YOU WILL HAVE TO NARRATE THE BHAGAVATA
1.
M. goes to the Panchanan Ghosh Lane taking Jagabandhu with him. It is five in the afternoon5 p.m. Today, Tuesday, 8 September 1924, 24th of Bhadra, 1331 (B.Y.), the 11th day of bright fortnight, 35 Dandas / 48 Palas.
M. is to go to Sri Ramakrishna Samiti in Parshibagan. Its founder Sarat Chandra Mitra Mahashay, a great devotee of Thakur, is lying ill. His life is in danger. He is a disciple of Swami Vivekananda and an intent practitioner of the great mantra of his Guru, ‘Atmanah mokshartha jagat hitaye che’ (for the liberation of the Self and the good of the world). When the Brahmavadin club was shifted to Allahabad, Sarat Chandra became its chief custodian. And by serving it with faith and reverence, looking after the work of the Guru like his Guru, he has established it as a living institution. Initially this club was established in Madras at the behest of Swami Vivekananda. Finding time from work, he came to Calcutta and established the Sri Ramakrishna Samiti in Parshibagan and engaged himself in the human welfare services in so many ways. That Sarat Chandra, the beloved of Sri Ramakrishna spiritual family, will take shelter at the fearless, ever joyful and blissful feet of his Guru and ideal deity after giving up his physical body, is the guess of everybody.
M. is moved because of Sarat Chandra’s illness. So he enquires after him daily by sending some helpers to him. Today, he is himself going there to see him. M. walks in front of the Science College towards the south. Sri Ramakrishna Samiti is immediately after it. As soon as M. enters the Samiti building, Sarat Chandra’s youngest brother Kumaravrati Satyesh welcomes him and having saluted him takes him inside the room. Sarat Chandra is lying on his bed. He offers pranam to M. by closing his eyes. M. finds all about his illness from Satyesh while affectionately holding the right hand of Sarat Chandra in his hand. His illness is deadly. He cannot be saved in this journey. Having raised Sarat Chandra’s spirits by affectionately holding his hand for half an hour M. comes out quietly in a grave mood. His eyes are brimming with tears. Says he indistinctly, "He is a unique and firm pillar of the exposition of avatara-leela of Thakur and Swamiji. Throughout his life he served and proclaimed him. The whole of his life he spent as a sannyasi though living in the household." He stands in the front of the Science College and bids goodbye to Satyesh Chandra and the other devotees.
Seven in the evening. M. is seated on the roof of the Morton School with the bhaktas. He says to the bhaktas, "Some of you should go to the Bhutananda festivity. We have received an invitation."
Vinay, Jagabandhu and the Younger Amulya leave. The Bhutananda festival is celebrated every year in the house of the proprietor of the ‘Healing Balm’. Durgapada Mitra, the manager of the Healing Balm, has invited the devotees of the Morton School. The house has been decorated with numerous flowers and electric lights. At one spot, a lot of powder has been sprinkled all over so that footprints may be available. Manoranjan and Balai have earlier assistedbeen to in this festival. The members of the family cordially served prasad to the devotees. The bhaktas returned at ten o’clock. Durgapada Mitra sent prasad for M. The heads of the house have great devotion for the gGuru. They celebrate this festival every year.
Next day at eight in the morning M. dictates the appendix to part V of the Kathamrita in a meditative mood, while Jagabandhu writes. M. is seated on his bedspread in his room facing south and Jagabandhu is on a bench in front. The fourth section of the article entitled, ‘Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda’ ends. M. says, "Swamiji heard it all from Thakur’s lips, so he placed it before the world in his best words and manner. People are not so impressed by mere words. But Swamiji had practised them all! By hearing them from him they impressed a thousand times more — he made them enter the heart. Fox Sisters, the devotees from America, said of Swamiji when they came here, ‘We did not go to hear him. We went because we liked him and we were attracted by his snow-white pure character.’ And they said, ‘There was a special power in his words that would powerfully attract our mind and uplift it to a divine blissful state.’ "
Antevasi – Is this power given by the avatara, by Thakur?
M. – Yes, hHis power indeed. Religion is propagated only by the power of the avatara. So, God comes down as an avatara. Thakur is the avatara this time. He said, ‘This (his body) will not be able to do any work of rajas.’ He was completely pure sattva you see, that’s why. The Mother would get Her work done through him (Narendra’s body). That’s how Swamiji went to the West. Swamiji had the desire to remain merged in samadhi like Sukadeva. Thakur said, ‘Do the Mother’s work. She will give you this too and also She will grant you a state higher than this.’ On his return from America Narendra said to me in Balaram’s house, almost crying, almost crying. Said he, ‘I wanted to live it out singing but it did not come about. He made me dance these so many years like they do to a monkey putting a cord in it’s nostril. I wanted that there would be an ashrama in the Himalayan silence and a good library. I shall meditate there, read and spend my time singing songs. But where did he let it happen?’
"An ashrama is established at Mayavati, but Swamiji is not there.
"It is the same with other bhaktas also. To a certain bhakta (M.) he said, ‘You will have to do this much (touching his ring-finger to the thumb) of the Mother’s work.’ In a way, the work has gone on for fifty years leaving out food and sleep. And yet She does not permit leisure. To the same bhakta he said, ‘The Mother told me that you will have to narrate the Bhagavata. The Mother has kept the Bhagavata pundit with a bond in the household.’ When this bhakta insisted on sannyasa he scolded him and said, ‘The Mother can make big acharyas out of a piece of straw.’ Religion spreads by the power of avatara, not merely by learning, intellect and discourses. The latter’s influence lasts only for a few days but the effect of that power lasts very long. Thakur got that bhakta a kala (one sixteenth) of power by asking for it to the Mother.
"The leela of the avatara is amazing. It is beyond the intellect of even Brahma and Indra. Even Brahma couldn’t recognize the avatara, Sri Krishna. After the calves were stolen, he practised tapasya for many years before he could recognize that the Indivisible Sachchidananda had Himself taken up the form of Sri Krishna. On the other hand, the milkmen and milkmaids of Braja were able to know Him by His grace. Just by loving Him, all these cowherds and cowherdesses though rustic, unlettered and uncultured recognized Him. That’s why, Sri Krishna said to Uddhava, after he had killed Kansa, ‘Gachchhoddhava Brajam Somyam (Uddhava, please go and let me know how they are). I cannot pay back the debt that I owe to them unless they free me from it. When I had no riches, they gave me all they had and loved me — snapping all the bonds of society, of father, son, daughter, wealth and people.’ "
Antevasi – A number of times there remains a doubt during conversation. Is it right to say it then?
M. – No. When there is a doubt one must first verify it. Then one may say it. If there is even a little defect in the statement it loses its value to an extent. Haven’t you read the Law of Evidence? If even a small defect is found the whole evidence is rejected. That is why, it is difficult to talk. Whatever the bhaktas (M.) say, Thakur himself sitting in the throat makes them say so. Otherwise, preaching religion is not possible. Thakur said, ‘What is this rascal saying? He who is the embodiment of rasa (sweetness) he calls Him sans rasa.’ He laughed and said, ‘Do you know how it is? It is like someone saying that in my uncle’s house there is a whole cowshed full of horses.’ One can talk on religion at His commandment, and then alone it does the work and people listen. This power only the avatara has.
Antevasi – The Bhagavata contains a beautiful narration of the avatara leela. They tally with Thakur’s sayings. In the beginning neither Indra nor Brahmao were able to recognize Sri Krishna. They recognized him only after doing penance. Thakur talked of ‘the unrecognizedknown tree,’ ‘the troupe of bauls.’ Besides, he said about himself in Chaitanya Deva’s song, ‘I say, you people have not recognized him (Chaitanya Deva), he who wanders from home to home of people in the guise of a poor humble mendicant.’
M. – Tell me, how people can recognize him? The avatara leela is possible by taking refuge ins Yogamaya. She casts all the magic. If the Mother removes the veil then alone one can recognize. Just take the case of Thakur — he was a temple priest on six rupees a month; he was indigent and broken ins health by malaria! And then he walked naked. Sometimes, he would tie a tail to his body and walk about jumping. And he would take a pole on his shoulder. In addition, at the time of the puja he would put all the flowers on his own head. He fed the cat with the puri (kind of thin fried bread) of bhoga (offering of food made to the deity). On the other hand, see that because of his grace all these poor boys became world teachers. He had recognized the devotees and he made them recognize him. Thus it is clear that he is an avatara. On the one hand an indigent priest, on the other he is worshipped throughout the world.
Antevasi – The rishis in the Dandaka forest were jnanis. They did not recognize Rama as an avatara. Did this stand in the way of their salvation?
M. – Why would it be so? Totapuri was a man of Nirvikalpa samadhi. And this brought him salvation. Having recognized him as the avatara, he tasted the sweetness of the avatara leela of the Lord and of also hHis ecstatic love too. A person attacked the rishis saying that they did not recognize Rama. Thakur protested loudly, saying, ‘Do not say so. Let one take what one can digest.’ He protested, otherwise it would be monotonous. Even so, he showed some both God-with-form and God-without-form. First he showed Narendra God-without-form. Later on he showed him God-with-form. The day he accepted the Mother’s form, Thakur very happily said to the bhaktas, ‘Naren has accepted the Mother.’ But he recognized Thakur as avatara much later.
"I said, ‘Can both jnana and bhakti be present in the same person?’ Thakur replied, ‘Why not? One can see both the sun and the moon in the same sky.’ He mentioned Prahlad’s name. He had both. He even showed us these by his grace. The gopis had both Brahmajnana and bhakti. They who belong to a big ‘abode’ have both of these. Thakur had shown the devotees (M.) both — Brahmajnana and bhakti."
Antevasi –
Avajananti mam mudhah manushim tanum ashritam,
Param bhavam ajanantah mama bhuta maheshvaram. (Gita 9:11)
[Fools disregard Me as one clad in a human form, not knowing My higher nature as the great Lord of beings.]
"If that be true it appears that the rishis also come in the category of ‘fools,’ as they only worshippped the formless, attributeless Brahman."
M. – They did not disregard Rama. They took Rama as a jnani. They revered him. Here it is about the ordinary ignorant persons, not about the rishis. The rishis said to Rama, ‘Bhardwaj and others call you as avatara, but we are the worshippers of the formless, attributeless Brahman. We take you as a jnani.’ The jnanis do not accept the avatara, you see. But they accept God. So they cannot be called ‘fools’. Did Narendra disregard him when he said to Thakur, ‘Let Girish Ghosh say so. But till I do not know you as the avatara, I shall not accept you (as such).’ He did accept him as a jnani and also as the Guru. Swamiji is a worshipper of Brahmajnana, one of the seven rishis — so said Thakur. By Thakur’s grace when he understood him as avatara, see what a hymn of praise and arati he wrote. One cannot find such in any holy book.
2.
Morton School. Five in the evening. M. comes out alone and walks down the Amherst Street towards the south on the eastern foot path.
Swami Kamleshwrananda arrives at half past five. He is the head of the Gadadhar Ashrama, a branch of Sri Ramakrishna Math, situated in Bhavanipur. He has great affection for M. At times he takes him to the Gadadhar Ashrama and makes him stay there.
Accompanied by him Antevasi comes to the road to look for M. They meet him near the crossing of the Macchhua bBazaar. They all return to the Morton School.
M. sits down oon a bench in the courtyard of the Morton School facing the road. To his right and left there are two benches. On the right hand bench sits Swami Kamleshwrananda and on the left Antevasi.
Sudhir Chatterji, a student of the Morton School, comes to return a book. Seeing him peeping from the footpath, a young teacher beckons him to come in. As he enters, he whispers to him iin his ear to offer his pranam. The boy offers pranam by touching the feet of each one of them. M. blesses the boy happily and says, "O beautiful! you are a good bhakta! It is good to offer pranam to a sadhu. Paramahansa Deva said so to Keshab Sen. What is good in it, tell me?" The boy replies, "It brings devotion to God." M. says, "Well done, you have understood it quite well!"
The sky is overcast. It is drizzling. It is about six o’clock. Everybody rises and goes to sits down oin the eastern edge of the verandah on the first floor. The sannyasi sits on a chair facing west. To his right, sits M. on a double bench. In front of him on a second double bench, sits Jagabandhu and some other bhaktas. The conversation starts.
M. (to the Sannyasi) – You had a great privilege there — you read out the Bhagavata to Hari Maharaj in Kashi. One understands the meaning of the scriptures soon by reading out to mahapurushas (great spiritual personalities). Such an opportunity comes only by luck. Please narrate it to us too, if you remember it.
The bhaktas arrive in no time — the Elder Jiten, the Younger Jiten, the Younger Amulya, Shanti, Vinay, Doctor Bakshi and others.
Swami Kamleshwrananda is a sannyasi of devotion and love. M. is a very special chosen disciple of Sri Ramakrishna avatara. "Mother, keep the Bhagavata pundit in the household with a bond." That is how, M. at the behest of the Mother of the Universe and Thakur has been singing the avatara leela night and day without sleep for the last forty years, having received ‘a kala’ of Shakti from them. Thakur saw M. in the community singing group of Sri Chaitanya as his intimate disciple. And he said, "On hearing your reading of the Chaitanya Bhagavata I came to know who you are." Thakur said something else about M. — Thakur, the avatara as the father and M., the disciple as the son. The sannyasi contemplates all these facts about M.
And he also thinks over the fact that among the disciples M. was the first who went to the holy Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Thakur, at his behest. By his grace he had darshan of the holy Kamarpukur as an illumined place like the illumined Vrindaban. He had seen the trees, the creepers, the birds, the animals and the people all bathed in light. He saluted anybody or anything he met on the way. Seeing a tomcat enveloped in light, he prostrated on the ground to salute it.
By the grace of Sri Ramakrishna, he also had darshan of the holy Dakshineswar as an illumined place. Every grain of dust there was surcharged with spirituality, as he said. That’s why,, knowing the trees and creepers of Dakshineswar too as the participants of the avatara leela, he visits them as if going to the gods and rishis standing in front. That’s why he hugs them in tight embrace with a heart overflowing with emotion.
The learned sannyasi adept in knowledge of spiritual truths is reminded of all these facts. And he is also reminded of the fact that he who was Sri Chaitanya Deva is now Sri Ramakrishna. He says to himself that M., the author of the Kathamrita, is like Vyasa who wrote the Bhagavata. And he is like Narada in his singing of the glory of Sri Ramakrishna night and day. So this sannyasi brings joy to M.’s mind by offering the flowers of the hymn ofby Brahma from the Bhagavata, so beneficial to the place, time and persons.
Swami Kamleshwrananda – The child Krishna worked wonders. Brahma was amazed and to test his power he took the cows and cowherds to a solitary place and made them sleep in the sleep of maya. Sri Krishna to crush Brahma’s pride created another herd of cows and cowherds exactly like that and sent them to Gokul. A whole year passed thus. Brahma wondered, where from these new cows and cowherds have emerged? Wonder struck he sat to meditate and came to know that Sri Krishna was the Supreme person, the Absolute Being. So he worshiped Sri Krishna with a hymn (Bhagavata 10/14/3, 32, 34, 36 and 37).
"O the Invincible one, they who desire to gain Brahmajnana and after obtaining it wish to lead their life listening to the tales of Your glory written by sadhus to the exclusion of everything else — they alone have control over You. Seated at their own place, they only listen and sing of Your grace with their body, mind and speech. They don’t go to anybody else.
"Lucky indeed are Nanda, the cowherds and the residents of Braja! For the Eternal Brahman, full of Supreme Bliss, is their friend and helper.
"Brahma says: I desire to take birth on earth in some forestland. I would consider myself supremely fortunate if I could have Vrindaban as my birthplace out of all other forests. Reason? The residents of Vrindaban have become replete with Krishna having meditated night and day on their friend Krishna. The land of Braja has been transformed into a great centre of pilgrimage by the dust of Your and their feet. I shall be blessed by finding that dust of the feet on my head. Even the Vedas pine for that dust of the feet.
"O Krishna! till a person gets filled with Krishna by his body, mind and speech, his inclinations of affection and so on, like a thief, steal away his everything, and he is thrown into endless grief. Till then his house forms as though a prison for him, with both of his feet bound in the chains of attachment.
"O Lord, Your advent on the earth as an avatara assuming a body is only for the joy of those who have taken refuge in You. You are by Your nature beyond all worldly complications."
Has M., the divine interpreter of the avatara leela of Sri Ramakrishna chosen as such by the Mother of the Universe, merged into the divine play? His face is bright, his two eyes fixed and peeping within. He is still for a quite some time.
After a long time, M. says, "Do narrate a little more."
Swami Kamleshwrananda in a joyful and inspired manner sings sweetly Arjuna’s hymn of praise after he had the vision of the universal form of the Lord. Some excerpts are as follows:
Kasmat cha te na nameran mahatman gariyase brahmanah api adi karte,
Ananta devesha jagannivasa tvam aksharam sat asat tat param yat. (Gita 11:37)
Tvam adi devah purushah puranah tvam asya vishvasya param nidhanam,
Vetta asi vedyam cha param cha dhama tvaya tatam vishvam ananta rupa. (Gita 11:38)
[And why should they not, O great-souled, bow to You, the greatest, the Primal cause even of Brahma, O Infinite being, O Lord of gods, O Abode of the universe; You are the imperishable, the being and the non-being, that which is the Supreme.
You are the Primal God, the ancient Purusha; You are the Supreme abode of all this. You are the knower and the knowable and the Supreme Abode; You, O the Being of infinite forms, pervade this universe.]
"Arjuna says, ‘O Krishna, O the great-souled, You are adored by Brahma, the Primal cause. You are infinite, the Lord of gods and refuge of the universe. You are beyond the manifest and the unmanifest, imperishable Supreme Being. O, the Being of infinite forms, You are the Supreme Abode.’ "
After a while, M. converses.
M. (to the sadhu and the bhaktas) – The Person for whom Brahma and Arjuna sang hymns of praise, He Himself came to Dakshineswar. He enacted leela with the bhaktas. Krishna’s child-leela took place in Gokul, his in Kamarpukur. Call them Brahma or Arjuna, what you may, how could they recognise Him without His grace. For everything is subject to His maya! ‘All is under it,’ so said Thakur. On the top of it, this time he came completely disguised. He did not even pass by the edge of splendour — completely pure sattva. Besides, he was a humble and indigent person. He could not even hold the cloth on his body. He could not take two steps with a clod of earth in his hand. Such was his renunciation! And, he was only an ordinary temple priest. Who are they, brother, who loved him in that state?
"Brahma said beautifully that he longed to live in Braja in a new body. Why? Because he would be blessed by taking on his forehead the dust of the feet of the residents of Braja who have become replete with Krishna by constantly thinking on him. Brahma has said beautifully, ‘The body of the avatara is for bestowing joy to those who have taken refuge in Him.’
"So we are blessed. We have lived with him, we have loved him, we have received love from him, we have placed his feet in our hands, we have taken his prasad. Our eyes have seen him, our ears have heard his story and we have had his darshan both with-from and without-form. The dead have become immortal. The frightened ones have received fearlessness — we are blessed. You too are blessed for having loved on hearing his story, without seeing him. You have come to the path having renounced your all for his sake. None of his devotees are householders even though they may be living in the household — Thakur said so."
It is about eight in the evening. The sadhu will take some sweets. M. asks him, "I say Lalit Maharaj, will you take some sweets?" The other day he said that the eatables made with ghee (clarified butter), do not agree with him. The sadhu says, "Yes, I shall." M. says to Jagabandhu, "Then please go to the Purana Bazaar and bring some sweets."" (On seeing the sweets) Manoranjan says, "High quality sandesh and are rasagullas are available here."" The sadhu eats some sweets and takes leave.
M. rises. As he goes to the room on the fourth level, he says to Antevasi, "See, how strange it is! Even Brahma could not recognize the avatara, Krishna. He came to know during his meditation. This is because rajoguna is so prominent in his nature! When in meditation, that is in sattva, when he joined his mind with God he was able to understand that the Person he was meditating upon was the same child Krishna."
"If one looks in this way one can understand who are they, how great they are who were able to recognize Thakur and are spending all their life holding him! Even Brahma longs for the dust of their feet. Thakur, the avatara."
Morton School, Calcutta
Wednesday, 10 September 1924
25th Bhadra, 11th day of the bright fortnight
1331 (B.Y.), 26 Dandas / 426 Palas