Question: Was this what happened to Ramakrishna?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, Ramakrishna took the evils of all his disciples. Then he cured them, he saved them. He had to take the cancer and he died. On the strength of his love and intimacy and union, he took their imperfections inside himself. Otherwise nobody would have done it. Someone else will say, “If you are suffering, then let you suffer.” But in the relation between mother and child it is very common for a mother to sacrifice her own life to save her child. And the relation between a Guru and his disciple is infinitely more intimate than the relation between mother and son. This is the difference: here in this life you have a son, but in the next life you do not know whether he will take birth in India while you may take birth in Japan or somewhere else. So in the next life your connection is broken. But in the case of a spiritual Master, a realised soul, he knows where a particular disciple is going to take birth in his next incarnation and where he himself is going to take birth. His connection and his relationship with his disciple will last throughout eternity. Their relationship is the relationship of eternity. It is his so-called burden, the burden of joy, that the Guru has to take his disciple to God. Until he has done this he has not completed his task. When the Master accepts a disciple, his promise to the disciple is not mere words that God will give you realisation. You have to make a living relationship and connection with your Guru. When you pray to your Guru you have to feel that he is breathing within you. All the time a living relationship you must have. When you have established that relationship, then you can rest assured that the Guru will take you to your destined goal.