Sufferings in the worldly life — Pundit Shashadhar — Efficacy of bhakti for modern times — Futility of lecturing — Rituals prepare the way for divine love — Preacher with God's commission — Divine wisdom is inexhaustible — Master exhorts the pundit to cultivate divine love — Many paths to realize God — Three yogas explained by Master — Difficulties of the paths of jnana and karma — God fulfils all desires of His devotees — Devotee's prayer to God — About pilgrimage — Three kinds of teachers — Advice to householders.
Wednesday, June 25, 1884
IT WAS THE DAY of the Rathayatra, the
Car Festival of the Hindus. At
Ishan's invitation Sri Ramakrishna went to his house in Calcutta. For
some time the Master had had a desire to meet Pundit Shashadhar
Tarkachudamani, who had been staying with one of Ishan's neighbours. So
it was decided that he would visit the pundit in the afternoon.
A few devotees, including Hazra, accompanied the Master to Ishan's
house. Ishan had invited one or two brahmin scholars and a devotee who
followed the Tantrik method of worship. Shrish and Ishan's other sons
were also present.
The Master noticed that the Tantrik worshipper had a vermilion mark
on his forehead, and smilingly said, "I see he is branded."
After a while M. and Narendra arrived and bowed before Sri Ramakrishna.
The Master had previously informed M. that he would be at Ishan's house.
The Master joked about the delay in serving their meal. One of the
scholars quoted a Sanskrit verse about the anxiety created in people's
minds
by the pangs of hunger. Proceeding to explain the verse he said: "The
study
of philosophy is indeed edifying, but poetry is more fascinating than
philosophy. People listening to good poems think of the study of
philosophy
— Vedanta, Nyaya, Samkhya, and so forth — as dry and insipid. Again,
music
is more attractive than poetry. Music melts even a heart of stone. But
a
beautiful woman has an even greater attraction for a man's heart than
music. Such a woman, passing by, diverts a man's attention from both
poetry and music. But when a man feels the pangs of hunger, everything
else — poetry, music, and woman — appears as of no consequence. Thus
hunger is the most arresting thing."
The Master remarked with a smile, "The pundit is witty."
Soon Narendra began to sing. A few moments later the Master went
upstairs for a little rest. M. and Shrish accompanied him. M.
introduced
Shrish to the Master, saying: "He is a scholar and a man of peaceful
nature.
We were fellow students in our boyhood. Now he is a lawyer."
MASTER: "It is a pity that such a man
should practise law."
M: "Yes, sir. It was a mistake on his part."
MASTER: "I know a few lawyers. One of them
shows me great respect. He is a straightforward man. (To Shrish)
What is
your idea about the most essential thing in life?"
SHRISH: "God exists and He alone does
everything. But the attributes we ascribe to Him are not the right
ones. How
can a man conceive of Him? His nature is infinite."
MASTER: "What need is there of your
counting the number of trees and
branches in an orchard? You have come to the orchard to eat mangoes. Do
that and be happy. The aim of human birth is to love God. Realize that
love and be at peace.
"Suppose you have entered a tavern for a drink. Is it necessary for you
to know how many gallons of wine there are in the tavern? One glass is
enough for you. What need is there of your knowing the infinite
qualities
of God? You may discriminate for millions of years about God's
attributes
and still you will not know them."
The Master remained silent a few minutes. A brahmin pundit came into
the room.
MASTER (to M.): "There is no
substance whatsoever in the worldly life.
The members of Ishan's family are good; so he has some peace here.
Suppose
his sons had been lewd, disobedient, and addicted to drink and other
vices.
Then there would have been no end to his troubles. One very seldom
comes
across such a religious family, in which all the members are devoted to
God.
I have seen only two or three such families. Generally one finds
quarrels,
misunderstanding, jealousy, and friction. Besides, there are disease,
grief,
and poverty in the world. Seeing this condition, I prayed to the Divine
Mother, 'O Mother, turn my mind at once from the world to God.'
"Look at Narendra's troubles. His father is dead and the members of his
family are starving. He has been trying his utmost to secure a
position, but
he has not yet found one. Just see how unsettled his mind is!
(To M.) "You used to come to Dakshineswar very
frequently. But why
have you become such a rare visitor? Perhaps you have become
particularly
friendly with your wife. Is it true? Why should I blame you? The
influence
of 'woman and gold' is everywhere. Therefore I pray, 'O Divine Mother,
please don't make me a worldly man if I am to be born again in a human
body.'"
BRAHMIN SCHOLAR: "Why should you say that,
sir? The scriptures extol the life of a householder."
MASTER: "Yes, that is true. But it is very
difficult to lead the true life of a
householder. (To M.) How wrong of us! They are
singing, especially
Narendra, and we have left the room."
About four o'clock in the afternoon the Master left in a carriage for
the
house where Pundit Shashadhar was staying. As soon as Sri Ramakrishna
got into the carriage he went into samadhi. His physical frame was very
tender as a result of the austerities he had undergone during the long
years
of his spiritual discipline and his constant absorption in
God-Consciousness.
The Master would suffer from the slightest physical discomfort and even
from the vibration of worldly thoughts around him. Once Keshab Chandra
Sen had said that Sri Ramakrishna, Christ, and Sri Chaitanya belonged
to
a delicate species of humanity that should be kept in a glass case and
protected from the vulgar contact of the world.
It was the rainy season, and a fine drizzle of rain had made the road
muddy. The sky was overcast. The devotees followed the carriage on
foot.
As the carriage stopped in front of the house, the host and his
relatives
welcomed the Master and took him upstairs to the drawing-room. There
the Master met the pundit.
Pundit Shashadhar, a man of fair complexion and no longer young, had a
string of rudraksha beads around his neck. He was one of the renowned
Sanskrit scholars of his time — a pillar of orthodox Hinduism, which
had
reasserted itself after the first wave of Christianity and Western
culture had
passed over Hindu society. His clear exposition of the Hindu
scriptures, his
ringing sincerity, and his stirring eloquence had brought back a large
number of the educated young Hindus of Bengal to the religion of their
forefathers.
The pundit saluted the Master with reverence. Narendra, Rakhal, Ram,
Hazra, and M., who had come with the Master, seated themselves in the
room as near the Master as they could, anxious not to miss one of his
words.
At the sight of the pundit the Master again went into samadhi. After a
while, still remaining in that state, he looked at the pundit and said
with a
smile, "Very well, very well." Then, addressing the pundit, the Master
said,
"Tell me how you give lectures."
PUNDIT: "Sir, I try to explain the teachings of the Hindu scriptures."
MASTER: "For the Kaliyuga the path of devotion described by Narada is
best. Where can people find time now to perform their duties according
to
the scriptural injunctions? Nowadays the decoctions of roots and herbs
of
the orthodox Hindu physicians cannot be given to a fever patient. By
the
time that kind of medicine begins its slow process of curing, the
patient
is done for. Therefore only a drastic medicine like the allopathic
'fever
mixture' is effective now. You may ask people to practise scriptural
rites
and rituals; but, when prescribing the rituals, remove the 'head and
tail'.1
I tell people not to bother about the elaborate rituals of the sandhya
as enjoined
in the scriptures. I say that it will be enough for them to repeat the
Gayatri
alone. If you must give instruction about scriptural ceremonies, do so
only
to a very few, like Ishan.
"You may deliver thousands of lectures, but they won't make the
slightest
impression on worldly people. Can one drive a nail into a stone wall?
The
point of the nail will sooner break than make a dent in the stone. What
will you gain by striking the tough skin of the crocodile with a sword?
The
sadhu's water-bowl, made from the shell of a bitter gourd, may visit
the four
principal holy places of India with its owner, but it will still remain
as
bitter as ever. Your lectures are not helping worldly people very much;
and
you will realize this by and by. The calf cannot stand on its legs all
at once.
Now it drops to the ground and now it stands up. So it learns to stand
firmly on its legs and walk.
"You cannot distinguish a lover of God from a worldly person. It isn't
your fault, of course. When the first onrush of the gale shakes the
trees, it is
impossible to distinguish one tree from another — the mango from the
tamarind, for instance.
"Without having realized God one cannot give up rituals altogether. How
long should one practise the sandhya and other forms of ritualistic
worship?
As long as one does not shed tears of joy at the name of God and feel a
thrill in one's body. You will know that your ritualistic worship has
come to
an end when your eyes become filled with tears as you repeat 'Om Rama'.
Then you do not have to continue your sandhya or other rituals.
"When the fruit appears the blossom drops off. Love of God is the
fruit,
and rituals are the blossom. When the daughter-in-law of the house
becomes
pregnant, she cannot do much work. Her mother-in-law gradually lessens
her duties in the house. When her time arrives she does practically
nothing.
And after the child is born her only work is to play with it. She
doesn't do
any household duties at all. The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, the
Gayatri
in Om, and Om in samadhi. It is like the sound of a bell: t —
a — m. The yogi,
by following in the trail of the sound Om, gradually merges himself in
the
Supreme Brahman. His sandhya and other ritualistic duties disappear in
samadhi. Thus the duties of the jnani come to an end."
As the Master talked of samadhi, he himself went into that state. His
face
radiated a heavenly light. Bereft of outer consciousness, he could not
utter
another word. His gaze was indrawn and transfixed in communion with the
Self. After a long time the Master began to recognize the world around
him
and said, like a child, "I shall have a drink of water." Whenever after
samadhi the Master asked for a drink of water, his devotees knew that
he
was gradually becoming conscious of the outer world.
Still lingering in the state of ecstasy, he said to the Divine Mother:
"O Mother, the other day You showed me Pundit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Then I told You that I should like to see another pundit, and so You
have
brought me here."
Looking at the pundit, he said: "My child, add a little more to your
strength. Practise spiritual discipline a few days more. You have
hardly set
your foot on the tree, yet you expect to lay hold of a big cluster of
fruit.
But, of course, you are doing all this for the welfare of others." With
these
words he bowed his head before the pundit.
The Master continued: "When I first heard about you, I inquired whether
you were merely erudite or whether you had discrimination and
renunciation.
A pundit who doesn't know how to discriminate between the Real and
the unreal is no pundit at all.
"There is no harm in teaching others if the preacher has a commission
from the Lord. Nobody can confound a preacher who teaches people after
having received the command of God. Getting a ray of light from the
goddess of learning, a man becomes so powerful that before him big
scholars
seem mere earthworms.
"When the lamp is lighted the moths come in swarms. They don't have
to he invited. In the same way, the preacher who has a commission from
God need not invite people to hear him. He doesn't have to announce the
time of his lectures. He possesses such irresistible attraction that
people come
to him of their own accord. People of all classes, even kings and
aristocrats,
gather around him. They say to him: 'Revered sir, what can we offer
you?
Here are mangoes, sweets, money, shawls, and other things. What will
you
be pleased to accept?' In that case I say to them: 'Go away. I don't
care
for these. I don't want anything.'
"Does the magnet say to the iron, 'Come near me?' That is not
necessary.
Because of the attraction of the magnet, the iron rushes to it.
"Such a preacher may not be a scholarly person, but don't conclude from
that that he has any lack of wisdom. Does book-learning make one wise?
He who has a commission from God never runs short of wisdom. That
wisdom comes from God; it is inexhaustible. At Kamarpukur I have seen
people measuring grain. It lies in a heap. One man keeps pushing grain
from
the heap toward another man, who weighs it on a scales. So the man who
weighs doesn't run short of grain. It is the same with the preacher who
has
received a commission from God. As he teaches people, the Divine Mother
Herself supplies him with fresh knowledge from behind. That knowledge
never comes to an end.
"Can a preacher ever lack knowledge if but once he is favoured with a
benign glance from the Divine Mother? Therefore I ask you whether you
have received any commission from God."
HAZRA: "Oh yes, he must have it. (To the pundit)
Isn't
it true, sir?"
PUNDIT: "Commission? No, sir, I am afraid
I haven't received any such thing."
HOST: "He may not have received the
commission, but he preaches from a sense of duty."
MASTER: "What will a man accomplish by
mere lectures without the
commission from God? Once a Brahmo preacher said in the course of his
sermon, 'Friends, how much I used to drink!' and so on. Hearing this
the
people began to whisper among themselves: 'What is this fool saying? He
used to drink!' Now these words produced a very unfavourable effect.
This
shows that preaching cannot bring a good result unless it comes from a
good man.
"A high government official from Barisal once said to me, 'Sir, if you
begin the work of preaching, I too shall gird my loins.' I told him the
story
of people's dirtying the bank of the Haldarpukur and of its being
stopped
only when a constable, armed with authority from the government, put up
a notice prohibiting it.
"So I say, a worthless man may talk his head off preaching, and yet he
will produce no effect. But people will listen to him if he is armed
with a
badge of authority from God. One cannot teach others without the
commission
from God. A teacher of men must have great power. There's many a
Hanumanpuri (a noted wrestler of the time)
in Calcutta. It is with them that you will have to wrestle. (Pointing
to
the people assembled there) These are mere sheep!
"Chaitanyadeva was an Incarnation of God. How little is left of what
he accomplished — not to speak of a lecturer who preaches without
authority
from God! What good will a lecturer do?
"Therefore I say to you, dive deep in God-Consciousness."
Saying this, the Master began to sing in an ecstasy of love for God:
Dive deep, O mind, dive deep in the Ocean of God's Beauty;
If you descend to the uttermost depths,
There you will find the gem of Love. . . .
The Master continued: "One does not die if one sinks in this
Ocean.
This is the Ocean of Immortality. Once I said to Narendra: 'God is the
Ocean of Bliss. Tell me if you want to plunge into It. Just imagine
there
is some syrup in a cup and that you have become a fly. Now tell me
where
you will sit to sip the syrup.' Narendra answered: 'I will sit on the
edge of
the cup and stretch out my neck to drink, because I am sure to die if I
go
far into the cup.' Then I said to him: 'But my child, this is the Ocean
of
Satchidananda. There is no fear of death in It. This is the Ocean of
Immortality.
Only ignorant people say that one should not have an excess of devotion
and divine love. How foolish! Can there be any excess of divine love?'
(To the pundit) "Therefore I say to you, dive into
the Ocean of
Satchidananda. Nothing will ever worry you if you but realize God. Then
you
will get His commission to teach people.
"There are innumerable pathways leading to the Ocean of Immortality.
The essential thing is to reach the Ocean. It doesn't matter which path
you
follow. Imagine that there is a reservoir containing the Elixir of
Immortality.
You will be immortal if a few drops of the Elixir somehow get into your
mouth. You may get into the reservoir either by jumping into it, or by
being pushed into it from behind, or by slowly walking down the steps.
The effect is one and the same. You will become immortal by tasting a
drop
of that Elixir.
"Innumerable are the ways that lead to God. There are the paths of
jnana,
of karma, and of bhakti. If you are sincere, you will attain God in the
end, whichever path you follow. Roughly speaking, there are three kinds
of
yoga: jnanayoga, karmayoga, and bhaktiyoga.
"What is jnanayoga? The jnani seeks to realize Brahman. He
discriminates,
saying, 'Not this, not this'. He discriminates, saying, 'Brahman is
real
and the universe illusory.' He discriminates between the Real and the
unreal. As he comes to the end of discrimination, he goes into samadhi
and
attains the Knowledge of Brahman.
"What is karmayoga? Its aim is to fix one's mind on God by means of
work. That is what you are teaching. It consists of breath-control,
(Breathing exercises as prescribed in rajayoga.)
concentration, meditation, and so on, done in a spirit of detachment.
If a house-
holder performs his duties in the world in a spirit of detachment,
surrendering
the results to God and with devotion to God in his heart, he too may
be said to practise karmayoga. Further, if a person performs worship,
japa,
and other forms of devotion, surrendering the results to God, he may be
said
to practise karmayoga. Attainment of God alone is the aim of karmayoga.
"What is bhaktiyoga? It is to keep the mind on God by chanting His
name and glories. For the Kaliyuga the path of devotion is easiest.
This is
indeed the path for this age.
"The path of karma is very difficult. First of all, as I have just
said, where
will one find the time for it nowadays? Where is the time for a man to
perform his duties as enjoined in the scriptures? Man's life is short
in this
age. Further, it is extremely difficult to perform one's duties in a
spirit of
detachment, without craving the result. One cannot work in such a
spirit
without first having realized God. Attachment to the result somehow
enters
the mind, though you may not be aware of it.
"To follow jnanayoga in this age is also very difficult. First, a man's
life
depends entirely on food. Second, he has a short span of life. Third,
he
can by no means get rid of body-consciousness; and the Knowledge of
Brahman is impossible without the destruction of body-consciousness.
The
jnani says: 'I am Brahman; I am not the body. I am beyond hunger and
thirst, disease and grief, birth and death, pleasure and pain.' How can
you
be a jnani if you are conscious of disease, grief, pain, pleasure, and
the like?
A thorn enters your flesh, blood flows from the wound, and you suffer
very
badly from the pain; but nevertheless if you are a jnani you must be
able
to say: 'Why, there is no thorn in my flesh at all. Nothing is the
matter
with me.'
"Therefore bhaktiyoga is prescribed for this age. By following this
path
one comes to God more easily than by following the others. One can
undoubtedly
reach God by following the paths of jnana and karma, but they
are very difficult paths.
"Bhaktiyoga is the religion for this age. But that does not mean that
the
lover of God will reach one goal and the philosopher and worker
another.
It means that if a person seeks the Knowledge of Brahman he can attain
It
by following the path of bhakti, too. God, who loves His devotee, can
give
him the Knowledge of Brahman if He so desires.
"But the bhakta wants to realize the Personal God endowed with form
and talk to Him. He seldom seeks the Knowledge of Brahman. But God,
who does everything at His pleasure, can make His devotee the heir to
His
infinite glories if it pleases Him. He gives His devotee both the Love
of
God and the Knowledge of Brahman. If one is able somehow to reach
Calcutta, one can see the Maidan and the museum and other places too.
The thing is how to reach Calcutta.
"By realizing the Divine Mother of the Universe, you will get Knowledge
as well as Devotion. You will get both. In bhava samadhi you will see
the
form of God, and in nirvikalpa samadhi you will realize Brahman, the
Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. In nirvikalpa samadhi ego, name,
and
form do not exist.
"A lover of God prays to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother, I am very much
afraid of selfish actions. Such actions have desires behind them, and
if I
perform them I shall have to reap their fruit. But it is very difficult
to work
in a detached spirit. I shall certainly forget Thee, O Mother, if I
involve
myself in selfish actions. Therefore I have no use for them. "May my
actions,
O Divine Mother, be fewer every day till I attain Thee. May I perform,
without attachment to the results, only what action is absolutely
necessary
for me. May I have great love for Thee as I go on with my few duties.
May
I not entangle myself in new work so long as I do not realize Thee. But
I
shall perform it if I receive Thy command. Otherwise not.'"
PUNDIT: "How far did you go in visiting the sacred places?"
MASTER: "Oh, I visited a few places. (With a smile)
But Hazra went
farther and also climbed higher. He visited Hrishikesh, but I didn't go
so
far or so high.
"You must have noticed kites and vultures soaring very high in the sky;
but their eyes are always fixed on the charnel-pits. Do you know the
meaning
of 'charnel-pits'? It is 'woman and gold'.
"What is the use of making pilgrimages if you can attain love of God
remaining where you are? I have been to Benares and noticed the same
trees there as here. The same green tamarind-leaves!
"Pilgrimage becomes futile if it does not enable you to attain love of
God.
Love of God is the one essential and necessary thing. Do you know the
meaning of 'kites and vultures'? There are many people who talk big and
who say that they have performed most of the duties enjoined in the
scriptures.
But with all that their minds are engrossed in worldliness and deeply
preoccupied with money, riches, name, fame, creature comforts, and such
things."
PUNDIT: "It is true, sir. Going on a pilgrimage
is like seeking diamonds and gems, while discarding the precious stone
that is
worn by Narayana Himself on His breast."
MASTER: "I want you to remember this. You
may impart thousands of
instructions to people, but they will not bear fruit except in proper
time. On
going to bed, a child said to his mother, 'Mother, please wake me up
when
I feel the call of nature.' The mother said: 'Don't worry about it, my
child.
That call will wake you up itself.' (All laugh.) One
feels yearning for God
at the proper time.
"There are three classes of physicians. The physicians of one class
feel
the patient's pulse and go away, merely prescribing medicine. As they
leave
the room they simply ask the patient to take the medicine. They are the
poorest class of physicians. Likewise, there are teachers who only give
instruction, but do not stop to see whether their teachings have
produced a
good or bad effect. They do not think at all about the disciple.
"There are physicians of another class, who prescribe medicine and ask
the patient to take it. If the patient is unwilling to follow their
directions,
they reason with him. They are the mediocre physicians. Likewise, there
are
mediocre teachers. They give instruction to the student and, further,
try to
persuade him in various ways to follow the instruction.
"Lastly, there are the physicians of the highest class. If the patient
does
not respond to their gentle persuasion, they even exert force upon him.
If
necessary, they press their knees on the patient's chest and force the
medicine down his throat. Likewise, there are teachers of the highest
class,
who even exert force to direct the mind of the pupil toward God."
PUNDIT: "Sir, if there are such superior
teachers as you have described, then why should you say that one does
not get the
Knowledge of God until the right time comes?"
MASTER: "You are right. But what will the
physician do if the medicine
runs out of the patient's mouth and doesn't reach his stomach? In such
a case
even the best physician can't do anything.
"The teacher should judge the fitness of the student before giving him
instruction. But you don't discriminate in your instruction. When a
young
man comes to me for instruction, first of all I ask him about his
relatives at
home. Suppose he has lost his father; suppose his father has left some
debts
for him. How can such a person direct his mind to God? Are you
listening
to me?"
PUNDIT: "Yes, sir. I am paying attention to every word."
MASTER: "One day some Sikh soldiers came to the temple garden at
Dakshineswar. I met them in front of the Kali temple. One of them
referred
to God as very compassionate. 'Indeed!' I said. 'Is that true? But how
do you
know?' He answered, 'Because, sir, God gives us food and takes every
care
of us.' I said: 'Why should that surprise you? God is the Father of us
all.
Who will look after the child if the father doesn't? Do you mean to say
that the people of the neighbouring village should look after the
child?"
NARENDRA: "Then shouldn't we call God kind?"
MASTER: "Have I forbidden you to? What I
mean is that God is our very own. He is not a stranger to us."
PUNDIT: "Priceless words!"
MASTER (to Narendra): "I listened to
your singing, but I didn't enjoy it. So I left the room. Your mind is
now set
on seeking a job, and therefore your song sounded dull."
Narendra flushed. He felt ashamed of himself and remained silent.
The Master asked for a drink of water. A glass of water had been placed
near him, but he could not take it. He asked for some fresh water.
Later it
was found that a man of immoral character had touched the first glass.
PUNDIT (to Hazra): "You live in his
company day and night. You must be very happy."
MASTER (with a smile): "This is indeed
a great occasion for me. Today I
have seen the crescent moon of the second day of the bright fortnight. (All
laugh.) Do you know why I referred to the moon of the second
day? Sita
once said to Ravana, 'You are the full moon and Rama is the crescent
moon
of the second day of the bright fortnight.' Ravana did not understand
the
meaning of these words. He thought Sita was flattering him and became
exceedingly happy. But Sita meant that Ravana had reached the fullest
limit of his power and prosperity, and that thenceforth he would wane
like
the full moon. Rama, on the other hand, was like the moon of the second
day. He would wax day by day."
The Master was about to take his leave. The pundit and his friends
bowed low before him.
It was not yet dusk, and Sri Ramakrishna returned to Ishan's house with
the devotees. The Master took his seat in the drawing-room with Ishan
and
his sons, a pundit, and a few devotees.
MASTER (smiling, to Ishan): "I
said to Pundit Shashadhar: 'You have
hardly set your foot on the tree, and yet you aspire to lay hold of a
big bunch
of fruit. First of all practise some spiritual discipline. Then you may
teach
others.'"
ISHAN: "Every preacher thinks that he
enlightens others. The glow-worm
also may think that it illumines the world. Imagining this to be the
glow
worm's feeling, someone said to it: 'O glow-worm, how can you bring
light
to the world? You only reveal the intensity of the darkness.'"
MASTER (with a smile): "But Shashadhar
is not just a scholar. He also has a little discrimination and
dispassion."
A pundit who was present said to Sri Ramakrishna, "You are indeed a
great soul."
MASTER: "You may say that about sages like Narada,
Prahlada, or Sukadeva. I am like your son.
"Of course, in one sense your words are true. It is said that in one
respect
the devotee of God is greater than God Himself, because he carries God
in
his heart. (All rejoice.) It is said in the
Vaishnava books: 'A devotee regards
himself as a higher, and God as a lower, being.' Yasoda, the mother of
Krishna, was about to fetter Krishna, who was God Incarnate, with
chains!
She believed that no one but herself could take care of Krishna.
"Sometimes God acts as the magnet and the devotee as the needle. God
attracts the devotee to Himself. Again, sometimes the devotee acts as
the
magnet and God as the needle. Such is the attraction of the devotee
that
God comes to him, unable to resist his love."
The Master was about to leave for Dakshineswar. Ishan and the other
devotees stood around him while he gave Ishan various words of advice.
MASTER: "A devotee who can call on God
while living a householder's
life is a hero indeed. God thinks: 'He who has renounced the world for
My
sake will surely pray to Me. He must serve Me. Is there anything very
remarkable about it? People will cry shame on him if he fails to do so.
But
he is blessed indeed who prays to Me in the midst of his worldly
duties. He
is trying to find Me, overcoming a great obstacle — pushing away, as it
were,
a huge block of stone weighing a ton. Such a man is a real hero.'"
PUNDIT: "You are right, sir. The scripture
says the same thing. There is in
the Mahabharata the story of the 'pious hunter' and
the 'chaste woman'.
Once a hermit was disturbed in his meditation by a crow. When he cast
an
angry glance at the bird, it was reduced to ashes. The hermit said to
himself:
'I have destroyed the crow by a mere glance. I must have made great
progress
in spiritual life.' One day he went to a woman's house to beg his food.
She was devoted to her husband and served him day and night; she
provided
him with water to wash his feet and even dried them with her hair.
When the hermit knocked at her door for alms, she was serving her
husband
and could not open the door at once. The hermit, in a fit of anger,
began
to curse her. The chaste woman answered from the inner apartments: 'I
am
not your crow. Wait a few minutes, sir. After finishing my service to
my
husband I shall give you my attention.' The hermit was very much
surprised
to find that this simple woman was aware of his having burnt the crow
to
ashes. He wanted her to give him spiritual instruction. At her bidding
he
went to the 'pious hunter' at Benares. This hunter sold meat, but he
also
served his parents day and night as embodiments of God. The hermit said
to
himself in utter amazement: 'Why, he is a butcher and a worldly man!
How can he give me the Knowledge of Brahman?' But the hunter was a
knower of Brahman and had acquired divine knowledge through the
performance
of his worldly duties. The hermit was illumined by the instruction
of the pious hunter'."
The Master was about to take his leave. He was standing at the door of
the next house, where Ishan's father-in-law lived. Ishan and the other
devotees stood by the Master. They were waiting to bid him good-bye.
Sri
Ramakrishna said to Ishan: "Live in the world like an ant. The world
contains
a mixture of truth and untruth, sugar and sand. Be an ant and take
the sugar.
"Again, the world is a mixture of milk and water, the bliss of
God-Consciousness and the pleasure of sense-enjoyment. Be a swan and
drink the
milk, leaving the water aside.
"Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but
the
bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in
the
mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.
"The world is indeed a mixture of truth and make-believe. Discard the
make-believe and take the truth."
Sri Ramakrishna got into the carriage and left for Dakshineswar.