TAVA KATHAMRITAM : Part 1
The first meeting month of February 1882
The Kali Temple in Dakshineswar on the bank of the Ganga. The temple of the Mother Kali. Spring time, the month of February 1882. One day after the birthday of Thakur on Thursday, 23 February, Thakur went for a cruise on a steamer with Keshab Sen and Joseph Cook. It is a few days later. The evening shades are approaching. M. comes in ...Thakur Sri Ramakrishna’s room. This is his first visit.
He sees a roomful of people, seated motionless and drinking the nectar of his words. Thakur is seated on the bedstead, his face towards the east. He is talking of Hari with a smiling face. The bhaktas are seated on the floor.
When does renunciation of karma take place?
M. looks in and stands speechless. He wonders as if it is Sukadeva talking of the story of the Lord and at that spot have gathered together all the places of pilgrimage. Or is it Sri Chaitanya sitting in the holy land of Puri singing the names and glories of Bhagavan (the beloved Lord) and seated before him are Ramananda, Swarup and other bhaktas! Says Thakur, “When just at the name of Hari or Rama your hair stand on end and tears flow from your eyes, know it for certain that sandhya and other daily services will not be needed any more. And other daily services are over for you. You have then gained the right to give up karmas (work). Karmas, indeed, fall off on their own. In that state mere repetition
TAVA KATHAMRITAM PART 2
M. has come here walking from garden to garden with Siddhu from Barahnagar. It is Sunday, 26 February, 15th Falgun. It is holiday, so he has come out for a walk. A little earlier he was having a stroll in the garden of Prasanna Bannerji. It was there that Siddhu said, “There is a beautiful garden on the bank of the Ganga. Will you like to see it? A paramahansa lives there....”
Entering the garden through the main gate, M. and Siddhu came direct to Sri Ramakrishna’s room. M. stands speechless as he beholds. He thinks, “How charming is this place! How charming is this man! How sweet is his talk! I don’t feel like leaving this place!” After a while he says to himself, “But let me once see where I have come! I will then come back and sit here.”
As he comes out of the room with Siddhu, thesweet sound of arati starts. Cymbals, bells and drums all begin to sound together. From the southern side of the garden musical notes emerge from the Nahabat. Floating over the bosom of the Bhagirathi (Ganga), the musical notes begin to merge somewhere far far away. The breeze of the spring is gentle and fragrant with the sweet odour of many a flower. Moonlight starts spreading. It seems as if preparations for the arati of deities are afoot all around. Witnessing arati in the twelve Shiva temples and in the temples of Radhakanta and Bhavatarini, M. is filled with supreme joy. Siddhu says, “This is Rasmani’s temple. Here the gods are ministered everyday from morning till evening. Many holy guests and the poor come here.”
Both of them wend their way through the grand brick quadrangle, as they emerge talking out of Bhavatarini temple and again reach in front of Sri Ramakrishna’s room.
TAVA KATHAMRITAM PART 3
The incense has been burnt a little while before. M. is educated in English ways, he cannot enter the room all at once. Atthe door stands Vrinde (the maidservant). Asks M., “I say, is the sadhu maharaj (holy man) in the room now?”
Vrinde — Yes, he is inside the room.
...
M. — How long has he been here?
Vrinde — Oh! many many years.
M. — Well, does he read many books?
Vrinde — Oh dear, books or such like that! They are all on his tongue.
M. is fresh from college. He is all the more surprised to hear that Thakur Sri Ramakrishna does not read books at all.
M. — Well, perhaps he will now perform sandhya! Can we enter the room? Will you please tell him about us?
Vrinde — Why, go in my children. Go inside and sit in the room.
Thereupon they enter the room and see that no other person is there. Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is seated alone on the bedstead in the room. Incense is burning in the room and all the doors are closed. M. folds his hands to pay his obeisance as he enters the room. At the bidding of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna, M. and Siddhu take their seats on the floor. Thakur asks, “Where do you live? What do you do? What
has brought you to Barahnagar?” etc. M. answers all his queries but he notices that in the course of conversation, Thakur lets his mind go to some other object on which he is meditating. Later, he heard that this is called bhava[13]. It is like a man sitting with a fishing rod in his hand to catch a fish. The fish comes and begins to bite at the bait. The float trembles. The man is now all attention. He grasps the rod and looks at the float with a concentrated mind. He talks to no one. Sri Ramakrishna’s state is exactly like this. Later, he hears and sees that Thakur goes into this state after sandhya (evening). At times, he loses all external consciousness.
M. — You would now perform your sandhya. In that case, we may leave.
Sri Ramakrishna (in bhava) — No. Sandhya! No, it is not that.
And after some conversation, M. offers obeisance and takes his leave.
Says Thakur, “Come again.”
On his way back, M. says to himself, “Who may this god man be! How is that my soul longs to see him again! Can a man be great without reading books? What a wonder that I feel like visiting him again! He too has said, ‘Come again.’ I shall come tomorrow or day after in the morning.”
TAVA KATHAMRITAM PART 4
The second meeting.
Eight o’clock in the morning. Thakur is going to have his shave. The winter cold is still lingering, so he wears a moleskin shawl. The shawl is hemmed with muslin. On seeing M., says he, “So you have come! Good, take your seat here.”
He says this in the south-eastern verandah. The barber is there. Thakur sits in the same verandah for his shave and... talks to M. in between. He wears the shawl on his body in the same manner with slippers on his feet. His face is smiling. He stammers a little while talking.
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.) —Well, where do you live?
M. — In Calcutta, sir.
Sri Ramakrishna — To whom have you come here?
M. — I came here in Barahnagar to visit my elder sister, at Ishan Kaviraj’s house.
Keshab Chandra Sri Ramakrishna weeps before the Mother
Sri Ramakrishna — Well, how is Keshab doing at present? He was seriously ill.
M. — I too heard the same, perhaps he is well now.
Sri Ramakrishna — I made a vow to offer a green coconut and sugar to the Divine Mother for Keshab’s recovery. I would sometimes wake up at midnight and cry before the Mother, saying, ‘O Mother, grant that Keshab may get well. If Keshab does not live, whom shall I talk to when I go to Calcutta?’ That is why I vowed to offer green coconut and sugar.
“I say, one Mr. Cook was here. Does he lecture? Keshab took me on board a steamer. Mr. Cook was there too.”
M. — Yes, I did hear of him but have not attended
any of his lectures. I do not know much about him
Photograph of Sri M (Mahendranath Gupta-Master Mahasaya) at the time he was with Sri Ramakrishna deva.
Household and the duty of a father
Sri Ramakrishna — Pratap’s brother came here and stayed for some days. He had no work to do. He said that he would stay here. He had left his wife, son and daughter in the care of his father-in-law. He has many children. I took him to task. Just see, he has so many children! Should they be fed and looked after by others of the loca...lity! He is not ashamed that somebody else should take care of his family and that they should be a burden to his father-in-law. I rated him rather severely and told him to look for work. It was then that he went away from here.
Chapter Four
Ajnana timirandhaysa jnananjan shalakaya,
Chakshu runmilitam yen tasmai Sri Guruve namah.
Vishveshwar Tantra 3
[Salutations to the Guru who with the collyrium stick of knowledge has opened the eyes of one blinded by the disease of ignorance.]
M. is reprimanded his egotism is crushed
Sri Ramakrishna (to M.) — Are you married?
M. — Yes, sir.
Sri Ramakrishna (startled) — I say, Ramalal[14]! Ah me! He has already taken a wife.
Sri Ramakrishna (startled) — I say, Ramalal[14]! Ah me! He has already taken a wife.
M. gets confused and sits speechless, hanging down his head like one guilty of a serious offence. He says to himself, “Is marrying so bad?” Thakur further asks, “Have you any children?”
M. can hear the beating of his own heart. Says he in fear, “Yes sir, I have children.” Thakur rebukes M. all the more saying, “Alas, you have children too!” M. is stunned by this blow.
His egotism is getting crushed. After a while, Thakur Sri Ramakrishna looks at him kindly and speaks affectionately, ‘‘See, you have some good signs. I can know it by looking at one’s eyes and forehead.”
“Well, what kind of wife you have? Is she vidya shakti[15], or avidya shakti2?”
What is jnana? Image worship
M. — Sir, she is good but ajnani (ignorant).
Sri Ramakrishna (sharply) — And you are jnani (wise)!
What is jnana and what is ajnana, M. does not know. Till now, he only knows that a jnani is he who has received education and can read books. This false notion was afterwards taken away. Then he learnt that to know the Lord is jnana and not to know Him is ajnana. Thakur said, “Are you jnani?” M.’s egotism again receives a hard blow.
TAVA KATAMRITAM PART 6
Sri Ramakrishna — Well, do you believe in God with form or formless God?
M. (confused, to himself) “Is it possible to have faith in the formless God and believing at the same time that He is with form? How can it be that while believing God to be with form, one can think of Him as formless. Can the two contradictory states coexist in the same substance? Can white things like milk be also black?
M. — I only like the formless God.
Sri Ramakrishna — That is good. Having faith in either of the two (aspects) is enough. To think of God as formless is quite right. Even so, don’t think that only this idea is true and all others are false. Know this that the formless God is true and so is
God with form. You must hold on to that what you believe.
Hearing again and again that both the ideas are true, M. is speechless. Never has he read such a thing in any of his books.
His egotism is crushed the third time but it is not yet completely knocked out. So, he advances with his reasoning a little further.
M. — Sir, well, let one believe that God is with form but surely He is not an earthen image.
Sri Ramakrishna — My dear sir, why earthen? It is the image of Spirit!
M. does not understand the significance of the ‘image of the Spirit’. He says, “Well, should one not make it clear to those who worship the image of clay that there is no Lord in an earthen image and that while worshipping they should only keep God in view and not worship the clay.”
Lecture and Thakur Sri Ramakrishna
Sri Ramakrishna (sharply) — It is fashionable for Calcutta people to lecture and bring others to light. How to bring light to themselves, they do not know. Who are you to teach others? He who is the Lord of the universe will Himself teach. He who has made this universe, the moon, the sun, the seasons, the human beings and the beasts, He who has made provision of food for men and beasts, and parents to rear and love will Himself teach. He has made this much, will He not arrange it too? If there is a need to teach, God Himself will surely make them understand. And then, God is antaryamin (knower of heart within). If there is some mistake in worshipping the clay image, does He not know that He Himself is being called upon? He is pleased with this very worship. Why should you have headache over it? Seek that you may yourself have jnana and develop bhakti.
This time M.’s egotism is completely crushed.
He says to himself, “What he says is indeed true. What need have I go about preaching to others? Have I myself known the Lord? Nor have I developed bhakti for Him. ‘Bidding my friend Shankra to lie down on my bed when I have nowhere to lie upon.’ Knowing nothing, listening to none and yet going out to preach to others! It would indeed be shameful, a great folly. Is this Mathematics, or History, or Literature that you can teach to others? It is the science of the Lord. Whatever he (Thakur) is saying s fully appeals to me.
This was M.’s first and last attempt to argue with Thakur.
TAVA KATHAMRITAM PART 7
Sri Ramakrishna — You were talking of worshipping the clay images. Even if made of clay, these need to be worshipped. The Lord Himself has provided various forms of worship. He who is the Lord of the universe has made all this to suit men in different stages of life. The mother so arranges the food for her children that everyone gets, what agrees with him.
“Say, a mother has five children and she has fish to cook. She makes different dishes out of it and gives each one of her children what suits him. Pulao[16] with fish for one; fish with sour tamarind for another; charchari[17] of fish yet for another, and fried fish still for another she prepares exactly what they like, exactly what agrees with their stomach. Understand?
M. — Yes, sir.
Chapter Five
Sansararnavaghore yahe karnadharswarupakah,
Namostu Ramakrishnaye tasmai Sri Gurve namah.
[Salutations to Sri Ramakrishna, salutations to that Guru who is the pilot to take across the deep sea of the world.]
How to gain bhakti?
M. — How may one fix one’s mind on the Lord?
Sri Ramakrishna — One must chant without ceasing the name of the Lord and His glories. And keep company of the holy one must frequently go to God’s bhaktas, or sadhus. One’s mind does not fix itself on the Lord while living night and day in the midst of worldly activities and family life. Hence, one must go into solitude now and then to meditate on God. In the first stage it is very hard to fix the mind on the Lord unless one frequently goes into solitude.
“When the plant is young, it needs a hedge around it. Without the hedge goats
“The mind, the solitary corner and the forest are the places where you will meditate. And you will always have good thoughts in your mind. The Lord alone is real, i.e. the eternal substance, and all else is unreal, i.e. transitory. Discriminating thus, you will shake off attachment to the perishable things of the world.”
M. (humbly) — How to live in the household?
Sannyasa in the household the way sadhana in solitude
Sri Ramakrishna — You will do all your duties but keep your mind fixed on God. Wife, son, father and mother you will live with them all and serve them as if they are your own. But you will know in your heart that they are really not yours.
“A rich man’s maidservant attends to all her duties but her mind is always set upon her own home in the village. Besides, she nurses her master’s children as if they were her own. She calls out: ‘My Rama, my Hari,’ but all the while she knows fully well that they are not hers.
“The tortoise moves about in water but do you know where its mind abides? On the bank of the river, on the dry land, where its eggs are laid. You will attend to all your worldly work but take care that your mind rests on the Lord.
“If you enter the world (household) before you have acquired bhakti for the Lord, surely you will get entangled more and more. Misfortune, grief and ills of the world will make you lose your balance of mind. And the more you think of worldly matters, the more will come the attachment.
“Rub your hands with oil before you break the jack-fruit, otherwise its milky exudation will stick to your hands. First get the oil of bhakti for the Lord and then engage into the affairs of the world (household).
“But to acquire bhakti, solitude is needed. If you want to make butter, the curds have to be set in some lonely corner. The curds will not set if disturbed. Then you have to sit in a quiet place, giving up all other work and churn the curds. Only then you can get butter.
“Besides, by giving your mind to God in solitude, you gain jnana (spiritual wisdom), vairagya (dispassion) and bhakti. But if you give the same mind to the world, it becomes vulgar. In the world there is nothing but the thoughts of ‘woman and gold[18]’.
“The world is like water and the mind like milk. If the milk is poured in water, it will get mixed with water and become one. You will not be able to get pure milk, howsoever much you may try. But if the milk is turned into curds and butter made out of it, it will swim over water when placed in it. So, first get the butter of jnana and bhakti by practising sadhana (spiritual disciplines) in a solitary place. This butter when put in the water of the world will not mix with it. It will swim on its surface.
Along with this the practice of discrimination is also needed. ‘Woman and gold’ are transitory, the Lord is the only reality. What does money give? It gives us food (rice and dal), clothes and a place to live in thus far, no further. But it does not help attain Bhagavan. So money cannot be the end of life. This is the process of discrimination. Do you see this?”
M. — Yes, sir. I have recently read in Prabodh Chandrodaya (a Sanskrit play) about discrimination.
Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, discrimination. Just think, what is there in money or in a beautiful body? Think over it, in the body of a beautiful woman also there are mere bones, flesh, fat, urine and excreta all these. Why does a man give his mind to such a thing and lose sight of the Lord? Why does he forget the Lord?
How to see the Lord?
M. — Sir, can the Lord be seen?
Sri Ramakrishna — Yes. There is no doubt about it. Going into solitude from time to time, chanting His name and His attributes, practising discrimination these are the means one should employ.
M. — What state of mind leads to God-vision?
Sri Ramakrishna — Cry with a very yearning heart and you shall see God. People shed pitcherfuls of tears for wife and children, they weep streams of tears for money. But who cries for the Lord? ‘Call out to God with a longing and yearning heart.’ Saying this Thakur sings a song
Call out with a yearning, O mind! I’ll see, how will Mother Shyama hold Herself from you?
How will Shyama stay away? How can Kali remain away?
O mind, if you are within yourself take hibiscus flowers and bel leaves.
Smear them with sandal paste of bhakti, and make a handful offering of them at Her feet.
“Yearning in the heart brings the dawn. Thereafter, the sun is visible. After longing comes God-vision.
“You can see God if you have these three attachments put together: The attachment of a worldly man to the things of the world, the attachment of a mother to her child, and the attachment of a chaste wife to her husband. If these three attachments are put altogether (for God) in a man, the power of these attachments makes one see God.
“The real thing is that you must love the Lord the way a mother loves her son, a chaste wife her husband, and a worldly man the things of the world. When you have the combined intensity of love of all these three persons for the Lord and you put together all these three attachments, you will see Him.
“One should call upon God with a yearning heart.
“The kitten knows only to cry mew, mew to its mother. Wherever the mother keeps it, it remains there now in the kitchen, now on the floor, and now on the bed. When it feels hurt, it simply cries ‘mew,’ ‘mew’ and knows nothing else. Wherever the mother may be, it comes on hearing its mew, mew.’ ”
Chapter Six
Sarvabhutastham atmanam sarvabhutani cha atmani,
Ikshati yogayuktatma sarvatra samadarshanah.
(Gita 6:29)
[His mind being harmonized by yoga, he sees
himself in all beings and all beings in himself; he sees the same in all.]
Third meeting Narendra Nath, Bhavanath and M.
M. was then putting up at his sister’s house in Barahnagar. Ever since he saw Sri Ramakrishna, M. thought of him every moment — as if he always has before his eyes the same joyful image and listening to his words, sweet as nectar. He says to himself: How has this poor brahmin ascertained all these deep truths? M. has never seen earlier anybody explaining so clearly all those things. He thinks day and night when will he go to him and meet him again.
Not long after it is Sunday, 5 March. He reaches the garden of Dakshineswar with Nepal Babu of Barahnagar at four o’clock. He finds Sri Ramakrishna in the same room, seated on the smaller bedstead. The room is filled with bhaktas. It is Sunday, so the bhaktas have time to see him. M. does not yet know any of them. He takes a seat aside in the assemblage and observes that Thakur is talking to the bhaktas with a smiling face.
Addressing a young man of nineteen years old, Thakur looks at him and joyfully talks on a number of matters. The young man is Narendra (Vivekananda). He is a college student and often visits the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. His words are all full of spirit. His eyes are bright and the looks of a bhakta.
M. sees that the subject of the talk is the conduct of worldly men attached to the pleasures of the world; people who ridicule those who seek the Lord and religion. And how many wicked people there are in the world and how to deal with them, such is the topic of conversation.
Sri Ramakrishna (to Narendra) — What do you say, Narendra? Worldly men say all sort of things. But see, when the elephant wends its way, so many animals bark and make such other noises from behind. But the elephant does not even look at them. If someone condemns you, what will you think of him?
Narendra — I shall think that the dogs are barking.
Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — No, my child, you mustn’t go that far. Know that the Lord lives in all things. Even so, you must mix with the good and keep distance from the bad even while living with them. Narayana (God) is present even in a tiger but surely you cannot hug him for that reason. (Laughter.) If you say that the tiger is also Narayana, why should I run away? To this, the answer is he who says, ‘Run away’ is also Narayana. Why should you not listen to him?
Listen to a story
“In a certain forest lived a sadhu. He had a number of disciples. One day he taught them saying, ‘Narayana is in all things. Knowing this you will offer namaskar to all.’ One day a disciple went out to collect firewood for homa (sacrificial fire). Suddenly, there was a shout, ‘Run, run away wherever you may be a mad elephant is rushing out.’ Everyone ran away except this disciple. He reasoned, ‘There is Narayana in elephant too, why should I then run away?’ Thinking thus, he kept standing there. Offering namaskar to the elephant (as the Lord), he started offering prayers. The mahut (driver of the elephant), on the other hand, shouted, ‘Run away, run away.’ Still the disciple did not move. At last, the elephant came and seized him with his trunk, threw him aside and went away. The disciple stunned, scratched and torn, lay unconscious.
“Hearing this, his guru and other disciples carried him to the ashrama and gave him medicines. After sometime when he came to himself, one of them asked him, ‘Why did you not move away even when you heard that an elephant was coming?’ He answered, ‘Because gurudeva told us that Narayana Himself is present in all human beings and other living creatures. Seeing the elephant Narayana coming I did not, therefore, quit the spot.’ At this the guru said, ‘My son, indeed, it is true that the elephant Narayana was coming but my child, Mahut Narayana (the driver God) had warned you. If everybody is Narayana, why did you not listen to the latter? You should have paid heed to the Mahut Narayana.’
“The scriptures say, ‘Apo Narayana (water is God).’ But some water is used for divine service while some of it is used only for washing the face, mouth and hands, and also utensils or clothes, but the latter cannot be used for drinking or divine service. Similarly, Narayana is in the hearts of all holy men as well as unholy men, bhaktas and non-bhaktas. But one cannot have dealings with unholy, non-bhaktas and bad people. One cannot be close to them. With some one may only have nodding acquaintance while with others, even that is not possible. One must live apart from such people.”
A Particular Bhakta — Sir, when a bad person comes to harm us or actually does so, should we do nothing then?
The household and tamoguna
Sri Ramakrishna — To live in the world and save oneself from the hands of bad people, one should make a show of tamoguna (the spirit of resisting evil). But it will not be right to harm anyone thinking that he may harm you.
“A cowboy used to graze his cattle in a field. In that field was a terrible venomous serpent. Everybody was very cautious because of the danger of the reptile. One day a brahmachari was passing through that field. The cowboys ran up to him and said, ‘Holy man, please don’t go this way. There is a terrible venomous snake there.’ The brahmachari said, ‘Child, never mind. I am not afraid of it. I know a mantra (a spell to ward off this danger).’ Saying so, the brahmachari moved towards that direction. No cowboy accompanied him out of fear. And here came the snake raising its hood moving swiftly. But as it came near, the brahmachari muttered a mantra and lo! the snake fell at his feet like an earthworm. ‘Well,’ said the brahmachari, ‘Why do you go about harming others? Come, I’ll give you a mantra. By repeating this mantra you will develop bhakti for Bhagavan, you will attain Him and your desire to harm others will leave you.’ Saying so, he gave the mantra to the snake. Having received the mantra, the snake bowed before the guru and asked, ‘Sir, what sadhana (spiritual practice) should I carry out, please tell me this.’ The guru said, ‘Repeat this mantra and also don’t harm anybody. I shall come again,’ said the brahmachari before leaving.
“Some days passed thus. The cowboys
noticed that now the snake did not bite. Even when they struck it with stones, it did not feel angry. It had become like an earthworm. One day a cowboy went near it and catching hold of its tail whirled it round and round and dashed it several times against the ground. The snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It could not move. The cowboys thought that it was dead. So they left the place.
‘‘Late at night, the snake regained conscious-ness. Slowly it dragged itself into its hole with great difficulty. Its body broke and it had no strength to move. After a few days when its body was reduced to a mere skeleton, it would come out of its hole once in the night to look for food; for fear (of the boys) it did not come out during the day. After its initiation with the mantra it ceased to harm anybody. It lived as well as it could on leaves and fruits fallen on the ground from the trees.
‘‘Almost after a year the brahmachari came that way again. As he reached the spot, he looked about for the snake. The cowboys said that it was dead. But the brahmachari found it hard to believe. He knew that the snake had taken the mantra and so the death was out of question before it has seen God. So he made a search and called out for it in the same direction by the name he had given it. Hearing the voice of its guru, the snake came out of its hole and bowed down reverently before him. The brahmachari asked, ‘How are you?’ The snake replied, ‘I am quite well, sir.’ The brahmachari asked, ‘But why are you so weak?’ The snake said, ‘Holy sir! You had asked me not to harm anybody. So I live on leaves and fruits. Perhaps this is the reason why I have grown weak.’ The snake had developed the quality of sattva (the quality leading one Godward), you see. That’s why it did not get angry with anyone. It had forgotten that the cowboys had tried to kill it. The brahmachari said, ‘Your food alone could not have brought you to this pass. Surely there is something else. Just think over it.’ The snake then recalled that the cowboys had once whirled it round and round and dashed it against the ground. So it said, ‘Holy sir! Now I see it all. The cowboys one day threw me violently on the ground. They are ignorant. They do not know what change has come over my mind. How could they know that I was not going to bite anybody or do any harm?’ The brahmachari said, ‘Fie! You are so stupid that you don’t even know how to save yourself. What I forbade you was to bite any creature. I didn’t ask you not to hiss at anybody. Why did you not frighten them away by hissing?’
“One should hiss to bad persons to frighten them away, so that they may not harm you later on. One must not inject poison into them and injure them.”
Are all men equal? Their natures differ
“In the Lord’s creation there are different types of creatures and plants. Amongst the animals, there are bad as well as good ones. There are beasts like tigers who kill others. Amongst the trees, some bring forth fruit sweet like nectar, while the others yield poisonous fruit. In the same way, there are good men and bad men; holy as well as unholy; men attached to the world and then bhaktas also.
“People can be divided into four classes worldly people bound to the world, seekers after liberation, the liberated, and the ever-free.
“The ever-free, like Narada and others they are those who abide in the world for the good of mankind, to teach truth to others.
“The bound souls they are attached to worldly objects. They forget God and never give a thought to Him.
“The seekers after liberation they try to get liberated. But only some of them attain liberation, the others cannot.
“The liberated ones they are not attached to ‘woman and gold’, for example sadhus and mahatmas (great spiritual personalities). In their mind there is no attachment for the worldly things. They always meditate on the lotus feet of Hari[19].
“Suppose a net is cast into a tank. Some of the fish are too clever never to be caught in the net. They can be likened to the ever-free ones. However, most of the fish get caught in the net. Of these, some try to escape. They are like the seekers after liberation. However, not all the fish can escape only a few are able to leap out of the net. The boys then shout: Look here! A big fish has escaped. But most of the fish caught in the net cannot escape they don’t even try to do so. And what is more, they hold the net with the mouth and lie quietly hiding themselves in the mud of the tank. They think, ‘We are quite safe now; there is no danger.’ But they do not know that the fisherman would haul them up with a jerk and throw them out on the river bank. They may indeed be compared to worldly men.”
Worldly men bound in fetters
“Worldly men remain bound to ‘woman and gold’ of the world. They are bound hand and foot. And they think that they can find happiness only in ‘woman and gold’ of the world and feel secure in it. They know not that they will die in that alone. When a worldly man is on his deathbed, his wife says to him, ‘You are departing. What have you done for me?’ Besides, maya is such that on seeing a lamp burning for long the bound man says, ‘Oil will get consumed, lower the wick.’ And here he is lying on the deathbed!
“The worldly man does not think of the Lord. If he has leisure, even then he indulges either in empty talk or engages himself in useless activities. Upon being asked he says, ‘I am not able to sit idle, so I am setting a hedge.’ Perhaps when the time hangs heavy on him, he starts playing cards.” (All laugh.)
Chapter Seven
Yo mam ajam anadim cha vetti lokamaheshvaram,
Asammudhah sa martyeshu sarvapapaih pra-muchyate.
Gita 10:3
[He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, and the great Lord of the worlds, he is no more deluded amongst mortals and freed from all sins.]
The way faith
A Bhakta — Sir, is there no way out for such a worldly man?
Sri Ramakrishna — Certainly there is a way. Now and then one must seek the company of holy men and at times one should go to meditate upon God in solitude. And one should practise discrimination and pray to God: ‘Grant me bhakti and faith.’
“Once you acquire faith, your work is done. There is nothing higher than faith.
(To Kedar) “You have heard of the power of faith! The Purana says that Ramachandra, the Perfect Brahman and Narayana, had to build a bridge to reach Lanka. But Hanuman by dint of his faith in the name of Rama jumped across the sea. He had no need for a bridge. (All laugh.)
“Vibhishana wrote the name of Rama on a leaf and tied it within the folds of the cloth of a man who wanted to cross the sea. Vibhishana said to him, ‘Fear not. Have faith and walk across the sea. But mind you, as soon as you lose your faith you will drown.’ This man was walking nicely on the sea till he was seized with an intense desire to see just once what was there in the folds of his cloth. He untied the folds of his cloth and saw that it was just the name of Rama written on the leaf. Then he said to himself, ‘What! Just the name of Rama written thereon!’ And on the instant with the loss of faith, he went under the water.
“One who has faith in the Lord can be redeemed of great sins no matter he may have committed the vilest sins killed a cow, a brahmin or a woman. Let him only say, ‘I shall not do so again,’ he need not fear anything.”
Saying so, Thakur sings.
The vilest sin and the great importance of Name
Mother, If I die with the Name of Durga on my lips,
I shall see, O Shankari, how You shall not redeem me?
If I kill the cow, or a brahmin, or destroy the child in the womb;
If I indulge in drinking wine and the like, killing woman,
For all these sins I care not the least,
As I can get at the feet of Brahman in a moment.
SRI RAM BHAKTA VIBHISHANA
Narendra the Homa bird
“You all see this boy. He is so different here. When a naughty boy is in the presence of his father, he behaves as if there is a goblin in front. But when he plays in the chandni, he is quite different. A boy like this belongs to the class of the ever-perfect. They never get attached to the world. When they get a little older, they feel an awakening within the heart and move Godward at once. They come to the world to teach mankind. They have no love for things of the world. Their mind never goes towards ‘woman and gold’.
“There is a mention of a bird called Homa in the Vedas. It lives high above in the sky. There in the sky itself it brings forth its egg. As soon as the egg is brought forth, it begins to fall. But it is so high that the egg goes on falling for days. During the fall it breaks and then the young bird coming out of it goes on falling. While it is going down, its eyes and wings open out. Just as it opens its eyes it sees that it is falling and shall soon be smashed on touching the earth. Then it suddenly shoots upward towards its mother and attains a great height.”
Narendra rises and leaves.
Kedar, Pranakrishna, M. and many others are in the room.
Sri Ramakrishna — You see, Narendra excels in everything singing, playing on musical instruments, reading and writing. The other day he had a discussion with Kedar. He just chopped off Kedar’s argument. (Thakur and all others laugh.) (To M.) Is there a book in English on reasoning?
M. — Yes, sir. It is called ‘Logic’ in English.
Sri Ramakrishna — Well, give me some idea of it.
M. now finds himself in a difficult situation. Says he, “One part of logic is reasoning from the general proposition to a particular. For example: All men will die. Pundits are men. So pundits will also die.
“Another division deals with reasoning from a particular illustration, or an event to a general proposition. Such as:
This crow is black,
That crow is black,
(And so) all the crows I see are black.
Hence, all crows are black.
“But to arrive at a conclusion in such a way is open to fallacy, for it is possible that you may find a white crow somewhere while looking for it. An another illustration: When there is rain, there was a cloud or still it is there. So the general proposition is that the rain comes from the cloud. Yet another illustration: This man has thirty two teeth. That man also has the same number. And then, everybody we see has thirty two teeth. Thus all men have thirty two teeth.
“So there are such general propositions in the English Logic.”
Sri Ramakrishna just heard it all. As he was listening, his mind went elsewhere. So, there was no further talk on this subject.
AN LEAF FROM KATHAMRITA AND THE INK-POT USED BY SRI M
Chapter Eight
Shrutivipratipanna te yada sthasyati nishchala.
Samadhav achala buddhih tada yogam avapsyasi.
Gita 2: 53
[When your intellect tossed about by the conflict of opinions has become poised and firmly fixed in equilibrium; then you shall get into yoga.]
In samadhi
The meeting ended. The bhaktas are walking about here and there. M. too is walking in the Panchavati and other places. It is about five o’clock. Coming back after some time to Sri Ramakrishna’s room he comes upon a strange sight in the small verandah, north of the room.
Sri Ramakrishna is standing still. Narendra is singing a hymn and bhaktas are standing there. M. is charmed to hear the song. Never and nowhere has he heard such a sweet voice except that of Thakur. As he looks at Thakur, he becomes speechless with wonder. Thakur is standing motionless, his eyes move not; it is difficult to say whether he is breathing or not. When asked, a bhakta tells him that it is known as samadhi (divine ecstasy). M. had never seen or heard anything like this. Speechless, he says to himself: Is it possible that the thought of Bhagavan can make one lose so much of outer-consciousness? How great must be one’s bhakti and faith who is put into such a state! The song is as follows:
Meditate you upon Hari (the Lord), O my mind! He is the essence of the spirit. He is free from all impurity!
Without equal is His glory, beautiful is His shape, how very beloved He is in the hearts of His bhaktas!
Behold, His beauty is enhanced by fresh manifestations of love! It throws into shade the effulgence of a million moons!
Verily, the lightning flashes out of His glorious beauty! His blessed vision causes hairs to stand on end.
Sri Ramakrishna is deeply touched when this line of the hymn is chanted. The hairs on his body stand on end. His eyes are bedewed with tears of joy. Now and then He smiles, it appears on seeing something. One cannot say what a vision of unequal beauty he is enjoying which puts into shade the effulgence of a million moons! Is this called the vision of the conscious form of Bhagavan? What must be the intensity of the spiritual discipline and austerities, how much bhakti and faith must be there which can bring about such a vision! The song goes on
Worship His holy feet on the lotus of your heart!
Gaze you upon the matchless beauty of that beloved form. Now that the mind enjoys peace and the eyes are filled with divine love.
That bewitching smile once more! His body becomes motionless in the same manner; eyes fixed! But it seems as if he is beholding some strange vision! And having seen this wonderful vision, he swims in supreme joy.
Now the song comes to an end. Narendra sang:
Inspired with love divine be you immersed, O my mind, in the sweetness of Him who is the fountain of Absolute Intelligence and Bliss.
(O! the joy of the Supreme Consciousness, the joy of love.)
Carrying with him this unique picture of samadhi and the bliss of love in his heart, M. wends his way back home. The heart intoxicating sweet music bubbles up from time to time in his heart
Inspired with Love divine be you immersed in the fountain of His love. (Be intoxicated in the love of Hari.)
—
Chapter Nine
Yam labdhva chaparam manyate nadhikah tatah,
Yasmin sthito na dukhena guruna api vichalyate.
Gita 6:22
[And having gained which, he thinks that there is no greater gain than that, wherein established he is not shaken even by the heaviest affliction.]
Fourth visit merry making with
Narendra, Bhavanath and others
The next day (6 March) is also a holiday. M. has come again at three o’clock in the afternoon. Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is seated in the same aforesaid room. A mat is spread on the floor. Narendra, Bhavanath and two other bhaktas are seated there. Some are young men, nineteen or twenty years old. Thakur is sitting on the smaller bedstead and with a smile playing on his face is conversing merrily with the boys.
Seeing M. enter the room, Thakur laughs loudly and says suddenly to the boys, “Look, he is here again!” As he says so he laughs and all join him. M. comes in, salutes him by prostrating himself on the ground and takes a seat. Previously, he had been saluting Thakur while standing with folded hands, after the manner of English educated persons. But today he has learnt to salute by lying down at his feet. As he takes his seat, Sri Ramakrishna tells Narendra and other disciples what has made him laugh.
“Listen, some opium was given to a peacock at four o’clock in the afternoon. Next day the same peacock arrived punctually at four in the afternoon. It has become an addict of opium, so it came punctually for a dose of opium.” (All laugh.)
M. says to himself, “He is right. I go back home but my mind, day and night, abides in him alone thinking when shall I see him, when shall I see him! It seems as if somebody has pulled me to this place. I cannot go anywhere else even if I want to, I have to come here.” M. thinks in this way while Thakur amuses himself with the boys as if they are of his age. Peels of laughter begin to rise as though it is a mart of joy.
M. is speechless as he is looking at this unique character. Says he to himself, “Is he the same person whom I saw yesterday in samadhi and in the joy of divine love never seen before? Is he the same man behaving like an ordinary person today? Is it he who on my first visit scolded me while teaching me? Didn’t he tell me that God with form and the formless God are both true? Didn’t he say to me that the Lord alone is real and all else in the world is transitory? Didn’t he advise me to live in the world like a maidservant?”
Thakur Sri Ramakrishna is having great fun and is glancing at M. every now and then. He sees that M. is sitting in silence. Addressing Ramalal he says, “You see, he is a little older, therefore he is somewhat grave. These people are laughing and making so much merry but he is sitting quiet.” M. was then about twenty seven years old.
During the conversation they talk of Hanuman, the great bhakta. There is a picture of Hanuman on the wall of Thakur’s room. Thakur says: See, the state of mind of Hanuman! He wants none of these: Wealth, honour, bodily comforts. He only longs for Bhagavan. When he was running away with Brahmastra (a heavenly weapon of the Brahma) taken from the crystalline pillar, Mandodari started showing him many kinds of fruits. She thought that tempted by fruits he might climb down and drop the weapon, but Hanuman could not be tricked. He said
Sri Rama, the Kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree)
Do I stand in need of fruits?
I have got the fruit that has made my life fruitful,
The tree of the fruit of liberation Rama is planted in my heart.
I sit under the Kalpataru (wish fulfilling tree) of Sri Rama
Whenever I desire any fruit I get it.
But you speak of the fruit; O woman, I am not bargaining for.
I go leaving the bitter fruit to you.
In samadhi
Thakur sings this very song. And again he goes into the same samadhi. Again his body is motionless, eyes fixed, and he sits still. He is seated the way as if a picture in the photograph. Only just now the bhaktas were laughing and making merry, now they are all gazing at this unique state of Thakur. It is for the second time that M. sees the state of samadhi. After some time a change comes in this state his body is relaxed and a smile plays on his face. The senses begin to function again in a normal way. Shedding tears of joy from the corners of his eyes, he utters the name, “Rama! Rama!”
M. says to himself, “Is this the same great saint who was making fun with the boys! At that time he was as if a child of five years.”
Returning to his earlier natural state, Thakur again behaves like an ordinary man. Addressing M. and Narendra says he, “I would like to hear both of you talk in English, and question and reason amongst yourselves.”
M. and Narendra both laugh at his words. They talk a little but in Bengali. It is not possible for M. to argue any more before Thakur. His entire tendency to argue, in a way, has been erased by Thakur’s grace. How can he argue then? Thakur presses them once again but the talk in English does not come about.
Tvam aksharam paramam veditavyam tvam asya vishvasya param nidhanam,
Tvam avyayah shashvata dharma gopta sanatanas tvam purusho mato me. Gita 11:18
[You are the imperishable, the Supreme Being to be realized. You are the great treasure house of this universe; You are the imperishable guardian of the Eternal dharma. You are the ancient Purusha. I deem.]
With his intimate disciples ‘who am I?’
It is five o’clock. Many bhaktas have left, each one to his own house. Only M. and Narendra stay behind. Narendra goes to Hanspukur and the Jhautala with a pitcher to wash his face. M. paces the path round the temple. After a while, he comes towards the Hanspukur near the Kuthi. He finds Sri Ramakrishna standing on the steps of the staircase, south of the tank. Narendra has washed his face and stands with the pitcher in his hands. Thakur is saying, “Look here, you must come here more often. You are a newcomer, you see. After the first acquaintance, people meet more often like a newly wedded husband. (Narendra and M. laugh.) Won’t you come?” Narendra belongs to the Brahmo Samaj. He laughs and says, “Yes sir, I shall try.”
All of them now come to Thakur’s room by way of the Kuthi path. Near the Kuthi, Thakur says to M. “You know, peasants go to the market to buy bullocks. They know a good bullock from a bad one very well. They touch the tail. Some bullocks lie down on the ground as soon as the tail is touched. Peasants don’t buy such bullocks. They choose only those who spring up with a start as soon as their tail is touched. Narendra is a bullock of the latter class. There is a lot of mettle in him.” Having said so, Thakur smiles and adds, “But there are so many who are soft like popped rice soaked in milk no strength within, no grit, soft and slippery.”
It is dusk. Thakur meditates upon God. He says to M., “Go and talk to Narendra and tell me what sort of boy he is.”
The arati is over. M. meets Narendra after quite sometime to the west of the chandni. They converse with each other. Narendra says, “I belong to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. I am a college student,” and so on.
(Chaitanya Deva said that there is great importance of the Name of the Lord)
If you ask worldly people to renounce all and devote themselves at the feet of the Lord, they do not listen to you. That is why, to attract worldly people Gaur and Nitai, the two brothers, made a proposition after consulting each other, ‘Soup of magur fish, embrace of a young woman, and repeat the name of Hari.’ In the beginning, so many people came to repeat the name of Hari tempted by the first two. Then having tasted a bit of the nectar of Hari’s name they realized that the fish soup was nothing compared to the tears falling in the love of Hari; that ‘a young woman’ meant the earth and ‘embrace of a young woman’ meant to roll about in the dust in the love of Hari.
“Nitai, somehow, used to find some way to make one repeat the name of Hari. Chaitanya Deva said that there is great importance of the Name of the Lord. It may not show immediate result but sooner or later it does yield fruit. As for example, somebody kept a seed on the cornice of a house. After a long time, the house fell down. The seed then fell on the ground, developed into a tree and bore fruit too.
Just as there are three gunas (qualities) of sattva, rajas and tamas in the worldly people, in the same way there are three gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas of bhakti too.
“Do you know, what kind of sattva quality of the worldly man is? His house lies crumbled at places but he would not get it repaired. The pigeons purge in the vestibule of the shrine and moss is growing in the courtyard, yet he is not aware of this. Household goods have grown old but no care to set them right. He lives with just a pair of clothes that he has. Such a man is very calm, polite, compassionate and simple. He does not do any harm to anybody.
“There are signs of rajoguna also in a worldly man. A watch, a chain of the watch and two or three rings on his fingers. Household goods quite tip top. On the wall there will be picture of the queen, picture of the prince, or picture of some great person. House well plastered and so forth as if no stain anywhere. Various superior clothes, uniforms of servants and maids and all such things would be there.
“Tamoguna of the worldly man has also its signs: Sleep, lust, anger, pride and the rest.
“Bhakti can also be of sattvic type. The bhakta who possesses the quality of sattva meditates secretly. He perhaps meditates inside his mosquito net. Everybody thinks, ‘He is in sleep. It appears he could not sleep at night so he is late in rising.’ And his attachment to his body is only to the extent of filling his stomach if he can have rice with spinach (a simple food), it suffices for him. There is no sophistication in his meals, nor in his dress; his household furniture is not polished. And a sattvic bhakta never flatters anybody for money.
“When a person has bhakti of the rajasic type, maybe he has a holy mark on his forehead and a rosary of rudraksha; perhaps gold beads are strung in between the rosary. (Everybody laughs.) When he worships the deity, he clads himself in a silk dhoti”
Jayashree Mukherjee
TAVA KATAMRITAM 47
(ocean of Sachchidananda ...Water in it turns into ice at places with the cold of bhakti)
Yato vacho nivarttante aprapya mansa saha.
Taittiriya Upanishad 2 :4
[Where mind and speech cannot reach.]
What Brahman is cannot be expressed by speech
A Brahmo bhakta asked, “Is the Lord with form or formless?”
Sri Ramakrishna — One cannot reach the end of God. He is formless and then with form too. For a bhakta He is with form. For a jnani, that is to say, for him who takes the world like a dream, He is formless. The bhakta thinks that he is one and the world another, that is why the Lord manifests Himself to him as ‘Personal God.’ Jnanis such as the Vedantins reason, ‘Not this, not this.’ By so reasoning the jnani has the bodhebodha- that his individuality is an illusion and so the world is like a dream. The jnani has the bodhebodha of Brahman (understands Brahman with his intellect). What God is, he just cannot express by the word of mouth.
“Do you know how is this? It is like the shoreless ocean of Sachchidananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute). Water in it turns into ice at places with the cold of bhakti. This ice takes a form. In other words, at times He manifests and takes a physical form before the bhakta. When the sun of jnana rises, the ice melts. Then the Lord does not appear like a person. Also His form is not visible. What He is cannot be expressed in words. And who is there to express God? He who is to describe is himself not there.
Search as much as you like you cannot trace the I-ness.
(The gopis had such an attraction for Krishna)
“One should enter family life after attaining viveka and vairagya (discrimination and non-attachment). In the ocean of the world there are crocodiles of passion, anger, etc. If you enter the water after anointing your body with turmeric, you need not fear crocodiles. Discrimination and non-attachment are the turmeric. Knowledge of real and unreal is known as discrimination.
The Lord alone is real, eternal. All else is unreal, transitory, lasting just a couple of days. One must realize this and develop love for the Lord. Attraction for the Lord love for Him.
The gopis had such an attraction for Krishna. Here is a song
The way love for the Lord. Attachment, or attraction like that of gopis
"O, the sweet flute is again being played on in yonder wood!
(I for my part must go there!)
(My beloved of the dark blue hue stands waiting for me there!)
O tell me, my dears, if you too are coming or not.
My beloved O, I am afraid He is a mere word an empty sound to you, my friends!
But to me He is a vital part. O, He is my very life, my heart, my soul!
Do come out Shyam is playing on the flute.
The grove has no beauty without you."
Singing this song with tearful eyes, Thakur says to Keshab and other bhaktas, “You may or may not accept Radha and Krishna but make this attraction and attachment your own. Who has such a yearning for Bhagavan? Make effort. Only when you yearn for God, you will realize Him.”
If there are no Jatila and Kutila, the sport does not nourish. )
Sri Ramakrishna (to Keshab) — I say! Vijay is here. Your disputes and differences are like skirmishes between Rama and Shiva. (Laughter.) Shiva is Rama’s guru. They had a fight and they also had a compromise. But the fight and gibberish between Shiva’s ghosts and Rama’s monkeys do not end! (Loud laughter.)
“Both of you are one’s own flesh and blood! Such things, you know, cannot be avoided. Lava and Kusha fought a war with Rama. And do you know, the mother and the daughter observed the ‘Tuesday’ (as the day of fast and prayers) separately. It is as if the weal of the mother and the weal of the daughter are different. In fact, the mother’s ‘Tuesday’ brings weal to the daughter and daughter’s ‘Tuesday’ brings weal to the mother. In the same way, he (Keshab) has a Samaj (religious society) of his own and he (Vijay) must have a separate Samaj of his own too. (Laughter.) Still it all is required. If you say that when Bhagavan Himself enacts His sport, where is the need for Jatila and Kutila[18]? If there are no Jatila and Kutila, the sport does not nourish. (All laugh.) Without Jatila and Kutila there is no joy. (Loud laughter.)
“Ramanuja was a believer of the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism). His guru believed in Advaitavada (non-dualism). In the end they had differences. The guru and the disciple started criticising each other’s faith. This happens quite often. Howsoever, he is still our own flesh and blood.”
Pita asi lokasya chara acharasya tvam asya pujyas cha gurur gariyan,
Na tvatsamah asti abhyadhikah kutah anyah lokatraye api apratima prabhava.
Gita 11:43
[You are the Father of the moving and the unmoving world. You are adorable by this world, You are the greatest Guru. In the three worlds there is none who can excel you? You, O Being, of unparallel power!]
Advice to Keshab Gurudom and Brahmo Samaj Sachchidananda alone is Guru
All are rejoicing. Thakur says to Keshab, “You do not see the nature of your disciples before taking them in, that’s why they break away like this.”
“Men are the same in appearance, but they differ in nature. In some sattvaguna[19] dominates, in some rajoguna[20] and in others tamoguna[21]. Pooli (a kind of stuffed sweet) may all have the same look. But some contain sweet condensed milk, some the kernel of coconut sweetened by treacle or sugar and some have the kalai pulse (boiled without any admixture of sweets.) (All laugh.)
“Do you know what is my way of thinking? I go about eating and drinking and the Mother knows all. There are three words that prick me guru, doer and father.
“It is Guru alone who is Sachchidananda. It is only He who will preach. I for my part feel like a child. You can find lakhs of men as gurus. Every one wants to be a guru. Who wants to be a disciple?
“Preaching to mankind is very difficult. It is when God manifests and commissions, only then it is possible. Narada, Sukadeva and some others had received the commandment.Sankracharya was commissioned by God . If you are not commissioned, who will listen to you? You know the Calcutta people’s mind! So long as there is fire, the milk comes to the boiling point. As soon as the fire is withdrawn, nothing happens to it. The people of Calcutta are moody. They begin digging a well here. Reason, they need water. But they give it up when they find some rock there. They then start digging at another place. If they find sand there, they will give up and they start digging at another point. This is the way they do!
“Again, there are people who think a particular thought and believe it to be God’s commandment. Such an idea is quite a mistaken one. He verily appears before you and talks. It is then that you receive the commandment. What a weight then that instruction carries! A mountain is moved by it. Mere lecturing! People will listen for a few days and later they forget. They do not act according to that instruction.”
Sri Ramakrishna (to Keshab and other bhaktas) — You people talk of doing good to the world. I say, is the world so small? And who are you to do good to the world? Attain God by performing sadhana (devotional practices). Attain Him. He will give you power, only then you will be able to do good to others, otherwise not.
A Particular Bhakta — Should we give up all work so long as we do not realize God?
Sri Ramakrishna — No, why will you give up work? You will have to do all this: Meditation upon the Lord, chanting His names and glories, and undertaking day to day rituals.
The Brahmo Bhakta — And what about the worldly work? About worldly affairs?
Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, you will attend that too, as much as is necessary to run the household. But you must cry in a lonely corner and pray to God so that you do all these works in a nishkama manner (selflessly). And you will say, ‘O Lord, please lessen my worldly work, because O Lord, I see that when engrossed too much in work, I forget You. I think in my mind that I am doing the work in a nishkama way but it turns out to be sakama (with a selfish motive.) Perhaps a desire for name and fame crops up when there is increase in giving charity and distributing free meals.’
(you go to the Kali ghat and become busy in distributing alms there. But in that you miss the very darshan of Kali! )
The earlier story of his life talk on activities such as charity with Shambhu Mullick
“Shambhu Mullick took up the topic of hospitals, dispensaries, schools, roads and tanks. I said to him, ‘You should do only that much that comes to your way and which appears to be of pressing necessity this too with the spirit of nishkama. Do not seek more work because if you do so you will lose sight of the Lord. Say, you go to the Kali ghat and become busy in distributing alms there. But in that you miss the very darshan of Kali! (Laughter.) First of all have the darshan of Kali even if you have to push your way through to reach there. Afterwards you may or may not take to charity. If you like, do as much as you can. After all, work is meant to realize the Lord. That’s why I said to Shambhu: Suppose the Lord appears before you, what will you say to Him? ‘Please build a number of hospitals and dispensaries?’ (Laughter.) A bhakta never asks for such things. Instead he says, ‘Thakur, grant me place at Your lotus feet, always keep me with You and grant me pure bhakti at Your lotus feet.’
“Karma Yoga is indeed very hard. The rituals laid down in the sacred books are very hard to practise in the age of Kali. Life is dependent on food. Too much of work is not possible. It will be all over with the patient suffering from fever if he is given the (slow process of treatment of a kaviraj. He cannot go for long. These days he needs D. Gupta. In the age of Kali one should take to Bhakti Yoga, chanting of Bhagavan’s names and His glories, and prayer. Bhakti Yoga indeed is the law of this age. (To the Brahmo bhaktas) You people also practise Bhakti Yoga. You repeat the name of Hari, chant the glories of the Mother, you people are indeed blessed! Your path is really fine. Like the Vedantins you do not say, ‘The world is like a dream.’ You are not such Brahmajnanis, you are bhaktas, you believe that God is a person. This too is nice indeed. You are bhaktas. You will certainly attain God when you call upon Him with a yearning heart.”
( A cab has been called for Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. After a while Sri Ramakrishna enters the cab with M)
The steamer has now come back to the Koyla ghat (Calcutta). All get ready to land. Coming out of the cabin they see that the full moon of Kojagar (the month of Aswin) is shining bright. The bosom of the Bhagirathi (Ganga) has become the place of sport for moonlight.A cab has been called for Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. After a while Sri Ramakrishna enters the cab with M. and some devotees. Nanda Lal, Keshab’s nephew, also gets in. He will accompany Thakur up to some distance.
When they all are seated in the cab, Thakur asks, “Where is he?” He means, where is Keshab. Soon Keshab appears alone. There is a smile on his face. As he comes, he asks who are the persons accompanying him? After everyone is seated in the cab, Keshab prostrates himself on the ground and takes the dust of Thakur’s feet. Thakur also bids him adieu affectionately.
The cab rolls on. The British locality. Beautiful main road with beautiful mansions on both sides of the road. The full moon has arisen. The mansions seem to repose in the mellow and serene rays of the moon. Near the main gates are the gas lights; numerous lights illuminate the rooms and in almost every home English ladies are singing to the accompaniment of harmonium, or piano. Thakur smiles in joy as he passes. Suddenly says he, “I am feeling thirsty; what is to be done?” What to do! Nanda Lal stops the carriage near the India Club, goes upstairs to fetch water and brings it in a glass tumbler. Thakur asks smilingly, “Is the tumbler well washed?” Nanda Lal says, “Yes, it is.” Thakur takes water in that very tumbler.
Thakur has the nature of a child! When the cab starts, Thakur puts forward his face to look at people, horses, carriages and moonlight. He is happy to see all these.
(On the wall of the room is an oil painting specially prepared by Surendra, wherein Thakur is showing to Keshab harmony of all religions)
Nanda Lal alights at Calootola. Thakur’s cab stops in Shimuliya Street at Suresh Mitra’s house. Thakur calls him Surendra. Surendra is a great bhakta of Thakur.
But Surendra was not at home. He has gone to his new garden. The inmates of the house open a room on the ground floor for them to sit. The cab fare is to be paid. Who will pay it? Had Surendra been there, he would have paid. Thakur says to a bhakta, “Ask the ladies of the house for the fare. Don’t they know that their men are frequent visitors?”
Narendra lives in that very locality. Thakur sends for Narendra. Meanwhile, the inmates of the house led Thakur to a room on the second level. The floor of the room is covered with a sheet, a few bolsters are lying over it. On the wall of the room is an oil painting specially prepared by Surendra, wherein Thakur is showing to Keshab harmony of all religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. And also the harmony amongst all the sects of Vaishnavas, Shaktas, Shaivites and so on.
Sitting there Thakur talks smilingly. At that juncture enters Narendra. It is as if the joy of Thakur is redoubled. He says, “I had a steamer trip with Keshab Sen. Vijay was there and also all these people.” Pointing to M. he adds, “You may ask him how I told Vijay and Keshab about ‘Tuesday’ of the mother and the daughter and that God’s sport does not nourish without Jatila and Kutila all these matters.” (To M.) Was this not so?
M. — Yes, sir.
It is getting dark, but Surendra has not yet come back. Thakur will go to Dakshineswar. It cannot be delayed any further, it is 10.30 p.m. There is moonlight on the road.
The cab has arrived. Thakur gets in. Narendra and M. offer their obeisance and return to their houses in Calcutta.
(See what a beautiful building this is! (Rani Rasmani’s Kali Temple, etc.) Go and see it.)
Chapter Two
Mama cha yah avybhichrena bhakti yogena sevateSa gunan samatitya etan Brahmabhuyaya kalpate.
Gita 14:26
[He who serves Me with unswerving devotion goes beyond the three gunas, and is fit to become Brahman.]
Conversation with bhaktas
With a smiling face, Sri Ramakrishna looks at Shivanath and other bhaktas. Says he, “I say, this is Shivanath! You see, you are a bhakta, I feel very happy to see you. This is the nature of all those who are addicted to smoking hemp. Such a smoker feels happy when he meets another like him. He may perhaps embrace him.” (Shivanath and all others laugh.)
Nature of a worldly man the great importance of Name
“When I see a person whose mind is not in the Lord, I tell him, ‘Please go and sit there.’ Or I say, ‘See what a beautiful building this is! (Rani Rasmani’s Kali Temple, etc.) Go and see it. (All laugh.)
“And I see there are persons of non-serious nature who come with the bhaktas. They are very worldly-minded and do not like talk about the Lord. Perhaps they (bhaktas) would be talking of the Lord for long. On the other hand, these men cannot sit for long and feel restless. Again and again these people whisper into their ears, ‘When are you leaving, when?’ Perhaps the latter sometimes tell, ‘Wait for a while, we shall be leaving shortly.’ Then these people get indifferent and say, ‘All right, you carry on. We are going and sitting in the boat.’ (All laugh.)
When the pitcher is full of water the water in it and that of the pond becomes one and all gurgling stops)
“When one goes on reasoning, the I-ness vanishes completely. First you peel off the
outer red skin of onion, then the soft white one. Continuing to peel in this way, nothing of the onion remains.
“When the I-ness vanishes, who remains there to look for it? Who is there to tell in what way comes the bodhebodha of the real nature of Brahman?
“A salt doll went to measure the ocean. As soon as it went in the ocean, it melted and became one with it. So, who remained to come and give the information?
“It is the sign of purna jnana (ultimate knowledge) that man becomes silent on attaining it. Then the salt doll of I-ness gets dissolved in the sea of Sachchidananda, not a trace of the perception of difference remains then.
“So long as reasoning is not over, man continues to indulge in voluble discussions. But no sooner does it stop, he becomes silent. When the pitcher is full of water the water in it and that of the pond becomes one and all gurgling stops. There is sound only till the pitcher is full.
“People used to say in the olden days that the ship does not return back if it reaches ‘Dark waters.’ ”
is only by the path of bhakti that you can easily reach Him)
But I-ness does not vanish
“When the I-ness dies, all troubles cease. Reason you may a thousand times, I-ness does not vanish. For you and me it is good to cherish the idea of ‘I am bhakta.’
“For a bhakta Brahman is saguna (with qualities). In other words, God is with qualities and He is visible as a person with a form. It is He Who listens to prayers. All your prayers are addressed to Him alone. You are not the Vedantins either, nor are you jnanis, you are bhaktas. Whether you accept God with form or not, it does not matter. It is enough to understand that the Lord is a person who listens to your prayers, who creates, preserves and dissolves, a person who is infinitely powerful.
“It is only by the path of bhakti that you can easily reach Him
Whichever form of God a bhakta sees, he believes in that alone)
Chapter Five
Bhakta tv ananyaya shakya aham evamvidhah Arjuna,
Jnatum drahtum cha tattvena praveshtum cha paramtapa.
Gita 11:54
[But by unswerving devotion can I, of this form, be known and seen in reality and also entered, O scorcher of foes.]
Vision of God with form or without form
A Brahmo bhakta asked, “Sir, can we see the Lord? If so, why don’t we see Him?”
Sri Ramakrishna — Yes surely, He can be seen. He is seen with form and He is seen without form too. How can I explain this to you!
The Brahmo Bhakta — By which method can one see Him?
Sri Ramakrishna — Can you weep longingly for Him?
“People shed pitcherful of tears for son, wife and money. But who cries for the Lord? So long as the baby remains cajoled with his pap, his mother attends to all her household chores like cooking, etc. But when the child has no more liking for the pap and throwing it away begins to scream, the mother takes down the rice pan off the fire, comes running and picks up the baby in her arms.”
The Brahmo bhakta — Sir, why are there so many beliefs concerning the Lord’s form? Some say that God is with form, some say that He is formless. And even among believers in God with form, we hear of so many different forms. Why such a confusion?
Sri Ramakrishna — Whichever form of God a bhakta sees, he believes in that alone. In reality, there is no confusion. If He is attained by any means, He will Himself explain everything. If you have never been to a particular residential quarter, how can you
know everything about i
(God assumed the form of Rama for the sake of heroic bhakta Hanuman)
The man who is always thinking of the Lord can only know His real nature. He alone knows that He is seen in different forms and in different moods. He is with qualities and also He is without qualities. It is only he who lives under the tree, knows that the variegated bird has different hues, and that sometimes it has no colour at all. Other people just argue, quarrel and trouble themselves.
“Kabir used to say, ‘The One without form is my Father, with form my Mother.’
“God grants darshan to the bhakta in the form he loves most gracious loving Lord of the bhakta as He is. The Purana says that God assumed the form of Rama for the sake of heroic bhakta Hanuman.”
(we should develop devotion at His lotus feet by all means possible)
Explanation of the forms of Kali and Shyama the Infinite is not comprehensible
“In Vedanta philosophy there are no forms and the like. Its ultimate principle is that Brahman is the only Reality and the phenomenal universe constituting the names and forms illusory. So long as one cherishes the idea that ‘I am a bhakta,’ there is a possibility of getting the vision of the form of the Lord and seeing Him as a person. Looking at it with the perspective of reasoning, the feeling of ‘I am the bhakta’ keeps him somewhat away from Him.
“Why are the forms of Kali and Shyama three and a half cubits tall? It is because of the distance. On account of distance, the sun seems small. If you go near, it will look big beyond your imagination. And why is the complexion of Kali, or Shyama black? That, too, on account of distance. For example, water in a lake appears green, blue or black from a distance. But if you go near and take some water in your palm, you will find that it is colourless. The sky from a distance appears blue. But if you go near it, it has no colour.
“So I say that according to the Vedanta philosophy, Brahman is without attributes. What Its real nature is like cannot be expressed in words. But so long as you are real, the world is also real. The names and forms of the Lord are also real, taking Him as a person is real too.
“For you there is the path of bhakti. It is a very good and easy path. Can the Infinite Lord be known? Besides, where is the need to know Him? Having the rare privilege of been born as a man, we should develop devotion at His lotus feet by all means possible.
“If I can quench my thirst with one pot of water, what need is there for me to measure the quantity of water in the tank? I get intoxicated with half a bottle of wine what need is there to know how many maunds of wine there is in the wine shop? So, what is the need to know the Infinite?”
One sees light all around)
Yas tv atmaratir eva syad atmatriptas cha manavah,
Atmany eva cha samtushtas tasya karyam na vidyate.
Gita 3:17
[But the man who rejoices in the Self, is satisfied with the Self and is centred in the Self, there remains no obligatory duty for him.]
Signs of God-realization
seven planes and the knowledge of Brahman
Sri Ramakrishna — The Vedas describe the different states of a Brahmajnani. However, this path, the path of jnana, is a very difficult path. If the least trace of worldly wisdom, or that of attachment to ‘women and gold’ persists one cannot attain jnana. This path is not for the age of Kali.
“The Vedas talk of the seven planes in relation to this. These are the seven states of the mind. When the mind is attached to the world, it has its location in the generative organ, rectum and naval. The mind does not look upward in this state, its only concern is ‘woman and gold’. The fourth plane of the mind is the heart. It is here that the mind gains initial awareness. One sees light all around. Seeing the divine light, he is amazed and exclaims, ‘What is this! What is this!’ The mind then does not go downwards (towards the world).
In the top of the head is the seventh plane. When the mind rises to it, one goes into samadhi )
The fifth plane of the mind is the throat.
When the mind of a person rises to the throat, he loses all his ignorance and illusion. He does not then like to talk or hear anything except about the Lord. If someone talks of other matters, he leaves that place. The sixth plane of the mind is the forehead. When the mind reaches there, one sees a divine form all the twenty four hours a day. However, a bit of I-ness subsists even then. Such a person feels intoxicated at the vision of that supreme and unique form. He tries to touch and embrace this form but cannot. It is like the light in the lantern. One feels that one can touch the light but because of the glass in between, one cannot touch it. In the top of the head is the seventh plane. When the mind rises to it, one goes into samadhi and the Brahmajnani has direct vision of Brahman. But in this state the body does not last for many days. He always remains unconscious, he can eat nothing and if milk is poured into his mouth it runs out. On this plane, the man dies in twenty one days. This is the state of the Brahmajnani. For you is the path of bhakti it is a very good and easy path.
Actions drop out after samadhi the earlier story of his life how Thakur gave up karmas like tarpan
“Once a person asked me, ‘Sir, can you teach me (how to attain) samadhi?’ (Everybody laughs.)
“All actions drop out after samadhi. Actions like puja (worship), japa and all other worldly activities drop off. In the beginning one is overactive with karmas (works) but as the man advances towards the Lord, the display of karmas becomes less so much so that even singing of His names and glories ceases. (To Shivanath) Till you did not reach the meeting, people talked so much of your good name, qualities and so on. But as soon as you arrived, all that stopped. Now everybody takes joy only at your sight. And people then say, ‘Here, here comes Shivanath Babu.’ All other talk about you stops.
“After this state of mine, I noticed at the time of performing tarpan with Ganga water that it was
trickling down my fingers. I began to cry and asked Haladhari, ‘Brother, what has happened?’ Haladhari told me that it is called galitahasta (fingers of the hand remain apart). After the vision of the Lord, actions like tarpan drop out.
the sankirtan one first sing, ‘Nitai is my mad elephant.’ As this mood deepens, one simply utters, ‘Elephant, elephant.’ Next it is only, ‘Elephant.’ And lastly while saying, ‘Ele,’ one goes into bhava samadhi. Then the man who was singing says not a word.
“It is the same as in a feast given to the brahmins. In the beginning there is so much of activity. When they sit down with a leaf plate in front, much of the noise ceases. One hears only, ‘Bring some puris, bring some here.’ And again, when they begin eating puris and vegetables, seventy five percent of the noise subsides. When they have curds, you can hear only one sound, ‘Sup sup’ (of smacking their lips). (All laugh.) It is right to say that nobody utters a word. The feast over, the next step is to go to sleep. Then it is absolute silence.
“Therefore I say that in the beginning there is so much of activity. The more you advance on the path of the Lord, the lesser the karma becomes. At the end, all karmas drop and it is followed by samadhi.
“When the housewife is in her family way, her
mother‑in-law reduces her duties. In the tenth month, she is almost free from work. When the child is born, there is complete renunciation of work. The mother has only to look after the baby. All chores in the household are attended to by the mother-in-law, the husband’s sister, or his elder sister-in-law.”
(some persons like Narada and avataras like Chaitanya Deva live for instructing mankind)
The avatara and the like live after samadhi for instruction of mankind
“After samadhi the general rule is that the person dies. But some persons like Narada and avataras like Chaitanya Deva live for instructing mankind. After digging the well, some people send off the spade and the basket. There are some who keep them thinking that these may perhaps be needed by their neighbours. In the same way, the mahapurushas (high spiritual personalities) feel greatly concerned for the troubles of common man. They are not so selfish so as to be satisfied with their own attainment of jnana. You know well how the selfish people behave. If you ask them to urinate here, they won’t lest it should later do you good. (All laugh.) If you ask them to bring sandesh for a pice from a shop, they will lick it on their way. (All laugh.)
“There is special manifestation of divine power in some. A man of ordinary calibre is afraid of imparting instruction to others. Habate wood (worn out wood) may itself float on the water somehow, but it sinks the moment a bird sits on it. Sages like Narada are bahaduri wood (logs of wood). This wood not only floats on the water, but can also carry men, bullocks and even elephants.”
When the Radhakanta’s ornament was stolen, Sejo Babu (son-in-law of Rasmani) went to the Radhakanta Temple and said to the deity, ‘Fie on you, Thakur (god)! You could not guard your own ornaments!)
Sri Ramakrishna (to Shivanath) — Yes, my dear sir, why do you dwell so much on glories and splendour of the Lord? I said the same to Keshab Sen. One day they all came here to the Kali Temple. I said, ‘I would like to hear how you lecture.’ A meeting was then arranged in the chandni (porch) on the Ganga ghat and Keshab began to lecture. He spoke so well; I went into samadhi. Later on, I said to Keshab, ‘Why do you so much talk of all this: O Lord, what beautiful flowers You have made! You have created the sky, the stars, the sea and so on!’ Those who love splendour, love to talk about the Lord’s splendour. When the Radhakanta’s ornament was stolen, Sejo Babu (son-in-law of Rasmani) went to the Radhakanta Temple and said to the deity, ‘Fie on you, Thakur (god)! You could not guard your own ornaments!’ I said to Sejo Babu, ‘What an intelligence you have! He who has Lakshmi herself for His handmaid, He whose feet she massages, how can He lack splendour? The jewellery is something very precious for you, but for the Lord it is just a few clods of earth. Fie on you! You should not talk so unintelligently. What riches can you give to God?’ That is why I say that a man seeks a person whom he finds joy. What use it is to find out from him where he lives, how many buildings and gardens he possesses, how much wealth, how many relatives, male and female servants he has? When I see Narendra, I forget everything. I have never asked him even by mistake where he lives, what is his father, how many brothers he has and so on. Dive deep into the sweetness of the Lord. What need is there for us to find out about God’s infinite creation, His limitless splendo—
