The disciples were afraid because they could not understand that Keshav Chandra would accept his presence as an argument. And Keshav Chandra came. Ramakrishna hugged him – he was not expecting that Ramakrishna would come out of the temple and hug him – and took him inside. He said, “I am so grateful that you came, I have been waiting for so long. Whenever you feel like challenging me, you can come. Whenever you feel the urge to argue, you can come. I am always available, there is no need even to make any appointment; I am twenty-four hours in this temple. You can come day or night, any moment.”

Keshav Chandra kept himself aloof, but found it was very difficult: this man is so loving, his very vibe is so touching. And Ramakrishna said, “First, before you start your argument, for your welcome I will dance.” And he had his musicians there who started playing drums, and Ramakrishna started dancing….

Keshav Chandra could not believe it, his followers could not believe it. He had challenged many people, he had argued all over the country with great scholars and defeated them, but he had never seen such a man, who is welcoming him with a dance. And the dance was so beautiful – it was not the dance of a technician, it was the dance of an overflowing love. It was not formal, the welcome was not just etiquette; even Keshav Chandra could feel that the man was authentic.

After the dance Ramakrishna said, “Now you can start.” And Keshav Chandra said, “First I want you to prove the existence of God.”

Ramakrishna laughed. He said, “The existence of God? You are the proof. Otherwise from where does such great intelligence come? It must be coming from existence, and if existence can produce Keshav Chandra that means existence is not unconscious, is not unintelligent. That’s all we mean by God: that existence is not only matter. You are the proof. It is strange that you are asking for the proof and you don’t know that you are the proof. I can bring anybody before you as a proof that existence is intelligent. That’s all we mean by God: that existence is not without consciousness.”

Keshav Chandra’s followers could not believe that they had seen Keshav Chandra in shock for the first time. He was silent, he could not find what to say. And Ramakrishna’s disciples were also in a shock. They said, “My God, we used to think: ‘How is this poor fellow going to argue?’ But he has silenced him without much trouble; no scripture has been quoted – nothing. Keshav Chandra himself has made the argument against himself.”

And each time Keshav Chandra said something Ramakrishna would clap – just like a child. And he was saying things against him! The disciples thought, “Keshav Chandra will think Ramakrishna is insane. He will not be able to understand: ‘I am arguing against him, and he is clapping with joy?’”

And just in the middle Ramakrishna would stand up and hug him again and say, “That was really a beautiful point. I loved it, you go on.” His joy, his love, his unruffled calm became his victory, without any argument.

Keshav Chandra fell at his feet and said, “Just forgive me, I have had very wrong notions about you.”

Ramakrishna said, “What are you doing? You are a man of knowledge, I am an ignorant man – so ignorant, so uneducated, I cannot even sign my own name. I know myself but I cannot sign my own name, I cannot read anything. What are you doing?”