Section IV

Sri Ramakrishna instructs

 Vijaykrishna Goswami and other Brahmo Bhaktas

Chapter One

Na jayate mriyate va kedachin na yam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah,

Ajo nityah sashvato yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire. (Gita 2:20)

[The Atman is neither born nor does it die. Coming into being and ceasing to be do not take place in it. Unborn, eternal, constant and ancient, it is not killed when the body is slain.]

 

Is it suicide if a liberated person terminates his life?

Vijaykrishna Goswami has come to see Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna in the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar. He is accompanied by three or four Brahmo bhaktas.  It is the month of Agrahayana, the fourth day of the bright fortnight, Thursday, 14 December 1882. These people have come from Calcutta by boat with Balaram, the great devotee of the Paramahansa Deva. Sri Ramakrishna at that time was resting for a while at midday. It is on Sundays that people come in large numbers. However, bhaktas who want to have personal talk with him usually come on other days.

The Paramahansa Deva is seated on the wooden cot. Vijay, Balaram, M. and some other bhaktas are sitting on a mat while others are seated on the bare floor in front of Thakur facing west. Bhagirathi (the Ganga) is seen from the western door of the room. Winter time waters of Bhagirathi are steady and limpid. Just beyond the door is the western semi-circular verandah. Beyond it are the flower gardens followed by the embankment. Along the western side of the embankment flows the holy Ganga, redeemer of the sins, as if washing joyfully the feet of the temple of the Lord.

It is winter, so all are clad in woollen clothes. Vijay is suffering from acute colic pain, so he has brought medicine with him in a small glass bottle. He will take the medicine when due. Nowadays Vijay is a paid preacher in the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He has to deliver sermons from the pulpit of the Samaj. So, he has controversies with the Samaj on different matters these days. He has accepted the assignment, so he is helpless. He is not free to act and express his independent views. Vijay comes from a very pious family ­ from the family of Advaita Goswami. Advaita Goswami was a jnani. He meditated upon the formless Brahman and at the same time he showed the highest excellence of bhakti. He was a chief intimate disciple of Bhagavan Chaitanya Deva. He used to dance mad in the love of Hari. When he danced he would lose his entity so much that even the cloth that he was wearing would slip down. Vijay too has joined the Brahmo Samaj. Here he meditates on the formless Para Brahman. But the blood of the great bhakta Advaita Goswami, his ancestor, flows through his veins. So, the seed of Hari’s love lies ready to sprout within him, only the right time is awaited. That is why he has been charmed on seeing the state of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna of being deep drunk in the divine love for Hari, the state that is rare even amongst gods. Just as the snake charmed by the music keeps sitting beside the snake charmer, Vijay too charmed by the Bhagavata (divine words) issuing out of the hallowed lips of the Paramahansa Deva keeps sitting by his side. And when he dances like a child in the love of Hari, Vijay too dances with him.

Vishnu’s house is in Ariadaha, he has committed suicide by cutting his throat with a knife. Today his topic comes up first.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay, M. and other bhaktas) — See, this boy has terminated his life. When I heard it, I felt very bad. He used to come here, he was a schoolboy but he would often say that he had no liking for the world. He had lived with some relatives for a few days in the West (in the west of Bengal, i.e. Uttar Pradesh or Punjab etc.). He would occasionally meditate sitting in some solitary plain, forest or hill. He used to tell me that he had strange visions of various forms of the Lord.

“I believe that it was his last birth. In his previous birth he had done much of the work, some was left undone. It appears that he accomplished that much in this life.

“One must believe in the sanskaras[1] of the previous lives. They say that a man was practising shava sadhana (spiritual discipline on a corpse). Seated in a deep forest he was worshipping Bhagavati (the Divine Mother). But he started having frightful visions and in the end a tiger carried him away. There was another man who had climbed up a nearby tree for fear of the tiger. Seeing a dead body and ready arrangements for worship he came down, took some holy water and sat on the corpse. He had performed only a little japa when Bhagavati appeared before him and said, ‘I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon.’ Paying obeisance at the lotus feet of the Mother, he said, ‘Mother, I just ask you one thing. I am amazed at Your action. After making so many arrangements, this man had been practising sadhana laboriously for so many days, but You did not bless him. On the other hand, I know nothing, hear nothing, never repeat Your name, nor practise any spiritual discipline, have no spiritual knowledge, no bhakti ­ still I am receiving so much of Your grace!’ Bhagavati laughed as she said, ‘Child, you don’t remember your past lives. You did sadhana for Me during so many births. It is because of the strength of that sadhana that all these things were arranged for you, it is also for that reason that you are blessed with My vision. Now speak out, what boon do you want?’

A bhakta says, “I feel frightened to hear of the suicide.”

Sri Ramakrishna — Suicide is a great sin, one will have to return to this world again and again and suffer its trials and tribulations.

“Even so if a person terminates his life after having the vision of the Lord, it is not suicide. There is no harm in giving up the body that way. Some people terminate their lives after attaining jnana. When a gold image has been cast in an earthen mould, the mould may be preserved, or may be cracked and thrown away.

“Many years ago, a boy used to come here from Barahnagar. He was about twenty years old. His name was Gopal Sen. When he would come here, he used to experience such deep emotions that Hriday had to hold him ­ later he fell and broke his limbs. The boy suddenly touched my feet and said, ‘Sir, I shall not be able to come here any more. So I take your leave.’ A few days later I heard that he had given up his body.

Chapter Two     

Anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhjasva man.   

­ (Gita 9:33)

[Having come to this transitory and miserable world, worship Me.]                            

 

Four classes of men ­ attachment to ‘woman and gold’ is the sign of worldly man

Sri Ramakrishna — Four classes of human beings have been stated ­ the bound souls, the seekers after liberation, the liberated and the ever free. The world is like the fishing net, the jiva (individual soul) like the fish and the Lord (whose maya constitutes the world) is the fisherman. When fishes fall into the fisherman’s net many of them try to tear the net to escape, i.e. they try to free themselves. They are like the men seeking liberation. However, all those who try to escape cannot run away. Only a few fishes slip out with a splash. Then people call out, ‘There goes the big fish.’ Such two or four beings are the liberated ones. Some fishes are so cautious by nature that they never fall into the net. Narada and such other saints are ever free; they never fall in the net of the world. However, most of the fish keep lying in the net unaware of the fact that they have fallen into a net and will die. Remaining in the net, they dart straight ahead taking the net along and try to hide their body into the mud. They make no attempt to escape, rather they fall deeper into the mud. They are like the bound souls. They live in the net and think, ‘We are quite happy here.’ The bound jivas remain attached to the world that is to ‘woman and gold’. They remain sunk in the sea of evil and think that they are very happy there. Those who seek for liberation and those who are liberated look upon the world as a death well, they don’t like it. So, some of them having attained jnana and the vision of Bhagavan give up their bodies. However, giving up body in this way is a far cry.

“The bound creatures, the worldly men, don’t get awareness by any means. They suffer so much misery, so many trials, and so many sorrows; even then they don’t get awakening.

“The camel likes thorny bushes but the more it eats, the more it bleeds from its face. Even so, it continues to eat the same thorny bush and does not leave it. The worldly man suffers so much agony, so much sorrow, yet he reverts back to his old self quite soon. Perhaps his wife has died or she has proved faithless to him, yet he marries again. Perhaps he has lost his son and suffered so much of sorrow, yet he forgets all this in a few days. The mother of this boy, who was beside herself with grief, ties up her hair again and bedecks herself with jewellery. In the same way though people spend all in the marriage of their daughters, they continue giving birth to more children year after year. They lose all in litigation. Yet they again go to law! They cannot feed the children they have, neither can they educate them, nor can they look after them properly, still they beget more children every year.

“At times, their state can be likened to that of the snake trying to swallow the mole. The snake cannot swallow the mole, nor can it give it up. The bound soul may have realized that there is no substance in the world ­ that it is like a hog plum that has nothing but stone and skin ­ yet he cannot give it up. Even though he cannot turn his mind towards the Lord.

“A relative of Keshab Sen, fifty years old, was playing  cards, as if time was not yet ripe for him to think of the Lord.

“The bound jiva has yet another sign. If he is lifted from worldly life to a better place, he will pine away to death. The worm of faeces feels pleasure in the excreta alone; it is only there that it thrives. If you put it in a pot of rice, it will die.” (All laugh.)

Chapter Three 

Asanshayam mahabaho mano durnigraham chalam,

Abhyasena tu Kaunteya vairagyena cha grihyate.         

                                                            ­ Gita 6:35

[O mighty armed, the mind is undoubtedly restless and hard to control, but by practice and non-attachment, O son of Kunti, it can be controlled.]

 

Deep vairagya (dispassion) and worldly man

Vijay — What must be the state of mind of a bound soul for attaining salvation?

Sri Ramakrishna — By the grace of the Lord when one develops deep vairagya (non-attachment; dispassion), one can be freed from this attachment of ‘woman and gold’. What is deep vairagya? Whatever is going on let it be; you just go on repeating the name of the Lord ­ this is mild vairagya. He who has deep dispassion, his prana (life breath) becomes restless for Bhagavan ­ like the mother for the child in her womb. He who has deep dispassion does not want anything but Bhagavan. He sees the world as a deep well, a death well. He feels he is perhaps drowned. He looks upon his owns as venomous snakes. He always wants to run away from them. And he does run away. He does not think, ‘Let me first arrange for my family. I will then think of the Lord.’ He has great will power.

“What is deep dispassion like? Listen to a story. Once there was a drought in a certain region. All the farmers were digging canals to bring water from afar. A farmer had great determination. One day he resolved that he would go on digging till water from the river flowed along the whole canal. And here the time came for his bath. His wife sent him some oil through her daughter. The daughter said to him, ‘Father, it is time for your bath. Massage your body with the oil and take your bath.’ He replied, ‘Please go away, I have some work to do.’ It was past midday. The farmer is still at work in his field, forgetting all about his bath. Now his wife came to the field and said, ‘Why haven’t you taken your bath yet? Your rice is getting cold. You are always over doing things. If the work is not yet accomplished, do it tomorrow, or do it after your meals.’ Taking the spade in his hand the farmer hurled some abuses at her and made her run away. And said he to her, ‘You have no sense. There have been no rains. There is no crop. What will the children eat? Without food, we shall all starve to death this time. I have vowed that I shall bring water to the field today, after that I shall think of bath and food.’ Seeing his mood and determination, the woman ran away. The farmer worked very hard throughout the day and joined the canal to the river in the evening. He then sat on its bank and enjoyed seeing the river water gurgling in the field. He was now at peace and full of happiness. He went home and calling his wife he said to her, ‘Now bring some oil and prepare a smoke.’ Then in a carefree mood he took his bath, ate his meals and snored happily in his bed. This kind of determination is an illustration of deep vairagya.

“And there was another farmer, he was also bringing water to his field. His wife went and said to him, ‘It is already late. Come on now, there is no need to work so hard.’ Without saying much in protest, this fellow put down his spade saying, ‘Since you say so, I am coming.’  (All laugh.) This farmer then could never bring water to his field. This is the example of mild vairagya.

“Just as without great determination water did not reach the field of the farmer, in the same way the man does not attain the Lord.”

Chapter Four

Apuryamanam achalapratishtam samudram apah pravishanti yadvat,

Tadvat kama yam pravishanti sarve sa shantim apnoti na kamakami.                                                

                                                            ­ Gita 2:70

[He unto whom all desires enter as all waters enter into the sea, which is always full and motionless, attains peace and not he who desires all desires.]

 

Slaving for ‘woman and gold’

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — You used to come here so often, why not now?

Vijay — Sir, I so much desire to come here but I am not free. I have accepted work in the Brahmo Samaj.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — ‘Woman and gold’ bind the man. One loses one’s freedom. When there is a woman, you need ‘gold’. And for that you have to be a slave of another person. One loses one’s freedom and cannot act as one likes.

“The priests of (the temple of) Govindaji in Jaipur did not marry at first. They had great spiritual and mental powers then. The king once sent for them but they did not go to him. Instead they sent a message: Let the king come here. After consulting his counselors the king arranged for their marriage. Now the king no longer needed to send for them. They would come to him themselves ­ ‘Sir, I have come to shower my blessings. Here are some sacred flowers, kindly accept them.’ They had to go to the king for everything: Now for building a house, now for celebrating the rice taking ceremony of their sons, now for putting the children to school and so on.

“Twelve hundred nedas[2] and thirteen hundred nedis[3] ‘tar sakshi udam sari’ ­ you know this story. Nityananda Goswami’s son Virbhadra had thirteen hundred nedas as his disciples. When they became spiritually perfect, Virbhadra was alarmed. Thought he, ‘They all have become spiritually perfect. Anything they say to people will come to pass. Whichever way they go, they may cause danger. For even if people unknowingly do some wrong, they will come to grief.’ Thinking thus, Virbhadra called them to him and said, ‘Go to the Ganga, perform sandhya and worship and come back.’ The nedas had attained such spiritual perfection that they went into samadhi as they meditated. When the flood tide came they were unaware of it and they remained absorbed in meditation even when the ebb tide receded. Out of thirteen hundred nedas, one hundred anticipated what Virbhadra would ask them to do. One should not disobey one’s preceptor, thinking thus they disappeared and never to go to see Virbhadra. The remaining twelve hundred came to him. Virbhadra said to them, ‘These thirteen hundred nedis will serve you. Please marry them.’ ‘As you please,’ said they, ‘but a hundred of us have left.’ However, with each of these twelve hundred nedas one nedi began to live as a wife to serve each of them. Now they lessened their spiritual powers and the strength of their austerities notwithstanding. Living with women, they lost their powers because in their company they lost their independence. (To Vijay) You have yourself seen to what a pass you have come by accepting service with others. And see, by accepting job with their masters so many scholars who have studied English and passed so many examinations are trampled every morning and evening under their feet. Reason ­ only woman. Having married and enjoyed the happy household fair, they cannot now pull out from it. That’s why, they put with so much of suffering of slavery and humiliation.”

 

After God realization women are worshipped as Mother

“If you once in this manner develop such deep vairagya and realize the Lord, you no longer have attachment to women. Even if you live in the household, you don’t feel attraction for women; there is no danger from them. Say, there is one big magnet and the other is a small one. Which one will pull the iron? Surely, the big one will pull. The Lord is a big magnet. Compared to Him, woman is a small magnet. What can woman do?

A Bhakta — Sir, should we hate women?

Sri Ramakrishna — Those who have realized the Lord, do not look upon women the other way. So, where is the cause of fear for them? They actually see that women are a portion of the Mother of the Universe. So, they worship them all as the Mother. (To Vijay) Do come here sometimes. I very much like to see you.

Chapter Five

The real acharya is he who has received
the commandment of the Lord

Vijay — I have to do the work of the Brahmo Samaj. So, I cannot often come here. I shall visit whenever possible.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vijay) — Look here, the task of an acharya (religious teacher) is very difficult. Public instruction cannot be imparted without having direct commandment from the Lord.

“If ones preaches without receiving the commandment, people do not listen. Such a teaching carries no force. First of all, one should attain the Lord by practising religious disciplines or by any possible means. Then one may teach after receiving His command. In that village (in Thakur’s native village) there is a pond called Haldarpukur. People used to defecate daily on its bank. Those who came to the pond in the morning would use foul language and create so much fuss. These abuses did not help; next day again defecation on the bank. At last, a peon from the Company (Municipality) put up a notice there: ‘This place must not be used for this purpose. Defaulters will be prosecuted.’ After this notice nobody defecated there.

“After receiving His commandment one can become an acharya (religious teacher) and deliver a lecture anywhere. He who receives His commandment also receives power from Him. He can then perform the difficult task of a religious preceptor.

 “An ordinary tenant once went to law against a big landlord. People then knew that there was some powerful man behind the tenant. Perhaps another bigger landlord was fighting the case through this man. Man is insignificant. He cannot perform the difficult duty of a religious teacher without receiving direct power from the Lord.”

Vijay — Sir, don’t the teachings of Brahmo Samaj lead people to liberation?

 

Sachchidananda Himself is the Guru ­
It is He who liberates

Sri Ramakrishna — Where is the capacity in man to liberate another from bondage of the world? Only He who is the creator of this world-bewitching maya can liberate man from maya. But for Sachchidananda Guru, there is no refuge. Where is the capacity of those who have neither realized the Lord, nor received His commandment, nor have become powerful with the power of the Lord to liberate a jiva (embodied soul) from the bondage of the world?

“One day I was going from Panchavati to Jhautala (pine grove) to answer the call of nature. I heard a bullfrog croaking aloud. I learnt that it had been seized by a snake. After quite some time when I was returning, I noticed that the frog was still croaking aloud. I peeped in to see what the matter was. I saw that a dhonda (a kind of poison less) snake had seized the frog. It could neither release it nor swallow it. There was no end to the frog’s agony. Then I said to myself: Had it been seized by a cobra, the frog would have been silent just after three croaks. But it had been seized by a dhonda! And so the snake was suffering and also the frog.

“If you have a Sadguru (true preceptor), the ego of the jiva ends with just three cries. And if the guru is unripe, both the guru and the disciple undergo suffering. The disciple does not get rid of his ego nor his bondage of the world. Falling in the hands of an unripe guru, the disciple does not attain salvation.”

Chapter Six

Ahamkara vimudhatma karta aham iti manyate.

­ (Gita 3:27) 

[Deluded by egotism one thinks, ‘I am the doer.’]

 

Liberation or God realization comes
as soon as maya or the veil of ego goes

Vijay — Sir, why are we bound like this? Why can’t we see the Lord?

Sri Ramakrishna — The very ego of man is maya. This egotism has veiled everything. ‘All troubles cease when the I-ness dies.’ If by the grace of the Lord a man realizes, ‘I am not the doer,’ he becomes a jivanmukta[4]. He has nothing to fear then.

“The maya or the I-ness is like a cloud. The sun becomes invisible even if there is a patch of cloud. As soon as the cloud passes away, one can see the sun. If by the grace of the Guru the feeling of I-ness vanishes, one realizes the Lord.

“Sri Ramachandra is only two and a half cubits away, he is the Lord Himself. But maya in the form of Sita stands in between, so the jiva in the form of Lakshman cannot see the Lord. Just see, I am creating a barrier in front of my face with this hand towel. Now you cannot see me though I am so near. Similarly, Bhagavan in comparison to all is so near to us all, even then we cannot see Him due to the veil of maya.

“The jiva is a form of Sachchidananda, but because of maya, or ego it is covered with various upadhis[5] and it has forgotten its own real Self.

“Every upadhi changes the nature of man. He who wears a black-bordered dhoti is at once found to hum the love songs of Nidhu, or he begins to play cards, or automatically picks a stick while going for a walk! Even a thin emaciated person begins to whistle as soon as he puts on English type shoes. While climbing the stairs, he jumps from one step to the other like an Englishman. If a man is holding a pen in his hand, such is the nature of a pen that he begins to scribble the moment he finds some piece of paper.

“Money is also a great upadhi. As soon as money comes to a man, he becomes so different ­ he is no longer the same man.

“A brahmin used to come here. Outwardly he was very humble. After a few days I went to Konnagar. Hriday was with me. As I was landing from the boat, I saw the same brahmin sitting on the bank of the Ganga, perhaps he was enjoying open air.  Seeing us he said, ‘I say, how are you Thakur?’ Seeing his tone I said to Hriday, ‘O Hriday, this man has acquired some money. That’s why he is talking this way.’ Hriday laughed.

“A frog had a rupee which he had kept in a pit. An elephant on its way walked over the pit. Rushing out angrily the frog raised its foot at the elephant and said, ‘How dare you walk over me?’ Such is the pride money breeds!”

 

The Seven Planes ­ when does I-ness vanish ­
the state of Brahmajnana

“You can get rid of I-ness when you have attained jnana (spiritual knowledge). On attaining jnana, you go into samadhi. Only in samadhi does I-ness disappear. But it is very difficult to attain this jnana.

“The Vedas say that I-ness vanishes only when the mind ascends to the seventh plane. It is only after attaining samadhi, that I-ness disappears. Where does the mind generally dwell? In the first three planes ­ at the organs of generation and evacuation, and at the navel. Here the mind remains only attached to the world, to ‘woman and gold’. When the mind dwells in the heart, one sees the divine light. While seeing this light, one exclaims, ‘O, what is this! What is this!’ The next plane is at the throat. On this plane one likes to hear and speak only of the Lord. When the mind goes to the forehead, between the eyebrows, one sees the form of Sachchidananda. One has the desire to embrace and touch this very form, but one cannot. Though the flame in the lantern can be seen but it cannot be touched. You feel as if you are just touching it but you cannot. When the mind ascends to the seventh plane,  I-ness vanishes ­ one goes into samadhi.”

Vijay — When the mind reaches there, one attains Brahmajnana. What does one see there?

Sri Ramakrishna — What happens when the mind ascends to the seventh plane cannot be described by the word of mouth. Once the ship enters the black waters, it does not return. No information of the ship comes then. So, the ship also does not give any information about the sea.

“Once a salt doll went to fathom the sea. No sooner did it descend than it dissolved into the waters of the sea. Now, who would tell how deep the sea was? The one who was to tell had itself got dissolved. The mind vanishes at the seventh plane and one attains samadhi. What he feels then cannot be described by the word of mouth.”

 

I-ness does not vanish ­ the ‘rascal I’ and the  ‘servant I’

“The ‘I’ that makes one worldly, attaches one to ‘woman and gold’ is the ‘rascal I’. Because of its intervention the jiva and the atman appear apart. If a stick is put on water, it appears to be divided into two. In reality the water is one but it appears to be two because of the stick.

“I-ness is the stick. Remove the stick, the water will become one as before.

“What is the ‘rascal I’? That which says, ‘Don’t you know me? I have so much money. Who is greater than me?’ If a thief steals ten rupees, first of all this man snatches the money from him and gives him a good beating. He doesn’t leave him even then. He sends for the watchman and handing him over to the police gets him punished. The ‘rascal I’ says, ‘Don’t you know, you stole my ten rupees. Such impertinence!’ ”

Vijay — If without getting rid of I-ness one is not freed from the attachment of the world and does not experience samadhi, it is better to follow the path of Brahmajnana which leads to samadhi. And if the I-ness persists in the path of Bhakti Yoga, it is better to take to the path of Jnana Yoga.

Sri Ramakrishna — May be a person or two can experience samadhi and get rid of their I-ness but usually the I-ness does not go. You may reason in a thousand ways, this I-ness still finds its way to you. Cut the peepal tree today, but tomorrow morning you will see it sprouting again. So, if ‘I’ does not go at all, let the rascal remain as the ‘servant-I’. O, Lord! You are my Master, I am Your servant ­ live with this attitude. ‘I am the servant,’ ‘I am the bhakta’ ­ there is no harm in this kind of I-ness. Sweetmeat causes acidity in the stomach. But sugar candy is not counted among sweetmeats.

“Jnana Yoga is very difficult. Jnana cannot be attained without ridding oneself of the conviction that I am the body. In the age of Kali life depends on food. The conviction that I am the body, the feeling of I-ness, does not disappear. So, the path of Bhakti Yoga is enjoined for the age of Kali. Bhakti Yoga is an easy path. If you sing His names and glories, and pray to Him longingly from the core of your heart, you will attain Bhagavan ­ there is no doubt about it.

“It is like a line drawn on the surface of water rather than placing a bamboo stick on it. You find that the water has been divided into two parts, but this line does not last. The feeling of the ‘servant-I’ or the ‘I of a bhakta,’ or the ‘I of a child’ is only like a line drawn on water.”

Chapter Seven

Klesho adhikataras tesham avyaktasakta cetasam,

Avyakta hi gatir duhkham dehavabhir avaypate.

­ Gita 12:5

[It is more difficult for those whose minds are attached to the Unmanifested because it is very hard for the embodied to reach the goal of the Unmanifested.]

 

Bhakti Yoga is the law of this age ­  Jnana Yoga  is  very  difficult ­ servant I,  I of a bhakta,  I of a child

Vijay (to Sri Ramakrishna) — Sir, you ask us to renounce the ‘rascal I’. Is there no harm in the ‘servant I’?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, one should have this ego ­ the ‘servant I,’ that is to say I am the servant of the Lord, I am His bhakta. There is no harm in it, it rather leads to God-realization.

Vijay — Well sir, what is the nature of lust and anger of the man having the ‘servant I’?

Sri Ramakrishna — It is only the semblance of lust and anger in the man if he has the right feeling of it. If he retains the feeling of the ‘servant I,’ or the ‘I of a bhakta’ after having God realization, he can do no harm to others. After the sword has touched the philosopher’s stone, it becomes gold ­ it only has the semblance of a sword but it does not kill anybody.

“The leaves of a coconut tree dry up and drop down leaving only a mark (on the stem). One can make out from these marks that there were once palm leaves there. Similarly, the ego of the one who has realized the Lord only leaves a mark and he has only a semblance of lust and anger. He is then like a child. The child is not subject to any of the three gunas (qualities) of sattva, rajas and tamas. It takes as much time for a child to give up a thing as he has taken to feel attracted to it.

“You can take away from the child a piece of cloth worth five rupees by tempting him with half a pice doll. But in the first instance he may say firmly: ‘No, I shall not give it to you. My father has bought it for me.’ For a child all is alike, there is nothing big or small for him. So he has no feeling of caste. His mother says, ‘Look, he is your elder brother.’ He may even be a carpenter (by caste), yet the child would sit with him and eat in the same plate. A child has hatred towards none, he has no feeling of purity and impurity. He does not care to clean his hands with mud after answering the call of nature.

“Even after attaining samadhi some people live with the ‘I of a bhakta’ and the ‘I of a servant.’ The bhakta retains the feeling of I-ness: ‘I am Your servant, You are my Master,’ ‘I am Your bhakta, You are my Bhagavan.’ Even after God-realization one retains this I-ness. One’s I-ness does not vanish completely. Besides, practice of this feeling of I-ness leads one to God-realization. This is what is known as path of Bhakti Yoga.

“By following the path of bhakti one can attain
Brahmajnana. Bhagavan is omnipotent ­ when one thinks in this way He can also impart Brahmajnana (knowledge of Brahman). But generally speaking, a bhakta does not seek Brahmajnana. He wishes to retain the I-ness: ‘I am Your servant, You are my Master,’ ‘I am Your child, You are my Mother.’ ”

Vijay — But the people who reason in the manner of Vedanta also attain Him?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, He can also be attained by the path of reason. This is known as Jnana Yoga. The path of reason is very difficult. I had told you about the seven planes. When the mind reaches the seventh plane, one attains samadhi. On true realization that Brahman is real and the world illusory, the mind merges and it experiences samadhi. But in the age of Kali life of man depends on food. Then how can he know that Brahman is real and the world illusory? Such awareness does not come without getting rid of body consciousness. I am neither the body, nor the mind, nor the twenty-four elements and that I am beyond pleasure and pain, then how can I have disease and sorrow, old age and death?  Such a realization is difficult in Kaliyuga. Howsoever much you may reason, the conviction that I am the body creeps in somehow and shows itself. You may cut the peepal tree now, you may think that you have uprooted it but the very next day in the morning you will see that a new sprout has shot up. The feeling of the body does not leave you. Thus, the Bhakti Yoga is good and easy path in the age of Kali.

“I don’t want to become sugar, I like to eat it. I never feel like saying, ‘I am Brahman.’ I say, ‘You are my Bhagavan and I Your servant.’ It is good to play between the fifth plane and the sixth. After crossing the sixth plane I have no desire to stay on the seventh plane for long. I desire that I shall sing His names and glories. The attitude of the Master and the servant is very good. And see, everybody calls the wave of the Ganga, nobody calls the Ganga of the wave. That ‘I am He’ is not a good feeling of I-ness. If a person entertains such a feeling of I-ness while retaining the conviction that I am the body, it brings great harm to him; he cannot advance further. He gradually goes down spiritually. He deceives others and he also deceives himself. He cannot understand his own state.”                                                                

 

Two kinds of bhakti ­ most eligible person ­ way to realize the Lord

“Bhakti alone does not enable you to realize the Lord. Unless you have prema bhakti (loving devotion), you cannot attain the Lord. The raga bhakti is another name of prema bhakti. Without prema, without love, you cannot realize Bhagavan. Without love for the Lord, you cannot attain Him.

“There is another kind of bhakti. It is known as vaidhi bhakti (prescribed worship). You have to repeat the name of God for a fixed number of times, you have to keep fast, you have to go to pilgrimages, you have to worship in some prescribed manner, you have to make so many sacrifices and so on ­ all this constitutes vaidhi bhakti. By practising all this you gradually gain raga bhakti. But so long as you don’t have raga bhakti, you cannot realize the Lord. You should have love for Him. When your worldly way of thinking disappears completely and your mind goes to Him all the sixteen annas (one hundred percent), only then you attain God.

“But some people acquire raga bhakti naturally. They are perfect by themselves. They have it from their very childhood. They weep for the Lord from the very childhood. For example, Prahlada. Vaidhi bhakti (prescribed worship) is like moving a fan to have breeze. You need a fan to get breeze. You will eventually attain love for the Lord, so you need japa (repetition of the Name), austerity, fasting and so on. But when the southern breeze blows by itself, people then set aside the fan. When love, prema for the Lord comes of itself, rituals like japa, etc. drop off. When one is mad with the love of Hari, how can one perform the vaidhi bhakti?

“So long as you have not acquired love for God your bhakti is unripe. When you have acquired love for God yours is the ripe bhakti.

“He who has unripe bhakti cannot internalize spiritual instructions and the talk on the Lord. It is only when the photographer’s glass is coated black (with silver nitrate), it catches the image and it is retained there. Otherwise, you may throw a thousand images on ordinary glass not one of them will be retained ­ the moment the object is removed, the glass becomes the same as it was. One cannot internalize spiritual instruction unless one has attained love for the Lord.”

Vijay — Sir, is it sufficient to have bhakti alone for attaining the Lord, for having his vision?

Sri Ramakrishna — Yes, one can see God only through bhakti but it must be ripe bhakti, prema bhakti, or raga bhakti. Only after gaining that bhakti, one loves God as the son loves his mother, or the mother loves her child, or the wife her husband.

“When you have such a love, such a raga bhakti, you don’t have that attraction of maya for your wife, son and dear relatives. You only retain kindness for them. The world then appears a foreign land ­ a land of duty alone. As you may have your home in a village and your place of work in Calcutta. You may have to live in a rented house in Calcutta for work. When you have acquired love for the Lord, you are completely rid of your attachment to the world, of your worldly wisdom.

“If there is just a trace of worldly wisdom, you cannot see God. If the match stick is wet you may rub it a thousand times, it will not strike fire;  you will only waste  heaps of sticks. The mind attached to the worldly objects is like wet matchstick.

“When Srimati (Radha) said, ‘I see Krishna everywhere,’ her sakhis[6] said, ‘How? We are not able to see him. Are you delirious?’ Srimati said, ‘Sakhi, apply the collyrium of love in your eyes, you will be able to see him.’ (To Vijay) A song of your Brahmo Samaj says ­

O Lord, is it possible to know You without love, however much one may perform yajnas, worship and the rest?

“If you but once acquire this love, this prema, this ripe bhakti, you will see Him both with form and without form.”

 

Vision of the Lord not possible without His grace

Vijay — How can one see the Lord?

Sri Ramakrishna — Not till the mind is purified.  Living amidst ‘woman and gold,’ the mind remains soiled, it remains covered with their dirt. If the needle is covered with mud, the magnet does not attract it. But when the mud and dirt are washed off, the magnet attracts. You can wash the dirt of the mind with the water of your eyes. If you weep with tears of repentance, saying, ‘O Lord, I shall never do such a thing again,’ then this dirt is washed away. Then the magnet of the Lord attracts the needle of the mind. You then go into samadhi and have the vision of the Lord.

“But you may try a thousand times, nothing is achieved without God’s grace. Without His grace you cannot see Him. Is it easy to gain His grace? You will have to get rid of your egoism completely. When you have the feeling that you are the doer, you cannot see the Lord. Suppose there is a man in the storeroom and somebody comes and says to the master of the house, ‘Sir, please give me some provision out of your store.’ The master then says, ‘There is a man in the storeroom; there is no need for me to go there.’ He who himself has become the doer, the Lord does not appear easily in his heart.

“Only after gaining God’s grace you can have His vision. He is the sun of jnana. With just one of His rays this world is illuminated with the light of jnana. That is how we are able to know one another and acquire different kinds of knowledge in the world. If God once brings His light on His own face, only then one can see Him. The sergeant roams about at night with a lantern in his hand. Nobody can see his face. But in this light he can see everybody’s face and everybody can see one another’s face.

“If you want to see the sergeant, you should make a request to him alone. You should say, ‘Sir, be kind enough to bring this light to your face, let me see you once.’

“One should pray to the Lord, ‘Thakur, be kind enough to bring the light of jnana once on Your face so that I may see You.’

“If light is not lit in the house, it is a sign of poverty. So one should light the lamp of knowledge in the heart: ‘Lighting the lamp of knowledge in the house, behold the face of the All Blissful Mother.’ ”

Vijay has brought medicine with him. He will take it in Thakur’s presence. The medicine has to be taken with water. So Thakur asks someone to bring some water. Thakur is a sea of motiveless grace. Vijay cannot afford the carriage, or the boat fare for coming here. So Thakur sends someone at times to bring him here. This time he sent Balaram. Balaram will pay for the carriage fare. Vijay had come with Balaram. In the evening, Vijay, Nava Kumar and other companions of Vijay again embark Balaram’s boat. Balaram would take them to the Bag Bazaar ghat. M. also takes the same boat.

The boat reaches the Annapurna ghat in Bag Bazaar. As these people reach close to Balaram’s residence in Bag Bazaar, the moon begins to cast its mellow light. Today is the fourth day of the bright fortnight. It is winter. It is a little chilly. Pondering over the nectar like teachings of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna and carrying his blissful image in their hearts, Vijay, Balaram, M. and others return home.                                                                     

 

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