Householders and Non-dualism — Maya and compassion — Pleasure and pain are characteristics of physical life — Law of karma — Joy of God-Consciousness — Ideals of jnani and bhakta — Brahman and Sakti are not different — Master extols Narendra — Nature of Brahman — Master's deep spiritual experiences — Nature of the Divine Incarnation — Master's attitude toward women — Good use of money — Occult powers condemned — Master's renunciation of money — Krishnakishore's faith in God — Vijnana or Transcendental Knowledge — Faith in the guru.
August 19, 1883
IT WAS SUNDAY, the first day after the full
moon. Sri Ramakrishna was
resting after his noon meal. The midday offering had been made in the
temples, and the temple doors were closed.
In the early afternoon the Master sat up on the small couch in his
room.
M. prostrated himself before him and sat on the floor. The Master was
talking to him on the philosophy of Vedanta.
MASTER (to M.): "Self-Knowledge is
discussed in the Ashtavakra
Samhita. The non-dualists say, 'Soham', that is, 'I am the
Supreme Self.'
This is the view of the sannyasis of the Vedantic school. But this is
not the
right attitude for householders, who are conscious of doing everything
themselves.
That being so, how can they declare, 'I am That, the actionless
Supreme Self? According to the non-dualists the Self is unattached.
Good
and bad, virtue and vice, and the other pairs of opposites, cannot in
any
way injure the Self, though they undoubtedly afflict those who have
identified
themselves with their bodies. Smoke soils the wall, certainly, but it
cannot in any way affect akasa, space. Following the Vedantists of this
class,
Krishnakishore used to say, 'I am Kha', meaning akasa. Being a great
devotee,
he could say that with some justification; but it is not becoming for
others
to do so.
"But to feel that one is a free soul is very good. By constantly
repeating,
'I am free, I am free', a man verily becomes free. On the other hand,
by
constantly repeating, 'I am bound, I am bound', he certainly becomes
bound
to worldliness. The fool who says only, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner',
verily
drowns himself in worldliness. One should rather say: 'I have chanted
the
name of God. How can I be a sinner? How can I be bound?'
(To M.) "You see, I am very much depressed today.
Hriday has written
me that he is very ill. Why should I feel dejected about it? Is it
because of
maya or daya?"
M. could not find suitable words for a reply, and remained silent.
MASTER: "Do you know what maya is? It
is attachment to relatives —
parents, brother and sister, wife and children, nephew and niece. Daya
means love for all created beings. Now what is this, my feeling about
Hriday? Is it maya or daya? But Hriday did so much for me: he served me
whole-heartedly and nursed me when I was ill. But later he tormented me
also. The torment became so unbearable that once I was about to commit
suicide by jumping into the Ganges from the top of the embankment. But
he did much to serve me. Now my mind will be at rest if he gets some
money. But whom shall I ask for it? Who likes to speak about such
things
to our rich visitors?"
At two or three o'clock in the afternoon Adhar Sen and Balaram
arrived. After saluting Sri Ramakrishna, they sat on the floor and
asked
him if he was well. The Master said, "Yes, I am well physically, but a
little
troubled in mind." He did not refer to Hriday and his troubles.
The conversation turned to the Goddess Simhavahini.
MASTER: "Yes, I visited the Goddess. She
is worshipped by one of the
branches of the Mallick family of Calcutta. This branch of the family
is now
in straitened circumstances, and the house they live in is dilapidated.
The
walls and floor are spotted with moss and pigeon-droppings, and the
cement
and plaster are crumbling. But other branches of the Mallick family are
well
off. This branch has no signs of prosperity. (To M.)
Well, what does that
signify?"
M. remained silent.
MASTER: "The thing is that everyone must
reap the result of his past
karma. One must admit the influence of tendencies inherited from past
births and the result of the prarabdha karma. Nevertheless, in that
dilapidated
house I saw the face of the Goddess radiating a divine light. One must
believe
in the Divine Presence in the image.
"Once I went to Vishnupur. The raja of that place has several fine
temples. In one of them there is an image of the Divine Mother, called
Mrinmayi.
There are several lakes near the temple, known as the Lalbandh,
Krishnabandh, and so on. In the water of one of the lakes I could smell
the
ointments that women use for their hair. How do you explain that? I
didn't
know at that time that the woman devotees offer ointments to the
Goddess
Mrinmayi while visiting Her temple. Near the lake I went into samadhi,
though I had not yet seen the image in the temple. In that state I saw
the
divine form from the waist up, rising from the water."
In the mean time other devotees had arrived. Someone referred to the
political revolution and civil war in Kabul. A devotee said that Yakub
Khan,
the Amir of Afghanistan, had been deposed. He told the Master that the
Amir was a great devotee of God.
MASTER: "But you must remember that pleasure
and pain are the characteristics
of the embodied state. In Kavi Kankan's Chandi it
is written that
Kaluvir was sent to prison and a heavy stone placed on his chest. Yet
Kalu
was born as a result of a boon from the Divine Mother of the Universe.
Thus pleasure and pain are inevitable when the soul accepts a body.
Again,
take the case of Srimanta, who was a great devotee. Though his mother,
Khullana, was very much devoted to the Divine Mother, there was no end
to his troubles. He was almost beheaded. There is also the instance of
the
wood-cutter who was a great lover of the Divine Mother. She appeared
before him and showed him much grace and love; but he had to continue
his profession of wood-cutting and earn his livelihood by that arduous
work.
Again, while Devaki, Krishna's mother, was in prison, she had a vision
of
God Himself endowed with four hands, holding mace, discus, conch-shell,
and lotus. But with all that she couldn't get out of prison."
M: "Why speak only of getting out of prison? This body is the source of
all our troubles. Devaki should have been freed from the body."
MASTER; "The truth is that one must reap
the result of the prarabdha
karma. The body remains as long as the results of past actions do not
completely
wear away. Once a blind man bathed in the Ganges and as a result
was freed from his sins. But his blindness remained all the same. (All
laugh.)
It was because of his evil deeds in his past birth that he had to
undergo
that affliction."
M: "Yes, sir. The arrow that has already left the bow is beyond our
control."
MASTER: "However much a bhakta may
experience physical joy and
sorrow, he always has knowledge and the treasure of divine love. This
treasure never leaves him. Take the Pandava brothers for instance.
Though
they suffered so many calamities, they did not lose their
God-Consciousness
even once. Where can you find men like them, endowed with so much
knowledge and devotion?"
Just then Narendra and Colonel Viswanath Upadhyaya entered the
room. Narendra was then twenty-two years old and studying in college.
They saluted the Master and sat down. The Master requested Narendra to
sing. The tanpura hung on the west wall of the room. The devotees fixed
their eyes on Narendra as he began to tune the drums.
MASTER (to Narendra): "The drums don't
sound as well as before."
CAPTAIN: "They are now full. Therefore they
are quiet, like a vessel filled
with water. Or they are like a holy man, who remains silent when his
heart
is full of God-Consciousness."
MASTER: "But what about sages like Narada?"
CAPTAIN: "They talked because they were
moved by the sufferings of others."
MASTER: "You are right. After attaining
samadhi, Narada, Sukadeva, and
others came down a few steps, as it were, to the plane of normal
consciousness and broke their silence out of compassion for the
sufferings of
others and to help them."
Narendra began to sing:
Oh, when will dawn for me that day of blessedness
When He who is all Good, all Beauty, and all Truth,
Will light the inmost shrine of my heart?
When shall I sink at last, ever beholding Him,
Into that Ocean of Delight? . . .
No sooner had the Master heard a few words of the song than he
went
into deep samadhi. He sat with folded hands, facing the east. His body
was
erect and his mind completely bereft of worldly consciousness. His
breath
had almost stopped. With unwinking eyes he sat motionless as a picture
on
a canvas. His mind had dived deep into the Ocean of God's Beauty.
Narendra left the room and went to the east verandah, where Hazra was
seated on a blanket, with a rosary in his hand. They fell to talking.
Other
devotees arrived. The Master came down from samadhi and looked around.
He could not find Narendra. The tanpura was lying on the floor. He
noticed
that the earnest eyes of the devotees were riveted on him.
MASTER (referring to Narendra): "He
has lighted the fire. Now it doesn't
matter whether he stays in the room or goes out.
(To Captain and the other devotees) "Attribute to
yourselves the bliss of
God-Consciousness; then you too will experience ineffable joy. The
bliss of
God-Consciousness always exists in you. It is only hidden by the
veiling
and projecting power of maya.1
The less you are attached to the world, the more you love God."
CAPTAIN: "The farther you proceed toward your
home in Calcutta, the
farther you leave Benares behind. Again, the farther you proceed toward
Benares, the farther behind you leave your home."
MASTER: "As Radha advanced toward Krishna,
she could smell more and
more of the sweet fragrance of His body. The nearer you approach to
God,
the more you feel His love. As the river approaches the ocean it
increasingly
feels the flow of the tides.
"The jnani experiences God-Consciousness within himself; it is like the
upper Ganges, flowing in only one direction. To him the whole universe
is illusory, like a dream; he is always established in the Reality of
Self. But
with the lover of God the case is different. His feeling does not flow
in only
one direction. He feels both the ebb-tide and the flood-tide of divine
emotion.
He laughs and weeps and dances and sings in the ecstasy of God. The
lover of God likes to sport with Him. In the Ocean of God-Consciousness
he sometimes swims, sometimes goes down, and sometimes rises to the
surface — like pieces of ice in the water. (Laughter.)
"The jnani seeks to realize Brahman. But the ideal of the bhakta is the
Personal God — a God endowed with omnipotence and with the six
treasures.
Yet Brahman and Sakti are, in fact, not different. That which is the
Blissful
Mother is, again, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. They are like the
gem
and its lustre. When one speaks of the lustre of the gem, one thinks of
the
gem; and again, when one speaks of the gem, one refers to its lustre.
One
cannot conceive of the lustre of the gem without thinking of the gem,
and
one cannot conceive of the gem without thinking of its lustre.
"Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute is one, and one only. But It is
associated
with different limiting adjuncts on account of the different degrees of
Its manifestation. That is why one finds various forms of God. The
devotee
sings, "O my Divine Mother, Thou art all these!' Wherever you see
actions,
like creation, preservation, and dissolution, there is the
manifestation of
Sakti. Water is water whether it is calm or full of waves and bubbles.
The
Absolute alone is the Primordial Energy, which creates, preserves, and
destroys. Thus it is the same 'Captain', whether he remains inactive or
performs
his worship or pays a visit to the Governor General. Only we designate
him by different names at different times."
CAPTAIN: "Yes, sir, that is so."
MASTER: "I said those words to Keshab Sen."
CAPTAIN: "Keshab is not an orthodox Hindu.
He adopts manners and
customs according to his own whim. He is a well-to-do gentleman and not
a holy man."
MASTER (to the other devotees):
"Captain forbids me to go to see Keshab."
CAPTAIN: "But, sir, you act as you will.
What can I do?"
MASTER (sharply): "Why shouldn't I
go to see Keshab? You feel at ease
when you go to the Governor General's house,2
and for money at that. Keshab
thinks of God and chants His name. Isn't it you who are always saying
that God Himself has become the universe and all its living beings?
Doesn't
God dwell in Keshab also?"
With these words the Master left the room abruptly and went to the
north-east
verandah. Captain and the other devotees remained, waiting for his
return. M. accompanied the Master to the verandah, where Narendra was
talking with Hazra. Sri Ramakrishna knew that Hazra always indulged in
dry philosophical discussions. Hazra would say: "The world is unreal,
like
a dream. Worship, food offerings to the Deity, and so forth, are only
hallucinations of the mind. The aim of spiritual life is to meditate on
one's
own real Self." Then he would repeat, "I am He." But, with all that, he
had
a soft corner in his heart for money, material things, and people's
attention.
Sri Ramakrishna smiled and said to Hazra and Narendra, "Hello! What
are you talking about?"
NARENDRA (smiling): "Oh, we are
discussing a great many things. They are rather too deep for others."
MASTER (with a smile): "But Pure
Knowledge and Pure Love are one
and the same thing. Both lead the aspirants to the same goal. The path
of
love is much the easier."
Narendra quoted a song:
O Mother, make me mad with Thy love!
What need have I of knowledge or reason?
Narendra said to M. that he had been reading a book by
Hamilton, who
wrote: "A learned ignorance is the end of philosophy and the beginning
of
religion."
MASTER (to M.): "What does that mean?"
Narendra explained the sentence in Bengali. The Master beamed with
joy and said in English, "Thank you! Thank you!" Everyone laughed at
the
charming way he said these words. They knew that his English vocabulary
consisted of only half a dozen words.
It was almost dusk when most of the devotees, including Narendra, took
leave of the Master. Sri Ramakrishna went out and looked at the Ganges
for a few minutes from the west porch. Two priests were bathing in
preparation
for the evening worship. Young men of the village were strolling in
the garden or standing on the concrete embankment, gazing at the
murmuring
river. Others, perhaps more thoughtful, were walking about in the
solitude of the Panchavati.
It became dark. The maidservant lighted the lamp in Sri Ramakrishna's
room and burnt incense. The evening worship began in the twelve temples
of Siva and in the shrines of Krishna and Kali.
As it was the first day after the full moon, the moonlight soon flooded
the
tops of the trees and temples, and touched with silver the numberless
waves
of the sacred river.
The Master returned to his room. After bowing to the Divine Mother, he
clapped his hands and chanted the sweet names of God. A number of holy
pictures hung on the walls of the room. Among others, there were
pictures
of Dhruva, Prahlada, Kali, Radha-Krishna, and the coronation of Rama.
The Master bowed low before the pictures and repeated the holy names.
Then he repeated the holy words, "Brahma — Atma — Bhagavan; Bhagavata —
Bhakta — Bhagavan; Brahma — Sakti, Sakti — Brahma; Veda, Purana,
Tantra,
Gita, Gayatri." Then he said: "I have taken refuge at Thy feet, O
Divine
Mother; not I, but Thou. I am the machine and Thou art the Operator",
and so on.
While the Master was meditating in this fashion on the Divine Mother,
a few devotees, coming in from the garden, gathered in his room. Sri
Ramakrishna
sat down on the small couch. He said to the devotees: "Narendra,
Bhavanath, Rakhal, and devotees like them belong to the group of the
nityasiddhas; they are eternally free. Religious practice on their part
is
superfluous. Look at Narendra. He doesn't care about anyone. One day he
was
going with me in Captain's carriage. Captain wanted him to take a good
seat,
but Narendra didn't even look at him. He is independent even of me. He
doesn't tell me all he knows, lest I should praise his scholarship
before
others. He is free from ignorance and delusion. He has no bonds. He is
a
great soul. He has many good qualities. He is expert in music, both as
a
singer and player, and is also a versatile scholar. Again, he keeps his
passions
under control and says that he will never marry. There is a close
friendship
between Narendra and Bhavanath; they are just like man and woman.
Narendra doesn't come here very often. That is good, for I am
overwhelmed
by his presence."
Monday, August 20, 1883
Sri Ramakrishna was sitting on his bed, inside the mosquito
net, meditating.
It was about eight o'clock in the evening. M. was sitting on the floor
with his friend Hari Babu. Hari, a young man of twenty-eight, had lost
his
wife about eleven years before and had not married a second time. He
was
much devoted to his parents, brothers, and sisters.
Hazra was living at Dakshineswar. Rakhal lived with the Master, though
now and then he stayed at Adhar's house. Narendra, Bhavanath, Adhar,
M.,
Ram, Manomohan, and other devotees visited the Master almost every week.
Hriday, Sri Ramakrishna's nephew, was ill in his home in the country.
The Master was worried about him. One of the devotees had sent him a
little money, but the Master did not know it.
When Sri Ramakrishna came out of the mosquito net and sat on the small
couch, the devotees saluted him.
MASTER (to M.): "I was meditating
inside the net. It occurred to me that
meditation, after all, was nothing but the imagining of a form, and so
I did
not enjoy it. One gets satisfaction if God reveals Himself in a flash.
Again,
I said to myself, 'Who is it that meditates, and on whom does he
meditate?'"
M: "Yes, sir. You said that God Himself has become everything — the
universe and all living beings. Even he who meditates is God."
MASTER: "What is more, one cannot meditate
unless God wills it. One
can meditate when God makes it possible for one to do so. What do you
say?"
M: "True, sir. You feel like that because there is no 'I' in you. When
there is no ego, one feels like that."
MASTER: "But it is good to have a trace
of ego, which makes it possible
for a man to feel that he is the servant of God. As long as a man
thinks
that it is he who is doing his duties, it is very good for him to feel
that God
is the Master and he God's servant. When one is conscious of doing
work,
one should establish with God the relationship of servant and Master."
M. was always reflecting on the nature of the Supreme Brahman.
MASTER (to M.): "Like the akasa,
Brahman is without any modification.
It has become manifold because of Sakti. Again, Brahman is like fire,
which
itself has no colour. The fire appears white if you throw a white
substance'
into it, red if you throw a red, black it you throw a black. The three
gunas
— sattva, rajas, and tamas — belong to Sakti alone. Brahman Itself is
beyond
the three gunas. What Brahman is cannot be described. It is beyond
words.
That which remains after everything is eliminated by the Vedantic
process
of 'Not this, not this', and which is of the nature of Bliss, is
Brahman.
"Suppose the husband of a young girl has come to his father-in-law's
house and is seated in the drawing-room with other young men of his
age.
The girl and her friends are looking at them through the window. Her
friends do not know her husband and ask her, pointing to one young man,
'Is that your husband?' 'No', she answers, smiling. They point to
another
young man and ask if he is her husband. Again she answers no. They
repeat the question, referring to a third, and she gives the same
answer. At
last they point to her husband and ask, 'Is he the one?' She says
neither
yes nor no, but only smiles and keeps quiet. Her friends realize that
he is
her husband.
"One becomes silent on realizing the true nature of Brahman.
(To M.) "Well, why do I talk so much?"
M: "You talk in order to awaken the spiritual consciousness of the
devotees. You once said that when an uncooked luchi is dropped into
boiling
ghee it makes a sizzling noise."
The Master began to talk to M. about Hazra.
MASTER: "Do you know the nature of a
good man? He never troubles
others. He doesn't harass people. The nature of some people is such
that
when they go to a feast they want special seats. A man who has true
devotion
to God never makes a false step, never gives others trouble for nothing.
"It is not good to live in the company of bad people. A man should stay
away from them and thus protect himself. (To M.)
Isn't that so?"
M: "Yes, sir. The mind sinks far down in the company of the wicked.
But it is quite different with a hero, as you say."
MASTER: "How is that?"
M: "When a fire is feeble it goes out when even a small stick is thrown
into it; but a blazing fire is not affected even if a plantain-tree is
thrown into
it. The tree itself is burnt to ashes."
The Master asked M. about his friend Hari Babu.
M: "He has come here to pay you his respects. He lost his wife long
ago."
MASTER (to Hari): "What kind of work
do you do?"
M: "Nothing in particular. But at home he takes good care of his
parents
and his brothers and sisters."
MASTER (with a smile): "How is that?
You are like 'Elder, the pumpkin-cutter'.
You are neither a man of the world nor a devotee of God. That is
not good. You must have seen the sort of elderly man who lives in a
family
and is always ready, day or night, to entertain the children. He sits
in the
parlour and smokes the hubble-bubble. With nothing in particular to do,
he
leads a lazy life. Now and again he goes to the inner court and cuts a
pumpkin; for, since women do not cut pumpkins, they send the children
to
ask him to come and do it. That is the extent of his usefulness — hence
his
nickname, 'Elder, the pumpkin-cutter'.
"You must do 'this' as well as 'that'. Do your duties in the world, and
also
fix your mind on the Lotus Feet of the Lord. Read books of devotion
like
the Bhagavata or the life of Chaitanya when you are
alone and have nothing
else to do."
It was about ten o'clock. Sri Ramakrishna finished a light supper of
farina
pudding and one or two luchis. After saluting him, M. and his friend
took
their leave.
Friday, September 7,1883
Sri Ramakrishna and M. were talking in the Master's room at
half past
seven in the evening. No one else was present.
MASTER: "The other day I went to Calcutta.
As I drove along the streets
in the carriage, I observed that everyone's attention was fixed on low
things.
Everyone was brooding over his stomach and running after nothing but
food. Everyone's mind was turned to 'woman and gold'. I saw only one or
two with their attention fixed on higher things, with their minds
turned
to God."
M: "The present age has aggravated this stomach-worry. Trying to
imitate
the English, people have turned their attention to more luxuries;
therefore
their wants have also increased."
MASTER: "What do the English think about God?"
M: "They believe in a formless God."
MASTER: "That is also one of our beliefs."
For a time Master, and disciple remained silent. Then Sri Ramakrishna
began to describe his experiences of Brahman.
MASTER: "One day I had the vision of
Consciousness, non-dual and
indivisible. At first it had been revealed to me that there were
innumerable
men, animals, and other creatures. Among them there were aristocrats,
the
English, the Mussalmans, myself, scavengers, dogs, and also a bearded
Mussalman with an earthenware tray of rice in his hand. He put a few
grains
of rice into everybody's mouth. I too tasted a little.
"Another day I saw rice, vegetables, and other food-stuff, and filth
and dirt
as well, lying around. Suddenly the soul came out of my body and, like
a
flame, touched everything. It was like a protruding tongue of fire and
tasted
everything once, even the excreta. It was revealed to me that all these
are one
Substance, the non-dual and indivisible Consciousness.
"Another day3
it was revealed to me that I had devotees — my intimate
companions, my very own. Thereafter I would climb to the roof of the
kuthi
as soon as the bells and the conch-shells of the evening service
sounded in
the temples, and cry out with a longing heart: 'Oh, where are you all?
Come
here! I am dying to see you!'
(To M.) "Well, what do you think of these visions?"
M: "God sports through you. This I have realized, that you are the
instrument
and God is the Master. God has created other beings as if with a
machine, but yourself with His own hands."
MASTER: "Well, Hazra says that after the
vision of God one acquires the six divine powers."
M: "Those who seek pure love don't want powers."
MASTER: "Perhaps Hazra was a poor man in his
previous life, and that
is why he wants so much to see the manifestation of power. He wants to
know what I talk about with the cook. He says to me: 'You don't have to
talk to the cook. I shall talk to the manager of the temple myself and
see
that you get everything you want.' (M. laughs aloud.)
He talks to me that way and I say nothing."
M: "Many a time you have said that a devotee who loves God for the
sake of love does not care to see God's powers. A true devotee wants
to see God as Gopala.4
In the beginning God becomes the magnet, and the
devotee the needle. But in the end the devotee himself becomes the
magnet,
and God the needle; that is to say, God becomes small to His devotee."
MASTER: "Yes, it is just like the sun at dawn. You can easily look at
that
sun. It doesn't dazzle the eyes; rather it satisfies them. God becomes
tender
for the sake of His devotees. He appears before them, setting aside His
powers."
Both remained silent tor some time.
M: "Why should your visions not be real? If they are unreal, then the
world is still more unreal; for there is only one mind that is the
instrument
of perception. Your pure mind sees those visions, and our ordinary
minds
see worldly objects."
MASTER: "I see that you have grasped the
idea of unreality. Well, tell me what you think of Hazra."
M: "Oh, I don't know." (The Master laughs.)
MASTER: "Well, do you find me to be
like anybody else?"
M: "No, sir."
MASTER: "Like any other paramahamsa?"
M: "No, sir. You can't be compared to anybody else."
MASTER (smiling): "Have you heard
of a tree called the 'achina'?"
(Literally, "unrecognizable".)
M: "No, sir."
MASTER: "There is a tree called by that
name. But nobody knows what it is."
M: "Likewise, it is not possible to recognize you. The more a man
understands
you, the more uplifted he will be."
M. was silent. He said to himself: "The Master referred to 'the sun at
dawn' and 'the tree unrecognizable by man'. Did he mean an Incarnation
of God? Is this the play of God through man? Is the Master himself an
Incarnation? Was this why he cried to the devotees from the root of the
kuthi: 'Where are you? Come to me!'?"
Sri Ramakrishna was sitting on the steps of the southeast verandah of
the
Kali temple. Rakhal, M., and Hazra were with him. He talked
light-heartedly
about his boyhood days.
When it was dusk he returned to his room and sat down on the small
couch. Soon he went into samadhi and in that state began to talk to the
Divine Mother. He said: "Mother, what is all this row about? Shall I go
there? I shall go if You take me." The Master was to go to a devotee's
house.
Was it for this that he was asking the Divine Mother's permission?
Again he spoke to Her, perhaps praying about an intimate disciple:
"Mother, please make him stainless. Well, Mother, why have You given
him only a particle?" Remaining silent a moment, he said: "Oh, I see.
That
will be enough for Your work."
In the same state he said, addressing the devotees: "That which is
Brahman is verily Sakti. I address That, again, as the Mother. I call
It
Brahman when It is inactive, and Sakti when It creates, preserves, and
destroys. It is like water, sometimes still and sometimes covered with
waves.
The Incarnation of God is a part of the lila of Sakti. The purpose of
the
Divine Incarnation is to teach man ecstatic love for God. The
Incarnation
is like the udder of the cow, the only place milk is to be got. God
incarnates
Himself as man. There is a great accumulation of divinity in an
Incarnation,
like the accumulation of fish in a deep hollow in a lake."
Some of the devotees wondered, "Is Sri Ramakrishna an Incarnation of
God, like Krishna, Chaitanya, and Christ?"
Sunday, September 9, 1883
Saturday, September 22, 1883
Sri Ramakrishna was seated in the drawing-room of Adhar's
house in
Calcutta, with Rakhal, Adhar, M., Ishan, and other devotees. Many
gentlemen
of the neighbourhood were also present. It was afternoon.
The Master was very fond of Ishan. He had been a superintendent in
the Accountant General's office, and later on his children also
occupied high
government positions. One of them was a class-mate of Narendra. Ishan's
purse was always open for the poor and needy. When he retired from
service, he devoted his time to spiritual practices and charity. He
often
visited Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar.
MASTER (to Ishan): "Please tell us
the story of the boy who posted the letter."
ISHAN (with a smile): "A boy once heard that God is
our Creator. So he
wrote a letter to God, setting forth his prayers, and posted it. The
address
he put on the envelope was 'Heaven'."
MASTER (with a smile): "Did you hear that story? One
succeeds in
spiritual life when one develops a faith like that boy's. (To
Ishan) Tell us
about the renunciation of activities."
ISHAN: "After the attainment of God,
religious duties such as the sandyha
drop away. One day some people were sitting on the bank of the Ganges
performing the sandyha. But one of them abstained from it. On being
asked
the reason, he said: 'I am observing asoucha. I cannot perform the
sandyha
ceremony.6
In my case the defilement is due to both a birth and a death. My
mother, Ignorance, is dead, and my son, Self-Knowledge, has been born.'"
MASTER: "Tell us, also, how caste
distinctions drop away when one attains Self-Knowledge."
ISHAN: "Sankaracharya was once climbing the
steps after finishing his
bath in the Ganges, when he saw just in front of him an untouchable who
had a pack of dogs with him. 'You have touched me!' said Sankara.
'Revered
sir,' said the pariah, "I have not touched you, nor have you touched
me.
The Self is the Inner Ruler of all beings and cannot be contaminated.
Is
there any difference between the sun's reflection in wine and its
reflection
in the Ganges?'"
MASTER (with a smile): "And about
harmony: how one can realize God through all paths."
ISHAN (smiling): "Both Hari and Hara are
derived from the same root.7
The difference is only in the pratyaya.8
In reality. He who is Hari is also
Hara. If a man has faith in God, then it doesn't matter whom he
worships."
MASTER: "And please tell us also how the
heart of the sadhu is the greatest of all."
ISHAN: "This earth is the largest thing we
see anywhere around us. But
larger than the earth is the ocean, and larger than the ocean is the
sky. But
Vishnu, the Godhead, has covered earth, sky, and the nether world with
one
of His feet. And that foot of Vishnu is enshrined in the sadhu's heart.
Therefore the heart of a holy man is the greatest of all."
The devotees were delighted with Ishan's words.
Ishan intended to retire to a solitary place and practise a special
discipline
of the Gayatri, through which Brahman is invoked. But the Master said
that the Knowledge of Brahman was not possible without the complete
destruction of worldliness. Further, he said that it was impossible for
a man
totally to withdraw his mind from the objects of the senses in the
Kaliyuga,
when his life was dependent on food. That is why the Master discouraged
people from attempting the Vedic worship of Brahman and asked them to
worship Sakti, the Divine Mother, who is identical with Brahman.
MASTER (to Ishan): "Why do you
waste your time simply repeating
'Neti, neti'? Nothing whatsoever can be specified about Brahman, except
that It exists.
"Whatever we see or think about is the manifestation of the glory of
the
Primordial Energy, the Primal Consciousness. Creation, preservation,
and
destruction, living beings and the universe, and further, meditation
and the
meditator, bhakti and prema — all these are manifestations of the glory
of
that Power.
"But Brahman is identical with Its Power. On returning from Ceylon,
Hanuman praised Rama, saying: 'O Rama, You are the Supreme Brahman,
and Sita is Your Sakti. You and She are identical.' Brahman and Sakti
are
like the snake and its wriggling motion. Thinking of the snake, one
must
think of its wriggling motion, and thinking of its wriggling motion,
one
must think of the snake. Or they are like milk and its whiteness.
Thinking
of milk, one has to think of its colour, that is, whiteness, and
thinking of the
whiteness of milk, one has to think of milk itself. Or they are like
water and
its wetness. Thinking of water, one has to think of its wetness, and
thinking
of the wetness of water, one has to think of water.
"This Primal Power, Mahamaya, has covered Brahman. As soon as the
covering is withdrawn, one realizes: 'I am what I was before', 'I am
Thou;
Thou art I'.
"As long as that covering remains, the Vedantic formula 'I am He', that
is, man is the Supreme Brahman, does not rightly apply. The wave is
part
of the water, but the water is not part of the wave. As long as that
covering
remains, one should call on God as Mother. Addressing God, the devotee
should say, 'Thou art the Mother and I am Thy child; Thou art the
Master
and I am Thy servant.' It is good to have the attitude of the servant
toward
the master. From this relationship of master and servant spring up
other
attitudes: the attitude of serene love for God, the attitude of friend
toward
friend, and so forth. When the master loves his servant, he may say to
him,
'Come, sit by my side; there is no difference between you and me.' But
if
the servant comes forward of his own will to sit by the master, will
not
the master be angry?
"God's play on earth as an Incarnation is the manifestation of the
glory
of the Chitsakti, the Divine Power. That which is Brahman is also Rama,
Krishna, and Siva."
ISHAN: "Yes, sir. Both Hari and Hara are
derived from the same root. The difference lies only in the pratyaya."
MASTER: "Yes, there is only One without a
second. The Vedas speak-of
It as 'Om Satchidananda Brahma', the Puranas as 'Om Satchidananda
Krishna', and the Tantra as 'Om Satchidananda Siva'.
"The Chitsakti, as Mahamaya, has deluded all with ignorance. It is said
in the Adhyatma Ramayana that when the rishis saw
Rama, they prayed to
Him in these words only: 'O Rama, please do not delude us with Your
world-bewitching maya.'"
ISHAN: "What is this maya?"
MASTER: "Whatever you see, think, or hear
is maya. In a word, 'woman and gold' is the covering of maya.
"There is no harm in chewing betel-leaf, eating fish, smoking, or
rubbing
the body with oil. What will one achieve by renouncing only these
things?
The one thing, needful is the renunciation of 'woman and gold'. That
renunciation is the real and supreme renunciation. Householders should
go
into solitude now and then, to practise spiritual discipline 'in order
to
cultivate devotion to God; they should renounce mentally. But the
sannyasi
should renounce both mentally and physically.
"I once said to Keshab, 'How can a typhoid patient be cured if he
remains
in a room whsre a pitcher of water and a jar of pickles are kept?' Now
and
then one should live in solitude."
A DEVOTEE: "Sir, what do you think of the
Navavidhan? It seems to me like a hotchpotch of everything."
MASTER: "Some say it is a modern thing.
That sets me wondering: 'Then
is the God of the Brahmo Samaj a new God?' The Brahmos speak of their
cult as the Navavidhan, as a New Dispensation. Well, it may be so. Who
knows? There are six systems of philosophy; so perhaps it is like one
of these.
"But do you know where those who speak of the formless God make their
mistake? It is where they say that God is formless only, and that those
who
differ with them are wrong.
"But I know that God is both with and without form. And He may have
many more aspects. It is possible for Him to be everything.
(To Ishan) "The Chitsakti, Mahamaya, has become the
twenty-four
cosmic principles. One day as I was meditating, my mind wandered away
to
Rashkē's house. He is a scavenger. I said to my mind, 'Stay there, you
rogue!' The Divine Mother revealed to me that the men and women in this
house were mere masks; inside them was the same Divine Power,
Kundalini,
that rises up through the six spiritual centres of the body.
"Is the Primal Energy man or woman? Once at Kamarpukur I saw the
worship of Kali in the house of the Lahas. They put a sacred
thread9
on the image of the Divine Mother. One man asked, 'Why have they put
the
sacred thread on the Mother's person?' The master of the house said:
Brother, I see that you have rightly understood the Mother. But I do
not
yet know whether the Divine Mother is male or female.'
"It is said that Mahamaya swallowed Siva. When the six centres in Her
Were awakened, Siva came out through Her thigh. Then Siva created the
Tantra philosophy.
"Take refuge in the Chitsakti, the Mahamaya."
ISHAN: "Please bestow your grace on me."
MASTER: "Say to God with a guileless heart,
'O God, reveal Thyself to
me.' And weep. Pray to God, 'O God, keep my mind away from "woman
and gold".' And dive deep. Can a man get pearls by floating or swimming
on
the surface? He must dive deep.
"One must get instruction from a guru. Once a man was looking for a
stone image of Siva. Someone said to him: "Go to a certain river. There
you
will find a tree. Near it is a whirlpool. Dive into the water there,
and you
will find the image of Siva.' So I say that one must get instruction
from a
teacher."
ISHAN: "That is true, sir."
MASTER: "It is Satchidananda that comes to us
in the form of the guru.
If a man is initiated by a human guru, he will not achieve anything if
he
regards his guru as a mere man. The guru should be regarded as the
direct
manifestation of God. Only then can the disciple have faith in the
mantra
given by the guru. Once a man has faith he achieves all. The sudra
Ekalavya learnt archery in the forest before a clay image of Drona. He
worshipped the image as the living Drona; that by itself enabled him to
attain mastery in archery.
"Don't mix intimately with brahmin pundits. Their only concern is to
earn money. I have seen brahmin priests reciting the Chandi
while
performing ing the swastyayana. It is hard to tell whether they are
reading the sacred
book or something else. They turn half the pages without reading them.
(All laugh.)
"A nail-knife suffices to kill oneself. One needs sword and shield to
kill
others. That is the purpose of the sastras.
"One doesn't really need to study the different scriptures. If one has
no
discrimination, one doesn't achieve anything through mere scholarship,
even
though one studies all the six systems of philosophy. Call on God,
crying
to Him secretly in solitude. He will give all that you need."
Sri Ramakrishna had heard that Ishan was building a house on the bank
of the Ganges for the practice of spiritual discipline. He asked Ishan
eagerly:
"Has the house been built? Let me tell you that the less people know of
your spiritual life, the better it will be for you. Devotees endowed
with
sattva meditate in a secluded corner or in a forest, or withdraw into
the
mind. Sometimes they meditate inside the mosquito net."
Now and then Ishan invited Hazra to his house. Hazra had a craze for
outward purity. Sri Ramakrishna often discouraged him in this.
MASTER (to Ishan): "Let me tell you
another thing. Don't be
over-fastidious about outward purity. Once a sadhu felt very thirsty. A
water-carrier was carrying water in his skin water-bag, and offered the
water to
the holy man. The sadhu asked if the skin was clean. The carrier said:
'Revered
sir, my skin bag is perfectly clean. But inside your skin
are all sorts of filthy
things. That is why I can ask you to drink water from my skin. It won't
injure you.' By 'your skin', the carrier meant the body, the belly, and
so
forth.
"Have faith in the name of God. Then you won't need even to go to
holy places."
Sri Ramakrishna sang, intoxicated with divine fervour:
Why should I go to Ganga or Gaya, to Kasi, Kanchi, or Prabhas,
So long as 1 can breathe my last with Kali's name. upon my lips? . . .
Ishan remained silent.
MASTER (to Ishan): "Tell me if you
have any more doubts."
ISHAN: "You said everything when you spoke
of faith."
MASTER: "God can be realized by true faith
alone. And the realization
is hastened if you believe everything about God. The cow that picks and
chooses its food gives milk only in dribblets, but if she eats all
kinds of
plants, then her milk flows in torrents.
"Once I heard a story. A man heard the command of God that he should
see his Ideal Deity in a ram. He at once believed it. It is God who
exists in
all beings.
"A guru said to his disciple, 'It is Rama alone who resides in all
bodies.'
The disciple was a man of great faith. One day a dog snatched a piece
of
bread from him and started to run away. He ran after the dog, with a
jar of
butter in his hand, and cried again and again: 'O Rama, stand still a
minute. That bread hasn't been buttered.'
"What tremendous faith Krishnakishore had! He used to say, 'By chanting
"Om Krishna, Om Rama", one gets the result of a million sandhyas.' Once
he said to me secretly, 'I don't like the sandhya and other devotions
any
more; but don't tell anyone.'
"Sometimes I too feel that way. The Mother reveals to me that She
Herself
has become everything. One day I was coming from the pine-grove toward
the Panchavati. A dog followed me. I stood still for a while near the
Panchavati. The thought came to my mind that the Mother might say
something
to me through that dog.
"You were absolutely right when you said that through faith alone one
achieves all."
ISHAN: "But we are householders."
MASTER: "What if you are? Through His grace
even the impossible becomes
possible. Ramprasad sang, This world is a mere framework of illusion.'
Another man composed a song by way of reply:
This very world is a mansion of mirth;
Here I can eat, here drink and make merry.
Janaka's might was unsurpassed;
What did he lack of the world or the Spirit?
Holding to one as well as the other,
He drank his milk from a brimming cup!
"One should first realize God through spiritual discipline in
solitude, and
then live in the world. Only then can one be a King Janaka. What can
you
achieve otherwise?
"Further, take the case of Siva. He has everything — Kartika, Ganesa,
Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. Still, sometimes He dances in a state of divine
fervour, chanting the name of Rama, and sometimes He is absorbed in
Samadhi."