God and His splendour — God Himself has become everything — Influence of company — Obstacles to yoga — Spiritual discipline — Will-power needed for renunciation — Master denounces hypocrisy — The ideal of a spiritual family — Different forms of austerity — Sin and repentance — Rules for concentration — Two forms of meditation — Meaning of Om — Ignorance, knowledge, and Supreme Wisdom — The two egos — God's manifestation through man — The Eternal Religion — Man teaches by God's power — Signs of Knowledge — Two kinds of renunciation — Advantage of a householder's life — Practice of continence — Sannyasi's absolute self-control.
Sunday, March 9, 1884
SRI RAMAKRISHNA was sitting in his
room at Dakshineswar with many
devotees. Among them were Mani Mallick, Mahendra Kaviraj,
Balaram, M., Bhavanath, Rakhal, Latu, and Harish. The Master's
injured arm was in a splint. In spite of the injury he was constantly
absorbed in samadhi or instructing the devotees.
Mani Mallick and Bhavanath referred to the exhibition which was then
being held near the Asiatic Museum. They said: "Many maharajas have
sent precious articles to the exhibition — gold couches and the like.
It is
worth seeing."
MASTER (to the devotees, with a smile):
"Yes, you gain much by visiting
those things. You realize that those articles of gold and the other
things sent
by maharajas are mere trash. That is a great gain in itself. When I
used
to go to Calcutta with Hriday, he would show me the Viceroy's palace
and
say: 'Look, uncle! There is the Viceroy's palace with the big columns.'
The
Mother revealed to me that they were merely clay bricks laid one on top
of another.
"God and His splendour. God alone is real; the splendour has but a
two-days existence. The magician and his magic. All become speechless
with
wonder at the magic, but it is all unreal. The magician alone is real.
The
rich man and his garden. People see only the garden; they should look
for
its rich owner."
MANI MALLICK
(to the Master): "What a big electric light they
have at
the exhibition! It makes us think how great He must be who has made
such
an electric light."
MASTER (to Mani): "But according to
one view it is He Himself who
has become everything. Even those who say that are He. It is
Satchidananda
Itself that has become all — the Creator, maya, the universe, and
living
beings."
The conversation turned to the museum.
MASTER (to the devotees): "I visited
the museum once. I was shown
fossils. A whole animal has become stone! Just see what an effect has
been
produced by company! Likewise, by constantly living in the company of a
holy man one verily becomes holy."
MANI (smiling): "Had you visited the
exhibition only once, we could
receive instruction for ten or fifteen years."
MASTER (with a smile): "How so? You
mean illustrations?"
BALARAM: "No, you shouldn't go. Your arm
won't heal if you go here and there."
MASTER: "I should like to have two
pictures. One of a yogi seated before
a lighted log, and another of a yogi smoking hemp and the charcoal
blazing
up as he pulls. Such pictures kindle my spiritual consciousness, as an
imitation fruit awakens the idea of a real one.
"The obstacle to yoga is 'woman and gold'. Yoga is possible when the
mind becomes pure. The seat of the mind is between the eyebrows; but
its
look is fixed on the navel and the organs of generation and evacuation,
that
is to say, on 'woman and gold'. But through spiritual discipline the
same
mind looks upward.
"What are the spiritual disciplines that give the mind its upward
direction?
One learns all this by constantly living in holy company. The rishis
of olden times lived either in solitude or in the company of holy
persons;
therefore they could easily renounce 'woman and gold' and fix their
minds
on God. They had no fear nor did they mind the criticism of others.
"In order to be able to renounce, one must pray to God for the
will-power
to do so. One must immediately renounce what one feels to be unreal.
The
rishis had this will-power. Through it they controlled the
sense-organs. If
the tortoise once tucks in its limbs, you cannot make it bring them out
even
by cutting it into four pieces.
"The worldly man is a hypocrite. He cannot be guileless. He professes
to love God, but he is attracted by worldly objects. He doesn't give
God
even a very small part of the love he feels for 'woman and gold'. But
he
says that he loves God. (To Mani Mallick) Give up
hypocrisy."
MANI: "Regarding whom, God or man?"
MASTER: "Regarding everything — man as
well as God. One must not be a hypocrite.
"How guileless Bhavanath is! After his marriage he came to me and
asked, 'Why do I feel so much love for my wife?' Alas, he is so
guileless!
"Isn't it natural for a man to love his wife? This is due to the
world-bewitching maya of the Divine Mother of the Universe. A man feels
about
his wife that he has no one else in the world so near and dear; that
she is his
very own in life and death, here and hereafter.
"Again, how much a man suffers for his wife! Still he believes that
there
is no other relative so near. Look at the sad plight of a husband.
Perhaps he
earns twenty rupees a month and is the father of three children. He
hasn't
the means to feed them well. His roof leaks, but he hasn't the
wherewithal
to repair it. He cannot afford to buy new books for his son. He cannot
invest his son with the sacred thread. He begs a few pennies from his
different friends.
"But a wife endowed with spiritual wisdom is a real partner in life.
She
greatly helps her husband to follow the religious path. After the birth
of
one or two children they live like brother and sister. Both of them are
devotees of God — His servant and His handmaid. Their family is a
spiritual
family. They are always happy with God and His devotees. They know that
God alone is their own, from everlasting to everlasting. They are like
the
Pandava brothers; they do not forget God in happiness or in sorrow.
"The longing of the worldly-minded for God is momentary, like a drop
of water on a red-hot frying-pan. The water hisses and dries up in an
instant.
The attention of the worldly-minded is directed to the enjoyment of
worldly
pleasure. Therefore they do not feel yearning and restlessness for God.
"People may observe the ekadasi in three ways. First, the 'waterless'
ekadasi — they are not permitted to drink even a drop of water.
Likewise, an
all-renouncing religious mendicant completely gives up all forms of
enjoyment.
Second, while observing the ekadasi they take milk and sandesh.
Likewise, a householder devotee keeps in his house simple objects of
enjoyment.
Third, while observing the ekadasi they eat luchi and chakka. They
eat their fill. They keep a couple of loaves soaking in milk, which
they will
eat later on.1
"A man practises spiritual discipline, but his mind is on 'woman and
gold' — it is turned toward enjoyment. Therefore, in his case, the
spiritual
discipline does not produce the right result.
"Hazra used to practise much japa and austerity here. But in the
country
he has his wife, children, and land. Therefore along with his spiritual
discipline he carried on the business of a broker. Such people cannot
be true to
their word. One moment they say they will give up fish, but the next
moment they break their vow.
"Is there anything that a man will not do for money? He will even
compel a brahmin or a holy man to carry a load.
"In my room sweets would turn bad; still I could not give them away to
the worldly-minded. I could accept dirty water from others, but not
even
touch the jar of a worldly person.
"At the sight of rich people Hazra would call them to him. He would
give them long lectures. He would say to them: 'You see Rakhal and the
other youngsters. They do not practise any spiritual discipline. They
simply
wander about merrily.'
"A man may live in a mountain cave, smear his body with ashes, observe
fasts, and practise austere discipline; but if his mind dwells on
worldly
objects, on 'woman and gold', I say, 'Shame on him!' But I say that a
man is
blessed indeed who eats, drinks, and roams about, but who keeps his
mind
free from 'woman and gold'.
(Pointing to Mani Mallick) "There is no picture of a
holy man at his
house. Divine feeling is awakened through such pictures."
MANILAL: "Yes, there is. In one room there
is a picture of a pious Christian
woman engaged in prayer. There is another picture in which a man holds
to the Hill of Faith; below is an ocean of immeasurable depth. If he
gives
up his hold on faith, he will drop into the bottomless water. There is
still a
third picture. Several virgins are keeping vigil, feeding their lamps
with
oil in expectation of the Bridegroom. A sleeping virgin is by their
side.
She will not behold the Bridegroom when He arrives. God is described
here
as the Bridegroom."
MASTER (smiling): "That's very nice."
MANILAL: "I have other pictures too — one
of the Tree of Faith' and another of 'Sin and Virtue'."
MASTER (to Bhavanath): "Those are
good pictures. Go to his house and see them."
The Master remained silent a few minutes.
MASTER: "Now and then I reflect on these
ideas and find that I do not
like them. In the beginning of spiritual life a man should think about
sin
and how to get rid of it. But when, through the grace of God, devotion
and
ecstatic love are awakened in his heart, then he altogether forgets
virtue
and sin. Then he leaves the scriptures and their injunctions far
behind.
Thoughts of repentance and penance do not bother him at all.
"It is like going to your destination along a winding river. This
requires
great effort and a long time. But when there is a flood all around,
then you
can go straight to your destination in a short time. Then you find the
land
lying under water deep as a bamboo pole.
"In the beginning of spiritual life one goes by a roundabout way. One
has to suffer a great deal. But the path becomes very easy when
ecstatic
love is awakened in the heart. It is like going over the paddy-field
after the
harvest is over. You may then walk in any direction. Before the harvest
you
had to go along the winding balk, but now you can walk in any
direction.
There may be stubble in the field, but you will not be hurt by it if
you
walk with your shoes on. Just so, an aspirant does not suffer if he has
discrimination, dispassion, and faith in the guru's words."
MANILAL (to the Master): "Well, what
is the rule for concentration? Where should one concentrate?"
MASTER: "The heart is a splendid place.
One can meditate there or in the
Sahasrara. These are rules for meditation given in the scriptures. But
you
may meditate wherever you like. Every place is filled with
Brahman-Consciousness.
Is there any place where It does not exist? Narayana, in Vali's
presence, covered with two steps the heavens, the earth, and the
interspaces.2
Is there then any place left uncovered by God? A dirty place is as holy
as
the bank of the Ganges. It is said that the whole creation is the
Virat, the
Universal Form of God.
There are two kinds of meditation, one on the formless God and the
other on God with form. But meditation on the formless God is extremely
difficult. In that meditation you must wipe out all that you see or
hear. You
contemplate only the nature of your Inner Self. Meditating on His Inner
Self, Siva dances about. He exclaims, 'What am I! What am I!' This is
called the 'Siva yoga'. While practising this form of meditation, one
directs
one's look to the forehead. It is meditation on the nature of one's
Inner Self
after negating the world, following the Vedantic method of 'Neti, neti'.
"There is another form of meditation known as the 'Vishnu yoga'. The
eyes are fixed on the tip of the nose. Half the look is directed inward
and
the other half outward. This is how one meditates on God with form.
Sometimes Siva meditates on God with form, and dances. At that time he
exclaims, 'Rama! Rama!' and dances about."
Sri Ramakrishna then explained the sacred Word "Om" and the true
Knowledge of Brahman and the state of mind after the attainment of
Brahma jnana.
MASTER: "The sound Om is Brahman. The
rishis and sages practised
austerity to realize that Sound-Brahman. After attaining perfection one
hears
the sound of this eternal Word rising spontaneously from the navel.
"'What will you gain', some sages ask, 'by merely hearing this sound?'
You hear the roar of the ocean from a distance. By following the roar
you
can reach the ocean. As long as there is the roar, there must also be
the
ocean. By following the trail of Om you attain Brahman, of which the
Word is the symbol. That Brahman has been described by the Vedas as the
ultimate goal. But such vision is not possible as long as you are
conscious of
your ego. A man realizes Brahman only when he feels neither 'I' nor
'you',
neither 'one' nor 'many'.
"Think of the sun and of ten jars filled with water. The sun is
reflected in
each jar. At first you see one real sun and ten reflected ones. If you
break
nine of the jars, there will remain only the real sun and one
reflection. Each
jar represents a jiva. Following the reflection one can find the real
sun.
Through the individual soul one can reach the Supreme Soul. Through
spiritual discipline the individual soul can get the vision of the
Supreme
Soul. What remains when the last jar is broken cannot be described.
"The jiva at first remains in a state of ignorance. He is not conscious
of
God, but of the multiplicity. He sees many things around him. On
attaining
Knowledge he becomes conscious that God dwells in all beings. Suppose a
man has a thorn in the sole of his foot. He gets another thorn and
takes
out the first one. In other words, he removes the thorn of ajnana,
ignorance,
by means of the thorn of jnana, knowledge. But on attaining vijnana, he
discards both thorns, knowledge and ignorance. Then he talks intimately
with God day and night. It is no mere vision of God.
"He who has merely heard of milk is 'ignorant'. He who has seen milk
has 'knowledge'. But he who has drunk milk and been strengthened by it
has attained vijnana."
Thus the Master described his own state of mind to the devotees. He was
indeed a vijnani.
MASTER (to the devotees): "There is
a difference between a sadhu endowed
with jnana and one endowed with vijnana. The jnani sadhu has a certain
way of sitting. He twirls his moustache and asks the visitor, 'Well,
sir!
Have you any question to ask?' But the man who always sees God and
talks
to Him intimately has an altogether different nature. He is sometimes
like
an inert thing, sometimes like a ghoul, sometimes like a child, and
sometimes like a madman.
"When he is in samadhi, he becomes unconscious of the outer world and
appears inert. He sees everything to be full of Brahman-Consciousness;
therefore he behaves like a ghoul. He is not conscious of the holy and
the
unholy. He does not observe any formal purity. To him everything is
Brahman. He is not aware of filth as such. Even rice and other cooked
food
after a few days become like filth.
'"Again, he is like a madman. People notice his ways and actions and
think of him as insane. Or sometimes he is like a child — no bondage,
no
shame, no hatred, no hesitation, or the like.
"One reaches this state of mind after having the vision of God. When a
boat passes by a magnetic hill, its screws and nails become loose and
drop
out. Lust, anger, and the other passions cannot exist after the vision
of God.
"Once a thunderbolt struck the Kali temple. I noticed that it flattened
the points of the screws.
"It is no longer possible for the man who has seen God to beget
children
and perpetuate the creation. When a grain of paddy is sown it grows
into a
plant; but a grain of boiled paddy does not germinate.
"He who has seen God retains his 'I' only in name. No evil can be done
by that 'I'. It is a mere appearance, like the mark left on the coconut
tree
by its branch. The branch has fallen off. Only the mark remains.
"I said to Keshab Sen, 'Give up the ego that makes you feel, "I am the
doer; I am teaching people."' Keshab said to me, 'Sir, then I cannot
keep
the organization.' Thereupon I said to him, 'Give up the "wicked ego".'
One
doesn't have to renounce the ego that makes one feel, 'I am the servant
of
God; I am His devotee.' One doesn't develop the 'divine ego' as long as
one
retains the 'wicked ego'. If a man is in charge of the store-room, the
master
of the house doesn't feel responsible for it.
(To the devotees) "You see, my nature is changing on
account of this
injury to my arm. It is being revealed to me that there is a greater
manifestation of God in man than in other created beings. God is
telling me,
as it were: 'I dwell in men. Be merry with men.' Among men God
manifests
Himself in a still greater degree in pure-souled devotees. That is why
I feel
great longing for Narendra, Rakhal, and other such youngsters.
"One often sees small holes along the edge of a lake. Fish and crabs
accumulate there. Just so, there is a greater accumulation of divinity
in
man. It is said that man is greater than the salagram. Man is Narayana
Himself. If God can manifest Himself through an image, then why not
through man also?
"God is born as man for the purpose of sporting as man. Rama, Krishna,
and Chaitanya are examples. By meditating on an Incarnation of God one
Meditates on God Himself."
Bhagavan Das, a Brahmo devotee, arrived.
MASTER (to Bhagavan Das): "The
Eternal Religion, the religion of the
rishis, has been in existence from time out of mind and will exist
eternally.
There exist in this Sanatana Dharma all forms of worship — worship of
God
with form and worship of the Impersonal Deity as well. It contains all
paths
— the path of knowledge, the path of devotion, and so on. Other forms
of
religion, the modern cults, will remain for a few days and then
disappear."
March 23, 1884
Sri Ramakrishna was sitting in his room after his midday meal,
with
Rakhal, Ram, and some other devotees. He was not quite well. The
injured
arm was still bandaged.
But in spite of his illness, his room was a veritable mart of joy and
he
the centre of it. Devotees thronged there daily to see the Master.
Spiritual
talk went on incessantly, and the very air of the room vibrated with
bliss.
Sometimes the Master would sing the name and glories of God, and
sometimes he would go into samadhi, the devotees being amazed at the
ease
with which the Master freed himself from the consciousness of the body.
RAM: "There is talk of Narendra's marrying
Mr. R. Mitra's daughter. Narendra has been offered a large dowry."
MASTER (smiling): "Yes, Narendra may
thus become a leader of society or something like that. He will be an
outstanding man, whatever career he follows."
The Master did not much encourage the conversation about Narendra.
MASTER (to Ram): "Well, can you tell
me why I become so impatient
when I am ill? Sometimes I ask this man and sometimes that man how I
may be cured. You see, one must either believe everyone or no one at
all.
"It is God Himself who has become the physicians. Therefore one must
believe all of them. But one cannot have faith in them if one thinks of
them as mere men.
"Sambhu was fearfully delirious. Dr. Sarvadhikari said that the
delirium
was due to the strong medicine. Haladhari asked the doctor to feel his
pulse.
The doctor said: 'Let me see your eyes. Oh, it is an enlargement of the
spleen!' Haladhari said he had nothing of the sort. But Dr. Madhu gives
good medicine."
RAM: "The medicine by itself does no good,
though it greatly helps nature."
MASTER: "If that is so, why does opium
cause constipation?"
Ram referred to Keshab Sen's death.
RAM: "You were quite right. You said that
a gardener uncovers the roots
of a good rose-plant so that it may absorb the dew and grow stronger
and
healthier. The words of a holy man have been fulfilled."
MASTER: "I don't know about that. I wasn't
calculating when I said it. It is you who say that."
RAM: "The Brahmos have published something
about you in their magazine."
MASTER: "Published about me? Why? Why
should they write now? I
eat and drink and make merry. I don't know anything else.
"I once asked Keshab, 'Why have you written about me?' He said that it
would bring people here. But man cannot teach by his own power. One
cannot conquer ignorance without the power of God.
"At one time two men were engaged to wrestle. One of them was Hanuman
Singh and the other a Mussalman from the Punjab. The Mussalman was a
strong, stout man. He had eaten lustily of butter and meat for fifteen
days
before the day of the wrestling-match, and even on that day. All
thought he
would be the victor. Hanuman Singh, on the other hand, clad in a dirty
cloth, had eaten sparingly for some days before the day of the match
and
devoted himself to repeating the holy name of Mahavir. (Mahavir, or
Hanuman, is the patron deity of wrestlers.)
On the day of the match he observed a complete fast. All thought that
he would
surely be defeated. But it was he who won, while the man who had
feasted for
fifteen days lost the fight.
"What is the use of printing and advertising? He who teaches men gets
his power from God. None but a man of renunciation can teach others. I
am the greatest of all fools!" (All laugh.)
A DEVOTEE: "Then how is it that the Vedas
and the Vedanta, and many things besides, come out of your mouth?"
MASTER (smiling): "During my boyhood
I could understand what the
sadhus read at the Lahas' house at Kamarpukur, although I would miss a
little here and there. If a pundit speaks to me in Sanskrit I can
follow him,
but I cannot speak it myself.
"To realize God is the one goal of life. While aiming his arrow at the
mark, Arjuna said, 'I see only the eye of the bird and nothing else —
not the
kings, not the trees, not even the bird itself.'
"The realization of God is enough for me. What does it matter if I
don't
know Sanskrit?
"The grace of God falls alike on all His children, learned and
illiterate —
whoever longs for Him. The father has the same love for all his
children.
Suppose a father has five children. One calls him 'Baba', some 'Ba',
and
some 'Pa'. These last cannot pronounce the whole word. Does the father
love those who address him as 'Baba' more than those who call him 'Pa'?
The father knows that these last are simply too young to say 'Baba'
correctly.
"Since this injury to my arm a change has been coming over my mind. I
have been feeling much inclined to the Naralila. It is God Himself who
plays about as human beings. If God can be worshipped through a clay
image, then why not through a man?
"Once a merchant was shipwrecked. He floated to the shore of Ceylon,
where Bibhishana was the king of the monsters. Bibhishana ordered his
servants to bring the merchant to him. At the sight of him Bibhishana
was
overwhelmed with joy and said: 'Ah! He looks like my Rama. The same
human form!' He adorned the merchant with robes and jewels, and
worshipped him. When I first heard this story, I felt such joy that I
cannot
describe it.
"Vaishnavcharan said to me, 'If a person looks on his beloved as his
Ishta,
he finds it very easy to direct his mind to God.' The men and women of
a
particular sect3
at Syambazar, near Kamarpukur, say to each other, 'Whom
do you love?' 'I love so-and-so.' 'Then know him to be your God.' When
I
heard this, I said to them: 'That is not my way. I look on all women as
my
mother.' I found out that they talked big but led immoral lives. The
women
then asked me if they would have salvation. 'Yes,' I said, 'if you are
absolutely faithful to one man and look on him as your God. But you
cannot
be liberated if you live with five men.'"
RAM: "I understand that Kedar Babu has
recently visited the Kartabhajas' place."
MASTER: "He gathers honey from various
flowers. (To Ram, Nityagopal, and the others) If a
devotee believes
one hundred per cent that his Chosen Ideal is God, then he attains God
and sees Him.
"People of bygone generations had tremendous faith. What faith
Haladhari's father had! Once he was on the way to his daughter's house
when
he noticed some beautiful flowers and vilwa-leaves. He gathered them
for
the worship of the Family Deity and walked back five or six miles to
his
own house.
"Once a theatrical troupe in the village was enacting the life of Rama.
When Kaikeyi asked Rama to go into exile in the forest, Haladhari's
father,
who had been watching the performance, sprang up. He went to the actor
who played Kaikeyi, crying out, 'You wretch!', and was about to burn
the
actor's face with a torch. He was a very pious man. After finishing his
ablutions he would stand in the water and meditate on the Deity,
reciting
the invocation: 'I meditate on Thee, of red hue and four faces', while
tears
streamed down his cheeks.
"When my father walked along the lanes of the village wearing his
wooden sandals, the shopkeepers would stand up out of respect and say,
'There he comes!' When he bathed in the Haldarpukur, the villagers
would
not have the courage to get into the water. Before bathing they would
inquire
if he had finished his bath.
"When my father chanted the name of Raghuvir, his chest would turn
crimson. This also happened to me. When I saw the cows at Vrindavan
returning from the pasture, I was transported into a divine mood and my
body became red.
"Very strong was the faith of the people in those days. One hears that
God used to dance then, taking the form of Kali, while the devotee
clapped
his hands keeping time."
A hathayogi was staying in the hut at the Panchavati. Ramprasanna, the
son of Krishnakishore of Ariadaha, and several other men had become his
devotees. The yogi needed twenty-five rupees a month for his milk and
opium; so Ramprasanna had requested Sri Ramakrishna to speak to his
devotees about the yogi and get some money. The Master said to several
devotees: "A hathayogi has come to the Panchavati. Go and visit him.
See
what sort of man he is."
A young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, known as Thakur Dada,
entered the room with a few friends and saluted the Master. He lived at
Baranagore and was the son of a brahmin pundit. He was practising the
kathakata4
in order to earn money to meet his family's expenses. At one
time he had been seized with the spirit of renunciation and had gone
away
from his family. Even now he practised spiritual discipline at home.
MASTER: "Have you come on foot? Where do
you live?"
DADA: "Yes, sir, I have walked from home.
I live at Baranagore."
MASTER: "Have you come here for any
particular purpose?"
DADA: "I have come here to visit you. I
pray to God. But why do I suffer now and then from worries? For a few
days I
feel very happy. Why do I feel restless afterwards?"
MASTER: "I see. Things have not been
fitted quite exactly. The machine works smoothly if the mechanic fits
the
cogs of the wheels correctly. In your case there is an obstruction
somewhere."
DADA: "Yes, sir. That must be so."
MASTER: "Are you initiated?"
DADA: "Yes, sir."
MASTER: "Do you have faith in your mantra?"
A friend of Thakur Dada said that the latter could sing well. The
Master
asked him to sing.
Thakur Dada sang:
I shall become a yogi and dwell in Love's mountain cave;
I shall be lost in yoga beside the Fountain-head of Bliss.
I shall appease my hunger for Knowledge with the fruit of Truth;
I shall worship the feet of God with the flower of Dispassion.
I shall not seek a well to slake the burning thirst of my heart,
But I shall draw the water of Peace into the jar of my soul.
Drinking the glorious Nectar of Thy blessed Lotus Feet,
I shall both laugh and dance and weep and sing on the heights of Joy.
MASTER: "Ah, what a nice song! "Fountain-head
of Bliss'! 'Fruit of Truth'!
'Laugh and dance and weep and sing'! Your song tastes very sweet to me.
Why should you worry?
"Pleasure and pain are inevitable in the life of the world. One suffers
now
and then from a little worry and trouble. A man living in a room full
of
soot cannot avoid being a little stained."
DADA: "Please tell me what I should do now."
MASTER: "Chant the name of Hari morning and evening, clapping
your hands. Come once more when my arm is healed a bit."
Mahimacharan entered the room and saluted the Master. Sri Ramakrishna
said to him: "Ah! He has sung a nice song. Please sing it again."
Thakur
Dada repeated the song.
MASTER (to Mahima): "Please recite
that verse, the one about devotion to Hari."
Mahimacharan recited, quoting from the Narada Pancharatra:
What need is there of penance if God is worshipped with love?
What is the use of penance if God is not worshipped with love?
What need is there of penance if God is seen within and without?
What is the use of penance if God is not seen within and without?
MASTER: "Recite that part also — 'Obtain
from Him the love of God'."
Mahima recited:
O Brahman! O my child! Cease from practising further penances.
Hasten to Sankara, the Ocean of Heavenly Wisdom;
Obtain from Him the love of God, the pure love praised by devotees,
Which snaps in twain the shackles that bind you to the world.