Sri Ramakrishna on Ego and Free Will

Surendra, a beloved lay disciple of the Master, had invited him to his house on the auspicious occasion of the Annapurna Puja. It was about six o'clock when Sri Ramakrishna arrived there with some of his devotees. The image of the Divine Mother had been installed in the worship hall. At Her feet lay hibiscus flowers and vilwa-leaves; from Her neck hung a garland of flowers. Sri Ramakrishna entered the hall and bowed down before the image. Then he went to the open courtyard, where he sat on a carpet, surrounded by his devotees and disciples. A few bolsters lay on the carpet, which was covered with a white linen sheet. He was asked to lean against one of these, but he pushed it aside.

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): "To lean against a bolster!" (Rich and aristocratic persons seeking comfort generally sit in this fashion.) You see, it is very difficult to give up vanity. You may discriminate, saving that the ego is nothing at all; but still it comes, nobody knows from where. A goat's legs jerk for a few moments even after its head has been cut off. Or perhaps you are frightened in a dream; you shake off sleep and are wide awake, but still you feel your heart palpitating. Egotism is exactly like that. You may drive it away, but still it appears from somewhere. Then you look sullen and say: 'What! I have not been shown proper respect!'"

Note: A bolster is a long thick pillow. Here it indicates comfort. IMHO, the essence is to not let mind loose and always keep a check on ego. If a sadhaka (a seeker of truth) realizes that a certain attitude causes his / her ego to increase then one must make conscious effort to correct it. Sri Ramakrishna explains to us in a symbolic way through an incident.

Kedar: "'One should be lowlier than a straw and patient as a tree.'"

Sri Ramakrishna: "As for me, I consider myself as a speck of the dust of the devotee's feet."

Vaidyanath arrived. He was a well-educated man, a lawyer of the High Court of Calcutta. With folded hands he saluted Sri Ramakrishna and took his seat at one side.

Surendra (to Thakur ji - Sri Ramakrishna): "He is one of my relatives."

(Sri Ramakrishna is also known as Thakur ji)

Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, I see he has a nice nature."

Surendra: "He has come here because he wants to ask you a question or two."

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vaidyanath): "All that you see is the manifestation of God's Power. No one can do anything without this Power. But you must remember that there is not an equal manifestation of God's Power in all things. Vidyasagar once asked me whether God endowed some with greater power than others. I said to him; 'If there are no greater and lesser manifestations of His Power, then why have we taken the trouble to visit you? Have you grown two horns?' So it stands to reason that God exists in all beings as the All-pervasive Power; but the manifestations of His Power are different in different beings."

Vaidyanath (to Sri Ramakrishna): "Thakur ji, I have a doubt. People speak of free will. They say that a man can do either good or evil according to his will. Is it true? Are we really free to do whatever we like?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Everything depends on the will of God. The world is His play. He has created all these different things — great and small, strong and weak, good and bad, virtuous and vicious. This is all His maya, His sport. You must have observed that all the trees in a garden are not of the same kind.

"As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. It is God Himself who keeps this error in man. Otherwise sin would have multiplied. Man would not have been afraid of sin, and there would have been no punishment for it.

"But do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels: 'I am the machine, and Thou, O Lord, art the Operator. I am the house and Thou art the Indweller. I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as Thou movest me; I speak as Thou makest me speak.'

Note: A Self Realised person will not have ego like layman. His ego is merged in God.

(To Vaidyanath): "It is not good to argue. Isn't that so?"

Vaidyanath: "Yes, sir. The desire to argue disappears when a man attains wisdom."

Sri Ramakrishna, out of his stock of a dozen English words, said, "Thank you!" in the most charming way, and all laughed.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Vaidyanath): "You will make spiritual progress. People don't trust a man when he speaks about God. Even if a great soul affirms that he has seen God, still the average person will not accept his words. He says to himself, 'If this man has really seen God, then let him show Him to me.' But can a man learn to feel a person's pulse in one day? He must go about with a physician for many days; only then can he distinguish the different pulses. He must be in the company of those with whom the examination of the pulse has become a regular profession.

"Can anyone and everyone pick out a yarn of a particular count? If you are in that trade, you can distinguish in a moment a forty-count thread from a forty-one."

Note: Constant company of holy men purifies one inwardly. After achieving certain purification of mind, one begins to understand spiritual path and the teachings of shastras.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna on Temporary Vairagya and advice to those Grieving for Loved Ones

Adhar Sen arrived with several of his friends. He was a deputy magistrate, about thirty years old. This was his second visit to the Master. He was accompanied by his friend Saradacharan, who was extremely unhappy because of the death of his eldest son. A retired deputy inspector of schools, Saradacharan devoted himself to meditation and prayer. Adhar had brought his friend to the Master for consolation in his afflicted state of mind.

Coming down from samadhi, the Master found the eyes of the devotees fixed on him. He muttered to himself, still in an abstracted mood.

Then, addressing the devotees, Sri Ramakrishna said: "The spiritual wisdom of worldly people is seen only on rare occasions. It is like the flame of a candle. No, it is rather like a single ray of the sun passing through a chink in a wall. Worldly people chant the name of God, but there is no zeal behind it. It is like children's swearing by God, having learnt the word from the quarrels of their aunts.

"Worldly people have no grit. If they succeed in an undertaking, it is all right, but if they don't succeed, it scarcely bothers them at all. When they need water they begin to dig a well. But as soon as they strike a stone they give up digging there and begin at another place. Perhaps they come to a bed of sand. Finding nothing but sand, they give that place up too. How can they succeed in getting water unless they continue to dig persistently where they started?

"Man reaps the harvest of his own past actions. Hence you read in the song:

O Mother, I have no one else to blame:

Alas! I sink in the well these very hands have dug.

Sri Ramakrishna: "'I' and 'mine' — that is ignorance. By discriminating you will realize that what you call 'I' is really nothing but Atman. Reason it out. Are you the body or the flesh or something else? At the end you will know that you are none of these. You are free from attributes. Then you will realize that you have never been the doer of any action, that you have been free from virtue and faults alike, that you are beyond righteousness and unrighteousness.

"From ignorance a man says, 'This is gold and this is brass.' But a man of Knowledge says, 'It is all gold.'

"Reasoning stops when one sees God. But there are instances of people who have realized God and who still continue to reason. Again, there are people who, even after having seen God, chant His name with devotion and sing His glories.

"How long does a child cry? So long as it is not sucking at its mother's breast. As soon as it is nursed it stops crying. Then the child feels only joy. Joyously it drinks the milk from its mother's breast. But it is also true that, while drinking, the child sometimes plays and laughs.

"It is God alone who has become everything. But in man He manifests Himself the most. God is directly present in the man who has the pure heart of a child and who laughs and cries and dances and sings in divine ecstasy." 

By this time Sri Ramakrishna had become better acquainted with Adhar, who related the cause of his friend's grief. The Master sang, as if to himself: 

To arms! To arms, O man! Death storms your house in battle array!

Bearing the quiver of knowledge, mount the chariot of devotion;

Bend the bow of your tongue with the bow-string of love.

And aim at him the shaft of Mother Kali's holy name.

Here is a ruse for the fray: You need no chariot or charioteer;

Fight your toe from the Ganges' bank, and he is easily slain.

Then he said: "What can you do? Be ready for Death. Death has entered the house. You must fight him with the weapon of God's holy name; God alone is the Doer. I say: 'O Lord, I do as Thou doest through me. I speak as Thou speakest through me. I am the machine and Thou art the Operator. I am the house and Thou art the Indweller. I am the engine and Thou art the Engineer.' Give your power of attorney to God. One doesn't come to grief through letting a good man assume one's responsibilities. Let His will be done.

"But isn't your grief for your son only natural? The son is one's own self reborn. Lakshmana ran to Ravana when the latter fell dead on the battle-field. Looking at Ravana's body, he found that every one of his bones was full of holes. Thereupon he said to Rama: 'O Rama, glory be to Your arrows! There is no spot in Ravana's body that they have not pierced.' 'Brother,' replied Rama, 'the holes you see in his bones are not from My arrows. Grief for his sons has pierced them through and through. These holes are the marks of his grief. It has penetrated his very bones.'

"But house, wife, and children are all transitory; they have only a momentary existence. The palm-tree alone is-real. One or two fruits have dropped off. Why lament?

"God is engaged in three kinds of activity: creation, preservation, and destruction. Death is inevitable. All will be destroyed at the time of dissolution. Nothing will remain. At that time the Divine Mother will gather up the seeds for the future creation, even as the elderly mistress of the house keeps in her hotchpotch-pot little bags of cucumber seeds, 'sea-foam', blue pills, and other miscellaneous things. The Divine Mother will take Her seeds out again at the time of the new creation."

Sri Ramakrishna began to talk with Adhar on the verandah north of his room.

Sri Ramakrishna (to Adhar): "You are a deputy magistrate. Remember that you have obtained your position through the grace of God. Do not forget Him, but remember that all men must one day walk down the same path.* We stay in the world only a couple of days.

"This world is our field of activity. We are born here to perform certain duties. People have their homes in the country but come to Calcutta to work, "It is necessary to do a certain amount of work. This is a kind of discipline. But one must finish it speedily. While melting gold, the goldsmith uses everything — the bellows, the fan, and the pipe — so that he may have the hot fire he needs to melt the metal. After the melting is over, he relaxes and asks his attendant to prepare a smoke for him. All this time his face has been hot and perspiring; but now he can smoke.

"One must have stern determination; then alone is spiritual practice possible. One must make a firm resolve.

"There is great power in the seed of God's name. It destroys ignorance. A seed is tender, and the sprout soft; still it pierces the hard ground. The ground breaks and makes way for the sprout.

"The mind becomes very much distracted if one lives long in the midst of 'woman and gold'. Therefore one must be very careful. But monks do not have much to fear. The real sannyasi lives away from 'woman and gold'. Therefore through the practice of spiritual discipline he can always fix his mind on God.

"True sannyasis, those who are able to devote their minds constantly to God, are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip their honey. Those who live in the world, in the midst of 'woman and gold', may direct their attention to God; but sometimes their minds dwell also on 'woman and gold'. They are like common flies, which light on a piece of candy, then on a sore or filth.

"Always keep your mind fixed on God. In the beginning you must struggle a little; later on you will enjoy your pension."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

How can I develop love for God?

Presently a few elderly members of the Brahmo Samaj arrived. The room was full of devotees. Sri Ramakrishna (also known as Thakur ji) was sitting on his bed, facing the north. He kept smiling, and talked to the Brahmo devotees in a joyous mood. 

In this gathering, Sri Ramakrishna explained the what is devotion (bhakti). Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees sang different songs which elevated the mood of all and instill bhakti in the Brahmo Samaj members. Brahmo Samaj was more inclined towards Jnana Marg / Vichara Marg, the path of knowledge. They did not give much importance to devotional path, the path of prema (Devotional Love. Prema is very strong spiritual attraction of jiva towards Paramatma).  Sri Ramakrishna explained them the importance of devotion. In this gathering, Sri Ramakrishna was already in the estatic mood and would often go into bhava Samadhi. 

Sri Ramakrishna (Thakur ji): "You talk glibly (carelessly without any seriousness) about prema (Devotional Love). But is it such a commonplace thing? There are two characteristics of prema. First, it makes one forget the world. So intense is one's love of God that one becomes unconscious of outer things. Chaitanya had this ecstatic love; he 'took a wood for the sacred grove of Vrindavan and the ocean for the dark waters of the Jamuna'. Second, one has no feeling of 'my-ness' toward the body, which is so dear to man. One wholly gets rid of the feeling that the body is the soul. [1]

"There are certain signs of God-realization. The man in whom longing for God manifests its glories, is not far from attaining Him. What are the glories of that longing? They are discrimination, dispassion, compassion for living beings, serving holy men, loving their company, chanting the name and glories of God, telling the truth, and the like. When you see those signs of longing in an aspirant, you can rightly say that for him the vision of God is not far to seek.

"The state of a servant's house will tell you unmistakably whether his Boss / Master has decided to visit it. First, the rubbish and jungle around the house are cleared up. Second, the soot and dirt are removed from the rooms. Third, the courtyard, floors, and other places are swept clean. Finally the master himself sends various things to the house, such as a carpet, a hubble-bubble for smoking, and the like. When you see these things arriving, you conclude that the master will very soon come." [2]

A Devotee: "Thakur ji, should one first practice discrimination to attain self-control?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "That is also a path. It is called the path of vichara (Jnana), reasoning. But the inner organs i.e. Antahkarana -  (Mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi), mind-stuff (chitta), and ego (ahamkara).) are brought under control naturally through the path of devotion as well. It is rather easily accomplished that way. Sense pleasures appear more and more tasteless as love for God grows. Can carnal pleasure attract a grief-stricken man and woman the day their child has died?"

Devotee: "How can I develop love for God?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Repeat His name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts, and so on."

    [creature comforts means material comforts or craving for material objects]

Devotee: "How can I take delight in God's name?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Pray to God with a yearning heart that you may take delight in His name. He will certainly fulfil your heart's desire."

So saying, Sri Ramakrishna sang a song in his sweet voice, pleading with the Divine Mother to show Her grace to suffering men:

O Mother, I have no one else to blame:

Alas! I sink in the well these very hands have dug.

With the six passions tor my spade,

I dug a pit in the sacred land of earth;

And now the dark water of death gushes forth!

How can I save myself, O my Redeemer?

Surely I have been my own enemy;

How can I now ward off this dark water of death?

Behold, the waters rise to my chest!

How can I save myself? O Mother, save me!

Thou art my only Refuge; with Thy protecting glance

Take me across to the other shore of the world.

The Sri Ramakrishna sang again:

What a delirious fever is this that I suffer from!

O Mother, Thy grace is my only cure.

False pride is the fever that racks my wasted form;

"I" and "mine" are my cry. Oh, what a wicked delusion!

My quenchless thirst for wealth and friends is never-ceasing;

How, then, shall I sustain my life?

Talk about things unreal, this is my wretched delirium,

And I indulge in it always, O Giver of all good fortune!

My eyes in seeming sleep are closed, my stomach is filled

With the vile worms of cruelty.

Alas! I wander about absorbed in unmeaning deeds;

Even for Thy holy name I have no taste, O Mother!

I doubt that I shall ever be cured of this malady.

Then the Sri Ramakrishna said: "'Even for Thy holy name I have no taste.' A typhoid patient has very little chance of recovery if he loses all taste for food; but his life need not be despaired of if he enjoys food even a little. That is why one should cultivate a taste for God's name. Any name will do — Durga, Krishna, or Siva. Then if, through the chanting of the name, one's attachment to God grows day by day, and joy fills the soul, one has nothing to fear. The delirium will certainly disappear; the grace of God will certainly descend.

"'As is a man's feeling of love, so is his gain.' Once two friends were going along the street, when they saw some people listening to a reading of the Bhagavata. 'Come, friend', said the one to the other. 'Let us hear the sacred book.' So saying he went in and sat down. The second man peeped in and went away. He entered a house of ill fame. But very soon he felt disgusted with the place. 'Shame on me!' he said to himself. 'My friend has been listening to the sacred word of Hari; and see where I am!' But the friend who had been listening to the Bhagavata also became disgusted. 'What a fool I am!' he said. 'I have been listening to this fellow's blah-blah, and my friend is having a grand time.' In course of time they both died. The messenger of Death came for the soul of the one who had listened to the Bhagavata and dragged it off to hell. The messenger of God came for the soul of the one who had been to the house of prostitution and led it up to heaven."

Verily, the Lord looks into a man's heart and does not judge him by what he does or where he lives. 'Krishna accepts a devotee's inner feeling of love.'

In the Kartabhaja sect, the Acharya / Guru, while giving initiation, says to the disciple, 'Now everything depends on your mind.' According to this sect, 'He who has the right mind finds the right way and also achieves the right end,' It was through the power of his mind that Hanuman leapt over the sea. 'I am the servant of Rama; I have repeated the holy name of Rama. Is there anything impossible for me?' — that was Hanuman's faith.

"Ignorance lasts as long as one has ego. There can be no liberation so long as the ego remains. 'O God, Thou art the Doer and not I' — that is knowledge.

"By being lowly [humble] one can rise high. The chatak bird makes its nest on low ground, but it soars very high in the sky. Cultivation is not possible on high land; in low land water accumulates and makes cultivation possible. 

One must take the trouble to seek the company of holy persons. In his own home a man hears only worldly talk; the disease of worldliness has become chronic with him. The caged parrot sitting on its perch repeats, "Rama! Rama!' But let it fly to the forest and it will squawk in its usual way. 

"Mere possession of money doesn't make a nobleman. One sign of the mansion of a nobleman is that all the rooms are lighted. The poor cannot afford much oil, and consequently cannot have so many lights. This shrine of the body should not be left dark; one should illumine it with the lamp of Wisdom.

Lighting the lamp of Knowledge in the chamber of your heart,

Behold the face of the Mother, Brahman's Embodiment.

"Everyone can attain Knowledge. There are two entities: jivatma, the individual soul, and Paramatma, the Supreme Soul. Through prayer all individual souls can be united to the Supreme Soul. Every house has a connection for gas, and gas can be obtained from the main storage-tank of the Gas Company. Apply to the Company, and it will arrange for your supply of gas. Then your house will be lighted.

"In some people spiritual consciousness has already been awakened; but they have special marks. They do not enjoy hearing or talking about anything but God. They are like the chatak, which prays for rain-water though the seven oceans, the Ganges, the Jamuna, and the rivers near it are all filled with water. It won't drink anything but rain-water, even though its throat is burning with thirst."

The Sri Ramakrishna wanted to hear a few songs. Ramlal and a brahmin official of the temple garden sang:

Dwell, O Lord, O Lover of bhakti,

In the Vrindavan of my heart,

And my devotion unto Thee

Will be Thy Radha, dearly loved. . . .

And again:

The dark cloud of the summer storm fades into nothingness,

When, flute in hand and a smile on His lips,

Lighting the world with His loveliness,

Krishna, the Dark One, appears.

His dazzling yellow robe outgleams even the lightning's glare;

A wreath of wild-flowers interwoven

Gently swings from His youthful breast

And softly kisses His feet.

See, there He stands, the Lord of life, the Moon of Nanda's line,

Outshining all the moons in heaven

And with the splendour of His rays

Flooding the Jamuna's bank!

He stands there, stealing the maidens' hearts; He lures them from hearth and home.

Krishna enters my own heart's shrine,

And with His flute-note steals away

My wisdom, life, and soul,

To whom shall Ganga Narayana pour out his tale of woe?

Ah, friend, you might have understood

Had you but gone to the Jamuna's bank

To fill your water-jar!

Again they sang:

High in the heaven of the Mother's feet, my mind was soaring like a kite,

When came a blast of sin's rough wind that drove it swiftly toward the earth. . . . 

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): "As the tiger devours other animals, so does the 'tiger of zeal for the Lord' eat up lust, anger, and the other passions. Once this zeal grows in the heart, lust and the other passions disappear. The gopis of Vrindavan had that state of mind because of their zeal for Krishna.

"Again, this zeal for God is compared to collyrium. Radha said to her friends, 'I see Krishna everywhere.' They replied, 'Friend, you have painted your eyes with the collyrium of love; that is why you see Krishna everywhere.'

"They say that when your eyes are painted with collyrium made from the ashes of a frog's head you see snakes everywhere.

"They are indeed bound souls who constantly dwell with 'woman and gold' and do not think of God even for a moment. How can you expect noble deeds of them? They are like mangoes pecked by a crow, which may not be offered to the Deity in the temple, and which even men hesitate to eat.

"Bound souls, worldly people, are like silk-worms. The worms can cut through their cocoons if they want, but having woven the cocoons themselves, they are too much attached to them to leave them. And so they die there.

"Free souls are not under the control of 'woman and gold'. There are some silk-worms that cut through the cocoon they have made with such great care. But they are few and far between.

"It is maya that deludes. Only a few become spiritually awakened and are not deluded by the spell of maya. They do not come under the control of 'woman and gold'.

"There are two classes of perfect souls: those who attain perfection through spiritual practice, and those who attain it through the grace of God. Some farmers irrigate their fields with great labour. Only then can they grow crops. But there are some who do not have to irrigate at all; their fields are flooded by rain. They don't have to go to the trouble of drawing water. One must practice spiritual discipline laboriously, in order to avoid the clutches of maya. Those who attain liberation through the grace of God do not have to labour. But they are few indeed.

"Then there is the class of the ever-perfect. They are born in each life with their spiritual consciousness already awakened. Think of a spring whose outlet is obstructed. While looking after various things in the garden, the plumber accidentally clears it and the water gushes out. Yet people are amazed to see the first manifestations of an ever-perfect soul's zeal for God. They say, 'Where was all this devotion and renunciation and love?'"

The conversation turned to the spiritual zeal of devotees, as illustrated in the earnestness of the gopis of Vrindavan. Ramlal sang:

Thou art my All in All, O Lord! — the Life of my life, the Essence of essence;

In the three worlds I have none else but Thee to call my own.

Thou art my peace, my joy, my hope; Thou my support, my • wealth, my glory;

Thou my wisdom and my strength.

Thou art my home, my place of rest; my dearest friend, my next of kin;

My present and my future, Thou; my heaven and my salvation.

Thou art my scriptures, my commandments; Thou art my ever gracious Guru;

Thou the Spring of my boundless bliss.

Thou art the Way, and Thou the Goal; Thou the Adorable One, O Lord!

Thou art the Mother tender-hearted; Thou the chastising Father;

Thou the Creator and Protector; Thou the Helmsman who dost steer

My craft across the sea of life.

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): "Ah! What a beautiful song! — 'Thou art my All in All.'"

Ramlal sang again, this time describing the pangs of the gopis on being separated from their beloved Krishna:* 

Hold not, hold not the chariot's wheels!

Is it the wheels that make it move?

The Mover of its wheels is Krishna,

By whose will the worlds are moved. . . .

Sri Ramakrishna went into deep samadhi. His body was motionless; he sat with folded hands as in his photograph. Tears of joy flowed from the corners of his eyes. After a long time his mind came down to the ordinary plane of consciousness. He mumbled something, of which only a word now and then could be heard by the devotees in the room. He was saying: "Thou art I, and I am Thou — Thou eatest — Thou — I eat! . . . What is this confusion Thou hast created?" [3]

Continuing, Sri Ramakrishna said: "I see everything like a man with jaundiced eyes! I see Thee alone everywhere. O Krishna, Friend of the lowly! O Eternal Consort of my soul! O Govinda!"

As he uttered the words "Eternal Consort of my soul" and "Govinda", Sri Ramakrishna again went into samadhi. There was complete silence in the room. The eager and unsatiated eyes of the devotees were fixed on Sri Ramakrishna, a God-man of infinite moods.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Notes:

[1] Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was so much God Intoxicated with love of God that he saw Krishna in everything. So he could not distinguish between a normal wood and a sacred wood used for religious purpose. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could also not distinguish between the ocean water and river water. For him water is water, made up of same essence. In other words, God intoxicated Saints are soaked in God's love and see their beloved God inside everything and so see same divinity in everything. Such a saint will not have any attachment towards his body. [Return to Article]

[2] Master means the owner of house and the head of family and the servant means a maid or someone from house keeping staff. Here servant is devotee, his house is his heart and master or boss is God. [Return to Article]

[3] As Sri Ramakrishna's mind enters into samadhi, it is very difficult for him to continue talking. He could hardly express himself and in no time, Sri Ramakrishna would be in Bhava Samadhi and be motionless. Later when his mind comes down a little, Sri Ramakrishna sees everything is made up of God-consciousness - Krishna as in Govinda form in this Samadhi, as the devotional song sung was dedicated to Sri Krishna Bhagavan. [Return to Article]

Sri Ramakrishna on Mental State of Self Realised Person

A devotee named Manilal went to meet Sri Trailanga Swami and Sri Bhaskarananda. He came to meet Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna enquired to the devotee what did the saints told you to do. Trailanga Swami had taken a vow of silence so there was not much communication between the two informed the devotee. So Sri Ramakrishna enquired about what instructions did Bhaskarananda give.

Sri Ramakrishna: "Did you have any conversation with Bhaskarananda?"

Manilal: "Yes, sir. We had a long talk. Among other things we discussed the problem of good and evil. He said to me: 'Don't follow the path of evil. Give up sinful thoughts. That is how God wants us to act. Perform only those duties that are virtuous.'"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, that is also a path, meant for worldly-minded people. But those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened, who have realized that God alone is real and all else illusory, cherish a different ideal. They are aware that God alone is the Doer and others are His instruments.

"Those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened never make a false step. They do not have to reason in order to shun evil. They are so full of love of God that whatever action they undertake is a good action. They are fully conscious that they are not the doers of their actions, but mere servants of God. They always feel: 'I am the machine and He is the Operator. I do as He does through me. I speak as He speaks through me. I move as He moves me.'

"Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realize that it is God who does everything.

"There was a monastery in a certain place. The monks residing there went out daily to beg their food. One day a monk, while out for his alms, saw a landlord beating a man mercilessly. The compassionate monk stepped in and asked the landlord to stop. But the landlord was filled with anger and turned his wrath against the innocent monk. He beat the monk till he fell unconscious on the ground. Someone reported the matter to the monastery. The monks ran to the spot and found their brother lying there. Four or five of them carried him back and laid him on a bed. He was still unconscious. The other monks sat around him sad at heart; some were fanning him. Finally someone suggested that he should be given a little milk to drink. When it was poured into his mouth he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked around. One of the monks said, 'Let us see whether he is fully conscious and can recognize us.' Shouting into his ear, he said, 'Revered sir, who is giving you milk?' 'Brother,' replied the holy man in a low voice, 'He who beat me is now giving me milk.'

"But one does not attain such a state of mind without the realization of God."

Manilal: "Thakur ji, what you have just said applies to a man of a very lofty spiritual state. I talked on such topics in a general way with Bhaskarananda." 

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Notes: 

This teaching reflects the mental state of Self Realised Saint who saw the same divinity within oneself and others just like a Mahavakya (the great saying of Upanishad) - sarvam Khalu-idam Brahman  - Everything else is also Brahman or All else is Brahman. A Self Realised Saint not only knows that this true nature is Brahman - Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman (another Maha vakya) but he also knows that  The world world and all living beings are non-different from him i.e. Brahman. 

Such a blessed soul during his sadhana days is instructed 'Tat Tvam Asi - meaning You are That (Brahman), another Mahavakya. Here 'you' is said by the Guru. So it is a type of updeshak Maha vakya or Instructional type of Maha vakya. Prajnana Brahman is another Maha Vakya meaning Consciousness is Brahman. Here Pragya / Prajnana does not mean intellect but consciousness. Ayam Atma Brahman is another Maha Vakya meaning this Atman is Brahman thus indicating the non-difference between the two. It is also used in the nididhyasana and reflected in Adi Sankara's Atma Shatak or Nirvan Shatak. It is also an Upadeshak Mantra and used in Sadhana too and leads to Self Realisation just getting to know Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman. 

The fifth Maha vakya, Sarvam Khalu-idam Brahman indicates the fulfilling of Sadhana i.e. a meditator realises I am Brahman in the Nirvikalp Samadhi. But after the meditation is over, he can experience that All else is Brahman too. Until these both experiences of Nirvikalp Samadhi and Experiencing same divinity  in everything else are experienced, doesn't matter in which order a meditator experiences, one must continue to do sadhana.

This fact is hinted by Sri Ramakrishna to Sri Totapuri Baba, his Advaita Guru. 

When Sri Totapuri baba was training Sri Ramakrishna under him, Sri Ramakrishna had a discussion as why such a Self Realised Saint needs to do Sadhana. In reply. Sri Totapuri Baba pointed at his shining Copper pot and said, 'Look how it is shining. If I regularly do not clean it, it wont shine. Mind is also like that. It must be regularly be merged in Brahman by Sadhana, else it can fall down to lower plane.' Sri Ramakrishna acknowledged  the truth behind it and then questioned, ' But what if the pot is made up of Gold (Gold is considered as pure and needs not be cleaned like Copper).'. Sri Totapuri Baba smiled and acknowledged the truth. 

This incident teaches us that sadhana is to be done only until it's fruit moksha is achieved, until one becomes a Jivan Mukta. After that just be in your natural state.

Hari OM

Sri Ramakrishna on Reading Scriptures

Sri Ramakrishna had a conversation with Brahmo Samaj Devotee

Brahmo Samaj Devotee: "Sir, have you read the Panchadasi?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "At first one should hear books like that and indulge in reasoning. But later on —

Cherish my precious Mother Syama
Tenderly within, O mind;
May you and I alone behold Her,
Letting no one else intrude.

"One should hear the scriptures during the early stages of spiritual discipline. After attaining God there is no lack of knowledge. Then the Divine Mother supplies it without fail.

"A child spells out every word as he writes, but later on he writes fluently.

"The goldsmith is up and doing while melting gold. As long as the gold hasn't melted, he works the bellows with one hand, moves the fan with the other, and blows through a pipe with his mouth. But the moment the gold melts and is poured into the mould, he is relieved of all anxiety.

"Mere reading of the scriptures is not enough. A person cannot understand the true significance of the scriptures if he is attached to the world.

Though with intense delight I learnt many poems and dramas,
I have forgotten them all, entrapped in Krishna's love.

"Keshab enjoys the world and practises yoga as well. Living in the world, he directs his mind to God."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Notes: Atmabindu Upanishad 18 also says the same

2. It is indeed the mind that is the cause of men’s bondage and liberation. The mind that is attached to sense-objects leads to bondage, while dissociated from sense-objects it tends to lead to liberation. So they think.

3. Since liberation is predicated of the mind devoid of desire for sense-objects, therefore, the mind should always be made free of such desire, by the seeker after liberation.

4. When the mind, with its attachment for sense-objects annihilated, is fully controlled within the heart and thus realises its own essence, then that Supreme State (is gained).

5. The mind should be controlled to that extent in which it gets merged in the heart. This is Jnana (realisation) and this is Dhyana (meditation) also, all else is argumentation and verbiage.

18. After studying the Vedas the intelligent one who is solely intent on acquiring knowledge and realisation, should discard the Vedas altogether, as the man who seeks to obtain rice discards the husk.

19. Of cows which are of diverse colours the milk is of the same colour. (the intelligent one) regards Jnana as the milk, and the many-branched Vedas as the cows.

22. In Whom reside all beings, and Who resides in all beings by virtue of His being the giver of grace to all – I am that Soul of the Universe, the Supreme Being, I am that Soul of the Universe, the Supreme Being.

Source: Amrit Bindu Upanishad on Mind and Meditation

Thakur ji, how do you feel in samadhi?

Amrita (a devotee): "Thakur ji, how do you feel in samadhi?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "You may have heard that the keet (worm or moth or caterpillar), by intently meditating on the brahmara (wasp) , is transformed into a brahmara (wasp). Do you know how I feel then? I feel like a fish released from a pot into the water of the Ganges." 

Amrita: "Don't you feel at that time even a trace of ego?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, generally a little of it remains. However hard you may rub a grain of gold against a grindstone, still a bit of it always remains. Or again, take the case of a big fire; the ego is like one of its sparks. In samadhi I lose outer consciousness completely; but God generally keeps a little trace of ego in me for the enjoyment of divine communion. Enjoyment is possible only when 'I' and 'you' remain.

"Again, sometimes God effaces even that trace of 'I'. Then one experiences jada samadhi or nirvikalpa samadhi. That experience cannot be described. A salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean, but before it had gone far into the water it melted away. It became entirely one with the water of the ocean. Then who was to come back and tell the ocean's depth?"

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Notes: 

'Bhamari' is also translated as 'butterfly', but more accurate is the 'wasp'. 'Keet' is the moth insect inside cocoon. Wasp makes humming sound while flying. It punctures the cocoon so that it can feed the moth. There are more than one hole. Through other holes, the wasp stings the moth. So the moth is constantly in fear of receiving the painful bite and also hopes of food. It constantly thinks of the humming sound of the wasp. Eventually, it gets transforms into the wasp. (It is similar analogy of caterpillar being transformed into butterfly.)   This analogy is very popular and is known as Keet-Bramar-Nyaya. 

Sri Ramakrishna says that upon constantly meditating on the object, which is God, one's mind gets absorbed in God and merges in God. One becomes God, but one still has little trace of ego so as to enjoy the communion and Bliss. This type of Samadhi is known as savikalp samadhi. Little bit of ego is needed to stayed connected with physical body. Later Sri Ramakrishna explains Nirvikalp Samadhi where there is not even a trace of Ego. Since there is no ego, there is no separate identity to experience the joy of communion. Hence such a state is inexplainable.

Sri Ramakrishna on Nitya-Siddha, the ever-perfect Jivas

(Sri Ramakrishna To Amrita and Trailokya) "Youngsters like Narendra and Rakhal are nitya-siddha ( ever-perfect). Every time they are born they are devoted to God. An ordinary man acquires a little devotion after austerities and a hard struggle. But these boys have love of God from the very moment of their birth. They are like the natural image of Siva, which springs forth from the earth and is not set up by human hands.

"The ever-perfect form a class by themselves. Not all birds have crooked beaks. The ever-perfect are never attached to the world. There is the instance of Prahlada.

"Ordinary people practice spiritual discipline and cultivate devotion to God; but they also become attached to the world and are caught in the glamour of 'woman and gold'. They are like flies, which sit on a flower or a sweetmeat and light on filth as well.

"But the ever-perfect are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip the honey. The ever-perfect drink only the Nectar of Divine Bliss. They are never inclined to worldly pleasures.

"The devotion of the ever-perfect is not like the ordinary devotion that one acquires as a result of strenuous spiritual discipline. Ritualistic devotion consists in repeating the name of God and performing worship in a prescribed manner. It is like crossing a rice-field in a roundabout way along the balk. Again, it is like reaching a near-by village by boat in a roundabout way along a winding river.

"One does not follow the injunctions of ceremonial worship when one develops raga-bhakti, when one loves God as one's own. Then it is like crossing a rice-field after the harvest. You don't have to walk along the balk. You can go straight across the field in any direction.

"When the country is flooded deep with water, one doesn't have to follow the winding river. Then the fields are deep under water. You can row your boat straight to the village.

"Without this intense attachment, this passionate love, one cannot realize God."

 

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Different types of Renunciation as expained by Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna was intoxicated day and night with love of God. At the sight of Rakhal his eyes expressed the tender feelings of a mother, a love like that which had filled the heart of Mother Yasoda at the sight of the Baby Krishna. The devotees gazed at the Master in wonder as he went into deep samadhi. As his soul soared into the realm of Divine Consciousness, his body became motionless, his eyes were fixed on the tip of his nose, and his breathing almost ceased.

An unknown Bengali, dressed in the ochre cloth of a monk, entered the room and sat on the floor. The Master's mind was coming down to the ordinary plane of consciousness. Presently he began to talk, though the spell of samadhi still lingered.

Sri Ramakrishna (at the sight of the ochre cloth): "Why this gerrua? Should one put on such a thing for a mere fancy? A man once said, 'I have exchanged the Chandi for a drum.' At first he used to sing the holy songs of the Chandi; now he beats the drum. (All laugh.)

"There are three or four varieties of renunciation. Afflicted with miseries at home, one may put on the ochre cloth of a monk; but that renunciation doesn't last long. Again, a man out of work puts on an ochre wearing-cloth and goes off to Benares. After three months he writes home: 'I have a job here. I shall come home in a few days. Don't worry about me.' Again, a man may have everything he wants. He lacks nothing, yet he does not enjoy his possessions. He weeps for God alone. That is real renunciation.

"No lie of any sort is good. A false garb, even though a holy one, is not good. If the outer garb does not correspond to the inner thought, it gradually brings ruin. Littering false words or doing false deeds, one gradually loses all fear. Far better is the white cloth of a householder. Attachment to worldliness, occasional lapses from the ideal, and an outer garb of gerrua — how dreadful!

"It is not proper for a righteous person to tell a lie or do something false even in a dramatic performance. Once I went to Keshab's house to see the performance of a play called Nava-Vrindavan. They brought something on the stage which they called the 'Cross'. Another actor sprinkled water, which they said was the 'Water of Peace'. I saw a third actor staggering and reeling in the role of a drunkard."

A Brahmo Devotee: "It was K—."

Sri Ramakrishna: "It is not good for a devotee to play such parts. It is bad for the mind to dwell on such subjects for a long while. The mind is like white linen fresh from the laundry; it takes the colour in which you dip it. If it is associated with falsehood for a long time, it will be stained with falsehood.

"Another day I (Sri Ramakrishna) went to Keshab's house to see the play called Nimai-Sannyas. (A play describing Sri Chaitanya's embracing of the monastic life.) Some flattering disciples of Keshab spoiled the whole performance. One of them said to Keshab, 'You are the Chaitanya of the Kaliyuga.' Keshab pointed to me and asked with a smile, Then who is he?' I replied: 'Why, I am the servant of your servant. I am a speck of the dust of your feet.' Keshab had a desire for name and fame.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna on nitya-siddha bhaktas (ever-perfect devotees since birth)

Sri Ramakrishna (to Rakhal's father and the devotees): "Ah, what a nice character Rakhal has developed! Look at his face and every now and then you will notice his lips moving. Inwardly he repeats the name of God, and so his lips move.

"Youngsters like him belong to the class of the ever-perfect. They are born with God-Consciousness. No sooner do they grow a little older than they realize the danger of coming in contact with the world. There is the parable of the homa bird in the Vedas. The bird lives high up in the sky and never descends to earth. It lays its egg in the sky, and the egg begins to fall. But the bird lives in such a high region that the egg hatches while falling. The fledgling comes out and continues to fall. But it is still so high that while falling it grows wings and its eyes open. Then the young bird perceives that it is dashing down toward the earth and will be instantly killed. The moment it sees the ground, it turns and shoots up toward its mother in the sky. Then its one goal is to reach its mother.

"Youngsters like Rakhal are like that bird. From their very childhood they are afraid of the world, and their one thought is how to reach the Mother, how to realize God.

"You may ask, 'How is it possible for these boys, born of worldly parents and living among the worldly-minded, to develop such knowledge and devotion?' It can be explained. If a pea falls into a heap of dung, it germinates into a pea-plant none the less. The peas that grow on that plant serve many useful purposes. Because it was sown in dung, will it produce another kind of plant?

"Ah, what a sweet nature Rakhal has nowadays! And why shouldn't it be so? If the yam is a good one, its shoots also become good. (All laugh.) Like father like son." 

(Yam generally means sweet potato. It is common name for certain type of plant spieces)

Note:

 

The essence is those who have done intense meditation in last life or lives, but have somehow failed to attain samādhi or ātmasākshātkāra (Self Realisation), again take birth. In the new brith i.e. their current life, like jaḍa Bharata, their mind is so matured that it never gets attached to any worldly object or person. They may do work, but are loosely attached to it and can easily disconnect from any situation. When proper time comes they meet their guru and upon first sight develop deep devotion towards him and unconditionally surrender to him. They develop intense faith in both guru and Īśvara and never doubt the words of their guru. Heart of such person is always attracted towards or pointed towards Īśvara. This is because of their merits in last life or past lives. Their spiritual progress is very fast as compared to others and have great clarity on meditative path and on the essence of śāstra-s. Their only goal of life is moksha.

Here Sri Ramakrishna explains their surrender of heart to Īśvara and constantly longing for Īshvara by giving an analogy of chātaka bird (homa bird). Nothing less than Īśvara is acceptable to them. Nothing more can be achieved. 

Another example pea is given to explain their purity of antaḥkaraṇa is given. They have sattva guṇa as predominant guṇa to such an extend that they never get impure even when staying in the world. Again this is due to the merits of their past karma. a mango seed will grow to be a mango trē only and not apple trē. Even if a pea (seed) falls into heap of dung, it will  grow into pea tree. Whatever the surrounding, pea will absorb nutrients according to it's guṇa and will mature into a pea tree and not any other tree. In one garden, which has same type of soil, equal amount of fertilizer, water and sunlight, many plants are sown. A rose plant will always give rose flowers and a mogra plant will always give mogra flowers. nitya-siddha koṭi-s i.e. those who are ever-perfect class of people, their mind is so pure that it does not absorb impure vibrations or thoughts but keep thinking about Īśvara only. A purified mind does not have any worldly desires, but only one desire - moksha or Īśvara darśana. Since purified mind or antaḥkaraṇa  does not have any worldly desires, so it is not attracted towards worldly person or object. Nitya-siddha-s have such purified mind since birth as a result of merit of past karma-s.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

God has form and He is formless too. Further, He is beyond both form and formlessness

Sri Ramakrishna: Some say that God has form and is not formless. Thus they start quarrelling. A Vaishnava quarrels with a Vedantist.

"One can rightly speak of God only after one has seen Him. He who has seen God knows really and truly that God has form and that He is formless as well. He has many other aspects that cannot be described.

"Once some blind men chanced to come near an animal that someone told them was an elephant. They were asked what the elephant was like. The blind men began to feel its body. One of them said the elephant was like a pillar; he had touched only its leg. Another said it was like a winnowing-fan; he had touched only its ear. In this way the others, having touched its tail or belly, gave their different versions of the elephant. Just so, a man who has seen only one aspect of God limits God to that alone. It is his conviction that God cannot be anything else.

(To the goswami) "How can you say that the only truth about God is that He has form? It is undoubtedly true that God comes down to earth in a human form, as in the case of Krishna. And it is true as well that God reveals Himself to His devotees in various forms. But it, is also true that God is formless; He is the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. He has been described in the Vedas both as formless and as endowed with form. He is also described there both as attributeless and as endowed with attributes.

Do you know what I mean? Satchidananda is like an infinite ocean. Intense cold freezes the water into ice, which floats on the ocean in blocks or various forms. Likewise, through the cooling influence of bhakti, one sees forms of God in the Ocean of the Absolute. These forms are meant for the bhaktas, the lovers of God. But when the Sun of Knowledge rises, the ice melts; it becomes the same water it was before. Water above and water below, everywhere nothing but water. Therefore a prayer in the Bhagavata says: 'O Lord, Thou hast form, and Thou art also formless. Thou walkest before us, O Lord, in the shape of a man; again, Thou hast been described in the Vedas as beyond words and thought.' (Ref: BG 12.1-4)*

But you may say that for certain devotees God assumes eternal forms. There are places in the ocean where the ice doesn't melt at all. It assumes the form of quartz." 

Kedar: "It is said in the Bhagavata that Vyasa asked God's forgiveness for his three transgressions. He said: 'O Lord, Thou art formless, but I have thought of Thee in my meditation as endowed with form; Thou art beyond speech, but I have sung Thee hymns; Thou art the All-pervading Spirit, but I have made pilgrimages to sacred places. Be gracious, O Lord, and forgive these three transgressions of mine.'"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, God has form and He is formless too. Further, He is beyond both form and formlessness. No one can limit Him."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Bhagavad Gita on God with and without form:

BG 12.1 Arjuna said Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship Thee and those also who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested which of them are better versed in Yoga? 

BG 12.2 The Blessed Lord said Those who meditate on Me by fixing their minds on Me with steadfast devotion (and) being endowed with supreme faith-they are considered to be the most perfect yogis according to Me. 

BG 12.3 Those, however, who meditate in every way on the Immutable, the Indefinable, the Unmanifest, which is all-pervading, incomprehensible, change-less, immovable and constant.- 

BG 12.4 By fully controlling all the organs and always being even-minded, they, engaged in the welfare of all beings, attain Me alone. 

Ref: https://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/

Sri Ramakrishna on Bhakti and Importance of Vairagya

After his meal Sri Ramakrishna rested a little on the small couch. Inside and outside his room crowded the devotees, among them Kedar, Suresh, Ram, Manomohan, Girindra, Rakhal, Bhavanath, and M. Rakhal's father was also present.

A Vaishnava goswami was seated in the room. Sri Ramakrishna said to him:

"Well, what do you say? What is the way?"

Goswami: "Sir, the chanting of God's name is enough. The scriptures emphasize the sanctity of God's name for the Kaliyuga."


Sri Ramakrishna: "Yes, there is no doubt about the sanctity of God's name. But can a mere name achieve anything, without the yearning love of the devotee behind it? One should feel great restlessness of soul for the vision of God. Suppose a man repeats the name of God mechanically, while his mind is absorbed in 'woman and gold'. Can he achieve anything? Mere muttering of magic words doesn't cure one of the pain of a spider or scorpion sting. One must also apply the smoke of burning cow-dung." (A primitive medicine used by the villagers for scorpion bites.)

Goswami: "But what about Ajamila then? He was a great sinner; there was no sin he had not indulged in. But he uttered the name of Narayana on his death-bed, calling his son, who also had that name. And thus he was liberated."

Sri Ramakrishna: "Perhaps Ajamila had done many spiritual things in his past births. It is also said that he once practised austerity; besides, those were the last moments of his life. What is the use of giving an elephant a bath? It will cover itself with dirt and dust again and become its former self. But if someone removes the dust from its body and gives it a bath just before it enters the stable, then the elephant remains clean.

"Suppose a man becomes pure by chanting the holy name of God, but immediately afterwards commits many sins. He has no strength of mind. He doesn't take a vow not to repeat his sins. A bath in the Ganges undoubtedly absolves one of all sins; but what does that avail? They say that the sins perch on the trees along the bank of the Ganges. No sooner does the man come back from the holy waters than the old sins jump on his shoulders from the trees. (All laugh.) The same old sins take possession of him again. He is hardly out of the water before they fall upon him.

"Therefore I say, chant the name of God, and with it pray to Him that you may have love for Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna on God with form and formless Brahman Satchidananda

Sri Ramakrishna went with the devotees to the northeast verandah of his room. Among them was a householder from the village of Dakshineswar, who studied Vedanta philosophy at home. He had been discussing Om with Kedar before the Master. He said, "This Eternal Word, the Anahata Sabda, is ever present both within and outside."

Sri Ramakrishna: "But the Word is not enough. There must be something indicated by the Word. Can your name alone make me happy? Complete happiness is not possible for me unless I see you."

Devotee: "That Eternal Word itself is Brahman."

Sri Ramakrishna (to Kedar): "Oh, don't you understand? He upholds the doctrine of the rishis of olden times. They once said to Rama: 'O Rama, we know You only as the son of Dasaratha. Let sages like Bharadvaja worship You as God Incarnate. We want to realize Brahman, the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.' At these words Rama smiled and went away." 

Kedar: "Those rishis could not recognize Rama as an Incarnation of God. They must have been fools."

Sri Ramakrishna (seriously): "Please don't say such a thing. People worship God according to their tastes and temperaments. The mother cooks the same fish differently for her children, that each one may have what suits his stomach. For some she cooks the rich dish of pilau. But not all the children can digest it. For those with weak stomachs she prepares soup. Some, again, like fried fish or pickled fish. It depends on one's taste.

"The rishis followed the path of jnana. Therefore they sought to realize Brahman, the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. But those who follow the path of devotion seek an Incarnation of God, to enjoy the sweetness of bhakti. The darkness of the mind disappears when God is realized. In the Purana it is said that it was as if a hundred suns were shining when Rama entered the court. Why, then, weren't the courtiers burnt up? It was because the brilliance of Rama was not like that of a material object. As the lotus blooms when the sun rises, so the lotus of the heart of the people assembled in the court burst into blossom."

As Sri Ramakrishna uttered these words, standing before the devotees, he suddenly fell into an ecstatic mood. His mind was withdrawn from external objects. No sooner did he say, "the lotus of the heart burst into blossom", than he went into deep samadhi. He stood motionless, his countenance beaming and his lips parted in a smile.

After a long time he returned to the normal consciousness of the world. He drew a long breath and repeatedly chanted the name of Rama, every word showering nectar into the hearts of the devotees. Sri Ramakrishna sat down, the others seating themselves around him.

Sri Ramakrishna (to the devotees): "Ordinary people do not recognize the advent of an Incarnation of God. He comes in secret. Only a few of His intimate disciples can recognize Him. That Rama was both Brahman Absolute and a perfect Incarnation of God in human form was known only to twelve rishis. The other sages said to Him, 'Rama, we know You only as Dasaratha's son.' 

"Can everyone comprehend Brahman, the Indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute? He alone has attained perfect love of God who, having reached the Absolute, keeps himself in the realm of the Relative in order to enjoy the divine lila. A man can describe the ways and activities of the Queen (Queen Victoria.) if he has previously visited her in England. Only then will his description of the Queen be correct. Sages like Bharadvaja adored Rama and said: 'O Rama, You are nothing but the Indivisible Satchidananda. You have appeared before us as a human being, but You look like a man because You have shrouded Yourself with Your own maya.' These rishis were great devotees of Rama and had supreme love for God."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Why doesn't God free us from the world?

About nine o'clock in the morning the Master was seated in his room with Rakhal, M., and a few other devotees. It was the day of the new moon. As usual with him on such days, Sri Ramakrishna entered again and again into communion with the Divine Mother. He said to the devotees: "God alone exists, and all else is unreal. The Divine Mother has kept all deluded by Her maya. Look at men. Most of them are entangled in worldliness. They suffer so much, but still they have the same attachment to 'woman and gold'. The camel eats thorny shrubs, and blood gushes from its mouth. Camel thinks it has extracted juice from plant and will continue to chew thorns. The more it chews, more blood flows, still camel keeps eating thorns. While suffering pain at the time of delivery, a woman says, 'Ah' I shall never go to my husband again.' But afterwards she forgets.

"The truth is that no one seeks God. There are people who eat the prickly leaves of the pineapple and not the fruit."

Devotee: "Thakur ji, why has God put us in the world?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "The world is the field of action. Through action one acquires knowledge. The guru instructs the disciple to perform certain works and refrain from others. Again, he advises the pupil to perform action without desiring the result. The impurity of the mind is destroyed through the performance of duty. It is like getting rid of a disease by means of medicine, under the instruction of a competent physician.

"Why doesn't God free us from the world? Ah, He will free us when the disease is cured. He will liberate us from the world when we are through with the enjoyment of 'woman and gold'. Once a man registers his name in the hospital, he cannot run away. The doctor will not let him go away unless his illness is completely cured."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna: Sanyasi is a world teacher

Sri Ramakrishna: The sannyasi must observe very strict discipline. He must not look even at the picture of a woman. But this rule doesn't apply to householders. An aspirant should not associate with a woman, even though she is very much devoted to God. A sannyasi, even though he may have subdued his passions, should follow this discipline to set an example to householders.

Worldly people learn renunciation by seeing the complete renunciation of a monk; otherwise they sink more and more. A sannyasi is a world teacher.

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

How can one see God?

Sri Ramakrishna (to Ram and the other devotees): "Devotees like Rakhal, Narendra, and Bhavanath may be called nityasiddha. Their spiritual consciousness has been awake since their very birth. They assume human bodies only to impart spiritual illumination to others.

"There is another class of devotees, known as kripasiddha, that is to say, those on whom the grace of God descends all of a sudden and who at once attain His vision and Knowledge. Such people may be likened to a room that has been dark a thousand years, which, when a lamp is brought into it, becomes light immediately, not little by little.

"Those who lead a householder's life should practise spiritual discipline; they should pray eagerly to God in solitude. (To Mr. Choudhury) God cannot be realized through scholarship. Who, indeed, can understand the things of the Spirit through reason? No, all should strive for devotion to the Lotus Feet of God.

"Infinite are the glories of God! How little can you fathom them! Can you ever find out the meaning of God's ways?

"Bhishma was none other than one of the eight Vasus, but even he shed tears on his bed of arrows. He said: 'How astonishing! God Himself is the companion of the Pandava brothers, and still there is no end to their troubles and sorrows!' Who can ever understand the ways of God?

"A man thinks, 'I have practised a little prayer and austerity; so I have gained a victory over others.' But victory and defeat lie with God. I have seen a prostitute dying in the Ganges and retaining consciousness* to the end."

Mr. Choudhary: "How can one see God?"

(Note: Mr. Choudhary was inclined to Jnana Marg or path of Self Enquiry)

Sri Ramakrishna: "Not with these eyes. God gives one divine eyes; and only then can one behold Him. God gave Arjuna divine eves so that he might see His Universal Form. (An allusion to the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita).

"Your philosophy is mere speculation. It only reasons. God cannot be realized that way.

"God cannot remain unmoved if you have raga-bhakti, that is, love of God with passionate attachment to Him. Do you know how fond God is of His devotees' love? It is like the cow's fondness for fodder mixed with oil-cake. The cow gobbles it down greedily.

"Raga-bhakti is pure love of God, a love that seeks God alone and not any worldly end. Prahlada had it. Suppose you go to a wealthy man every day, but you seek no favour of him; you simply love to see him. If he wants to show you favour, you say: 'No, sir. I don't need anything. I came just to see you.' Such is love of God for its own sake. You simply love God and don't want anything from Him in return."

Saying this, the Sri Ramakrishna sang:

Though I am never loath to grant salvation,

I hesitate indeed to grant pure love.

Whoever wins pure love surpasses all;

He is adored by men;

He triumphs over the three worlds. . . .

He continued, "The gist of the whole thing is that one must develop passionate yearning for God and practise discrimination and renunciation." 

Mr. Choudhary: "Thakur ji (Sri Ramakrishna), is it not possible to have the vision of God without the help of a guru?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Satchidananda Himself is the Guru. At the end of the sava-sadhana, just when the vision of the Ishta is about to take place, the guru appears before the aspirant and says to him, 'Behold! There is your Ishta.' Saying this, the guru merges in the Ishta. He who is the guru is also the Ishta. The guru is the thread that leads to God. Women perform a ritualistic worship known as the 'Ananta-vrata', the object of worship being the Infinite. But actually the Deity worshipped is Vishnu. In Him are the 'infinite' forms of God.

(To Ram and the other devotees) "If you ask me which form of God you should meditate upon, I should say: Fix your attention on that form which appeals to you most; but know for certain that all forms are the forms of one God alone.

"Never harbour malice toward anyone. Siva, Kali, and Hari are but different forms of that One. He is blessed indeed who has known all as one. 

Sri Ramakrishna sings a couplet:

Outwardly he appears as Siva's devotee,

But in his heart he worships Kali, the Blissful Mother,

And with his tongue he chants aloud Lord Hari's name.

"The body does not endure without a trace of lust, anger, and the like. You should try to reduce them to a minimum."

Looking at Kedar, the Master said: "He is very nice. He accepts both the Absolute and the Relative. He believes in Brahman, but he also accepts the gods and Divine Incarnations in human form."

Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna