Section II

Sri Ramakrishna’s  Steamer Trip with Keshab Chandra Sen

 Joy and Conversation

Chapter One

Thakur Sri Ramakrishna ­ ‘in samadhi’

Today it is Kojagar Lakshmi Puja[1]. Friday, 27 October, 1882. Thakur is seated in the same aforesaid room at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar. He is conversing with Vijay Goswami and Haralal. Someone comes in and says, “Keshab Sen has come in the steamer at the ghat.” Keshab’s disciples offer obeisance and say, “Sir, the steamer has arrived, please come. Come for a little excursion. Keshab Sen is on board the steamer, he has sent us.”

It is 4 o’clock. Thakur steps into the steamer by a boat. Vijay is with him. As he steps into the boat, he loses outer-consciousness. He goes into samadhi.

M., on board the steamer, looks at the picture of Thakur in samadhi. Boarding on Keshab’s steamer at 3 o’clock, he has come from Calcutta. He is very eager to see the meeting between Thakur and Keshab, witness their joy and listen to their conversation. By his saintly character and eloquence, Keshab has captivated the mind of many a Bengali young man like M.  Regarding Keshab as their own, many have given him their heart’s love. Keshab is an English educated man and well versed in English philosophy and literature. Many a time he has termed the worship of gods and goddesses idolatry. It is rather strange that such a man looks upon Sri Ramakrishna with reverence and admiration and visits him off and on! It is curious for M. and others to find out the common ground on which they both meet. Though Thakur believes in the formless God but he holds that God is with form too. He meditates upon Brahman, but at the same time he worships gods and goddesses with flowers, incense and other offerings. And, diving deep in intense love of God, he sings and dances. He sits on a bed with a bedspread. He uses a red-bordered dhoti, shirt, socks, shoes etc. But he is not a householder. His entire bhava (disposition) is that of a sannyasi, hence people call him a paramahansa. On the other hand, Keshab believes in God without form, with wife and children he lives the life of a householder, delivers lectures in English, brings out a paper and attends to worldly affairs.

Along with Keshab all the Brahmo bhaktas observe the beauty of the temple from the steamer. Not far from the steamer, towards the east, there is a cemented ghat and chandni (porch) of the temple. To the left of the passengers and to the north of the chandni, is a continuous row of six temples out of the twelve Shiva temples and to the right hand side also are six Shiva temples. Upon the canvas of the blue sky of autumn are visible the pinnacle of the temple of Bhavatarini and to the north the top of the trees of the Panchavati and willow trees. Near the Bakultala there is a concert room and to the southern side of Kali Temple there is another concert room. In the middle of both the concert rooms there are garden paths and rows of flowering plants on their sides. The blue of autumn sky is reflected in the holy waters of Jahnavi (Ganga). Serene atmosphere prevails everywhere outside. The same serenity is there in the hearts of Brahmo bhaktas. Above is the beautiful dark blue infinite sky, in front is the beautiful temple and below is the holy water of the Ganga on the banks of which the Aryan rishis used to meditate on Bhagavan. And, now again a special mahapurusha (great saint) is coming ­ an incarnation of the Sanatana dharma (eternal religion). It is not always the fortune of a man to see such a sight. At such a place who does not feel the arousing of bhakti for the great saint in samadhi and whose stone like heart does not melt?

Chapter Two

Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grihnati narah aparani,

Tatha sharirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi.

­ Gita 2:22

[As a man having cast away old garments wears new ones, so having cast away worn out bodies, the embodied enters into other new ones.]

            

In samadhi  ­ the imperishable Atman ­ Pavahari Baba

The boat has come alongside the steamer. All are eager to see Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. There is a big crowd. Keshab is very anxious that Thakur gets down the boat comfortably. With great difficulty he is brought back to sense-consciousness and then taken inside the cabin. He is still in divine ecstasy. He leans on a bhakta as he moves. Merely his feet are in motion. He enters the cabin. Keshab and other bhaktas offer their obeisance but he has no sense-consciousness. Inside the cabin are some chairs and a table. Thakur is made to sit on a chair, Keshab sits on another. Vijay has taken his seat. Other bhaktas sit wherever they find a seat, even on the bare floor. Many don’t find a place ­ these people peep in from outside. Thakur, after taking his seat, is again in samadhi ­ absolutely devoid of outer consciousness! All are gazing at him.

Keshab sees that there are too many persons in the cabin and Thakur is feeling uneasy. Leaving Keshab, Vijay has joined the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He spoke against Keshab on many of his acts like the early marriage of his daughter. That is why Keshab feels a little embarrassed to see Vijay. Keshab leaves his seat to open the window of the cabin.

Brahmo bhaktas are looking at Thakur with their eyes fixed. Thakur comes down from his samadhi. Still he is absorbed fully in bhava (divine mood). Thakur is speaking in a tone that is hardly articulate, “Mother! Why have You brought me here? Shall I be able to save them out of their prison house?”

Does Thakur look upon the men of the world that they are within a prison house and cannot come out ­ they can’t even see the light outside. All of them are bound hand and foot in worldly affairs. They only see the things that are within the prison house and think that the aim of life is only to have body comforts, worldly work and ‘woman and gold’. Is it for this reason that Thakur says, “Mother! Why have You brought me here? Shall I be able to save them out of their prison house?”

Thakur gradually gains sense-consciousness. Neel Madhava of Gazipur and a Brahmo bhakta take up the topic of Pavahari Baba.

A Brahmo bhakta (to Thakur) — Sir, they all have seen Pavahari Baba. He lives in Gazipur. He is another holy man like your good self.

Thakur is not in a position to speak even now. He smiles a little.

The Brahmo Bhakta (to Thakur) — Sir, Pavahari Baba has kept your photograph in his room.

Thakur smiles a little and speaks pointing to his body, “This pillow case!”

Chapter Three

Yat samkhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate,

Ekam samkhyam cha yogam cha yah pashyati sa pashyati.

­ Gita 5:5

[The state reached by the jnanis is also attained by the yogis. He indeed sees who sees that jnana and yoga are one.]

 

Harmony of Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga

The pillow and its pillow case ­ the soul and the body. Does Thakur say that the body is perishable, it won’t last? The soul within the body is alone imperishable. So, what use is it to have a photograph of the body? The body is transitory. What use is there to have regards for it? Rather, it is right to worship only the antaryamin[2] Bhagavan who is present within the heart of man.

Thakur has come a little to the normal state. Says he, “But there is one thing. The heart of the bhakta is His dwelling place. Maybe that God is manifest in all things, but He is manifest in a special sense in the heart of a bhakta. For example, a zemindar (landlord) can be seen at all the places of his estate. Still people say that the zemindar is usually seen in a particular drawing room. The heart of the bhakta is the Bhagavan’s drawing room.” (All rejoice.)

One Lord with different names ­
the jnani, the yogi and the bhakta

“The same Being whom the jnanis call Brahman (the Absolute) is called Atman (Universal Soul) by the yogis and Bhagavan (Personal God with divine attributes) by the bhaktas.

“The brahmin is one and the same person. When he worships, he is called a priest; when employed in the kitchen, he is called a brahmin cook. The jnani who holds on to the Jnana Yoga reasons saying, ‘Not this, not this.’ That is, the Brahman is neither this nor that, neither the individual soul nor the external world. When as a result of this reasoning the mind becomes steady, it vanishes and one goes into samadhi. Then one attains Brahmajnana (knowledge of the Absolute). The Brahmajnani truly realizes that Brahman is real and the world unreal; names and forms are all like dreams. What Brahman is cannot be described by the word of mouth. God is a person, even that cannot be described by words.

“The jnanis say the same as the Vedantins. But bhaktas accept all the states. They look upon the waking state as real and they do not consider the external world as a dream. The bhaktas say that this world is the glory of Bhagavan. The sky, the stars, the moon, the sun, the mountains, the ocean, men, birds and beasts ­ they are all created by the Lord. These are only His ‘riches’. He is both within the core of the heart and He is without. The superior most bhakta says, ‘God Himself has become these twenty-four categories[3] ­ the living beings and the universe.’ The bhakta wants not to be one with the sugar but would rather have a taste of it. (All laugh.)

“How does a bhakta feel, do you know? ‘O Bhagavan! You are the Master, I am Your servant. You are my Mother, I am Your child. And again You are both my Mother and Father. You are the whole, I am Your part.’ The bhakta doesn’t like to say, ‘I am Brahman.’

“The yogi[4] also seeks to see Parmatman[5]. His object is to bring the embodied soul in communion with the Parmatman. The yogi withdraws his mind from worldly objects and tries to fix it on Parmatman. So, to begin with he meditates on Him in solitude in some fixed posture with a concentrated mind.

“But It is one and the same Substance. The difference is only in names. He who is Brahman is Himself Atman and also Bhagavan. He is Brahman of the Brahmajnani[6], Parmatman of the yogi[7], Bhagavan of the bhakta[8].”

Chapter Four

Tvema sukshama tvam sthula vyaktavyakta swarupani,

Nirakarepi sakara kastvam veditumhati.

­ Mahanirvana Tantra 4:15

[You are the subtle and You are the gross; You
O Mother! are manifest as well as unmanifest. You are both with form and formless. Who has the capacity to know You?]

 

Harmony of Veda and Tantra ­
glory of Adya Shakti (Primeval Power)

The steamer is on its way to Calcutta. Those who are having darshan of Sri Ramakrishna and are listening to his nectarine words in the cabin are not even conscious of the movement of the steamer. Does the bee buzz while sitting on a flower?

The steamer has gradually left Dakshineswar behind. The picture of the beautiful temple has gone out of sight. As the steamer cleaves through the holy waters of the Ganga, that reflect the blue firmament above, the waves are broken into crests of foam making a roaring sound. The murmurs of the waves are now lost on the ears of the bhaktas. Spellbound they are gazing at the smiling, joyful, sweet face and loving eyes of the wonderful yogi. They are gazing in him an all-renouncing loving vairagi[9] intoxicated with the love for the Lord and who knows none but the Lord. In the meanwhile, Sri Ramakrishna converses.

Sri Ramakrishna — The Vedantin Brahmajnani says that creation, preservation, dissolution, the living beings and the world are all the sport of Shakti (the Divine Mother). If you reason, they are all like dreams. Brahman alone is the Reality, all else is unreal! Shakti is also like a dream, unreal.

“You may reason a thousand times, but without attaining the state of samadhi you cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Shakti. ‘I am meditating,’ ‘I am thinking’  ­ all this is within the jurisdiction of Shakti.

“That’s why Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. Belief in one implies belief in the other. Just as the fire and its burning power ­ if you postulate the fire, you must postulate the burning power. Fire cannot be thought of apart from its burning power, nor can its burning power be thought of apart from the fire. The sun’s rays cannot be conceived apart from the sun, nor can the sun be conceived apart from its rays.

“What is milk like? Well, it is something white! Milky whiteness cannot be conceived apart from the milk, nor can the milk be conceived apart from its milky whiteness.

“Thus, Shakti cannot be thought of apart from
Brahman, nor can Brahman be thought of apart from Shakti. Nitya (the Absolute) and leela (the relative phenomenal world) cannot be thought of apart from each other.

“The sporting Adya Shakti (Primeval Divine Energy) creates, preserves and dissolves. She is known as Kali (the Mother of the universe). Kali is Brahman and Brahman is Kali, one and the same substance. When She is inactive ­ neither creating, nor preserving, nor destroying, I call Her Brahman. When She performs all these activities I call Her Kali, I call Her Shakti. The Being is the same, only the names and forms are different.

“For example ­ ‘jal,’ ‘water,’ and ‘pani’. A tank may have three or four ghats. At one ghat the Hindus drink water, they call it ‘jal’. At another ghat the Muslims drink water and they call it ‘pani’. On another ghat the English drink water, they call it ‘water’. All the three are one and the same but the names are different. Some call Him Allah, some God, some Brahman, some Kali, again some Rama, Hari, Jesus and Durga.”

Keshab — In what different ways Kali performs Her sport, please say it once.

 

Talk with Keshab ­ Mahakali and mode of creation

Sri Ramakrishna  (smiling) — She sports in various ways. She Herself is Mahakali (the Goddess, Unconditioned Absolute, without form), Nitya Kali (the everlasting Goddess), Shamshan Kali (Goddess of crematories), Raksha Kali (the Goddess that blesses and is ready to preserve) and Shyama Kali (the Mother with dark blue complexion ­ consort of the God of Eternity and Infinity). The Tantras speak of Mahakali and Nitya Kali. When there was no creation, no moon, no sun, no planets, no earth ­ nothing but deep darkness, then there was only the formless Divine Mother Mahakali living with Mahakala.

“Shyama Kali has very tender heart, bestower of fearlessness. She is worshipped in households. At the time of epidemic, famine, earthquake, drought, or excess of rain, you should worship Raksha Kali. Shamshan Kali has the form of destruction. She lives in the midst of the dead bodies, the jackals, Dakinis and Yoginis[10] in crematories. Streams of blood, a garland of skulls round Her neck, a girdle of human hands on Her waist. Upon the destruction of the world, at the time of maha pralaya (total destruction of the world), the Mother preserves all the seeds of creation. As the mistress of the house has a hodgepodge pot in which she keeps sundry things of all kinds. (Keshab and all others laugh.)

(Smiling) “Yes, my friend. The mistress of the house does have such a pot in her possession. In it are kept the sea-foam in a solid state, small packets containing the seeds of cucumber, pumpkin, gourd, etc. All types of such seeds are kept carefully. She brings them out when wanted. In the same way the Divine Mother keeps all the seeds at the time of destruction of the world. After the creation, Adya Shakti (the Primeval Divine Energy) lives very much in the world. Giving birth to the world, She lives within it. The Vedas talk of the Urnanabhi ­ the spider and its web. The spider creates the web out of itself and then lives in the same web. The Lord is both the container and the content of the world.” 

 

 

Kali Brahman ­ Kali with form and formless

“Is Kali of dark hue? She is far off, that’s why She seems to be of dark complexion. When you know Her, She does not appear to be dark in hue.

“The sky appears to be blue because of distance. When seen from near, it has no colour. The sea water appears to be blue from a distance. When you go near it and take some in your hand, it has no colour.”

Saying this, drunk with the wine of divine love, Sri Ramakrishna begins to sing a song.

O, is my Divine Mother black?

Infinite is the garment that She puts on! She illumines the lotus of the heart!

Chapter Five

Tribhih gunamayaih bhavaih ebhih sarvam idam jagat,

Mohitam na abhijanati mamebhyah param avyayam.

­ Gita 7:13

[Deluded by the three gunas this world does not know Me, who am beyond them and immutable.]

 

Why this world exists?

Sri Ramakrishna (to Keshab and others) — She is the creator of both bondage and liberation. Due to Her maya (illusion) the worldly man is bound with the chains of ‘woman and gold,’ and then he is liberated by Her mercy and grace. She is the Being who takes humans across the sea of the world removing the fetters.

Saying this, Thakur sings in a voice sweeter than gandharvas[11] a song by Rama Prasad ­

O my Mother Shyama You are flying the paper kite of the human being in the market place of the world.

The kite flies in the wind of hope, and is fastened to the string made of maya.

The wooden framework of the paper kite is the skeleton ­ ribs, veins and the internal organs of the human body.

The kite is made purely of Your own attributes (sattva, rajas, tamas); the rest of the workmanship is merely ornamental.

The string is made sharp with the powdered glass of worldliness.

Out of a hundred-thousand kites, one or two only have their string cut through and they are thus set free; O, then, how You laugh and clap Your hands!

Rama Prasad says, ‘The kite thus set free will be carried rapidly on favourable wind until it drops into the Infinite beyond the sea of the world.’

“The Mother is always in Her sportive mood! This world is Her sport. She has Her own way and She is full of joy. She liberates just one from amongst the millions.”

A Brahmo Bhakta — Sir, She can free all if She so desires. Why then She has bound us in the chains of the world?

Sri Ramakrishna — It is Her pleasure! It is Her desire to sport with all this. If a player touches the Grand-dame (in the game of hide and seek) first, he no longer has to run about. If all the players touch, how will the game continue? If everyone touches the Grand-dame She would by no means be glad. If the game continues, the Grand-dame feels happy. That’s why She (the Mother of the universe) is happy and claps Her hands when She cuts the string of one or two (kites of the human soul) out of a hundred thousand. (All laugh.)

“With a twinkle of Her eye, She has directed the mind to go and live in the world. What is the fault of the mind then? And again if by Her grace She changes the mind, one is liberated from the clutches of the worldly intellect. Then the mind goes to Her lotus feet.”

Thakur sings placing himself in the position of the man of the world and expressing his right on the Mother ­

This indeed is the thought that weighs heavily on my heart ­ You, my own Mother, is here and I am wide awake, and behold! thieves (passions) do rob me of my all!

Sometimes I form the resolution of repeating Your holy name, but I forget to do so at the proper hour!

And now I know, I feel, that all this is Your trick.

You have not given, so You have not received, aught to keep or to eat; am I to blame for this?

Had You given, You would have surely received, and I would have offered You, out of Your own gifts!

Fame or calumny, sweet or bitter, all is Yours!

O, You ruler of all tender feelings why do You break them as they are called forth in me instead of giving them play?

Prasad says: You have given me the mind but have with a twinkle of Your eye confided to it a secret at the same time.

Thus do I roam about seeking joy through the world, which is Your creation, taking bitter for sweet, unreal for real[12].

“Baffled by Her delusion, man has become worldly. Prasad says, ‘You have given me the mind but have with a twinkle of Your eye confided to it a secret at the same time.’ ”

 

Instruction about Karma Yoga ­ the world and nishkama karma (selfless work)

A Brahmo Bhakta — Sir, is it not possible to realize the Lord without renouncing everything?

Sri Ramakrishna (smiling) — No, my dear. Why have you to renounce all? You are very well in joy as you are. You are all right at do, re, fa (lower notes of the gamut). (All laugh.) Do you know the game of ‘nux’ (a play with cards)? I have been ‘burnt’ as I have ‘cut’ so many times. You are very clever. Some of you are at ten points, some at six and others at five (out of the seventeen needed to win). You didn’t ‘cut’ more. So you have not been ‘burnt’ like me. The game is going on ­ it is so nice! (Everybody laughs.)

“Verily, I say that there is nothing wrong in living as a householder as you are. Even so, you have to fix your mind on the Lord. Otherwise, it won’t do. Do your work with one hand and hold the Lord with the other. When you finish your work, you will hold God with both the hands.

“It is the mind that matters. If the mind is bound, you are bound; if the mind is free, you are free. The mind gets dyed in the colour you dye it with. It is just like the laundered white cloth. You can get it dyed in any colour ­ red, blue or green. It gets the colour you dip it in. Just see, if you study a little of English, you start speaking English in spite of yourself: Foot-fut, it-mit. (All laugh.) And also putting on shoes (English boots), whistling and singing, all these actions follow. And if a pundit studies Sanskrit, he starts quoting slokas. If the mind is kept in bad company, it adopts the same style of conversation and thoughts. If you keep it in the company of a bhakta, meditation on the Lord and talk on Hari and so on would follow.

“It is, indeed, the mind that matters. You have wife on the one hand and the child on the other. The attraction for wife is of one kind and the affection for the child of another. But the mind is the same.”                            

Chapter Six

Sarvadharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja,

Aham tva sarvapapebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah.                                                       ­ Gita 18:66

 

[Renouncing all duties take refuge in Me alone.
I shall liberate you from all sins; grieve not.]

 

Instruction to Brahmos ­ Christianity, Brahmo Samaj and concept of sin

Sri Ramakrishna (to Brahmo bhaktas) — It is the mind that binds and it is the mind that liberates. I am a free soul; I may live in the household or in the forest; there is no bondage for me. I am the child of the Lord, the son of the king of kings; who will bind me then? When bitten by a snake, if you say loudly, ‘There is no poison in it,’ you are rid of the venom. In the same way if you say emphatically,  ‘I am not bound; I am free,’ you become like that. You become liberated.

 

The earlier story of his life ­ Sri Ramakrishna listens to the Bible ­ Krishna Kishore’s faith

“Someone gave me a book on Christianity. I asked him to read it out to me. It contained ‘sin’ and ‘sin’ alone. (To Keshab) Your Brahmo Samaj also speaks of ‘sin’ and ‘sin’ alone. One who constantly speaks, ‘I am bound, I am bound,’ that rascal really gets bound! He who repeats day and night, ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner,’ does become a sinner.

“There should be such faith in the name of the Lord, ‘I have chanted His name, shall I be a sinner still? What sin for me! What bondage for me!’ Krishna Kishore is a pious Hindu, a brahmin who worships the Lord with single-minded devotion. Once he went to Vrindavan. One day while roaming about, he felt thirsty. He went to a well where he saw a man standing. He said to him, ‘Brother, will you please give me a pot of water? Of what caste are you?’ The man replied, ‘Pundit ji, I belong to a low caste ­ a cobbler.’ Krishna Kishore said, ‘You say Shiva and now draw water for me.’

“By chanting the name of Bhagavan, the body and mind of man all become pure.

“Why talk of ‘sin’ and ‘hell’ alone? Just say but once, ‘I shall not repeat the wrongs I have done,’ and have faith in His name.”

Thakur overwhelmed with love sings the power of God’s Name.

Mother, if I die with the name of Durga on my lips,

I shall see, O Shankari, how You shall not redeem me?[13]

“I prayed to my Mother only for bhakti. Keeping flowers in my hands I offered them to the lotus feet of the Mother and said ­

O Mother, take Your sin and take Your merit, grant that I may have pure bhakti.

Take Your knowledge and take Your ignorance grant me pure bhakti.

Here is Your purity and here is Your impurity, grant me pure bhakti.

Take Your dharma (righteousness) and take Your adharma (unrighteousness), grant me pure bhakti.

(To the Brahmo bhaktas) “Listen to a song by Rama Prasad.”

Come, O my mind, let us go out for a walk.

Let us gather the four fruits[14] at the foot of Kalpataru[15], viz., Kali.

You have, O my mind, two wives pravritti[16] and nivritti[17]. Take nivritti on the way to the tree.

Ask ­ about the Lord ­ the son called viveka who knows the Real (God) from the unreal phenomenal world.

O, when shall you lie down in the abode of the blessed with purification and defilement alike by the side.

You shall see my Divine Mother as soon as all difference between the two co-wives ceases to exist.

Do you turn out your parents, egoism and ignorance.

Should mine-ness try to draw you into its hole do you cling to the post of patience.

Tie to a worthless post the two goats dharma and adharma.

Should they prove refractory, let them be killed before the altar of God with the sword of knowledge.

Admonish, O my mind, the children of your wife pravritti from a safe distance.

Should they not obey you, see that they are drowned in the sea of jnana.

Prasad says: If you go on like this, you shall be able to render satisfactory account of yourself to the Lord of death.

And I shall be glad to call you ‘my child,’ ‘my darling,’ the ‘idol of my father’ and other pet names; and you shall be indeed a mind after my mind.

 “Why would God-realization be not possible in the household? Raja Janak had realized God. This world is a ‘structure of dreams,’ so said Prasad. After attaining bhakti at His lotus feet ­

The world is indeed a thing of joy; let me eat, drink and be merry.

Raja Janak, was he inferior in any respect to the holy man who has given up the world?

Oh no, he was loyal to both matter and Spirit, who realized God and at the same time drank his cup of milk. (All laugh.)

 

Brahmo Samaj and Raja Janak ­ way in household ­ to live in solitude and viveka (discrimination)

“But one cannot become Raja Janak all at once.
Raja Janak had performed penance for a long time in solitude. Even while living in the family one should go into solitude at times. It is good if one can cry for Bhagavan even for three days in solitude away from home. Even if a man goes out in solitude for a day when he gets an opportunity and thinks upon Him, that too is good indeed. People shed pitcherful of tears for wife and children, but who cries for the Lord, tell me? One should go in solitude at times and perform sadhana to realize Bhagavan. While attending to particular duties in the world there are so many difficulties in making the mind steady in the initial stage. For example, when the trees on the footpath are young, they may be eaten up by goats or cows for want of fencing. A fence is needed in the initial stage. When, however, the trunk gets thicker no fence is needed. Then even an elephant tied to the trunk will not do any harm to it.

“The disease is of typhoid. And, there are a pot of water and tamarind pickles in the room where the patient is lying with typhoid fever. If you want to cure such a patient, you’ll have to change his place. The worldly man is a patient of typhoid, the worldly things are like the water pot, and desire for sensory enjoyments is the thirst for water. The mouth begins to water at the mere thought of tamarind pickles. They should not be placed nearby. Such things are very much present in the house ­ company of a woman and so on. That’s why, living in solitude is necessary for cure.

“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.”

Chapter Seven

Samniyamya indriyagramam sarvatra sam-buddhayah,

Te prapnuvante man eva sarva bhute hite ratah.

­ Gita 12:4

[Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, engaged in the welfare of all beings ­ verily they also come unto Me.]

 

Steamer trip with Keshab Sen ­ engaged in the welfare of all beings

It is the ebb tide. The steamer is going fast towards Calcutta. This is because the captain has orders to go a little farther down the Botanical Gardens to the other side of the bridge. How far the steamer has gone is not known to many, they have been listening to Sri Ramakrishna's words with rapt attention. They have no idea of time!

Now they partake of popped rice with coconut. Taking within the folds of their cloth all of them eat it. It is a mart of joy. Keshab has arranged for the popped rice. At this moment Thakur sees that both Vijay and Keshab are not quite at home in each other’s presence. Now he will make them compromise as if they are two innocent boys. He is engaged in the welfare of all beings.

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.”

Chapter Eight

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.”

 

The earlier story of his life ­ vision of Haldarpukur in bhava

“In that part of the country (in Thakur’s native village), there is a pond named Haldarpukur. People used to ease themselves at its bank every morning. Others who came there in the morning, would shout at them in abusive language. Yet the same would be repeated the next day. Defecation stopped not. People then approached the Company (Municipality). They (the Municipality) sent a peon there. That peon put up a notice saying, ‘Do not ease yourself here.’ All that stopped then. (Everybody laughs.)

“The person who preaches must have the badge of authority. Without it, it is all-ridiculous. We do not instruct ourselves but preach others! It is like the blind leading the blind. (Laughter.) It brings more harm than good. It is only when you have seen God that you can see through other people and understand what diseases (of the soul) they have been take with. You can then instruct them.

Ahamkara vimudhatma karta aham iti manyate[22]

“You must have direct commandment of God, else it would be asserting yourself to say, ‘I teach mankind.’ Self assertion is the offspring of ignorance. Out of ignorance one feels, ‘I am the doer.’ One becomes a jivanmukta if one can but realize that God is the sole Actor (in the world system) and that I am a mere instrument in His hands. All troubles, all want of peace, come of the notion, ‘I am the doer, I am the free agent.’ ”

Chapter Nine

Tasmad asaktah satatam kayam karma samachara,

Asakto hy acharan karma param apnoti purushah.

­ Gita 3:19

[Therefore, constantly perform your obligatory duties without attachment; for by doing duties without attachment man verily obtains the Supreme.]

 

The Steamer  Trip
[Instruction to Keshab and other Brahmo bhaktas on Karma Yoga]

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.’

 

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[23]. He cannot go for long. These days he needs D. Gupta[24]. 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.”

Chapter Ten

Surendra’s house ­ with Narendra and others

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.

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.

  

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