Chapter 5
THE MASTER AND KESHAB
October
27, 1882
Master's boat trip
with Keshab
IT WAS FRIDAY, the day of the
Lakshmi Puja. Keshab Chandra Sen had arranged a boat trip on the
Ganges for Sri Ramakrishna.
About
four o'clock in the afternoon the steamboat with Keshab and his Brahmo
followers cast anchor in the Ganges alongside the Kāli temple at
Dakshineswar. The passengers saw in front of them the bathing-ghat
and the chandni. To their left, in the temple compound, stood six
temples of Śiva, and to their right another group of six Śiva
temples. The white steeple of the Kāli temple, the tree-tops of the
Panchavati, and the silhouette of pine-trees stood high against the blue
autumn sky. The gardens between the two nahabats were filled with
fragrant flowers, and along the bank of the Ganges were rows of flowering
plants. The blue sky was reflected in the brown water of the river,
the sacred Ganges, associated with the most ancient traditions of Aryan
civilization. The outer world appeared soft and serene, and the
hearts of the Brahmo devotees were filled with peace.
Master in samādhi
Sri Ramakrishna was in his room talking with Vijay and Haralal.
Some disciples of Keshab entered. Bowing before the Master, they said
to him: "Sir, the steamer has arrived. Keshab Babu has asked us
to take you there." A small boat was to carry the Master to the
steamer. No sooner did he get into the boat than he lost outer
consciousness in samādhi. Vijay was with him.
M.
was among the passengers. As the boat came alongside the steamer, all
rushed to the railing to have a view of Sri Ramakrishna. Keshab
became anxious to get him safely on board. With great difficulty the
Master was brought back to consciousness of the world and taken to a cabin
in the steamer. Still in an abstracted mood, he walked mechanically,
leaning on a devotee for support. Keshab and the others bowed before
him, but he was not aware of them. Inside the cabin there were a few
chairs and a table. He was made to sit on one of the chairs, Keshab
and Vijay occupying two others. Some devotees were also seated, most
of them on the floor, while many others had to stand outside. They
peered eagerly through the door and windows. Sri Ramakrishna again went
into deep samādhi and became totally unconscious of the outer world.
As
the air in the room was stuffy because of the crowd of people, Keshab
opened the windows. He was embarrassed to meet Vijay, since they had
differed in certain principles of the Brāhrno Samaj and Vijay had separated
himself from Keshab's organization, joining another society.
The
Brahmo devotees looked wistfully at the Master. Gradually he came
back to sense consciousness; but the divine intoxication still
lingered. He said to himself in a whisper: "Mother, why have You
brought me here? They are hedged around and not free. Can I free
them?" Did the Master find that the people assembled there were locked
within the prison walls of the world? Did their helplessness make the Master
address these words to the Divine Mother?
God dwells in
devotee's heart
Sri Ramakrishna was
gradually becoming conscious of the outside world. Nilmadhav of
Ghazipur and a Brahmo devotee were talking about Pavhari Baba.
Another Brahmo devotee said to the Master: "Sir, these gentlemen
visited Pavhari Baba. He lives in Ghazipur. He is a holy man
like yourself." The Master could hardly talk; he only smiled.
The devotee continued, "Sir, Pavhari Baba keeps your photograph in his
room." Pointing to his body the Master said with a smile, "Just a
pillow-case."
The
Master continued: "But you should remember that the heart of the
devotee is the abode of God. He dwells, no doubt, in all beings, but
He especially manifests Himself in the heart of the devotee. A
landlord may at one time or another visit all parts of his estate, but
people say he is generally to be found in a particular drawing-room.
The heart of the devotee is the drawing-room of God.
Attitude of jnānis and
bhaktās
"He
who is called Brahman by the jnanis is known as Ātman by the yogis and as
Bhagavan by the bhaktas. The same brahmin is called priest, when
worshipping in the temple, and cook, when preparing a meal in the
kitchen. The jnani sticking to the path of knowledge, always reasons
about the Reality, saying, 'Not this, not this'. Brahman is neither
'this' nor 'that'; It is neither the universe nor its living beings.
Reasoning in this way, the mind becomes steady. Then it disappears
and the aspirant goes into samādhi. This is the knowledge of
Brahman. It is the unwavering conviction of the jnani that Brahman
alone is real and the world illusory. All these names and forms are
illusory, like a dream. What Brahman is cannot be described.
One cannot even say that Brahman is a Person. This is the opinion of
the jnanis, the followers of Vedanta philosophy.
"But
the bhaktas accept all the states of consciousness. They take the
waking state to be real also. They don't think the world to be
illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation
of God's power and glory. God has created all these - sky, stars,
moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals. They constitute His
glory. He is within us, in our hearts. Again, He is
outside. The most advanced devotees say that He Himself has become
all this - the twenty-four cosmic principles, the universe, and all living
beings. The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become
sugar. (All laugh.)
"Do
you know how a lover of God feels? His attitude is: 'O God, Thou are the
Master, and I am Thy servant. Thou art the Mother, and I am Thy
child.' Or again: 'Thou art my Father and Mother. Thou art the Whole,
and I am a part.' He doesn't like to say, 'I am Brahman.'
Attitude of yogis
"The
yogi seeks to realize the Paramatman, the Supreme Soul. His ideal is
the union of the embodied soul and the Supreme Soul. He withdraws his
mind from sense-objects and tries to concentrate it on the
Paramatman. Therefore, during the first stage of his spiritual
discipline, he retires into solitude and with undivided attention practises
meditation in a fixed posture.
"But
the Reality is one and the same. The difference is only in
name. He who is Brahman is verily Ātman, and again, He is the
Bhagavan. He is Brahman to the followers of the path of knowledge,
Paramatman to the yogis, and Bhagavan to the lovers of God."
The
steamer had been going toward Calcutta; but the passengers, with their eyes
fixed on the Master and their ears given to his nectar-like words, were
oblivious of its motion. Dakshineswar, with its temples and gardens,
was left behind. The paddles of the boat churned the waters of the
Ganges with a murmuring sound. But the devotees were indifferent to
all this. Spellbound, they looked on a great yogi, his face lighted
with a divine smile, his countenance radiating love, his eyes sparkling
with joy-a man who had renounced all for God and who knew nothing but
God. Unceasing words of wisdom flowed from his lips.
Reasoning of jnanis
MASTIER:
"The jnanis, who adhere to the non-dualistic philosophy of Vedanta,
say that the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, the universe
itself and all its living beings, are the manifestations of Śakti, the
Divine Power. If you reason it out, you will realize that all these
are as illusory as a dream. Brahman alone is the Reality, and all
else is unreal. Even this very Śakti is unsubstantial, like a dream.
"But
though you reason all your life, unless you are established in samādhi, you
cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Śakti. Even when you say, 'I am
meditating', or 'I am contemplating', still you are moving in the realm of
Śakti, within Its power.
Identity of Brahman
and Śakti
"Thus
Brahman and Śakti are identical. If you accept the one, you must
accept the other. It is like fire and its power to burn. If you
see the fire, you must recognize its power to burn also. You cannot
think of fire without its power to burn, nor can you think of the power to
burn without fire. You cannot conceive of the sun's rays without the
sun, nor can you conceive of the sun without its rays.
"What
is milk like? Oh, you say, it is something white. You cannot think of
the milk without the whiteness, and again, you cannot think of the
whiteness without the milk.
"Thus
one cannot think of Brahman without Śakti, or of Śakti without
Brahman. One cannot think of the Absolute without the Relative, or of
the Relative without the Absolute.
"The
Primordial Power is ever at play. She is creating, preserving, and
destroying in play, as it were. This Power is called Kāli. Kāli
is verily Brahman, and Brahman is verily Kāli. It is one and the same
Reality. When we think of It as inactive, that is to say, not
engaged in the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, then we
call It Brahman. But when It engages in these activities, then we
call It Kāli or Śakti. The Reality is one and the same; the
difference is in name and form.
"It
is like water, called in different languages by different names, such as
'jal', 'pani', and so forth. There are three or four ghats on a
lake. The Hindus, who drink water at one place, call it 'jal'.
The Mussalmans at another place call it 'pani'. And the English at a
third place call it 'water'. All three denote one and the same thing,
the difference being in the name only. In the same way, some
address the Reality as 'Allah', some as 'God', some as
'Brahman', some as 'Kāli', and others by such names as 'Rama', 'Jesus',
'Durga', 'Hari.' "
Different
manifestations of Kāli
KESHAB
(with a smile): "Describe to us, sir, in how many ways Kāli, the
Divine Mother, sports in this world."
MASTER
(with a smile): "Oh, She plays in different ways. It is She
alone who is known as Maha-Kāli, Nitya-Kāli, Smasana-Kāli, Raksha-Kāli, and
Syama-Kāli. Maha-Kāli and Nitya-Kāli are mentioned in the Tantra
philosophy. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the
moon, the planets, and the earth and when darkness was enveloped in
darkness, then the Mother, the Formless One, Maha-Kāli, the Great Power,
was one with Maha-Kala, the Absolute.
"Syama-Kāli
has a somewhat tender aspect and is worshipped in the Hindu
households. She is the Dispenser of boons and the Dispeller of fear.
People worship Raksha-Kāli, the Protectress, in times of epidemic,
famine, earthquake, drought, and flood. Smasana-Kāli is the
embodiment of the power of destruction. She resides in the cremation
ground, surrounded by corpses, jackals, and terrible female spirits.
From Her mouth flows a stream of blood, from Her neck hangs a garland of
human heads, and around Her waist is a girdle made of human hands.
Beginning of a cycle
"After
the destruction of the universe, at the end of a great cycle, the Divine
Mother garners the seeds for the next creation. She is like the
elderly mistress of the house, who has a hotchpotch-pot in which she keeps
different articles for household use. (All laugh.)
"Oh,
yes! Housewives have pots like that, where they keep 'sea-foam', blue
pills, small bundles of seeds of cucumber, pumpkin, and gourd, and so
on. They take them out when they want them. In the same
way, after the destruction of the universe, my Divine Mother, the
Embodiment of Brahman, gathers together the seeds for the next
creation. After the creation the Primal Power dwells in the universe
itself. She brings forth this phenomenal world and then pervades
it. In the Vedas creation is likened to the spider and its web.
The spider brings the web out of itself and then remains in it. God is
the container of the universe and also what is contained in it.
"Is
Kāli, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion? She appears black because
She is viewed from a distance; but when intimately known She is no longer
so. The sky appears blue at a distance; but look at it close by and
you will find that it has no colour. The water of the ocean looks
blue at a distance, but when you go near and take it in your hand, you find
that it is colourless."
The
Master became intoxicated with divine love and sang:
Is
Kāli, my Mother, really black?
The Naked One, of blackest hue,
Lights the Lotus of the Heart. . . .
The
Master continued: "Bondage and liberation are both of Her
making. By Her Maya worldly people become entangled in 'woman and
gold', and again, through Her grace they attain their liberation. She
is called Saviour, and the remover of the bondage that binds one to the
world."
Divine Mother's sport
Then
the Master sang the following song in his melodious voice:
In
the world's busy market-place, O Syama, Thou art flying kites;
High up they soar on the wind of hope, held fast by maya's string.
Their frames are human skeletons, their sails of the three gunas made;
But all their curious workmanship is merely for ornament.
Upon the kite-strings Thou hast rubbed the manja-paste of worldliness,
So as to make each straining strand all the more sharp and strong.
Out of a hundred thousand kites, at best but one or two break free;
And Thou dost laugh and clap Thy hands, O Mother, watching them!
On favouring winds, says Ramprasad, the kites set loose will speedily
Be borne away to the Infinite, across the sea of the world.
The
Master said: "The Divine Mother is always playful and sportive.
This universe is Her play. She is self-willed and must always have
Her own way. She is full of bliss. She gives freedom to one out
of a hundred thousand."
A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "But, sir, if She likes, She can give freedom to
all. Why, then, has She kept us bound to the world?"
MASTER: "That is Her will. She wants to continue
playing with Her created beings. In a game of hide-and-seek the
running about soon stops if in the beginning all the players touch the
'granny'. If all touch her, then how can the game go on? That
displeases her. Her pleasure is in continuing the game.
Therefore the poet said:
Out
of a hundred thousand kites, at best but one or two break free;
And Thou dost laugh and clap Thy hands, O Mother, watching them!
Reassurance to
householders
"It
is as if the Divine Mother said
to the human mind in confidence, with a sign from Her eye, 'Go and enjoy
the world.' How can one blame the mind? The mind can disentangle itself
from worldliness if, through Her grace, She makes it turn toward
Herself. Only then does it become devoted to the Lotus Feet of the
Divine Mother."
Whereupon
Sri Ramakrishna, taking upon
himself, as it were, the agonies of all householders, sang a song
complaining to the Divine Mother:
Mother,
this is the grief that sorely grieves my heart,
That even with Thee for Mother, and though I am wide awake,
There should be robbery in my house.
Many and many a time I vow to call on Thee,
Yet when the time for prayer comes round, I have forgotten.
Now I see it is all Thy trick.
As Thou hast never given, so Thou receivest naught;
Am I to blame for this, O Mother? Hadst Thou but given,
Surely then Thou hadst received;
Out of Thine own gifts I should have given to Thee.
Glory and shame, bitter and sweet, are Thine alone;
This world is nothing but Thy play.
Then why, O Blissful One, dost Thou cause a rift in it?
Says
Ramprasad: Thou hast bestowed on me this mind,
And with a knowing wink of Thine eye
Bidden it, at the same time, to go and enjoy the world.
And so I wander here forlorn through Thy creation,
Blasted, as it were, by someone's evil glance,
Taking the bitter for the sweet,
Taking the unreal for the Real.
The
Master continued: "Men are deluded through Her maya and have become
attached to the world.
Says
Ramprasad: Thou hast bestowed on me this mind,
And with a knowing wink of Thine eye
Bidden it, at the same time, to go and enjoy the world."
BRAHMO
DEVOTEE: "Sir, can't we realize God without complete
renunciation?"
MASTFR (with a laugh): "Of course
you can! Why should you renounce everything? You are all right as you are,
following the middle path-like molasses partly solid and partly
liquid. Do you know the game of nax? Having scored the maximum number
of points, I am out of the game. I can't enjoy it. But you are
very clever. Some of you have scored ten points, some six, and some
five. You have scored just the right number; so you are not out of
the game like me. The game can go on. Why, that's fine! (All
laugh.)
"I
tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the
world. But you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will
not succeed.
Do your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the
duty is over, you will hold to God with both hands.
Bondage and liberation
are of the mind
"It
is all a question of the mind. Bondage and liberation are of the mind
alone. The mind will take the colour you dye it with. It is
like white clothes just returned from the laundry. If you dip them in
red dye, they will be red. If you dip them in blue or green, they will
be blue or green. They will take only the colour you dip them in,
whatever it may be. Haven't you noticed that, if you read a little
English, you at once begin to utter English words: Foot fut it mit? Then
you put on boots and whistle a tune, and so on. It all goes
together. Or, if a scholar studies Sanskrit, he will at once rattle
off Sanskrit verses. If you are in bad company, then you will talk
and think like your companions. On the other hand, when you are in
the company of devotees, you will think and talk only of God.
"The
mind is everything. A man has his wife on one side and his daughter
on the other. He shows his affection to them in different ways.
But his mind is one and the same.
"Bondage
is of the mind, and freedom is also of the mind. A man is free if he
constantly thinks: 'I am a free soul. How can I be bound, whether I
live in the world or in the forest? I am a child of God, the King of
Kings. Who can bind me?' If bitten by a snake, a man may get rid of
its venom by saying emphatically, 'There is no poison in me.' In the same
way, by repeating with grit and determination, 'I am not bound, I am free',
one really becomes so-one really becomes free.
"Once
someone gave me a book of the Christians. I asked him to read it to
me. It talked about nothing but sin. (To Keshab) Sin is the
only thing one hears of at your Brahmo Samaj, too. The wretch who
constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound' only succeeds in being
bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner'
verily becomes a sinner.
Redeeming power of
faith
"One
should have such burning faith in God that one can say: 'What? I have
repeated the name of God, and can sin still cling to me? How can I be a
sinner any more? How can I be in bondage any more?'
"If
a man repeats the name of God, his body, mind, and everything become
pure. Why should one talk only about sin and hell, and such things?
Say but once, 'O Lord, I have undoubtedly done wicked things, but I won't
repeat them.' And have faith in His name."
Sri
Ramakrishna became intoxicated with divine love and sang:
If
only I can pass away repeating Durga's name,
How canst Thou then, O Blessed One,
Withhold from me deliverance,
Wretched though I may be? . . .
Master's prayer
Then
he said: "To my Divine Mother I prayed only for pure love. I
offered flowers at Her Lotus Feet and prayed to Her: 'Mother, here is Thy
virtue, here is Thy vice. Take them both and grant me only pure love
for Thee. Here is Thy knowledge, here is Thy ignorance. Take
them both and grant me only pure love for Thee. Here is Thy purity,
here is Thy impurity. Take them both, Mother, and grant me only pure
love for Thee. Here is Thy dharma, here is Thy adharma. Take
them both, Mother, and grant me only pure love for Thee.'
(To
the Brahmo devotees) "Now listen to a song by Ramprasad:
Come,
let us go for a walk, O mind, to Kāli, the Wish-fulfilling Tree,
And there beneath It gather the four fruits of life.
Of your two wives, Dispassion and Worldliness,
Bring alone Dispassion only, on your way to the Tree,
And ask her son Discrimination about the Truth.
When will you learn to lie, O mind, in the abode of Blessedness,
With Cleanliness and Defilement on either side of you?
Only when you have found the way
To keep these wives contentedly under a single roof,
Will you behold the matchless form of Mother Syama.
Ego and Ignorance, your parents, instantly banish from your sight;
And should Delusion seek to drag you to its hole,
Manfully cling to the pillar of Patience.
Tie to the post of Unconcern the goats of Vice and Virtue,
Killing them with the sword of Knowledge if they rebel.
With the children of Worldliness, your first wife, plead from a goodly
distance,
And, if they will not listen, drown them in Wisdom's sea.
Says Ramprasad: If you do as I say,
You can submit a good account, O mind, to the King of Death,
And I shall be well pleased with you and call you my darling.
"Why shouldn't one be able to realize God in this world? King Janaka
had such realization. Ramprasad described the world as a mere
'framework of illusion'. But if one loves God's hallowed feet, then-
This
very world is a mansion of mirth;
Here I can eat, here drink and make merry.
Janaka's might was unsurpassed;
What did he lack of the world or the Spirit?
Holding to one as well as the other,
He drank his milk from a brimming cup! (All
laugh.)
"But
one cannot be a King Janaka all of a sudden. Janaka at first
practised much austerity in solitude.
Solitude for
householders
"Even
if one lives in the world, one must go into solitude now and then. It
will be of great help to a man if he goes away from his family, lives
alone, and weeps for God even for three days. Even if he thinks of
God for one day in solitude, when he has the leisure, that too will do him
good. People shed a whole jug of tears for wife and children.
But who cries for the Lord? Now and then one must go into solitude and
practise spiritual discipline to realize God. Living in the world and
entangled in many of its duties, the aspirant, during the first stage of
spiritual life, finds many obstacles in the path of concentration.
While the trees on the foot-path are young, they must he fenced around;
otherwise they will be destroyed by cattle. The fence is necessary
when the tree is young, but it can be taken away when the trunk is thick
and strong. Then the tree won't be hurt even if an elephant is tied
to it.
Malady of worldly
people and its cure
"The
disease of worldliness is like typhoid. And there are a huge jug of
water and a jar of savoury pickles in the typhoid patient's room. If
you want to cure him of his illness, you must remove him from that
room. The worldly man is like the typhoid patient. The various
objects of enjoyment are the huge jug of water, and the craving for their
enjoyment is his thirst. The very thought of pickles makes the mouth
water; you don't have to bring them near. And he is surrounded with
them. The companionship of woman is the pickles. Hence treatment
in solitude is necessary.
"One
may enter the world after attaining discrimination and dispassion. In
the ocean of the world there are six alligators: lust, anger, and so
forth. But you need not fear the alligators if you smear your body
with turmeric before you go into the water. Discrimination and
dispassion are the turmeric. Discrimination is the knowledge of what
is real and what is unreal. It is the realization that God alone is
the real and eternal Substance and that all else is unreal, transitory,
impermanent. And you must cultivate intense zeal for God. You
must feel love for Him and be attracted to Him. The gopis of
Vrindāvan felt the attraction of Krishna. Let me sing you a song:
Listen!
The flute has sounded in yonder wood.
There I must fly, for Krishna waits on the path.
Tell me, friends, will you come along or no?
To you my Krishna is merely an empty name;
To me He is the anguish of my heart.
You hear His flute-notes onlv with your ears,
But, oh, I hear them in my deepest soul.
I hear His flute calling: 'Radha come out!
Without you the grove is shorn of its loveliness.' "
The
Master sang the song with tears in his eyes, and said to Keshab and the
other Brahmo devotees: "Whether you accept Radha and Krishna, or not,
please do accept their attraction for each other. Try to create that
same yearning in your heart for God. Yearning is all you need in
order to realize Him."
Gradually
the ebb-tide set in. The steamboat was speeding toward
Calcutta. It passed under the Howrah Bridge and came within sight of
the Botanical Garden. The captain was asked to go a little farther
down the river. The passengers were enchanted with the Master's
words, and most of them had no idea of time or of how far they had
come.
Keshab
began to serve some puffed rice and grated coconut. The guests held
these in the folds of their wearing-cloths and presently started to
eat. Everyone was joyful. The Master noticed, however, that
Keshab and Vijay rather shrank from each other, and he was anxious to
reconcile them.
Disagreements
necessary for enriching life
MASTEIR
(to Keshab): "Look here. There is Vijay. Your quarrel
seems like the fight between Śiva and Rama. Śiva was Rama's s
guru. Though they fought with each other, yet they soon came to
terms. But the grimaces of the ghosts, the followers of Śiva, and the
gibberish of the monkeys, the followers of Rama, would not come to an end!
(Loud laughter.) Such quarrels take place even among one's own kith and
kin. Didn't Rama fight with His own sons, Lava and Kusa? Again, you
must have noticed how a mother and daughter, living together and having the
same spiritual end in view, observe their religious fast separately on
Tuesdays, each on her own account-as if the welfare of the mother were
different from the welfare of the daughter. But what benefits the one
benefits the other. In like manner, you have a religious society, and
Vijay thinks he must have one too. (Laughter.) But I think all these
are necessary. While Sri Krishna, Himself God Incarnate, played
with the gopis at Vrindāvan, trouble-makers like Jatila and Kutila appeared
on the scene. You may ask why. The answer is that the play does
not develop without trouble-makers. (All laugh.) There is no fun
without Jatila and Kutila. (Loud laughter.)
"Ramanuja
upheld the doctrine of Qualified Non-dualism. But his guru was a pure
non-dualist. They disagreed with each other and refuted each other's
arguments. That always happens. Still, to the teacher the
disciple is his own."
All
rejoiced in the Mastcr's company and his words.
MASTER
(to Keshab): "You don't look into people's natures, before you make
them your disciples, and so they break away from you.
"All
men look alike, to be sure, but they have different natures. Some
have an excess of sattva, others an excess of rajas, and still others an
excess of tamas. You must have noticed that the cakes known as puli
all look alike. But their contents are very different. Some
contain condensed milk, some coconut kernel, and others mere boiled kalai
pulse. (All laugh)
Master's humility
"Do
you know my attitude? As for myself, I eat, drink, and live happily.
The rest the Divine Mother knows. Indeed, there are three words that
prick my flesh: 'guru', 'master', and 'father'.
"There
is only one Guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the
Teacher. My attitude toward God is that of a child toward its
mother. One can get human gurus by the million. All want to be
teachers. But who cares to be a disciple?
Difficulty of
preaching
"It
is extremely difficult to teach others. A man can teach only if God
reveals Himself to him and gives the command. Narada, Sukadeva, and
sages like them had such a command from God, and Sankara had it too.
Unless you have a command from God, who will listen to your words?
"Don't
you know how easily the people of Calcutta get excited? The milk in the
kettle puffs up and boils as long as the fire burns underneath. Take
away the fuel and all becomes quiet. The people of Calcutta love
sensations. You may see them digging a well at a certain place.
They say they want water. But if they strike a stone they give up
that place; they begin at another place. And there, perchance, they
find sand; they give up the second place too. Next they begin at a
third. And so it goes. But it won't do if a man only imagines
that he has God's command.
"God
does reveal Himself to man and speak. Only then may one receive His
command. How forceful are the words of such a teacher! They can move
mountains. But mere lectures? People will listen to them for a few
days and then forget them. They will never act upon mere words.
"At
Kamarpukur there is a small lake called the Haldarpukur. Certain
people used to befoul its banks every day. Others who came there in
the morning to bathe would abuse the offenders loudly. But next
morning they would find the same thing. The nuisance didn't
stop. (All laugh.) The villagers finally informed the authorities
about it. A constable was sent, who put up a notice on the bank which
read: 'Commit no nuisance.' This stopped the miscreants at once. (All
laugh.)
"To
teach others, one must have a badge of authority; otherwise teaching
becomes a mockery. A man who is himself ignorant starts out to teach
others-like the blind leading the blind! Instead of doing good, such
teaching does harm. After the realization of God one obtains an inner
vision. Only then can one diagnose a person's spiritual malady and
give instruction.
"Without
the commission from God, a man becomes vain. He says to himself, 'I
am teaching people.' This vanity comes from ignorance, for only an ignorant
person feels that he is the doer. A man verily becomes liberated in
life if he feels: 'God is the Doer. He alone is doing
everything. I am doing nothing.' Man's sufferings and
worries spring only from his persistent thought that he is the doer.
Doing good to others
"You
people speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small
thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First realize God,
see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power, then
you can do good to others; otherwise not."
A
BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Then, sir, we must give up our activities until we
realize God?"
MASTER: "No. Why should you?
You must engage in such activities as contemplation, singing His praises,
and other daily devotions."
BRAHMO:
"But what about our worldly duties-duties associated with our earning
money, and so on?"
MASTER: "Yes, you can perform them
too, but only as much as you need for your livelihood. At the same
time, you must pray to God in solitude, with tears in your eyes, that you
may be able to perform those duties in an unselfish manner. You
should say to Him: 'O God, make my worldly duties fewer and fewer;
otherwise, O Lord, I find that I forget Thee when I am involved in too many
activities. I may think I am doing unselfish work, but it turns out
to be selfish.' People who carry to excess the giving of alms, or the
distributing of food among the poor, fall victims to the desire of acquiring
name and fame.
"Sambhu
Mallick once talked about establishing hospitals, dispensaries, and
schools, making roads, digging public reservoirs, and so forth. I
said to him: 'Don't go out of your way to look for such works.
Undertake only those works that present themselves to you and are of
pressing necessity-and those also in a spirit of detachment.' It is not
good to become involved in many activities. That makes one forget
God. Coming to the Kalighat temple, some, perhaps, spend their whole
time in giving alms to the poor. They have no time to see the Mother
in the inner shrine! (Laughter.) First of all manage somehow to see the
image of the Divine Mother, oven by pushing through the crowd. Then
you may or may not give alms, as you wish. You may give to the poor
to your heart's content, if you feel that way. Work is only a means
to the realization of God. Therefore I said to Sambhu, 'Suppose God
appears before you; then will you ask Him to build hospitals and
dispensaries for you?' (Laughter.) A lover of God never says that. He
will rather say: 'O Lord, give me a place at Thy Lotus Feet. Keep me
always in Thy company. Give me sincere and pure love for Thee.'
Path of devotion most
elective for Kaliyuga
"Karmayoga
is very hard indeed. In the Kaliyuga it is extremely difficult to
perform the rites enjoined in the scriptures. Nowadays man's life is
centred on food alone. He cannot perform many scriptural rites.
Suppose a man is laid up with fever. If you attempt a slow cure with
the old-fashioned indigenous remedies, before long his life may be snuffed
out. He can't stand much delay. Nowadays the drastic 'D Gupta'
mixture is appropriate. In the Kaliyuga the best way is bhaktiyoga,
the path of devotion-singing the praises of the Lord, and prayer. The
path of devotion alone is the religion for this age. (To the Brahmo
devotees) Yours also is the path of devotion. Blessed you are indeed
that you chant the name of Hari and sing the Divine Mother's glories.
I like your attitude. You don't call the world a dream like the
non-dualists. You are not Brahmajnanis like them; you are bhaktas,
lovers of God. That you speak of Him as a Person is also good.
You are devotees. You will certainly realize Him if you call on Him
with sincerity and earnestness."
The
boat cast anchor at Kayalaghat and the passengers prepared to
disembark. On coming outside they noticed that the full moon was
up. The trees, the buildings, and the boats on the Ganges were bathed
in its mellow light. A carriage was hailed for the Master, and M. and
a few devotees got in with him. The Master asked for Keshab.
Presently the latter arrived and inquired about the arrangements made for
the Master's return to Dakshineswar. Then he bowed low and took leave
of Sri Ramakrishna.
The
carriage drove through the European quarter of the city. The Master
enjoyed the sight of the beautiful mansions on both sides of the well
lighted streets. Suddenly he said: "I am thirsty. What's
to be done?" Nandalal, Keshab's nephew, stopped the carriage before
the India Club and went upstairs to get some water. The Master
inquired whether the glass had been well washed. On being assured
that it had been, he drank the water.
As
the carriage went along, the Master put his head out of the window and
looked with childlike enjoyment, at the people, the vehicles, the horses,
and the streets, all flooded with moonlight. Now and then he heard
European ladies singing at the piano. He was in a very happy
mood.
The
carriage arrived at the house of Suresh Mitra, who was a great devotee of
the Master and whom he addressed affectionately as Surendra. He was
not at home.
The
members of the household opened a room on the ground floor for the Master
and his party. The cab fare was to be paid. Surendra would have
taken care of it had he been there. The Master said to a devotee:
"Why don't you ask the ladies to pay the fare? They certainly know
that their master visits us at Dakshineswar. I am not a stranger to them."(All
laugh.)
Narendra,
who lived in that quarter of the city, was sent for. In the mean time
Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees were invited to the drawing-room
upstairs. The floor of the room was covered with a carpet and a white
sheet. A few cushions were lying about. On the wall hung an oil
painting especially painted for Surendra, in which Sri Ramakrishna was
pointing out to Keshab the harmony of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism, and other religions. On seeing the picture Keshab had once
said, "Blessed is the man who conceived the idea."
Sri
Ramakrishna was talking joyously with the devotees, when Narendra
arrived. This made the Master doubly happy. He said to his
young disciple, "We had a boat trip with Keshab today. Vijay and
many other Brahmo devotees were there.
(Pointing to M.) Ask him what I said to Keshab and Vijay about the mother
and daughter observing their religious fast on Tuesdays, each on her own
account, though the welfare of the one meant the welfare of the
other. I also said to Keshab that trouble-makers like jatila and
Kutila were necessary to lend zest to the play. (To M.) Isn't that
so?"
M:
"Yes, sir. Quite so."
It
was late. Surendra had not yet returned. The Master had to
leave for the temple garden, and a cab was brought for him. M. and
Narendra saluted him and took their leave. Sri Ramakrishna's carriage
started for Dakshineswar through the moonlit streets.
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