1.

M. (to the devotees) – You see, I used to go to Keshab Babu’s lectures for a long time. I didn’t know him personally then. I had been going to him since I was a student. I was then a school boy. It must have been when I was in my second (9th of today) class (9th of today). Thakur himself introduced me to him. It was in his own house that my first introduction took place. Thakur had come to his house and I was also with him. Pointing towards me he said to Keshab in a tone of complaint, ‘I say, just let me know why he doesn’t go there (to Dakshineswar)? Though he says that he does not have his mind in the world.’ He made this request and complaint, so that Keshab might ask me to go there. How amazing, just see! He commends me to Keshab Babu in quiete another way. Why was he so eager for me to go there? Because I was his own, because he was my father. He was to bring together the scattered block and intertwine in one thread. Otherwise, he could not perform his Nara lLeela (God’s sport as a man). The aim of his advent as an avatara was this to enact his leela in the company of his devotees. The Mother of the Universe had shown him twenty or twenty-two years earlier who are who were be the companions of his leela. That’s why, he cared so much for them.

"Besides, Keshab Sen and Thakur found another link. The family where I had married was connected with Keshab Sen. Keshab Sen’s grandfather had many brothers. One line was that of Keshab Babu and another was of that family. They are all the Sens of Calootola...

"But Thakur had taken me as a man of Brahmo Samaj from the beginning. So it was that when I used to go to him earlier, he talked to me about Brahmo Samaj,: ‘How is Keshab Sen doing? I hear he is ill.’ (With smileing in the eyes) I replied him the same way, ‘I don’t go there quite often. I also hear that he is not well.’ Hearing this he became thoughtful — O, O it means, he does not go there.

"One day he said, ‘You have the formless God here too.’ In other words, he had experienced there all the aspects of God — God-with-form, God-without-form, all. And so many other aspects of God too! Hadn’t he attained God in all the bhavas (attitudes)? And then, what was attaining God for him? He himself was God, now come down now as a man. Now he was having his divine sport, you see. So he was talking to the devotees in their bhava. He had undertaken all kinds of sadhana, even as a Christian and as a Muslim. And not to speak of Hinduism — he had perfected himself in all the sadhanas of the Vedas, the Puranas and the Tantras, all. So he used to say, ‘Here too you have the Formless.’ You see, the men of the Brahmo Samaj are so found of talking of the Formless. Thakur had taken me too as one of them. (M. laughs loudly).

"Once during the Puja days I had been going very frequently to Keshab Babu. Hearing this Thakur got worried. He said firmly but affectionately, ‘You will not go elsewhere, you will only come here.’

"And why will he not say so, he is both one’s own mother and father! The boy may go astray, so they are worried. The bhaktas are the dear and near ones of the Mother, you see — the antarangas. That’s why, the Mother had earlier shown them to Thakur. She said, ‘All these are my own people. They will come to you. By meeting them, by talking to them of God you will feel at peace.’ At the time of the arati he would go up the roof of the Kuthi and yell out, ‘I say, where are you people? Come on. My prana is burning with the fire of women and gold.’ That’s why, just by seeing them he recognised that they are his own people."

M. (to the devotees) — You will go nowhere else, you will only come here — by just saying so he saved us from such unnecessary detours. That’s why, one can never repay the debt of the Guru, the ocean of motiveless grace.

"To test me he would ask me again and again, what was his worth. He wanted to see how far I had reached. How far the devotees had understood him. He used to hint again and again, you see — I am God, come as an avatara. He wanted to see whether the devotees were able to hold him.

"One day he said, ‘Well, will Keshab Sen’s group of followers last? What do you say?’ I too am just like that. I replied, ‘It could last if he visited you more frequently.’ Thakur again asked, ‘But why? So many people go there. How many come here?’ I replied, ‘Only of that type go there.’ He had a hearty laugh on hearing it. He said, ‘Those who only want God come here.’ (M. laughs long)

"He used to adopt several procedures. When he saw that one did not work, he would take another immediately.

"How much did we trouble him! But he did not the least show temper or feel irritated. He knew human weakness, you see. How can one get rid of one’s environments, one’s upbringing?

"How much the devotees pestered him! How low he had to come down to teach them. One day he knelt in Raja Navakrishna’s house to offer his obeisance. And how delicate is this body. How very delicate was his body. He did even this for the instruction of the ‘English Men’. They pay obeisance by joining their hands. But one should offer pranam to the Deity by lying prostrate before It. Hearing that the ‘English Men’ sit inside the Kali Temple and perform japa and dhyana Thakur used to feel very happy.

"One day he said, ‘Once I was going from this village to the other. Harido (Hridya) was with me. I saw a very big stone on the bank of the river. My Mother! the more I walked towards it the more I saw the stone moving away. And then it suddenly fell into the river with a thud.’ When I heard this I began to laugh loudly. Can a stone move, can it fall into the river! You see, the devotee was a rationalist. Thakur laughed as he said, ‘But Mathur said: Father I would not have believed it if somebody else said so. But I believe since you say it?’ (M. goes into peals of laughter).

"(After a little thought) "Pointing towards a sadhu he once said, ‘Look here, look here, how this sadhu has been meditating on Kali.’ (Laughing uncontrollably) The rationalist replied, ‘Of course, he would do so. So long he remains extrovert there is indeed Kali for him.’ Hearing this he did not say anything else.

"(Recalling something) "On another day he said to some other person, ‘Go and offer your pranam to Kali.’ He replied, ‘But I am seeing you. What shall I do there?’ Thakur said, ‘You must worship the one I worship.’ "

M. (to the bhaktas) – What is the meaning of the Kkuhelika (mist; obscurity)?

Mukunda – I think it means illusion.

M. – Only thinking will not do. We are positivist.

M. (showing a book to the devotees) – Swami Sureshwarananda has written all this. But man has become very clever now. He doesn’t want speculation. He now wants the authority. On hearing this the Paramahansa Deva (Thakur) said, ‘He will accept only that.’ And that too, perhaps, his authority.

"Rama Babu’s son Suresh has started a math independently in Bangalore. It is not associated with the Mission. He is doing great work. Not only that, he has opened an another branch in Hyderabad.

"Yogeshwarananda came here. He said, ‘I saw you in a dream.’ He said, ‘I have come only to see you.’

"The festival in Kankurgachhi is over. But he did not go there — lest they should put him so many questions. I told him, ‘It would be better if you go there some other day. Go there once, offer obeisance to Thakur and run back. ADoes a man from that place (Kankurgachhi) does not go there (Kankurgachhi)!.’ "

2.

M. (to the Younger Ramesh) – Try to be a little methodical from now. Buy a file for two pice. You have a file. Do you have a file, haven’t you? (Ramesh says, ‘No.’). Then buy one. Write down the telephone numbers on it — that of the Amulya Babu and of Dicken’s Store.

The Elder Jiten – You will mature if you stay here for some time.

M. – Not just this. An idealist becomes a realist.

"A ship went to sea. It went very far when it’s iron pieces all got began to detached. At some distance there was a hill of magnet. When asked, the captain said that there was a hill of magnet somewhere. It was that which was pulling. Similarly, those who have their mind always directed towards God become lax in all their worldly works. God is the hill of magnet. Isn’t He? But till you have such a mind what else can you do? If not work, what?"

Mohan – Well, the Western people are so very inspired with work — in handicraft, science or business. Will they also attain karma sannyasa (renunciation of work) one day while working in this way?

M. – How is it possible? Unless they take to Karma Yoga (work without the desire of reward), how can they achieve karma sannyasa (renunciation of work). In other words, if they take to selfless work to attain God, then alone it is possible. Otherwise, they will go on adding to their work. When the feeling of nivritti (non-worldliness) comes to the mind one takes to selfless work. Otherwise, all works result in endless increasing of work. One shall fall into an endless cycle of birth and death. Swami Vivekananda said to the people of West, ‘Work for work sake — not for self enjoyment.’ These people do not know what work for God is. So, he (Swamiji) gave that instruction.

"It is said in simple words that one must renounce the reward of all work. This renunciation results inevitably in one being drawn towards truth, towards God.

"Work does not become kshaya (come to an endunbinding) even if done with a feeling of doing good to others. It does raise one quite high, but it does not cease come to an end. Thakur said this one thing to Krishandas Pal and Vidyasagar Mahashay. Though such work is good but it does not bring God realization. Modifications of the mind do not cease with such work. So perpetual peace is not attained. If you want to achieve it God realization must be your ideal. It was to say this to Vidyasagar Mahashay that Thakur went to him and asked him to work for God. That would lead to God. realization."

Mohan – The aim of Gandhi Maharaj’s work is also doing good to others, attainment of independence for the country and arranginge for grain and cloth for the poor. Will this purify the mind?

M. – The goal of Gandhi Maharaj is God-realization. He has named God as Rama. It is to have the darshan of Rama that he has taken to this work. It is not to serve the country. The latter is only the means, the goal is attainment of God.

Mohan – What will be the result of the sacrifice of those who have renounced their all for the sake of the country?

M. – The country will attain freedom, tThe people will be benefited, the poor will be provided with food and cloth — just that much. But it will not bring God-realization. Even so, this renunciation will take them very much ahead — they are much higher than ordinary people. By rising so high it becomes easier to attain God. Renunciation makes their path straight and prepares their mind. Later on, if they develop non-worldliness and get attracteddrawned towards God, they will also have His darshan. What sacrifices Aurobindo Babu has made after taking part in politics!. And at the end he made God-realization as his ideal, which brings peace, happiness and perfection.

The Reader – (Sri Ramakrishna says to the famous Brahmo preacher, Pratap Chandra Majumdar) Look here, ‘I and mine’ alone constitute ignorance. … the jnani says:, wWife and son, family members and all are Yours. Loving everything and calling it ‘mine, mine’ is maya. To love all, this is daya (compassion).

M. – That’s why, Thakur said to the bhaktas: Live in your family like a maidservant. If you do so you will be saved from the maya’s reach, from the hands of ignorance. It is not enough to say by the word of mouth that you are a maidservant. You are to live like one. You have to work for the whole day but take no benefit from it. Your attitude should be as that of a maidservant of a household who has no right to take anything herself but only to work night and day. You must spend seventy five percent of your wealth etc. in the service of the deities, sadhus and God in the poor. You must serve the family with twenty five percent.

"But if you do not constantly keep the company of sadhus this bhava does not sustain long. Selfishness covers it up. Thakur taught some bhaktas how they should live in their home like a maidservant. He has himself prepared them with his own hands to serve as examples. To one householder devotee, he said,: ‘The Mother of the Universe has told me that She would get a bit of Her work done by you, the work of teaching mankind.’ Besides, he even asked Her to grant him a kala (one sixteenth) of Shakti. Without God’s Shakti it is not possible to teach mankind. (Laughing) But that devotee wanted to embrace sannyasa. He had realized in his early years that family life was hard. Thus he had a great desire to embrace sannyasa.

"One day at the twilight hour he came down from samadhi and scolded this devotee. There was nobody in the room. He said, ‘Let nobody think that the Mother’s work will remain unfinished. She makes big acharyas out of a piece of straw.’ Hearing this, the devotee bowed to the wish of the Mother of the Universe.

"And then Thakur said, ‘Mother, if you keep him in family grant him Your darshan at times. Otherwise, how will he go on, Mother?’ "

A bBhakta – How did this devotee reach the end, he lived like a maidservant?

M. – He is still safe. He has yet to reach the end. (Laughter).

"It was to this very bhakta that Thakur had initiated into Tantrik sSannyasa. Baburam was also initiated into it along with him. The former was bothering Thakur again and again for sannyasa. But he kept him in the household by the Mother’s command. But he arranged every convenience around him in the house. He was initiated into Tantrik Ssannyasa, the Mother of the Universe was requested to grant him Her darshan from time to time, what else did he not do for him? Was he not the Mother’s own person? He was to teach the humanity through him! So it was that he had such care for him."

Morton School

Tuesday, 26th August 1924

10th of Bhadra, 1331 (B.Y.)

The 11th day of the dark fortnight

11 Dandas / 47 Palas.