master was profoundly moved by Girish's answer. His whole face beamed with divine bliss. Seeing that wonderful form of the Master, the devotees’ joy knew no bounds. They began to shout, “Jai Sri Ramakrishna, Jai Sri Ramakrishna -Victory to Sri Ramakrishna!”
Sri Ramakrishna in a half-ecstatic state, with a divine smile, said: “What more shall I say? I bless you all, Be illumined!”
After uttering those words, he became overwhelmed with love and compassion for his devotees and entered into ecstasy.
All the devotees assembled anxiously to bow down to him and take his foot dust. Their cries of ‘Jai Ramakrishna!’ resounded in all directions as one by one they bowed down to him. As they touched his feet, Sri Ramakrishna’s compassions burst as the ocean through all bounds and created an astonishing phenomenon. The Master also in a semi-ecstatic state, began to touch each devotee present and blessed them, and their inner joy was boundless.
Sri Ramakrishna awakened spiritual consciousness in the hearts of his devotees on this day. Sri Ramakrishna came to lead human beings from darkness to light, bondage to liberation. So, he blessed the devotees, saying, “Be illumined”.
On this day, the Master bestowed fearlessness to the devotees through Self-revelation, fulfilled their wishes, and lighted the wisdom in their hearts.
God is always the Kalpataru. If we meditate daily, with earnestness, then he will appear before us everyday as the Kalpataru.
Jai Ramakrishna!
-by Swami Tatprabhananda, Madurai
An article about Kalpataru Day in Tamil by Swami Kamalatmananda, Madurai
Kalpataru Sri Ramakrishna - Swami Saradananda (from Gurudevar Sri Ramakrishnar)