← Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Vol. II

CHAPTER XX.

THE DAKSHINESWAR TEMPLE,—MARCH, 1885

I.

It is 3 P. M. on Saturday, the 7th of March, 1885. The Master is sitting in his well-known room in the Temple, radiating joy amongst his devotees. Baburam, Chhota Naren, Paltu, Haripada, Mohinimohan and other devotees are seated on the floor, and with them is a Brahmin youth, who has been staying with the Master for the last three days.

Our holy mother now lives in the Nahavat and occasionally comes to the Master's room to attend on him. Mohinimohan has brought his wife and Nabin Babu's mother with him: they have gone to the holy mother in the Nahavat, where they are waiting for an opportunity, when the devotees will be off, to come to the Master and offer him their salutations.

The Master is sitting on the small cot, and, as he looks at his boy disciples, he is filled with great joy.

Rakhal no longer stays at the Temple. It is now several months since he went with Balaram to Brindavan. He has returned lately and is living at home.

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) Rakhal is enjoying a pension now. He is staying at home after his return from Brindavan. He has got his wife there. But he told me he would not take any employment, although it might be worth a thousand rupees a month!

"A mood came over him as he lay here, and he told me that he did not like even my company.

"True, Bhavanath has married, but he spends the whole night in religious conversation with his wife. They pass their days talking about God. Once I told him to be a little merry with his wife. He flared up and said, 'What! should we also pass our time in vulgar merriment?'"

The Master then speaks of Narendra. He says,

"But I did not feel that strong yearning for him^* which I felt for Narendra.

"(To Haripada) Do you go to see Girish Ghosh?"

Haripada: Yes, I often do; we are close neighbours.

Sri Ramakrishna: Does Narendra go there?

Haripada: Yes, I sometimes meet him there.

Sri Ramakrishna: What does he reply to Girish Ghosh?^†

Haripada: He has been defeated in argument.

Sri Ramakrishna: No; he says, 'Girish Ghosh has such a strong faith! Why should I interfere?'

^* 'For him,' i. e., for Chhota Narendra (Chhota meaning 'younger'), so called to distinguish him from the other Narendra, afterwards known as Swami Vivekananda.

^† Sj. Girish often said that the Master is God Incarnate.

The brother of the son-in-law of the Judge Anukul Mukhopadhyaya has come. The Master asks him, "Do you know Narendra?"

Brother: Yes, sir. He is a very intelligent boy.

Sri Ramakrishna: He must be a good man to praise Narendra so highly. Naren came here the other day and sang with Trailokya Sannyal, but his songs appeared 'saltless^*'."

Baburam studies in the school where M. teaches. Looking at him, the Master says, "Where are your books? Won't you study? (To M.) He wants to maintain 'both sides^†'.

Transcend both knowledge and ignorance!

"This is a very difficult path; what is the use of knowing Him only partially? Even Vashisthadeva succumbed to the bereavement of his sons! This extremely surprised Lakshmana, and he questioned Rama about it, Rama replied, 'Brother, what is there to be surprised at? He who has knowledge has also ignorance. Do you transcend both knowledge and ignorance.' If a thorn gets into the sole of your foot, you find another thorn with which you take it out and then you throw away both. So, to dislodge the thorn of ignorance, you have to procure the thorn of knowledge. And then you go beyond them both!"

Baburam: (smiling) That I want!

^* Insipid.

^† That is to say, the 'sides' of God and the world.

Sri Ramakrishna: (with a smile) O my child, how can you have it if you stick to both sides? If you do really want it, then come away.

Baburam: (smilingly) You draw me out.

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) Rakhal stayed with me, but with him it was different—his father was agreeable. But if these boys remain here, there will be trouble. (To Baburam) You are weak,—you are timid! Just see how Chhota Naren declares, 'I'll come away for good.'"

The Master comes down from the cot and sits on the mat amongst his boy disciples. M. sits close by him.

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) I am seeking for one who has absolutely renounced Kamini-Kanchana. Perhaps I think some one will stick to me; but no, every one has his counter-plea.

"A certain ghost was seeking for a companion. Now, if a man dies an unnatural death on a Tuesday or a Saturday, he becomes a ghost. So, whenever the ghost found any man falling down from a house-top, or fainting away through an accident, he would run to him, hoping that the man would become a ghost and accept him as his companion. But such was his poor lot that every one would invariably revive! And never did he get a mate!

"Just see how Rakhal has his plea of a wife! He asks, 'What will become of my wife?' When I touched Narendra on the chest, he began to lose his external sense; then he cried out, 'Oh, what have you done to me? Don't you know I have my parents!'

"Why has He placed me in this condition? Chaitanyadeva became a Sannyasin so that everybody could salute him. Whoever would salute him would attain salvation!"

Mohinimohan has brought some sweetmeats to offer to the Master.

Sri Ramakrishna: Who brought these sweets?

Baburam points to Mohinimohan. The Master utters the sacred Pranava as he touches the sweets and eats a little. He then distributes the Prasadam amongst the devotees. And lo! he feeds Chhotta Naren and some other boy disciples with his own hand!

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) This has a meaning—God is most clearly manifest in the pure-souled! While staying in those parts^*, I would sometimes feed a few of the boys with my own hand in this way. Chine Shankhari complained that I did not feed them like-wise. But how could I do it? Some of them lived clandestinely with their sisters-in-law, others with cousins!—who would feed them?"

II.

Great is the joy of the Master in the company of his pure-hearted disciples! He is stiting on the small cot, making funny imitations of a Kirtani^† to the great amusement of the devotees. . . . Kirtani and her party have come to the assembly to sing. She is lavishly dressed. She stands with a coloured handkerchief in her hand. If any respectable gentleman enters, she welcomes him even while singing, and says, 'Please come in'. And she occasionally removes the Sari from her arms to disclose the various ornaments that adorn them.

^* His native place, Kamarpukur.

This mimicry of the Master makes the devotees roar with laughter. Paltu is literally rolling on the floor. Seeing him, the Master says to M., "Quite a child,—how he rolls in laughter! (To Paltu, smilingly) Don't tell all this to your father! The little regard he has left for me will also vanish: he is an 'Englishman' again.

"Some there are who will talk worlds of things at the time of daily worship. But when forbidden to talk, they make innumerable signs and gestures with closed lips,—'Bring this!' 'Bring that!' 'Huh!' 'Uhuh!'—all such things they do!

"Some one may be telling his beads, but even then he goes to bargain for fish! And as he counts the beads, he points with his finger to the fish he wants! And all his bargaining comes at that particular time! [Laughter.]

"A woman perhaps has come to bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges. She should think of God then, but lo! she gossips on no end of things! . . . 'What jewels did they offer to your son?' 'So-and-so is seriously ill!' 'Has So-and-so returned from his father-in-law's?' 'So-and-so went to see the bride,—hope they'll offer a magnificent dowry!' 'Harish is very fond of me, cannot rest an hour without me!' 'I could not come all these days; the betrothal of So-and-so's daughter came off, so I was very busy!' . . . . .

^† A 'Kirtani' is a professional songstress who sings devotional songs.

"She has come to bathe in the holy waters, and how she is talking on endless worldly things!"

The Master is intently gazing at Chhota Naren and, while so doing loses himself in Samadhi! Does he see God Himself in his pure-hearted disciple?

The devotees silently watch this picture of Samadhi. Where are his joy and merriment gone? An intense silence reigns in the room, as if it had been completely deserted. The Master's limbs are absolutely motionless, his eyes winkless, and he sits, like a painted portrait, with joined palms.

Some time afterward, the Master's Samadhi breaks. . . . . . His suspended respiration revives and he heaves a deep sigh. His mind is slowly regaining external consciousness and he looks at his devotees.

But he is still rapt in a deep ecstatic mood. He addresses each of the devotees telling them of their future progress.

"(To Chhota Naren) I have been eager to see you. You will realise . . . . . . Come here occasionally. Well, which do you prefer, Jnana or Bhakti?"

Chhota Naren: Pure Bhakti!

Sri Ramakrishna: How can you love unless you know Him? (Pointing to M., smiling) How can you reverence him unless you know him?

"(To M.) But since a pure-souled devotee has asked for Pure Bhakti, it must have some meaning! To attain Bhakti all at once and directly, one must have favourable Samskara^*. It is a sign of Prema-Bhakti to have the Devotion of Love. Jnana-Bhakti, i. e., the Devotion of Knowledge, is a reasoned-out devotion.

"(To Ch. Naren) Let me see your body,—open your shirt.—Fairly broad chest!—Yes, you will realise—come here now and then."

The Master is still deeply absorbed: he affectionately speaks to the other devotees.

"(To Paltu) You too will realise, but a little late.

"(To Baburam) Why do I not attract you?—Should I, after all, create any trouble?

"(To Mohinimohan) As to you, you are all right! Only a little remains to be fulfilled. But when that is done, you can no longer have your affairs of the world! Should everything go?"

^* 'Tendencies inherited from previous birth.'

So saying, the Master affectionately gazes at Mohini, looking, as it were, into the very recesses of his heart. Does Mohini think that everything should be sacrificed for God? After a while, the Master says to him, "God binds down the Bhagavat Pandit with a worldly tie otherwise who will read out the words of God to men? So, for the teaching of mankind, He retains one bondage. Mother has kept you in the world for that."

He next addresses the Brahmin youth, saying, "Give up metaphysical reasonings. Take to Bhakti! Bhakti is the essential thing. Is this the third day of your stay?"

Brahmin Youth: (with folded hands) Yes, sir.

Sri Ramakrishna: Have faith! Rely on Her; then you will not have to do anything yourself,—Mother Kali will do all!

"Jnana can at best enter the outer court. But Bhakti gets into the inner apartments!

The state of the Brahma-jnani.

"The Shuddha Atman is unaffected by anything. He contains both Vidya and Avidya but they cannot in any way affect Him. The air sometimes smells sweet, sometimes foul, but these sweet or foul odours do not affect the air itself. Vyasadeva wanted to cross the Jamuna river. Some Gopis also came to the same place with their loads of milk, curd and butter to go over to the other side. But there was no boat at that time, and they did not know how to ford the river. Now it happened that Vyasadeva felt very hungry; the Gopis therefore gave him their milk, butter and cream, and he consumed almost the whole of their supply. He then addressed the river Jamuna thus: 'Jamuna, if I have not eaten anything, thy waters must part asunder and open a pathway for us to go across!' And it came to pass exactly as he said,—the waters divided and disclosed a way between, along which Vyasadeva and the Gopis walked over to the other side.

"'I have not eaten anything' means 'I am that Shuddha Atman, the Pure Self' which is unaffected by anything and beyond Prakriti. He neither thirsts nor hungers, nor has He birth or death! He ages not! He is immortal! And He is like unto Mt. Sumeru^*!

The Jivan-mukta.

"He who has attained to this Knowledge of Brahman is Jivan-mukta, living-free. And he clearly perceives that the Atman is quite separate from the body. When man realises God, he becomes free from the illusion of identifying his Self with the body. He feels them as two separate entities, like the kernel and the shell of a cocoanut, which separate from each other when the milk within has evaporated. The Self seems to 'rattle' within the body! Indeed, when the 'milk' of worldly mindedness has dried up, there comes Self-knowledge, and the soul and the body are realised as quite distinct from each other. The kernel of a green betal-nut or walnut cannot be separated from its shell. But when it ripens, the kernel separates from the shell,—the juice has already dried up. Indeed, with the attainment of Brahma-jnana, the 'sap' of worldly wisdom dries up.

^* Mt. Sumeru, the 'golden mountains,' is, according to Hindu mythology, the axis of the universe, ever steady, immovable and unchanged.

"But that Knowledge is very hard to attain. You cannot have it for a mere wish! Some feign to possess Knowledge. (Smilingly) There was a man who was a great liar. He even declared that he had attained Brahma-jnana. One day, when somebody rebuked him, he said, "Why, this world is verily like a dream! If, then, everything is unreal, is truthfulness itself real? It is surely as false as falsehood!'" [All laugh.]

III.

The Master is seated with a smiling countenance amongst his disciples on the mat. He asks them to stroke his feet. They obey.

Sri Ramakrishna says smilingly to M., "This^* has a deep significance." He then places his hand on his own heart and continues, "If there is anything (Divine) in it, then (by this Padaseva) ignorance and delusion will vanish once for all."

Who is Sri Ramakrishna.

The Master suddenly assumes a serious look, as if he would reveal a secret. He says to M., "There is no outsider here. One day I had a vision—Harish was near me: I saw Sachchidananda coming out of the sheath^*; having come out, He said, 'I incarnate in every age!' I thought I was delirious. So I kept quiet and listened: He Himself was saying, 'Even Chaitanya worshipped Shakti!'"

^* Stroking the feet, or Padaseva, as it is called.

In speechless wonder, the disciples hear this revelation! And some of them think, 'Is the Sachchidananda, the Lord Himself, sitting near us in the guise of Sri Ramakrishna? Has He then descended on earth again?'

The Master speaks again. He says to M., "I saw that God has incarnated Himself perfectly, though the manifestation is only of Sattwaguna!"

The disciples marvel at this within themselves!

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) I was saying now to Mother, 'I can talk no more;' and I said, 'O Mother, may my mere touch awaken man's spiritual consciousness!' The power of Yoga-maya is such that She can cast a spell. In the Brindavan-leela, She displayed Her magic power; it was through Her that Subol could bring about a reconciliation of Srimati and Sri Krishna. Yoga-maya, who is the Primal Divine Energy Herself, has a power of attraction. I made an application of that power.

^* The body.

"Well, do you think that those who come here are realising anything?"

M.: Yes, sir; certainly they are realising.

Sri Ramakrishna: How do you know?

M.: (smiling) Everyone says, 'Whoever goes to him, does not return to the world!'

Sri Ramakrishna: A frog fell a prey to a water-snake. But the snake could neither swallow nor eject it; and both of them suffered—the frog croaked and croaked, and the snake agonized. But if it had been seized by a cobra, it would have been silenced after two croakings! [All laugh.] (To the boy disciples) Read that book of Trailokya—'Bhakti-Chaitanya-Chandrika'! Just beg a copy of him,—it contains nice things about Chaitanyadeva.

A Devotee: But will he give it?

Sri Ramakrishna: Why, if there is a good harvest of melons, the farmer can certainly give away one or two fruits. [Laughter.] Will he not give gratis,—what do you say?

The Master tells Paltu,—"Come here, now and then."

Paltu: Yes, I shall, when I find any opportunity.

Sri Ramakrishna: Will you go to where I go in Calcutta?

Paltu: Yes, I shall,—I shall try to.

Sri Ramakrishna: This is your calculativeness!

Paltu: But if I say otherwise than 'I shall try' it will be a lie!

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) I do not mind their telling lies—they are not free.

The Master then inquires of Haripada, "Why does not Mahendra Mukherji come here?"

Haripada: I am not quite sure why.

M.: (smiling) He is practising Jnana Yoga!

Sri Ramakrishna: Not that; the other day he said he would take me to the Theatre to show me the performance of Prahlad-Charitra, and promised to send his carriage; but he did not. I think he does not come here for the very shame of it.

M.: One day I met Mahim Chakravarti: it seems Mahendra is a regular visitor at Chakravarti's.

Sri Ramakrishna: Why, Mahima professes Bhakti as well. He very often recites the hymn, 'If you worship the Lord, what need then of penance?'

M.: (smilingly) That is because you make him recite!

Sj. Girish Chandra Ghosh has only lately known the Master. Now he passes his time wholly absorbed in the thoughts of the Master.

Haripada: Girish Ghosh is nowadays seeing various visions. After going home from here, he lives in a constant mood of God-absorption and sees many visions.

Sri Ramakrishna: It may be true. When we approach the Ganges, we can see many things,—boats, steamers and what not.

Haripada: Girish Ghosh says,that formerly he would remain busy all day long,—he would down sit at his table at a fixed hour in the morning and write during the whole day. But now he cannot keep his resolve,—the moment we go to him, he begins to talk of this place! You asked him to send Narendra,—he said, 'I will hire a carriage for him.'

It is 5 P. M. Chhota Naren is preparing to go home. He is standing alone with the Master in the north-eastern veranda, receiving various instructions. He then makes his obeisance to him and departs.

The Master is seated on the small cot talking to Mohini. Mohini's wife is much overwhelmed by the death of a son. She alternately cries and laughs, but whenever she visits the Master, she becomes noticeably quiet.

Sri Ramakrishna: How is your wife doing now?

Mohini: Whenever she is here, she becomes quiet, but at home she gets very wild sometimes. One day she went to kill herself!

The Master remains thoughtful for a time.

Mohini: (imploringly) You will have to say a few words.

Sri Ramakrishna: Do not allow her to cook; that heats the brain still more. And keep her always in the company of some one or other.

IV.

The day is done. Preparations for Aratrikam are going forward in the temples. The Master's room is lighted and incensed. The Master is seated on his small cot, and, having saluted the Divine Mother, is sweetly reciting Her blessed names! And M. alone watches there in silence.

The Master rises from the cot. M. also stands up. The Master points to the northern and the western doors and asks him to close them. M. obeys and comes out to the Master where he waits on the veranda.

He says, "I will go to the Kali temple," and, leaning on M.'s arm, goes to the terrace of the Kali temple. Before he sits down, he says, "Call him to me." M. calls Baburam.

After visiting the Mother, the Master is coming back across the court-yard saying, "Mother, O Mother! Rajarajeswari!" On reaching his room, he sits on the small cot.

A strange state has come over the Master,—he cannot touch any metallic object! This indicates, he says, that the Mother is wiping off even the last trace of the sense of possession from his mind. He now eats his meal on plantain leaves and drinks from an earthen pot! He cannot touch metal pots or plates; contact with them gives him a shock and pain in the hand, as if he were stung with a poisonous fang!

Prasanna brought a few earthen pots for the Master, but they were rather too small. The Master laughingly remarks, "The pots are very small. . . But the boy is very nice.

Tarak of Belghar enters with a friend, and makes his obeisance.

Tarak is married. His parents do not wish him to visit the Master. He at present puts up in a hired house in the city, near Bowbazar Street. The Master dearly loves him. But Tarak's companion is somewhat Tamasic and holds disparaging opinions about religion and Sri Ramakrishna. Tarak is nearly twenty years old.

Sri Ramakrishna: (to Tarak's companion) Go, have a look at the Temple.

Companion: Oh, I have seen it before.

Sri Ramakrishna: Well, do you think it wrong on the part of Tarak to come here?

Companion: You know best.

Sri Ramakrishna: (pointing to M.) He is a Head-master.

Companion: Oh!

The Master inquires about Tarak's health and talks with him for a long time. When at last Tarak prepares to depart, the Master warns him, "O Sadhu, beware! Beware of Kamini-Kanchana! Once swallowed up by the Maya of woman, you have no hope of release! It is the bottomless pit of the Bishalakshi; whoever has fallen into it has never come out! And do not forget to come here occasionally!"

Tarak: My people do not allow me.

A Devotee: If any mother forbids her son to come here and swears that his doing so would be drinking her blood, what should he do?

Obedience to parents—its limit.

Sri Ramakrishna: A mother that says such things is no mother,—she is the very personification of Avidya! And it will be no sin if you disobey her when she is an obstacle in your way to God! No blame attaches to a violation of the commands of superiors if it is for the sake of God! For Rama's sake, Bharata transgressed the injunctions of Kaikeyi; the Gopis disregarded the prohibitions of their husbands in order to see Sri Krishna; Prahlada disobeyed his father for the sake of God; Bali defied the advice of his Guru, Shukracharya, in order to please the Lord: and Bibhishana went against the wishes of his elder brother to find Rama!

"In every case, except when they forbid you to tread the path of God, you must obey them.

"Let me see your hand."

He takes Tarak's hand into his own and seems to weigh it. A while after, he says, "There is a slight (crookedness), but it will pass off. Pray to Him and come here sometimes; then it will become clear. Is it you who have hired the house at Bowbazar?"

Tarak: No, sir; they have hired it.

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) They or you? Is it for fear of the 'tiger'?

Does the Master call 'Kamini' a tiger?

Tarak makes his farewell salutation and departs.

The Master is lying on the small cot, seeming to be thoughtful about Tarak. He suddenly asks M., "Why am I so anxious about them?"

M. remains silent, thinking over a reply. The Master inquires again and says, "Answer!"

In the meanwhile, Mohinimohan's wife came into the Master's room and after saluting him, has been waiting in a corner. The Master refers to Tarak's companion and exclaims "Why did Tarak bring that fellow with him!"

M.: Perhaps as a mere companion of the road. It is a long way, so he brought some one with him.

The Master suddenly addresses Mohini's wife, saying, "If you die a violent death, you will become a ghost! Be warned in time! Control your mind! Is that what you have learnt after all your experience?"

Mohini is bidding farewell to the Master. He bows to the ground before him; his wife also bows down. The Master is standing by the northern door. Mohini's wife is speaking with him in a low voice.

Sri Ramakrishna: You want to stay here?

Wife: I want to live here for a time with holy mother in the Nahavat; may I?

Sri Ramakrishna: That is good! But you frighten me by talking of suicide, and there is also the Ganges near by!