ABSTRACT
Ramakrishna’s final days were spent in a garden house in Calcutta, tended by his young disciples. He died on the 16th August, 1886. After this, the devotees who had been paying for the lease and upkeep of the house expected the young disciples to return to their homes, and to discontinue the lease. But, the disciples refused to go home, declaring that they would henceforth lead a life of renunciation. Eventually Surendra (who had paid the actual rent of the garden house) agreed to provide a small house for them, and within a few months, sixteen disciples had gathered there, all males. An entry in the Gospel, dated 21st February 1887 notes that Naren, the beloved disciple of Ramakrishna, was wearing the ochre robes of a Hindu ascetic when visited by the author.
