Occult powers — Four classes of devotees —Difference between intellectual understanding and actual vision — Advice to Brahmos — Need of firmness and conviction — Faith of the worldly-minded — Seek the Creator and not the world's beauty — Futility of mere study — Different degrees of divine manifestation — Advice to the worldly-minded — Prayer in solitude — Danger of "woman and gold" — Sin and God's name — Self-surrender to God — Duty to wife and children — Signs of God-vision — Force your demand on the Divine Mother — Futility of egotism — Sattva, rajas, and tamas — Four classes of men — The entangled soul — Thought of God at the hour of death — Master's humility — Brahman and Kali — Way to Brahmajnana — Master and the Marwari pundit — Different kinds of samadhi.
October 19, 1884
ON THIS DAY Sri Ramakrishna again visited the
Sinthi Brahmo Samaj.
It was the occasion of the autumn festival of the Samaj, which was
being celebrated at Benimadhav Pal's garden house. The hall was
decorated with flowers and greens, flags and festoons, of various
colours.
Outside, the blue autumn sky with its fleecy clouds was reflected in
the
water of the lake.
Sri Ramakrishna arrived at half past four in the afternoon. Entering
the
hall, he bowed down before the altar. The Brahmo devotees, among whom
could be noticed Vijay and Trailokya, sat around him. A sub-judge, who
was
a member of the Brahmo Samaj, was with them.
Trailokya was entertaining the devotees with his melodious music.
MASTER (to Trailokya): "That song of yours, 'O
Mother, make me mad
with Thy love', I enjoy very much. Won't you sing it?"
Trailokya sang:
O Mother, make me mad with Thy love!
What need have I of knowledge or reason?
Make me drunk with Thy love's Wine;
O Thou who stealest Thy bhaktas' hearts,
Drown me deep in the Sea of Thy love!
Here in this world, this madhouse of Thine,
Some laugh, some weep, some dance for joy:
Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga,
All are drunk with the Wine of Thy love.
O Mother, when shall I be blessed
By joining their blissful company?
Dive deep, O mind, dive deep in the Ocean
of God's Beauty;
If you descend to the uttermost depths,
There you will find the gem of Love. . . .
The devotees felt as if they were in paradise itself.
MASTER (to the Brahmos): "Dive deep. Learn to love God. Plunge into
divine love. You see, I have heard how you pray. Why do you Brahmos
dwell so much on the glories of God? Is there such great need of your
saying over and over again, 'O God, You have created the sky, the great
oceans, the lunar world, the solar world, and the stellar world'?
"Everybody is wonder-struck at the mere sight of a rich man's garden
house. People become speechless at the sight of the trees, the flowers,
the
ponds, the drawing-room, the pictures. But alas, how few are they who
seek
the owner of all these! Only one or two inquire after him. He who seeks
God with a longing heart can see Him, talk to Him as I am talking to
you.
Believe my words when I say that God can be seen. But ah! To whom am
I saying these words? Who will believe me?
"Can one find God in the sacred books? By reading the scriptures one
may feel at the most that God exists. But God does not reveal Himself
to a
man unless he himself dives deep. Only after such a plunge, after the
revelation of God through His grace, is one's doubt destroyed. You may
read scriptures by the thousands and recite thousands of texts; but
unless
you plunge into God with yearning of heart, you will not comprehend
Him.
By mere scholarship you may fool man, but not God.
"Scriptures and books — what can one achieve with these alone? Nothing
can be realized without His grace. Strive with a longing heart for His
grace.
Through His grace you will see Him and He will talk to you."
SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, does God show more grace to one than to another? If
so,
He can be accused of the fault of partiality."
MASTER: "What are you saying? Do you mean to say that the moon and
a glow-worm are the same, though both give light? Iswar Vidyasagar
asked
me the same question. He said, 'Is it a fact, sir, that God gives more
power
to one and less to another?' 'God', I said, 'exists in every being as
the
All-pervading Spirit. He is in the ant as well as in me. But there are
different
manifestations of His Power in different beings. If all are the same,
then
why have we come here to see you, attracted by your renown? Have you
grown a pair of horns? Oh, no! It is not that. You have compassion; you
have scholarship; there is a greater degree of these virtues in you
than in
others. That is the reason you are so well known.' Don't you see that
there
are men who, single-handed, can defeat a hundred persons? Again, one
man takes to his heels in fear of another; you see such a person, too.
If
there are not different manifestations of power in different beings,
then why
did people respect Keshab Sen so much?
"It is said in the Gita that if a man is respected
and honoured by many,
whether it be for his scholarship or his music or his oratory or
anything else,
then you may know for certain that he is endowed with a special divine
power."
A BRAHMO (to the sub-judge): "Why don't you accept
what he says?"
MASTER (sharply, to the Brahmo): "What sort of man
are you? To accept
words without conviction! Why, that is hypocrisy! I see you are only a
counterfeit."
The Brahmo was much embarrassed.
SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, must we renounce the world?"
MASTER: "No. Why should you? A man can realize God even in the
world. But at the beginning he must spend a few days in solitude. He
must
practise spiritual discipline in a solitary place. He should take a
room near
his house, so that he may come home only for his meals. Keshab, Pratap,
and others said to me, 'Sir, we follow the ideal of King Janaka.' 'Mere
words
don't make a King Janaka', I replied. 'How many austerities King Janaka
first had to perform in solitude — standing on his head,1
and so on! Do something first; then you may become a King Janaka.' You
see a man writing
English fluently; but could he do that at the very start? Perhaps he
was the
son of poor parents; he was cook in a family and earned his meals by
his
service. Perhaps he had to struggle hard to go on with his studies. It
is after
all these efforts that he can now write such fluent English.
"I said to Keshab Sen further, 'How can the worldly man be cured of his
serious disease unless he goes into solitude?' A worldly man is
suffering from
delirious fever, as it were. Suppose there are pickled tamarind and
jars of
water in the room of such a patient. Now, how can you expect him to get
rid of the disease? Just see, the very mention of pickled tamarind is
making
my mouth water! (All laugh.) You can very well
imagine what will happen
if the tamarind is actually put in front of me. To a man, a woman is
the
pickled tamarind, and his desire for enjoyment, the jars of water.
There is
neither end nor limit to this desire for worldly enjoyment. And the
things
are in the patient's very room. Can you expect the patient to get rid
of the
delirious fever in this fashion? He must be removed for a few days to
another
place where there are neither pickled tamarind nor water-jars. Then he
will be cured. After that if he returns to his old room he will have
nothing
to fear. 'Woman and gold' cannot do any harm to the man who lives in
the
world after attaining God. Only then can he lead a detached life in the
world
as King Janaka did. But he must be careful at the beginning. He must
practise
spiritual discipline in strict solitude. The peepal-tree, when young,
is
fenced around to protect it from cattle. But there is no need for the
fence
when the trunk grows thick and strong. Then no harm will be done to the
tree
even if an elephant is tied to it. 'Woman and gold' will not be able to
harm
you in the least, if you go home and lead a householder's life after
increasing
your spiritual strength and developing love for the Lotus Feet of God
through
the practice of spiritual discipline in solitude.
"A man sets milk in a quiet place to curdle, and then he extracts
butter
from the curd. After once extracting the butter of Devotion and
Knowledge
from the milk of the mind, if you keep that transformed mind in the
water
of the world, it will float in the world unattached. But if the mind in
its
'unripe' state — that is to say, when it is just like liquid milk — is
kept in the
water of the world, then the milk and water will get mixed. In that
case it
will be impossible for the mind to float unattached in the world.
"Live in the world but, in order to realize God, hold fast to His Lotus
Feet
with one hand and with the other do your duties. When you get a respite
from your duties, cling to God's Lotus Feet with both hands — live in
solitude
and meditate on Him and serve Him ceaselessly."
SUB-JUDGE (joyously): "Sir, these are very beautiful
words indeed. Of
course one must practise spiritual discipline in solitude. But we
forget all
about it. We think we have become King Janaka outright! (The
Master
and the devotees laugh.) I feel very happy and peaceful even
to hear that
there is no need to give up the world and that God can be realized from
home as well."
MASTER: "Why should you give up the world? Since you must fight, it
is wise for you to fight from a fort. You must fight against your
sense-organs,
against your hunger and thirst. Therefore you will be wise to face the
battle
from the world. Further, in the Kaliyuga the life of a man depends on
his
food. If one day you have nothing to eat, then you will forget all
about God.
A man once said to his wife, 'I am going to leave the world.' She was a
sensible woman. She said: 'Why should you wander about? If you don't
have to knock at ten doors for your stomach's sake, go. But if that is
the
case, then better live in this one place.'
"Again I say, why should you give up the world? You will find it more
convenient at home. You won't have to worry about food. You may even
live with your wife. It isn't harmful. You will find near at hand all
that the
body needs at different times. When you are ill, you will have someone
near
you to nurse you.
"Sages like Janaka, Vyasa, and Vasishtha lived in the world after
attaining
Knowledge. They fenced with two swords, the one of Knowledge and the
other of action."
SUB-JUDGE: "How can we know that we have Knowledge?"
MASTER: "When one has Knowledge one does not see God any more at
a distance. One does not think of Him any more as 'He'. He becomes
'This'.
Then He is seen in one's own heart. God dwells in every man. He who
seeks God realizes Him."
SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, I am a sinner. How can I say that God dwells in me?"
MASTER: "That's the one trouble with you Brahmos. With you it is always
sin and sin! That's the Christian view, isn't it? Once a man gave me a
Bible.
A part of it was read to me, and it was full of that one thing — sin
and sin!
One must have such faith that one can say: 'I have uttered the name of
God; I have repeated the name of Rama or Hari. How can I be a sinner?'
One must have faith in the glory of God's name."
SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, how can one have such faith?"
MASTER: "Have passionate love for God. One of your Brahmo songs says:
O Lord, is it ever possible to know Thee without love,
However much one may perform worship and sacrifice?
Pray to God in secret and with yearning, that you may have
that passionate
attachment and devotion to Him. Shed tears for Him. A man sheds a
jugful
of tears because his wife is sick or because he is losing money or
because
he is worrying about getting a job. But tell me, who ever weeps for
God?"
TRAILOKYA: "Sir, where is people's leisure? They must serve their
English masters."
MASTER: "Well, then give God the power of attorney. If a man entrusts
his affairs to a good person, will the latter do him any harm? With all
the
sincerity of your heart resign yourself to God and drive all your
worries out
of your mind. Do whatever duties He has assigned to you. The kitten
does
not have a calculating mind. It only cries, 'Mew, mew!' It lies in the
kitchen
contentedly if the mother cat leaves it there, and only calls the
mother,
crying, 'Mew, mew!' It has the same feeling of contentment when the
mother
cat puts it on the soft bed of the master of the house. It only cries
for its
mother."
SUB-JUDGE: "Sir, we are householders. How long should we perform our
worldly duties?"
MASTER: "Surely you have duties to perform. You must bring up your
children, support your wife, and provide for her in ease of your death.
If
you don't, then I shall call you unkind. Sages like Sukadeva had
compassion.
He who has no compassion is no man."
SUB-JUDGE: "How long should one support one's children?"
MASTER: "As long as they have not reached their majority. When the
chick becomes a full-grown bird and can look after itself, then the
mother
bird pecks it and doesn't allow it to come near her." (All
laugh.)
SUB-JUDGE: "What is a householder's duty to his wife?"
MASTER: "You should give her spiritual advice and support her during
your lifetime and provide for her livelihood after your death, if she
is a
chaste wife.
"But if you are intoxicated with the Knowledge of God, then you have
no more duties to perform. Then God Himself will think about your
morrow
if you yourself cannot do so. God Himself will think about your family
if you are intoxicated with Him. If a landlord dies leaving behind a
minor
son, then a guardian appointed by the court takes charge of the son.
These
are all points of law; you know them."
SUB-JUDGE: "Yes, sir."
VIJAY: "Ah! Priceless words! God Himself carries on His shoulders all
the responsibilities of a person who thinks of Him with single-minded
devotion
and is mad with divine love. A minor gets his guardian without seeking
him. Alas, when shall I have that state of mind? How lucky they are
who feel that way!"
TRAILOKYA: "Is it ever possible, sir, to have true knowledge of God
while
living in the world? Can one realize God here?"
MASTER (with a smile): "Why do you worry? You are
enjoying both
treacle and refined sugar. (All laugh.) You are
living in the world with
your mind in God. Isn't that true? Why shouldn't a man realize God in
the
world? Certainly he can."
TRAILOKYA: "What are the signs of a householder's having attained
Knowledge?"
MASTER : "His tears will flow, and the hair on his body will stand on
end.
No sooner does he hear the sweet name of God than the hair on his body
stands on end from sheer delight, and tears roll down his cheeks.
"A man cannot get rid of body-consciousness as long as he is attached
to
worldly things and loves 'woman and gold'. As he becomes less and less
attached
to worldly things, he approaches nearer and nearer to the Knowledge of
Self. He also becomes less and less conscious of his body. He attains
Self-Knowledge when his worldly attachment totally disappears. Then he
realizes
that body and soul are two separate things. It is very difficult to
separate
with a knife the kernel of a coconut from the shell before the milk
inside
has dried up. When the milk dries up, the kernel rattles inside the
shell.
At that time it loosens itself from the shell. Then the fruit is called
a dry
coconut.
"The sign of a man's having realized God is that he has become like a
dry
coconut. He has become utterly free from the consciousness that he is
the
body. He does not feel happy or unhappy with the happiness or
unhappiness
of the body. He does not seek the comforts of the body. He roams about
in
the world as a jivanmukta, one liberated in life. 'The devotee of Kali
is a
jivanmukta, full of Eternal Bliss.'
"When you find that the very mention of God's name brings tears to your
eyes and makes your hair stand on end, then you will know that you have
freed yourself from attachment to 'woman and gold' and attained God. If
the matches are dry, you get a spark by striking only one of them. But
if
they are damp, you don't get a spark even if you strike fifty. You only
waste matches. Similarly, if your mind is soaked in the pleasure of
worldly
things, in 'woman and gold', then God-Consciousness will not be kindled
in you. You may try a thousand times, but all your efforts will be
futile.
But no sooner does attachment to worldly pleasure dry up than the spark
of God flashes forth."
TRAILOKYA: "What is the way to dry up the craving for worldly pleasure?"
MASTER: "Pray to the Divine Mother with a longing heart. Her vision
dries up all craving for the world and completely destroys all
attachment to
'woman and gold'. It happens instantly if you think of Her as your own
mother. She is by no means a godmother. She is your own mother. With a
yearning heart persist in your demands on Her. The child holds to the
skirt
of its mother and begs a penny of her to buy a kite. Perhaps the mother
is
gossiping with her friends. At first she refuses to give the penny and
says to
the child: 'No, you can't have it. Your daddy has asked me not to give
you
money. When he comes home I'll ask him about it. You will get into
trouble
it you play with a kite now.' The child begins to cry and will not give
up
his demand. Then the mother says to her friends: 'Excuse me a moment.
Let me pacify this child.' Immediately she unlocks the cash-box with a
click
and throws the child a penny.
"You too must force your demand on the Divine Mother. She will come
to you without fail. I once said the same thing to some Sikhs when they
visited the temple at Dakshineswar. We were conversing in front of the
Kali temple. They said, 'God is compassionate.' 'Why compassionate?' I
asked. They said, 'Why, revered sir, He constantly looks after us,
gives us
righteousness and wealth, and provides us with our food.' 'Suppose', I
said,
'a man has children. Who will look after them and provide them with
food
— their own father, or a man from another village?'"
SUB-JUDGE: "Is not God, then, compassionate, sir?"
MASTER: "Why should you think that? I just made a remark. What I
mean to say is that God is our very own. We can exert force on Him.
With
one's own people one can even go so far as to say, 'You rascal! Won't
you
give it to me?'
(To the sub-judge) "Let me ask you one thing. Are
vanity and egotism
the result of knowledge or of ignorance? Egotism is of the nature of
tamas;
it is begotten by ignorance. On account of the barrier of ego one does
not see
God. 'All troubles come to an end when the ego dies.' It is futile to
be
egotistic. Neither body nor wealth will last. Once a drunkard was
looking at the
image of Durga. At the sight of Her decorations, he said, 'Well,
Mother!
However You may fix Yourself up, after two or three days they will drag
You out and throw You into the Ganges.'2
(All laugh.)
"So I say to you all, you may be a judge or anybody else, but it is all
for
two days only. Therefore you should give up vanity and pride.
"The characteristics of sattva, rajas, and tamas are very different.
Egotism,
sleep, gluttony, lust, anger, and the like, are the traits of people
with tamas.
Men with rajas entangle themselves in many activities. Such a man has
clothes all spick and span. His house is immaculately clean. A portrait
of
the Queen (Queen Victoria.) hangs on a wall in his drawing-room. When
he worships God
he wears a silk cloth. He has a string of rudraksha beads around his
neck,
and in between the beads he puts a few gold ones. When someone comes to
visit the worship hall in his house, he himself acts as guide. After
showing
the hall, he says to the visitor: 'Please come this way, sir. There are
other
things too — the floor of white marble and the natmandir with its
exquisite
carvings.' When he gives in charity he makes a show of it. But a man
endowed with sattva is quiet and peaceful. So far as dress is
concerned, anything
will do. He earns only enough money to give his stomach the simplest
of food; he never flatters men to get money. His house is out of
repair. He
never worries about his children's clothing. He does not hanker for
name
and fame. His worship, charity, and meditation are all done in secret;
people
do not know about them at all. He meditates inside his mosquito
curtain.
People think he doesn't sleep well at night and for that reason sleeps
late in
the morning. Sattva is the last step of the stairs; next is the roof.
As
soon as sattva is acquired there is no further delay in attaining God.
One
step forward and God is realized. (To the sub-judge)
Didn't you say that
all men were equal? Now you see that there are so many varieties of
human nature.
"There are still other classes and kinds of people. For instance, there
are
those who are eternally free, those who have attained liberation, those
struggling
for liberation, and those entangled in the world. So many varieties of
men! Sages like Narada and Sukadeva are eternally free. They are like a
steamship, which not only crosses the ocean but can carry big animals,
even
an elephant. Further, the soul that is eternally free is like the
superintendent
of an estate. After bringing one part of the estate under control, he
goes to
another. Those struggling for liberation strive heart and soul to free
themselves from the net of the world. One or two of them may get out of
the
net. They are called the liberated. The souls that are eternally free
are like
clever fish; they are never caught in the net.
"But the souls that are entangled, involved in worldliness, never come
to
their senses. They lie in the net but are not even conscious that they
are
entangled. If you speak of God before them, they at once leave the
place.
They say: 'Why God now? We shall think of Him in the hour of death.'
But when they lie on their death-beds, they say to their wives or
children;
'Why have you put so many wicks in the lamp? Use only one wick.
Otherwise
too much oil will be burnt.' While dying they think of their wives and
children, and weep, 'Alas! What will happen to them after my death?'
'The entangled souls repeat those very actions that make them suffer so
much. They are like the camel, which eats thorny bushes till the blood
streams from its mouth, but still will not give them up. Such a man may
have lost his son and be stricken with grief, but still he will have
children
year after year. He may ruin himself by his daughter's marriage, but
still
he will go on having daughters every year. And he says: 'What can I do?
It's just my luck!' When he goes to a holy place he doesn't have any
time
to think of God. He almost kills himself carrying bundles for his wife.
Entering the temple, he is very eager to give his child the holy water
to drink
or make him roll on the floor; but he has no time for his own
devotions.
These bound creatures slave for their masters to earn food for
themselves and
their families; and they earn money by lying, cheating, flattery. They
laugh
at those who think of God and meditate on Him, and call them lunatics.
"So you see how many different kinds of men there are. You said that
all
men were equal. But how many varieties of men there are! Some have more
power and some less.
"The entangled creatures, attached to worldliness, talk only of worldly
things in the hour of death. What will it avail such men if they
outwardly
repeat the name of God, take a bath in the Ganges, or visit sacred
places?
If they cherish within themselves attachment to the world, it must show
up
at the hour of death. While dying they rave nonsense. Perhaps they cry
out
in a delirium, 'Turmeric powder! Seasoning! Bay-leaf!' The singing
parrot,
when at ease, repeats the holy names of Radha and Krishna, but when it
is
seized by a cat it utters its own natural sound; it squawks, 'Kaa!
Kaa!' It is
said in the Gita that whatever one thinks in the
hour of death, one becomes
in the after-life. King Bharata gave up his body exclaiming, 'Deer!
Deer!'
and was born as a deer in his next life. But if a man dies thinking of
God,
then he attains God, and he does not have to come back to the life of
this
world."
A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Sir, suppose a man has thought of God at other
times during his life, but at the time of his death forgets Him. Would
he,
on that account, come back to this world of sorrow and suffering? Why
should it be so? He certainly thought of God some time during his life."
MASTER: "A man thinks of God, no doubt, but he has no faith in Him.
Again and again he forgets God and becomes attached to the world. It is
like giving the elephant a bath; afterwards he covers his body with mud
and dirt again. 'The mind is a mad elephant.' But if you can make the
elephant go into the stable immediately after bathing him, then he
stays
clean. Just so, if a man thinks of God in the hour of death, then his
mind
becomes pure and it gets no more opportunity to become attached to
'woman
and gold'.
"Man has no faith in God. That is the reason he suffers so much. They
say that when you plunge into the holy waters of the Ganges your sins
perch on a tree on the bank. No sooner do you come out of the water
after
the bath than the sins jump back on your shoulders. (All laugh.)
A man
must prepare the way beforehand, so that he may think of God in the
hour
of death. The way lies through constant practice. If a man practises
meditation
on God, he will remember God even on the last day of his life."
BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "You have spoken very beautifully, sir. Beautiful
words, indeed."
MASTER: "Oh, this is just idle talk. But do you know my inner feeling?
I am the machine and God is the Operator. I am the house and He is the
Indweller. I am the engine and He is the Engineer. I am the chariot and
He is the Charioteer. I move as He moves me; I do as He makes me do."
Presently Trailokya began to sing to the accompaniment of drums and
cymbals. Sri Ramakrishna danced, intoxicated with divine love. Many
times
he went into samadhi. He stood still, his eyes fixed, his face beaming,
with
one hand on the shoulder of a beloved disciple. Coming down a little
from
the state of ecstasy, he danced again like a mad elephant. Regaining
consciousness of the outer world, he improvised lines to the music:
O Mother, dance about Thy devotees!
Dance Thyself and make them dance as well.
O Mother, dance in the lotus of my heart;
Dance, O Thou the ever blessed Brahman!
Dance in all Thy world-bewitching beauty.
He it is, says Ramprasad, that I approach
as Mother;
But must I give away the secret, here in the market-place?
From the hints I have given, O mind, guess what that Being is!
Ramprasad implies that he has known the truth of Brahman. He
addresses
Brahman as Mother.
"In another song Ramprasad expresses the same idea thus:
Knowing the secret that Kali is one with the highest Brahman,
I have discarded, once for all, both dharma and adharma.
Adharma means unrighteous actions, actions forbidden by
religion. Dharma
means the pious actions prescribed by religion, as, for instance,
charity to
the poor, feeding the brahmins, and so on."
VIJAY : "What remains if one renounces both dharma and adharma?"
MASTER: "Pure love of God. I prayed to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother,
here, take Thy dharma; here, take Thy adharma; and give me pure love
for
Thee. Here, take Thy virtue; here, take Thy vice; and give me pure love
for
Thee. Here, take Thy knowledge; here, take Thy ignorance; and give me
pure love for Thee.' You see, I didn't ask even for knowledge or public
recognition. When one renounces both dharma and adharma, there remains
only pure love of God — love that is stainless, motiveless, and that
one feels
only for the sake of love."
A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Is God different from His Sakti?"
MASTER: "After attaining Perfect Knowledge one realizes that they are
not different. They are the same, like the gem and its brilliance.
Thinking
of the gem, one cannot but think of its brilliance. Again, they are
like milk
and its whiteness. Thinking of the one, you must also think of the
other.
But you cannot realize this non-duality before the attainment of
Perfect
Knowledge. Attaining Perfect Knowledge, one goes into samadhi, beyond
the twenty-four cosmic principles. Therefore the principle of 'I' does
not
exist in that stage. A man cannot describe in words what he feels in
samadhi.
Coming down, he can give just a hint about it. I come down a hundred
cubits, as it were, when I say 'Om' after samadhi. Brahman is beyond
the
injunctions of the Vedas and cannot be described. There neither 'I' nor
'you' exists.
"As long as a man is conscious of 'I' and 'you', and as long as he
feels
that it is he who prays or meditates, so long will he feel that God is
listening
to his prayer and that God is a Person. Then he must say: 'O God, Thou
art
the Master and I am Thy servant. Thou art the whole and I am a part of
Thee. Thou art the Mother and I am Thy child.' At that time there
exists a
feeling of difference: 'I am one and Thou art another.' It is God
Himself
who makes us feel this difference; and on account of this difference
one sees
man and woman, light and darkness, and so on. As long as one is aware
of
this difference, one must accept Sakti, the Personal God. It is God who
has
put 'I-consciousness' in us. You may reason a thousand times; still
this 'I'
does not disappear. As long as 'I-consciousness' exists, God reveals
Himself to
us as a Person.
"Therefore, as long as a man is conscious of 'I' and of
differentiation, he
cannot speak of the attributeless Brahman and must accept Brahman with
attributes. This Brahman with attributes has been declared in the
Vedas, the
Puranas, and the Tantra, to be Kali, the Primal Energy."
VIJAY: "How, sir, can one have the vision of the Primal Energy and
attain
Brahmajnana, the Knowledge of the attributeless Brahman?"
MASTER: "Pray to Him with a yearning heart, and weep. That will purify
your heart. You see the reflection of the sun in clear water. In the
mirror of
his 'I-consciousness' the devotee sees the form of the Primal Energy,
Brahman
with attributes. But the mirror must be wiped clean. One does not see
the
right reflection if there is any dirt on the mirror.
"As long as a man must see the Sun in the water of his
'I-consciousness'
and has no other means of seeing It, as long as he has no means of
seeing
the real Sun except through Its reflection, so long is the reflected
sun alone
one hundred per cent real to him. As long as the 'I' is real, so long
is the
reflected sun real — one hundred per cent real. That reflected sun is
nothing
but the Primal Energy.
"But if you seek Brahmajnana, the Knowledge of the attributeless
Brahman,
then proceed to the real Sun through Its reflection. Pray to Brahman
with attributes, who listens to your prayers, and He Himself will give
you
lull Knowledge of Brahman; for that which is Brahman with attributes is
verily Brahman without attributes, that which is Brahman is verily
Sakti.
One realizes this non-duality after the attainment of Perfect Knowledge.
"The Divine Mother gives Her devotee Brahmajnana too. But a true lover
of God generally does not seek the Knowledge of Brahman.
"There is another path, the path of knowledge, which is very difficult.
You members of the Brahmo Samaj are not jnanis. You are bhaktas. The
jnani believes that Brahman alone is real and the world illusory as a
dream.
To him, 'I' and 'you' are illusory as a dream.
"God is our Inner Controller. Pray to Him with a pure and guileless
heart.
He will explain everything to you. Give up egotism and take refuge in
Him.
You will realize everything."
The Master sang:
Dwell, O mind, within yourself;
Enter no other's home.
If you but seek there, you will find
All you are searching for.
God, the true Philosopher's Stone,
Who answers every prayer,
Lies hidden deep within your heart,
The richest gem of all.
How many pearls and precious stones
Are scattered all about
The outer court that lies before
The chamber of your heart!
He continued: "When you mix with people outside your Samaj, love them all. When in their company be one of them. Don't harbour malice toward them. Don't turn up your nose in hatred and say: 'Oh, this man believes in God with form and not in the formless God. That man believes in the formless God and not in God with form. This man is a Christian. This man is a Hindu. And this man is a Mussalman.' It is God alone who makes people see things in different ways. Know that people have different natures. Realize this and mix with them as much as you can. And love all. But enter your own inner chamber to enjoy peace and bliss.
Lighting the lamp of Knowledge in the chamber of your heart,
Behold the face of the Mother, Brahman's Embodiment.
You can see your true Self only within your own chamber. The
cowherds
take the cows to graze in the pasture. There the cattle mix. They all
form
one herd. But on returning to their sheds in the evening they are
separated.
Then each stays by itself in its own stall. Therefore I say, dwell by
yourself
in your own chamber."
It was ten o'clock in the evening. The Master got into a carriage to
return
to Dakshineswar. One or two attending devotees got in with him. The
carriage
stood under a tree, in deep darkness. Beni Pal wanted to send some
sweets and other food with Sri Ramakrishna for Ramlal, the Master's
nephew.
BENI PAL:
"Sir, Ramlal was not here this evening. With your permission
I should like to send some sweets for him by your attendants."
MASTER (with great anxiety): "Oh, Beni Pal! Oh, sir!
Please don't send
these things with me. That will do me harm. It is never possible for me
to
lay up anything. I hope you won't mind."
BENI PAL:
"As you please, sir. Please give me your blessing."
MASTER: "Oh, we have been very happy today! You see, he alone is a true
man who has made money his servant. But those who do not know the use
of money are not men even though they have human forms. They may have
human bodies, but they behave like animals. You are blessed indeed. You
have made so many devotees happy today."
Monday, October 20, 1884
Brother, joyfully cling to God;
Thus striving, some day you may attain Him.
Their host entered the room and saluted Sri Ramakrishna. He
was a pious
man and devoted to the Master. The pundit's son was still there. The
Master
asked if the Panini, the Sanskrit grammar, was
taught in the schools. He
further asked about the Nyaya and the Vedanta philosophies. The host
did
not show much interest in the discussion and changed the subject.
HOST: "Revered sir, what is the way for us?"
MASTER: "Chanting the name and glories of God, living in the company
of holy men, and earnestly praying to God."
HOST: "Please bless me, sir, that I may pay less and less attention to
worldly things."
MASTER (smiling): "How much attention do you give to
the world? Fifty
per cent?" (Laughter.)
HOST: "You know that, sir. We cannot achieve anything without the
grace of a holy person like yourself."
MASTER: "If you please God, everyone will be pleased. It is God alone
that exists in the heart of the holy man."
HOST: "Nothing, of course, remains unrealized when one attains God.
If a man attains God, he can give up everything else. If a man gets a
rupee,
he gives up the joy of a penny."
MASTER: "A little spiritual discipline is necessary. Through the
practice of
discipline one gradually obtains divine joy. Suppose a jar with money
inside
is hidden deep under the earth and someone wants to possess it. In that
case
he must take the trouble of digging for it. As he digs, he perspires.
After
much digging the spade strikes the metal jar. He feels a thrill at the
sound.
The more sound the spade makes, striking against the jar, the more joy
he feels.
"Pray to Rama. Meditate on Him. He will certainly provide you with
everything."
HOST: "Revered sir, you are Rama Himself."
MASTER: "How is that? The waves belong to the river; does the river
belong to the waves?"
HOST: "Rama dwells only in the hearts of holy men. He cannot be seen
in any other way. There is no Incarnation of God at the present time."
MASTER (smiling): "How do you know there is no
Divine Incarnation?"
The host remained silent.
MASTER: "All cannot recognize an Incarnation. When Narada visited
Rama, Rama prostrated Himself before Narada and said: 'We are worldly
creatures. How can we be sanctified unless holy men like you visit us?'
Further, Rama went into exile in the forest to redeem His father's
pledges.
He saw that, since hearing of His exile, the rishis of the forest had
been
fasting. Many of them did not know that Rama was none other than the
Supreme Brahman."
HOST: "You too are that same Rama."
MASTER: "For heaven's sake! Never say that."
As Sri Ramakrishna spoke these words, he bowed down to the host and
said, with folded hands: "'That Rama dwells in all beings; He exists
everywhere
in the universe.' I am your servant. It is Rama Himself who has
become all men, animals, and other living beings."
HOST: "But sir, we do not know that."
MASTER: "Whether you know it or not, you are Rama."
HOST: "You are free from love and hatred."
MASTER: "How so? I engaged a carriage to bring me to Calcutta and
advanced the coachman three annas. But he didn't turn up. I became very
angry with him. He is a very wicked man. He made me suffer a lot."
Sri Ramakrishna was resting. The Marwari devotees had been singing
bhajan on the roof. They were celebrating the Krishna festival.
Arrangements
had been made for worship and food offering. At the host's request
the Master went to see the image. He bowed down before the Deity.
Sri Ramakrishna was profoundly moved as he stood before the image.
With folded hands he said: "O Govinda, Thou art my soul! Thou art mv
life! Victory to Govinda! Hallowed be the name of Govinda! Thou art the
Embodiment of Satchidananda! Oh, Krishna! Ah, Krishna! Krishna is
knowledge. Krishna is mind. Krishna is life. Krishna is soul. Krishna
is
body. Krishna is caste. Krishna is family. O Govinda, my life and
soul!"
Uttering these words, Sri Ramakrishna went into samadhi. He remained
standing. Ram Chatterji supported him.
After a long time the Master regained consciousness of the world. The
Marwari devotees were about to take out the image. The offering of food
was to take place outside the room. The Master joined the procession of
devotees. The food was offered with arati and music. Sri Ramakrishna
fanned
the image.
Then began the ceremony of feeding the brahmins. They were seated on
the roof. The Master and his devotees also partook of the prasad.
Sri Ramakrishna took leave of the host. It was evening and the street
was
jammed as before with people and vehicles. He said: "Let us get out of
the
carriage. It can go by a back street." Proceeding on foot, he found
that a
betel-leaf seller had opened his stall in front of a small room that
looked
like a hole. One could not possibly enter it without bending one's
head.
The Master said: "How painful it is to be shut in such a small space!
That
is the way of worldly people. And they are happy in such a life."
The carriage came up after making the detour. The Master entered it
with Baburam, M., and Ram Chatterji. The younger Copal sat on the roof
of the carriage.
A beggar woman with a baby on her arm stood in front of the carriage
waiting for alms. The Master said to M., "Have you any money?" Gopal
gave her something.
The carriage rolled along Burrabazar. Everywhere there were signs of
great festivity. The night was dark but illuminated with myriads of
lights.
The carriage came to the Chitpur road, which was also brightly lighted.
The
people moved in lines like ants. The crowd looked at the gaily
decorated
stores and stalls on both sides of the road. There were sweetmeat
stores and
perfume stalls. Pictures, beautiful and gaudy, hung from the walls.
Well-dressed
shopkeepers sprayed the visitors with rose-water. The carriage stopped
in front of a perfume stall. The Master looked at the pictures and
lights and
felt happy as a child. People were talking loudly. He cried out: "Go
forward!
Move on!" He laughed. He said to Baburam with a loud laugh: "Move on!
What are you doing?" The devotees laughed too. They understood that the
Master wanted them to move forward to God and not to be satisfied with
their present state.
The carriage drove on. The Master noticed that M. had brought some
cloths for him. M. had with him two pieces of unbleached and two pieces
of washed cloth. But the Master had asked him only for the unbleached
ones. He said to M.: "Give me the unbleached ones. You may keep the
others. All right. You may give me one of them."
M: "Then shall I take back one piece?"
MASTER: "Then take both."
M; "As you please, sir."
MASTER: "You can give me those when I need them. You see, yesterday
Beni Pal wanted me to carry away some food for Ramlal. I told him I
couldn't. It is impossible for me to lay up for the future."
M: "That's all right, sir. I shall take back the two pieces of washed
cloth."
MASTER (tenderly): "Don't you see, if any desire
arises in my mind, it is
for the good of you all? You are my own. I shall tell you if I need
anything."
M. (humbly): "Yes, sir."
Referring to a devotee, Sri Ramakrishna said: "I said to him yesterday,
'Tomorrow I shall go to Burrabazar; please meet me there.' Do you know
what he said? He said: 'The tram fare will be one anna. Where shall I
get
it?' He had been to Beni Pal's garden yesterday and had officiated
there as
priest. No one had asked him to do it. He had put on the show himself.
He
wanted people to know that he was a member of the Brahmo Samaj. (To
M.)
Can you tell me what he meant when he said that the tram would cost him
one anna?"
The conversation turned to the Annakuta festival of the Marwaris.
MASTER (to the devotees): "What you have seen here
one sees at
Vrindavan too. Rakhal has been seeing the same thing there. But the
mound
of food at Vrindavan is higher, and more people gather there. There you
also see the Govardhan hill. That's the only difference.
"Did you notice the Marwaris' devotion? That is the real Hindu ideal.
That is the Sanatana Dharma. Did you notice their joy when they carried
the image in procession? They were happy to think that they bore the
throne of God on their shoulders.
"The Hindu religion alone is the Sanatana Dharma. The various creeds
you hear of nowadays have come into existence through the will of God
and
will disappear again through His will. They will not last forever.
Therefore
I say, 'I bow down at the feet of even the modern devotees.' The Hindu
religion has always existed and will always exist,"
M. was going home. He saluted the Master and got out of the carriage
near Sobhabazar. Sri Ramakrishna proceeded to Dakshineswar in a happy
mood.