The Gospel of Ramakrishna

translated ed. by Swami Abhedananda

[1907]

THE GOSPEL

OF

RAMAKRISHNA

Revised by

SWAMI ABHEDANANDA

CHAPTER XI

SRÎ RÂMAKRISHNA AT THE SINTI * BRÂHMO-SAMÂJ

Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna had been asked to attend the anniversary meeting of the Brâhmo-Samâj, which that year was held in the beautiful garden-house of a gentleman named Veni Bâbu. † The morning service was over when the Bhagavân arrived in a carriage with certain of His disciples and took His place on a raised seat set apart for Him on the veranda overlooking a large quadrangle. Crowds of devotees, followers and members of the Brâhmo-Samâj gathered round Him in a circle. The prayers, music and other exercises of a devotional
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nature then continued. On hearing the music, Srî Râmakrishna went into Samâdhi and remained motionless for some time. Then regaining His sense-consciousness, He opened His mouth and in rapt tones began to speak thus:
Psychic powers.The realization of God is not the same as psychic power. There are many Yoga powers, but do you remember what Krishna said to Arjuna about them? When you see one who exercises any of these powers, you may know that such a one has not realized God, because the exercise of these powers requires egotism (Ahamkâra), which is an obstacle in the path of supreme realization.
Danger of psychic powers.There is, indeed, great danger in possessing psychic powers. Totâpuri thus taught me this truth: A Siddha (a man who had absolute control over psychic phenomena) was sitting on the seashore. Suddenly there arose a violent storm, which caused him great distress. Desiring to stop it, he exclaimed: "Let this storm cease!" His command was instantly fulfilled. A vessel was passing at a distance with all sails set. As the wind suddenly died away, the vessel capsized and all on board were drowned. The Siddha was the cause of the disaster and therefore
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he had to take the sin of killing so many innocent people. As the result of this terrible sin, he lost his power and after death he had to suffer in purgatory.
The Siddha and the elephant.There was another Siddha, who was very proud of his psychic powers. He was a good man and an ascetic. One day the Lord came to him in the form of a saint and said: "Revered sir, I have heard that thou possessest wonderful powers." The good man received him kindly and gave him a seat. At this moment an elephant passed by. The saint asked him: "Sir, if thou desirest, canst thou kill this elephant?" The Siddha replied: "Yes, it is possible"; and taking a handful of dust, he repeated some mantram over it and threw it on the elephant. Immediately the animal roared, fell on the ground in agony and died. Seeing this, the saint exclaimed: "What wonderful power thou possessest! Thou hast killed such a huge creature in a moment!" The saint then entreated him, saying: "Thou must also possess the power to bring him back to life." The Siddha replied: "Yes, that is also possible." Again he took a handful of dust, chanted a mantram, threw it on the elephant, and lo! the elephant revived and
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came back to life. The saint was amazed at the sight and again exclaimed: "How wonderful indeed are thy powers! But let me ask thee one question. Thou hast killed the elephant and brought him back to life; what hast thou gained? Hast thou realized God?" Thus saying, the saint disappeared.
Desire for powers prevents realization.Most subtle is the path of spirituality. God cannot be realized so long as there is the least desire for powers in the heart. You cannot thread a needle so long as there are fibres at the point of the thread. Krishna said to Arjuna: "Brother, if thou wishest to realize Me (God), thou must not desire any psychic powers. The possession of psychic power brings pride and egotism, then one easily forgets God. So long as there is egotism, Divine realization does not come."
Four stages of realization.There are four different stages in the path of realization. First, that of a beginner, a Pravartaka, or one who has just begun to worship God. Those who belong to this class begin to wear the sign of their creed, such as the rosary or the mark on the forehead, and they are very particular about the external forms of their sect. The second stage is that
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of the neophyte or Sâdhaka. Those of this class are farther advanced. They do not parade their beliefs and do not attach so much importance to external signs. Their worship is internal. They repeat the Lord's Name-silently, pray without ostentation and feel some longing for God. The third stage is that of Siddha. What is a Siddha? One who is firmly convinced in his heart and soul that God exists, that He does everything, that He is the Omnipotent Being, and who has obtained a first glimpse of Him. The fourth stage is that of the Siddha of Siddhas. One who has reached this stage has not only seen God but has made acquaintance with Him and has established a definite relation with Him,—either that of a son to his father or that of a mother to her child, or that of friend to friend or of brother to brother, or the relation of husband and wife.
Faith and realization.To believe that fire is in the wood is faith. This is one thing, but it is another thing to bring that fire out of the wood, to cook something with it, to eat this and to attain peace and happiness afterwards. So to believe that God is in the world and to catch a distant glimpse of Him is one thing; but to come into direct communion with Him,
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to enjoy His company and taste Divine Bliss is another. No one can set a limit to the various aspects of God which a Bhakta can realize. They rise ever higher and higher.
A devotee: Bhagavan, why can some attain to realization more quickly than others?
Râmakrishna: It depends upon the Samskâras or impressions of previous lives. Nothing happens suddenly or by accident. A certain man drank an ounce of wine in the morning and began to act like a drunkard. People, seeing him, wondered why he should be drunk after taking one small glass of wine. Hearing them, however, another man replied: "Because he has been drinking all night." Sudden conversion.There have been many instances of sudden conversion. People living in the midst of wealth and luxury have suddenly renounced the world. Such sudden changes are the results of spiritual impressions acquired in the previous life. In the final incarnation of a Jiva, Sattwa qualities prevail: his heart and soul long for realization, the mind becomes unattached to worldly pleasures and constantly remains fixed upon the Supreme Being.
These people here believe in and worship God without form; that is right. (Addressing the
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[paragraph continues] Brâhmo devotees) Firmness of faith necessary for realization.Be firm only in devotion to one aspect, either in God with form or in God without form. Firmness in faith is the first thing necessary for realization. Nothing can be achieved without firmness. If you have firm faith in God with form you will attain to Him; similarly if you firmly believe in an impersonal and formless Deity, you will reach Him. Candy will taste sweet whether you bite it straight or crooked. But you will have to be firm and you will have to call upon Him with extreme longing. When a worldly man speaks of God, do you know what it seems like to me? It is just like children quarrelling in their play and taking the name of God in vain; or like a fop walking in the garden, stick in hand, who picks a flower and idly exclaims: "What a beautiful flower God has made!" And even this mindfulness of God exists only for a moment, like drops of water on a red-hot iron. Firmness in devotion to one aspect is absolutely necessary. Dive deep. Without diving into the ocean no one can get the treasure. If you float on the surface, you cannot reach it. Learn to love God. Be absorbed in His love. I have heard your prayers and devotional exercises; but why do
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you speak so much of the phenomena which God has made? "O Lord, Thou hast made the sky, the mighty ocean, the moon, the sun, the stars and planets. O Lord, Thou hast made all these, and so on." Why do you dwell upon these things? Seeing the beautiful garden of a rich man, everyone will exclaim: "What a beautiful tree! What a handsome flower! What a large pond and what fine fish in it! What an artistic building! With what rich paintings is the drawing-room decorated!" At the sight of all this everyone is struck with wonder, but how many seek to know the master of the garden? A few only. Those who seek God with intense longing see Him, make acquaintance with Him, speak with Him, just in the same manner as I am speaking to you. I am telling you the truth when I say that God can be seen. Who will listen to me and who will believe me?
God and the Scriptures.Can God be found in the Scriptures? After reading the Scriptures, the highest knowledge one can get is about the existence of a God; but God does not appear to him who does not dive below the surface. Until then doubts are not removed and Divine knowledge does not come. You may read
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thousands of volumes, you may repeat verses and hymns by hundreds, but if you cannot dive into the ocean of Divinity with extreme longing of the soul, you cannot reach God. A scholar may delude the people by his knowledge of the Scriptures and by his book-learning, but through these he will not attain to God. Scriptures, books, sciences, what good will they do? Grace of God.Nothing can be acquired without the Grace of the Lord. Yearn after His Grace, devote your energy to obtaining it and by His Grace you will see Him and He will be glad to speak to you.
Sub-Judge: Revered Sir, is He more gracious to some than to others? In that case He would be partial and unjust.
Srî Râmakrishna: How is that? Is a horse the same thing as an earthen pot? Vidyâsâgara Difference in asked me the same question. He powers. said to me: "Has God given greater powers to some than to others?" I replied: "God pervades all living creatures equally. He dwells in me in the same way that He dwells in the smallest ant, but there is a difference in powers. If all human beings were equal in powers, then why have we come to see you, after hearing of you? Is it because you have
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two horns on your head? No, it is because you are kind, charitable, learned and have many other qualities greater than in others. It is for this reason that your fame is so great. Do you not know men who alone can defeat a hundred men, and again a man who will run away from a single person?" If there be no difference in powers, why should people respect Keshab Chunder Sen so much? It is said in the Gitâ, he whom many people respect and honor either for his knowledge or for his musical gifts or for his oratorical powers or for any other reason, in him, be assured, there is a special manifestation of Divine power.
A Brâhmo devotee (to Sub-Judge): Why do you not accept what he says?
Srî Râmakrishna (to the Brâhmo devotee): What kind of man are you? Do you not know that it is hypocrisy to accept an opinion outwardly without believing in it?
Sub-Judge: Revered Sir, shall we have to renounce the world?
Worship God in solitude.Srî Râmakrishna: No. Why should you renounce? You can attain to God while living in the world; but at first for a few days you will have to live in solitude and worship Him alone. It is necessary to
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have a quiet place near your house where you can occasionally be alone for hours at a time and yet go home for your meals. Keshab Sen, Mozoomdâr, and others have told me that they are like Râjâ Janaka, who lived in the world and yet attained to the highest realization. I replied: "It is not an easy thing to be like Râjâ Janaka. Râjâ Janaka was at first a great ascetic and practised extreme asceticism for many years. You could be like him if you practised a little. A man who writes English very fluently has not acquired that facility all at once; he has had to practise for a long time." I also said to Keshab Sen: "Without going into solitude, how can one cure so acute a disease as worldliness? It is like the worst form of typhoid fever. If you keep bottles of chutney and jars of water where a patient is suffering from this fever, he will surely be tempted to eat the one and drink the other and then it will be impossible for the best physicians to cure him. Objects of lust are like the bottles of chutney, and desire to enjoy is like the thirst after water. Worldly thirst has no end. And so long as the object of thirst is kept within reach of the patient, how can he be cured? Therefore I say, withdraw from the place where those objects
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are and remain in solitude for a time. Then when the disease is cured, you may live in the world without being tempted by it. It is then that you will live like Râjâ Janaka." But in the first stage you must be very watchful. In solitude steadily practise devotional exercises. When a fig-tree is young, it must be protected by a hedge, otherwise it may be eaten up by sheep and cattle; but when the trunk has grown thick, the hedge is no longer necessary. You may tie an elephant to it without hurting it. If after practising in solitude you have acquired true Bhakti (devotion to God) and have gained spiritual strength, then you can go home and live in the world; nothing can corrupt you.
Sub-Judge (with great delight): Revered Sir, these are most beautiful teachings. We need to practise in solitude, but we always forget it and think that we have at once become Râjâ Janaka. It has given me great peace and joy to hear that it is not absolutely necessary to leave the world and that God can be realized even at home.
Srî Râmakrishna: Renunciation, why should you practise it? When you have to fight, it is better to do so from within the fort. You will
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Renunciation and worldly men.have to fight against the senses, against hunger, thirst and other desires. This fight is easier from within the fort of the world. In this age our life depends upon material food; if you cannot get anything to eat for a day, your mind will be turned away from God. A man once said to his wife: "I am going to leave the world." The wife was very practical and replied: "Why wilt thou wander from house to house for food? When thou art in need of food, is it not better to go to one house than to ten or more?" Why should you renounce? It is so much more convenient to live at home. You do not have to worry about food; then you have your wife with you. Whenever your body needs anything, you will have it right at hand; when you are ill, you will have many to nurse you. Janaka, Vyâsa, Vasishta and others first attained God-consciousness and then lived in the world. They had two swords in their hands,—the one of wisdom and the other of work.
Sub-Judge: Revered Sir, how can we know that true wisdom?
Srî Râmakrishna: When true wisdom comes, God does not appear to be very far. He is no longer there, but here in the heart. He is no
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longer that but this. He dwells within all. Whoever seeks Him finds Him.
Sub-Judge: I am a sinner; how can I say that God dwells in me?
Srî Râmakrishna: You always talk of sin and sinners; this is the Christian doctrine. Have faith in the Holy Name of the Lord. By the power of faith all sins will be washed away.
Sub-Judge: Revered Sir, how can I have such a faith?
Râmakrishna: First be devoted to God. You have in one of your songs: "O Lord, canst Thou be known without devotion, simply by good works and sacrifice?" That which brings true devotion and unselfish love for God you must pray for with earnest longing in silence. Shed tears of repentance until you have acquired these.
A Brâhmo devotee: Revered Sir, when will they get time? They have to work in their offices.
Resign all to God.Râmakrishna (to Sub-Judge): Well, resign yourself to the will of the Lord and draw up a power of attorney in His favor. If anyone depends entirely upon some good man, does he do any evil to him? Internally lay upon Him your whole burden and sit
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calmly, without anxiety. Whatever He has given you to do, do that. A kitten has no self-reliance. It mews and mews and stays where the mother cat places it. She may put it on a soft bed or on the hard floor of the kitchen; the kitten is always content and depends entirely on the will of the mother.
Householder's duties.Sub-Judge: We are householders with certain duties; how long shall we have to perform these?
Râmakrishna: Of course you have your duties. You will have to bring up your children, sustain your wife, save enough to maintain your family after your death. If you did not do this you would be heartless and cruel. Even great sages like Sukadeva practised loving-kindness. He is not a man who has neither heart nor kindness.
Sub-Judge: How long shall we maintain our children?
Râmakrishna: Until they have passed the age of minority. When the young bird is able to take care of itself, it pecks at the parent bird, if she tries to come near it.
Sub-Judge: What is the duty towards the wife?
Râmakrishna: As long as you live you should
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God provides for those who have realized Him.give her spiritual advice and sustain and care for her. If she is faithful, save enough to make her comfortable after your death. But when God-consciousness comes, no worldly duties can bind you. Then if you do not think of the morrow, God will think for you. If you attain to God-consciousness. He will provide for the support of your family. When a Zemindar dies, leaving a son under age, a guardian manages the estate for the child. These are legal affairs; you understand them all.
Sub-Judge: Yes, Revered Sir.
Bijoy: Oh, how great, how wonderful are these words! He who thinks of the Lord with unwavering mind and a heart overflowing with devotion and love for God, is undoubtedly taken care of by the Lord. The Lord carries everything for him like the guardian of the Zemindar's son. Oh, when shall I reach such a state! How blessed are those who have attained it!
A Brâhmo devotee: Revered Sir, can true wisdom be acquired in the world? Can God be realized in the world?
Râmakrishna: You are on the fence; you wish to enjoy both God and the world. Of
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course God can be realized by one who lives in the world.
Signs of true wisdom.Brâhmo devotee: What is the sign of one who has attained true wisdom living in the world?
Râmakrishna: When the repetition of the Name of the Lord will bring tears to the eyes, send a thrill through the whole body and make the hair stand on end. The spiritual eye must be opened. It is open when the mind is purified. Then the presence of Divinity will be realized everywhere and every woman will appear as Divine Mother. Everything is in the mind. The impure mind brings attachment to the world, and the purified mind brings the realization of God. The impure mind of a man becomes attached to a woman. Woman naturally loves man and man naturally loves woman, and from this spring attachment and worldliness.
Divine Mother in all women.Every woman represents Divine Motherhood. The same Divine Mother appears in all women under various forms. It is said the Scriptures that Nârada in prayer thus addressed Râma: "O Râma, Thou art Purusha, Thou appearest in the form of all men, and Sitâ, Thy Prakriti, appears in the form of all women. Thou art man and Sitâ is woman.
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[paragraph continues] Wherever there is masculine form, it is Thy manifestation; and wherever there is feminine form, it is the manifestation of Sitâ, the Divine Mother."
Attachment to the body.So long as there is attachment to worldliness, and thirst for objects of lust, so long there is attachment to the body. As attachment to the world grows less, the mind goes towards the Âtman or the true Sett and the attachment to the physical body becomes less. When the attachment to the world has entirely vanished, Self-knowledge comes and the Âtman is separated from the physical body. When an ordinary cocoanut is cut into halves, it is very difficult to separate the kernel from the shell; but when it is dried, the kernel becomes separate from the shell by itself. You can feel it by shaking it. A man who has realized God becomes like the dry cocoanut, his soul becomes separate from his body and all attachment to the body leaves him. He is not affected by the pleasure and pain of the body; he does not seek the comforts of the body; he moves from place to place like an emancipated soul. "A true devotee of my Divine Mother attains absolute freedom in this life and is eternally blissful." When you notice that
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tears flow and the thrill comes at the repetition of the Name of the Lord, then you may know that attachment to sense-objects has become less and the devotee is on the path of realization. For instance, if the match is dry it will ignite the moment it is struck; but if it be wet, you can strike it fifty times and yet you cannot get a light. Similarly when the mind is soaked in the water of lust and thirst for worldly objects, Divine enlightenment does not come in it, however hard you may try; it is merely a waste of time and labor. But when that water dries up, spiritual illumination comes instantly.
Brâhmo devotee: By what method can that water be dried up?
The Divine Mother will cure worldly attachment.Râmakrishna: Pray to the Divine Mother with an earnest and sincere heart; when you see Her, the water of worldly attachment will dry up. Attachment to lust and wealth will drop away from you. If you can feel Her as your own mother, it will come to you at that very moment. She is not like a godmother, but she is your own Mother. Go to Her and importunately ask for what you want. An importunate child hangs on its mother's gown and begs a penny to buy a paper kite. The mother
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Pride and egotism.may be engaged in talking to other girls and at first she may not wish to give it, saying: "No, your father has forbidden it. I'll speak to him when he comes home. You will spoil everything if you get a paper kite." But when the child begins to cry and will not give in, then the mother says to her companions: "Just wait a minute, let me quiet the child"; she then gets the key to her drawer, opens the money-box, and gives him what he is crying for. Similarly you cry to your Mother and pray to Her, She will surely come to you. (Turning to Sub-Judge) What is the cause of pride and egotism? Do they arise from knowledge or ignorance? Egotism is the quality of Tamas arising from ignorance. It is a barrier which prevents the soul from seeing God. When it dies, all troubles cease. Of what avail is it to be egotistic? This body with all its comforts and luxuries will not last long. A drunkard, after seeing an image at the Durgâ festival beautifully decorated with jewels and costly ornaments, exclaimed: "Mother, you may decorate yourself with all these valuable things, but after three days they will take you out and throw you in the Ganges." So I say to you all, whether you be a judge or any great personage,
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it is only for a few days. Therefore you must not be proud or egotistic about anything.
Three classes of characters.People's characters can be divided into three classes,—Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa. Those who belong to the first class are egotistic; they sleep too much, eat too much, and passion and anger prevail in them. Those who belong to the second class are too much attached to work. They love nice, well-fitting clothes and are very neat; they care for a luxurious, richly furnished house; when they sit and worship God, they love to wear costly garments; when they give anything to charity they parade it. Those who belong to the third class are very quiet, peaceful, unostentatious; they are not particular about their dress, they lead a simple life and earn a modest living, because their needs are small; they do not flatter for selfish ends; their dwelling is modest; they do not worry about their children's dress; they are not anxious for fame, nor do they care for the admiration or adulation of others; they worship God, give charity and meditate silently and in secret. This Sattwa quality is the last step of the ladder which leads to the roof of Divinity. A person reaching this state does not have to wait long for God-consciousness.
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[paragraph continues] (To Sub-Judge) You said a little while ago that all men were equal, but now you see how characters vary.
Music for a time interrupted the teaching and Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna, on hearing it, again went into Samâdhi. The Brâhmo devotees sang the Sankirtan, and when they had finished, all those present resumed their seats, Bijoy taking his place just before Srî Râmakrishna. It was the hour for another Brâhmo service at which Bijoy, who was the leader of the Brâhmo-Samâj, was to read from the Vedas and give an address. Before going to the platform, he asked Srî Râmakrishna's permission, saying: "Bhagavan, grant me Thy blessing, then I shall begin the service."
Egotism and knowledge.Râmakrishna: When egotism is gone, everything is accomplished. "I am lecturing and you are listening;" this sense of egotism you must not have. Egotism proceeds from ignorance and not from knowledge. He who is free from egotism attains knowledge. The rain-water gathers in a low place, it runs off from a high place; similarly the water of wisdom gathers in the humble
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heart. It is very difficult to be a spiritual leader (Âchârya). One easily loses a great deal by it. When many people show honor and respect, ordinary preachers become egotistic and are easily spoiled. They cannot go further. They merely gain a little fame. Perhaps people will say: "Oh! Bijoy Bâbu is a good speaker or he is very wise," that is all. Never think, "I am speaking." I tell my Divine Mother: "O Mother, I am merely an instrument in Thy hands. Thou dost everything. As Thou guidest me and makest me speak, so shall I speak."
Bijoy (very humbly): Please give me Thy permission. Without Thy permission I cannot begin the service.
Râmakrishna (smiling): Who am I to permit you? Ask the permission of the Lord. When genuine humility comes, there is no fear.
Bijoy repeated his request and Srî Râmakrishna then said: "You can go and begin according to your custom, but keep your mind on God."
Bijoy began the service with a prayer to the Divine Mother. After the service was over, he came down from the platform and again sat near Srî Râmakrishna. The Bhagavân said to
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him: You prayed to Divine Mother; that was very good. They say that the mother's attraction towards her child is greater than the father's. You can urge your mother more strongly than you can your father. You have a stronger claim on anything that belongs to your mother than on anything of the father.
Absolute Brahman and Divine Mother.Bijoy. If Brahman the be the Absolute Divine Mother, then is She with form or without form?
Râmakrishna: The Absolute Brahman and the Mother of the universe are one and the same. Where there is no activity of any kind, that is the state of Absolute Brahman, but where there is evolution and destruction, there is the manifestation of the Divine Mother. When the water of the ocean is calm, without a wave or ripple, that is like the state of the Absolute. When the water is in motion and with waves, it is the state of the Creative Energy or Divine Mother. Divine Mother is both with form and without form. You have faith in formless Divinity, therefore you can think of my Mother as formless. When your faith is firm, the Divine Mother will show you how She is. Then you will know that it is not that She is mere
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[paragraph continues] Absolute existence; She will come to you and speak to you. Have faith and you will get everything. If you have faith in the formless Divinity, you must make that faith as firm as a rock. But do not be dogmatic; you must never dogmatize about God. You must not say that He is like this and not like anything else. You may say: "I believe in a formless Divinity, but what else He is, is known to Him. I do not know, I cannot understand." The small intellect of man cannot grasp the whole. nature of God. A vessel which can hold a pound only, how can it contain four pounds? If God reveals Himself to one by His Grace and makes one understand His nature, then one realizes Him and not until then. The Absolute and the Divine Mother are one.
Bijoy: How can we attain to the vision of the Divine Mother and the realization of the Absolute?
Vision of the Divine Mother and the Absolute.Râmakrishna. With earnest longing and sincerity pray and cry. When the heart will be purified, then you will see the vision as in pure water you can see the reflection of the sun. Upon the mirror of the ego of the devotee is to be seen the reflection of the Absolute Mother of the
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universe with form. But the mirror should be thoroughly polished; if there be a speck of dirt the reflection will not be perfect. When the sun is to be seen on the water of the ego and when there is no other means of getting a view of the real Sun, so long the reflected image of the sun should be considered as absolutely real. As long as the ego is real, so long the reflected image of the sun is real, not partially but absolutely. That reflected image of the sun is the Divine Mother. If you wish to reach the Absolute Brahman, which is impersonal and without attributes, then start from that reflected image and march towards the real Sun. The Personal God or Brahman with attributes is the one who listens to prayers. Pray to Him and He will grant the highest wisdom, because the same Personal God has the Impersonal aspect also, which is the Absolute Brahman. Divine Energy, which is the Mother of the universe, is another aspect of the same Brahman. All these merge into absolute oneness. The Mother can give Brahma-Jnâna, the knowledge of the Absolute, as also true devotion and absolute love. God is the internal ruler of all. Forsaking egotism, resign your will to His will; you will get every-thing you desire. When you mix
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Become one with all.with other people, you should love them all, become absolutely one with them. Do not hate anyone. Do not recognize caste or creed. Do not say that this man believes in a Personal God, that man believes in an Impersonal God; this man worships God with form, that man worships God without form; this man is a Hindu, that one is a Christian or a Mohammedan. Saying this, do not condemn one another. These distinctions exist because God has made different people understand Him in different ways. The difference lies in the nature of the individuals. Knowing this you will mix with all as closely as possible and love them as dearly as you can. Then when you go home, you will enjoy blissful happiness in your soul. Light the candle of wisdom in the secret chamber of your heart. By that light see the face of my Absolute Mother, and by that light you will also see the true nature of your real Self. All sects of one family.When cowherds drive the cattle to a pasture from different quarters, the cows form themselves into one herd as if of the same family; but when they return at night, they separate, each going to its own home. So the Bhaktas of different sects and creeds, when they
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meet, are like members of one family, but when they are by themselves, they show their peculiar beliefs and different creeds.
It was late in the evening, and Râmakrishna, entering the carriage accompanied by a few devotees, returned to Dakshineswara.

Footnotes

319:* Sinti, a village about four miles north of Calcutta.
319:† Veni Bâbu was a follower of the Brâhmo-Samâj. He regarded Râmakrishna as the most Divine man of the age.

CHAPTER XII

AT THE HOUSE OF BALARÂM, * A DISCIPLE

Srî Râmakrishna arrived from Dakshineswara at the house of His disciple Balarâm about ten in the morning and had His breakfast there. It was this house which the Bhagavân chose to make His chief "vineyard" on that day. Here He had bound devotee after devotee by the tie of Divine Love. It was here that He had so often sung the Name of the Lord and danced at the head of His disciples. It seemed as if another Gourânga † had set up in the house of His disciple Srivâsh a fair for the "buying and selling of Divine Love."
How great was the Master's love for His disciples! There in the Temple of Kâli alone by
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[paragraph continues] Himself He often cried like a child, He so longed to see them. Sleepless at night He would say to the Divine Mother: "O Mother! Deign to draw them into the fold! They are so devoted to Thee! Oh, how I long to see them! Mother, bring them to me or take me to them." Was this the secret of His coming to Balarâm's house so frequently? He declared, indeed, to everyone: "Balarâm is a true Bhakta, he daily worships the Lord of the universe. His offerings are therefore always acceptable." But whenever He came to His house, He would say: "Go and invite my Narendra and other disciples. Offering food to them is the same as offering it to God Himself. These, indeed, are not ordinary men. They are parts of Divinity manifest in the flesh." And many a time had the devotees met there "at the Durbar of God's love."
Mahendra, * who taught in a neighboring school, had heard that Srî Râmakrishna was visiting at Balarâm's house, so having a little leisure he came about noon to see Him. The mid-day dinner was over and the Bhagavân was in the drawing-room resting. His young disciples
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were seated round Him. From time to time He was taking out spices from a small pouch. Mahendra, entering, bowed down and saluted His feet.
Srî Râmakrishna (affectionately): Mahendra! You here! Is there no school to-day?
Mahendra: I have come directly from school. I had just now nothing of importance to attend to there.
A devotee: No, Revered Sir, he is playing the truant.
Mahendra (to himself): Ah me! It is as if some Invisible Force had drawn me to this place.
The Bhagavân then grew more serious and bade them take their seats. He said: For some time past I have not been able to touch any metal. Can you tell me why it is? Once when I put my hand on a metal cup, it was hurt as if stung by a horned fish and the pain lasted for a long while. I had to use a metal pitcher and I thought that I should be able to carry it by covering it with a towel; but no sooner did I touch it than I had excruciating pain in my hand. Then I prayed to my Divine Mother: "O Mother! I shall never touch metal again. Do Thou forgive me this time."
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In the afternoon Srî Râmakrishna was still seated in Balarâm's drawing-room. On His face was a sweet smile, the reflection of which was caught by the faces of the disciples. Girish Ghosh, * Suresh Mittra, † Balarâm, Latoo, ‡ Chunilall § and many other disciples were present.
Râmakrishna (to Girish): You would better argue the point with Narendra (Vivekânanda) and see what he has to say.
Girish: Narendra says: "God is Infinite.
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[paragraph continues] We cannot even say that all that we hear or see—be it an object or a person—is a part of God. Infinity is one; how can it have parts? It cannot be divided."
Divine Incarnation.Râmakrishna: God may be Infinite or even greater than Infinite; but by His omnipotent will He can manifest His essence through human form and incarnate Himself among us. Indeed He does incarnate Himself as a human being. How He incarnates we cannot explain by words. One must feel it and realize it. By analogy we can get only a faint idea of it. For instance, if you have touched the horn, leg or udder of a cow, have you not touched the whole cow? But for us human beings the milk is the most important thing and that you can get only from the udder, not from any other part of the body. The Incarnation of God is like the udder, through which flows the milk of Divine Love. In order to give mankind His essence of Divine Love and Bhakti the Lord incarnates from time to time in a human form.
Girish: Narendra says: "Is it possible to fully comprehend God? He is Infinite."
Râmakrishna: That is true. Who can fully comprehend God or even any of His attributes,
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great or small? Why is it necessary for us to know all His attributes? It is enough if we can see Him and realize Him. Moreover, he who has seen His Divine Incarnation has seen God. Suppose a man goes to the banks of the holy river Ganges and touches the water. He will say: "I have seen and touched the holy river." It will not be necessary for him to touch the whole river from its source to its mouth. If I touch your feet, then I have touched you. If you go to the ocean and touch the water, you have touched the whole ocean. As fire is all-pervading but is more manifest in burning wood, so God, although He is all-pervading, is more manifest in His Incarnation.
Girish (smiling). I, for my part, am searching after fire. I am eagerly looking for the place where I shall find it.
Seek God in Man.Râmakrishna (smiling): The element fire is more manifest in the wood. If you seek the Divine element, you must seek it in man, for Divinity is more manifest in a human being than elsewhere. Again, if you see a man who is overflowing with Divine Love, who is mad after God, who is intoxicated by the wine of Divine Love, in that man you must know, I assure you, that the Lord has
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manifested Himself. It is true that God dwells everywhere, but His Divine power (Sakti) is more manifest in some places than in others. In the Avatâra (God-Incarnate) the manifestation of Sakti is very great. Sometimes the manifestation of this Divine power is complete and perfect. In fact Avatâra means the incarnation of Sakti, the Divine Power.
Girish: Narendra says: "He is beyond the reach of mind, words and senses."
Râmakrishna: No, He is beyond the reach of impure mind only, but not of the purified mind (Manas). He cannot be apprehended by ordinary intellect, but purified intellect (Buddhi) can comprehend Him. Mind and intellect become purified when they are absolutely free from attachment to lust and wealth (Kâmini and Kânchan). Then purified mind and purified intellect become one. Indeed God can be realized by the purified mind. Is it not true that the sages and saints have realized Him? They realized the Supreme Spirit in the Self by their true Self.
Girish (smiling): Narendra has been defeated by me in the discussion!
Râmakrishna: Oh no! On the contrary he says: "Girish has such firm faith in the Avatâra
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in a human form that I feel that I should say nothing against it."
The Bhagavân then expressed a desire to listen to the chanting of hymns. Balarâm's drawing-room was filled with visitors. Everyone watched the Bhagavân, eager to hear what fell from His lips and to mark what He would do next. Târâpada was invited to sing, and sang a song describing the sports of the Shepherd of men, Srî Krishna.
Suresh Mittra, another disciple, was seated at some distance from the Bhagavân. Srî Râmakrishna smiled on him affectionately and pointing to Girish, said to him: Do you talk of the wild life that you did live at one time? Here is one very much more than your match.
Suresh (laughing): That is indeed true, Revered Sir. He is my Dâdâ (respected elder brother) in this regard.
Girish (to the Bhagavân): I never paid attention to my studies in my boyhood. How is it, Revered Sir, that people insist on calling me learned?
Râmakrishna: Do you know what I think about learning and the reading of the Scriptures? Books and Sacred Scriptures all point the way to God. Once you know the way, what
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Scriptures and realization.is the use of books? Now the time comes for devotional practices in solitude. A person had received a letter in which he was asked to send certain articles to his kinsmen. He was about to order the purchase of those things, when, looking for the letter, he found it was missing. He searched for a long time. His people also joined him in his search. At last the letter was found and his joy knew no bounds. With great eagerness he took it up and went through its contents. But after knowing what things were wanted, he threw the letter aside and set forth to collect the desired articles. How long does one care for such a letter? So long as one does not know its contents. The next step is to put forth one's effort to procure the things. Similarly the Sacred Books only tell us the means for the realization of God. Having once known them, you should struggle hard to acquire them and reach the goal. What is the use of mere book-learning? A pandit may know many sacred texts and sciences, but if his mind is attached to the world, if he enjoys the pleasures of the senses, he has not realized the spirit of the Scriptures; he has studied them in vain.
Râmakrishna then said to Girish: Narendra
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is a young man of very high order. He is interested in everything,—singing, playing on musical instruments, on the one hand, and in the study of the various branches of knowledge on the other. He possesses the virtues of self-mastery, right discrimination, dispassion and many other qualities. (Aside to a disciple) Just look at Girish's devotion to the Lord and his faith in Him.
Nârân, * to the Bhagavân: Revered Sir, shall we not have the pleasure of hearing Thee sing?
Upon this the Bhagavân chanted the Name of the Divine Mother of the universe.
2. Desires—Oh, get out of their way, my soul; let us enjoy Her presence alone.
Only let us have the tongue for our sole companion to cry out to Her, saying, "Mother, Mother!"
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The Bhagavân then sang another song in which He placed Himself in the position of the weary and heavy-laden men of the world, bending under the weight of their trials and sufferings:
2. My soul, O Good Mother, knows not anything but the Lotus of Thy Hallowed Feet.
Why then does the Ruler of Death, the King of Justice, find fault with me? Tell me what answer to make to that dreaded King.
3. It was my heart's wish, O Mother, to repeat Thy Sacred Name and cross the ocean of death. Not even in my dream had I the least idea that I should be drowned by Thee in the shoreless ocean.
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The Bhagavân next sang about the joy of the Divine Mother:
She dances on the breast of Her consort,
The world quakes under the weight of Her feet.
Both have reached the climax of madness;
Both are fearless and free.
The disciples listened to the songs in deep silence. What struck them was the change that had come over the Bhagavân. He was beside Himself with the joy of the Lord—intoxicated with that unbounded Bliss.
Twilight had fallen. The disciples would not
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leave their seats. With heads upraised and eager ears they listened to the sweet Name of the Lord chanted by the Bhagavân, sweeter as repeated by Him than by any whom they had ever heard before. Yes, they had never heard another child calling out so sweetly to its mother, saying, "Mother, Mother!" It seemed as if drops of nectar fell from the lips of the Bhagavân. The infinite sky, the heaven-kissing mountain, the deep blue ocean, the boundless expanse, the deep dense wilderness—what was the use now of going to them in quest of the Divine Father and Mother of the universe? What was the use of fixing one's attention on the "cow's horn" or her feet or any other part of her body? The Master had spoken to-day of the udder of the cow from which to draw the milk of Divine Love. Was it indeed given to those present to behold the vision of God-Incarnate in that very room? What else could have brought into the hearts of the disciples—of those that were weary and heavy-laden—the perfect peace and the joy that are of the Lord? What else could have made this vale of tears overflow with joy? Was it possible that the Man before them was God-Incarnate? Whether He was or not their minds and hearts
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and souls were His own to deal with just as He pleased! He was already to them the Polestar of this enigmatical life. It was for them now to watch how in His great Saul the Supreme Being, the Cause of causes, was reflected. Thus did some of the disciples think within themselves. They felt that they were truly blessed as they heard the Bhagavân chant the Name of the Divine Mother and of Hari, the Lord God who taketh away all trouble, all sin and iniquity.
The chanting of the Names being over, the Bhagavân prayed to the Mother. It seemed as if the God of Love had taken a human form in order to teach man how to pray. He said:
Prayer to the Divine mother.Mother, I throw myself upon Thy mercy. May the Lotus of Thy Feet ever keep me from whatever leadeth Thy children away from Thee! I seek not, good Mother, the pleasures of .the senses; I seek not fame. Nor do I long for those Siddhis (Yoga powers) which enable one to perform miracles. What I pray for, O Good Mother, is pure love for Thee, love untainted by desires, love without alloy, love which seeketh not the things of this world, love for Thee that welleth up unbidden from the depths of the immortal soul. Grant likewise,
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[paragraph continues] O Mother, that Thy child, bewitched by the fascinations of Thy enchanting powers (Mâyâ) may not forget Thee; yes, forget Thee, entangled in the charming net of Samsâra that Thou hast woven. O, grant that he may never be charmed into loving these! O Good Mother, seest Thou not that Thy child hath none else in the world but Thee? I know not how to chant Thy Name out of deep devotion. Devoid am I of knowledge that leadeth to Thee—devoid of genuine love (Bhakti) for Thee! O, vouchsafe unto me that love out of Thine Infinite Mercy!
This evening prayer—was it called for in the case of this God-Man, for Him who chanted the Name of the Lord day and night, for Him out of whose hallowed mouth there flowed a never-ceasing stream of prayers unto the Most High? Was it then that the Master observed these forms in order to teach mankind how to live and pray?
Girish had invited Srî Râmakrishna to his house. He must come that very night. The Bhagavân said to him: Do you not think it will be too late?
Girish: No, Revered Sir; Thou shalt come away as early as Thou pleasest.
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It was about nine in the evening. Balarâm had made his offerings ready for Srî Râmakrishna's supper. The gracious Bhagavân would not wound his feelings. He said to Balarâm: "Send over to Girish's house the food that you have prepared for me." Saying this, He set out, followed by His disciples. Going downstairs from the first floor, He became like another being; He looked as if He was lost in the thought of God—as if He had drunk deep! It seemed as if sense-consciousness was beginning to leave Him. A disciple went forward to hold Him by the hand, lest He should miss His footing. The Bhagavân said to him with great tenderness: "If you hold me by the hand, people will say, 'He is a drunkard.' Let me walk alone without any help." He crossed the next turning just a little way from Girish's house. What made Him walk so fast? The disciples were left behind. No one knew what Divine idea had found its way into His heart. What made Him walk like a madman? Was it because He was thinking of that Being who in the Vedânta is said to be beyond the reach of word and thought?
Here was Narendra coming! Many a day had the Bhagavân cried, calling "Narendra,
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[paragraph continues] Râmakrishna's ecstasy.Narendra," like one gone mad. But now Narendra was there before Him and yet He exchanged no word with him. Was this what people called Bhâva (ecstasy), a state into which Chaitanya is said to have been constantly thrown? Who was there to penetrate the mystery of this Divine ecstasy?
Srî Râmakrishna had come to the end of the lane leading to Girish's house. The disciples were all following. He now spoke to Narendra, saying: "Is it well with you, my child? I had not the power then to talk to you." Every word that fell from His lips was marked by tenderness. He had not as yet come to the door of the house, but all at once He stopped short. He looked at Narendra and said: "This is one of the two,—the human soul, and the other is the cosmos." Was He indeed looking at the soul and the world? If so, in what light? He was gazing on Indescribable Brahman! One or two words had dropped from His hallowed lips, like some solemn texts from inspired Scriptures. Or was it that He had gone to the edge of the Infinite Ocean and stood there speechless, looking on the Boundless Expanse, and had heard one or two echoes reverberating
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from the never-ceasing voice that comes up from the Eternal Deep?
Girish stood at the door of his house. He had come to receive the Bhagavân. Srî Râmakrishna came up with His disciples. At the blessed sight Girish fell at His feet prostrate. The sight was indeed a blessed one and the disciples looked on with awe and admiration. Girish received on his head the dust of His hallowed feet and rose at the Master's bidding. He led the way to the drawing-room, where the Bhagavân and His disciples took their seats. They longed to drink the nectar of His words which brought everlasting life.
He was about to take His seat when He found a newspaper lying by His side. As newspapers had to do with worldly-minded men, with worldly matters, with gossip and scandal, they were unholy objects in His eyes. He made a sign and the paper was put away. Thereupon He took His seat. Nityagopâl * bowed down and saluted His feet.
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Bhagavân (to Nitya): Well! and why did you not go there?
Nitya: Revered Sir, I was unable to go to Dakshineswara. I was out of sorts. There were pains all over my body.
Bhagavân: Are you keeping well now?
Nitya: Not very well, I am sorry to say.
Bhagavân: You would better remain one or two notes below the highest in the scale.
Nitya: Company does not suit me. They say all manner of things of me. That puts me into a fright. At times I am quite free from fear and I feel the spirit within me.
Bhagavân: That is only natural. Who is your constant companion?
Nitya: Târak. At times he does not suit the state of my mind.
Bhagavân: Nangtâ * (Totâ Puri) used to say
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that they had at their Math a Siddha who had acquired some miraculous powers. He used to go about with his eyes fixed on the sky, not caring for his companion Ganesh Gorgy, yet when he left him, he became disconsolate.
By this time a change had come over the Bhagavân. He remained speechless for a while Returning to consciousness, he said: "You have come, have you? Well, I am here too." Who was there to fathom the mystery of these divine words!
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Among the disciples who sat at the feet of Râmakrishna, Narendra did not believe in the Incarnation of God, while Girish had a burning faith that God incarnated Himself from age to age in this world of ours. The Bhagavân wished them to discuss the matter before Him.
Srî Râmakrishna (to Girish): I should like to hear you both talk over the matter in English.
The discussion was commenced. It was, however, carried on not in English but in Bengali, with here and there an English word.
God manifest.Narendra: God is Infinite; it is beyond our power to conceive Him by means of our poor intellect. God is in every human being, but He is not manifest in one particular individual.
The Bhagavân (affectionately): I quite concur. He is in every object, in every human being; only there is a difference in the manifestation of Divine Energy in those objects. The Divine Energy manifest in some objects leads one away from God and is then called Avidyâ (ignorance). When it leads Godward it is called Vidyâ. Again, the manifested
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energy is greater in some vessels and less in, others. Thus it is that all men are not equal.
A disciple: What is the use of all this idle talk?
Bhagavân: There is a great deal of use in it.
Girish (to Narendra): How do you know that God does not take a human body, does not incarnate Himself?
Narendra: Oh! God is surely beyond the reach of words and the finite mind!
God realized by purified soul.Râmakrishna: Quite so; beyond the finite impure mind. But He can be realized by the purified intellect (Buddhi). Purified= intellect and purified soul are one The holy sages (Rishis) realized the pure universal Spirit by their purified intellect and purified soul.
Girish (to Narendra): If God does not incarnate Himself in a human form, who will explain these difficult problems? He assumes human form to teach mankind Divine Wisdom and Divine Love. Who else has the power to teach in the same manner?
Narendra. Why, He will certainly teach me within the heart.
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Bhagavân (affectionately): That is indeed so. He will teach as internal Ruler of the heart (Antaryâmin).
The discussion grew warm. It turned on matters too high for ordinary comprehension: Was Infinity indivisible? What did Hamilton say as to the limit of human knowledge; and Herbert Spencer, Tyndall and Huxley?
Râmakrishna: I for my part do not like these things. God is beyond the power of reasoning; He is something more. I see that whatever is, is God. What then is the necessity of reasoning about Him? I do actually see that whatever is, is God. It is He who has become all these things. This is a stage at which the mind and the intellect (Buddhi) are lost in the Absolute and Indivisible Being. At the sight of Narendra my mind becomes merged in the Indivisible Absolute. What, pray, do you say to this?
Girish (smiling): Surely, Revered Sir, we do not pretend that we understand everything except this.
Râmakrishna: Thereupon at the end of Samâdhi I must come down two notes at least below the highest note in the scale before I can utter a word. Vedânta has been explained by
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[paragraph continues] Sankara. * Another point of view is that of Râmânuja, † who has put forward the doctrine of qualified non-dualism.
Narendra (to the Bhagavân): Sir, may I ask what is meant by Visishtâdvaitavâda (qualified. non-dualism)?
Qualified non-dualism.Râmakrishna: There is a doctrine called Visishtâdvaitavâda, the view of Râmânuja; that is, the Absolute (Brahman) must not be considered apart from the world and the soul. The three form one: three in one and one in three. Let us take a Bel-fruit. Let the shell, the seeds and the kernel be kept separate. Now suppose some one wished to know the weight of the fruit. Surely
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it would not do to weigh the kernel alone. The shell, the seeds and the kernel are all weighed with a view to knowing the real weight of the fruit. No doubt we reason at the outset that the all-important thing is the kernel—not either the shell or the seeds. In the next place, we go on reasoning that the shell and the seeds belong to the same substance to which the kernel belongs. At the first stage of the reasoning we say, "Not this, not this." Thus the Absolute (Brahman) is not the individual soul. Again, it is not the phenomenal world. The Absolute (Brahman) is the only Reality, all else is unreal. At the next stage we go a little farther. We see that the kernel belongs to the same substance as that to which the shell and the seeds belong; hence the Substance from which we derive our negative conception of the Absolute Brahman is the identical Substance from which we derive our negative conceptions of the finite soul and the phenomenal world. Our relative phenomena (Lilâ) must be traced to that eternal Being which is also called the Absolute. Hence, says Râmânuja, the Absolute (Brahman) is qualified by the finite soul and the phenomenal world. This is the doctrine of the qualified non-dualistic Vedânta.
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Spiritual awakening necessary to see the Reality.I see that Being as a Reality before my very eyes! Why should I reason? I do actually see that the Absolute has become all things about us. It appears as the individual soul and the phenomenal see the Reality. world. One must have an awakening of the spirit within to How long must one reason and discriminate, saying, "Not this, not this"? So long as one has not realized the Absolute Reality. It is not in mere words such as "I see that God has become everything"; mere saying is not enough. By the Lord's Grace the spirit must be quickened. Spiritual awakening is followed by Samâdhi. In this state one forgets that one has a body; one loses all attachment to things of this world; one likes no other words than those relating to God; one is sorely troubled if called upon to listen to worldly matters. The spirit within being awakened, the next step is the realization of the Universal Spirit. It is the spirit that can realize the Spirit.
After the discussion was over the Bhagavân said. I have observed that discrimination brings only intellectual apprehension of the Absolute, which is far from true realization. The latter can be acquired by meditation in solitude
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[paragraph continues] Intellectual apprehension and realization.(Dhyâna); but it is very different from realization through His Grace. If He, out of His Grace, makes us realize what is God-Incarnate and how He manifests through a human form, then it is no longer necessary to reason or explain. Do you know how it is? As in a dark room someone rubs a match on the side of the box and all at once a light is struck. So, if the Lord is gracious enough to strike the light for us, the darkness of ignorance will be dispelled and all doubts will cease forever. Can He be realized by such discussions?
The Bhagavân then invited Narendra to be seated by His side. He made many loving inquiries about him and caressed him.
Narendra: Why, Revered Sir, I have meditated in solitude on the Divine Mother for three and four days together, but nothing has come of it.
Bhagavân: All in time; do not be impatient. Mother is no other than Brahman the Absolute. Divine Mother is the primeval energy, when that is without activity I call it Brahman. But when it creates, preserves and destroys the phenomenal world I call it Sakti (energy), or
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[paragraph continues] Divine Mother. That which you call Brahman is the same as my Divine Mother. (To Girish) It is getting late.
Girish: I am afraid I shall have to leave Thee, Revered Sir, and go to my work, unfortunate that I am!
Bhagavân: No, you must serve both parties. Janaka served God unattached to the world and thus looked to the interests of both this world and the next; he drank the cup of milk but did not forget the soul.
Girish: I am thinking, Revered Sir, of giving up my profession.
Bhagavân: No, no; you need not do any such thing. It is all right as it is. You are doing good to many.
Narendra (softly): Just a moment ago he was addressing Him as Lord, God-Incarnate, yet he still has such strong attachment to his professional work.
The Bhagavân had Narendra seated by his side. He fixed His eyes on him. He moved down to sit closer to him. Narendra did not believe that God incarnated Himself, but what did that signify? His love for him was still as great as ever. Touching his person the Bhagavân said to him: Are your feelings wounded?
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[paragraph continues] Never mind; we, too, are of the same mind with you and feel for you.
Disputations prevent realization of God.Bhagavân continued: So long as one reasons and argues about God, one has not realized Him. You both were engaged in discussion. I did not like it. How long does the noise continue at a feast to which many are bidden? So long as the guests have not begun to eat. As soon as the viands are served and they begin to partake of them, three-fourths of the noise is gone. Then the more the sweetmeats are passed around, the more the noise subsides. The nearer you come to God, the less you are disposed to argue. When you come up to Him, when you behold Him as the Reality, then all noise, all disputations are at an end. Then is the time for the enjoyment which comes in Samâdhi.
Saying this, the Bhagavân gently moved His and over Narendra's sweet face and caressed him, repeating, "Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om."
Then what a miracle passed before the eyes of the disciples! Looking at the Bhagavân, they saw His sense-consciousness beginning to leave Him. Looking again, they saw that it had left Him altogether. In this half-conscious state the hand of the Incarnation of Divine
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[paragraph continues] Love continued to rest on Narendra's body. Was He breathing into him the inspiration, the power that comes from above? Then yet other changes came over the Bhagavân. He said to Narendra, with folded hands: A song do sing, then I shall get well; how else shall I be able to stand on my feet. "My Nitai! Oh! He is deep drunk, intoxicated with the wine of Divine Love, the love for Gourânga (God-Incarnate)."
A short while and He was speechless again, speechless like a figure cut in marble. Drunk with the joy of the Lord, the Bhagavân went on, saying: "Take care of Râdhâ, lest thou fall into the Jamuna. O thou, mad with ecstatic love for Him who incarnated Himself at Brindâvan, the Lord Srî Krishna!" Once more He was in deep Samâdhi! Coming back into sense-consciousness he repeated portions of a well-known song: "O my friend, how far is that blessed woodland, the land where is to be seen my own Beloved One? Look! Here comes the fragrance from the blessed person of my Beloved! I am unable to take a step forward, O my friend!"
Now the Bhagavân had lost all consciousness of the world. He was not mindful of anything
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or any person in this state. Narendra was seated before Him, but apparently He did not see him. He had lost all sense of time and place. The mind, the heart and the soul had all become absorbed in God. Suddenly He stood up, saying: "Deep drunk with the wine of Divine Love, with love for Gour (God-Incarnate)." A few moments after He took His seat and said: "Yonder is a light coming this way, but I cannot even now say from which way the light comes." It was then that Narendra began to sing:
2. Beholding Thee as the Reality, the seven worlds have forgotten their grief!
Not to speak of my poor self, so worthy of Thy pity and Thy loving-kindness!
Listening to the song the Bhagavân had once more lost all consciousness of the outer world. His eyes were closed. His body and limbs moved not He was in deep Samâdhi. When
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the Samâdhi was over he asked: "Who will take me home to the temple?" A child looking for a companion! Left alone, he saw nothing but darkness about. It was getting late and it was the night of the tenth day of the dark fortnight. Srî Râmakrishna wished to go back to the Temple at Dakshineswara. He seated Himself in the carriage which was to take Him there. The disciples stood on either side of the carriage to see Him off. Even now was He deep drunk with the joy of the Lord! The carriage rolled away. The disciples looked after it for a few moments, then dispersed each to his own home.

Footnotes

347:* See note p. 140.
347:† See note p. 7.
348:* See note page 33.
350:* Girish Chunder Ghosh, the greatest Hindu poet, dramatist and actor of modern India. He is the founder and manager of many theatres in Calcutta. He is regarded as the Garrick of India. He translated Shakespeare's Macbeth into Bengali and played the part of the hero with wonderful ability and originality. He is a genius and the most devoted householder disciple of Râmakrishna.
350:† See note p. 177.
350:‡ Latoo, the devoted servant of Râmakrishna. Although he is illiterate he has reached the height of spiritual ecstasy through his whole-hearted service and devotion for his Divine Master. He is now one of the Sannyâsin disciples of Râmakrishna.
350:§ Bâbu Chunilall Bose is a gentle householder disciple of Râmakrishna.
356:* Nârân was a young householder disciple of Ramakrishna.
364:* Nityagopâl was a devoted Bhakta who reached a very high state of spiritual ecstasy (Bhâva). He was a young man who lived like a Sannyâsin, although he did not join p. 365 the order. Occasionally he used to come to Srî Râmakrishna to pay his respects and regarded Him as the Incarnation of Krishna.
365:* Nangtâ was the name by which Srî Râmakrishna called his spiritual teacher in the Advaita Vedânta. The word literally means, "One who does not cover his body with any clothes." Totâ Puri was his real name. He was a Sannyâsin monk of Sankara's school and was a great Vedânta scholar. He reached the highest state of Nirvikalpa Samâdhi p. 366 after practising for forty years. He used to travel from place to place in India, never spending more than three days in one spot. When he came to Dakshineswara he lived under the trees at the Panchavati and wore no clothes. After seeing Râmakrishna he desired to instruct Him in Advaita Vedânta. Râmakrishna like a child replied. "I shall ask my Divine Mother, and if She gives me Her permission I shall learn of you." The sage Totâ Puri was pleased with His answer. He then stayed with Râmakrishna for eleven months, which was quite unusual for him to do. He gave Him instructions on the oneness of the Jiva with Brahman, and within three days Râmakrishna realized that supreme oneness by reaching the Nirvikalpa Samâdhi. Seeing this state Totâ Puri declared in utter amazement: "How wonderful is the Divine mystery! Thou hast acquired in three days what I accomplished after forty years of hard struggle." Since then he regarded Râmakrishna as his Spiritual Brother.
370:* Sankara, see note p. 279.
370:† Râmânuja was the founder of the Visishtâdvaita, or Qualified Non-dualistic School of Vedânta. He was born about 1017 A.D. at Srî Parambattur, a town near Madras in Southern India. He is regarded by His followers as the incarnation of Sesha or Ananta. He wrote Sanskrit Commentaries on the Upanishads, Vedânta Sutras and the Bhagavat Gitâ, and preached His doctrines all over India. He is said to have lived for one hundred and twenty years and died in 1137 A.D. His doctrines were distinct from the Absolute Monistic philosophy of Sankarâchârya. He has now millions of followers among all classes of Hindus in India.

CHAPTER XIII

A DAY AT SHÂMPUKUR

Srî Râmakrishna was living at Shâmpukur at the request of His householder disciples, who had hired a house for Him there.
It was about half-past five in the afternoon of a day in October. Vivekânanda, Brahmânanda, Râmakrishnânanda, Saradânanda, Abhedânanda and other disciples were with Srî Râmakrishna The great national festival Durgâpuja had been celebrated only a few days back but it was difficult for the disciples to take part in the festivities with their whole heart. How could they rejoice when their Master was suffering from a serious malady? Their one thought was to serve Him, to nurse Him, to attend to His smallest wants day and night This devoted and unparalleled service of the Master led the way for the younger disciples (Vivekânanda and others) to the great
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renunciation of the world of which Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna was the ideal example. Through their intense love for the Master they left their homes and sacrificed the duties and pleasures of life that they might give their whole soul to His service.
Notwithstanding His illness, hundreds of people came every day to pay reverential homage to Him. They were eager to receive His blessing and to sit in His presence if only for a few minutes; for His presence brought peace and celestial happiness in the hearts and souls of all. Who had ever seen such unbounded compassion? He was anxious for the welfare of all those who came to Him and was ever ready to help them by removing their doubts and opening their spiritual eyes. This was the time when Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna showed to the world that He was not a man of this earth, but an embodiment of Infinite Love Divine.
His charm and fascination were so great that everyone who came into His presence would lose the consciousness of time and place. Even men like Dr. Sircar, * who was the busiest physician
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in Calcutta and who usually spent a few moments only with each patient, would remain with the Bhagavân hours together and sometimes the whole day. He had just now been paying Srî Râmakrishna a long visit. Rising to go, he said to the Bhagavân, who was conversing with Syâm Bâbu: * "Now that you have Syâm Bâbu to talk to, I will bid you good-bye."
Srî Râmakrishna: Would you not like to hear some songs?
Doctor: I should like it very much; but your feelings will be too much worked upon and you will go off into a state of ecstasy.
The doctor took his seat once more, and Vivekânanda sang to the accompaniment of instruments:
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2. Thousands of stars do shine—a necklace of gold studded with gems. Innumerable are the moons and suns.
3. The earth is adorned with wealth and corn full indeed is Thy storehouse. O Great Lord! Innumerable are the stars which sing, "Well done, Lord! well done!" They sing without ceasing.
2. In the lap of darkness infinite and borne on the sea of great Nirvâna,
The fragrance of peace everlasting floweth without ceasing.
3. O Mother! who art Thou, seated alone within the Temple of Samâdhi, assuming the form of the Great Consort of the Lord of Eternity,
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Doctor (to Vivekânanda): It is dangerous for Him—this singing. It will work upon His feelings with serious results.
Srî Râmakrishna (to Vivekânanda): What does the doctor say?
Vivekânanda: Sir, the doctor is afraid lest this singing bring on ecstasy (Bhâva-Samâdhi).
Srî Râmakrishna (to the doctor, with folded hands): No, oh no; why should my feelings be worked upon? I am very well.
But as soon as these words were uttered, the Bhagavân, who was already losing sense-consciousness, went into deep Samâdhi. His body became motionless. The eyes moved not. He sat speechless like a veritable figure of wood or stone. All sense-consciousness had ceased to be. The mind, the principle of personal identity, the heart, had all stepped out of their wonted course towards that One Object, the Mother of the Universe.
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Again did Vivekânanda pour forth with his sweet, charming voice melody after melody. He sang:
2. Lo! the spring of my love is running over (with joy)!
3. O Lord of my soul! Thou who art pure love, what riches can I offer to Thee? O, accept my heart, my life, my all. Yes, Lord, my all deign to accept!
2. What use can there be in countless wealth,
If Thou, the most precious gem, art not kept with care!
3. The tender face of the child I will not look upon,
If in that face, lovely as the moon, I see not Thy loving face!
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5. Even the pure love of the chaste wife will seem impure, if the gold of her love he not set with the gem of Thy love Divine.
6. Lord, like the sting of a poisonous snake is doubt of Thee, the offspring of ignorance.
7. Lord, what more shall I say to Thee!
Thou art the priceless Jewel of my heart, the Abode of joy everlasting!
Vivekânanda sang again:
Srî Râmakrishna had a special liking for this hymn from the Hindustani of Zaffir, the Sufi poet:
Thou art the dwelling of all Thy creatures.
  Where Thou abidest not can there be one heart, p. 387
In each heart surely Thy Presence has entered;
  All that is Thou art, all in all Thou art.
Either in men or angels triumphant, either in
  Hindu or Mussulman Thou art!
Thy holy will has made everything like Thee;
  All that is Thou art, all in all Thou art.
Whether Mohammedan temples or Hindu,
  Perfectly pure has Thy touch made each part.
All heads before Thee have bowed in devotion;
  All that is Thou art, all in all Thou art.
From the high heavens to earth spread before us,
  From the vast earth to the heavens Thou art,
Wherever I look to my sight Thou appearest;
  All that is Thou art, all in all Thou art.
Thinking and pondering I have seen clearly,
  Searching I have found not another as Thou art;
Now in the mind of the poet has come that,
  All that is Thou art, all in all Thou art.
In the midst of the songs Srî Râmakrishna had come to Himself again. The music was hushed. Then followed conversation with the Bhagavân,
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which was always charming alike to the learned and the illiterate, to the old and the young, to men and women, to the great and the lowly. The whole company sat mute and looked in silence on His Divine face. Was there any trace now of that serious illness from which He was suffering? Joy alone was there, and radiance of celestial glory. Turning to the doctor, Srî Râmakrishna began:
Three obstacles in the way of perfection.Do give up shyness, doctor. One should not be shy in repeating before others the Name of the Lord, or in dancing with joy while chanting His sweet name. Do not care what people may say. There is a proverb: "Three obstacles lie in the way of perfection,—shyness, contempt and fear." The shy man thinks: "I, who am so important, how can I dance in the name of the Lord? What will other great people say if they hear of it?" They may say: "What a shame! The poor doctor has lost his head! He has danced while chanting the Name of the Lord!" Give up all such foolish ideas.
Doctor: That is not my line at all. I do not care what people say.
Srî Râmakrishna (smiling): On the contrary,
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you do care very much. True knowledge and ignorance.Go beyond knowledge and ignorance, then you will realize God. Knowledge of diversity is ignorance. The egotism bred of erudition proceeds from ignorance. That knowledge by which we know that God exists everywhere is true knowledge. But to know Him intimately is realization (Vijnâna).
Realization.Suppose your foot is pierced with a thorn, you require a second thorn to take it out. When the first thorn is taken out you throw both away. So in order to get rid of the thorn of ignorance you must bring the thorn of knowledge. Then you must throw away both ignorance and knowledge to attain to the complete realization of God, the Absolute, for the Absolute is above and beyond knowledge as well as ignorance. Lakshman once said to his Divine Brother: "O Râma, is it not strange that a God-knowing man like Vashishta Deva should have wept for the loss of his sons and would not be comforted?" Knowledge is relative.Thereupon Râma replied: "He who has knowledge has also some ignorance. He who has knowledge of one object has also the knowledge of many objects. He who has the knowledge of light has also the
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knowledge of darkness, but Brahman the Absolute is beyond knowledge and ignorance and above virtue and vice merit and demerit, purity and impurity."
Syâm Bâbu: Sir, may I ask what remains after both thorns are thrown away?
The Absolute Brahman.Srî Râmakrishna: What remains is the Absolute, called in the Vedas Nityasuddha-bodharupam (the unchangeable, the absolutely pure source of all knowledge). But how shall I explain it to you? Suppose some one asks you what is the taste of Ghee (clarified butter) like? Is it possible to define it? The utmost that you can say is that it is precisely like the taste of Ghee. A young girl once asked a friend: "Your husband is come: tell me what sort of joy you feel when you meet him?': Thereupon the married friend replied: "My dear, you will know everything when you have got a husband of your own; how can I explain it to you?"
In the Purânas we are told that the Mother of the Universe incarnated Herself as the daughter of the presiding god of the Himâlayas Just after she was born, the king of the mountains was blessed with a vision of the various manifestations of the Omnipotent Mother.
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[paragraph continues] Then he said: "O Mother! Let me see Brahman about whom there is so much in the Vedas." The child Incarnate thereupon said: "O father if thou wishest to see the Absolute Brahman thou must associate with the holy sages who have renounced everything. What the Absolute Brahman is cannot be expressed in words." The Tantra has well said: "All things with the sole exception of God the Absolute, have become defiled like leavings of food." The idea is that the Sacred Scriptures of the world having been read and recited with the aid of the tongue have got defiled like food thrown out of the mouth. The Absolute Brahman, however, no one has ever been able to describe by word of mouth. Therefore it is said that the Absolute is not defiled by the mouth. Again, who can express in words the blissful joy that one experiences in the company of the Lord and in communion with the Absolute Sat-Chit-Ânanda. He alone knows who has been blessed with such realization.
Addressing the doctor, Srî Râmakrishna continued: True knowledge does not come until egotism is entirely gone.
"When shall I be free?" When "I" shall cease to be. The sense of "I" and "mine" is
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Egotism and knowledge.ignorance. The sense of "Thou" and "Thine" is knowledge. A true Bhakta says: "O Lord! Thou art the doer, Thou hast created everything, I am nothing but an instrument in Thy hands. I do only whatever Thou makest me do. All this is Thy wealth, Thy glory. Thine is the Universe, Thine, the family, Thine the relatives. Nothing belongs to me, I am Thy servant. Thine is to command and mine is to serve Thee with my whole heart and soul."Prayer of a true Bhakta.
Egotism.Egotism comes to all those who have studied a few books and have acquired a little learning. I had a talk with Tâgore * about the nature of God. He said to me: "I know all about it." I replied: "He who has been to Delhi does not go about telling others 'I have been to Delhi' and so on. He who is a true gentleman does not boast of being a gentleman."
Syâm Bâbu: Sir, Tâgore has great respect for you.
Srî Râmakrishna: My dear sir, shall I tell you of the vanity of the sweeper-woman in the temple at Dakshineswara? She had a few ornaments
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Vanity.on her person and she was so vain that whenever she walked along the road, if she found anyone near she would shout: "Get out of my way! Get out of my way!" What shall I say about the vanity of wealthy people of higher castes!
A devotee: If God is the one Actor in the Universe, then whence come good and evil, 1 virtue and vice? Do they exist by His will?
The Lord untouched by good and evil.Srî Râmakrishna: In this world of relativity, good and evil, virtue and vice, exist, but they do not touch the Lord. God is unattached to them—like the wind which is unaffected by the good or bad odor which it carries. His creation is of dual nature, consisting of good and evil, real and unreal. As among trees there are some which bear good fruits, others poisonous, so among human beings there are good men and wicked, sinful men. Wicked people have their place in the world. Do you not see that wicked people are necessary to govern the law-breakers and evil-doers of a community?
Syâm Bâbu: Sir, we are told on the one hand that man is punished for his sins, and on the other that God is the sole Actor, all creatures
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being humble instruments in His hands. How shall we reconcile these two things?
Srî Râmakrishna: You talk like a gold merchant weighing things with his delicate balance.
Vivekânanda: What the Bhagavân means to Calculating say is that you are talking like one intellect. who has a calculating intellect.
Srî Râmakrishna: I say, O Podo, eat these mangoes! What is the use of counting how many mango-trees there are in the garden, how many thousands of branches, how many millions of leaves, and so on? You are here to eat the mangoes. Eat them and go away. (To Syâm Bâbu) You have come into this world to realize God by means of religious works. Your first effort should be to acquire love (Bhakti) for the lotus feet of the Almighty. Why do you trouble yourself with other things? What will you gain by discussing philosophy? Do you not see that, four ounces of wine are quite enough to intoxicate you? Why do you then inquire how many barrels of wine there are in the wine-shop? Of what use is such vain calculation?
Doctor: God's wine, again, is beyond all measure. The supply can never be exhausted.
Srî Râmakrishna (to Syâm Bâbu): Furthermore,
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Lay cares on God.why do you not execute a power of attorney in favor of the Lord? Let all your cares and responsibilities rest on Him. If any one trusts an honest man, will that man do any wrong? God alone knows whether He will punish sinful acts or not.
Doctor: He alone knows what is in His mind. How can man surmise it? He is beyond all human calculation.
Srî Râmakrishna (to Syâm Bâbu): You people of Calcutta always find fault with Divine Justice. You often complain that God is partial because he makes one happy and another unhappy. You foolish people see in God the same nature as your own. Hem used to come to Dakshineswara with his friends. Whenever he saw me he would say: "Sir, there is only one thing worth having in this world and that is honor, is it not so?" Very few understand that the end of human life is to attain God.
Subtle body.Syâm Bâbu: Sir, is it possible for anyone to show the subtle body? Can anyone show that the subtle body goes out of the gross body?
Srî Râmakrishna: Those who are true Bhaktas will not care to show you all this. They do not care in the least whether fools will respect
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them or not. They do not seek the favor of rich people.
Syâm Bâbu: Well, Sir, what is the difference between the gross body and the subtle body?
Srî Râmakrishna: This physical body made of gross elements is called the gross body. Manas (mind), the Buddhi (intellect), Ahamkâra (egoism) and Chitta, all these are in the subtle body. The inner body which feels the joy of the Lord and Divine ecstasy is called Kârana Sarîra (causal body). The Tantras call it Bhâgavat-Tanu, or the body derived from the Divine Mother. Beyond these is the Mahâkârana, the first Great Cause. It is the fourth state. It cannot be expressed by words.
The importance of practice.What is the use of hearing all this? Practise and you will know. You repeat the words "Siddhi, Siddhi" (hemp-leaves). Will that make you drunk? No, you must swallow some. There are threads of various numbers, No. 40, No. 41, and so on; but you do not know one number from another unless you are in the trade. It is by no means hard for those in-the trade to know a particular number from that of another number. That being so, I say, practise a little. That done, it will be easy for you to have correct ideas as to
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the gross body, the subtle body, the Kârana (the causal body made of joy) and the Mahâkârana (the Great Cause or the Unconditioned).
When you pray, ask for Bhakti, devotion to His Lotus Feet. After Ahalyâ * was made free from the curse called down upon her by her husband, Râma Chandra said: "Ask for a boon from me." Ahalyâ replied: "O Râma, if Thou wilt give me a boon, do Thou grant that my mind may, ever be on Thy feet beautiful like the lotus. O, I may be born among swine, but that will not matter."
Prayer for Bhakti.For my part, I pray for love (Bhakti) alone to my Divine Mother. Putting flowers upon Her Lotus Feet, with folded hands I prayed: "Mother, here is ignorance, here is knowledge. Oh! Take them; I want them not. Grant that I may have pure love alone. Here is cleanliness (of the mind and body), here is uncleanliness; what shall I do with them? Let me have pure love alone.
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[paragraph continues] Oh! Here is sin, here is merit; I want neither the one nor the other. Let me have pure love alone. Here is good, here is evil. Oh! Take them; I want them not. Let me have pure love alone. Here are good works, here are bad works. Oh! Place me above them; I want them not. Grant that I may have pure love alone."
Dual existence.If you take the fruit of good works, like charity, you must take the fruit of bad works also. If you take the fruit of merit, you must take the fruit of sin also. Knowledge of the One (Jnâna) implies knowledge of the many (Ajnâna). Taking cleanliness, you cannot get rid of its opposite, uncleanliness. Thus a knowledge of light implies a knowledge of darkness, its opposite. A knowledge of unity implies a knowledge of diversity.
Animal food and vegetarianism.Blessed is the man who loves God! What matters it if he eats the flesh of swine? On the other hand, if a man lives upon vegetables but is attached to the world and does not love God, what good shall he gain?
(To Syâm Bâbu) To live the life of a householder is by no means wrong. But take care
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Work with the mind fixed on God.that you work without attachment, with your mind always pointing to the Feet of the Lord. Suppose a person has a carbuncle on the back. Now this man talks as usual. Perhaps he attends to his daily work. But pain constantly puts him in mind of the carbuncle. In the same way, although you are in the world, you should turn your mind constantly to God. A woman carrying on an intrigue with a lover thinks of this lover all the time that she is attending to her household duties. Live in the world like such a woman, doing your many duties with your soul secretly yearning for the Lord.
Theosophy.Syâm Bâbu: Sir, what do you think of Theosophy?
Srî Râmakrishna: The long and the short of the matter is that people who make disciples belong to an inferior order of men. Again, those who seek for powers also belong to an inferior class, such powers, for example, as the power of getting across the Ganges or the power of reporting here what a person is talking about in a far country, and other psychic powers. It is by no means easy for such people to get pure Bhakti (love) for the Lord.
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Syâm Bâbu: But, Sir, the Theosophists seek to put Hinduism once more on a firm basis.
Srî Râmakrishna: That may be. I am not well posted as to their views or doings.
Syâm Bâbu: Questions like the following are dealt with in Theosophy. What region is the soul bound for after death—the lunar sphere or the stellar mansions?
Srî Râmakrishna: I dare say. But let me give you an idea of my way of thinking. Somebody put it to Hanumân, the great lover of God, "What day of the lunar fortnight is it?" Hanumân replied: "My dear sir, excuse me. I know nothing about the days of the week, the day of the lunar fortnight, or the stars telling of the destiny on a particular day. That is not my concern. I meditate on Râma and on Râma alone."
Syâm Bâbu: Sir, the Theosophists believe in Mahâtmâs. May I ask whether you hold that Mâhatmâs are real beings?
Srî Râmakrishna: If you care to take my word for truth, I say "Yes." But will you be good enough to let these matters alone? Come when I am better. Do but put faith in my words and I shall see that you find peace. Do you not observe that I do not take either money
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or clothes or any other thing? In some theatrical representations well-to-do visitors are expected to encourage the actors by gifts of money during the performance. Here people are not called upon to make such gifts. This is why so many come here.
(To the Doctor) What I have to say to you is this—but do not take offence! You have had enough of the things of the world, money, fame, lectures, and so on. Now give your mind a little to God, and come here now and then. It is good to listen to words relating to God. Such words enlighten the soul and turn it to the Lord.
A short while after the Doctor stood up to say good-bye. But just then Girish came in, and the Doctor was so glad to see him that he took his seat again. Girish, stepping forward, saluted the Bhagavân and kissed the dust of His hallowed feet. The Doctor watched all this in silence.
Doctor: So long as I was here, Girish Bâbu was not good enough to come. He must come just as I am about to go.
There was then a talk about the Science Association and the lectures delivered there. Girish took an interest in these lectures.
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Srî Râmakrishna (to the Doctor): Will you take me some day to the Association?
Doctor: My dear Sir, once you are there, you would lose all sense-consciousness at the sight of the glorious and wonderful works of God, of the intelligence shown in these works and the adaptation of the means to the end.
Srî Râmakrishna: Oh indeed!
Worship of the spiritual preceptor.Doctor (to Girish): Do everything else, but pray do not worship Him as God. By doing so, you are only bringing ruin on such a holy man.
Girish: Sir, there is, I fear, no help for it. He who has enabled me to get across this terrible sea of the world and the no less terrible sea of scepticism—how else shall I serve such a person? There is nothing in Him I cannot worship.
Doctor: I myself hold that all men are equal. As to this holy man, do you think I cannot salute and kiss the dust of His feet? Look here! (The Doctor saluted and kissed the dust of the Bhagavân's feet.)
Girish: Oh, sir, the angels in heaven are saying: "Blessed, blessed be this auspicious moment!"
Doctor: You seem to think that saluting
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anyone's feet is something like a marvel! You do not see that I can do the same in the case of everybody. (To a gentleman seated near) Now, sir, oblige me by allowing me to salute your feet. (To another) And you, sir. (To a third) And you, sir. (The Doctor saluted the feet of many.)
Vivekânanda (to the Doctor): Sir, we look upon the Bhagavân as a person who is like God. Let me make my idea clear to you. There is a point somewhere between the vegetable creation and the animal creation where it is difficult to say whether a particular thing is a vegetable or an animal. Much in the same way there is a point somewhere between the man-world and the God-world where you cannot say with certainty whether a person is a human being or God.
Doctor: Well, my friend, matters relating to God cannot be explained by analogy.
Vivekânanda: I say, not God, but Godlike man.
Doctor: You should not give vent to feelings of reverence like that. Speaking for myself, no ne has been able, I am sorry to say, to judge my inward feelings. My best friends often regard me as stern and cruel. Even you, my
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good friends, may beat me some day with shoes and turn me out.
Srî Râmakrishna (to the Doctor): Do not say that, Doctor. These people love you so much! They watch and look for you like ladies come together in the bride-chamber looking for the coming bridegroom.
Girish: Everyone here has the greatest respect for you.
Doctor (sorrowfully): My son—even my wife looks upon me as hard-hearted, and for the simple reason that I am by nature loath to show my feelings.
Girish: In that case, sir, do you not think it would be better to throw open the door of your mind, at least out of pity for your friends? You well see that your friends do not understand you.
Doctor: Shall I say it? Well, my feelings are worked up even more than yours. (To Vivekânanda) I shed tears in solitude.
Doctor (to Srî Râmakrishna): Sir, may I say that it is not good that you allow people to touch your feet with their body while you are in Samâdhi?
Srî Râmakrishna: You do not mean that I am conscious of this?
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Doctor: You feel that it is not a right thing to do, do you not?
Srî Râmakrishna: What shall I say as regards the state of my mind during Samâdhi? After the Samâdhi is over I often go so far as to ask myself: May not this be the cause of the disease that I have got? The thing is, the thought of God makes me mad. All this is the result of Divine madness. There is no help for it.
Doctor (to the disciples): He expresses regret for what he does. He feels that the act is wrong.
Srî Râmakrishna (to Girish): You have great penetration. You explain it all to him, will you not?
Girish (to the Doctor): Sir, you are quite mistaken. He is by no means sorry that His feet touch the persons of the devotees. No, it is not that. His body is pure, sinless; it is purity itself. He is good enough, in His anxiety for their spiritual welfare, to allow His Hallowed Feet to touch the bodies of the devotees. As a result of His taking their sins upon Himself, His own body, He thinks, may be suffering from disease. Think of your own case. You were once taken ill, so you have told us, as the
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result of hard study. Well, did you not at that time express regret that you had sat up reading until very late at night? Does that prove that reading until the late hours of the night is bad? The Bhagavân may be sorry from the point of view of the patient; He is by no means sorry from the point of view of a Teacher from God anxious for the welfare of humanity.
Doctor (somewhat disconcerted): I confess I am beaten. Now give me the dust of your feet. (To Vivekânanda) This matter apart, I must admit the acuteness of Girish's intellectual powers.
Vivekânanda (to the Doctor): You may view the question in another way. You sometimes devote your life to the task of making a scientific discovery, and then you do not look to your body, your health or anything. Now the knowledge of God is the grandest of all sciences; is it not natural that the Bhagavân has risked His health for this end, and, it may be, sacrificed it? We offer to Him worship equal to Divine worship.
The doctor then saluted the Bhagavân and took his leave. At that moment Bijoy entered and prostrated himself at the feet of Srî Râmakrishna.
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[paragraph continues] He had been making pilgrimages to various holy places, and Mahima said to him: Sir, you have just returned from a pilgrimage; you have seen many things, kindly tell us about them.
Pilgrimage useless.Bijoy: What shall I say? I see now that here I find everything. To go on pilgrimages is useless travelling. There are some places where you will find one-sixteenth, or at the utmost one-fourth, of what you see here. In the Bhagavân I find everything in full complement. I have not found anyone who possesses anything more than our Bhagavân.
Râmakrishna (to Vivekânanda): Look what a wonderful change has taken place in Bijoy. His character has become entirely different, as if the milk has been boiled and thickened. By seeing the neck and forehead I can recognize the state of Paramahamsa.
Mahima (to Bijoy): Sir, you take very little food, do you not?
Bijoy: Yes, I believe I do. (To Râmakrishna) Revered Sir, hearing of Thy illness I have come to see Thee.
Râmakrishna: What?
Bijoy kept silent for a while and then said,
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[paragraph continues] No one can understand Thy perfection unless Thou givest the power.
Râmakrishna: Kedâr said to me that when he went to other places he starved, but that here he always found food in abundance.
Bijoy (clasping his hands before Râmakrishna): Lord, I know Thee now. I understand Thy glory. Thou needest not tell me of it.
Thereupon Râmakrishna went into Samâdhi. When He returned, He said: "If that be so, let it be so."
Bijoy: Yes, Lord, now I know Thee.
Saying this, Bijoy prostrated himself before Râmakrishna and pressed to his breast the Hallowed Feet of the Lord. Bhagavân Srî Râmakrishna, again losing all sense-consciousness, entered into God-consciousness and remained motionless like a carven image. Seeing this wonderful sight, some of the devotees shed tears of joy and happiness while others kneeled and began to pray to the Bhagavân. Each one fixed his eyes upon Srî Râmakrishna and, according to the innermost feeling of his heart, realized his Ideal in Him. Some saw in Him the Ideal Devotee, while others recognized the Divine Incarnation in a human form. Mahima, with tears of joy in his eyes chanted: "Behold,
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behold, the embodiment of Divine Love!" And after a few minutes, as if catching a glimpse of the Absolute Brahman in Râmakrishna, he exclaimed: "Infinite Existence, Intelligence and Love, beyond Unity and Diversity!"
Avatâra.After remaining in this state for a long time, Bhagavân Râmakrishna came down once more on the human plane and said: God incarnates Himself in a human form. It is true that He dwells everywhere, in all living creatures, but the desires of the human soul cannot be fulfilled except by an Avatâra or Divine Incarnation. The human being longs to see Him, touch Him, be with Him and enjoy His Divine company. In order to fulfill such desires, the Incarnation of God is necessary.
When an Avatâra or Divine Incarnation descends, however, the people at large do not know it. It is known only to a few chosen disciples. Can everyone comprehend the indivisible Absolute Brahman, Existence-Intelligence-Bliss Absolute?
Râma.When the Supreme Lord incarnated Himself as Râma, only twelve sages knew it. The other saints and sages knew Him as the prince of the Râjâ Dasaratha. But those twelve sages prayed to Him, saying: "O
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[paragraph continues] Râma, Thou art the indivisible Existence-Intelligence-Bliss Absolute. Thou hast incarnated in this human form. By Thine own power of Mâyâ Thou appearest as a human being, but in reality Thou art the Lord of the universe."

Footnotes

380:* Dr. Mehendra lal Sircar was the best Hindu physician p. 381 in Calcutta at that time. He was a great authority in medical science and his opinion carried weight among the European physicians of highest repute. He was also the founder of the Science Association in Calcutta, where he occasionally delivered scientific lectures on Physics and Chemistry.
381:* Syâm Bâbu was a rich Hindu of Calcutta and an intimate friend of Dr. Sircar.
392:* Devendra Nâth Tâgore. See note p. 211.
397:* Ahalyâ, wife of the great logician, the sage Goutama. She was a devoted wife, but the villainy of her seducer, who personated her husband, made her unchaste. Hence the curse, the effect of which was, it is said, that she was turned into stone. The touch of Râma Chandra made her human once more.