Eulogy of Narendra — Master in spiritual mood — Efficacy of truthfulness — Difference between scholar and holy man — Path of love suited to modern times — Description of various monks — Divine grace removes bondage — Surrender to the Divine Mother — Visit to Adhar's house — Glories of the Divine Mother — Master's harmony of religions — Different classes of spiritual aspirants — Futility of worship without yearning — Unwavering devotion to God — The many and the One — Knowledge and ignorance — Chanting God's holy name — Truthfulness leads to God — Advice to householders — Steps of bhakti — Transitoriness of earthly things.
Sunday, September 23, 1883
SRI RAMAKRISHNA was sitting in his
room at Dakshineswar with Rakhal,
M., and other devotees. Hazra sat on the porch outside. The Master
was conversing with the devotees.
MASTER (to a devotee): "Narendra
doesn't like even you, nowadays.
(To M.) Why didn't he come to see me at Adhar's
house?
"How versatile Narendra is! He is gifted in singing, in playing on
instruments, and in studies. He is independent and doesn't care about
anybody.
The other day he was returning to Calcutta with Captain in his
carriage.
Captain begged Narendra to sit beside him, but he took a seat opposite.
He
didn't even look at Captain.
"What can a man achieve through mere scholarship? What is needed is
prayer and spiritual discipline. Gauri of Indesh was both a scholar and
a
devotee. He was a worshipper of the Divine Mother. Now and then he
would be overpowered with spiritual fervour. When he chanted a hymn
to the Mother, the pundits would seem like earth-worms beside him. I
too
would be overcome with ecstasy.
"At first he was a bigoted worshipper of Sakti. He used to pick up
tulsi-leaves1
with a couple of sticks, so as not to touch them with his fingers. (All
laugh.) Then he went home. When he came back he didn't behave
that
way any more. He gave remarkable interpretations of Hindu mythology.
He would say that the ten heads of Ravana represented the ten organs.
Kumbhakarna was the symbol of tamas, Ravana of rajas, and Bibhishana
of sattva. That was why Bibhishana obtained favour with Rama."
After the Master's midday meal, while he was resting, Ram, Tarak,2
and some other devotees arrived from Calcutta.
Nityagopal, Tarak, and several others were staying with Ram, a
householder disciple of the Master. Nityagopal was always in an exalted
spiritual mood. Tarak's mind, too, was always indrawn; he seldom
exchanged
words with others. Ram looked after their physical needs. Rakhal now
and
then spent a few days at Adhar's house.
RAM (to the Master): "We have
been taking lessons on the drum."
MASTER (to Ram): "Nityagopal too?"
RAM: "No, sir. He plays a little."
MASTER: "And Tarak?"
RAM : "He knows a good deal."
MASTER: "Then he won't keep his eyes
on the ground so much. If the
mind is much directed to something else, it doesn't dwell deeply on
God."
RAM: "I have been studying the drum
only to accompany the kirtan."
MASTER (to M.): "I hear that you
too are taking singing lessons. Is that so?"
M: "No, sir. I just open my mouth now and then."
MASTER: "Have you practised that song:
"O Mother, make me mad with
Thy love'? If you have, please sing it. The song expresses my ideal
perfectly."
The conversation turned to Hazra's hatred for certain people, which Sri
Ramakrishna did not like.
MASTER (to the devotees): "I
used frequently to visit a certain house at
Kamarpukur. The boys of the family were of my age. The other day they
came here and spent two or three days with me. Their mother, like
Hazra,
used to hate people. Then something happened to her foot, and gangrene
set in. On account of the foul smell, no one could enter her room.
I told the incident to Hazra and asked him not to hate anyone."
Toward evening, as Sri Ramakrishna was standing in the northwest
corer of the courtyard, he went into samadhi. In those days the Master
remained almost always in an ecstatic state. He would lose
consciousness of
the world at the slightest suggestion from outside. But for scant
conversation
with visiting devotees, he remained in an indrawn mood and was unable
to
perform his daily worship and devotions.
Coming down to the relative world, he began to talk to the Divine
Mother,
still standing where he was. "O Mother," he said, "worship has left me,
and
japa also. Please see, Mother, that I do not become an inert thing. Let
my
attitude toward God be that of the servant toward the master. O Mother,
let me talk about Thee and chant Thy holy name. I want to sing Thy
glories. Give me a little strength of body that I may move about, that
I may
go to places where Thy devotees live, and sing Thy name."
In the morning Sri Ramakrishna had been to the Kali temple to offer
flowers at the Mother's feet.
Continuing, the Master said: O Mother, I offered flowers at Thy feet
this morning. I thought: 'That is good. My mind is again going back to
formal worship.' Then why do I feel like this now? Why art Thou turning
me into a sort of inert thing?"
The moon had not yet risen. It was a dark night. The Master, still in
an
abstracted mood, sat on the small couch in his room and continued his
talk
with the Divine Mother. He said: "Why this special discipline of the
Gayatri? Why this jumping from this roof to that? . . . Who told him to
do it? Perhaps he is doing it of his own accord. . . . Well, he will
practise a little of that discipline."
The previous day Sri Ramakrishna had discouraged Ishan about Vedic
worship, saying that it was not suitable for the Kaliyuga. He had asked
Ishan to worship God as the Divine Mother.
The Master said to M., "Are these all my fancies, or are they real?" M.
remained silent with wonder at the Master's intimate relationship with
the
Divine Mother. He thought She must be within us as well as without.
Indeed
She must be very near us; or why should the Master speak to Her in a
whisper?
Wednesday, September 26, 1883
There were very few devotees with the Master, for most of them
came on
Sundays. Rakhal and Latu were living with him the greater part of the
time. M. arrived in the afternoon and found the Master seated on the
small
couch. The conversation turned to Narendra.
MASTER (to M.): "Have you seen
Narendra lately? (With a smile) He
said of me: 'He still goes to the Kali temple. But he will not when he
truly
understands.' His people are very much dissatisfied with him because he
comes here now and then. The other day he came here in a hired
carriage,
and Surendra paid for it. Narendra's aunt almost had a row with
Surendra
about it."
The Master left the couch and went to the northeast verandah, where
Hazra, Kishori, Rakhal, and a few other devotees were sitting.
MASTER (to M.): "How is it that
you are here today? Have you no school?"
M: "Our school closed today at half past one."
MASTER: "Why so early?"
M: "Vidyasagar visited the school. He owns the school. So the boys get
a
half holiday whenever he comes."
MASTER: "Why doesn't Vidyasagar keep
his word? 'If one who holds to
truth and looks on woman as his mother does not realize God, then Tulsi
is a liar.'3
If a man holds to truth he will certainly realize God. The other
day Vidyasagar said he would come here and visit me. But he hasn't kept
his word.
"There is a big difference between a scholar and a holy man. The mind
of a mere scholar is fixed on 'woman and gold', but the sadhu's mind is
on
the Lotus Feet of Hari. A scholar says one thing and does another. But
it is quite a different matter with a sadhu. The words and actions of a
man
who has given his mind to the Lotus Feet of God are altogether
different.
In Benares I saw a young sannyasi who belonged to the sect of Nanak. He
was the same age as you. He used to refer to me as the 'loving monk'.
His
sect has a monastery in Benares. I was invited there one day. I found
that
the mohant was like a housewife. I asked him, 'What is the way?' 'For
the
Kaliyuga,' he said, 'the path of devotion as enjoined by Narada.' He
was
reading a book. When the reading was over, he recited: 'Vishnu is in
water,
Vishnu is on land, Vishnu is on the mountain top; the whole world is
pervaded by Vishnu.' At the end he said, 'Peace! Peace! Abiding Peace!'
"One day he was reading the Gita. He was so strict
about his monastic
rules that he would not read a holy book looking at a worldly man. So
he
turned his face toward me and his back on Mathur, who was also present.
It was this holy man who told me of Narada's path of devotion as suited
to
the people of the Kaliyuga."
M: "Are not sadhus of his class followers of the Vedanta?"
MASTER: "Yes, they are. But they also
accept the path of devotion. The
fact is that in the Kaliyuga one cannot wholly follow the path laid
down
in the Vedas. Once a man said to me that he would perform the
purascharana
of the Gayatri. I said: 'Why don't you do that according to the Tantra?
In
the Kaliyuga the discipline of Tantra is very efficacious.'
"It is extremely difficult to perform the rites enjoined in the Vedas.
Further, at the present time people lead the life of slaves.4
It is said that those who
serve others for twelve years or so become slaves. They acquire the
traits
of those they serve. While serving their masters they acquire the
rajas, the
tamas, the spirit of violence, the love of luxury, and the other traits
of
their masters. Not only do they serve their masters, but they also
enjoy a
pension after their term of service is over.
"Once a Vedantic monk came here. He used to dance at the sight of a
cloud. He would go into an ecstasy of joy over a rain-storm. He would
get
very angry if anyone went near him when he meditated. One day I came
to him while he was meditating, and that made him very cross. He
discriminated constantly, 'Brahman alone is real and the world is
illusory.'
Since the appearance of diversity is due to maya, he walked about with
a
prism from a chandelier in his hand. One sees different colours through
the prism; in reality there is no such thing as colour. Likewise,
nothing
exists, in reality, except Brahman. But there is an appearance of the
manifold
because of maya, egoism. He would not look at an object more than once,
lest he should be deluded by maya and attachment. He would
discriminate,
while taking his bath, at the sight of birds flying in the sky. He knew
grammar. He stayed here for three days. One day he heard the sound of a
flute near the embankment and said that a man who had realized Brahman
would go into samadhi at such a sound."
While talking about the monk, the Master showed his devotees the
manners and movements of a paramahamsa: the gait of a child, face
beaming
with laughter, eyes swimming in joy, and body completely naked. Then he
again took his seat on the small couch and poured out his
soul-enthralling
words.
MASTER (to M.): "I learnt
Vedanta from Nangta: 'Brahman alone is
real; the world is illusory.' The magician performs his magic. He
produces a
mango-tree which even bears mangoes. But this is all sleight of hand.
The
magician alone is real."
M: "It seems that the whole of life is a long sleep. This much I
understand,
that we are not seeing things rightly. We perceive the world with a
mind by which we cannot comprehend even the nature of the sky. So how
can our perceptions be correct?"
MASTER: "There is another way of
looking at it. We do not see the sky
rightly. It looks as if the sky were touching the ground at the
horizon. How
can a man see correctly? His mind is delirious, like the mind of a
typhoid
patient."
The Master sang in his sweet voice:
What a delirious fever is this that I suffer from!
O Mother, Thy grace is my only cure. . . .
Continuing, the Master said: "Truly it is a state of delirium.
Just see
how worldly men quarrel among themselves. No one knows what they
quarrel
about. Oh, how they quarrel! 'May such and such a thing befall you!'
How
much shouting! How much abuse!"
M: "I said to Kishori: "The box is empty; there is nothing inside. But
two men pull at it from either side, thinking the box contains money.'
Well,
the body alone is the cause of all this mischief, isn't it? The jnanis
see
all this and say to themselves, 'What a relief one feels when this
pillow-case of the body drops off.'"
The Master and M. went toward the Kali temple.
MASTER: "Why should you say such
things? This world may be a framework
of illusion', but it is also said that it is a 'mansion of mirth'. Let
the
body remain. One can also turn this world into a mansion of mirth."
M: "But where is unbroken bliss in this world?"
MASTER: "Yes, where is it?"
Sri Ramakrishna stood in front of the shrine of Kali and prostrated
himself
before the Divine Mother. M. followed him. Then the Master sat on the
lower floor in front of the shrine room, facing the blissful image, and
leaned against a pillar of the natmandir. He wore a red-bordered cloth,
part
of which was on his shoulder and back. M. sat by his side.
M: "Since there is no unbroken happiness in the world, why should one
assume a body at all? I know that the body is meant only to reap the
results
of past action. But who knows what sort of action it is performing now?
The unfortunate part is that we are being crushed."
MASTER: "If a pea falls into filth, it
grows into a pea-plant none the less."
M: "But still there are the eight bonds."
MASTER: "They are not eight bonds, but
eight fetters. But what if they
are? These fetters fall off in a moment, by the grace of God. Do you
know
what it is like? Suppose a room has been kept dark a thousand years.
The
moment a man brings a light into it, the darkness vanishes. Not little
by
little. Haven't you seen the magician's feat? He takes a string with
many
knots, and ties one end to something, keeping the other in his hand.
Then
he shakes the string once or twice, and immediately all the knots come
undone. But another man cannot untie the knots however he may try. All
the knots of ignorance come undone in the twinkling of an eye, through
the guru's grace.
"Well, can you tell me why Keshab Sen has changed so much lately? He
used to come here very often. He learnt here how to bow low before a
holy
man. One day I told him that one should not salute a holy man as he had
been doing. Harish says rightly: 'All the cheques must be approved
here.
Only then will they be cashed in the bank.'" (Laughter.)
M. listened to these words breathlessly. He began to realize that
Satchidananda, in the form of the guru, passes the "cheque".
MASTER : "Do not reason. Who can ever
know God? I have heard it from
Nangta, once for all, that this whole universe is only a fragment of
Brahman.
"Hazra is given to too much calculation. He says, 'This much of God has
become the universe and this much is the balance.' My head aches at his
calculations. I know that I know nothing. Sometimes I think of God as
good, and sometimes as bad. What can I know of Him?"
M: "It is true, sir. Can anyone ever know God? Each thinks, with his
little bit of intelligence, that he has understood all of God. As you
say,
an ant went to a sugar hill and, finding that one grain of sugar filled
its
stomach, thought that the next time it would take the entire hill into
its
hole."
MASTER: "Who can ever know God? I
don't even try. I only call on Him
as Mother. Let Mother do whatever She likes. I shall know Her if it is
Her
will; but I shall be happy to remain ignorant if She wills otherwise.
My
nature is that of a kitten. It only cries, 'Mew, mew!' The rest it
leaves to
its mother. The mother cat puts the kitten sometimes in the kitchen and
sometimes on the master's bed. The young child wants only his mother.
He doesn't know how wealthy his mother is, and he doesn't even want to
know. He knows only, 'I have a mother; why should I worry?' Even the
child of the maidservant knows that he has a mother. If he quarrels
with
the son of the master, he says: 'I shall tell my mother. I have a
mother.'
My attitude, too, is that of a child."
Suddenly Sri Ramakrishna caught M.'s attention and said, touching his
own chest: "Well, there must be something here. Isn't that so?"
M. looked wonderingly at the Master. He said to himself; "Does the
Mother Herself dwell in the Master's heart? Is it the Divine Mother who
has assumed this human body for the welfare of humanity?"
Sri Ramakrishna was praying to the Divine Mother: "O Mother! O
Embodiment of Om! Mother, how many things people say about Thee! But
I don't understand any of them. I don't know anything, Mother. I have
taken refuge at Thy feet. I have sought protection in Thee. O Mother, I
pray only that I may have pure love for Thy Lotus Feet, love that seeks
no
return. And Mother, do not delude me with Thy world-bewitching maya.
I seek Thy protection. I have taken refuge in Thee."
The evening worship in the temples was over. Sri Ramakrishna was again
seated in his room with M.
M. had been visiting the Master for the past two years and had received
his grace and blessings. He had been told that God was both with form
and
without form, that He assumed forms for the sake of His devotees. To
the
worshipper of the formless God, the Master said: "Hold to your
conviction,
but remember that all is possible with God. He has form, and again. He
is
formless. He can be many things more."
MASTER (to M.): "You have
accepted an ideal, that of God without form — isn't that so?"
M: "Yes, sir. But I also believe what you say — that all is possible
with
God. It is quite possible for God to have forms."
MASTER; "Good. Remember further that,
as Consciousness, He pervades the entire universe of the living and
non-living."
M: "I think of Him as the consciousness in conscious beings."
MASTER: "Stick to that ideal now.
There is no need of tearing down and
changing one's attitude. You will gradually come to realize that the
consciousness in conscious beings is the Consciousness of God. He alone
is
Consciousness.
"Let me ask you one thing. Do you feel attracted to money and
treasures?"
M: "No, sir. But I think of earning money in order to be free from
anxiety, to be able to think of God without worry."
MASTER: "Oh, that's perfectly natural."
M: "Is it greed? I don't think so."
MASTER: "You are right. Otherwise, who
will look after your children?
What will become of them if you feel that you are not the doer?"
M: "I have heard that one cannot attain Knowledge as long as one has
the consciousness of duty. Duty is like the scorching sun."
MASTER: "Keep your present attitude.
It will be different when the consciousness of duty drops away of
itself."
They remained silent a few minutes.
M: "To enter the world after attaining partial knowledge! Why, it is
like
dying in full consciousness, as in cholera!"
MASTER: "Oh, Ram! Ram!"
The idea in M.'s mind was that just as a cholera patient feels
excruciating
pain at the time of death, because of retaining consciousness, so also
a
jnani
with partial knowledge must feel extremely miserable leading the life
of
the world, which he knows to be illusory.
M: "People who are completely ignorant are like typhoid patients, who
remain unconscious at the time of death and so do not feel the pain."
MASTER: "Tell me, what does one attain
through money? Jaygopal Sen
is such a wealthy man; but he complains that his children don't obey
him."
M: "Is poverty the only painful thing in the world? There are the six
passions besides. Then disease and grief."
MASTER: "And also name and fame, the
desire to win people's recognition. Well, what do you think my attitude
is?"
M: "It is like that of a man just awakened from sleep. He becomes aware
of himself. You are always united with God."
MASTER: "Do you ever dream of me?"
M: "Yes, sir. Many times."
MASTER: "How? Did you dream of me as
giving you instruction?"
M. remained silent.
MASTER: "If you ever see me instructing
you, then know that it is Satchidananda Himself that does so."
M. related his dream experiences to Sri Ramakrishna, who listened to
them attentively.
MASTER (to M.): "That is very
good. Don't reason any more. You are a follower of Sakti."
Wednesday, October 10, 1883
Adhar had invited the Master to come to his house on the
occasion of the
Durga Puja festival. It was the third day of the worship of the Divine
Mother. When Sri Ramakrishna arrived at Adhar's house, he found Adhar's
friend Sarada, Balaram's father, and Adhar's neighbours and relatives
waiting
for him.
The Master went into the worship hall to see the evening worship. When
it was over, he remained standing there in an abstracted mood and sang
in
praise of the Divine Mother:
Out of my deep affliction rescue me, O Redeemer!
Terrified by the threats of the King of Death am I!
Left to myself, I shall perish soon;
Save me, oh, save me now, I pray!
Mother of all the worlds! Thou, the Support of mankind!
Thou, the Bewitcher of all, the Mother of all that has life!
Vrindavan's charming Radha art Thou,
Dearest playmate of Braja's Beloved.
Blissful comrade of Krishna, well-spring of Krishna's lila,
Child of Himalaya, best of the gopis, beloved of Govinda!
Sacred Ganga, Giver of moksha!
Sakti! The universe sings Thy praise.
Thou art the Spouse of Siva, the Ever-blessed, the All;
Sometimes Thou takest form and sometimes art absolute.
Eternal Beloved of Mahadeva,
Who can fathom Thine infinite glories?
The Master went to Adhar's drawing-room on the second floor
and took
a seat, surrounded by the guests. Still in a mood of divine fervour, he
said: "Gentlemen, I have eaten. Now go and enjoy the feast." Was the
Master hinting that the Divine Mother had partaken of Adhar's offering?
Did
he identify himself with the Divine Mother and therefore say, "I have
eaten"?
Then, addressing the Divine Mother, he continued: "Shall I eat, O
Mother? Or will You eat? O Mother, the very Embodiment of the Wine of
Divine Bliss!" Did the Master look on himself as one with the Divine
Mother? Had the Mother incarnated Herself as the Son to instruct
mankind
in the ways of God? Was this why the Master said, "I have eaten"?
In that state of divine ecstasy Sri Ramakrishna saw the six centres in
his
body, and the Divine Mother dwelling in them. He sang a song to that
effect.
Again he sang:
My mind is overwhelmed with wonder,
Pondering the Mother's mystery;
Her very name removes
The fear of Kala, Death himself;
Beneath Her feet lies Maha-Kala.
Why should Her hue be kala, black?
Many the forms of black, but She
Appears astoundingly black;
When contemplated in the heart,
She lights the lotus that blossoms there.
Her form is black, and She is named
Kali, the Black One. Blacker than black
Is She! Beholding Her,
Man, is bewitched for evermore;
No other form can he enjoy.
In wonderment asks Ramprasad:
Where dwells this Woman so amazing?
At Her mere name, his mind
Becomes at once absorbed in Her,
Though he has never yet beheld Her.
I have surrendered my soul at the fearless
feet of the Mother;
Am I afraid of Death any more?
Unto the tuft of hair on my head
Is tied the almighty mantra, Mother Kali's name.
My body I have sold in the market-place of the world
And with it have bought Sri Durga's name.
Deep within my heart I have planted the name of Kali,
The Wish-fulfilling Tree of heaven;
When Yama, King of Death, appears,
To him I shall open my heart and show it growing there.
I have cast out from me my six unflagging foes;5
Ready am I to sail life's sea,
Crying, "To Durga, victory!"
Why has My body turned so golden? It is
not time for this to be:
Many the ages that must pass, before as Gauranga I appear.
Here in the age of Dwapara My sport is not yet at an end;
How strange this transformation is!
The peacock glistens, all of gold; and golden, too, the cuckoo gleams!
Everything around Me here has turned to gold! Naught else appears
But gold, whichever way I look.
What can it mean, this miracle, that everything I see is gold?
Ah, I can guess its meaning now:
Radha has come to Mathura,7
and that is why My skin is gold.
For she is like the brahmara,8
and so has given Me her hue.
Dark blue My body was but now; yet in the twinkling of an eye
It turned to gold. Have I become Radha by contemplating her?
I cannot imagine where I am — in Mathura or Navadvip.
But how could this have come to pass?
Not yet is Balarama born as Nitai, nor has Narada
Become Srivas, nor Yasoda as Mother Sachi yet returned.
Then why should I, among them all, alone assume a golden face?
Not yet is Father Nanda born as Jagannath;9
then why should I
Be thus transmuted into gold?
Perhaps because in Mathura sweet Radha has appeared, My skin
Has borrowed Gauranga's golden hue.
Sri Ramakrishna sang again, still overpowered with the ideal of Gauranga:
Surely Gauranga is lost in a state of blissful ecstasy;
In an exuberance of joy, he laughs and weeps and dances and sings.
He takes a wood for Vrindavan, the Ganges for the blue Jamuna;
Loudly he sobs and weeps. Yet, though he is all gold without,
He is all black within — black with the blackness of Krishna!
The Master continued to sing, assuming the attitude of a woman devotee infatuated with love for Gauranga:
Why do my neighbours raise such a scandal?
Why do they cast aspersions upon me
Simply because of Gauranga?
How can they understand my feelings?
How can I ever explain?
Can I ever explain at all?
Alas, to whom shall I explain it?
Ah, but they make me die of shame!
Once on a time, at the house of Srivas,
Gora was loudly singing the kirtan,
When, on the ground of the courtyard,
Falling, he rolled in an ecstasy.
I, who was standing near him,
Seeing him where he lay entranced,
Was suddenly lost to outward sense,
Until the wife of Srivas revived me.
Another day, in the bhaktas' procession,
Gora was sweetly singing the kirtan;
Clasping the outcastes to him,
He softened the unbelievers' hearts.
Through Nadia's market-place
He chanted Lord Hari's holy name.
I followed the throng, and from close by
Caught a glimpse of his golden feet.
Once by the Ganges' bank he stood,
His body bright as the sun and moon,
Charming all with his beauty,
I too had come, to fetch some water,
And, as I looked from one side,
My water-jar slipped and fell to the ground.
My sister-in-law, the gossip, saw me,
And now she is spreading it everywhere.
Balaram's father was a Vaishnava; hence the Master also sang of the divine love of the gopis for their beloved Krishna:
I have not found my Krishna, O friend! How cheerless my home without
Him!
Ah, if Krishna could only be the hair upon my head,
Carefully I should braid it then, and deck it with bakul-flowers;
Carefully I should fashion the braids out of my Krishna-hair.
Krishna is black, and black is my hair; black would be one with black!
Ah, if Krishna could only be the ring I wear in my nose,
Always from mv nose He would hang, and my two lips could touch Him.
But it can never be, alas! Why should I idly dream?
Why should Krishna care at all to be the ring in my nose?
Ah, if Krishna could only be the bracelets on my arms,
Always He would cling to my wrists, and proudly I should walk,
Shaking my bracelets to make them sound, shaking my arms to show them;
Down the king's highway I should walk, wearing my Krishna bracelets.
Balaram's father was a wealthy man with estates in different
parts of
Orissa. An orthodox member of the Vaishnava sect, he had built temples
and arranged for distribution of food to the pilgrims at various holy
places.
He had been spending the last years of his life in Vrindavan. The
Vaishnavas,
for the most part, are bigoted in their religious views. Some of them
harbour
malicious feelings toward the followers of the Tantra and Vedanta. But
Sri
Ramakrishna never encouraged such a narrow outlook. According to his
teachings, through earnestness and yearning all lovers of God will
ultimately
reach the same goal. The Master began the conversation in order to
broaden
the religious views of Balaram's father.
MASTER (to M.): "Once I thought,
'Why should I be one-sided?' Therefore
I was initiated into Vaishnavism in Vrindavan and took the garb of a
Vaishnava monk. I spent three days practising the Vaishnava discipline.
Again, at Dakshineswar I was initiated into the mystery of Rama
worship.
I painted my forehead with a long mark and put on a string with a
diamond
round my neck. But after a few days I gave them up.
"A certain man had a tub. People would come to him to have their
clothes dyed. The tub contained a solution of dye. Whatever colour a
man
wanted for his cloth, he would get by dipping the cloth in the tub. One
man was amazed to see this and said to the dyer, 'Please give me the
dye
you have in your tub.'"
Was the Master hinting that people professing different religions would
come to him and have their spiritual consciousness awakened according
to
their own ideals?
MASTER (to Balaram's father):
"Don't read books any more. But you may
read books on devotion, such as the life of Chaitanya.'
"The whole thing is to love God and taste His sweetness. He is
sweetness
and the devotee is its enjoyer. The devotee drinks the sweet Bliss of
God.
Further, God is the lotus and the devotee the bee. The devotee sips the
honey of the lotus.
"As a devotee cannot live without God, so also God cannot live without
His devotee. Then the devotee becomes the sweetness, and God its
enjoyer.
The devotee becomes the lotus, and God the bee. It is the Godhead that
has become these two in order to enjoy Its own Bliss. That is the
significance
of the episode of Radha and Krishna.10
"At the beginning of spiritual life the devotee should observe such
rites
as pilgrimage, putting a string of beads around his neck, and so forth.
But
outward ceremonies gradually drop off as he attains the goal, the
vision of
God. Then his only activity is the repetition of God's name, and
contemplation and meditation on Him.
"The pennies equivalent to sixteen rupees make a great heap. But
sixteen
silver coins do not look like such a big amount. Again, the quantity
becomes much smaller when you change the sixteen rupees into one gold
mohur.
And if you change the gold into a tiny piece of diamond, people hardly
notice it."
Orthodox Vaishnavas insist on the outer insignia of religion. They
criticize any devotee who does not wear these marks. Was that why the
Master said that, after the vision of God, a devotee becomes
indifferent to
outer marks, giving up formal worship when the goal of spiritual life
is
attained?
MASTER (to Balaram's father):
"The Kartabhajas group the devotees into
four classes: the pravartaka, the sadhaka, the siddha, and the siddha
of the
siddha. The pravartaka, the beginner, puts the mark of his religion on
his
forehead, wears a string of beads around his neck, and observes other
outer
conventions. The sadhaka, the struggling devotee, does not care so much
for
elaborate rites. An example of this class is the Baul. The siddha, the
perfect,
firmly believes that God exists. The siddha of the siddha, the
supremely
perfect, like Chaitanya, not only has realized God but also has become
intimate with Him and talks with Him all the time. This is the last
limit of
realization.
"There are many kinds of spiritual aspirants. Those endowed with sattva
perform their spiritual practices secretly. They look like ordinary
people,
but they meditate inside the mosquito net.
"Aspirants endowed with rajas exhibit outward pomp — a string of beads
around the neck, a mark on the forehead, an ochre robe, a silk cloth, a
rosary
with a gold bead, and so on. They are like stall-keepers advertising
their
wares with signboards.
"All religions and all paths call upon their followers to pray to one
and
the same God. Therefore one should not show disrespect to any religion
or
religious opinion. It is God alone who is called Satchidananda Brahman
in
the Vedas, Satchidananda Krishna in the Puranas, and Satchidananda Siva
in the Tantras. It is one and the same Satchidananda.
"There are different sects of Vaishnavas. That which is called Brahman
in the Vedas is called Alekh-Niranjan by one Vaishnava sect. 'Alekh'
means
That which cannot be pointed out or perceived by the sense-organs.
According
to this sect, Radha and Krishna are only two bubbles of the Alekh.
"According to the Vedanta,11
there is no Incarnation of God. The
Vedantists say that Rama and Krishna are but two waves in the Ocean of
Satchidananda.
"In reality there are not two. There is only One. A man may call on God
by any name; if he is sincere in his prayer he will certainly reach
Him. He
will succeed if he has longing."
As Sri Ramakrishna spoke these words to the devotees, he was
overwhelmed
with divine fervour. Coming down to partial consciousness of the
world, he said to Balaram's father, "Are you the father of Balaram?"
All sat in silence. Balaram's aged father was silently telling his
beads.
MASTER (to M. and the others):
"Well, these people practise so much
japa and go to so many sacred places, but why are they like this? Why
do
they make no progress? In their case it seems as if the year consists
of
eighteen months.
"Once I said to Harish: 'What is the use of going to Benares if one
does
not feel restless for God? And if one feels that longing, then this
very place is Benares.'
"They make so many pilgrimages and repeat the name of God so much,
but why do they not realize anything? It is because they have no
longing
for God. God reveals Himself to the devotee if only he calls upon Him
with
a longing heart.
"At the beginning of a yatra performance much light-hearted
restlessness
is to be observed on the stage. At that time one does not see Krishna.
Next
the sage Narada enters with his flute and sings longingly, 'O Govinda!
O
my Life! O my Soul!' Then Krishna can no longer remain away and appears
with the cowherd boys."
Tuesday, October 16, 1883
Sri Ramakrishna was in his room with Rakhal, Balaram's father,
Beni Pal,
M., Mani Mallick, Ishan, Kishori, and other devotees.
MASTER: "Liberal-minded devotees
accept all the forms of God: Krishna, Kali, Siva, Rama, and so on."
BALARAM'S FATHER: "Yes, sir. It is
like a woman's recognizing her husband, whatever clothes he wears."
MASTER: "But again, there is a thing
called nishtha, single-minded devotion.
When the gopis went to Mathura they saw Krishna with a turban on
His head. At this they pulled down their veils and said, 'Who is this
man?
Where is our Krishna with the peacock feather on His crest and the
yellow
cloth on His body?' Hanuman also had that unswerving devotion. He came
to Dwaraka in the cycle of Dwapara. Krishna said to Rukmini, His queen,
'Hanuman will not be satisfied unless he sees the form of Rama.' So, to
please Hanuman, Krishna assumed the form of Rama.
"But, my dear sir, I am in a peculiar state of mind. My mind constantly
descends from the Absolute to the Relative, and again ascends from the
Relative to the Absolute.
"The attainment of the Absolute is called the Knowledge of Brahman. But
it is extremely difficult to acquire. A man cannot acquire the
Knowledge of
Brahman unless he completely rids himself of his attachment to the
world.
When the Divine Mother was born as the daughter of King Himalaya, She
showed Her various forms to Her father. The king said, 'I want to see
Brahman.' Thereupon the Divine Mother said: 'Father, it that is your
desire,
then you must seek the company of holy men. You must go into solitude,
away
from the world, and now and then live in holy company.'
"The manifold has come from the One alone, the Relative from the
Absolute. There is a state of consciousness where the many disappears,
and
the One, as well; for the many must exist as long as the One exists.
Brahman
is without comparison. It is impossible to explain Brahman by analogy.
It is
between light and darkness. It is Light, but not the light that we
perceive,
not material light.
"Again, when God changes the state of my mind, when He brings my
mind down to the plane of the Relative, I perceive that it is He who
has
become all these — the Creator, maya, the living beings, and the
universe.
"Again, sometimes He shows me that He has created the universe and all
living beings. He is the Master, and the universe His garden.
"'He is the Master, and the universe and all its living beings belong
to
Him' — that is Knowledge. And, 'I am the doer', 'I am the guru', 'I am
the
father' — that is ignorance. 'This is my house; this is my family; this
is
my wealth; these are my relatives' — this also is ignorance."
BALARAM'S FATHER: "That is true, sir."
MASTER: "As long as you do not
feel that God is the Master, you must
come back to the world, you must be born again and again. There will be
no rebirth when you can truly say, 'O God, Thou art the Master.' As
long
as you cannot say, 'O Lord, Thou alone art real', you will not be
released
from the life of the world. This going and coming, this rebirth, is
inevitable.
There will be no liberation. Further, what can you achieve by saying,
'It is
mine'? The manager of an estate may say, 'This is our garden; these are
our
couches and furniture.' But when he is dismissed by the master, he
hasn't
the right to take away even a chest of worthless mango-wood given to
him
for his use.
"The feeling of 'I and mine' has covered the Reality. Because of this
we
do not see Truth. Attainment of Chaitanya, Divine Consciousness, is not
possible without the knowledge of Advaita, Non-duality. After realizing
Chaitanya one enjoys Nityananda, Eternal Bliss. One enjoys this Bliss
after
attaining the state of a paramahamsa.
"Vedanta does not recognize the Incarnation of God. According to it,
Chaitanyadeva is only a bubble of the non-dual Brahman.
"Do you know what the vision of Divine Consciousness is like? It is
like
the sudden illumination of a dark room when a match is struck.
"The Incarnation of God is accepted by those who follow the path of
bhakti. A woman belonging to the Kartabhaja sect observed my condition
and remarked: 'You have inner realization. Don't dance and sing too
much.
Ripe grapes must be preserved carefully in cotton. The mother-in-law
lessens
her daughter-in-law's activities when the daughter-in-law is with
child. One
characteristic of God-realization is that the activities of a man with
such
realization gradually drop away. Inside this man [meaning Sri
Ramakrishna]
is the real Jewel.'
"Watching me eat, she remarked, 'Sir, are you yourself eating, or are
you
feeding someone else?'
"The feeling of ego has covered the Truth. Narendra once said, 'As the
"I" of man recedes, the "I" of God approaches.' Kedar says, 'The more
clay
there is in the jar, the less water it holds.'
"Krishna said to Arjuna: 'Brother, you will not realize Me if you
possess
even one of the eight siddhis.' These give only a little power. With
healing
and the like one may do only a little good to others. Isn't that true?
"Therefore I prayed to the Divine Mother for pure love only, a love
that
does not seek any return. I never asked for occult powers."
While talking thus, Sri Ramakrishna went into samadhi. He sat there
motionless, completely forgetful of the outer world. Then, coming down
to
the sense world, he sang:
Ah, friend' I have not found Him yet, whose love has driven me mad. ...
At the Master's request, Ramlal sang a song describing how Chaitanya embraced the monastic life:
Oh, what a vision I have beheld in Keshab Bharati's12
hut!
Gora, in all his matchless grace,
Shedding tears in a thousand streams!
Like a mad elephant
He dances in ecstasy and sings,
Drunk with an overwhelming love.
Rolling flat upon the ground and swimming in his tears,
He weeps and shouts Lord Hari's name,
Piercing the very heavens with his cries,
Loud as a lion's roar;
Then most humbly he begs men's love,
To feel himself the servant of God.
Shorn of his locks, he has put on the yogi's ochre robe;
Even the hardest heart must melt
To see his pure and heavenly love.
Smitten by man's deep woe,
He has abandoned everything
And pours out love unstintingly.
Oh, would that Premdas were his slave and, passing from door to door,
Might sing Gauranga's endless praise!
The Master asked Mani Mallick to quote the words of Tulsidas
to the
effect that one who had developed love of God could not observe caste
distinctions.
MANI: "The throat of the chatak
bird is pierced with thirst. All around
are the waters of the Ganges, the Jamuna, the Saraju, and of
innumerable
other rivers and lakes; but the bird will not touch any of these. It
only looks
up expectantly for the rain thai falls when the star Svati is in the
ascendant.'"
MASTER: "That means that love for the
Lotus Feet of God is alone real, and all else illusory."
MANI: "Tulsi also said: 'At the touch
of the philosopher's stone, the
eight metals become gold. Likewise all castes, even the butcher and the
untouchable, become pure by repeating Hari's name. Without Hari's name
the
people of the four castes are but butchers.'"
MASTER: "The hide that the scriptures
forbid one to touch can be taken inside the temple after it has been
tanned.
"Man becomes pure by repeating the name of God. Therefore one should
practise the chanting of God's name. I said to Jadu Mallick's mother:
'In
the hour of death you will think only of worldly things — of family,
children,
executing the will, and so forth. The thought of God will not come to
your
mind. The way to remember God in the hour of death is to practise, now,
the repetition of His name and the chanting of His glories. If one
keeps up
this practice, then in the hour of death one will repeat the name of
God.
When the cat pounces upon the bird, the bird only squawks and does not
say, 'Rama, Rama, Hare-Krishna'.
"It is good to prepare for death. One should constantly think of God
and
chant His name in solitude during the last years of one's life. If the
elephant
is put into the stable after its bath it is not soiled again by dirt
and dust."
Balaram's father, Mani Mallick, and Beni Pal were all elderly men. Did
the Master give this instruction especially for their benefit?
MASTER: "Why do I ask you to think of
God and chant His name in
solitude? Living in the world day and night, one suffers from worries.
Haven't
you noticed brother killing brother for a foot of land? The Sikhs said
to me,
'The cause of all worry and confusion is these three: land, woman, and
money.'
"You are leading a householder's life. Why should you be afraid of the
world? When Rama said to Dasaratha that He was going to renounce the
world, it worried His father, and the king sought counsel of Vasishtha.
Vasishtha said to Rama: 'Rama, why should You give up the world? Reason
with me. Is this world outside God? What is there to renounce and what
is there to accept? Nothing whatever exists but God. It is Brahman
alone
that appears as Isvara, maya, living beings, and the universe.'"
BALARAM'S FATHER: "It is very
difficult, sir."
MASTER: "The aspirant, while
practising spiritual discipline, looks upon
the world as a 'framework of illusion'. Again, after the attainment of
Knowledge, the vision of God, this very world becomes to him a 'mansion
of
mirth.'
"It is written in the books of the Vaishnavas: 'God can be attained
through
faith alone; reasoning pushes Him far away.' Faith alone!
"What faith Krishnakishore had! At Vrindavan a low-caste man drew
water for him from a well. Krishnakishore said to him, 'Repeat the name
of
Siva.' After the man had repeated the name of Siva, Krishnakishore
unhesitatingly drank the water. He used to say, 'If a man chants the
name of God,
does he need to spend money any more for the atonement of his sins? How
foolish!' He was amazed to see people worshipping God with the sacred
tulsi-leaf in order to get rid of their' illnesses. At the bathing-ghat
here he
said to us, 'Please bless me, that I may pass my days repeating Rama's
holy
name.' Whenever I went to his house he would dance with joy at the
sight
of me. Rama said to Lakshmana, 'Brother, whenever you find people
singing
and dancing in the ecstasy of divine love, know for certain that I am
there.'
Chaitanya is an example of such ecstatic love. He laughed and wept and
danced and sang in divine ecstasy. He was an Incarnation. God
incarnated
Himself through Chaitanya."
Sri Ramakrishna sang a song describing the divine love of Chaitanya.
Then
Balaram's father, Mani Mallick, Beni Pal, and several other devotees
took
leave of the Master.
In the evening, devotees from Kansaritola, Calcutta, arrived. The
Master
danced and sang with them in a state of divine fervour. After dancing,
he
went into a spiritual mood and said, "I shall go part of the way
myself."
Kishori came forward to massage his feet, but the Master did not allow
anyone to touch him.
Ishan arrived. The Master was seated, still in a spiritual mood. After
a
while he became engaged in talk with Ishan. It was Ishan's desire to
practise the purascharana of the Gayatri.
MASTER (to Ishan): "Follow your
own intuition. I hope there is no more
doubt in your mind. Is there any? The path of the Vedas is not meant
for
the Kaliyuga. The path of Tantra is efficacious."
ISHAN: "I have almost resolved to
perform an atonement ceremony."
MASTER: "Do you mean to say that one
cannot follow the path of Tantra?
That which is Brahman is also Sakti, Kali.
Knowing the secret that Kali is one with the highest Brahman,
I have discarded, once for all, both righteousness and sin."
ISHAN: "It is mentioned in a hymn
in the Chandi that Brahman alone is
the Primal Energy. Brahman is identical with Sakti."
MASTER: "It will not do simply to
express that idea in words. Only when you assimilate it will all be
well with you.
"When the heart becomes pure through the practice of spiritual
discipline,
then one rightly feels that God alone is the Doer. He alone has become
mind,
life, and intelligence. We are only His instruments.
Thou it is that boldest the elephant in the mire;
Thou, that helpest the lame man scale the loftiest hill.
"When your heart becomes pure, then you will realize that it is God who makes us perform such rites as the purascharana.
Thou workest Thine own work; men only call it theirs.
"All doubts disappear after the realization of God. Then the
devotee meets
the favourable wind. He becomes free from worry. He is like the boatman
who, when the favourable wind blows, unfurls the sail, holds the rudder
lightly, and enjoys a smoke."
Ishan took his leave and Sri Ramakrishna talked with M. No one else was
present. He asked M. what he thought of Narendra, Rakhal, Adhar, and
Hazra, and whether they were guileless. "And", asked the Master, "what
do
you think of me?"
M. said: "You are simple and at the same time deep. It is extremely
difficult to understand you."
Sri Ramakrishna laughed.
November 26, 1883
Cherish my precious Mother Syama
Tenderly within, O mind;
May you and I alone behold Her,
Letting no one else intrude.
O mind, in solitude enjoy Her,
Keeping the passions all outside;
Take but the tongue, that now and again
It may cry out, "O Mother! Mother!"
Suffer no breath of base desire
To enter and approach us there,
But bid true knowledge stand on guard,
Alert and watchful evermore.
The Master said to Vijay: "Surrender yourself completely to
God, and
set aside all such things as fear and shame. Give up such feelings as,
What
will people think of me if I dance in the ecstasy of God's holy name?'
The
saying, 'One cannot have the vision of God as long as one has these
three —
shame, hatred, and tear', is very true. Shame, hatred, fear, caste,
pride,
secretiveness, and the like are so many bonds. Man is free when he is
liberated from all these.
"When bound by ties one is jiva, and when free from ties one is Siva.
Prema, ecstatic love of God, is a rare thing.
"First of all one acquires bhakti. Bhakti is single-minded devotion to
God,
like the devotion a wife feels for her husband. It is very difficult to
have
unalloyed devotion to God. Through such devotion one's mind and soul
merge in Him.
"Then comes bhava, intense love. Through bhava a man becomes
speechless.
His nerve currents are stilled. Kumbhaka comes by itself. It is like
the
case of a man whose breath and speech stop when he fires a gun.
"But prema, ecstatic love, is an extremely rare thing. Chaitanya had
that
love. When one has prema one forgets all-outer things. One forgets the
world. One even forgets one's own body, which is so dear to a man."
The Master began to sing:
Oh, when will dawn the blessed day
When tears of joy will flow from my eyes
As I repeat Lord Hari's name?
Oh, when will dawn the blessed day
When all my craving for the world
Will vanish straightway from my heart,
And with the thrill of His holy name
All of my hair will stand on end?
Oh, when will dawn that blessed day?
So the talk of divine things was proceeding, when some invited
Brahmo
devotees entered the room. There were among them a few pundits and high
government officials.
Sri Ramakrishna had said that bhava stills the nerve currents of the
devotee. He continued: "When Arjuna was about to shoot at the target,
the eye of a fish, his eyes were fixed on the eye of the fish, and on
nothing
else. He didn't even notice any part of the fish except the eye. In
such a state
the breathing stops and one experiences kumbhaka.
"Another characteristic of God-vision is that a great spiritual current
rushes
up along the spine and goes toward the brain. If then the devotee goes
into
samadhi, he sees God."
Looking at the Brahmo devotees who had just arrived, the Master said:
"Mere pundits, devoid of divine love, talk incoherently. Pundit
Samadhyayi
once said, in the course of his sermon: 'God is dry. Make Him sweet by
your love and devotion.' Imagine! To describe Him as dry, whom the
Vedas
declare as the Essence of Bliss! It makes one feel that the pundit
didn't
know what God really is. That was why his words were so incoherent.
"A man once said, 'There are many horses in my uncle's cow-shed.' From
that one could know that the man had no horses at all. No one keeps a
horse in a cow-shed.
"Some people pride themselves on their riches and power — their wealth,
honour, and social position. But these are only transitory. Nothing
will
remain with you in death.
"There is a song that runs:
Remember this, O mind! Nobody is your own:
Vain is your wandering in this world.
Trapped in the subtle snare of maya as you are,
Do not forget the Mother's name.
Only a day or two men honour you on earth
As lord and master; all too soon
That form, so honoured now, must needs be cast away,
When Death, the Master, seizes you.
Even your beloved wife, for whom, while yet you live,
You fret yourself almost to death,
Will not go with you then; she too will say farewell,
And shun your corpse as an evil thing.
"One must not be proud of one's money. If you say that you are
rich, then
one can remind you that there are richer men than you, and others
richer
still, and so on. At dusk the glow-worm comes out and thinks that it
lights
the world. But its pride is crushed when the stars appear in the sky.
The
stars feel that they give light to the earth. But when the moon rises
the
stars fade in shame. The moon feels that the world smiles at its light
and that
it lights the earth. Then the eastern horizon becomes red, and the sun
rises.
The moon fades and after a while is no longer seen.
"If wealthy people would think that way, they would get rid of their
pride in their wealth."
Manilal had provided a sumptuous feast in celebration of the festival.
He
entertained the Master and the other guests with great love and
attention.
It was late at night when they returned to their homes.