CHAPTER XXII.

THE SHYAMPUKUR HOUSE,—OCTOBER, 1885

It is the 18th of October, 1885, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Aswin,—the day of the Vijaya. Sri Ramakrishna is ill. He is staying in a house at Shyampukur, under the treatment of Calcutta doctors. The disciples are in constant attendance, though they have not yet formally renounced the world.

It is eight in the morning of early winter. Though ill, the Master is sitting on his bed like a child of five years, knowing nothing but the Mother. Navagopal, M. and a few other devotees are waiting in the room. Surendra comes in and sits down. His family celebrated the autumnal worship of the Divine Mother. But the Master could not attend it in the present state of his health: he sent some of the devotees to visit the Mother's sacred image.

To-day is Vijaya^*, and Surendra is disconsolate. He says in heart-touching tones, "I have fled away from home!"

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) What does it matter? May Mother abide in his heart!

Surendra is crying unto the Mother, pouring out the agony of his heart to Her in prayers. The Master gazes at him and cannot restrain his tears. Looking at M., he says with a choking voice, "What Bhakti! Ah, what a Bhakti he has indeed!"

^* The Divine Mother returns to Her celestial home on Mt. Kailasa on this day, after accepting three days worship at Her devotees' home. The sadness of that day is indescribable.

"(To Surendra) Last evening,—it was at 7 or 7-30,—I had a vision,—I saw your worship-hall; the Mother's image was there, and it was all full of effulgence! This place and that hall had become joined into one,—a stream of light as it were, was flowing between the two places, this house and yours!"

Surendra: I was at that time crying to the Mother in the worship-hall. My elder brothers had gone upstairs. And methought Mother said, 'I will come again!'

At 11, the Master takes his diet. Mani is pouring water for him to wash his mouth.

Sri Ramakrishna: (to Mani) Rakhal is suffering from indigestion caused by the Bengal gram dal. Sattwic food is desirable. Have you not seen what the Gita says? Dont you read it?

The Gita.

Mani: Yes, sir, it speaks of 'temperate eating'. Sattwic food, Rajasic food and Tamasic food, and Sattwic kindness, Rajasic kindness and Tamasic kindness, and Sattwic ego,—all these are mentioned in the Gita.

Sri Ramakrishna: Have you got a copy with you?

Mani: Yes, sir, I have.

Sri Ramakrishna: It is the essence of all Scriptures.

Mani: Just as you speak of going to Him through diverse paths, the Gita mentions various ways of knowing God—those of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma and Dhyana.^*

Sri Ramakrishna: Do you know what Karma Yoga is? It is to surrender the fruits of all your actions to God.

Mani: Yes, sir, I have found this in the Gita. It also speaks of three ways of doing Karma.

Sri Ramakrishna: What are they?

Mani: First, one may perform Karma for attaining Knowledge; secondly, for the teaching of mankind; and thirdly, under the impulse of one's nature.

After washing his mouth, the Master is chewing betel. He takes a portion of it from his mouth and gives that to Mani.

II.

The Master is talking with M. about Dr. Sarkar^†. M. was at his place yesterday to report the Master's condition.

Sri Ramakrishna: What did you talk about?

M.: There is a large number of books in Doctor's room. I took out one to read and, now and then, read out a passage to him. It was a work of Sir Humphrey Davy, affirming the necessity of Divine Incarnation.

^* Dhyana is meditation

^† Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar, the renowned physician of Calcutta.

Sri Ramakrishna: Indeed? What did you read to him?

M.: There was one passage that ran: 'Divine Truth must be made human truth to be appreciated by us.' Hence the necessity of Divine Incarnation.

Sri Ramakrishna: It is a very nice saying!

Sir Humphrey Davy and the doctrine of Divine Incarnation.

M: The writer used a figure of speech to explain himself saying that we cannot look at the sun itself, but we can look at the reflected rays.

Sri Ramakrishna: Very fine! Anything else?

M.: There was another passage,—'True knowledge is Faith.'

Sri Ramakrishna: This is quite a nice saying: if you have faith, you have all!

M.: And the Sahib had a dream, too,—of Roman gods and goddesses.

Sri Ramakrishna: Indeed, are there such books? Assuredly, God himself is working there. Anything else?

M.: They speak of doing good to the world. So I told him one of your stories.

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) Which one?

The ultimate value of philanthropy.

M.: Your story about Sambhu Mallik. He told you that he desired to spend his money for founding schools and hospitals for the benefit of the people. I told the Doctor how you replied to it by asking him whether he would want God to build schools and hospitals for him, if He were to appear before him. And I told him another thing.

Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, those who are born to work are a different class of men. What is the other thing?

M.: I said, if a man wants to visit the Mother Kali, what is the use of his merely giving alms to the beggars on the way? He had better somehow visit the holy image first; he, may do charity to his heart's content afterwards.

Sri Ramakrishna: Anything else?

M.: I told him that many of those who come to you have conquered lust. To this the Doctor replied, 'Do you know that my lust also is gone?' I said, 'You are a great man; it is no wonder that you have conquered lust. But even insignificant men have vanquished their passions by being in his company,—that is certainly to be wondered at.' I then told him what you said to Girish Ghosh.

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) What did I say?

M.: You told Girish Ghosh that the Doctor had not yet been able to supersede him. I mean that talk about Divine Incarnation.

Sri Ramakrishna: Tell him (Dr. Sarkar) about the doctrine of Divine Incarnation^*. An 'Avatar' is one who grants salvation. And there are ten, or twenty-four, or an infinite number of Avatars.

^* In Sanskrit, 'Avatara.'

M.: He appears to take a keen interest in Girish Ghosh. He always asks me if he has completely given up the drinking habit. He has kept a strict eye on Girish Ghosh.

Sri Ramakrishna: Did you tell Girish Ghosh about it?

M.: Yes, sir, I did, and also to give up drinking altogether.

Sri Ramakrishna: What did he say to it?

M.: He said, 'As you say so, I take that as the behest of Master himself. But I won't promise anything.'

Sri Ramakrishna: Kalipada told me that he had given up completely.

III.

Afternoon. The Doctor has come to visit the Master. The Doctor's son, Amrita, and Hem have come with him. Narendra and other devotees are also present.

What Dhyana (meditation) is.

The Master is speaking aside to Amrita. He asks, "Do you have Dhyana?" and says, "Do you know what the state of Dhyana is? The mind must become like a continuous flow of oil,—there should be only one thought, that of God, and no other thoughts should intervene!"

He speaks with the devotees.

Sri Ramakrishna: (to Doctor) Your son does not believe in Divine Incarnation. It does not matter if he does not believe. Your son is a nice boy. And why not? Does the mango tree of the 'Bombay' species ever bear a sour fruit? How firm is his faith in God! He indeed is a man whose mind is fixed in Him! There are 'manush', men in name only, and 'man-hush' knowing men. He who has the spiritual awareness, who is 'conscious' and who is fully convinced that God alone is real and all else is false, he indeed is a 'man-hush,' a knowing man!

"What harm is there if he does not believe in Divine Incarnation? It is enough if he believes that God exists and that all beings and the universe are His manifestations, regarding Him as he would a rich man who has extensive gardens.

"Some say that there are ten Avatars, others twenty-four, and others, again, say there are innumerable Avatars.

"Wherever there is a special manifestation of His power, there is Avatar. This is what I believe.

The Absolute and the Relative.

"There is another doctrine that it is He who has become all this, just as a bel fruit is composed of all its parts; it is seeds, pulp and shell. That which is the Absolute has also its Relative aspect, and that which is the Relative has also its Absolute aspect. You cannot know the Relative without knowing the Absolute; and it is only because there is the Relative that you can transcend it step by step and reach the Absolute.

"So long as you have egoism, you cannot transcend the Relative. It is by the negation of all phenomena through Dhyana that you can realise the Absolute. But nothing can be left out of count, as I said of bel fruit."

Doctor: Quite true.

Sri Ramakrishna: Kacha attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi. When his mind was coming down to the sense plane, he was asked, 'How do you feel now?' He replied, 'I feel that the universe is interpenetrated by Him, He is immanent in everything! I see that it is He who has become everything, and I do not know what to accept and what to reject!'

"The fact is that we have to realise Him both as the Absolute and the Relative and then to live as His servant.

"Hanuman realised Him both as Sakara and Nirakara; he then lived as His servant and Bhakta."

Mani: (aside) So we have to accept both the Absolute and the Relative as equally true!' And, indeed, since the time Vedanta spread into Germany, the German philosophers also have been propounding the same theory. But the Master insists that man must renounce everything completely; he must give up Kamini-Kanchana: only then can he realise God as the Absolute and the Relative;—he must become a true Tyagi, absolutely detached from the world.

"Here it is I find a great difference between the Master and those European philosophers."

IV.

The Doctor says that God created men, destining their souls for infinite progress. He does not believe that one individual can be superior to another. He therefore cannot accept the doctrine of Divine Incarnation. He says: "Infinite progress! If that cannot be, what is the use of living five or six years more?—I would rather hang myself with a rope round my neck!

"Avatar! What is that? To humble myself before a man who excretes dirt and urine? But 'Reflection of God's Light'—yes, that I can admit."

Girish: (smiling) But you have not seen God's Light!

The Doctor pauses for a suitable reply; a friend whispers something into his ear.

Doctor: (to Girish) But you also have not seen anything but the Reflection!

Girish: I see It! I see the Light! I will prove that Krishna is an Avatar, or I shall cut off my tongue!

Sri Ramakrishna: All this is useless talk. It is like the ravings of a delirious patient. A patient cried in delirium, 'I'll drink a jar of water! I'll eat a pot of rice!' The doctor said, 'Yes, yes, you will have all these. We shall give you whatever you want, when you are convalescent.'

"As long as the clarified butter is not thoroughly heated, it hisses and crackles, but on being sufficiently heated, it becomes silent.

"As is your mind, so is your conception of God. I have noted that rich people decorate their walls with the Queen's pictures. But devotees keep pictures of gods and goddesses in their homes.

"Lakshmana said, 'O Rama, even Vasistha is overcome by grief at his son's death!' Rama replied, 'Brother, whoever has knowledge has also ignorance; whoever has the idea of light has also the idea of darkness. Do you go beyond both knowledge and ignorance!' That state is attainable only through a most intimate communion with the Lord, and it is called 'Vijnana.'

"When a thorn enters the sole of a man's foot, he has to procure another thorn. With that he removes the thorn in his foot, and then throws both of them away. Similarly, when the thorn of ignorance has been removed with the thorn of knowledge, both the thorns of ignorance and knowledge have to be thrown aside.

Perfect Knowledge.

"Perfect Knowledge has its signs,—reasoning ceases completely: just as I said, the clarified butter hisses and crackles so long as it is not heated enough."

Doctor: But this Perfect Knowledge does not last permanently! If everything is God why is it that you are posing as a Paramahamsa and these people are serving you? Why do you not remain silent always?

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) Water is always water, whether it is calm or agitated.

Voice of God.

"And there is another thing: Why should I not rather obey the 'Mahut-Narayana'? The Guru had taught his disciple that all things were Narayana. A mad elephant was coming by, but the disciple did not move out of its way, for he had faith in the words of his Guru,—the elephant itself was Narayana. Although the 'Mahut^*' cried at the top of his voice that every one should run away, he did not pay heed to it; so the elephant came rushing on and dashed him to the ground. He did not die however; his face was bathed for a long time and he was brought to his senses. Then some one asked him, 'Why did you not move away?' He replied, 'Why should I? Gurudeva said that everything is Narayana.' At that the Guru remarked, 'My child, why then did you not obey the Mahut Narayana?'

"It is He who abides within as the Pure Mind, the Pure Intelligence. I am the machine, He is worker of the machine; I am the house, He is the tenant of the house."

Doctor: Let me also ask you, why is it, then, that you ask me to cure you?

Sri Ramakrishna: That is only as long as the 'jar of my ego' remains. Suppose there is a vast ocean, full on all sides, and there is a jar immerged in its waters. There is water both inside and outside the jar, but the water cannot become one till you break it. He it is who has allowed this 'jar of the ego' to remain.

^* Driver of an elephant.

The Differentiated Ego.

Doctor: What are these then, your 'ego' and all that you speak of? You must explain them! Do you mean to say that He is playing tricks on us?

Girish: How do you know, sir, that He is not playing tricks?

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) It is He who has allowed this 'ego" to remain. That is His play, His Leela! A king has four sons; they are all princes, but when they play, one becomes the minister, another the policeman. A prince, yet playing as a policeman!

"(To Doctor) Let me tell you, if you ever realise the Self, you will have to admit the truth of all this. His vision removes all doubts."

Doctor: But all my doubts are not cleared!

Sri Ramakrishna: Know this much from me. If you want to know further, you must pray to Him in the secrecy of your heart. Ask Him why He has so ordained. The son can give only a measure of rice to the beggar; but if the beggar has to be given the train fare, the master of the house will have to be applied to.

The Doctor is silent.

Sri Ramakrishna: You are fond of reasoning,—all right, let me reason a little. According to the Jnani, there cannot be any Avatar. Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, 'You say that I am the Divine Incarnation,—come, let me show you one thing.' When Arjuna had followed him a short distance, Sri Krishna asked him, 'What do you see?' 'A large tree,' he replied, 'on which blackberries are growing in bunches.' Sri Krishna said, 'These are not blackberries. Go nearer.' Then Arjuna found that bunches of Sri Krishnas were growing on the tree! 'Do you see now,' said Sri Krishna, 'how innumerable are the Sri Krishnas like myself that are growing here?'

"Kavirdas said of Sri Krishna, 'He danced like a monkey to the clapping of Shepherdesses!'

"As you go nearer and nearer to God, you will find less and less of His attributes. A Bhakta had a vision of the ten-handed Mother On advancing further, he saw Her as six-handed. Proceeding further still, he beheld the vision of the two-handed Gopala. The more he progressed, the less became the manifestation of His glory, till at last he realised Him as Light, shorn of all manifestations!

Jnana Yoga.

"Just listen to a Vedantic argument: A magician came to a king to display his skill. When he receded a little, the king found that a man was coming towards him on horseback, brilliantly arrayed with weapons in his hands. The king and the assembly began to analyse the real out of the apparition,—the horse was not true, nor the brilliant robes, nor the weapons. They at last saw that the man was really standing alone. That is to say, the Brahman alone is real and the world is false. Nothing can survive analysis."

Doctor: I do not object to this.

Sri Ramakrishna: But it is very difficult to get rid of this illusion: it lingers even after the attainment of Knowledge. A man dreamt of a tiger, and even after his awakening his heart continued to palpitate! Some thieves came to rob a field. In the field there was a scarecrow made like a human form, which so much frightened the thieves that they did not dare enter. One, however, approached the object and found that it was a mere straw image; so he returned to his fellows and bade them have no fear. But they still hesitated to come in and said that their hearts were palpitating. At that he went back and laid the figure down on the ground and said, 'It is nothing.'—'Not this,' 'Not this.'

Doctor: These are all very nice sayings!

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) Yes,—what kind of sayings?

Doctor: Nice sayings!

Sri Ramakrishna: Then say, 'Thank you!'

Doctor: Don't you see my mind?—And I take so much pains to come here to see you!

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) No, no; say something for the sake of the ignorant. Bibhishana did not want to accept the kingship of Lanka. He said, 'O Rama, I have you; what do I care for the kingdom?' But Rama replied, 'Bibhishana, be you king for the sake of the ignorant, for the sake of those who wish to know what wealth you have secured by serving me. Be you the king for their conviction.'

Doctor: But there are no such ignorant men here.

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) No, here you have both conches and pond-snails! [All laugh.]

The Doctor is giving medicine to the Master. He takes two globules and says, "I give you two globules,—Prakriti and Purusha!" [Laughter.]

Sri Ramakrishna: (smilingly) Yes, they are always together. Have you not observed the pigeons, how they cannot live separate? Wherever there is Purusha, there is Prakriti, and wherever Prakriti is, there is Purusha.

It is the day of Vijaya. The Master invites the Doctor to a little refreshment. The devotees place a dish of sweets before him. As he eats, the Doctor remarks, "I give you thanks for these sweets, not for your valuable instructions. Why should I give such thanks with words of mouth?"

Sri Ramakrishna: (smiling) To have one's mind ever fixed in Him! What more should I say?—And meditate a little on Him! (Pointing to Chhota Naren) Look here, his mind becomes completely immerged in God. Those things which I was telling you,—

Doctor: Tell all of them.

Sri Ramakrishna: A man must be given according to his power of digestion. Can all men accept and appreciate those things? I told them to you,—that is different. The mother has procured a fish. But all the children have not the same power of digestion. So she prepares polao for one and soup for another,—his stomach is not healthy. [Laughter.]

Doctor Sircar departs.

The day of Vijaya is being observed. The devotees prostrate themselves before the Master and take the dust of his sacred feet. Then they embrace one another and there is great joy. In spite of his serious illness, the Master has thrown his disciples into a blissful oblivion, and for a long time they exchange greetings of love and entertain one another with sweets.

Chhota Naren, M. and a few others are sitting near the Master, listening to his words. At last he refers to the Doctor, saying, "Doctor will not require much instruction. When the trunk of the tree has been sufficiently cut, the cutter moves off to a distance. The tree then falls down of itself."

Chhota Naren: (smiling) All is principle!

Sri Ramakrishna: (to M.) The Doctor has changed a good deal,—has he not?

M.: Yes, sir. He becomes confounded when he comes here. He never speaks of prescribing medicine for you. Only when we remind him, he says, 'Yes, yes'!

Some of the devotees have been singing in the drawing room. When they come to the Master's room, he says, "You were singing, but why out of tune? There was once a Vetala-siddha; it was like that!"^* [All laugh.]

A young man, very foppishly dressed and wearing eye-glasses, has come. He is a relation of Ch. Naren. The Master says to Ch. Naren "Look here; a young man was passing along this road, dressed in a shirt with a breast plate. How he walked! Sometimes he displayed the plate by removing his muslin scarf and looked to see if any one was admiring him. But when he walked. he was knock-kneed! [All laugh.]

"A peacock has a beautiful tail, but its feet are very ugly! [Laughter.] The camel is very awkward: everything is ugly about it!"

Young man: But its conduct is good.

Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, good indeed, but it browses on prickles, and though its mouth bleeds, it still feeds on prickles! The worldly people, though their children die, clamour for more children!

^* A 'Vetala-siddha' is a tamer of a Vetala, i.e., a ghost. The point of the humour is the fun the Master makes on the word Vetala, which otherwise means 'out of tune'.