Chapter 21
A DAY AT DAKSHINESWAR
Saturday,
April 5, 1884
IT WAS ABOUT EIGHT O'CLOCK in the morning when M. arrived at the temple garden and found Sri Ramakrishna seated on the small couch in his
room. A few devotees were sitting on the floor. The MASTER
was talking to them. Prankrishna Mukherji was there.
Prankrishna belonged to an aristocratic family and lived in
the northern part of Calcutta. He held a high post in an English business
firm. He was very much devoted to Sri Ramakrishna
and, though a householder, derived great pleasure from the study of Vedānta
philosophy. He was a frequent visitor at the temple garden. Once he
invited the MASTER
to his house in Calcutta and held a religious festival. Every day, early
in the morning, he bathed in the holy water of the Ganges. Whenever it
was convenient, he would come to Dakshineswar in a hired country boat.
That morning he had hired a boat and invited M. to accompany him to Dakshineswar.
The boat had hardly left shore when the river became choppy. M.
had become frightened and begged Prankrishna to put him back on
land. In spite of assurances, M. had kept saying: "You must
put me ashore. I shall walk to Dakshineswar." And so M. came
on foot and found Sri Ramakrishna talking to
Prankrishna and the others.
How the Lord Himself is deluded by His own māyā
MASTER (to Prankrishna): "But there
is a greater manifestation of God in man. You may ask, 'How is it
possible for God to be incarnated as a man who suffers from hunger, thirst, and
the other traits of an embodied being, and perhaps also from disease and
grief?' The reply is, 'Even Brahman weeps, entrapped in the snare of the five
elements.'
"Don't you know how Rāma had to weep, stricken with grief
for Sita? Further, it is said that the Lord incarnated Himself as a sow in
order to kill the demon Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha was eventually killed,
but God would not go back to His abode in heaven. He enjoyed His sow's
life. He had given birth to several young ones and was rather happy with
them. The gods said among themselves: 'What does this mean? The Lord
doesn't care to return to heaven!' They all went to Shiva and laid the matter
before him. Shiva came down and urged the Lord to leave the sow body and
return to heaven. But the sow only suckled her young ones.
(Laughter.) Then Shiva destroyed the sow body with his trident, and the Lord
came out laughing aloud and went back to His own abode."
The Anāhata sound
PRANKRISHNA (to the MASTER): "Sir, what is the Anāhata
sound?"
MASTER: "It is a spontaneous sound
constantly going on by itself. It is the sound of the Pranava, Om.
It originates in the Supreme Brahman and is heard by yogis. People
immersed in worldliness do not hear it. A yogi alone knows that this
sound originates both from his navel and from the Supreme Brahman resting on
the Ocean of Milk."
Reincarnation
PRANKRISHNA: "Sir, what is the nature of
the life after death?"
MASTER: "Keshab Sen also asked that
question. As long as a man remains ignorant, that is to say, as long as
he has not realized God, so long will, he be born. But after attaining
Knowledge he will not have to come back to this earth or to any other plane of
existence.
"The potter puts his pots in the sun to dry.
Haven't you noticed that among them there are both baked and unbaked ones? When
a cow happens to walk over them, some of the pots get broken to pieces.
The broken pots that are already baked, the potter throws away, since they are
of no more use to him. But the soft ones, though broken, he gathers
up. He makes them into a lump and out of this forms new pots. In
the same way, so long as a man has not realized God, he will have to come back
to the Potter's hand, that is, he will have to be born again and again.
"What is the use of sowing a boiled paddy grain? It
will never bring forth a shoot. Likewise, if a man is boiled in the fire
of Knowledge, he will not be used for new creation. He is liberated.
The "ego of Devotion"
"According to the Puranas, the bhakta and the Bhagavan
are two separate entities. 'I' am one and 'You' are another. The
body is a plate, as it were, containing the water of mind, intelligence, and
ego. Brahman is like the sun. It is reflected in the water.
Therefore the devotee sees the divine form.
The "ego of Knowledge"
"According to the Vedānta, Brahman alone is real and
all else is māyā, dreamlike and unsubstantial. The ego, like a stick,
lies across the Ocean of Satchidananda. (To M.) Listen to what I am
saying. When this ego is taken away, there remains only one undivided
Ocean of Satchidananda. But as long as the stick of ego remains, there is
an appearance of two: here is one part of the water and there another
part. Attaining the Knowledge of Brahman one is established in samādhi.
Then the ego is effaced.
"But Sankaracharya retained the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach men.
The signs of a Jnāni
(To Prankrishna) But there are signs that distinguish the
man of Knowledge. Some people think they have Knowledge. What are
the characteristics of Knowledge? A Jnāni cannot injure anybody. He
becomes like a child. If a steel sword touches the philosopher's stone,
it is transformed into gold. Gold can never cut. It may seem from
the outside that a Jnāni also has anger or egotism, but in reality he has no
such thing.
The ego of a Jnāni
"From a distance a burnt string lying on the ground may
look like a real one; but if you come near and blow at it, it disappears
altogether. The anger and egotism of a Jnāni are mere appearances; they
are not real.
"A child has no attachment. He makes a play
house, and if anyone touches it, he will jump about and cry. The next
moment he himself will break it. This moment he may be very attached to
his cloth. He says: 'My daddy has given it to me. I won't part with
it.' But the next moment you can cajole him away from it with a toy. He
will go away with you, leaving the cloth behind.
"These are the characteristics of a Jnāni.
Perhaps he has many luxuries at home―couch, chairs, paintings, and
equipage. But any day he may leave all these and go off to Benares.
Jnāni looks on the world as illusory
"According to Vedānta the waking state, too, is
unreal. Once a wood-cutter lay dreaming, when someone woke him up.
Greatly annoyed, he said: 'Why have you disturbed my sleep? I was
dreaming that I was a king and the father of seven children. The princes
were becoming well versed in letters and military arts. I was
secure on my throne and ruled over my subjects. Why have you demolished
my world of joy?' 'But that was a mere dream', said the other man. 'Why
should that bother you?' 'Fool!' said the wood-cutter. 'You don't
understand. My becoming a king in the dream was just as real as is my
being a wood-cutter. If being a wood-cutter is real, then being a king in
a dream is real also.' "
The state of a vijnāni
Prankrishna always talked about jnāna. Was this why
the MASTER
described the state of the Jnāni? Now he proceeded to describe the state of the
vijnāni.
MASTER: "Jnāna is the realization of
Self through the process of 'Neti, neti', 'Not this, not this'. One goes
into samādhi through this process of elimination and realizes the Ātman.
"But vijnāna means Knowledge with a greater
fullness. Some have heard of milk, some have seen milk, and some have
drunk milk. He who has merely heard of it is 'ignorant'. He who has
seen it is a Jnāni. But he who has drunk it has vijnāna, that is to say,
a fuller knowledge of it. After having the vision of God one talks
to Him as if He were an intimate relative. That is vijnāna.
"First of all you must discriminate, following the
method of 'Neti, neti': 'He is not the five elements, nor the sense-organs, nor
the mind, nor the intelligence, nor the ego. He is beyond all these
cosmic principles.' You want to climb to the roof; then you must eliminate and
leave behind all the steps one by one. The steps are by no means the
roof. But after reaching the roof you find that the steps are made of the
same materials―brick, lime, and brick-dust―as the roof. It is the Supreme
Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings and the twenty-four
cosmic principles. That which is Ātman has become the five
elements. You may ask why the earth is so hard, if it has come out of
Ātman? All is possible through the will of God. Don't you see that bone
and flesh are made from blood and semen? How hard 'sea-foam'
becomes!
"After attaining vijnāna one can live in the world as
well. Then one clearly realizes that God Himself has become the universe
and all living beings, that He is not outside the world.
(To Prankrishna)
"The fact is that one must have the 'spiritual eye'. You will
develop that eye as soon as your mind becomes pure. Take for instance the
Kumari Puja. I worshipped a virgin. The girl, to be sure, had all
her human imperfections; still I regarded her as the Divine Mother Herself.
"On one side is the wife and on the other the
son. Love is bestowed on both, but in different ways. Therefore it
comes to this, that everything depends upon the mind. The pure mind
acquires a new attitude. Through that mind one sees God in this
world. Therefore one needs spiritual discipline.
"Yes, spiritual discipline is necessary. You
should know that a man becomes easily attached to a woman. A woman
naturally loves a man, and a man also naturally loves a woman. Therefore
both fall speedily from their spiritual ideal. But it also must be said
that there is a great advantage in leading the life of a householder. In
case of urgent necessity a man may live with his wife.
(Smiling) "Well, M.,
why are you smiling?"
M. (to himself): "The MASTER makes this much allowance for
house-holders since they cannot renounce everything. Is complete and absolute
continence impossible for a householder?"
The hathayogi who had been living in the Panchavati entered
the room. He was in the habit of taking milk and opium. He did not
eat rice or other food and had no money to buy the milk and opium. The MASTER
had talked with him in the Panchavati. The hathayogi had told
Rākhāl to ask the MASTER to make some provision for him, and Sri Ramakrishna had promised to speak about it to the
visitors from Calcutta.
HATHAYOGI (to the MASTER): "What did you say to Rākhāl
about me?"
MASTER: "I said that I would ask some
rich visitors to help you. But (to Prankrishna) you, perhaps, do not like
these yogis?"
Prankrishna remained silent. The hathayogi left the
room and the conversation went on.
MASTER's adherence to truth
MASTER (to Prankrishna and the others):
"If a man leads a householder's life he must have unflagging devotion to
truth. God can be realized through truth alone. Formerly I was very
particular about telling the truth, though now my zeal has abated a
little. If I said, 'I shall bathe', then I would get into the water of
the Ganges, recite the mantra, and sprinkle a little water over my head.
But still there would remain some doubt in me as to whether my bath was
complete. Once I went to Ram's house in Calcutta. I happened to
say, 'I shall not take any luchi.' When I sat down for the meal I felt
hungry. But I had said I would not eat the luchi; so I had to fill my
stomach with sweets. (All laugh.)
"But my zeal for truthfulness has abated a little
now. Once I said I would go to the pine-grove, but then I felt I had no
particular urge to go. What was to be done? I asked Ram about it.
He said I didn't have to go. Then I reasoned to myself: 'Well, everyone
is Narayana. So Ram, too, is Narayana. Why shouldn't I listen to
him? The elephant is Narayana no doubt; but the mahut is Narayana too.
Since the mahut asked me not to go near the elephant, then why shouldn't I obey
him?' Through reasoning like this my zeal for truthfulness is slightly less
strong now than before.
"I find a change, coming over me. Years ago
Vaishnavcharan said to me, 'One attains Perfect Knowledge when one sees God in
man.' Now I see that it is God alone who is moving about in various forms: as a
holy man, as a cheat, as a villain. Therefore I say, 'Narayana in the
guise of the Sādhu, Narayana in the guise of the cheat, Narayana in the
guise of the villain, Narayana in the guise of the lecher.'
"Now my problem is how I can feed all of you. I
want to feed everyone. So I keep one at a time with me and feed
him."
Prankrishna (looking at M. and smiling): "A fine
man, indeed! (To the MASTER) He would not let us go till we put him
ashore."
MASTER (smiling): "Why? What
happened?"
PRANKRISHNA: "He was in our boat.
Seeing that the river was slightly rough, he insisted on being put
ashore. (To M.) 'How did you come?"
M. (smiling): "On foot."
Sri Ramakrishna laughed.
PRANKRISHNA (to the MASTER): "Sir, I am thinking now of giving up
my work. One who is involved in activity cannot accomplish
anything. (Pointing to his companion) I am training him to do my
work. After I resign, he will relieve me. Work has become intolerable."
MASTER: "Yes, work is very
troublesome. It is now good for you to meditate on God for a few days in
solitude. No doubt you say that you would like to give up your
work. Captain said the same thing. Worldly people talk that way;
but they don't succeed in carrying out their intention.
"There are many pundits who speak words of
wisdom. But they merely talk; they don't live up to them. They are
like vultures, which soar very high but keep their gaze fixed on the
charnel-pit. What I mean is that these pundits are attached to the world,
to 'woman and gold'. If I hear that pundits are practising discrimination
and dispassion, then I fear them. Otherwise I look upon them as mere
goats and dogs."
Prankrishna saluted the MASTER and took his leave. He
said to M., "Will you come with us?"
M: "No, sir! Catch me going with you again!
Good-bye."
Prankrishna laughed and said, "I see you won't come in the
boat."
M. took a little stroll near the Panchavati and
bathed in the river. Then he went to the temples of Radhakanta and Kāli
and prostrated himself before the images. He said to himself:
"I have heard that God has no form. Then why do I bow before these
images? Is it because Sri Ramakrishna believes
in gods and goddesses with form? I don't know anything about God, nor do I
understand Him. The MASTER believes in images; then why shouldn't I
too, who am so insignificant a creature, accept them?"
M. looked at the image of Kāli. He saw
that the Divine Mother holds in Her two left hands a man's severed head and a
sword. With Her two right hands She offers boons and reassurance to Her
devotees. In one aspect She is terrible, and in another She is the ever
affectionate Mother of Her devotees. The two ideals are harmonized in
Her. She is compassionate and affectionate to Her devotees: to those who
are submissive and helpless. It is also true that She is terrible, the
"Consort of Death". She alone knows why She assumes two aspects
at the same time.
M. remembered this interpretation of Kāli given by the MASTER.
He said to himself, "I have heard that Keshab accepted Kāli in Sri Ramakrishna's presence. Is this, as Keshab
used to say, the Goddess, all Spirit and Consciousness; manifesting Herself
through a clay image?"
M. returned to the MASTER's room and sat on the floor. Sri Ramakrishna offered him some fruit and sweets to
eat. On account of trouble in the family, M. had recently rented a
house in another section of Calcutta near his school, his father and brothers
continuing to live in the ancestral home. But Sri
Ramakrishna wanted him to return to his own home, since a joint family
affords many advantages to one leading a religious life. Once or twice
the MASTER
had spoken to M. to this effect, but unfortunately he had not yet
returned to his family. Sri Ramakrishna
referred to the matter again.
MASTER: "Tell me that you are going
to your ancestral home."
M: "I can never persuade myself to enter that
place."
MASTER: "Why? Your father is making
over the whole house."
M: "I have suffered too much there. I can by no
means make up my mind to go there."
MASTER: "Whom do you fear?"
M: "All of them."
MASTER (seriously): "Isn't that like
your being afraid to get into the boat?"
The midday worship and the offering of food in the temples
were over. The bells, gongs, and symbals of the Ārati were being
played, and the temple garden was filled with joyful activity. Beggars, Sādhus,
and guests hurried to the guest-house for the noonday meal, carrying leaf or
metal plates in their hands. M. also took some of the Prasad
from the Kāli temple.
Sri Ramakrishna had been resting awhile after his meal when several
devotees, including Ram and Girindra, arrived. They sat down after
saluting the MASTER.
The conversation turned to the New Dispensation Church of Keshab Chandra Sen.
RAM (to the MASTER): "Sir, I don't think the Navavidhan
has done people any good. If Keshab Babu himself was a genuine man, why
are his disciples left in such a plight? I don't think there is anything at all
in the New Dispensation. It is like rattling some potsherds in a room and
then locking it up. People may take it to be the jingling of coins, but
inside there is nothing but potsherds. Outsiders don't know what is
inside."
MASTER: "There must be some substance
in it. Otherwise, why should so many people respect Keshab? Why isn't
Shivanath honoured as much as Keshab? Such a thing cannot happen without the
will of God.
A teacher must renounce the world
"But a man cannot act as an Āchārya without renouncing
the world. People won't respect him. They will say: 'Oh, he is a
worldly man. He secretly enjoys "woman and gold" himself but
tells us that God alone is real and the world unsubstantial, like a
dream. ' Unless a man renounces everything his teachings cannot be
accepted by all. Some worldly people may follow him. Keshab led the
life of a householder; hence his mind was directed to the world also. He
had to safeguard his family interests. That is why he left his affairs in
such good order though he delivered so many religious lectures. What an
aristocratic man he married his daughter to! Inside Keshab's inner apartments I
saw many big bedsteads. All these things gradually come to one who leads
a householder's life. The world is indeed a place for enjoyment."
RAM: "Keshab Sen inherited those bedsteads when his
ancestral property was divided. And for Keshab to take part in the
division of property! Whatever you may say, sir, Vijay Babu told me that Keshab
had said to him, 'I am a partial manifestation of Christ and Gaurānga. I
suggest that you declare yourself as Advaita.' Do you know what else he said?
He said that you too were a follower of the New Dispensation." (All
laugh.)
MASTER (laughing): "Who knows? But as
for myself, I don't even know what the term 'New Dispensation' means."
(Laughter.)
RAM: "Keshab's disciples say that he was the first to
harmonize jnāna and bhakti."
Synthesis of jnāna and bhakti
MASTER (in surprise): "How is that?
What then of the Adhyātma Rāmāyana? It is written there that, while praying to
Rāma, Nārada said: 'O Rāma, Thou art the Supreme Brahman described in the
Vedas. Thou dwellest with us as a man; Thou appearest as a man. In
reality Thou art not a man; Thou art that Supreme Brahman.' Rāma said: 'Nārada,
I am very much pleased with you. Accept a boon from Me.' Nārada replied:
'What boon shall I ask of Thee? Grant me pure love for Thy Lotus Feet, and may
I never be deluded by Thy world-bewitching māyā!' The Adhyātma Rāmāyana is full
of such statements regarding jnāna and bhakti."
The conversation turned to Amrita, a disciple of Keshab.
RAM: "Amrita Babu seems to be in very bad shape."
MASTER: "Yes, he looked very ill when
I saw him the other day."
RAM: "Sir, let me tell you about the lectures of the New
Dispensation. While the drum is being played, the members cry out,
'Victory unto Keshab!' You say that 'dal' grows only in a stagnant pool.
So Amrita said one day in the course of his sermon: 'The holy man has no doubt
said that 'dal' grows in a stagnant pool. But, brothers, we want 'dal',
we want a sect. Really and truly, I tell you that we want a sect.' "
MASTER: "What nonsense! Shame on him!
What kind of sermon is that?"
The conversation drifted to the desire of some people for
praise.
MASTER: "They took me to Keshab's
house to see a performance of the Nimai-sannyās. I heard, that day,
someone speaking of Keshab and Pratap as Chaitanya and Nityananda. Prasanna
asked me, 'Who are you then?' Keshab looked at me to see what I would
say. I said to him, 'I am the servant of your servant, the dust of the
dust of your feet.' Keshab said with a smile, 'You can't catch him!'"
RAM: "Sometimes Keshab used to say you were John the
Baptist."
A DEVOTEE: "But Keshab also said you were the Chaitanya
of the nineteenth century [said in English]."
MASTER: "What does that mean?"
DEVOTEE: "That Chaitanya has been incarnated again in the
present century of the Christian era, and that you are he."
MASTER (absent-mindedly): "What of
it? Can you tell me now how my arm can be cured? This arm is worrying me so
much."
They talked about Trailokya's music. Trailokya sang
devotional songs in Keshab's Brahmo Samaj.
MASTER: "Ah! How nice his songs
are!"
RAM: "Do you think they are genuine?"
MASTER: "Yes, they are.
Otherwise, why should I be so drawn to them?"
RAM: "He has composed his songs by borrowing your
ideas. While conducting the worship, Keshab Sen described your feelings
and realizations, and Trailokya Babu composed songs accordingly. Take
this song, for instance:
There is an overflow of Joy in the market-place of
Love;
See how the Lord sports with His own in the ecstasy of Bliss!
See how the Lord sports with His own in the ecstasy of Bliss!
He saw you enjoying divine bliss in the company of devotees
and wrote songs like this."
MASTER (with a smile) : "Stop! Don't
torment me any more. Why should I be involved in all this?" (All
laugh.)
GIRINDRA: "The Brahmos say that the Paramahamsa Deva has no
faculty for organization [said in English]."
MASTER: "What does that mean?"
M: "That you don't know how to lead a sect; that your
intellect is rather dull. They say things like that." (All laugh.)
MASTER (to Ram): "Now tell me why my
arm was hurt. Stand up and deliver a lecture on that. (Laughter.)
"The Brahmos insist that God is formless. Suppose
they do. It is enough to call on Him with sincerity of heart. If
the devotee is sincere, then God, who is the Inner Guide of all, will certainly
reveal to the devotee His true nature.
Friction between different religious sects
"But it is not good to say that what we ourselves think
of God is the only truth and what others think is false; that because we think
of God asformless, therefore He is formless and cannot have any form; that
because we think of God as having form, therefore He has form and cannot be
formless. Can a man really fathom God's nature?
"This kind of friction exists between the Vaishnavas
and the Shaktas. The Vaishnava says, 'My Kesava is the only
Saviour', whereas the Shakta insists, 'My Bhagavati is the only
Saviour.'
"Once I took Vaishnavcharan to Mathur Babu. Now,
Vaishnavcharan was a very learned Vaishnava and an orthodox devotee of his
sect. Mathur, on the other hand, was a devotee of the Divine
Mother. They were engaged in a friendly discussion when suddenly
Vaishnavcharan said, 'Kesava is the only Saviour.' No sooner did Mathur hear
this than his face became red with anger and he blurted out, 'You rascal!' (All
laugh.) He was a Shakta. Wasn't it natural for him to say that? I
gave Vaishnavcharan a nudge.
Harmony of religions
"I see people who talk about religion constantly
quarrelling with one another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Shaktas,
Vaishnavas, Saivas, all quarrel with one another. They haven't the
intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the
Primal Śakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah.
There is only one Rāma and He has a thousand names.'
"Truth is one; only It is called by different
names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to
climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one Ghat
the Hindus take water in jars and call it 'jal'. From another Ghat
the Mussalmans take water in leather bags and call it 'pani'. From a
third the Christians take the same thing and call it 'water'. (All
laugh.) Suppose someone says that the thing is not 'jal' but 'pani', or that it
is not 'pani' but 'water', or that it is not 'water' but 'jal'. It would
indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction
among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people
injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But
this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all
realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.
(To M.) "This is for
you. All scriptures-the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras-seek Him alone
and no one else, only that one Satchidananda. That which is called
Satchidananda Brahman in the Vedas is called Satchidananda Shiva in the
Tantra. Again it is He alone who is called Satchidananda Krishna in the
Puranas."
The MASTER was told that now and then Ram cooked his
own food at home.
MASTER (to M.):
"Do you too cook your own meals?"
M: "No, sir."
MASTER: "You may try it. With
your meals take a little clarified butter made from cow's milk. That will
purify your body and mind."
A long conversation ensued about Ram's household
affairs. Ram's father was a devout Vaishnava and worshipped Krishna daily
at home. He had married a second time when Ram was quite young.
Both the father and the stepmother lived with Ram at Ram's house. But Ram
was never happy with his stepmother, and this sometimes created a
misunderstanding between himself and his father.
They were talking about this when Ram said, "My father
has gone to the dogs!"
MASTER (to the devotees): "Did you
hear that? The father has gone to the dogs and the son is all right!"
RAM: "There is no peace when my stepmother comes
home. There is always some trouble or other. Our family is about to
break up. So I say, let her live with her father."
GIRINDRA (to Ram): "Why don't you too keep your wife at
her father's home?" (Laughter.)
MASTER (smiling): "Are husband and
wife like earthen pots or jars, that you may keep the pot in one place and the
lid in another? Shiva in one place and Śakti in another?"
RAM: "Sir, we are quite happy. But when she comes the
family is broken up. If such is the case-"
Our duties to father and mother
MASTER: "Then build them a separate
home. That will be a different thing. You will defray their monthly
expenses. How worthy of worship one's parents are! Rākhāl
asked me if he could take the food left on his father's plate. 'What do
you mean?' I said. 'What have you become that you cannot?' But it is also
true that good people won't give anyone, even a dog, the food from their
plates."
GIRINDRA: "Sir, suppose one's parents are guilty of a terrible
crime, a heinous sin?"
MASTER: "What if they are? You must
not renounce your mother even if she commits adultery. The woman guru of
a certain family became corrupt. The members of the family said that they
would like to make the son of the guru their spiritual guide. But I said:
'How is that? Will you accept the shoot and give up the yam? Suppose she is corrupt;
still you must regard her as your Ishta. ‘Though my guru visits the
tavern, still to me he is the holy Nityānanda.’ "
"Are father and mother mere trifles? No spiritual
practice will bear fruit unless they are pleased. Chaitanya was
intoxicated with the love of God. Still, before taking to the monastic
life, for how many days did he try to persuade his mother to give him her
permission to become a monk! He said to her: 'Mother, don't worry. I
shall visit you every now and then.'
(To M., reproachfully)
"And let me say this to you. Your father and mother brought you
up. You yourself are the father of several children. Yet you have
left home with your wife. You have cheated your parents. You have
come away with your wife and children, and you feel you have become a holy
man. Your father doesn't need any money from you; otherwise I should have
cried, 'Shame on you!'"
Everybody in the room became grave and remained silent.
MASTER: "A man has certain debts to
pay: his debts to the gods and rishis, and his debts to mother, father, and
wife. He cannot achieve anything without paying the debt he owes to his
parents. A man is indebted to his wife as well. Harish has
renounced his wife and is living here. If he had left her unprovided for,
then I should have called him an abominable wretch.
"After attaining Knowledge you will regard that very
wife as the manifestation of the Divine Mother Herself. It is written in
the Chandi, 'The Goddess dwells in all beings as the Mother.' It is She who has
become your mother.
"All the women you see are only She, the Divine
Mother. That is why I cannot rebuke even Brinde, the maidservant.
There are people who spout verses from the scriptures and talk big, but in
their conduct they are quite different. Ramprasanna is constantly busy
procuring opium and milk for the hathayogi. He says that Manu enjoins it
upon man to serve the Sādhu. But his old mother hasn't enough to
eat. She walks to the market to buy her own groceries. It makes me
very angry.
Through divine love man transcends his worldly duties
"But here you have to consider another thing.
When a man is intoxicated with ecstatic love of God, then who is his father or
mother or wife? His love of God is so intense that he becomes mad with
it. Then he has no duty to perform. He is free from all
debts. What is this divine intoxication? In this state a man forgets the
world. He also forgets his own body, which is so dear to all.
Chaitanya had this intoxication. He plunged into the ocean not knowing
that it was the ocean. He dashed himself again and again on the
ground. He was not aware of hunger, of thirst, or of sleep. He was
not at all conscious of any such thing as his body."
All at once Sri Ramakrishna
exclaimed, "Ah, Chaitanya!" and stood up.
MASTER (to the devotees): "Chaitanya
means 'Undivided Consciousness'.
Vaishnavcharan used to say that Gaurānga was like a bubble
in the Ocean of Undivided Consciousness.
(To the elder Gopal) "Do you intend to go on a
pilgrimage now?"
GOPAL: "Yes, sir. I should like to wander about a
little."
RAM (to Gopal): "He [meaning the MASTER] says that one becomes a
kutichaka after being a vahudaka. The Sādhu that visits many holy
places is called a vahudaka. He whose craving for travel has been
satiated and who sits down in one place is called a kutichaka.
"He also tells us a parable. Once a bird sat on
the mast of a ship. When the ship sailed through the mouth of the Ganges
into the 'black waters' of the ocean, the bird failed to notice the fact.
When it finally became aware of the ocean, it left the mast and flew north in
search of land. But it found no limit to the water and so returned.
After resting awhile it flew south. There too it found no limit to the
water. Panting for breath the bird returned to the mast. Again,
after resting awhile, it flew east and then west. Finding no limit to the
Water in any direction, at last it settled down on the mast of the ship."
MASTER (to the elder Gopal and the other
devotees): "As long as a man feels that God is 'there', he is
ignorant. But he attains Knowledge when he feels that God is 'here'.
"A man wanted a smoke. He went to a neighbour's
house to light his charcoal. It was the dead of night and the household
was asleep. After he had knocked a great deal, someone came down to open
the door. At sight of the man he asked, 'Hello! What's the matter?' The
man replied: 'Can't you guess? You know how fond I am of smoking. I have
come here to light my charcoal.' The neighbour said: 'Ha! Ha! You are a fine
man indeed! You took the trouble to come and do all this knocking at the door!
Why, you have a lighted lantern in your hand!' (All laugh.)
"What a man seeks is very near him. Still he
wanders about from place to place."
RAM: "Sir, I now realize why a guru asks some of his
disciples to visit the four principal holy places of the country. Once
having wandered about, the disciple discovers that it is the same here as
there. Then he returns to the guru. All this wandering is only to
create faith in the guru's words."
After this conversation had come to an end, Sri Ramakrishna extolled Ram's virtues.
MASTER (to the devotees): "How many
fine qualities Ram possesses! How many devotees he serves and looks after! (To
Ram) Adhar told me that you showed him great kindness."
Adhar, a beloved householder devotee of the MASTER,
had recently arranged some religious music at his house. The MASTER
and many devotees had been present. But Adhar had forgotten to invite
Ram, who was a very proud man and had complained about it to his friends.
So Adhar had gone to Ram's house to express his regret for the mistake.
RAM: "It wasn't really Adhar's mistake. I have come
to know that Rākhāl is to blame. Rākhāl was given
charge-"
MASTER: "You mustn't find fault with
Rākhāl . He's a mere child. Even now you can bring out his mother's
milk by squeezing his throat."
RAM: "Sir, why should you speak that way? It was such an
occasion!"
MASTER: (interrupting): "Adhar simply
didn't remember to invite you. He is absent-minded. The other day
he went with me to Jadu Mallick's house. As we took our leave, I said to
him, 'You haven't offered anything to the Goddess in the chapel' 'Sir,' he
said, 'I didn't know one should.'
(To Ram) "Suppose he didn't invite you to his house. Why
such a fuss about going to a place where the name of the Lord was sung? One may
go unasked to participate in religious music. One doesn't have to be
invited."
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